it must be to the whole body if he were to fly. No, he would never by
any cowardliness of his give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme the
gospel." So back to the house he came with his mind made up. He had
come to hold the meeting, and hold the meeting he would. He was not
conscious of saying or doing any evil. If he had to suffer it was the
Lord's will, and he was prepared for it. He had a full hour before him
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