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; for ever blessed be his holy

name.'

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

"I said that 'we ought to "exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day," Heb. iii. 13.

"Justice Keeling said that I ought not to preach, and asked me where I had my authority; with other such like words.

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

"He said unto me, 'By what scripture?'

"I said, 'By that in the first epistle of Peter, chap. iv., ver. 10, 11, and Acts xviii.,' with other scriptures, which he would not suffer me to mention; but said, 'Hold! not so many; which is the first?'

"I said, "This: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God," &c.

"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 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,' &c.

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"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 so much in this place exhort to civil callings, as to the exercise of those gifts that we have received from God.' I would have gone on, but he would not give me leave.

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

"I said, if it were lawful to do good to some, it was lawful to do good to more. If it were a good duty to exhort our families, it was good to exhort others: but if they held 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.

"He said he was not so well versed in Scripture as to dispute, or words to that purpose: and said, moreover, that they could not wait upon me any longer; but said to me, 'Then you confess the indictment, do you not ?' Now, and not till now, I saw I was in

dicted.

"I said, "This I confess, we have had many meetings together, both to pray to God, and to exhort one another; and that we had the sweet comforting presence of the Lord among us for our encouragement, blessed he his name! therefore I confess myself guilty, and no otherwise.'

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Then,' said he, hear your judgment:-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, &c., or be found to come over again without special licence from the king, &c., you must stretch by the neck for it, I tell you plainly:' and so he bid my jailer have me away.

I told him, as to this matter, I was at a point with him; for if I were out of prison to-day, I would preach the gospel again to-morrow, by the help of God. To which one made me some answer; but my jailer pulling me away to be gone, I could not tell what he said.

"Thus I departed from them; and I can truly say, I bless the Lord Jesus Christ 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, 'I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist,' Luke xxi. 15; and that his peace no man can take from us.

"Thus have I given you the substance of my examination. The Lord make this profitable to all that shall read or hear it. Farewell."

Upon this, he was again immured in the jail in Bedford, and was kept as a prisoner for twelve years, bearing that tedious confinement with such christian patience and presence of mind, as became a minister of Jesus Christ, and such a cause as he was engaged in, and suffered for. At times, as we shall hereafter notice, he was favoured with a degree of liberty, which being granted by his jailers at their own personal risk, was a striking testimony to his integrity.

But though his enemies were very many, yet were they withheld by a Divine power from executing the sentence of his banishment, which they ardently de

sired; for God had other work for him to do in England: and then his bonds and his imprisonment, through the over-ruling providence of that God who is both wonderful in counsel and excellent in working, tended much to the furtherance of the gospel; and by his sufferings he confirmed and sealed the truth which before he had preached.

Nor did he while he was in prison spend his time. in a supine and careless manner, or eat the bread of idleness. There his own hands ministered to his own and his family's necessities, by making many hundred gross of long tagged thread laces, to fill up the vacancies of his time, which employment he had learned for that purpose after he was shut up in prison. His library in prison was very small, consisting only of a Bible, and the " Book of Martyrs," by John Fox.* Bunyan's writings, and especially his Holy War, evidently show that he had well studied the "Book of Martyrs."

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In this imprisonment he wrote also many valuable treatises; as, "The Holy City;" "Christian Behaviour;" "The Resurrection of the Dead ;" Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners;" and his most highly and justly celebrated work, "The Pilgrim's Progress;" of which we shall speak more particularly afterwards.

* His library is yet preserved. His Bible was in the possession of the late Rev. Samuel Palmer, of Hackney, and on Mr. P.'s demise was bought by the late Samuel Whitbread, Esq., M.P., for 20 guineas. His copy of Fox's Martyrology is now in the possession of Mrs. Parnell, of Botolph Lane, whose father, Mr. Wontner, of the Minories, purchased it in the year 1780, and from him it descended to Mrs. Parnell.

DISCOURSE WITH THE CLERK OF THE PEACE AND MYSELF.

"When I had lain in prison other twelve weeks, and not knowing what they intended to do with me, the 3rd of April, 1661, comes Mr. Cobb unto me, as he told me, being sent by the justices to admonish me, and demand of me submission to the Church of England, &c. The extent of our discourse was as followeth :

"When he was come into the house, he sent for me out of my chamber; who, when I was come unto him, he said, ' Neighbour Bunyan, how do you do?' "I thank you, sir,' said I, 'very well, blessed be the Lord.'

"Saith he, 'I come to tell you that it is desired you would submit yourself to the laws of the land, or else at the next sessions it will go worse with you, even to be sent away out of the nation, or else worse than that.'

"I said that I did desire to demean myself in the world both as becometh a man and a Christian.

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'But,' saith he, 'you must submit to the laws of the land, and leave off those meetings which you was wont to have; for the statute law is directly against and I am sent to you by the justices, to tell you that they do intend to prosecute the law against you, if you submit not.'

it;

"I said, 'Sir, I conceive that the law by which I am in prison at this time doth not reach or condemn either me or the meetings which I do frequent: that law was made against those that designed to do evil in their meetings, making the exercise of religion their pretence to cover their wickedness. It doth not forbid the private meetings of those that plainly