Wesley Corpus

MAY 31.-(Being Whitsunday.) I preached at London derry at ten, (two hours before the Church Service began,) on, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” I found an agreeable prospect here: A meat, convenient preaching-house just finished; a society increasing and well united together; and the whole city prejudiced in favour of it. On Monday and Tuesday, the congregations were uncom monly large, though we had rain every day, particularly on Tuesday evening, when the hearts of the people seemed to be as melting wax; and likewise at five on Wednesday morn ing. I preached on, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord:” A good farewell to Londonderry. Wed. JUNE 3.--A quarter of an hour after I set out, the axletree of my chaise snapped in two. In about half an hour I procured another chaise, and in three hours reached New town Limavaddy. Finding a congregation was waiting for 460 REv. J. wesley’s [June, 1789, me in the preaching-house, I went to them without delay. The House was throughly filled with deeply-attentive hearers; and the power of God was among them. We went hence, through miserable roads, to Coleraine; but the company there made amends for them. We met with a right English society, in spirit, in carriage, and even in dress; but I was concerned to find John Stephens, a lovely young Preacher, in a deep consumption; from which, I judge, nothing can recover him, unless perhaps a total butter-milk diet. In the evening the large meeting-house which was offered me was well filled, though the rain was heavy. Thur. 4.--I was fully employed in answering a heap of letters. In the evening, the rain continuing, (as it has done almost every day since we set out from Dublin,) I was glad to accept of the meeting again, which was fuller than the evening before. Friday, 5. We went a few miles out of our way, to call at a small village, where abundance of people flocked to the church, and appeared to be quite ripe for the Gospel: So I preached on, “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation.” Thence we hastened on to Ballymena, where the rain did us no harm by driving us into the meeting-house; where a large congregation cheerfully heard the word that is able to save their souls.* Sat.