One year and three months rolled away in this trouble. During this time I wrote a letter to a friend, who carried it to my opposers, and although couched in the most friendly terms respecting themselves, yet they had the cruelty to bring forth that letter to my hurt, another day. This was devilish, indeed: the learned judge mistaking the religious sense of the letter, supposed that I meant it as a contempt of the just laws of the country—God forbid. No, no; it was a private letter to a friend, in which I meant, that any injury done to a child of God, maliciously, {124} would one day be resented. But this was not treating the laws of the country with contempt. I ever maintained, that if the holiest Christian upon earth has violated the laws of his land, he has a just right to endure the penalty.—Never, surely, did a poor creature suffer so much in mind, with any outward calamity, as I did. And what for? Some cried one thing, some another. About this time I changed my situation: many advised me to leave the country; and, as I was placed in circumstances, I could have paid my bail, and lived comfortably in another land. But why should I flee? In this circumstance I asked advice of the Lord, who graciously answered me—“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” On God’s Word I relied, and found him faithful. Yours, J. C. LETTER XXV. “Their adversaries said, we offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord.”—_Jer._ l. 7. To — No doubt the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. If so, we hardly know how to blame the apostle Paul in his conduct, as recorded in _Acts_, xxv.—When brought before Festus, he appealed to a higher court—“I appeal unto Cæsar;” then said Festus, “Hast thou appealed unto Cæsar? to Cæsar thou shalt go.” Here the apostle had two years’ imprisonment, and at last suffered martyrdom; although, in the lower court, he might have been set at liberty.