The Childrens Hour, v 5 | Page 8

to watch and be sober; I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts; I
sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit,
and he is gone; I tempted the Devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger,
and he has left me; I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent.
Then said Christian to the Interpreter, But are there no hopes for such a man as this? Ask
him, said the Interpreter. Nay, said Christian, pray Sir, do you.
_Inter._ Then said the Interpreter, Is there no hope, but you must be kept in this Iron

Cage of Despair?
_Man._ No, none at all.
_Inter._ Why? the Son of the Blessed is very pitiful.
_Man._ I have crucified him to myself afresh, I have despised his Person, I have despised
his Righteousness, I have counted his Blood an unholy thing; I have done despite to the
Spirit of Grace. Therefore I have shut myself out of all the Promises, and there now
remains to me nothing but threatnings, dreadful threatnings, fearful threatnings of certain
Judgement which shall devour me as an Adversary.
_Chr._ For what did you bring yourself into this condition?
_Man._ For the Lusts, Pleasures, and Profits of this World; in the injoyment of which I
did then promise myself much delight; but now even every one of those things also bite
me, and gnaw me like a burning worm.
_Chr._ But canst thou not now repent and turn?
_Man._ God hath denied me repentance: his Word gives me no encouragement to believe;
yea, himself hath shut me up in this Iron Cage; nor can all the men in the world let me out.
O Eternity! Eternity! how shall I grapple with the misery that I must meet with in
Eternity!
_Inter._ Then said the Interpreter to Christian, Let this man's misery be remembred by
thee, and be an everlasting caution to thee.
_Chr._ Well, said Christian, this is fearful; God help me to watch and be sober, and to
pray that I may shun the cause of this man's misery. Sir, is it not time for me to go on my
way now?
_Inter._ Tarry till I shall shew thee one thing more, and then thou shalt go on thy way.
So he took Christian by the hand again, and led him into a Chamber, where there was one
rising out of bed; and as he put on his Rayment, he shook and trembled. Then said
Christian, Why doth this man thus tremble? The Interpreter then bid him tell to Christian
the reason of his so doing. So he began and said, This night, as I was in my sleep, I
dreamed, and behold the Heavens grew exceeding black; also it thundered and lightned in
most fearful wise, that it put me into an Agony; so I looked up in my Dream, and saw the
Clouds rack at an unusual rate, upon which I heard a great sound of a Trumpet, and saw
also a Man sit upon a Cloud, attended with the thousands of Heaven; they were all in
flaming fire, also the Heavens was on a burning flame. I heard then a voice saying,
_Arise ye Dead, and come to Judgement_; and with that the Rocks rent, the Graves
opened, and the Dead that were therein came forth. Some of them were exceeding glad,
and looked upward; and some sought to hide themselves under the Mountains. Then I
saw the Man that sat upon the Cloud open the Book, and bid the World draw near. Yet
there was, by reason of a fierce Flame which issued out and came from before him, a

convenient distance betwixt him and them, as betwixt the Judge and the Prisoners at the
bar. I heard it also proclaimed to them that attended on the Man that sat on the Cloud,
_Gather together the Tares, the Chaff, and Stubble, and cast them into the burning Lake._
And with that, the bottomless pit opened, just whereabout I stood; out of the mouth of
which there came in an abundant manner, Smoak and Coals of fire, with hideous noises.
It was also said to the same persons, Gather my Wheat into my Garner. And with that I
saw many catch't up and carried away into the Clouds, but I was left behind. I also sought
to hide myself, but I could not, for the Man that sat upon the Cloud still kept his eye upon
me: my sins also came into my mind; and my Conscience did accuse me on every side.
Upon this I awaked from my sleep.
_Chr._ But what was it that made you so afraid of this sight?
_Man._ Why, I thought