Journal Vol4 7
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | journal |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-journal-vol4-7-262 |
| Words | 391 |
cattle. We sat under an arbour of stately trees, between the
front and the back gardens. Here were four such children (I
suppose seven, six, five, and three years old) as I never saw
before in one family : Such inexpressible beauty and innocence
shone together !
In the evening I attended the service of the great Dutch
church, as large as most of our cathedrals. The organ (like
those in all the Dutch churches) was elegantly painted and
gilded; and the tunes that were sung were very lively, and yet
solemn.
Mon. 16. We set out in a track-skuit for the Hague. By
theway we saw a curiosity : The gallows near the canal, sur-
rounded with a knot of beautiful trees ! So the dying man will
have one pleasant prospect here, whatever befalls him hereafter !
At eleven we came to Delft, a large, handsome town, where we
spent an hour at a merchant's house, who, as well as his wife, a
very agreeable woman, seemed both to fear and to love God.
Afterwards we saw the great church ; I think nearly, if not
quite, as long as York Minster. It is exceedingly light and
elegant within, and every part is kept exquisitely clean. The
tomb of William the First is much admired ; particularly his
statue, which has more life than one would think could be
expressed in brass.
Whenwe came to the Hague, though we hadheardmuch of
it, we were not disappointed. It is, indeed, beautiful beyond
expression. Many of the houses are exceeding grand, and are
finely intermixed with water and wood; yet not too close, but so
as to be sufficiently ventilated by the air.
Being invited to tea by Madam de Vassenaar, (one of the
first quality in the Hague,) I waited upon her in the afternoon.
She received us with that easy openness and affability which is
almost peculiar to Christians and persons of quality. Soon after
June, 1783.]
came ten or twelve ladies more, who seemed to be of her own
rank, (though dressed quite plain,)and two most agreeable gen-
tlemen; one of whom, I afterwards understood, was a Colonel
in the Prince's Guards. After tea I expounded the three first
verses of the thirteenth of the first Epistle to the Corinthians.
CaptainM. interpreted, sentence by sentence. I then prayed,