Wesley Corpus

“Rev. Sir,--We made bold to trouble you with this, to acquaint you with some of the Lord’s dealings with us here. We have hired two -ooms; one small one, wherein a few of us meet every day at one o’clock ; and another large one, for public service, where we meet twice a day, at nine in the morning, and four in the afternoon; and the hand of the Omnipotent God is with us, to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan. “ The seventh instant, when we were met together in the evening, as I was at prayer, one that was kneeling by me cried out, (like a woman in travail,) ‘My Redeemer! my Redeemer!’ which continued about ten minutes. When he was asked what was the matter, he said he had found that which he had often heard of; that is, a heaven upon earth; and some others had much a-do to forbear crying out in the same manner. “ Dear sir, Iam a stranger to you in the flesh. I know not if I have seen you above once; when I saw you preaching on Kennington Common: and then I hated you as much as now (by the grace of God) I love you. The Lord pursued me with convictions, from my infancy; and I often made abundance of good resolutions: but finding, as often, that I could not keep them, (as being made wholly in my own strength,) I at length left off all striving, and gave myself over to all manner of lewdness and profaneness. So I continued for some years, tili the battle of 324 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. [ Dec. 1744