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
Moreover, when Diabolus had done thus, he went the next way up to the
castle gates, and demanded that, upon pain of death, the gates should be
opened to him, and that entrance should be given him and his men that
followed after. To whom Mr. Godly-Fear replied, (for he it was that had
the charge of that gate,) that the gate should not be opened unto him,
nor to the men that followed after him. He said, moreover, that Mansoul,
when she had suffered awhile, should be made perfect, strengthened,
settled.
Then said Diabolus, ‘Deliver me, then, the men that have petitioned
against me, especially Captain Credence, that carried it to your Prince;
deliver that varlet into my hands, and I will depart from the town.’
Then up starts a Diabolonian, whose name was Mr. Fooling, and said, ‘My
lord offereth you fair: it is better for you that one man perish, than
that your whole Mansoul should be undone.’
But Mr. Godly-Fear made him this replication, ‘How long will Mansoul be
kept out of the dungeon, when she hath given up her faith to Diabolus!
As good lose the town, as lose Captain Credence; for if one be gone the
other must follow.’ But to that Mr. Fooling said nothing.
Then did my Lord Mayor reply, and said, ‘O thou devouring tyrant, be it
known unto thee, we shall hearken to none of thy words; we are resolved
to resist thee as long as a captain, a man, a sling, and a stone to throw
at thee shall be found in the town of Mansoul.’ But Diabolus answered,
‘Do you hope, do you wait, do you look for help and deliverance? You
have sent to Emmanuel, but your wickedness sticks too close in your
skirts, to let innocent prayers come out of your lips. Think you that
you shall be prevailers and prosper in this design? You will fail in
your wish, you will fail in your attempts; for it is not only I, but your
Emmanuel is against you: yea, it is he that hath sent me against you to
subdue you. For what, then, do you hope? or by what means will you
escape?’
Then said the Lord Mayor, ‘We have sinned indeed; but that shall be no
help to thee, for our Emmanuel hath said it, and that in great
faithfulness, “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” He
hath also told us, O our enemy, that “all manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven” to the sons of men. Therefore we dare not despair,
but will look for, wait for, and hope for deliverance still.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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