Bunyan, who had secured the confidence and esteem of his jailer, now found his prison more like a lodging house and enjoyed great privileges. He frequently, if not regularly, attended church meetings and preached with some degree of publicity.

The church at Bedford was at this time in want of a pastor, and their eyes were naturally fixed upon Bunyan to succeed to that important office. Two weighty considerations required Divine guidance in conclusion. One was whether it might injuriously affect the prisoner's comforts, and the other was, the propriety of choosing a Christian brother to be their ministering elder while incarcerated in a jail.

Feeling these difficulties, the church held several meetings on the subject, the minutes of which were exciting. The first was held at Hawnes, on the 24th of the eighth month (October) 1671, when 'the improvement of the gifts of the church, and their disposal in an orderly way, were proposed to consideration, that God might be sought for direction therein; and a time further to consider and debate thereof, was appointed this day seven-night, at evening, at Bedford, where the principal brethren were desired for that purpose to come together, at brother John Fenn's; and a church-meeting was appointed to be there that day week.

The church was also minded to seek God about the choice of brother Bunyan to the office of elder, that their way in that respect may be cleared up to them.' At a meeting held at Bedford on the last day of the ninth month (November), there was appointed another meeting 'to pray and consult about concluding the affair before propounded, concerning gifts of the brethren to be improved, and the choice of brother Bunyan to office, at Gamlingay, on the 14th day, and at Hawnes, the 20th, and at Bedford, the 21st of the same instant, which it was desired might be a general meeting.'

After all this jealous care and these fervent applications to the throne of grace for divine guidance, the result was most gratifying. 'At a full assembly of the church at Bedford, the 21st of the tenth month,274 after much seeking God by prayer and sober conference formally had, the congregation did at this meeting, with mutual consent, signified by solemn lifting up of their hands, call forth and appoint our brother John Bunyan to the pastoral office or eldership.

And he accepting thereof, gave himself up to serve Christ and his Church, in that charge, and received of the elders the right hand of fellowship, after having preached fifteen years.' The choice thus solemnly made was ratified by the abundant blessings of heavenly union and great prosperity- no stranger or novice, but one whose preaching and writings had proved most acceptable to them for a series of years-on that had been owned and blessed of his God and whom the church delighted to honor.

At the same church meeting, 'The congregation having had long experience of the faithfulness of brother John Fenn in his care for the poor, did after the same manner solemnly choose him to the honorable office of a deacon and committed their poor and purse to him, and he accepted thereof, and gave himself up to the Lord and them in that service.'

The church did also determine to keep the 26th inst. as a day of fasting and prayer, both here and at Hawnes, and Gamlingay, solemnly to commend to the grace of God brother Bunyan and brother Fenn, and to implore his generous assistance and presence with them in their respective works, whereunto he hath called them.

The most extraordinary circumstance that took place at this time was that while Bunyan was a prisoner in a wretched dungeon for preaching the glad tidings of salvation, or, in the mysterious legal jargon of the period, 'holding conventicles,' he received his Majesty's license to preach, and thus to hold conventicles-it was one of the first that was granted. His Majesty kept him a prisoner for preaching more than six months after he had licensed him to preach!! At the same time that the permission to preach was granted to Bunyan, the house of Josiah Roughed, Bedford, was licensed by his Majesty's command for the use of such as do not conform to the Church of England.

John Bunyan was authorized to teach or preach in any other licensed place. These were among the first licenses that were granted. The present highly-respected pastor of the church considers that this license does not refer to Roughed's private dwelling but rather to 'an edifice or a barn, purchased of Robert Crompton, Esq., with a piece of ground adjoining it,' in the parishes of St. Paul and Cuthbert, for £50, in 1672, by Roughed, Bunyan, Fenn, and others, and which was released by Fenn to Bunyan and others, November 10, 1681, two days before Fenn's death. Having been appropriately fitted up by voluntary contribution, this building became permanently occupied by the church as its place of meeting until the old chapel was erected in 1707. From this, we may conclude that Bunyan was engaged in his worldly occupation as a brazier in the year he was released from prison and 1681.

Human laws affecting religion can never be the standard of morality; reading the Bible is considered a sin in Tuscany and righteousness in Britain. How utterly disgraceful does any Government become when they tamper with spiritual worship? At one period, they punished Dissenters with imprisonment, transportation, and, to use Judge Keeling's elegant expression in his sentence on Bunyan, 'to stretch by the neck for it'; and anon, the very same Government, under the same king, gives them license to dissent!

The release of this great and pious man from his tedious imprisonment has been hitherto involved in a cloud of mystery, which will be our happiness to disperse. At the same time, we record that event in a straightforward, indisputable narrative of facts. His earlier biographer, Mr. Doe, not having access to archives which the lapse of time has now rendered available, attributed his release to Bishop Barlow's influence by Dr. Owen's interference. It is narrated in the life of Dr. Owen, published in 1721:-‘The doctor had some friends among the bishops, Dr. Barlow, formerly his tutor, then bishop of Lincoln, who yet upon a particular occasion failed him, when he might have expected the service of his professed friendship. The case was this, Mr. John Bunyan had been confined to jail for twelve years upon an ex-communication for Nonconformity.