Wesley Corpus

Sun. Oct. 1.--I preached both morning and afternoon at St. George’s m the East. On the following days I endeavoured to explain the way of salvation to many who had misunderstood what had been preached concerning it. Fit. 6.--I preached at St. Antholin’s once more. In the afternoon I went to the Rev. Mr. Bedford, to tell him between me oe Oct. 1738. | REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 11] and him alone of the injury he had done both to God and his brother, by preaching and printing that very weak sermon on assurance, which was an ignoratio elenchi from beginning to end; seeing the assurance we preach is of quite another kind from that he writes against. We speak of an assurance of our present pardon; not, as he does, of our final perseverance. : In the evening I began expounding at a little society in Wapping. On Sunday, 8, I preached at the Savoy chapel, (I suppose the last time,) on the parable (or history rather) of the Pharisee and Publican praying in the temple. On Monday, 9, I set out for Oxford. In walking I read the truly surprising narrative of the conversions lately wrought in and about the town of Northampton, in New-England. Surely “this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” An extract from this I wrote to a friend, concerning the state of those who are “ weak in faith.” His answer, which I received at Bristol, on Saturday, 14, threw me into great perplexity, till, after crying to God, I took up a Bible, which opened on these words: “ And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested,” 1 Chron. iv, 10. This, however, with a sentence in the Evening lesson, put me upon considering my own state more deeply. And what then occurred to me was as follows :--