Bunyan, John, 1628-1688 -- Criticism and interpretation
5. But the thing that always in the long-run justified the governorship
of Mr. God's-peace, and reconciled all the other officers to his
supremacy, was the way that the city settled down and prospered under his
benignant rule. All the other officers admitted that, somehow, his
promotion and power had been the salvation of Mansoul. They all extolled
their Prince's far-seeing wisdom in the selection, advancement, and
absolute seat of Mr. God's-peace. And it would ill have become them to
have said anything else; for they had little else to do but bask in the
sun and enjoy the honours and the emoluments of their respective offices
as long as Governor God's-peace held sway, and had all things in the city
to his own mind. Now, it was on all hands admitted, as we read again
with renewed delight, that there were no jars, no chiding, no
interferings, no unfaithful doings in the town of Mansoul; but every man
kept close to his own employment. The gentry, the officers, the
soldiers, and all in place, observed their orders. And as for the women
and children, they all followed their business joyfully. They would work
and sing, work and sing, from morning till night, so that quite through
the town of Mansoul now nothing was to be found but harmony, quietness,
joy, and health. What more could be said of any governorship of any town
than that? The Heavenly Court itself, out of which Governor God's-peace
had come down, was not better governed than that. Harmony, quietness,
joy, and health. No; the New Jerusalem itself will not surpass that.
'And this lasted all that summer.'
CHAPTER XXIII--THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH OF MANSOUL, AND MR. CONSCIENCE ONE
OF HER PARISH MINISTERS
'The Highest Himself shall establish her.'--_David_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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