He still persisted in preaching; but that he might
preach, he was under the necessity of disguising himself like a
carter. He was often introduced into meetings through back doors
with a smockfrock on his back, and a whip in his hand. If he had
thought only of his own ease and safety, he would have hailed the
indulgence with delight. He was now at length free to pray and
exhort in open day. His congregation rapidly increased; thousands
hung upon his words; and at Bedford, where he ordinarily resided,
money was plentifully contributed to build a meeting-house for him.
His influence among the common people was such that the government
would willingly have bestowed on him some municipal office; but his
vigorous understanding and his stout English heart were proof
against all delusion and all temptation. He felt assured that the
proffered toleration was merely a bait intended to lure the Puritan
party to destruction; nor would he, by accepting a place for which
he was not legally qualified, recognize the validity of the
dispensing power. One of the last acts of his virtuous life was to
decline an interview to which he was invited by an agent Of the
government. T. B. Macaulay--History of England.
The demeanor of Sir Matthew Hale in the case of John Bunyan, the
author of the Pilgrim's Progress, shows him paying respect both to
the rules of law and to the dictates of humanity.
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