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
The King’s captains, when they marched from the court to come up against
Mansoul to war, as they came crossing over the country, they happened to
light upon three young fellows that had a mind to go for soldiers: proper
men they were, and men of courage and skill, to appearance. Their names
were Mr. Tradition, Mr. Human-Wisdom, and Mr. Man’s-Invention. So they
came up to the captains, and proffered their service to Shaddai. The
captains then told them of their design, and bid them not to be rash in
their offers; but the young men told them they had considered the thing
before, and that hearing they were upon their march for such a design,
came hither on purpose to meet them, that they might be listed under
their excellencies. Then Captain Boanerges, for that they were men of
courage, listed them into his company, and so away they went to the war.
Now, when the war was begun, in one of the briskest skirmishes, so it
was, that a company of the Lord Willbewill’s men sallied out at the
sallyport or postern of the town, and fell in upon the rear of Captain
Boanerges’ men, where these three fellows happened to be; so they took
them prisoners, and away they carried them into the town, where they had
not lain long in durance, but it began to be noised about the streets of
the town what three notable prisoners the Lord Willbewill’s men had
taken, and brought in prisoners out of the camp of Shaddai. At length
tidings thereof were carried to Diabolus to the castle, to wit what my
Lord Willbewill’s men had done, and whom they had taken prisoners.
Then Diabolus called for Willbewill, to know the certainty of this
matter. So he asked him, and he told him. Then did the giant send for
the prisoners, and, when they were come, demanded of them who they were,
whence they came, and what they did in the camp of Shaddai; and they told
him. Then he sent them to ward again. Not many days after, he sent for
them to him again, and then asked them if they would be willing to serve
him against their former captains. They then told him that they did not
so much live by religion as by the fates of fortune; and that since his
lordship was willing to entertain them, they should be willing to serve
him. Now while things were thus in hand, there was one Captain Anything,
a great doer, in the town of Mansoul; and to this Captain Anything did
Diabolus send these men, and a note under his hand, to receive them into
his company, the contents of which letter were thus:
‘Anything, my darling,—The three men that are the bearers of this letter
have a desire to serve me in the war; nor know I better to whose conduct
to commit them than to thine. Receive them, therefore, in my name, and,
as need shall require, make use of them against Shaddai and his men.
Farewell.’
So they came, and he received them; and he made of two of them sergeants;
but he made Mr. Man’s-Invention his ancient-bearer. But thus much for
this, and now to return to the camp.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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