Pilgrim's Progress §218: Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lu...
Source: John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress (1678) (§218) · external_aligned
Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs go out of the world. The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair day too; yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street to street, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if possible, allure the Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.
Witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15)
- manuscript_tradition: First edition Nathaniel Ponder, London 1678 — original imprint
- critical_edition: Oxford World's Classics — Roger Sharrock, 1960/1984
- republication: Project Gutenberg — Pilgrim's Progress
- republication: Internet Archive — multiple editions
- non_government_archive: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
- citation_tradition: Cited extensively by Spurgeon, Edwards, modern Reformed writers