The Holy War – John Bunyan

make thee watchful, and to cause thee yet to prize my noble captains, their
soldiers, and my mercy.
It is also that yet thou mayest be made to remember what a deplorable
condition thou once wast in. I mean when, not some, but all did dwell, not in
thy walls, but in thy castle, and in thy strong hold, O Mansoul.
O my Mansoul, should I slay all them within, many there be without that
would bring thee into bondage; for were all these within cut off, those
without would find thee sleeping, and then as in a moment they would
swallow up my Mansoul. I therefore left them in thee, not to do thee hurt, the
which they yet will, if thou hearken to them, and serve them; but to do thee
good, the which they must, if thou watch and fight against them. Know
therefore that whatever they shall tempt thee to, my design is that they
should drive thee, not further off, but nearer to my Father, to learn thee war,
to make petitioning desirable to thee, and to make thee little in thine own
eyes. Hearken diligently to this, my Mansoul.
Show me, then, thy love, my Mansoul, and let not those that are within
thy walls, take thy affections off from him that hath redeemed thy soul. Yea,
let the sight of a Diabolonian heighten thy love to me. I came once, and
twice, and thrice, to save thee from the poison of those arrows that would
have wrought thy death; stand for me, thy friend, my Mansoul, against the
Diabolonians, and I will stand for thee before my Father, and all his court.
Love me against temptation, and I will love thee notwithstanding thine
infirmities.
O my Mansoul, remember what my captains, my soldiers, and mine
engines have done for thee. They have fought for thee, they have suffered by
thee, they have borne much at thy hands to do thee good, O Mansoul. Hadst
thou not had them to help thee, Diabolus had certainly made a hand of
thee.[13] Nourish them, therefore, my Mansoul. When thou dost well, they
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