Wesley Corpus

But, my Lord, this is not all. We have thousands of enemies, perhaps more dangerous than French or Spaniards. They are landed already; they fill our cities, our towns, our villages. As I travel four or five thousand miles every year, I have an opportunity of conversing freely with more persons of every denomination than any one else in the three kingdoms. I cannot therefore but know the general disposition of the people, English, Scots, and Irish; and I know an huge majority of them are exasperated almost to madness. Exactly so they were throughout England and Scotland about the year 1640; and in great measure by the same means--by inflammatory papers, which were spread, as they are now, with the utmost diligence in every corner of the land. Hereby the bulk of the people were effectually cured of all love and reverence for the King; so that, first despising, then hating him, they were just ripe for open rebellion. And I assure your Lordship so they are now: they want nothing but a leader. Two circumstances more deserve to be considered: the one that there was at that time a general decay of trade almost throughout the kingdom; the other that there was an uncommon dearness of provisions. The case is the same in both respects at this day. So that even now there are multitudes of people that, having nothing to do and nothing to eat, are ready for the first bidder; and that, without inquiring into the merits of the cause, would flock to any that would give them bread. Upon the whole I am really sometimes afraid that 'this evil is of the Lord.' When I consider (to say nothing of ten thousand other vices shocking to human nature) the astonishing luxury of the rich and the profaneness of rich and poor, I doubt whether general dissoluteness of manners does not demand a general visitation. Perhaps the decree is already gone forth from the Governor of the world. Perhaps even now, As he that buys surveys a ground, So the destroying angel measures it around. Calm he surveys the perishing nation, Ruin behind him stalks and empty desolation.