before me, I might certainly many times have gone wrong; but by carefully keeping to my good guide, I at last got up the mountain, and saw the house again.  I then discerned a man of that country a pretty way off, and called to him, friend, ho! friend, what is the name of yonder great house?  He told me the name of it was Bethel.  Then I presently remembered that that was the name by which the house of God was called in my father’s country, where I had heard the reports of it, and so earnestly set out to find it.

[Illustration:  Drawing nearer to it.  I saw it had a large outward court, and a pretty large gate to go into it, so that a man might go in with a large burden on his back.]

Oh! the joy and consolation that I felt in my soul, no tongue can express,—­to think that now after all my travels, perils and disappointments, I had found what I sought for.  So on I went, journeying with joy unspeakable; and as I went, I viewed the outside of the house:  it was very large, and had but one tower; there was no carved work about it, no paintings, nor any kind of device that could be discerned; but all the stones were curiously joined together from the top to the bottom.  I also took notice, that all the stones of the building were transparent, some more and some less; and I saw no windows to let in light from without; and, drawing nearer to it, I saw it had a large outward court, and a pretty large gate to go into it, so that a man might go in with a large burden on his back.  So, coming to it, in I went; and there I saw many people that were very cheerful, and appeared to live very pleasant lives.  Some of them told me, they had lived there many years, were well contented, and wanted for nothing; for there was a mighty tree grew in the midst of the court, and the fruit thereof was good, and the leaves also, and it bore fruit all the year long.  And many of them were so kind as to invite me to sit down and eat with them; but that I refused; and they showed me a great cistern, which they had hewn out to themselves, to catch water from the elements; and they had made themselves convenient lodgings in the sides of the court, to lodge in.

[Illustration:  And when I was stripped stark naked as ever I was born, I tried to enter, and found no great difficulty.]

But all this did not satisfy me; for I saw my beloved guide pass through them all, and enter in at a little narrow door at the farther side of it.  Whereupon I left them, and made haste to the door, where I saw my guide had entered; and I attempted to enter in thereat, but could not, it was so strait; which put me in great sorrow of mind, and what to do I knew not; my thoughts troubled me on every side, and all ways I tried, but in vain.  Oh! thought I, are all my troubles and labours come to this?  Must I be shut out at the last?  What shall I do?  As I was thus perplexing myself, I thought I heard a voice, but knew not from whence it came, which said, “Young man, strip