Part "III. Reverend Mr:Richard Baxter. 59 suffering as this, for a fignoftrue Grace, inftead'of Faith, Hope, Love, Mortifi- cation, and a Heavenly Mind ; and that the lofs of oneGrain of Love, was worfe than a. long Imprifonment: And that it much more concerned us, to be fire that we deferved not Suffering, than that we bedelivered from it, and to fee that we wrongednot our Superionrs, than that they wrong not us; feeing weare not near fo much hurt by their Severities, aswe are byour Sins. Some toldme, that they hoped this would make me !land a littlefurther from the Prelates and their Wor- ship, than I had done. To whom I anfwered, -That -I wondred that theyfhould think that aPrifon fhould change my Judgment : I rather thought now it was my Duty to fet a ftriEter watch upon my Pallions, left they fhould pervert my judg- ment, and carryme into Extreams, in oppofition to my AfiliEtors. (And notpaff a Year and halfafter, two Gentlemen turned 2ualers in Prifon.) If Pallonamade me lofe my Love, or my Religion, the lofs would be my own. AndTruth did not change becaufe I was in a Goal.The temper drilyVifitors called me much to this kind of talk. § tz6. When I was in Prifon, the LordChief Baron, at theTable at Serjeant's km, before the reft of the Judges, gave fuch a Charafteer of me openly, without fearof any Man's 'difpleafure, as is not fit for me to own, or recite, who was fo much reverenced by the refit ( who were every one Strangers to me, faveby hear- fay) that I believe it much fettled their Refolutions. The Lord Chief Jaltice Vaughan was no Friend to Nonconformity, or Puritans, but he had been oneofSel- den'sExecutors, and fo Judge Hale's old Acquaintance : Judge Tyrell was a well- affefted fober Man, andSerjeant Fountain'sBrother-in-Law by Marriage, and fume time his Fellow- Commilfionerfor keeping the Great Seal and Chancery: Judge Archer was onethat privately favouredReligiousPeople : And JudgeWild, though greatly for the Prelates way, yet (was noted for) a Righteous Man. And thefe were the Four Judges of the Court. § t 27. My Habeas Corpus being demanded at the Common Pleas, was granted, and a Day appointed for my Appearance : But when I came, the Judges, I believe, having not before ftudied the Oxford-Aft, when judge Wild had firft Paid [ I hope youwill not ufe to trouble this Court with fuch Caufus,] asked whetherthe King's Councilhad been acquaintedwith the Cafe, and feenthe Order ofthe Court : which being denied, I was remanded back to Prifon, and anew Day fet: They fuffered me not to Rand at the Bar ; but called me np on the Table (whichwas an unufual refpeft;) and they fent me not tó the Fleet, as is ufual, but to the fame Prifon, which was a greater favour. § n ab. When I came next, the Lord Chief Jultice coming towards Weftmin er Hall, went into White-Hall by the way, which caufed much talkamong the People. When he came, Judge Wild began, and having Ihewed that he was no Friend to Conventicles, openedthe Mt, and then opened many defaults in theMaims, for which he pronounced it invalid ; but in Civility to theJuftices faid, that the AB was fo Penned, that it was a very hard thing todraw up a Minimaby it (which was no Compliment to the Parliament.) Judge Archer next fpake largely againft the Mtttimus,without anyword ofdifparagement to the main Caufe : And fodid judge Tyrell after him (I will not he fo tedious as to recite their Arguments:) Judge Vaughan concluded in the fame manner, but with thefe twoSingularities above the refl. n. That he made it an Error in the Mittimuc, that the Witnefles 'werenot named ; feeing that ( the Oxford-Aft giving the Juftices fo great a power) if the Witneffes he unknown, any innocent Perron may be laidin Prifon, and basil never know where, or againft whom to feek remedy (which was a Matter of great mo- ment.) 2. When he had done with theCaufe, hemade aSpeech to the People, and told them, That by the appearance, he perceived that this was a Caufeofas great Ex- peftation as had been before them, and it beingufiial with People to carry away things by the halves, and their mifreports might mifleadothers, he therefore ac- quainted them, That though he underftood that Mr. Baxter was a Man of great Learning, and of a good Life, yet he having this fingularity, the Lawwas against Conventicles, and it was only upon the Error of the Warrantthat he was releafed; and that theyufe in their Charge at Affizesto enquire afterConventicles, and they are against the Law; fo that if they that made the Mittintas had but known how Hhhhz eu
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