January 6, 1845. Today I received the most painful information that a false teacher from Switzerland had found his way among the brethren and sisters at Stuttgart, and that through him several, yea almost all, to a greater or less degree had been drawn aside, and shaken as to the very foundations of their faith.
I cannot describe how bitter the trial was to me to see the Lord thus dishonoured, and my painful service for seven months during the previous year, to all appearance, entirely frustrated. The Lord, however, laid these brethren and sisters on my heart in prayer, so that I was day by day enabled to bring them before God, and also to resolve, that, as soon as my path was made plain, I would go again to Stuttgart for a season.
May 3, 1845. I have seen it more and more clearly of late, that the time is drawing near, when I shall go again to Germany, to labour there for a time; for the brethren who had fallen into grievous errors are now recovering out of them, but need a helping hand to restore them fully, or at least to confirm them in the truth. In addition to this I purpose to publish some tracts in German. But though it is now four months, since I have been daily praying respecting this object, I never had been led to ask the Lord to give me means for it, because I felt assured, that, when His time was come for me to go, He would provide the means; and also because I had never felt myself led to pray about it. Today, however, I asked the Lord that He would provide the means for all that is necessary in connexion with this service; and I had a secret satisfaction in feeling that so much was required, i.e. means for the journey to and fro, means for our stay there, means for the publication of Tracts, means to be left behind for the work in Bristol, to supply the need at least for a time, for I did not wish to go, unless it were the Lord's will, and if so, He would give the means. Now see how the Lord dealt with me! About a quarter of an hour after 1 had been in prayer with my dear wife respecting this object, and I had now, for the first time, asked Him for means to carry it out, though for four months we had daily prayed together respecting spiritual success in this service, I received a letter containing an order for 500l. In the letter this was written:
"I enclose * * * * 500l., which will be more useful in your hands than in mine. I mean it in the first place for all that is needed preparatory to and attendant upon your journey to Germany, and, whatever the surplus may be, you will apply as you find there is need in the different parts of service under your care." Thus the Lord has fully answered our requests for means, and that so speedily!
On July 19th my dear wife and I left Bristol for Stuttgart. As the letters, which I wrote to the church in Bristol, in which I gave some account of my labours on the Continent, have been preserved, I give them here, as they will furnish the reader with an outline of the Lord's dealings with me during that period.
Stuttgart, Aug. 16, 1845.
To the Saints, meeting in the name of the Lord Jesus at Bethesda and Salem Chapels, Bristol.
Dear Brethren,