: I saw my self within the arms of Grace and Mercy, and though
I was before afraid to think of a dying hour, yet now I cried: Let me
die. Now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight; for I saw that we
shall never live indeed till we be gone to the other world. Heirs of
God, methought, heirs of God! God himself is the portion of His saints.
This did sweetly revive my spirit, and help me to hope in God; which when
I had with comfort mused on a while, that word fell with great weight
upon my mind: Oh Death, where is thy sting? Oh Grave, where is thy
victory? At this I became both well in body and mind at once, for my
sickness did presently vanish, and I walked comfortably in my work for
God again.'

Such were some of the many keys by the use of which God let John Bunyan
so often out of despair into full assurance and out of darkness into
light. Which of the promises have been of such help to you? Over what
Scriptures have you ever cried out: Oh, how good a thing it is for God to
send me His word! Which are the biggest words in all the Bible to you?
To what promise did you ever flounce as a horse flounces when he is
sticking in the mire? And has any word of God so made God your God that
even death itself, since it alone separates you from His presence, is
lovely and beautiful in your eyes? Have you a cluster of such keys in
your bosom? If you have, take them all out to-night and go over them
again with thanksgiving before you sleep.

KNOWLEDGE

'I will give you pastors after Mine own heart, which shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding.'

The Delectable Mountains rise out of the heart of Immanuel's Land. This
fine range of far-rolling hills falls away on the one side toward the
plain of Destruction, and on the other side toward the land of Beulah and
the Celestial City, and the way to the Celestial City runs like a bee-
line over these well-watered pastures. Standing on a clear day on the
highest peak of the Delectable Mountains, if you have good eyes you can
see the hill Difficulty in the far-back distance with a perpetual mist
clinging to its base and climbing up its sides, which mist the shepherds
say to you rises all the year round off the Slough of Despond, while,
beyond that again the heavy smoke of the city of Destruction and the town
of Stupidity shuts in the whole horizon. And then, when you turn your
back on all that, in favourable states of the weather you can see here
a