The Holy War – John Bunyan

me, be ever charged upon you by me, so long as the sun and moon endureth.
Nor shall any of those dear friends of mine, that now, for the fear of you, lie
lurking in dens, and holes, and caves in Mansoul, be hurtful to you any more;
yea, they shall be your servants, and shall minister unto you of their
substance, and of whatever shall come to hand. I need speak no more, you
know them, and have sometime since been much delighted in their company,
why then should we abide at such odds? Let us renew our old acquaintance
and friendship again.[26]
'Bear with your friend; I take the liberty at this time to speak thus freely
unto you. The love that I have to you presses me to do it, as also does the
zeal of my heart for my friends with you; put me not therefore to further
trouble, nor yourselves to further fears and frights. Have you I will, in a way
of peace or war; nor do you flatter yourselves with the power and force of
your captains, or that your Emmanuel will shortly come in to your help, for
such strength will do you no pleasure.
'I am come against you with a stout and valiant army, and all the chief
princes of the den, are even at the head of it. Besides, my captains are swifter
than eagles, stronger than lions, and more greedy of prey than are the
evening-wolves. What is Og of Bashan! what is Goliath of Gath! and what is
a hundred more of them to one of the least of my captains! How then shall
Mansoul think to escape my hand and force?'[27]
Diabolus having thus ended his flattering, fawning, deceitful, and lying
speech to the famous town of Mansoul, the Lord Mayor replied to him as
follows:--
'O Diabolus, prince of darkness, and master of all deceit; thy lying
flatteries we have had and made sufficient probation of, and have tasted too
deeply of that destructive cup already; should we therefore again hearken
unto thee, and so break the commandments of our great Shaddai, to join in
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