The Holy War – John Bunyan

love thy sinful, sinful simplicity, and ye fools delight in your scorning? As
yet despise you the offers of peace, and deliverance? As yet will ye refuse
the golden offers of Shaddai, and trust to the lies and falsehoods of
Diabolus? Think you when Shaddai shall have conquered you, that the
remembrance of these your carriages towards him, will yield you peace and
comfort; or that, by ruffling language, you can make him afraid as a
grasshopper? Doth he entreat you, for fear of you? Do you think that you are
stronger than he? Look to the heavens, and behold, and consider the stars,
how high are they? Can you stop the sun from running his course, and hinder
the moon from giving her light? Can you count the number of the stars, or
stay the bottles of heaven? Can you call for the waters of the sea, and cause
them to cover the face of the ground? Can you behold every one that he is
proud, and abase him, and bind their faces in secret?[3] Yet these are some
of the works of our King, in whose name, this day, we come up unto you,
that you may be brought under his authority. In his name, therefore, I
summon you again, to yield up yourselves to his captains.'
At this summons the Mansoulians seemed to be at a stand, and knew not
what answer to make.; wherefore Diabolus forthwith appeared, and took
upon him to do it himself, and thus he begins, but turns his speech to them of
Mansoul:--
'Gentlemen,' quoth he, 'and my faithful subjects, if it is true that this
summoner hath said concerning the greatness of their King, by his terror you
will always be kept in bondage, and so be made to sneak. Yea, how can you
now, though he is at a distance, endure to think of such a mighty one? And if
not to think of him, while at a distance, how can you endure to be in his
presence? I, your prince, am familiar with you, and you may play with me as
you would with a grasshopper. Consider, therefore, what is for your profit,
and remember the immunities that I have granted you. Farther, if all be true
that this man hath said, how comes it to pass that the subjects of Shaddai are
so enslaved in all places where they come? None in the universe so unhappy
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