Wesley Corpus

Wed. 13.-I retired to Peckham, where, the next evening. I Jan. 1787.] JOURNAL. 357 preached to as many as the House would well contain, and found much liberty of spirit in enforcing upon them, the glorying only in the cross of Christ. Saturday, 16. I returned to London. Sun. 17.--We had, as usual, a very solemn and comfortable season at Spitalfields. Wednesday, 20. I retired to Highbury Place; but how changed Where are the three amiable sisters? One is returned to her father; one deprived of her reason; and one in Abraham’s bosom Sat. 23.−By great importunity I was induced (having little hope of doing good) to visit two of the felons in Newgate, who lay under sentence of death. They appeared serious; but I can lay little stress on appearances of this kind. However, I wrote in their behalf to a great man; and perhaps it was in consequence of this that they had a reprieve. Sun. 24.--I was desired to preach at the Old Jewry. But the church was cold, and so was the congregation. We had a congregation of another kind the next day, Christmas-Day, at four in the morning, as well as five in the evening at the new chapel, and at West-Street chapel about noon. Sun. 31.-From those words of Isaiah to Hezekiah, “Set thy house in order,” I strongly exhorted all who had not done it already, to settle their temporal affairs without delay. It is a strange madness which still possesses many, that are in other respects men of understanding, who put this off from day to day, till death comes in an hour when they looked not for it. Mon. JANUARY 1, 1787.-We began the service at four in the morning, to an unusually large congregation. We had another comfortable opportunity at the new chapel at the usual hour, and a third in the evening at West-Street. Tuesday, 2. I went over to Deptford; but it seemed, I was got into a den of lions. Most of the leading men of the society were mad for separating from the Church. I endeavoured to reason with them, but in vain; they had neither sense nor even good manners left.