vain and ineffectual ftruggles. The load, if borne patiently, would in the end have turned even to the advantage of the bearers, for fo the Lord of the Valley had kindly decreed; but as to these grumblers, they had all the fmart, and none of the benefit; they had the prefent fuffering without the future reward. But the thing which made all these burthens feem fo very heavy was, that in every one without exception, there was a certain inner packet, which most of the travellers took pains to conceal, and kept carefully wrapped up; and while they were forward enough to complain of the other part of their bur thens, few faid a word about this; though in truth it was the preffing weight of this fecret packet which served to render the general burthen fo intolerable. In spite of all their caution, I contrived to get a peep at it. I found in each that this packet had the fame label; the word SIN was written on all as a general title, and in ink fo black,

black, that they could not wash it out. I observed that most of them took no small pains to hide the writing; but I was furprised to see that they did not try to get rid of the load but the label. If any kind friend who affifted these people in bearing their burthens, did but fo much as hint at the fecret packet, or advise them to get rid of it, they took fire at once, and commonly denied they had any fuch article in their portmanteau; and it was those whofe fecret packet fwelled to the most enormous fize, who moft ftoutly denied they had any.

I saw with pleasure, however, that some who had long laboured heartily to get rid of this inward packet at length found it much diminished, and the more this packet fhrunk in fize, the lighter was the other part of their burthens alfo. I obferved, moreover, that though the label always remained in fome degree indelible, yet that those who were earnest to get rid

of

of the load, found that the original tracés of the label grew fainter alfo; it was never quite obliterated in any, though in fome cafes it seemed nearly effaced.

Then, methought, all at once, I heard a voice, as it had been the voice of an angel, crying out and faying, " Ye un"happy pilgrims, why are ye troubled "about the burthen which ye are doomed "to bear through this valley of tears? "Know ye not, that as foon as ye fhall "have escaped out of this Valley the "whole burthen fhall drop off, provided

ye neglect not to remove that inward "weight, that fecret load of SIN which principally oppreffes you? Study then "the whole will of the Lord of this Val"ley. Learn from him how this heavy "part of your burthens may now be leffen"ed, and how at last it fhall be removed

for ever. Be comforted. Faith and "hope may cheer you even in this Valley. "The paffage, though it feems long to

"weary

"weary travellers, is comparatively fhort; "for beyond there is a Land of everlasting

Reft, where ye fhall hunger no more, "neither thirst any more, where ye fhall "be led by living fountains of waters, and "all tears shall be wiped away from your

THE

STRAIT GATE AND THE BROAD WAY.

AN ALLEGORY.

Now I had a fecond vifion of what was paffing in the Valley of Tears. Methought I faw again the fame kind of travellers whom I had seen in the former part, and they were wandering at large through the fame vast wilderness. At first setting out on his journey, each traveller had a fmall lamp fo fixed in his bofom that it seemed to make a part of himself; but as this natural light did not prove to be sufficient to direct them in the right way, the King of the country, in pity to their wanderings and their blindness, out of his gracious condefcenfion, promised to give these poor wayfaring people an additional supply

of