Bunyan's Holy War (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapters 4 and 5.
In chapter four we see Shaddai's first attack on Mansoul. He sends an army of forty thousand under the leadership of four captains: Boanerges, Conviction, Judgement and Execution. They appeal at the ear-gate for the surrender of Mansoul but are ignored.
In chapter five the captains commence battle and the town of Mansoul builds up its defences. Both sides suffer losses and eventually Mansoul outlines some terms of surrender that would have meant 'Shaddai should have been only a titular prince and that Mansoul should still have had power by law, to have lived in all lewdness and vanity before him and so by consequence Diabolus should still here be king in power and other only King in name.' The chapter closes with some infighting within Mansoul - Lord Understanding and Mr Conscience on one side and the Diabolonians on the other.
I liked the illustration of the effect that the messengers of God have upon the unbeliever: 'For now could not Mansoul sleep securely as before, nor could they now go to their debaucheries with that quietness as in times past; for they had from the camp of Shaddai such frequent, warm, and terrifying alarms, yea, alarms upon alarms, first at one gate and then at another, and again at all the gates at once, that they were broken as to former peace. Yea, they had their alarms so frequently, and that when the nights were at longest, the weather coldest, and so consequently the season most unseasonable, that that winter was to the town of Mansoul a winter by itself. Sometimes the trumpets would sound, and sometimes the slings would whirl the stones into the town. Sometimes ten thousand of the King's soldiers would be running round the walls of Mansoul at midnight, shouting and lifting up the voice for the battle. Sometimes, again, some of them in the town would be wounded, and their cry and lamentable voice would be heard, to the great molestation of the now languishing town of Mansoul. Yea, so distressed with those that laid siege against them were they, that, I dare say, Diabolus, their king, had in these days his rest much broken.'
Once the Christian comes with the gospel, the unbeliever becomes quite uncomfortable.
Thus it is no surprise that people don't like Christians.
Read Chapter 6.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment