not be so rich as now he was." This ended in his committal to Bedford jail there to remain till the quarter sessions. He was offered his liberty if he would promise not to call the people together, but no such promise would he make; and when he was told that none but poor, simple, ignorant people came to hear him, he replied that such had most need of teaching, and therefore it was his duty to go on in that work. It appears however that after a few days he listened to his friends, and would have given bond for his appearance at the sessions: but the magistrate to whom they applied was afraid to take it. "Whereat," says Bunyan," I was not at all daunted, but rather glad, and saw evidently that the Lord had heard me. For before I went down to the justice, I begged of God that if I might do more good by being at liberty than in prison, that then I might be set at liberty; but if not-His will be done; for I was not altogether without hopes, but that my imprisonment might be an awakening to the saints in the country: therefore I could not tell which to chuse; only I in that manner did commit the thing to God. And verily at my return, I did meet my God sweetly in the prison again, comforting of me, and satisfying of me that it was His will and mind that I should be there."

Some seven weeks after this the Sessions were held, and John Bunyan was indicted as a person who "devilishly and perniciously abstained from coming to Church to hear divine service, and who was a common upholder of several unlawful meetings and conventicles to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of this kingdom." He answered that as to the first part of this he was a common frequenter of the Church of God: but being demanded whether he attended the parish Church, he replied that he did not, and for this reason, that he was not commanded so to do in the word of God; we were commanded there to pray, but with the spirit, not by the common prayer book, the prayers in that book being made by other men, and not by the motion of the Holy Spirit within our own hearts. And as to the Lord's prayer, said he, " there are very few that can, in the

Spirit, say the two first words of that prayer; that is, that can call God their father, as knowing what it is to be born again, and as having experience that they are begotten of the Spirit of God; which if they do not, all is but babbling." Having persuaded himself by weak arguments Bunyan used them as if they had been strong ones; "Shew me," he said, "the place in the Epistles where the Common Prayer book is written, or one text of scripture that commands me to read it, and I will use it. But yet, notwithstanding, they that have a mind to use it, they have their liberty; that is, I would not keep them from it. But for our parts, we can pray to God without it. Blessed be his name!" But the Sectaries had kept their countrymen from it, while they had the power; and Bunyan himself in his sphere laboured to dissuade them from it.

Men who are called in question for their opinions, may be expected to under, or over-state them at such times, according as caution or temerity may predominate in their dispositions. In none of Bunyan's writings does he appear so little reasonable, or so little tolerant, as upon these examinations. He was a brave man, -a bold one,—and believed himself to be an injured one, standing up against persecution; for he knew that by his preaching, evident and certain good was done; but that there was any evil in his way of doing it, or likely 'to arise from it, was a thought which, if it had arisen in his own mind, he would immediately have ascribed to the suggestion of Satan. Some farther disputation ensued; "we were told," he said, "to exhort one another daily, while it is called to day:" but the Justice replied he ought not to preach. In rejoinder he offered to prove that it was lawful for him and such as him to preach, and quoted the Apostle's words, "as every man hath received the gift, even so let him minister the same unto another." Let me a little open that scripture to you, said the magistrate: As every man hath received his gift; that is, as every man hath received a trade, so let him follow it. If any man have received a gift of tinkering as thou hast done, let him follow his tinkering. And so other men their

trades, and the divine his calling." But John insisted that spiritual gifts were intended in this passage. The magistrate said men might exhort if they pleased in their families, but not otherwise. John answered, "if it were lawful to do good to some, it was lawful to do good to more. If it were a good thing to exhort our families, it was good to exhort others. And if it were held a sin for them to meet together and seek the face of God, and exhort one another to follow Christ, he would sin still." They were now at a point. You confess the indictment then? said the magistrate. He made answer"this I confess: We have had many meetings together, both to pray to God, and to exhort one another; and we had the sweet comforting presence of the Lord among us for our encouragement; blessed be his name! There I confess myself guilty, and no otherwise." Then said the magistrate "hear your judgement! You must be had back again to prison, and there lie for three months following; and at three months end, if you do not submit to go to church to hear divine service, and leave your preaching, you must be banished the realm. And if after such a day as shall be appointed you to be gone, you shall be found in this realm, or be found to come over again without special license from the king, you must stretch by the neck for it: I tell you plainly." Bunyan resolutely answered that if "he were out of prison to day, he would preach the Gospel again to-morrow, by the help of God!"

Back therefore he was taken; "and I can truly say," he says, "I bless the Lord for it; that my heart was sweetly refreshed in the time of my examination, and also afterwards at my returning to the prison, so that I found Christ's words more than bare trifles, where he saith, *" He will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." Three months elapsed, and the Clerk of the Peace then went to him by desire of the magistrate to see if he could be persuaded to obedience. But Bunyan insisted that the law, being intended against those

Luke xxi. 15.

who designed to do evil in their meetings, did not apply to him. He was told that he might exhort his neighbours in private discourse, if he did not call together an assembly of people; this he might do, and do much good thereby, without breaking the law. But, said Bunyan, if I may do good to one, why not to two? and if to two why not to four, and so to eight, and so on? Aye, said the Clerk, and to a hundred, I warrant you! Yes, Bunyan answered, I think I should not be forbidden to do as much good as I can. They then began to discuss the question whether under pretence of doing good, harm might not be done, by seducing the people, and Bunyan allowed that there might be many who designed the destruction of the government: let them, he said, be punished, and let him be punished also should he do any thing not becoming a man and a Christian; if error or heresy could be proved upon him he would disown it, even in the market place; but to the truth, he would stand to the last drop of his blood. Bound in conscience he held himself to obey all righteous laws, whether there were a king or not; and if he offended against them, patiently to bear the penalty. And to cut off all occasion of suspicion as touching the harmlessness of his doctrines, he would willingly give any one the notes of all his sermons, for he sincerely desired to live in peace and to submit to the present authority. "But there are two ways of obeying," he observed; "the one to do that which I in my conscience do believe that I am bound to do, actively; and where I cannot obey actively, there I am willing to lie down, and to suffer what they shall do unto me." And here the interview ended, Bunyan thanking him for his "civil and meek discoursing," and breathing a wish that they might meet in Heaven.

Shortly afterwards the Coronation took place, and the proclamation which allowed persons to sue out a pardon during twelve months from that day, had the effect of suspending the proceedings against him, if any farther were intended. When the assizes came, his wife presented a petition to the Judges that they would impartially take his case into consideration.

Sir Matthew Hale was one of these Judges, and expressed a wish to serve her if he could, but a fear that he could do her no good; and being assured by one of the Justices that Bunyan had been convicted, and was a hot-spirited fellow, he waived the matter. But the high Sheriff encouraged the poor woman to make another effort for her husband before they left the town; and accordingly " with a bashed face and a trembling heart," she entered the Swan Chamber, where the two Judges and many magistrates and gentry of the country were in company together. Trembling however as she was, Elizabeth Bunyan had imbibed something of her husband's spirit. She had been to London to petition the House of Lords in his behalf, and had been told by one whom she calls Lord Barkwood that they could do nothing, but that his releasement was committed to the Judges at these next assizes, and now I am come to you she said, and you give neither releasement, nor relief! And she complained to Hale that he was kept unlawfully in prison, for the indictment was false, and he was clapped up before there were any proclamations against the meetings. One of the Judges then said he had been lawfully convicted. "It is false," replied the woman : "for when they said to him do you confess the indictment, he said only this, that he had been at several meetings both when there was preaching the Word and prayer, and that they had God's presence among them." Will your husband leave preaching? said Judge Twisden; if he will do so, then send for him. My Lord," said she, " he dares not leave preaching, as long as he can speak."

Sir Matthew himself was not likely to be favourably impressed by this sort of pleading. But he listened sadly when she told him that there were four small children by the former wife, one of them blind; that they had nothing to live upon while their father was in prison, but the charity of good people; and that she herself "smayed" at the news when her husband was apprehended, being but young and unaccustomed to such things, fell in labour, and continuing in it for eight days was delivered of a dead child. Alas, poor