Wesley Corpus

“5. The management here gave me a great shock.. Without any ‘egard to the rules laid down, R U---- and his wife, the directors of the economy, behaved in the most haughty and tyrannical manner. Those who were set over the children had no gifts for the work, and some of them little care for their own souls. Several of the children were whipped without cause, and sometimes out of measure; by which ill management, one of mine was utterly ruined, and has had no fear of God ever since. As for me,I might give advice if I would; but none regarded it: and when I ruse one night and covered the children, who had thrown the clothes off in their sleep, Mr. U sharply reproved me before the whole family; telling me I had done what I had no business to do; adding, that I was the most useless person in the whole house. I desired, that if so, I might return to London. With much difficulty they consented; and I made all haste back to my own house. “6. But I grew more and more uneasy at their management; which the Brethren perceiving, sent me to Yorkshire. When I had been there a few days, one of them told me, I was to go to Great Horton in the morning; it being made out to the Brethren, that I was to preach there. I was amazed, having never had one thought of preaching. Yet I did not dare to refuse; and from that time they employed me to preach, and to visit all the souls through that circuit. “7, At Holbeck we had an economy of young men. When I visited them, and examined them strictly, they declared to me so much of their Onanism, wh ms, and other abominations, that I was utterly astonished. I was constrained to rebuke them sharply; for which, in a few days I received a severe letter from Mr. Sp , telling me I was destroying God’s dear children, instead of building them up; and that therefore { was neither to preach nor labour any more in Yorkshire.