The Holy War

by John Bunyan

Even with the stiff rules in place, Mansoul wasn’t able to eradicate the Diabolians. Any remaining Diabolians gladly shrank into corners and stayed out of sight rather than dare to walk out in the open during the day, as they had been doing. But now they were forced to live in seclusion, and at night, the Mansoulians, who were once their companions, now counted them as deadly enemies. This good change resulted from the intelligence Prywell delivered to the famous town of Mansoul.

The second captain was Captain Fury, who was placed over the Vocation-doubters. (There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. – Ephesians 4:4)

The third captain, Captain Damnation, was captain over the Grace-doubters. (But unto each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ. – Ephesians 4:7)

The fourth captain, Captain Insatiable, served as captain over the Faith-doubters. (Faith, therefore, is the substance of things waited for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1)

The fifth captain, Captain Brimstone, was captain over the Perseverance-doubters, and his standard-bearer, Mr. Burning, also carried the red colors with the symbol of the blue stinking flame. (Therefore, my beloved brothers, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 15:58)

The seventh captain, Captain No-Ease, was set as captain over the Salvation-doubters. (But the salvation of the righteous is the LORD; he is their strength in the time of trouble. – Psalm 37:39)

The eighth captain, Captain Sepulcher, was placed over the Glory-doubters, and his standard-bearer carried the pale colors and bore the symbol of a skull and dead men’s bones. (To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery in the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. – Colossians 1:27)

The ninth captain, Captain Past-Hope, served as captain of those who are called the Felicity-doubters. (Happy is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are thy ways. – Psalm 84:5)

Mansoul was now awake. But oh, the poor people were afraid when they caught sight of their enemies marching toward them. Once those troops sat outside the town, the thunder of their drums filled Mansoul with even more dread. It was an amazingly hideous sound to hear and sight to see with the streaming colors unfurled in the breeze. Such a presence frightened every man within seven miles and discouraged them even further.

So he commanded his drummer to approach the walls of the town of Mansoul every night and beat out the call for a parley – a signal for holding a conference with the enemy. He chose to do this at night, because during the day their slings inconvenienced him. He also thought that if the drums beat every night, he might wear them down. He reasoned that even if Mansoul was unwilling to consider meeting with him, they might become weary and be forced to do it.

As this drummer beat his drum for a parley, he made a speech to Mansoul. “My master has told me to tell you that if you submit, you will enjoy the good of the earth. But if you choose to be stubborn, he is determined to take you by force.”

his parley turned into a summons for the town to deliver themselves up to Diabolus. They wouldn’t listen or pay attention to anything he said, because they remembered how it cost them to hear just a few words from him.

They wanted Him to look upon them in a comforting manner and not stay so withdrawn but to draw nearer to them. They hoped He would listen as they confessed their miserable condition to Him. But to this He said, “I am ill at ease and as a result can’t do the work I formerly did.” (Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophecies. Examine all things; retain that which is good. – 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)

Then they desired that He would give them His advice about their current situation, for Diabolus camped before the town with no less than twenty thousand Doubters. They said, “Moreover, he and his captains are cruel men! We fear them!” But to this He said, “You must look to the Law of the Prince. There you shall see what you should do.” (But whosoever has looked attentively into the perfect law of liberty and has persevered in it, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the same shall be blessed in their deed. – James 1:25)

They also desired His help in putting together a petition to Shaddai and His Son Emmanuel with His own signature as a token sign that He was in agreement with them. They went on to say, “My Lord, we’ve sent many petitions, but get no answer of peace. But surely, if we send one with your signature on it, we will obtain good for Mansoul.” But He answered, “You have offended your Emmanuel and have grieved Me. Therefore, you must admit your part in all this.” This answer from the Lord Secretary fell like a millstone upon them. Yes, it crushed them to the point that they didn’t know what to do. The one thing they knew was that they dare not comply with the demands of Diabolus or the demands of his captain. (For godly sorrow works repentance to sa...

Then the Lord Mayor Understanding stood and began to pick and pick, until he handpicked bits of comfort from what the Lord Secretary had said. “First,” he said, “it does not escape notice that this follows my Lord saying that we must yet suffer for our sins. Secondly,” He counted off on his finger, “what He has said sounds as if we will be saved from our enemies in the end, and after en...

When the Lord Understanding saw this, he ordered the bells to be rung. He said, “Thanks should be sent to the Lord High Secretary by the mouth of the secondary preacher, Mr. Conscience, for by his words the captains and elders of Mansoul were strengthened against Diabolus.” When Diabolus saw his captains and soldiers, high lords and renowned men quaver with fear, beaten down by the stones flung from the golden slings of the Prince of the town of Mansoul, he came up with an idea to trick Mansoul. He said to himself, “I will try to ensnare them by flattering them into my net.”

“Oh Mansoul, the desire of my heart! How many nights have I watched and how many weary steps have I taken, thinking that perhaps I might do you good! My desire isn’t to wage war upon you. All you need to do is willingly and quietly deliver yourselves up to me.”

“You know you were mine in days of old. Remember those days? As long as you enjoyed me as your lord, and I enjoyed you as my subjects, you lacked nothing of all the delights of the earth. I, your lord and prince, could get or invent anything you desired to make you happy. “Think about it. You never had so many hard, dark, troublesome, and heart-afflicting times while you were mine, as you’ve had to suffer since you revolted against me. You won’t ever have peace again, until you and I become united. Just embrace me again and I will grant and even expand your old freedoms with an abundance of privileges. You’ll be free to take, hold, enjoy, and make everything that is pleasant your own from the east to the west.

“Let’s renew our old familiarity and friendship again. (Whosoever therefore that desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself the enemy of God. – James 4:4b)

Should we listen to you again and break the commandments of our great Shaddai to join with you? If we did that, wouldn’t our Prince reject us and cast us off forever? And, being cast off by Him, can the place which He has prepared for you be a place of rest for us? (And he laid hold on the dragon, the serpent of old, which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon it. – Revelation 20:2-3a) O you who are empty and void of all truth, we would rather die by your hand than fall in with your flattering and lying deceits.”