“The parting with my Wife and poor children hath often been to me in this
place as the pulling of the Flesh from my bones...often brought to my mind
the many hardships, miseries and wants that my poor family was like to
meet with should I be taken from them, especially my poor blind child, who
lay nearer my heart than all I had besides; Oh the thoughts of the hardship
I thought my blind one might go under, would break my heart to pieces.”
“I never had in all my life so great an inlet into the Word of God as now [in
prison]. The Scriptures that I saw nothing in before are made in this place
to shine upon me. Jesus Christ also was never more real and apparent than
now. Here I have seen him and felt him indeed...I have seen [such things]
here that I am persuaded I shall never while in this world be able to
express...Being very tender of me, [God] hath not suffered me to be
molested, but would with one scripture and another strengthen me against
all; insomuch that I have often said, were it lawful I could pray for greater
trouble for the greater comfort’s sake.”