Wesley Corpus

73 him off his horse, and put him in the stocks. He seized the opportunity, and vehemently exhorted them “to flee from the wrath to come.” Wed. MAY 1.-I set out early, and the next afternoon reached Whitehaven; and my chaise-horses were no worse for travelling near a hundred and ten miles in two days. In travelling through Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Westmoreland, and Cum berland, I diligently made two inquiries: The first was, con cerning the increase or decrease of the people; the second, concerning the increase or decrease of trade. As to the latter, it is, within these two last years, amazingly increased; in several branches in such a manner as has not been known in the memory of man: Such is the fruit of the entire civil and religious liberty which all England now enjoys | And as to the former, not only in every city and large town, but in every village and hamlet, there is no decrease, but a very large and swift increase. One sign of this is the swarms of little children which we see in every place. Which, then, shall we most admire, the ignorance or confidence of those that affirm, population decreases in England? I doubt not but it increases full as fast here, as in any province of North America. Mon. 6.--After preaching at Cockermouth and Wigton, I went on to Carlisle, and preached to a very serious congrega tion. Here I saw a very extraordinary genius, a man blind from four years of age, who could wind worsted, weave flowered plush on an engine and loom of his own making; who wove his own name in plush, and made his own clothes, and his own tools of every sort. Some years ago, being shut up in the organ-loft at church, he felt every part of it, and afterwards made an organ for himself, which, judges say, is an exceeding good one. He then taught himself to play upon it psalm tunes, anthems, voluntaries, or anything which he heard. I heard him play several tunes with great accuracy, and a com plex voluntary: I suppose all Europe can hardly produce such another instance. His name is Joseph Strong. But what is he the better for all this, if he is still “without God in the world?” Tues. 7.--I went on to Selkirk.