Wesley Corpus

Thur. 31.--I rode through a delightful vale to General Wood, near Todmorden. The sun was burning hot; but they set up a little tent for me, resembling that I had at Glasgow. The people stood or sat on the grass round about. The afternoon was the hottest I ever remember in England: so that by the time we came to Bolton, I was fit for nothing but to lie down. However, in the evening my strength was renewed, and we rejoiced together in God our Saviour. Sat. June 2.--Hardly knowing how to give credit to an odd story which I had heard, that one of our preachers was accustomed to preach in his sleep, I inquired more particularly concerning it, and received the following account :-- “On Friday, May 25, about one in the morning, being then fast asleep, he began to speak. There were present, in two or three minutes, William, Mary, Amelia Shent, John Haime, John Hampson, Joseph Jones, Thomas Mitchell, and Ann Foghill. He first exhorted the congregation to ‘sing with the’ spirit and the understanding also,’ and gave them directions how to do it. He then gave out that hymn, line by line,-- Come, holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, With all thy quick’ning powers; pitching the tune, and singing it to the end. He added an exhortation to take heed how they heard: then he named his text, 1 John v, 19, ‘We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.’ He = June, 1753. ] REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. : 555 divided his discourse into six parts; undertaking to show, 1. That all true believers are of God: 2. That they know they are of God: 3. That the world lieth in wickedness: 4. That every individual who is of the world, is in this condition: 5. The dreadful end of such: he, 6, closed with an exhortation to those who were of God, and those who were of the world. ** After he had gone through two or three heads, he broke off, and began to speak to a clergyman, who came in, and interrupted him. He disputed with him for some time, leaving him space to propose his objections, and then answering them one by one. Afterward he desired the congregation, now the disturber was gone, to return thanks to God; and so gave out and sung,