Wesley Corpus

After a little talk, the woman of the house said, “I fear it is not so well with me as it was once. Before I married, I used to kneel down in the cow-house, to pray to God for all I wanted. But now I am incumbered with worldly cares; and yet God has not forgotten me. Last winter, when my husband had lost the use of all his limbs, I prayed to God for him, and he was well.” This woman knew nothing about the Methodists; but God is nigh to all that call upon him. In the evening I preached at Birmingham. Towards the close, the mob gathered: But they were restrained till I had concluded. Thur. 20.--It was as much as we could do to bear the cold before sunrise. However, we came well to Burton before eleven, where I preached to an exceeding serious congregation. In the evening I preached at Nottingham in the new House, throughly filled with serious hearers. Indeed there is never any disturbance here. And there could be none anywhere, if the Magistrates were lovers of peace, and exerted themselves in the defence of it. Sun. 23.--I had thoughts of preaching in the market-place; but the snow which fell in the night made it impracticable. In the morning the house contained the congregation; but in the evening many were constrained to go away. There seems to be now (what never was before) a general call to the town. Mon. 24.--We rode to Derby. I never saw this House full April, 1766.] JOURNAL. 245 before; the people in general being profoundly careless. I endeavoured to show them their picture, by enlarging on those words, “Gallio cared for none of these things.” Tues. 25.--At ten I preached in their new House at Creitch, about twelve miles from Derby, to a loving, simple hearted people; many of whom felt what I spoke of fellow ship with the Father and with the Son. Thence we rode on through several heavy showers of snow to Sheffield, where at six we had a numerous congregation. There has been much disturbance here this winter; but to-night all was peace. Thur. 27.--I preached in the morning at a little village near Eyam, in the High-Peak. The eagerness with which the poor people devoured the word made me amends for the cold ride over the snowy mountains.