Wesley Corpus

Wed. 6.--It being still sultry hot, I preached under a shady tree at Barley Hall; and in an open place at Rotherham in the evening. On Friday, 8, we reached Nottingham. Mr. S. met us here, and gave us a pleasing account of his congregation at S , continually increasing, and growing more earnest and more scandalous every day. At Nottingham also God is greatly reviving his work, and pouring water upon the dry ground. In the afternoon I rode to Markfield, where I carefully read over Mr. Stinstra’s Tract upon Fanaticism. He is doubtless a well-meaning man, but deeply ignorant of the subject he treats of; and his arguments are of no force at all; for they prove abundantly too much. They utterly overthrow many of the grand arguments for Christianity; and every man may, on those principles, prove the Apostles to have been fanatics to a man. June 10.--(Being Whit-Sunday.) The church contained the congregation tolerably well. After dinner, a gentleman who came from Leicester, eight miles off, invited me thither. About eight I preached there, in a place near the walls, called the Butt Close. The people came running together from all parts, high and low, rich and poor; and their behaviour surprised me; they were so serious and attentive, not one offering any interruption. Mon. 11.--We rode to Woburn. Tuesday, 12, promised to be an exceeding hot day; but the clouds rose as soon as we set out, and continued till we were near Market-street. The sun was then burning hot ; so that how my fellow travellers would get forward, I knew not. But God knew. As soon as we set out, a cloud arose and covered us again. The wind then came about and blew in our faces, so that we had a tolerable cool ride to London. I found the town much alarmed with Mr. Rimius’s Narrative, and Mr. Whitefield’s letter to Count Z. July, 1753.] REV. J. WESLEY'S JOURNAL. 557 It seems, indeed, that God is hastening to bring to light those hidden works of darkness.