Wesley Corpus

“And now the devil began to set upon him with all his might, continually tempting him to self-murder: sometimes he was vehemently pressed to hang himself; sometimes to leap into the river: but this only made him the more earnest in prayer; in which, after he had oeen one day wrestling with God, he saw himself, he said, surrounded on a sudden with an inexpressible light, and was so filled with joy and the love of God, that he scarce knew where he was; and with such love to all man kind, that he could have laid himself on the ground, for his worst enemies to trample upon. From this time his father and mother were surprised at him, he was so diligent to help them in all things. When they went to the preaching, he was careful to give their supper to the other children; and when he had put them to bed, hurried away to the room, to ‘ight his father or mother home. Meantime he lost no opportunity of hearing the preaching himself, or of doing any good he could, either at home or in any place where he was. “ One day, walking in the fields, he fell into talk with a farmer, who spoke very slightly of religion. John told him, he ought not to talk so; and enlarged upon that word of the Apostle, (which he begged him to consider deeply,) ‘ Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.’ The man was amazed, caught the child in his arms, and knew not how to part with him. His father and mother once hearing him speak pretty loud in the next room, listened to hear what he said. He was praying thus:-- ‘Lord, I do not expect to be heard for my much speaking. Thou knowest my heart; thou knowest my wants.’ He then descended to particulars. Afterward he prayed very earnestly for his parents, and for his brothers and sisters by name; then for Mr. John and Charles Wesley, that God would set their faces as a flint, and give them to go on conquering and to conquer; then for all the other ministers he could remember by name, and for all that were, or desired to be, true ministers of Christ. “In the beginning of his illness his mother asked him if he wanted any 244 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. [Feb. 1742.