Wesley Corpus

athirst for salvation. Wednesday, 27. I preached at Birming- ham,andhadacomfortable season. Thursday, 28. I paid another visit to the amiable family at Hilton-Hall. Friday, 29. About ten I preached for the first time at Stafford, to a large anddeeply attentive congregation. It is now the dayof small things here ; but the grain ofmustard-seed may grow up into a great tree. Hence I rode to Congleton. I had received abundance of complaints against the Assistant ofthis Circuit,-James Rogers. Saturday, 30. I heard all the parties face to face, and encou- raged them all to speak theirwhole mind. I was surprised ; so much prejudice, anger, and bitterness, on so slight occasions, I never saw. However, after they had had it out, theywere much softened, if not quite reconciled. Sunday, 31. I preached in the new church at Macclesfield, both morning and afternoon. I believe we had seven hundred communicants. Mon. SEPTEMBER 1.-We clambered over the mountains to Buxton. In the afternoon I preached in Fairfield church, about half amile from the town; it was thoroughly filled with serious and attentive hearers. Tuesday, 2. We went to Leeds, where I was glad to find several Preachers . Wed. 3. I consulted the Preachers, how it was best to pro- ceed with the Trustees of Birstal House, to prevail upon them to settle it on the Methodist plan. They all advised me to beginby preaching there. Accordingly, I preached on Thurs- day evening, and met the society. I preached again in the morning. Friday, 5. About nine I met the nineteen Trustees ; and, after exhorting them to peace and love, said, " All that I desire is, that this Housemay be settled on the Methodist plan; and the same clause may be inserted in your Deed which is inserted in the Deed of the new chapel in London ; viz., ' In case the doctrine or practice of any Preacher should, in the opinion of the major part of the Trustees, be not conformable to Mr. W-'s Sermons and Notes on the New Testament, on representing this, another Preacher shall be sent within three months."" Oct. 1783.] JOURNAL. 261 Five of the Trustees were willing to accept of our first propo- sals ; the restwere not willing. Although I could not obtain the end proposed ; and, in that