The Holy War, Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World; Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of MansoulBunyan, John
ReligionChristian
The Holy War, Made by King Shaddai Upon Diabolus, for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World; Or, The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul
Bunyan, John
Christian fiction; Soul; Spiritual warfare -- Fiction
After some time, when they had somewhat refrained themselves, they came
together to consult again what by them was yet to be done; and they asked
advice, as they did before, of that reverend Mr. Godly-Fear, who told
them that there was no way better than to do as they had done, nor would
he that they should be discouraged at all with that they had met with at
court; yea, though several of their petitions should be answered with
nought but silence or rebuke: ‘For,’ said he, ‘it is the way of the wise
Shaddai to make men wait and to exercise patience, and it should be the
way of them in want, to be willing to stay his leisure.
Then they took courage, and sent again and again, and again, and again;
for there was not now one day, nor an hour that went over Mansoul’s head,
wherein a man might not have met upon the road one or other riding post,
sounding the horn from Mansoul to the court of the King Shaddai; and all
with letters petitionary in behalf of, and for the Prince’s return to
Mansoul. The road, I say, was now full of messengers, going and
returning, and meeting one another; some from the court, and some from
Mansoul; and this was the work of the miserable town of Mansoul, all that
long, that sharp, that cold and tedious winter.
Now if you have not forgot, you may yet remember that I told you before,
that after Emmanuel had taken Mansoul, yea, and after that he had new
modelled the town, there remained in several lurking places of the
corporation many of the old Diabolonians, that either came with the
tyrant when he invaded and took the town, or that had there, by reason of
unlawful mixtures, their birth and breeding, and bringing up. And their
holes, dens, and lurking places were in, under, or about the wall of the
town. Some of their names are the Lord Fornication, the Lord Adultery,
the Lord Murder, the Lord Anger, the Lord Lasciviousness, the Lord
Deceit, the Lord Evil-eye, the Lord Blasphemy, and that horrible villain,
the old and dangerous Lord Covetousness. These, as I told you, with many
more, had yet their abode in the town of Mansoul, and that after that
Emmanuel had driven their prince Diabolus out of the castle.
Against these the good Prince did grant a commission to the Lord
Willbewill and others, yea, to the whole town of Mansoul, to seek, take,
secure, and destroy any or all that they could lay hands of, for that
they were Diabolonians by nature, enemies to the Prince, and those that
sought to ruin the blessed town of Mansoul. But the town of Mansoul did
not pursue this warrant, but neglected to look after, to apprehend, to
secure, and to destroy these Diabolonians. Wherefore what do these
villains but by degrees take courage to put forth their heads, and to
show themselves to the inhabitants of the town. Yea, and as I was told,
some of the men of Mansoul grew too familiar with some of them, to the
sorrow of the corporation, as you yet will hear more of in time and
place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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