I was, at times, amazed at the health of body the Lord favoured me with; but the winter came on, at first, very severe, though it did not last long.—This was to me very dreadful; it was the gloomy month of November. Another trial came. A person, in real kindness, at my request, brought me a very small portion of liquor, on one of those days in which we may truly say we have pleasure—foggy, cold, damp, and miserable. I knew, indeed, it was contrary to the laws of the place, but urgent necessity compelled me to send for it. This being discovered, my poor friend was brought into trouble, and a heavy fine was levied. You may be sure this made a fresh stir in the public papers, with many additions, though not one true statement of the fact was made; but that passed away like a cloud. That which most distressed me was the solemn and awful times of execution; but those, however, were very few, two of which I have given an account of in the 1st volume of “The Voice of Faith.”
Yours, J. C.
LETTER XXVIII.
“And the king said unto Zadok, carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew we both it and his habitation.”
To —
It is a truth, easily proved, that every believer has more mercies to be thankful for, than he has either sins to regret, or troubles to bear: it is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. This I call to mind, therefore I have hope. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. That same faithful God which preserved Israel in Egypt, Moses in Midian, David in Gath, the three worthies in the furnace, Daniel in the den, the disciples in Jerusalem, and the church in Babylon, preserved me in this place. I cannot look back upon my many mercies but with gratitude. But where will the growing numbers end? This subject would fill a vast volume; but, in brief, I mention only a few:—the attention and kindness of the governor and officers; and, although every returning Sabbath afflicted my mind severely, the very sound of the church-going bells, brought a thousand pangs to my heart: yet I was relieved by hearing the real gospel preached nearly every Sunday, once a day, by the excellent chaplain, the rev. Mr. Mann. Oh, that every college was as much blessed with such preaching. This was no small mercy. All within the walls were submissive and attentive to me. I had an opportunity of conversing with many on the best of subjects, and was well furnished with ability to alleviate many a distressed mind, and to relieve some hundreds in their temporal calamities; for it is to little purpose talking about religion to worldlings, without acts of benevolence.
Numerous friends daily visited me, and never failed me, during the long period of seven hundred and thirty days. My health was re-established, and I had much time for reading, prayer, self-examination, and study. Here I received many tokens of love from the Lord, bearing witness, with my spirit, that I was interested in his love. Here I wrote a vast many letters to the church and to my friends. I wrote also my “Farewell Sermon;” “Antinomianism Refuted;” “The Voice of Faith,” 2 vols.; “A Treatise on part of the Book of Proverbs,” the greatest part of my own Memoirs, and other subjects, which I hope, one day, to publish.
The dear friends who came to see me, I constantly bore in mind, and thanked them in a few gingling rhymes, as I am destitute of a talent for writing poetry: I hope they will forgive me inserting their names; nor need they fear persecution on this account, because so many individuals are to be found bearing the same name.
I employed as much time as circumstances would admit, in reading to the prisoners the Scriptures, which I at times endeavoured to explain, particularly on Sundays. I read part of the church service, and other good books, especially some tracts by Mr. Smith, of Penzance—his “Bob and James,”—there being many sailors present. In this act I copied the example of Dr. Primrose, in the Vicar of Wakefield, although I had a little better place, company, behaviour, and attention. I must insert a quotation from it. The old gentleman says, after some conversation with his family—
“I left them, and descended to the common prison, where I found the prisoners very merry, expecting my arrival; and each prepared with some gaol trick to play upon the doctor. Thus, as I was going to begin, one turned my wig awry, as if by accident, and then asked my pardon. A second, who stood at a distance, had a knack of spitting through his teeth, which fell in showers upon my book; a third would cry ‘amen,’ in such an affected tone, as gave the others great delight. A fourth had slily picked my pocket of my spectacles: but there was one whose tricks gave more universal pleasure than all the rest; for, observing the manner in which I had disposed my books on the table before me, he very dexterously displaced one of them, and put an obscene jest-book of his own in the place. However, I took no notice of all that this mischievous group of little beings could do, but went on, perfectly sensible that what was ridiculous in my attempt would excite mirth only the first or second time, while what was serious would be permanent. My design succeeded; and, in less than six days, some were penitent, and all attentive.”