Page:The Pilgrim's Progress, the Holy War, Grace Abounding Chunk3.djvu/121

Rh, and imprisonments that attended him; and the progress he notwithstanding made by the assistance of God's grace, no doubt to the saving of many souls. Therefore take these things as he himself hath methodically laid them down in the words of verity; and so I pass on to what remains.

After his being freed from his twelve years' imprisonment and upwards for nonconformity, wherein he had time to furnish the world with sundry good books, etc., and by his patience to move Dr. Barlow, the then Bishop of Lincoln, and other churchmen, to pity his hard and unreasonable sufferings, so far as to stand very much his friends in procuring his enlargement, or there perhaps he had died, by the noisomeness and ill-usage of the place— being now, I say, again at liberty, and having through mercy shaken off his bodily fetters (for those upon his soul were broken before by the abounding grace that filled his heart), he went to visit those that had been a comfort to him in his tribulation, with a Christian-like acknowledgement of their kindness and enlargement of charity; giving encouragement byte example, if it happened to be their hard haps to fall into affliction or trouble, then to suffer patiently for the sake of a good conscience, and for the love of God in Jesus Christ towards their souls; and by many cordial persuasions supported some whose spirits began to sink low, through the fear of danger that threatened their worldly concernment: so that the people found a wonderful consolation in his discourse and admonitions.

As often as opportunity would admit, he gathered them together (though) the law was then in force; against in convenient places, and fed them with the sincere milk of the Word, that they might grow up in grace thereby. To such as were anywhere taken and imprisoned upon these accounts, he made it another part of his business to extend his charity, and gather relief for such of them as wanted.