Wesley Corpus

commodious. An hundredand inety-two poor are now lodged therein ; and the Master (a pious man, and a member of our society) watches over them, reads with them, and prays with them, as if they were his own children. Sun. 13. We had a very comfortable opportunity at eight in Cork. At three Mr. Broadbent preached on the parade. At five (as we removed the benches, and stowedthe people close together) the Room contained most of the people; and I tooka solemn leave of them, after closely applying our Lord's question, " Do ye now believe ? " Mon. 14. We went to Kilfinan, about twenty Irish miles (so I compute) from Mallow. I preached in the Court-House, about seven, to a large and serious audience ; and again at five in the morning, Tuesday, 15. We then went on, through a delightful country, to Limerick. Herewere always an affectionIt ate people ; but I never found them so much so as now. May, 1787. ] JOURNAL. 375 was too cold in the evening to stand abroad ; so we squeezed as many as possible into the preaching-house. I preached on, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." Many here once experienced this ; but few, ifany, retain it now ! Wed. 16. The congregation at five filled the House almost as well as it was filled in the evening. Finding a remarkable deadness, I inquired what were the reasons of it ; and found, 1 . There had been, for several months, a deep misunderstanding between the Preachers and the chief of the society. Hence, on the one hand, the Preachers had little life or spirit to preach ; and, on the other, the congregation dwindled away. 2. Many had left off meeting their Bands, and many others seldom met their classes. 3. Prayer-meetings were entirely given up. What wonder if all the people were grown dead as stones ? In the evening I endeavoured to re-awaken those that were settling upon their lees, by strongly applying those solemn words, " The first shall be last, and the last first; for many are called, but few are chosen." Inthe morning, Thursday, 17, I endeavoured to stir them up once more to hunger and thirst after righteousness, after the whole image ofGod, without which they will still remain Cold, languid,weary,heartless, dead.