Wesley Corpus

Thur. 16.--After preaching at noon, I rode to Lower Darwen, near Blackburn, where a large congregation behaved with deep seriousness. Leaving honest Mr. Grimshaw to preach in the morning, I set out early, and in the evening reached a little quiet house a few miles beyond Kendal, to which, I believe, we did not come in vain. The man of the house, having been long ill, was thankful for advice with regard to his bodily disorder. And his guests appeared right willing to receive some advice with respect to their souls. Sat. 18.--We were soon lost on the mountains; but in an hour we found a cottage, and a good woman, who bade her son “take the galloway and guide them to the fell foot.” There we met a poor man just coming from a Doctor, who, I think, had quite mistaken his case. Perhaps his meeting us may save his life. He piloted us over the next mountain, the like to which I never beheld either in Wales or Germany. As we April, 1761.] JOURNAL, 51 were climbing the third, a man overtook us, who was going the same road. So he accompanied us till we were in a plain, level way, which in three hours brought us to Whitehaven. Sun. 19.--I preached morning and evening at the Gins, to far more people than the house would have contained. At one I preached in the assembly-room at Workington. The whole congregation behaved well; though I could not perceive that the greater part of them understood any thing of the matter. Wed. 22.--About noon I preached at Branthwayte, and in the evening at Lorton. Who would imagine that Deism should find its way into the heart of these enormous moun tains? Yet so it is. Yea, and one who once knew the love of God is a strenuous advocate for it. Sat. 25.--As the people at Whitehaven are usually full of zeal, right or wrong, I this evening showed them the nature of Christian zeal. Perhaps some of them may now distinguish the flame of love, from a fire kindled in hell. Sun. 26.--I preached in the morning at the Gins; in the Room at one; and about five at Cockermouth, on the steps of the market-house. Even the genteel hearers were decent; many of the rest seemed deeply affected. The people of the town have never been uncivil.