these few lines that you may know how I am situated in the service,
on account of which I left England, in order that thus you may the
better be able to remember me in your prayers, according to my need.
My journey to this place was full of mercies and blessings in a
variety of ways, but I must delay giving you the particulars, till it
may please the Lord to allow me again the privilege of labouring
among you. I arrived at Stuttgart on Tuesday evening, Aug. 22. On the
next evening I met the five brethren who labour here in the little
church. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday also I had meetings with
the little church, at which I either expounded the Holy Scriptures or
communicated to the brethren things about Bristol, which might be
profitable to them. The following Lord's day I spoke twice at their
meetings, and in the evening I broke bread in my room with a few
saints, as the Baptist church break bread only once a month. On
Monday and Tuesday evenings I continued to meet the whole little
church. Up to that time all went on quietly; but I knew well that it
was only the quietness before a storm, and that shortly a hot battle
would commence. And thus it was. On Wednesday last week, i.e. Aug.
30, I was requested to meet the elders of the church. When we came
together, the brother who appears to take the lead among them, and
who is the only one who speaks at their meetings, told me that the
time was drawing nigh when the church would take the Lord's supper,
and that they had a rule which they considered to be Scriptural,
which was, neither to take the Lord's supper with any one who was not
himself baptized by immersion after he had believed, nor with any one
who, (though thus baptized himself) would take the Lord's supper with
any who had not thus been baptized. Nor did they take the Lord's
supper with any brother who would take it with any yet belonging to
the state church. After this brother had stated to me his views, I
stated my own convictions from the Holy Scriptures on these points,
and I was quietly heard for about an hour and a half whilst I was
speaking without interruption. The Lord was so with me, that when I
came home I did not remember any one thing that I could have wished
to have stated which had not been stated. The whole having taken up
more than two hours, and it being now past ten o'clock in the
evening, we proposed to meet again on the next day, Thursday
afternoon, at five o'clock. We did so, and severa