I was careful to take an exact account of the society. I was surprised to find only a hundred and fifty-nine.[1] I thought they had been double the number. I hope, by the assistance of God, within four months to see that none of these want either food or raiment.

 

Nov. 3, Fri.-Taking the advantage of a moonlight evening, I went down to the chapel at Rotherhithe. I never saw it so well filled before, nor with such serious and attentive hearers. Is anything too hard for God? Shall this wilderness blossom and bud as the rose? 

 

Sun. 5. - I buried the remains of John Cowmeadow,[2] another martyr to loud and long preaching.

 

Nov. 1, Wednesday

 

 4 Prayed, letter; 6 class, tea, class; 1 dinner, conversed; 2 class; 5 tea, within, prayer; 6 prayed, Life; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 2

 

4 Prayed, class, tea; 8 class; 1 at sister Westr., within, prayer; 2 class; 4 30 Life; 5 tea, conversed, prayed, prayed; 6.30 prayers, Col. ii. 6! the bands; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Friday 3

 

4 Prayed, Life; 1 dinner, conversed; 4 tea, chaise; 6 Rotherhithe, Heb. xii. 5, class; 8 at brother Cookendale’s, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Saturday 4

 

4 Prayed, Life, christened Cat. C., tea; 7 chaise; 8 letters; dinner, con­versed, prayer, letters, Life; 4 prayed, walk; 5 tea, conversed; 6 read the letters; 7 communion, supper, Pen[ry], on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 5

 

4 Prayed, letters; 8 the preachers; 9.30 prayers, 1 Pet. iii. 4, 5, com­munion; 1 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2.15 sleep, prayed, buried John Cowmead[ow], leaders, tea, prayed; 5 Phil. iii. 13, society, within, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

To save his life, if possible, when he was half dead, I took him to travel with me. But it was too late. He revived a little, but soon relapsed; and, after a few months, died in peace. He had the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, and was of an exemplary behaviour.[3]

 

Tues. 7.-I visited the classes, and found them much increased both in grace and number. The house was, as usual, well filled in the evening, and many were refreshed and comforted.

 

Thur. 9.-In the evening I preached at Stratford, and, understanding I had many good sort of people to deal with, I endeavoured to stir them up, by strongly showing what it is to build upon a rock; after showing them the various ways whereby the generality of good men (so called) usually build upon the sand.

 

Monday 6

 

4 Prayed, 1 Pet. v. 4, etc., select society; 7 class, tea, class; 12 select society, dinner; 2 class; 5 tea, conversed, prayed; 6.15 prayers, Mon., Matt. vi. 19, supper; 7.30 the bands; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 7

 

4 Prayed, 1 Pet. v. 4, etc., class, tea, class; 1 dinner, within; 2 class; 4.30 at brother Hales’s, conversed; 5 class; 6.30 Phil. iii. 14! 8 at the Chapel, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Wednesday 8

 

4 Prayed, Life; 6 class, tea, class, chaise; 1 at home, on business, chaise; 2 High[bury] Place, dinner, conversed, Life; 5 tea, conversed, prayed, Life; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 9

 

4 Prayed, Life; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, Life; 12.30 at home, on business; 1.45 Stratford, dinner, Life, tea; 5 class; 6 Mat. vii. 24, supper, prayer; 9.45.

 

Friday 10

 

4 Prayed, Life; 8 tea, prayer, Life; 1 dinner. conversed, Life; 5 tea, con­versed; 6 prayed, read narrative; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.   

 

2 Tim. i. 7; 2 Thess. ii. 16.

 

Saturday 11

 

4 Prayed, letters; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, letters; 12 chaise, at home; 1 dinner, conversed, prayer; 2 letters; 4 prayed, at A[dam] Clarke’s, tea, conversed; 6 prayers, 2 Thess. ii. 16, communion; 8 supper, con­versed, Pen[ry], on business; 9.30.

 

­Sun. 12.[4]- I preached, morning and afternoon, for the Use of our little charity-schoo1,[5] where forty boys and twenty girls are trained up both for this world and the world to come.

 

Mon. 13.-I retired for a few days to Highbury Place, that I might go on in my work without interruption. I returned to town on Thursday the 16th, and, after preaching on I Tim. vi. 20, had a comfortable meeting with the bands. 

 

4Sunday 12[6]

 

Prayed, letters, chaise, Chapel, prayed; 9.30 prayers, Matt. xviii. 3! communion; 1 dinner, sleep, prayed, the leaders; 3.30 prayers, 2 Thess. iii. 13! society; 6 chaise, society, prayed, conversed, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Monday 13

 

4 Prayed, I Pet. v. 10! select society, within, tea, within, tea, within, prayer, letters, writ society; 1 at brother Go[ - ]its, dinner, prayer, conversed; 2 chaise, High[bury] P[lace], writ society, tea; 5 prayed; 6.15 prayers, Matt.           , supper, prayed; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 14

 

4 Prayed, hymns; 8 tea, conversed, prayer; 9 hymns; 1 dinner, writ for the pocket hymn-book; 5 tea, conversed, prayed,  writ hymns; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Wednesday 15

 

4 Prayed, hymns; 7.30 tea, within, prayer, hymns, Mr. Dodwell, Jo[hn] Atla[y]; 2 dinner, conversed; 3.30 hymns, prayed; 5 M. Owen, Morgan, Colston; 5 tea, conversed; 7.30 prayed; 8 supper, 

 

conversed, prayed; 9.45.

 

Thursday 16

 

4 Prayed, hymns; 7.30 tea, conversed, prayer, writ for the poor; 10 letters, chaise; 12 at home, letter; 1 at brother Urling’s, dinner, conversed, prayer; 2.30 at home, letters; 5 tea, read, within to some; 6.30 read prayers, I Tim. vi. 20; 7.30 the bands, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Their shyness is vanished away, and we have only one incon­venience-we have not time to hear all those that are willing to speak.[7]

 

Friday 17

 

4 Prayed, letters, within to some; 12 the females; 1 prayer; 2 dinner, Mag.; 4 the Fathers of the Poor [see above, Aug. 30]! 5.15 at Mrs. Rankin’s, M. Morgan; 6 tea, conversed, prayer; 8 supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Saturday 18

 

4 Prayed, writ Journal; 8 tea, conversed, prayer; 9 writ society; 11 writ Journal; 1 dinner, prayed; 2 read, prayer; 3 visited many; 5 tea, conversed; 6 prayers, 2 Tim. i. 7! communion, the leaders, supper, read, on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 19

 

4.45 Letters; 7.45 Sp[italfields]; 9.30 prayers, Jo. xi. 43, 44! communion; 1 at brother Fellows's, 

 

           dinner, conversed, coach; 2.45 Shadwell; 3 2 Tim. ii. 19, tea, conversed, coach; 5.45 

 

            letter, prayed, society, love­feast, supper, conversed; 9 prayer; 9.30.

 

2 Tim. ii. 9.

 

Monday 20

 

4 Prayed, 2 Pet. i. 4, select society, writ society; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, visited some; 12 select society; 1.30 at brother Bar.’s, in talk; 2.30 dinner, prayer, visited, tea, prayed; 6.30 prayers, I Tim. iii. 5! supper, the bands; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 21

 

4 Prayed, I Pet. v. 10! writ society, tea; 8 walk, Lambeth; 9 writ society; 1 dinner, conversed; 2 society; 5 tea, conversed, prayed; 6.30 I Pet. iii. 4; 7.30 class, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Wednesday 22

 

4 Prayed, society; 6 2 Tim. i. 7! society, tea, conversed; 8 visited many; 10.30 chaise, on business; 11.30 visited many; 2 at Mr. Wo., dinner, prayer, visited many; 5 tea, conversed, prayer; 6 read prayers, Tit. i. 19, communion, chaise, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 23

 

4 Prayed, letters; 8 tea, prayer, Life; 1 dinner, within, prayer, [-] Life; 4.30 [cipher] *, tea, within; 5.30 prayed; 6.30 Tit. ii. 11, 12, the bands, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Friday 24

 

4 Prayed, Life; 12 the females; 1 prayer; 2 dinner, conversed, prayer; 3 society; 4 the Fathers [of the Poor], within, prayer; 5 tea, within, prayed; 6.30 read Mag.; 8 slipper, conversed! prayer; 9.30.

 

Sun. 26.[8]- After officiating at West Street morning and afternoon, I took coach at seven in the evening. We had a clear pleasant night, and reached Norwich about eleven on Monday the 27th. I found all things in peace, through the zeal and prudence of Jasper Robinson[9]  and his fellow labourers. The congregation in the evening was nearly as large as it usually is on Sunday, and more than twice as large at six in the morning as it is accustomed to be.

 

Tues. 28.-About noon I preached at Caistor,[10] a little town twenty miles east of Norwich, to a little, serious congregation; the greater part of them seemed to be ripe for a blessing:

 

Saturday 25

 

4 Prayed, letters; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, letters; 11 on business, Mag.;          1.30 dinner, prayer; 2 on business, prayed; 3 visited many, tea, prayed, conversed; 6 prayers, Heb. i. 14! society, communion; 8 supper, Pen[ry], on business; 9.30.

 

Sunday 26

 

4 Prayed, letters, Chapel, prayers, Col. i. 10, dinner, christened, prayed, the leaders; 3.30 prayers, Heb. ii. 3, society, supper; 7 coach, together;            11.30.

 

Monday 27

 

6 Conversed, tea, coach; 11 Norwich, Mr. Hunt, letters; 1 dinner, 2 read          narrative; 3 read, prayed, tea, coach; 5.30 prayed; 6 2 Tim. i. 7! supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

Tuesday 28

 

4 Prayed, Mag.; 6 Lu. ix. 62! the preachers, in talk, prayer, tea, con­versed, prayer, visited, read; 10 chaise; 12 Lowest[oft], Mag.; 1.30 dinner; 2.30 Mag., prayed, tea, conversed; 6.30 I Cor. xii. 31, society, supper, prayer; 9.30.

 

­

 

The house at Yarmouth was thoroughly filled in the evening, and many attended in the morning likewise. Once more the combatants here have laid down their arms, and solemnly promise to continue in peace and love. Wednesday and Thursday[11] I spent comfortably at Lowestoft, among a quiet, loving people.

 

Wednesday 29

 

4 Prayed, Mag.; 6 Heb. xii. I, Mag.; 8 tea, conversed, prayer, letters; 12.30 visited; 1 at brother M-, dinner, Mag., prayed, tea; 6.30 Deut. v. 7! society, supper, conversed, prayer; 9.30.

 

Thursday 30 (Blank, no entry.)

---

 

[1] It seems tolerably certain that a few words have here accidentally dropped out of the text. Obviously, as the context shows, he is thinking of poor members in the society, whose numbers, he is pleasingly surprised to find, are less than he expected. He promises to look after these in the four months of winter, and in carrying out his promise he seems to have instituted an order of poor stewards whom he calls the ‘Fathers of the poor.’ They are mentioned several times during that winter. See Diary, Nov. 17, 24, &c. For the membership see Minutes of Conference 1786 and 1787. 

 

        [2] He travelled only three years.

 

[3] On Nov. 4 he wrote from Dublin to Henry Moore (new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[4]On Nov. 11 he wrote from London to Joseph Taylor, in Aberdeen: ‘Our preachers have as much need of temper­ance in preaching as in eating and drink­ing’ (new ed. Wesley Letters); and to William Simpson, on ‘mending or end­ing’ contentious and stubborn spirits (enlarged in new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[5] This originally was Silas Told’s school (see above, vol. vi. p. 221). In I801 the school met at 27 Providence Row, Moorfields. (Stevenson’s City Roaa Chapel, p. 41.)

 

[6] He wrote from London to Jasper Winscom (Works, vol. xii. p. 525).

 

[7] On Nov, 16 he wrote from near London to Thomas Warwick (new ed. Wesley

 

Letters).

 

[8] He wrote from London to William Black, in Nova Scotia (Tyerman’s Life of Wesley, vol. iii. p. 485; also to Francis Wrigley at Redruth:  ‘I would no more take a pillow from under the head of a dying person than I would put a pillow upon his mouth’ (new ed. Wesley Letters).

 

[9] He entered the itinerancy in 1776, laboured for twenty-three years, and died in 1797, greatly honoured for his zeal and piety (Meth. Mag. 1798, pp. 231-4).

 

[10] On the coast, 3 miles N of Yarmouth. The preaching-house, since converted into cottages, may still be seen. On this occasion Clement Burton filled his pocket with stones to assail the preacher; but, arrested by his venerable aspect, he listened, was convinced of sin, converted under the sermon, and maintained his fidelity to his life’s end. Mrs. Albert Kerridge, the wife of an ex-circuit steward, is his descendant (Meth. Rec. June 18, 1903. See also Watmough’s

 

Meth. in Yarmouth, pp. 86-90).

 

[11] On Nov. 30 he wrote to Freeborn Garretson (Works, vol. xiii. p.71)