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    searching after non-conformists , called in that day Puritans . The chief among these were the Rev . Mr . Man , Mr . John Grew , Mr . John Eston , and Mr . Anthony Harring'ton . They neither were nor desired to be formed into a church ; but were zealous to edify each other , and to promote the

    gospel by their liberality and friendship . Always keeping a door open , and a table furnished , for those ministers and ehristians who evinced a zeal for the purity and practice of religion . About the year 1650 came among * them Mr . John GifFord , a native of Kent , who had been a great royalist and a major in the king ' s army : but had

    been recently under deep religious impressions , and had commenced preacher . His labours in that character were acceptable , and successful in awakening in the minds of some a religious concern , and in engaging these friends of piety to form themselves into a church , of which he was chosen the pastor or elder . u The principles on which they entered into fellowship one with another , and on which they received new members into their Christian association , were faitli in Christ and holiness of l { fey without respect to this or that circumstance of opinion in outward or circumstantial poinis .

    By these means faith and holiness were encouraged , love and amity were maintained , disputing * and occasional janglings were avoided , and many that were weak in faitli were confirmed in the principles of

    eternal life . " * In consistency with the large basis , on which this church was constituted , its next minister , Mr . Bunyan , was an advocate for the mixed communion of Christians , who differed in opinion on the questions relative to baptism .

    * Thomson ' s Collections . Vol . i . Bedford was .

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    student riding by at the time inquired , what meant the concourse of people * ' He was told that one Bunyan , a tinker was to preach there ; in a sportive mood he committed his horse to the care of a boy , saying , " he was resolved to hear the tinker prate , " and went into the church . His attention was fixed ; he was affected and impressed ; he came out serious and

    thoughtful , and much changed ; and would , when he could gratify his taste , hear none but the tinker for a long time . The learned Dr . Owen , the vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford , countenanced his ministerial labours and attended his sermons . The intolerance of the government , in a few years , put a stop to this course of

    services . On the 12 th of November , 1660 , he was requested to preach at Gansel , near Harlington , in Bedfordshire ; and there he was apprehended by virtue of a warrant granted by Francis Win gate , Esq . a justice cf peace , before whom he was token , and then committed to Bedford gaol .

    After art imprisonment of seven weeks he was tried on an indictment at Bedford quarter-sessions ; charged with " having devilishly and perniciously abstained from coming to church to h ^ ar divine service ; and with being a 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 . All , it has been justly observed , that John Bunyan had been guilty of , though it was alleged to be thus " devilish and pernicious , and so wickedly calculated to ot

    disturb and distract the good people England , " was merely worshipping God according to the dictates of nn own conscience , and endeavouring to propagate his own religious opinion * But even the facts stated in this ridiculous indictment were not proved , no witnesses were produced against him : but some words which ca ^

    from him in the course of a conversation with the justices , were taken tor a conviction and recorded : he was sent back to prison , under this scntence , to lie there for three montns and if he did not then engage to n& [ divine service , and attend id

    j 1 j , j _ j 1 11 11 1 - ~ 1 * Crosb y , vol . iii . P- & *

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    130 Memoir of John Bunyan .

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    gious spirit attracted the attention of this congregation , amongst whom he for some time gave a word of exhortation , or led their worship , till they called him to the character of a public minister , and set him apart to that office by fasting and prayer . He was a popular preacher , and generally spoke with much fluency and with great effect . A Cambridge scholar , who afterwards became a very eminent minister in the county , is particularly mentioned as an instance of the power and success of his preaching- Mr . Bunyan was to appear on a week-day in the pulpit of a church in a country village , in the county ; and a great number of people was collected together to hear him . The Cambridge

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1815, page 130, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1758/page/2/