Wesley Corpus

Of such a one I would boldly say, with the son of Sirach, “Honour the Physician, for God hath appointed him.” Mon. OCTOBER 2.-I went to Chatham, and had much comfort with the loving, serious congregation in the evening, as well as at five in the morning. Tuesday, 3. We then ran down, with a fair, pleasant wind, to Sheerness. The preaching 352 REv. J. WESLEY’s [Oct. 1786. house here is now finished, but by means never heard of. The building was undertaken a few months since, by a little handful of men, without any probable means of finishing it. But God so moved the hearts of the people in the Dock, that even those who did not pretend to any religion, carpenters, shipwrights, labourers, ran up, at all their vacant hours, and worked with all their might, without any pay. By this means a large square House was soon elegantly finished, both within and without; and it is the neatest building, next to the new chapel in London, of any in the south of England. I preached in the evening, on, “Stand in the old paths,” to a lovely congregation; and then showed the society of how great importance it was, that their light should shine before men. And indeed it does shine: They are of one heart and of one mind, striving for the hope of the Gospel. I preached at Chatham on Thursday evening; and the next day, Friday, 6, returned to London. Tues. 10.-Having promised to preach in their new House, at Lynn, I thought it best to go while the good weather continued. I had ordered two places to be taken in the coach, which would have reached Lynn on Tuesday noon; but my messenger, mending my orders, took them in the diligence, which came in between nine and ten at night. By this means I lost one of three evenings, which I proposed to spend there. I spent Wednesday and Thursday with much satisfaction, with a very loving and lively people, increasing in grace as well as in number, and adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour. I had appointed to preach Mrs. Shewell’s funeral sermon, at Barnet, on Friday evening; and as we had only two light persons in the diligence, and no baggage, I hoped we should have come in time.