The New Living Way Prepared by Christ

orders (which they also place there far, far above God’s orders and the evangelical workings of the Holy Spirit) to bear witness. As soon as I began to pray in the singing hall, some legalistic zealots allowed themselves to be moved to order that, during the prayer, the organ must be played and the hymn posted on the board must be sung. As this came to an end, I began again to testify in the name of Jesus, which testimony regarding the conversion of the fathers to the children I have had printed by divine command. Against this, some theologians and preachers opposed themselves quite vehemently in two discussions.

In the year 1723, while reading the 13th chapter of the prophet Zechariah, I was convinced by God to hold a sermon of repentance in the Ulrich Church in the pulpit of Professor Francke. Previously, however, I wanted to speak with the Professor about the rights of the spiritual priesthood, and how those called by men and made capable at universities have robbed the laity of such rights. When I intended to go to him on the day of repentance, September 1st, at 4 o'clock, I was led from the assembly into prison for the third time at 11 o'clock in the morning. On the instigation of the preachers, the church doors had already been guarded by city officers the previous Sunday so that I would not be able to get into their temples. Because they knew how to form no corpus delicti legal evidence of a crime, despite the fact that they took a great deal of trouble for it, I was released again after I had sat for four weeks, with harsh threats.

On March 27, 1724, I was led into prison here for the fourth time, when, upon divine impulse and the request of two prisoners, I wanted to go to them for the second time. The servants had allowed me to do so unhindered the first time. On May 2nd of this year, I was dismissed from there once again.

As I subsequently brought the distress of my brothers and sisters in Clausthal and Zellerfeld—where God still has a large seed—before God in prayer in the month of June, I was convinced by God’s Spirit in my inward being to go to them and to hold the love-feast original: "Liebes-Mahl" with them, in order to bind ourselves the more closely to the following and fellowship of sufferings, and most of all to the outward sufferings.