Episode 18, The Holy War. Oh, wretched town of Mansoul, continued Captain Judgment. Will you still not open your gate to receive us, the deputies of your king and those who would rejoice to see you live? Can your heart endure or can your hands be strong in that day when he shall deal with you in judgment? I say, can you endure to be forced to drink, as one would drink sweet wine, the sea of wrath that our king has prepared for Diabolus and his angels? Consider. Before it's too late, consider. Then the fourth captain came forward, the noble Captain Execution, and he said, O town of Mansoul, once famous, but now like the fruitless bow, once the delight of the high ones, but now a den for Diabolus, hearken also to me, and to the words I shall speak to you in the name of the great Shaddai. Behold, The axe is laid to the root of the trees. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "'Oh, town of Mansoul,' he continued. "'Until now you have been this fruitless tree. "'You bear nothing but thorns and briars. "'Your evil fruit indicates you are not a good tree. "'Your grapes are grapes of poison "'and your clusters are bitter. "'You have rebelled against your king and lo, "'we, the power and force of Shaddai, "'are the axe that is laid to your root. "'What do you say? "'Will you turn? I say again, tell me, before the first blow is given, will you turn? Our axe must be first laid to your root before it is laid at your root. It must first be laid to your root in a way of threatening before it is laid at your root by the way of execution. And between these two, your repentance is required, and this is all the time you have left. What will you do? Will you turn, or shall I smite? If I deliver my blow, Mansoul, down you go, for I have commission to lay my axe at, as well as to, your roots. Nothing but yielding to our king will prevent this execution. What are you fit for, oh Mansoul, if mercy doesn't prevent you from being cut down and cast into the fire to be burned? O man's soul, patience and forbearance do not last forever. A year, or two, or three, possibly. But if you incite rebellion for three years, and you have already done more than this, then what follows except to cut it down? No. Then, if it should bear fruit next year, well and good. But if not, you can cut it down. And do you think these are only threats, or that our king has no power to execute his words? O man's soul, you will find that when the words of our king are belittled or made light of by sinners, there is not only warning, but burning coals of fire. You have already encumbered the ground long enough. Will you continue to do so still? Your sin has brought this army to your walls, and shall your sin also bring judgment into your town to carry out execution? You have heard what the captains have said, but as yet you shut your gates. Speak out, Mansoul. Will you do so still, or will you accept conditions of peace? Mansoul refused to hear these brave speeches from the four noble captains, and although the force of their speeches could not break it open, yet its sound continued to beat against Eargate. Ultimately, the town desired some time to prepare their answer to these demands. The captains then told them that if they would throw out to them one ill-paws, who was in the town, they might reward him according to his works, and then that they would give them time to consider. However, if they would not cast him over the wall of Mansoul to them, then they would receive no more time to consider. For they said, We know that as long as ill pause draws breath in man's soul, all good consideration will be confounded and nothing but mischief will come upon them. Then Diabolus, who was present with the townsfolk at the time, being reluctant to lose his ill paws, resolved to answer the captains himself, because ill paws was the tyrant's orator. And then changing his mind, he commanded the then Lord Mayor, the Lord Incredulity, to speak, saying, my Lord, answer these renegades and speak out that man's soul may both hear you and understand you. So incredulity at Diabolus' command began and said, gentlemen, you've camped against us as we've here seen. And by it, you've disturbed our prince and molested the town of Mansoul. But from wherever you've come, we don't care to know. And whoever you are, we will not trust. And whatever you say, we will not believe. Indeed, you tell us in your terrible speech that you have this authority from Shaddai. By what right he commands you to act? We have no idea what you're talking about. You have also, by the aforesaid authority, summoned this town to desert her lord and for protection to yield up herself to the great Shaddai, your king. flatteringly telling her that if she will do it, he will pass by, will not charge her with her past offenses. Further to the terror of the town of Mansoul, you have also threatened with great and sore destructions to punish this corporation if she does not consent to act according to your will. To be continued. And for questions on this episode, as Captains Bowen, Urges, Conviction, and Judgment have already spoken, how do you suppose Captain Execution differs from the first three? And then the second set of questions, the captains desired that Mansoul throw out to them one ill pause, that's a typo, it's supposed to be O-N-E, throw out to them one ill pause if the townsfolk wanted more time to consider their answers to the demands of the captains and ultimately the demands of the great Shaddai. Based upon the two paragraphs that mention ill pause by name Why do you suppose the captains wanted him to be cast over the wall to them read Romans? 928 does this help you to understand the role of ill pause and the captain's desire? Desires to have ill paused removed and finally the third paragraph consideration for ponder. Diabolus has Lord Incredulity speak in the hearing of both the captains and the townsfolk of Mansoul. Incredulity means disbelief or skepticism. Consider and discuss some of the ways that disbelief and being skeptical of God's gospel truths would be harmful to the unbelieving sinner. And then consider also the ways that disbelief and skepticism of God's word would be harmful to the gospel believer. And so that's episode 18 of The Holy War.