There is all the truth and all the humour and all the satire in Old Prejudice that our author has accustomed us to in his best pieces.

The common people always get the best literature along with the best religion in John Bunyan.
'They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, and which will not hearken to the voice of charmers charming never so wisely,' says the Psalmist, speaking about some bad men in his day.

Now, I will not stand upon David's natural history here, but his moral and religious meaning is evident enough.

David is not concerned about adders and their ears, he is wholly taken up with us and our adder-like animosity against the truth.

Against what teacher, then; against what preacher; against what writer; against what doctrine, reproof, correction, has your churlish prejudice adder-like shut your ear?
Against what truth, human or divine, have you hitherto stopped up your ear like the Psalmist's serpent?
To ask that boldly, honestly, and in the sight of God, at yourself to-night, would end in making you the lifelong friend of some preacher, some teacher, some soul-saving truth you have up till to-night been prejudiced against with the rooted prejudice and the sullen obstinacy of sixty deaf men.