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
Now, when the children of Prudent-Thrifty, who dwelt with Mr. Mind, (for
Thrift left children with Mr. Mind, when he was also committed to prison,
and their names were Gripe and Rake-All; these he begat of Mr. Mind’s
bastard daughter, whose name was Mrs. Hold-fast-Bad;)—I say, when his
children perceived how the Lord Willbewill had served them that dwelt
with him, what do they but, lest they should drink of the same cup,
endeavour to make their escape. But Mr. Mind, being wary of it, took
them and put them in hold in his house till morning; (for this was done
over night;) and remembering that by the law of Mansoul all Diabolonians
were to die, (and to be sure they were at least by father’s side such,
and some say by mother’s side too,) what does he but takes them and puts
them in chains, and carries them to the selfsame place where my lord
hanged his two before, and there he hanged them.
The townsmen also took great encouragement at this act of Mr. Mind, and
did what they could to have taken some more of these Diabolonian
troublers of Mansoul; but at that time the rest lay so squat and close,
that they could not be apprehended; so they set against them a diligent
watch, and went every man to his place.
I told you a little before, that Diabolus and his army were somewhat
abashed and discouraged at the sight of what my Lord Willbewill did, when
he hanged up those two young Diabolonians; but his discouragement quickly
turned itself into furious madness and rage against the town of Mansoul,
and fight it he would. Also the townsmen and captains within, they had
their hopes and their expectations heightened, believing at last the day
would be theirs; so they feared them the less. Their subordinate
preacher, too, made a sermon about it; and he took that theme for his
text, ‘Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the
last.’ Whence he showed, that though Mansoul should be sorely put to it
at the first, yet the victory should most certainly be Mansoul’s at the
last.
So Diabolus commanded that his drummer should beat a charge against the
town; and the captains also that were in the town sounded a charge
against them, but they had no drum: they were trumpets of silver with
which they sounded against them. Then they which were of the camp of
Diabolus came down to the town to take it, and the captains in the
castle, with the slingers at Mouth-gate, played upon them amain. And now
there was nothing heard in the camp of Diabolus but horrible rage and
blasphemy; but in the town good words, prayer, and singing of psalms.
The enemy replied with horrible objections, and the terribleness of their
drum; but the town made answer with the slapping of their slings, and the
melodious noise of their trumpets. And thus the fight lasted for several
days together, only now and then they had some small intermission, in the
which the townsmen refreshed themselves, and the captains made ready for
another assault.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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