Wesley Corpus

In every one of the six following days, I had some fresh proofs of the absolute necessity of following that wise advice of the apostle: “ Judge nothing before the time; until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” Sat. 17.--We set out for Savannah, and reached it on Tuesday evening. O blessed place, where, having but one end in view, dissembling and fraud are not; but each of us.can pour out his heart withou fear into his brother’s bosom ! Not finding, as yet, any door open for the pursuing our main design, we considered in what manner we might be most useful to the little flock at Savannah. And we agreed, 1. To advise the more serious among them to form themselves into a sort of little society, and to meet 24 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. | May 1736. once or twice a week, in order to reprove, instruct, and exhort one another. 2. To select out of these a smaller number for a more intimate union with each other, which might be forwarded, partly by our conversing singly with each, and partly by inviting them all together to our house ; and this, accordingly, we determined to do every Sunday in the afternoon. Wed. May 5.--I was asked to baptize a child of Mr. Parker’s, second bailiff of Savannah; but Mrs. Parker told me, ‘“ Neither Mr. F. nor I will consent to its being dipped.” I answered, “ If you ‘certify that your child is weak, it will suffice (the rubric says) to pour water upon it.’ She replied, “ Nay, the child is not weak, but I am resolved it shall not be dipped.” This argument I could not confute. So I went home ; and the child was baptized by another person. Sun. 9.--I began dividing the public prayers, according to the original appointment of the Church: (still observed in a few places in England:) the Morning service began at five ; the Communion office (with the sermon) at eleven; the Evening service about three; and this day I began reading prayers in the court house: a large and convenient place.