Page:The Pilgrim's Progress, the Holy War, Grace Abounding Chunk3.djvu/84

84 with my dead body shall they arise," saith he (Isa. xxvi. 19), And again, "After two days will he revive us; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight" (Hos. vi. 2); which is now fulfilled by the sitting down of the Son of man on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens: according to that to the Ephesians, he "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. ii 6).

235. Ah! these blessed considerations and scriptures, with many others of like nature, were in those days made to Spangle in mine eye, so that I have cause to say, "Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness" (Ps. cl. 1, 2).

236. Having thus in few words given you a taste of the sorrow and affliction my soul went under, by the guilt and terror that these my wicked thoughts did lay me under, and having given you also a touch of my deliverance there from, and of the sweet and blessed comfort that I met with afterwards, which comfort dwelt about a twelve month with my heart, to my unspeakable admiration, I will now, God willing, before I proceed any further, give you, in a word or two, What, as I conceive, was the cause of this temptation, and also after that what advantage at the last it became unto my soul.

237. For the causes, I conceived they were principally two, of which two also I was deeply convinced all the time this trouble lay upon me. The first was, for that I did not, when I was delivered from the: temptation that went before, still pray to God to keep me from the temptations that were to come: for though, as I can say in truth, my soul was much in prayer before this trial seized me, yet then I prayed only, or at the most principally, for the removal of present troubles, and for fresh discoveries of his love in Christ; which I saw afterwards was not enough todo. I also should have prayed