e despair
has slain its thousands, presumption has slain its ten thousands. The
agonies of the former are indeed more terrible, but the securities of the
latter are far more fatal.'

5. 'I will,' says Paul to Timothy, 'that men pray everywhere, lifting up
holy hands without doubting.' And, just as Paul would have it, Christian
and Hopeful began to lift up their hands even in the dungeon of Doubting
Castle. 'Well,' we read, 'on Saturday night about midnight they began to
pray, and continued in prayer till almost break of day. Now, before it
was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, broke out in this passionate
speech: "What a fool," quoth he, "am I thus to lie in a stinking dungeon
when I may as well walk at liberty; I have a key in my bosom, called
Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in all Doubting
Castle." Then said Hopeful: "That's good news, good brother; pluck it
out of thy bosom and try."' Then Christian pulled the key out of his
bosom and the bolt gave back, and Christian and Hopeful both came out,
and you may be sure they were soon out of the giant's jurisdiction.

Now, I do not know that I can do better at this point, and in closing,
than just to tell you about some of that bunch of keys that John Bunyan
found from time to time in his own bosom, and which made all his prison
doors one after another fly open at their touch. 'About ten o'clock one
day, as I was walking under a hedge, full of sorrow and guilt, God knows,
and bemoaning myself for my hard hap, suddenly this sentence bolted in
upon me: The blood of Christ remits all guilt. Again, when I was fleeing
from the face of God, for I did flee from His face, that is, my mind and
spirit fled before Him; for by reason of His highness I could not endure;
then would the text cry: Return unto Me; it would cry with a very great
voice: Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. And this would make me
look over my shoulder behind me to see if I could discern that this God
of grace did follow me with a pardon in His hand. Again, the next day,
at evening, being under many fears, I went to seek the Lord, and as I
prayed, I cried, with strong cries: O Lord, I beseech Thee, show me that
Thou hast loved me with an everlasting love. I had no sooner said it
but, with sweetness, this returned upon me as an echo or sounding-again,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Now, I went to bed at quiet;
also, when I awaked the next morning it was fre