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Hope. Then faid Hopeful, Let us go fee f.

Chr. Not I, faid Christian; I have heard of this place before now, and how many have been flain there; and, besides that, treasure is a fnare to those who feek it; for it hindereth them in their pilgrimage.

Then Chriftian called to Demas, faying, Is not the place dangerous? Hath it not hindered many in their pilgrimage?

Demas. Not very dangerous, except to those who are careless; but withal he blushed as he spake.

Then faid Christian to Hopeful, Let us not ftir a ftep, but still keep on our way.

Hope. I will warrant you, when By-ends comes up, if he hath the fame invitation as we, he will turn in thither to fee.

Chr. No doubt thereof, for his principles lead him that way, and a hundred to one but he dies there. Then Demas called again, faying, But will you not come over and fee?

f Hopeful was inclined at least to go and fee this filver mine. He might perhaps have concluded within himself that there could poffibly be no harm in going to fee fuch a place, only out of curiofity; but Chriftian was aware of the danger of going even in the way of temptation. Indeed, indeed, my Chrif tian friends, we cannot be too careful in avoiding whatever may be to us an occafion of falling. The heart is deceitful; the world is alluring; Satan, like a roaring lion, goes about feeking whom he may devour; therefore our Lord has said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation."

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Then Christian roundly answered him, faying, Demas, thou art an enemy to the right ways of the Lord of this way; thou haft been already condemned for thine own turning afide, by one of his Majefty's judges; and why feekeft thou to bring us into the like condemnation? Befides, if we at all turn aside, our Lord the King will certainly hear thereof, and will there put us to fhame, where we would stand with boldnefs before him.

Demas cried again, that he also was one of their fraternity; and that, if they would tarry a little, hẹ alfo himself would walk with them.

Then faid Chriftian, What is thy name? Is it not the fame by which I have called thee?

Demas. Yes, my name is Demas; I am the fon of Abraham.

Chr. I know you; Gehazi was your great grandfather, and Judas your father, and you have trod in their steps; it is but a devilish prank which thou useft: thy father was hanged for a traitor, and thou deservest no better reward. Affure thyfelf, that when we come to the king we will tell him of this thy behaviour. Thus they went their way.

By this time By-ends and his companions were come again within fight, and they, at the firft beck, went over to Demas. Now, whether they fell into the pit by looking over the brink thereof; or whether they went down to dig; or whether they were fmothered in the bottom by the damps which.com-.

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monly arife; of these things I am not certain; but this I obferved, that they never were feen again in the way. Then fang Christian:

By-ends and filver Demas both agree;

One calls, the other runs, that he may be
A fharer in his lucre; so these do

Take up in this world, and no further go.

Now I faw, that just on the other fide of this plain the pilgrims came to a place where stood an old monument, hard-by the highway fide, at the fight of which they were both concerned, because of the ftrangeness of the form thereof, for it seemed to them as if it had been a woman transformed into the fhape of a pillar; here therefore they stood, looking, and looking upon it, but could not for a time tell what to make of it: at last Hopeful efpied written upon the head thereof, a writing in an unufual hand; but he, being no scholar, called to Christian (for he was learned) to fee if he could pick out the meaning: fo he came, and, after a little laying of the letters together, he found the same to be this, "Remember Lot's wife." So he read it to his fellow; after which they both concluded that this was the pillar of falt into which Lot's wife was turned for looking back with a covetous heart, when she was going from Sodom for fafety. Which fudden and amazing fight gave them occafion of this difcourse.

Chr. Ah! my brother, this is a feasonable fight;

it came opportunely to us after the invitation which Demas gave us to come over to view the hill Lucre; and, had we gone over, as he defired us, and as thou waft inclined to do, my brother, we had, for aught I know, been made, like this woman, a fpectacle for those who fhall come after, to behold.

Hope. I am forry that I was fo foolish, and am made to wonder that I am not now as Lot's wife ; for wherein was the difference between her fin and mine? She only looked back, and I had a defire to go and fee: let grace be adored, and let me be afhamed that ever fuch a thing fhould be in mine heart.

Chr. Let us take notice of what we fee here, for our help in time to come: this woman escaped one judgment, for fhe fell not by the deftruction of Sodom; yet she was deftroyed by another, as we fee, fhe is turned into a pillar of falt.

Hope. True, and fhe may be to us both caution and example; caution, that we should shun her fin; or a fign of what judgment will overtake fuch as fhall not be prevented by this caution: so Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with the two hundred and fifty men who perifhed in their fin, did alfo become a fign or example to beware. But, above all, I

g What made the difference between Hopeful and Lot's wife? Nothing but difcriminating grace. She looked back; his heart fecretly inclined that way. Hopeful was made truly fenfible that he was no better in himself than Lot's wife: this made him humble and thankful.

mufe

mufe at one thing, to wit, how Demas and his fellows can stand fo confidently yonder to look for that treasure, whereas this woman only for looking behind her after it (for we read not that she stept one foot out of the way) was turned into a pillar of falt; efpecially fince the judgment which overtook her did make her an example, even within fight of the place where they are for they cannot choose but fee her did they but lift up their eyes.

Chr. It is a thing to be wondered at, and it argueth that their hearts are grown defperate in the cafe. I cannot tell who to compare them to fo fitly, as to them who pick pockets in the prefence of the judge, or who will cut purfes under the gallows h. It is faid of the men of Sodom, that they were finners exceedingly, because they were finners before the Lord, that is, in his eye-fight, and notwith→ ftanding the kindneffes that he had fhewed them; for the land of Sodom was now like the garden of Eden heretofore. This therefore provoked him the more to jealoufy, and made their plague as hot as the fire of the Lord out of heaven could make it, And it is moft rational to be concluded, that fuch, even such as these are, who fhall fin in the fight, yea, and that too in defpite of fuch examples as are fet continually before them to caution them to

h Not the terrors of the law, nor the torments of the damned, will keep men from finning: nothing will purify the heart, but faith; there is no other check to Antinomianism but faith.

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