Wesley Corpus

About noon I preached at Breage; in the evening in Crowan. Op this and the following days I read over, with all the impartiality I could the “* Free and Candid Disquisitions.” It is, doubtless, an exceedgly well wrote book ; yet something in it I cannot commend. The author (for the representing himself as many, and so speaking all along in the plural number, I take to be enly a pious fraud, used to make himself appear more considerable) is far too great a flatterer for me, dealing in panegyric beyond all measure. But, in truth, he is not much guilty of this with regard to the Common Prayer. About one objection in ten appears to have weight, and one in five has plausibility. But surely the bulk of his satire, though keen, is by no means just: and even allowing all the blemishes to be real, which he has so carefully and skilfully collected and recited, what ground have we to hope, that if we gave up this, we should profit by the exchange? Who would supply us with a Liturgy less exceptionable than that which we had before ? Aug. 1750. | REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 497 Fr. 17.--I preached at Ludgvan, at noon, and at Newlyn in the - evening. Through all Cornwall I find the societies have suffered great loss from want of discipline. Wisely said the ancients, “The soul and body make a man; the Spirit and discipline make a Christian.” Sat. 18.--I rode to St. Just, where there is still the largest society in Cornwall: and so great a proportion of believers I have not found in all the nation beside. Five-and-forty persons I have observed, as they came in turn, and every one walking in the light of God’s countenance. Sun. 19.--I preached at eight to a great multitude: such another _we had in Morva at one; and again at Zennor after the evening ser- vice ; whence we rode to St. Ives, and concluded the day with thanksgiving. Wed. 22.--We had a quarterly meeting; at which were present the stewards of all the Cornish societies. We had now the first watch-night which had been in Cornwall: and “ great was the Holy One of Israel in the midst of us.”