Wesley Corpus

20.--We had our Quarterly Meeting at Cooly-Lough. On Wednesday, I preached at Clara; Thursday, 22, at Tyrrel's Pass; and on Friday went on to Edinderry. Here I found some who had been long labouring in the fire, and toiling to work themselves into holiness. To show them a more excellent way, I preached on Rom. x. 6, 7, 8. They found this was the very thing they wanted; and at the meeting of the society, God confirmed the word of his grace in so powerful a manner, that many wondered how they could help believing. Sat. 24.--I rode to Dublin, and found the flame not only continuing, but increasing. The congregation used to be small on Saturday night; but it was as large now as formerly on Sunday. Monday, 26. At five in the morning the congregation was larger than it used to be in the evening. And in these two days and a half, four persons gave thanks for a sense of God’s pardoning mercy; and seven, (among whom were a mother and her daughter,) for being perfected in love. I02 REv. J. Wesley’s [July, 1762. The person by whom chiefly it pleased God to work this wonderful work, was John Manners, a plain man, of middling sense, and not eloquent, but rather rude in speech; one who had never before been remarkably useful, but seemed to be raised up for this single work. And as soon as it was done, he fell into a consumption, languished a while, and died. I now found he had not at all exceeded the truth, in the accounts he had sent me from time to time. In one of his first letters, after I left the town, he says: “The work here is such as I never expected to see. Some are justified or sanctified, almost every day. This week three or four were justified, and as many, if not more, renewed in love. The people are all on fire. Such a day as last Sunday I never saw. While I was at prayer in the society, the power of the Lord overshadowed us, and some cried out, ‘Lord, I can believe l’ The cry soon became general, with strong prayers. Twice I attempted to sing; but my voice could not be heard.