It was an almost unconscious operation of quiet, but keen satire, when this scene remoulded its materials afterwards in Bunyan's imagination. The extent of the indictment against Bunyan was as follows: That John Bunyan, of the town of Bedford, laborer, being a person of such and such conditions, he hath, since such a time, devilishly and perniciously abstained from coming to church to hear divine service, and is a common common upholder of several unlawful meetings and conventicles, to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of this kingdom, contrary to the laws of our sovereign Lord the King. When this was read, the clerk of the sessions said to Bunyan, What say you

to this?

Bunyan. I said that as to the first part of it, I was a common frequenter of the church of God, and was also by grace, a member with those people, over whom Christ was the head.

Keelin. But, saith Justice Keelin, who was the judge in that court, Do you come to church, you know what I mean, to the parish church to hear divine service?

Bun. I answered no, I did not.

Keel. He asked me why.

Bun. I said, because I did not find it commanded

in the word of God.

Keel. He said we were commanded to pray. Bun. I said, but not by the Common Prayer Book.

Keel. He said, how then?

Bun. I said, with the Spirit. As the apostle saith, I will pray with the Spirit with understanding

Keel. He said, we might pray with the Spirit with understanding, and with the Common Prayer Book

also.

Bun. I said that those prayers in the Common Prayer Book were such as were made by other men, and not by the motions of the Holy Ghost within our hearts; and, as I said, the apostle saith he will pray with the Spirit and with understanding, not with the Spirit and the Common Prayer Book.

Another Justice.. What do you count prayer? Do you think it is to say a few words over, before or among a people?

Bun. I said not so; for men might have many elegant or excellent words, and yet not pray at all; but when a man prayeth, he doth, through a sense of those things which he wants, which sense is begotten by the Spirit, pour out his heart before God through Christ; though his words be not so many and so excellent as others.

Justices. They said that was true.

Bun. I said this might be done without the Common Prayer Book.

There was a strange mixture of candor and bitterness, in these justices, for they acknowledged the truth of some things that Bunyan said, and that very freely, while they were blasphemous in other things, as we shall see. Bunyan's own argument against the Common Prayer Book would not be admitted as valid by many out of the Episcopal Church as well as in it; but his argument against the enforcing of it on the conscience is incontrovertible, as well as his own

candid and tolerant spirit towards those who preferred to use it. "Let them use it, if they choose," said he, "we would not keep them from it; only, for our part, we can pray to God without it; and all we ask is the liberty of so praying and preaching." Could any thing be more fair, equitable or generous than this? The same we say now to those who assert, that we cannot worship God aright without episcopacy, confirmation and a liturgy, and who arrogantly say that without these things we are not of the true church, and are neither ministers nor flocks of Jesus Christ; we say to those who are guilty of such unchristian conduct, Use you your liturgy, and love it as much as you please, and we will agree with you, that for those who choose a liturgy, it is, with some great faults, an admirable composition; but, dare not to impose it upon us; be not guilty of the great intolerance and wickedness of unchurching and anathematizing others, because they do not use a liturgy nor hold to episcopacy; stand not by yourselves and say, I am holier than thou by the apostolical succession, and episcopacy, and the liturgy! Above all, if you do these things, expect to be met with severity and indignation, and accuse no man of bitterness, who defends, or because he defends the church and the ministry of Christ from your unrighteous assumptions.

Bunyan's chief reason for not using the Common Prayer Book was, that it is not commanded in the scriptures. "Show me," said he, "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, said he, they that have a mind to use it, they have their liberty; that is, I would not keep it from them, or them from it; but for our parts, Blessed be his we can pray to God without it.

name.

With that one of them said, Who is your God, Beelzebub? Moreover they often said that I was possessed with the spirit of delusion and of the devil. All which sayings I passed over, the Lord forgive them! And further, I said, Blessed be the Lord for it, we are encouraged to meet together, and to pray, and exhort one another: for we have had the comfortable presence of God among us, forever blessed be his holy name.

Justice Keelin called this pedler's French, saying that I must leave off my canting. The Lord open his eyes.

Bun. I said that we ought to exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day.

Keel. Justice Keelin said that I ought not to preach; and asked me where I had my authority?

Bun. I said that I would prove that it was lawful for me, and such as I am, to preach the word of God.

Keel. He said unto me, By what scripture?

Bun. I said, By that in the first epistle of Peter, the fourth chapter, the eleventh verse; and Acts the eighteenth, with other scriptures, which he would not suffer me to mention. But hold, said he, not so many; which is the first?

Bun. I said this: "As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same one to ano

ther, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God."

mán

Keel. He said, Let me a little open that scripture to you. As every man hath received the gift; that is, said he, as every man hath received a trade, so let him follow it. If any man hath 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, &c.

Bun. Nay, sir, said I, but it is most clear that the apostle speaks here of preaching the word; if you do but compare both the verses together, the next verse explains this gift, what it is; saying, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;" so that it is plain that the Holy Ghost doth not, in this place, so much exhort to civil callings, as to the exercising of those gifts that we have received from God. I would have gone on, but he would not give me leave.

Keel. He said, we might do it in our families, but not otherwise.

Bun. I said, if it was lawful to do some, it was lawful to do good to more.

good to

If it was

a good duty to exhort our families, it is good to exhort others; but if they hold it a sin to meet together to seek the face of God, and exhort one another to follow Christ, I should sin still, for so we should do.

Keel. Then you confess the indictment, do you not?

Bun. This I confess, we have had many meetings together, both to pray to God, and to exhort