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
This brave act of my lord did somewhat revenge the wrong done by Diabolus
to the captains, and also did let them know that Mansoul was not to be
parted with for the loss of a victory or two; wherefore the wing of the
tyrant was clipped again, as to boasting,—I mean in comparison of what he
would have done, if the Diabolonians had put the town to the same plight
to which he had put the captains.
Well, Diabolus yet resolves to have the other bout with Mansoul. ‘For,’
thought he, ‘since I beat them once, I may beat them twice.’ Wherefore
he commanded his men to be ready at such an hour of the night, to make a
fresh assault upon the town; and he gave it out in special that they
should bend all their force against Feel-gate, and attempt to break into
the town through that. The word that then he did give to his officers
and soldiers was Hell-fire. ‘And,’ said he, ‘if we break in upon them,
as I wish we do, either with some, or with all our force, let them that
break in look to it, that they forget not the word. And let nothing be
heard in the town of Mansoul but, “Hell-fire! Hell-fire! Hell-fire!”’
The drummer was also to beat without ceasing, and the standard-bearers
were to display their colours; the soldiers, too, were to put on what
courage they could, and to see that they played manfully their parts
against the town.
So when night was come, and all things by the tyrant made ready for the
work, he suddenly makes his assault upon Feel-gate, and after he had
awhile struggled there, he throws the gate wide open: for the truth is,
those gates were but weak, and so most easily made to yield. When
Diabolus had thus far made his attempt, he placed his captains (namely,
Torment and No-Ease) there; so he attempted to press forward, but the
Prince’s captains came down upon him, and made his entrance more
difficult than he desired. And, to speak truth, they made what
resistance they could; but the three of their best and most valiant
captains being wounded, and by their wounds made much incapable of doing
the town that service they would, (and all the rest having more than
their hands full of the doubters, and their captains that did follow
Diabolus,) they were overpowered with force, nor could they keep them out
of the town. Wherefore the Prince’s men and their captains betook
themselves to the castle, as to the stronghold of the town: and this they
did partly for their own security, partly for the security of the town,
and partly, or rather chiefly, to preserve to Emmanuel the
prerogative-royal of Mansoul; for so was the castle of Mansoul.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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