through the means of Justice Parker, who, in this case, was as false as envious; for he had promised Richard Cannon, of London, who had acquaintance with him, that he would endeavour to have me set at liberty; yet he was the worst enemy I had in court, as some of the court observed and reported. Other justices were very loving, and promised that I should have the liberty of the town, to lodge at a Friend’s house till the sessions; which accordingly I had, and the people were very civil and respectful to me. Between this time and the sessions, I had some service for the Lord, with several people that came to visit me. At one time three nonconformist priests and two lawyers came to discourse with me; and one of the priests undertook to prove, “that the Scriptures are the only rule of life.” Whereupon, after I had plunged him about his proof, I had a fit opportunity to open unto them “the right and proper use, service, and excellency of the Scriptures; and also to show, that the Spirit of God, which was given to everyone to profit withal—the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, and which hath appeared unto all men, and teacheth them that obey it to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; that this, I say, is the most fit, proper, and universal rule, which God hath given to all mankind to rule, direct, govern, and order their lives by.” Another time came a Common-Prayer priest, and some people with him. He asked me, “if I was grown up to perfection?” I told him, “what I was, I was by the grace of God.” He replied, “it was a modest and civil answer.” Then he urged the words of John, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And he asked, “what did I say to that?” I said, with the same apostle, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us;” who came to destroy sin, and to take away sin. So there is a time for people to see that they have sinned, and there is a time for them to see that they have sin; and there is a time for them to confess their sin, and to forsake it, and to know “the blood of Christ to cleanse from all sin.” Then the priest was asked, “whether Adam was not perfect before he fell? and whether all God’s works were not perfect?” The priest said, “there might be a perfection, as Adam had, and a falling from it.” But I told him, “there is a perfection in Christ, above Adam, and beyond falling; and that it was the work of the ministers of Christ, to present every man perfect in Christ; and for the perfecting of whom they had their gifts from Christ; therefore, they that denied perfection, denied the work of the ministry, and the gifts which Christ gave for the perfecting of the saints.” The priest said, “we must always be striving.” But I told him, “it was a sad and comfortless sort of striving, to strive with a belief that we should never overcome.” I