Wesley Corpus

Mon. 14.--I rode to Windsor, and, after preaching, examined the members of the society. The same I did at Reading in the evening ; at Wycomb, on Tuesday; and on Wednesday, at Brentford. In the afternoon I preached to a little company at Wandsworth, who had just begun to seek God: but they had a rough setting out; the rabble gathering from every side, whenever they met together, throwing dirt and stones, and abusing both men and women in the grossest manner. They complained of this to a neighbouring magistrate, and he promised to do them justice ; but Mr. C. walked over to his house, and spoke so much in favour of the rioters, that they were all discharged. It is strange, that a mild, humane man could be persuaded, by speaking quite contrary to the truth, (means as badras the end,) to encourage a merciless rabble in outraging the innocent. A few days after, Mr. C. walking over the same field, dropped down, and spoke no more! Dec. 1748.] REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 445 Surely the mercy of God would not suffer a wellemenning 11 man to be any longer a tool to persecutors. Mon. 21.--I set out for Leigh, in Essex. It had rained hard in the former part of the night, which was succeeded by a sharp frost ; so that most of the road was like glass ; and the north-east wind set just in our face. However, we reached Leigh by four in the afternoon. Here was once a deep open harbour; but the sands have long since blocked it up, and reduced a once flourishing town to a small ruinous village. I preached to most of the inhabitants of the place in the evening; to many in the morning, and then rode back to London.