Wesley Corpus

However, he felt it to-day, being in tears all the time that I was enforcing our Lord’s words, “He who setteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God.” I came to Mr. Smitheman’s, at Braintree, just as he had buried his daughter. So on this occasion we had (what I never saw before) the House filled from end to end: I preached on, “The grass withereth; the flower fadeth; but the word of the Lord shall stand for ever.” Sun. 17.--I preached, both morning and afternoon, on the education of children. But, O! how few had ears to hear! Perhaps not ten mothers in the whole congregation. Fri. 22.--I went over to Barnet, and paid my last debt to that excellent man, Mr. John Shewell, by preaching his funeral sermon, from, “It is appointed unto men once to die.” All the time that I knew him, he was a pattern of seriousness, piety, patience, and beneficence.- Thur. 28.--I went to Staines, where an House is just fitted up for preaching. But it would not contain one half of the people who flocked together from every side. Those that could not get in were noisy enough; those that could, were still as might. Fri. 29.--We viewed the improvements of that active and 448 REv. J. wesley’s [Dec. 1771. useful man, the late Duke of Cumberland. The most remarkable work is the triangular tower which he built on the edge of Windsor-Park. It is surrounded with shrub beries and woods, having some straight, some serpentine, walks in them, and commands a beautiful prospect all three ways: A very extensive one to the south-west. In the lower part is an alcove, which must be extremely pleasant in a summer evening. There is a little circular projection at each corner, one of which is filled by a geometrical staircase: The other two contain little apartments, one of which is a study. I was agreeably surprised to find many of the books not only religious, but admirably well chosen. Perhaps the great man spent many hours here, with only Him that seeth in secret; and who can say how deep that change went, which was so discernible in the latter part of his life? Hence we went to Mr. Bateman’s house, the oddest I ever saw with my eyes.