Wesley Corpus

Hindmarsh met them all in the school, and gave an exhortation suited to the occasion. He then gave out that hymn, And am I born to die, To lay this body down P And must my trembling spirit fly Into a world unknown P This increased their concern; so that it was with great diffi culty they contained themselves till he began to pray. Then Al r M r, and R--d N--e, cried aloud for mercy; and quickly another and another, till all but two or three were constrained to do the same; and as long as he continued to pray, they continued the same loud and bitter cry. One of the maids, Elizabeth Nutt, was as deeply convinced as any of them. After prayer, Mr. H. said, “Those of you who are resolved to serve God may go and pray together.” Fifteen of them did so, and continued wrestling with God, with strong cries and tears, till about nine o’clock. Wed. 19.--At the morning prayer many of them cried out again, though not so violently. From this time their whole spirit and behaviour were changed: They were all serious and loving to each other. The same seriousness and mildness continued on Thursday; and they walked together, talking only of the things of God. On Friday evening their concern greatly increased, and caused them to break out again into strong cries. Saturday, 22. They seemed to lose none of their concern, and spent all their spare time in prayer. Sun. 23.--Fifteen of them gave me their names; being resolved, they said, to serve God. In the afternoon I gave them a strong exhortation, and afterward Mr. Rankin. Their very countenances were entirely changed. They drank in every word. Tues. 25.-During the time of prayer in the evening, they Sept. 1770.] JOURNAL, 415 were affected just as the Tuesday before. The two other maids were then present, and were both cut to the heart. Wed. 26.--“I rode,” says Mr. Rankin, “in the afternoon to Kingswood, and went up stairs, in order to retire a little. But when I came up, I heard one of the boys at prayer, in an adjoining room. I listened a while, and was exceedingly struck with many of his expressions. When he ceased I went in, and found two others with him. Just then three more came in. I went to prayer.