Apprehended & Apprehending

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 Fourth, they that will go to heaven must run for it; because, as the way is long, so the time in which they are to get to the end of it is very uncertain; the time present is the only time; thou hast no more time allotted thee than that thou now enjoyest. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth’ (Prov 27:1). Do not…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 THE HEAVENLY FOOTMAN ‘So run, that ye may obtain.’—1 Corinthians 9:24. Heaven and happiness is that which every one desireth, insomuch that wicked Balaam could say, ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his’ (Num 23:10). Yet for all this, there are but very few that do obtain that ever-to-be-desired glory, insomuch that many…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 AN EPISTLE TO ALL THE SLOTHFUL AND CARELESS PEOPLE. Friends, Solomon saith, that ‘The desire of the slothful killeth him’; and if so, what will slothfulness itself do to those that entertain it? (Prov 21:25). The proverb is, ‘He that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame’ (Prov 10:5). And this I dare be bold to say, no greater shame can befall a…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 THE HEAVENLY FOOTMAN; OR, A DESCRIPTION OF THE MAN THAT GETS TO HEAVEN: TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. ‘And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain,…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684  At last they came to this result:—1. That Captain Innocency should quarter at Mr. Reason’s. 2. That Captain Patience should quarter at Mr. Mind’s. This Mr. Mind was formerly the Lord Will-be-will’s clerk, in time of the late rebellion. 3. It was ordered that Captain Charity should quarter at Mr. Affection’s house. 4. That Captain Good-hope should quarter at…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER IX] When this action was over, the whole town of Mansoul came out as one man to the Prince in the camp to thank him, and praise him for his abundant favor, and to beg that it would please his grace to come unto Mansoul with his men, and there to take up their quarters forever. And this they did in the most humble manner, bowing themselves seven…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER IX] [CONTENTS:—The liberated prisoners return to Mansoul, where they are received with great joy—The inhabitants request Emmanuel to take up his residence among them—He consents—Makes a triumphal entry amid the shouts of the people—The town is newly modeled, and the image of Shaddai erected.] Well, I told you before how the prisoners were…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VIII.] Wherefore the town of Mansoul spent that night in mourning, and sackcloth, and ashes. The prisoners also, when the time came for them to go down before the Prince, dressed themselves in mourning attire, with ropes upon their heads. The whole town of Mansoul also showed itself upon the wall, all clad in mourning weeds, if, perhaps, the…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VIII.] Now, when they went to petition this third time, they were not without thoughts that by often coming, they might be a burden to the Prince. Wherefore, when they were come to the door of his pavilion, they first made their apology for themselves, and for their coming to trouble Emmanuel so often; and they said that they came not hither to-day…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VIII.] Now you may think that they of Mansoul that had sent him, what with guilt, and what with fear, lest their petition should be rejected, could not but look with many a long look, and that too with strange workings of heart, to see what would become of their petition. At last, they saw their messenger returning; so when he had come, they asked…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VIII.] But you cannot think unless you have been there, as I was, what a shout there was in Emmanuel’s camp when they saw the tyrant bound by the hand of their noble Prince, and tied to his chariot wheels! And they said, He hath led captivity captive; he hath spoiled principalities and powers; Diabolus is subjected to the power of his sword, and…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VIII.] Now the old Recorder, and my Lord Understanding, with some others of the chief of the town, to wit, such as knew they must stand and fall with the famous town of Mansoul, came together upon a day, and after consultation had, did jointly agree to draw up a petition, and send it to Emmanuel, now while he sat in the gate of Mansoul. So they…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VII.] So the day came, the command was given, and the Prince’s men did bravely stand to their arms; and did, as before, bend their main force against Ear-gate, and Eye-gate. The word then, ‘Mansoul is won,’ so they made their assault upon the town. Diabolus also, as fast as he could with the main of his power, made resistance from within, and his…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VII.] Now, when the battle was over, the Prince commanded that yet once more the white flag should be set upon Mount Gracious, in sight of the town of Mansoul, to show that yet Emmanuel had grace for the wretched town of Mansoul. When Diabolus saw the white flag hanging out again, and knowing that it was not for him, but Mansoul, he cast in his…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VII.] This was the last of those ensnaring propositions that Mr. Loth-to-stoop had to propound to Emmanuel on behalf of his master Diabolus; but Emmanuel would not grant it, for he said, ‘There can be no case, or thing, or matter, fall out in Mansoul, when thy master shall be gone, that may not be salved by my Father; besides, it will be a great…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 [CHAPTER VII.] [CONTENTS:—Emmanuel prepares to make war upon Mansoul—Diabolus sends Mr. Loth-to-stoop with proposals for peace—These proposals being dishonourable to Emmanuel, are all rejected—Again Diabolus proposes to patch up a peace by reformation, offering to become Emmanuel’s deputy in that business—This proposal also rejected—New preparations made…

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684 Thou hast also thyself—O thou master of enmity, of spite—defaced my Father’s image in Mansoul, and set up thy own in its place, to the great contempt of my Father, the heightening of thy sin, and to the intolerable damage of the perishing town of Mansoul. Thou hast, moreover—as if all these were but little things with thee—not only deluded and undone this…