e journey, and here, and also in
answer to your prayers, dear brethren, the police gave me permission to
stay here, a thing which, looking at it naturally, could not have been
expected. Still, this had always been my hope, because to Stuttgart I
felt to be my mission. The next thing was, that the moment my arrival
became known, the poor scattered sheep were again drawn together, and
other persons also, believers and unbelievers, came to the meetings, so
that the first evening it was known I should hold a meeting, there were
about 20 persons present, and since then there have been repeatedly 40
and upwards. This is a small number for England, but large here, and for
our position in particular. The next thing was, our landlady told me
that every Monday afternoon a number of pious females met at her house,
for two or three hours, to knit stockings for the Moravian missionaries,
and requested me to come and speak to them. This I now do every Monday
afternoon, expounding the Scriptures to 20 or 25 of these females and
our landlord and to an aged brother, who has been in the habit of
attending these meetings. This is a new field entirely, and something
else to show how the hand of God was in the matter of our lodgings.
Still more. On the last two Friday evenings I have attended a meeting,
at which about 150 persons, belonging to the State Church, meet
together, most of them probably converted, and the others either seeking
the Lord, or religiously inclined. To this meeting I have gone for
love's sake, to show that I really desire to be united, in spirit,
with all who love our Lord Jesus. Now at this meeting also, I have had
opportunity to speak both times. In future also, the Lord willing, I
purpose to go to this meeting, and to embrace the opportunity which thus
I may have of speaking what may be suitable under the circumstances. The
character of the meeting is not in every way that which is according to
the Holy Scriptures, but these dear brethren must be borne with, in
order to help them on. About 8 brethren sit round a table, being more
intimately known to each other. They lead the whole meeting as to
prayer, giving out a hymn, proposing the portion of the Word of God for
consideration, &c. They make remarks on it, and all the other 100 or
200, or more or less, that may be present, listen. As I had called on
one of these leading brethren, he asked me to sit at that table, and
thus I have the right of speaking, which yet mus