Wesley Corpus

About noon I preached at Alpraham, to an unusually large congregation. I was surprised, when I came to Chester, to find that there also morning preaching was quite left off, for this worthy reason: “Because the people will not come, or, at least, not in the winter.” If so, the Methodists are a fallen people. Here is proof. They have “lost their first love;” and they never will or can recover it, till they “do the first works.” As soon as I set foot in Georgia, I began preaching at five in the morning; and every communicant, that is, every serious person in the town, constantly attended throughout the year: I mean, came every morning, winter and summer, unless in the case of sickness. They did so till I left the province. In the year 1738, when God began his great work in England, I began preaching at the same hour, winter and summer, and never wanted a congregation. If they will not attend now, they have lost their zeal; and then, it cannot be denied, they are a fallen people. And, in the mean time, we are labouring to secure the preaching-houses to the next generation . In the name of God, let us, if possible, secure the present generation from drawing back to perdition | Let all the Preachers that are still alive to God join together as one man, fast and pray, lift up their voice as a trumpet, be instant in season, out of season, to convince them they are fallen; and exhort them instantly to “repent, and do the first works:” This in particular, rising in the morning, without which neither their souls nor bodies can long remain in health. Wed. 7.--I crossed over the water to Liverpool. Here I found a people much alive to God; one cause of which was, that they have preaching several mornings in a week, and prayer-meetings on the rest; all of which they are careful to attend. On Good-Friday, APRIL 9, I went to Warrington. In the morning I read Prayers, preached, and administered the Lord's Supper, to a serious congregation. I preached at 270 REv. J. WESLEY’s [April, 1784. five again, and believe few were present who did not feel that God was there of a truth. Sat.