5. "Then it came to pass a while after that there was a post in the town
that inquired for Mr. Honest. So he came to his house where he was, and
delivered to his hands these lines, Thou art commanded to be ready
against this day seven night, to present thyself before thy Lord at His
Father's house. And for a token that my message is true, all thy
daughters of music shall be brought low. Then Mr. Honest called for his
friends and said unto them, I die, but shall make no will. As for my
honesty, it shall go with me: let him that comes after me be told of
this. When the day that he was to be gone was come he addressed himself
to go over the river. Now, the river at that time overflowed the banks
at some places. But Mr. Honest in his lifetime had spoken to one Good-
conscience to meet him there, the which he also did, and lent him his
hand, and so helped him over. The last words of Mr. Honest were, Grace
reigns! So he left the world." Look at that picture and now look at
this: "They then addressed themselves to the water, and, entering,
Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful, he
said, I sink in deep waves, the billows go over my head, all His waters
go over me. Then said the other, Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel
the bottom, and it is good. Then said Christian, Ah, my friend, the
sorrows of death have compassed me about; I shall not see the land that
flows with milk and honey. And with that a great horror and darkness
fell upon Christian, so that he could not see before him; and all the
words that he spoke still tended to discover that he had horror of mind
lest he should die in that river and never obtain entrance in at the
gate. Here also, as they that stood by perceived, he was much in the
troublesome thoughts of the sins that he had committed, both since and
before he began to be a pilgrim. 'Twas also observed that he was
troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits. Hopeful,
therefore, had much ado to keep his brother's head above water. Yea,
sometimes he would be quite gone down, and then ere a while he would rise
up again half dead." My brethren, all my brethren, be not deceived; God
is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. Whom
the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
Thou, O God, wast a God that forgavest them, but Thou tookest vengeance
on their inventions.
MR. FEARING
"Happy is the man that feareth alway."--_Solomon_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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