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
‘For thus it is concluded with us, that the more vile, sinful, and
debauched the town of Mansoul is, more backward will be their Emmanuel to
come to their help, either by presence or other relief; yea, the more
sinful, the more weak, and so the more unable will they be to make
resistance when we shall make our assault upon them to swallow them up.
Yea, that may cause that their mighty Shaddai himself may cast them out
of his protection; yea, and send for his captains and soldiers home, with
his slings and rams, and leave them naked and bare; and then the town of
Mansoul will of itself open to us, and fall as the fig into the mouth of
the eater. Yea, to be sure that we then with a great deal of ease shall
come upon her and overcome her.
‘As to the time of our coming upon Mansoul, we, as yet, have not fully
resolved upon that, though at present some of us think as you, that a
market-day, or a market-day at night, will certainly be the best.
However, do you be ready, and when you shall hear our roaring drum
without, do you be as busy to make the most horrible confusion within.
So shall Mansoul certainly be distressed before and behind, and shall not
know which way to betake herself for help. My Lord Lucifer, my Lord
Beelzebub, my Lord Apollyon, my Lord Legion, with the rest, salute you,
as does also my Lord Diabolus; and we wish both you, with all that you
do, or shall possess, the very self-same fruit and success for their
doing as we ourselves at present enjoy for ours.
‘From our dreadful confines in the most fearful pit, we salute you, and
so do those many legions here with us, wishing you may be as hellishly
prosperous as we desire to be ourselves. By the letter-carrier, Mr.
Profane.’
Then Mr. Profane addressed himself for his return to Mansoul, with his
errand from the horrible pit to the Diabolonians that dwelt in that town.
So he came up the stairs from the deep to the mouth of the cave where
Cerberus was. Now when Cerberus saw him, he asked how did matters go
below, about and against the town of Mansoul.
_Prof._ Things go as well as we can expect. The letter that I carried
thither was highly approved, and well liked by all my lords, and I am
returning to tell our Diabolonians so. I have an answer to it here in my
bosom, that I am sure will make our masters that sent me glad; for the
contents thereof are to encourage them to pursue their design to the
utmost, and to be ready also to fall on within, when they shall see my
Lord Diabolus beleaguering the town of Mansoul.
_Cerb._ But does he intend to go against them himself?
_Prof._ Does he! Ay! and he will take along with him more than twenty
thousand, all sturdy Doubters, and men of war, picked men from the land
of Doubting, to serve him in the expedition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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