Wesley Corpus

by riding continually in the cold and wet nights, and preaching immediately after. But I believed it would pass off, and so took little notice of it till Friday morning. I then found myself exceeding sick: and as I walked to Baptist Mills, (to pray with Susanna Basil, who was ill of a fever,) felt the wind pierce me, as it were, through. At my return I found myself something better: only I could not eat any thing at all. Yet I felt no want of strength at the hour of intercession, nor at six in the evening, while I was opening and applying those words, ‘Sun, stand thou still in Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon.’? I was after ward-refreshed and slept well: so that I apprehended no further disorder; but rose in the morning as usual, and declared, with a strong voice and enlarged heart, ‘ Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love.’ About two in the afternoon, just as I was set down to dinner, a shivering came upon me, and a little pain in my back: but no sickness at all, so that I eat a little; and then, growing warm, went to see some that were sick. Finding myself worse about four, I would willingly have lain down. But having promised to see Mrs. G----, who had been out of order for some days, I went thither first, and thence to Weaver’s Hall. A man gave me a token for good as I went along. ‘Ay,’ said he, ‘he will be a martyr too, by and by.’ The scripture I enforced was, ‘ My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. But if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ I found no want either of inward or outward strength. But afterward finding my fever increased, I called on Dr. Middleton. By his advice I went home and took my bed: a strange thing to me who had not kept my bed a day (for five and thirty years) ever since I had the small-pox. I immediately fell into a profuse sweat, which continued till one or two in the morning.