FEB. 6, Sun.-We had a lovefeast. I could not but observe the manner wherein several of them spoke one after another. Not only the matter, but the language, the accent, the tone of voice, wherewith illiterate persons, men and women, young and old, spoke, were such as a scholar need not be ashamed of.[1] Who teacheth like Him?

 

FEB. 1, Tuesday

 

4 Prayed, I Pet. i. ad fin., letter, class, Sp[italfields], class, tea, class; 1 at brother Hudson's, dinner, class; 5 tea, conversed, prayer, prayed; 6.30 1 Cor. xv. 42, class, the leaders; 8 supper, conversed, Norton, prayer; 9.30 [cipher] *.

 

Wednesday 2

 

4 Prayed, letters, class, tea, class; 1 dinner, conversed; 2 class; 5 tea, conversed, prayer; 6.30 writ letters; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 3

 

4 Prayed, letters; 6 class, tea, class; 1 at sister Westr., dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 class; 5 tea, conversed, prayer; 6.30 I Cor. xvi. 13, class, the bands; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Friday 4

 

4 Prayed, writ narrative; 6 class, tea, class; 10 writ narrative; 10.30 class; 1 dinner, conversed, class; 5 at sister Box’s, tea, conversed, prayer; 6 prayed, letters; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Saturday 5

 

4 Prayed, writ, class; 8 tea, class; 12 within to many; 1 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 class; 4.30 chaise; 5 tea, conversed, prayer; 6 prayers, 2 Cor. i. 22! communion; 7.30 class, supper, Pen[ry], on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 6

 

5 Prayed, letters; 8 the preachers; 9.30 prayers, I Cor. xiii. 13! communion; 1 at brother W. Leet’s; 2 dinner, conversed, prayer; writ, class, the leaders; 4 tea, prayed; 52 Cor. ii. 11, society; 7 lovefeast! supper; 9.30.

 

Monday 7

 

4 Prayed, Psa. lxviii. 12! select society; 7 class; 12 select society; 1 at G. Whitf[ield]’s, dinner, conversed; 2 class; 5 tea, conversed, prayer, prayed; 6.30 prayers, 2 Cor. iii. 17, class, supper, the bands; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 8

 

4 Prayed, writ narrative, I Pet. i. ad fin., class, tea, class; 1 at brother Bower’s, dinner; 2 class; 5 tea, conversed, prayer, class ; 6.30 Heb. xii. 7, etc.! coach; 8 supper; 9 prayer; 9.30.

 

Wednesday 9

 

4 Prayed, writ, class, tea ; 7 class; 1 on business; 2 at brother Bar, dinner, in talk; 4 chaise; 5 Brent[for]d, tea, conversed, prayed, writ class; 6.30 2 Cor. ii. 11, class, supper; 9 prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 10

 

4 Prayed, Lu. xvi. 31! tea, conversed, writ class; 7.30 chaise; 9 Lambeth, writ class; 1 dinner, conversed; 2 class; 4.30 at brother Gibson’s, tea, conversed, prayer; 6.30 Rev. xx. 12! class, supper, conversed, prayer; 10.

 

Friday 11

 

4 Prayed, class; 6 Isa. lvii. 1, 2! tea, conversed, in the school [see Stevenson’s City Road Chapel, p. 333. In all probability the char school established by Silas Told in Providence Row, and afterwards conducted by Mr. Jarrett]; 8.30 class; I0.30 chaise; 11.30 Stratford, in talk; 12.15 Heb. ix. 27; 2 class, dinner; 2.30 chaise; 5.30 Hadley, tea, conversed; 6 2 Cor. Xvi. 13! 7 class, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

   

Sun. 13.—I met the single women, and exhorted them to consider, to prize, and to improve the advantages they enjoyed. On the following days I visited many of our poor to see with my own eyes what their wants were, and how they might be effectually relieved.[2]

 

Saturday 12[3]

 

4 Prayed, Journal; 7 chaise; 9 at home, letters; 1 at brother Paramo[re’s], dinner, conversed; 2 letters; 4 within to many, chaise; 5 visited, tea, conversed, prayer; 6 read prayers; 7 Heb. xii. 7, communion, supper, Pen[ry] on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 13

 

4.30 Prayed, ill, letters, the Chapel, the preachers, in talk; 9.30 prayers 2 Cor. vi. 2; 11.30 communion; 1 at brother Dobson’s, dinner, conversed, prayer, sleep, prayed, the leaders; 3.30 prayers, I Cor. xvi. 13! tea, society, coach, society, the single women, supper, con­versed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Monday 14

 

4 Prayed, I Peter ii. 1, etc., select society, writ narrative; 8 tea, conversed, prayer; 9 within to many, writ letters; 2 at Dr. Whiteh[ead’s], dinner, conversed, prayer; 3.30 visited, chaise; 5.30 Wandsw[orth]; 6 tea; 6.30 Heb. xii. 7! society, at brother Crowth[er’s], supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 15

 

4 Prayed, read letters; 6 Lu. ix. 62, tea, chaise; 9 at home, letters, chaise; 1 Dept[for]d, at P. Hore’s, dinner, conversed, letters; 4 class, tea, class; 6.30 Matt. xxi. 21! Society; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 10.

 

Wednesday 16

 

4.45 Prayed, letters; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, letters, writ society; 11.30 visited; 1 at sister Pearson’s, dinner, conversed, prayer, chaise; 4 at home, visited, chaise: 5.30 Hig[h]gate, tea, conversed; 9 Ecc. ix. 10, prayed: 8 supper, prayer; 10.

 

Thursday 17

 

4 Prayed, letters, tea; 8 I Cor. xv. 19, within, chaise; 11 letters; 2 dinner, conversed, prayer; 3.30 on business, letter; 4.30 tea, conversed, prayer, letter; 6.45 at [his nephew] Charles’s concert; 10 at home, supper, prayer; 10.30.

 

Sun. 20.—I preached in Spitalfields church in the morning, and in the afternoon at St. Ethelburga’s[4], and in the evening at the new chapel. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I visited the residue of the sick and poor.

 

Friday 18

 

5 Prayed, letters, tea; 8 chaise; 10 Ewell; 11 chaise; 1 Dorking, Mag.; 2 dinner; 3 letters; 4 prayed, tea; 6 2 Tim. ii. 3! communion; 7 class, supper, prayer; 10.45.

 

Saturday 19

 

4 Prayed, writ narrative; 6 Rev. ii. 5! writ society; 8 chaise ; 12.30 at brother Ormes’s, writ society; 1 dinner, conversed ; 2 visited many, tea, prayed; 6 read prayers, Psa. ci. 2, communion, supper, Pen[ry], on business; 9.45.

 

Sunday 20

 

4.45 Prayed, letters, Sp[italfields]; 9.30 read prayers, I Thess. iv. 3,communion, read letters; 1 dinner; 2.15 in talk; 3 St. Ethelburg[a]’s, prayers, Gal. iii. 22! tea, prayed; 5 prayers, Psa. ci. 2, society, class, prayed; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Monday 21

 

4 Prayed, i Pet. ii. 6-8, writ narrative, visited many; 12 select society 1.15 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 visited many; 5 tea, conversed, prayed; 6.30 Psa. ci. 2! supper, the bands; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 22

 

4 Prayed, I Pet. ii. 6-8, letters, tea, writ society; 2 at Mr. Atwo[od’s], dinner, conversed, prayer; 3.30 walk; 4.30 tea, conversed, Jo[hn] Dupl[ex], in talk, prayed; 6.30 prayers, Gal. v. 22! 7.30 the leaders 8.30 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Wednesday 23[5]

 

4 Prayed, letters; 8 tea, conversed, letters; 10 visited many; 2 at Mr. Dethi., dinner, conversed; 3 visited many; 5 tea, conversed prayer; 6 prayers, Gal. vi. 15, communion, Charles; 8 supper, prayer A.M.! 9.30 [cipher]*.

 

Thursday 24

 

Prayed, letters; 8 tea, within, letters; 11.30 visited; 12.15 letters; 1 Charles to dinner, within, prayer, letters; 4.30 tea, conversed, prayer; 5.30 prayed; 6.30 prayers, Eph. i. 13! the bands! Supper; 9 prayer; 9.30

 

Fri. 25.[6]- I received letters from the preachers, stewards, and leaders at Plymouth Dock, informing me that William Moore[7] had renounced the Methodists, hired a place to preach in, and drawn away about forty of our members to form a society for himself. They therefore begged I would come down as soon as possible to quench the kindling fire. I saw no time was to be lost, and therefore immediately took places in the Exeter diligence.

 

Sun. 27.—I preached in Stepney church, one of the largest parish churches in England.[8]

 

Friday 25

 

4  Prayed, writ letters; 11 accounts; 12 the females, visited many; 2.30 dinner, conversed, prayer; 3.30 Mag.; 4.30 tea, conversed, prayer; 5.30 prayed, letters ; 8 supper; 8.30 I Pet. Ii 9-11! 1030.

 

Saturday 26

 

5.15  Prayed, letters; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, letters, on business; at brother Hamilto[n’s], dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 on business ; 3.30 prayed; 5 tea, conversed; 6 prayers, Eph. iii. 14, etc., communion, supper, Pen[ry], on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 27

 

4 Prayed, letters, Chapel [West Street], prayers, Eph. v. 1, 2, Communion, class; ,1 at sister Keysa[ll], communion, dinner, conversed, prayer, coach; 3 Stepney, prayers, I Cor. xiii. 1, etc., at brother Bar., new chapel, Eph. iv. 30, general lovefeast; 8 supper, conversed, on business, prayer; 9.30.

 

Mon. 28.-The diligence reached Sarum about eight in the evening. About nine we left it. So keen a frost I hardly ever felt before; and our carriage let in the air on all sides, so that we hardly could preserve life. However, soon after five on Tuesday evening we got to Exeter.

 

Thur. 3.[9]- In the evening I read to the whole congregation a plain statement of the case with regard to the Deed of Declaration, which William Moore had so wonderfully misrepresented, and I believe they were all fully satisfied.

 

Monday 28

 

4 Prayed, on business, tea; 6 Dilig[ence]; 10 tea, Dil[igence]; 3 Overton dinner, Dilig[ence]; 8 Sarum, at Mr. Giff[ord’s], supper, conversed; 9 Dilig[ence], very cold ; 12.

 

I Thess. iv. 3; Psa. ci. 2; Gal. iv. 3, etc.; Psa. ci. 2.

---

 

[1] The wonder of this-a wonder not limited to Wesley’s time-found expres­sion in the well-known Wesley verse:

 

Poor idiots He teaches to show forth His praise,

 

                And tell of the riches of Jesus’s grace. No matter how dull the scholar whom He Takes into His school, and gives him to see;

 

A wonderful fashion of teaching He hath, 

 

And wise to salvation He makes us through faith.

 

[2] On Feb. 15 he wrote from London to R. C. Brackenbury, who was travelling, apparently for his health, with Mr. Ireland (works, vol. xiii. p. 5); on the same day he Wrote to Captain Williams, whom God, he believes, has sent to Plymouth Dock (new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[3] He wrote from London to Adam Clarke, to whom he commends the duty of fasting: ‘Our Lord annexes a peculiar promise even to secret fasting. The Father that seeth in secret,’ &c. (New ed. Wesley Letters.)

 

[4] In Bishopsgate street within now Bishopsgate. A small mediaeval building, now half hidden by shops. The incumbent in 1784 was William Gilbank, M.A. see below, p. 233.

 

[5] On the 23^rd he wrote to Mr. Broadbent, at Birstall, warning him against screaming, and advising respecting the division of the circuit (new. ed. Wesley Letters)

 

[6] He wrote from London to Zechariah Yewdall, and the same day to John Baxendale (Works, vol. xiii. pp. 14, 40). He wrote also to John Stretton, then Stationed in Newfoundland. He had known his father and mother well in Limerick. The main purpose of his letter is to prepare the way for the visit of Dr. Coke, who was then in America settling the societies, and who afterwards, Wesley hoped, might visit Nova Scotia and Newfoundland (Works, vol. xiii. p. 137); and to Mr. Coussins, Norwich, on whom also he urges fasting (new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[7] At the Conference of 1784 Wesley appointed William Moore, an itinerant of ten years’ standing, ‘a man of education, courage, and Christian zeal,’ who was dissatisfied with Wesley’s Deed of De­claration, to Plymouth. He hired a room, formed a society, issued an Appeal, and threatened to work such serious mischief that Wesley hastened, in a bitter frost, travelling night and day, to restore peace. See above, vol. iv. p. 517; and Tyerman’s Life of Wesley, vol. iii. p. 458.

 

[8] Built in the fourteenth century, and dedicated to St. Dunstan and All Saints. Colet, the friend of Erasmus, and founder of St. Paul’s School, was vicar here.

 

[9] Whilst in Plymouth dock he wrote (March 3) Thoughts upon some late occurrences. In dealing with William Moore’s case, it was judged wise to publish a clear explanation of the circumstances leading to the Deed, and explaining why it was necessary, and why the number of names was limited. See Works, vol. xiii p.248