more have we. He must away somewhere, anywhere, from his past life. And
so must we. If all the lions that ever drank blood are to collect upon
his way, let them do so; they shall not all make him turn back. Why
should they? What is a whole forest full of lions to a heart and a life
full of sin? Lions are like lambs compared with sin. 'Good morning! I
for one must venture. I shall yet go forward.' So Mistrust and Timorous
ran down the hill, and Christian went on his way.

So I saw in my dream that he made haste and went forward, that if
possible he might get lodging in the house called Beautiful that stood by
the highway side. Now, before he had gone far he entered into a very
narrow passage which was about a furlong off from the porter's lodge, and
looking very narrowly before him as he went, he espied two lions in the
way. Then was he afraid, and thought also to go back, for he thought
that nothing but death was before him. But the porter at the lodge,
whose name was Watchful, perceiving that Christian made a halt, as if he
would go back, cried unto him, saying, 'Is thy strength so small? Fear
not the lions, for they are chained, and are only placed there for the
trial of faith where it is, and for the discovery of those who have none.
Keep the midst of the path and no hurt shall come to thee.' Yes, that is
all we have to do. Whatever our past life may have been, whatever our
past sins, past errors of judgment, past mistakes and mishaps, whatever
of punishment or chastisement or correction or instruction or
sanctification and growth in grace may be under those lions' skins and
between their teeth for us, all we have got to do at present is to leave
the lions to Him who set them there, and to go on, up to them and past
them, keeping always to the midst of the path. The lions may roar at us
till they have roared us deaf and blind, but we are far safer in the
midst of that path than we would be in our own bed. Only let us keep in
the midst of the path. When their breath is hot and full of blood on our
cheek; when they paw up the blinding earth; when we feel as if their
teeth had closed round our heart,--still, all the more, let us keep in
the midst of the path. We must sometimes walk on a razor-edge of fear
and straightforwardness; that is the only way left for us now. But,
then, we have the Divine assurance that on that perilous edge no hurt
shall come to us. 'Temptations,' says our author in anothe