watch and be sober; 7. And provoke me to pray unto God, through

Christ, to help me, and carry me through this world.
A RELATION OF MY IMPRISONMENT IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 1660

WHEN, by the good hand of my God, I had for five or six years
together, without any interruption, freelypreached the blessed

gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; and had also, through His blessed
grace, some encouragement" target="_blank" title="n.鼓励；赞助；引诱">encouragement by His blessingthereupon; the devil,

that old enemy of man's salvation, took his opportunity to inflame
the hearts of his vassals against me, insomuch that at the last, I

was laid out for by the warrant of a justice, and was taken and
committed to prison. The relation thereof is as followeth:-

Upon the 12th of this instant, November 1660, I was desired by some
of the friends in the country to come to teach at SAMSELL, by

HARLINGTON, in BEDFORDSHIRE. To whom I made a promise, if the Lord
permitted, to be with them on the time aforesaid. The justice

hearing thereof (whose name is Mr FRANCIS WINGATE), forthwith
issued out his warrant to take me, and bring me before him, and in

the meantime to keep a very strong watch about the house where the
meeting should be kept, as if we that were to meet together in that

place did intend to do some fearful business, to the destruction of
the country; when alas! the constable, when he came in, found us

only with our Bibles in our hands, ready to speak and hear the word
of God; for we were just about to begin our exercise. Nay, we had

begun in prayer for the blessing of God upon our opportunity,
intending to have preached the word of the Lord unto them there

present: but the constable coming in prevented us. So I was taken
and forced to depart the room. But had I been minded to have

played the coward, I could have escaped and kept out of his hands.
For when I was come to my friend's house, there was whispering that

that day I should be taken, for there was a warrant out to take me;
which when my friend heard, he being somewhat timorous, questioned

whether we had best have our meeting or not; and whether it might
not be better for me to depart, lest they should take me and have

me before the justice, and after that send me to prison (for he
knew better than I what spirit they were of, living by them): to

whom I said, No, by no means, I will not stir, neither will I have
the meeting dismissed for this. Come, be of good cheer; let us not

be daunted; our cause is good, we need not be ashamed of it; to
preach God's Word, is so good a work, that we shall be well

rewarded, if we suffer for that; or to this purpose - (But as for
my friend, I think he was more afraid of me, than of himself.)

After this I walked into the close, where I somewhat seriously
considering the matter, this came into my mind, That I had showed

myself hearty and courageous in my preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching, and had, blessed be
grace, made it my business to encourage others; therefore thought

I, if I should now run, and make an escape, it will be of a very
ill savour in the country. For what will my weak and newly-

converted brethren think of it, but that I was not so strong in
deed as I was in word? Also I feared that if I should run now

there was a warrant out for me, I might by so doing make them
afraid to stand, when great words only should be spoken to them.

Besides I thought, that seeing God of His mercy should choose me to
go upon the forlorn hope in this country; that is, to be the first,

that should be opposed, for the gospel; if I should fly, it might
be a discouragement to the whole body that might follow after. And

further, I thought the world thereby would take occasion at my
cowardliness, to have blasphemed the gospel, and to have had some

ground to suspect worse of me and my profession, than I deserved.
These things with others considered by me, I came in again to the

house, with a full resolution to keep the meeting, and not to go
away, though I could have been gone about an hour before the

officer apprehended me; but I would not; for I was resolved to see
the utmost of what they could say or do unto me. For blessed be

the Lord, I knew of no evil that I had said or done. And so, as
aforesaid, I begun the meeting. But being prevented by the

constable's coming in with his warrant to take me, I could not
proceed. But before I went away, I spake some few words of counsel

and encouragement" target="_blank" title="n.鼓励；赞助；引诱">encouragement to the people, declaring to them, that they saw
we were prevented of our opportunity to speak and hear the Word of

God, and were like to suffer for the same; desiring them that they
would not be discouraged, for it was a mercy to suffer upon so good

account. For we might have been apprehended as thieves or
murderers, or for other wickedness; but blessed be God it was not

so, but we suffer as Christians for well doing: and we had better
be the persecuted, than the persecutors, etc. But the constable

and the justice's man waiting on us, would not be at quiet till
they had me away and that we departed the house. But because the

justice was not at home that day, there was a friend of mine
engaged for me to bring me to the constable on the morrow morning.

Otherwise the constable must have charged a watch with me, or have
secured me some other way, my crime was so great. So on the next

morning we went to the constable, and so to the justice. He asked
the constable what we did, where we was met together, and what we

had with us? I trow, he meant whether we had armour or not; but
when the constable told him that there were only met a few of us

together to preach and hear the Word, and no sign of anything else,
he could not well tell what to say: yet because he had sent for

me, he did adventure to put out a few proposals to me, which were
to this effect, namely, What I did there? And why I did not

content myself with following my calling? for it was against the
law, that such as I should be admitted to do as I did.

JOHN BUNYAN. To which I answered, That the intent of my coming
thither, and to other places, was to instruct, and counsel people

to forsake their sins, and close in with Christ, lest they did
miserably perish; and that I could do both these without confusion

(to wit), follow my calling, and preach the Word also.
At which words, he was in a chafe, as it appeared; for he said that

he would break the neck of our meetings.
BUN. I said, It may be so. Then he wished me to get sureties to

be bound for me, or else he would send me to the jail.
My sureties being ready, I called them in, and when the bond for my

appearance was made, he told them, that they was bound to keep me
from preaching" target="_blank" title="n.说教 a.说教的">preaching; and that if I did preach, their bonds would be

forfeited. To which I answered, that then I should break them; for
I should not leave speaking the Word of God: even to counsel,

comfort, exhort, and teach the people among whom I came; and I
thought this to be a work that had no hurt in it: but was rather

worthy of commendation, than blame.
WINGATE. Whereat he told me, that if they would not be so bound,

my mittimus must be made, and I sent to the jail, there to lie to
the quarter sessions.

Now while my mittimus was making, the justice was withdrawn; and in
comes an old enemy to the truth, Dr Lindale, who, when he was come

in, fell to taunting at me with many reviling terms.
BUN. To whom I answered, that I did not come thither to talk with

him, but with the justice. Whereat he supposed that I had nothing
to say for myself, and triumphed as if he had got the victory;

charging and condemning me for meddling with that for which I could
show no warrant; and asked me, if I had taken the oaths? and if I

had not, it was pity but that I should be sent to prison, etc.
I told him, that if I was minded, I could answer to any sober

question that he should put to me. He then urged me again, how I
could prove it lawful for me to preach, with a great deal of

confidence of the victory.
But at last, because he should see that I could answer him if I

listed, I cited to him that verse in Peter, which saith, EVERY MAN