The Life of John Bunyan [30]
to escape if he had been so minded, but he was
resolved "not to go away." He calmly waited for the time fixed for
the brethren to assemble, and then, without hurry or any show of
alarm, he opened the meeting in the usual manner, with prayer for
God's blessing. He had given out his text, the brethren had just
opened their Bibles and Bunyan was beginning to preach, when the
arrival of the constable with the warrant put an end to the
exercise. Bunyan requested to be allowed to say a few parting
words of encouragement to the terrified flock. This was granted,
and he comforted the little company with the reflection that it was
a mercy to suffer in so good a cause; and that it was better to be
the persecuted than the persecutors; better to suffer as Christians
than as thieves or murderers. The constable and the justice's
servant soon growing weary of listening to Bunyan's exhortations,
interrupted him and "would not be quiet till they had him away"
from the house.
The justice who had issued the warrant, Mr. Wingate, not being at
home that day, a friend of Bunyan's residing on the spot offered to
house him for the night, undertaking that he should be forthcoming
the next day. The following morning this friend took him to the
constable's house, and they then proceeded together to Mr.
Wingate's. A few inquiries showed the magistrate that he had
entirely mistaken the character of the Samsell meeting and its
object. Instead of a gathering of "Fifth Monarchy men," or other
turbulent fanatics as he had supposed, for the disturbance of the
public peace, he learnt from the constable that they were only a
few peaceable, harmless people, met together "to preach and hear
the word," without any political meaning. Wingate was now at a
nonplus, and "could not well tell what to say." For the credit of
his magisterial character, however, he must do something to show
that he had not made a mistake in issuing the warrant. So he asked
Bunyan what business he had there, and why it was not enough for
him to follow his own calling instead of breaking the law by
preaching. Bunyan replied that his only object in coming there was
to exhort his hearers for their souls' sake to forsake their sinful
courses and close in with Christ, and this he could do and follow
his calling as well. Wingate, now feeling himself in the wrong,
lost his temper, and declared angrily that he would "break the neck
of these unlawful meetings," and that Bunyan must find securities
for his good behaviour or go to gaol. There was no difficulty in
obtaining the security. Bail was at once forthcoming. The real
difficulty lay with Bunyan himself. No bond was strong enough to
keep him from preaching. If his friends gave them, their bonds
would be forfeited, for he "would not leave speaking the word of
God." Wingate told him that this being so, he must be sent to gaol
to be tried at the next Quarter Sessions, and left the room to make
out his mittimus. While the committal was preparing, one whom
Bunyan bitterly styles "an old enemy to the truth," Dr. Lindall,
Vicar of Harlington, Wingate's father-in-law, came in and began
"taunting at him with many reviling terms," demanding what right he
had to preach and meddle with that for which he had no warrant,
charging him with making long prayers to devour widows houses, and
likening him to "one Alexander the Coppersmith he had read of,"
"aiming, 'tis like," says Bunyan, "at me because I was a tinker."
The mittimus was now made out, and Bunyan in the constable's charge
was on his way to Bedford, when he was met by two of his friends,
who begged the constable to wait a little while that they might use
their interest with the magistrate to get Bunyan released. After a
somewhat lengthened interview with Wingate, they returned with the
message that if Bunyan would wait on the magistrate and "say
certain words" to him, he might go free. To satisfy
resolved "not to go away." He calmly waited for the time fixed for
the brethren to assemble, and then, without hurry or any show of
alarm, he opened the meeting in the usual manner, with prayer for
God's blessing. He had given out his text, the brethren had just
opened their Bibles and Bunyan was beginning to preach, when the
arrival of the constable with the warrant put an end to the
exercise. Bunyan requested to be allowed to say a few parting
words of encouragement to the terrified flock. This was granted,
and he comforted the little company with the reflection that it was
a mercy to suffer in so good a cause; and that it was better to be
the persecuted than the persecutors; better to suffer as Christians
than as thieves or murderers. The constable and the justice's
servant soon growing weary of listening to Bunyan's exhortations,
interrupted him and "would not be quiet till they had him away"
from the house.
The justice who had issued the warrant, Mr. Wingate, not being at
home that day, a friend of Bunyan's residing on the spot offered to
house him for the night, undertaking that he should be forthcoming
the next day. The following morning this friend took him to the
constable's house, and they then proceeded together to Mr.
Wingate's. A few inquiries showed the magistrate that he had
entirely mistaken the character of the Samsell meeting and its
object. Instead of a gathering of "Fifth Monarchy men," or other
turbulent fanatics as he had supposed, for the disturbance of the
public peace, he learnt from the constable that they were only a
few peaceable, harmless people, met together "to preach and hear
the word," without any political meaning. Wingate was now at a
nonplus, and "could not well tell what to say." For the credit of
his magisterial character, however, he must do something to show
that he had not made a mistake in issuing the warrant. So he asked
Bunyan what business he had there, and why it was not enough for
him to follow his own calling instead of breaking the law by
preaching. Bunyan replied that his only object in coming there was
to exhort his hearers for their souls' sake to forsake their sinful
courses and close in with Christ, and this he could do and follow
his calling as well. Wingate, now feeling himself in the wrong,
lost his temper, and declared angrily that he would "break the neck
of these unlawful meetings," and that Bunyan must find securities
for his good behaviour or go to gaol. There was no difficulty in
obtaining the security. Bail was at once forthcoming. The real
difficulty lay with Bunyan himself. No bond was strong enough to
keep him from preaching. If his friends gave them, their bonds
would be forfeited, for he "would not leave speaking the word of
God." Wingate told him that this being so, he must be sent to gaol
to be tried at the next Quarter Sessions, and left the room to make
out his mittimus. While the committal was preparing, one whom
Bunyan bitterly styles "an old enemy to the truth," Dr. Lindall,
Vicar of Harlington, Wingate's father-in-law, came in and began
"taunting at him with many reviling terms," demanding what right he
had to preach and meddle with that for which he had no warrant,
charging him with making long prayers to devour widows houses, and
likening him to "one Alexander the Coppersmith he had read of,"
"aiming, 'tis like," says Bunyan, "at me because I was a tinker."
The mittimus was now made out, and Bunyan in the constable's charge
was on his way to Bedford, when he was met by two of his friends,
who begged the constable to wait a little while that they might use
their interest with the magistrate to get Bunyan released. After a
somewhat lengthened interview with Wingate, they returned with the
message that if Bunyan would wait on the magistrate and "say
certain words" to him, he might go free. To satisfy