This was a time of persecution against dissenters from the English church and his father was, you may recall, often hunted and jailed during this time. And Emmanuel, even as a boy, supported his father’s work. A story is told of him acting as a watchman for his father as he preached out of doors to the Kingswood coal miners. He was only 7 at the time and because it was so cold his coat froze to the ground and he could not properly warn the meeting. And so, his father was taken into custody.
