Wesley Corpus

It being still sultry hot, I preached under a shady tree at Barley Hall; and in an open place at Rotherham in the evening. On Friday, 8, we reached Nottingham. Mr. S. met us here, and gave us a pleasing account of his congregation at S , continually increasing, and growing more earnest and more scandalous every day. At Nottingham also God is greatly reviving his work, and pouring water upon the dry ground. In the afternoon I rode to Markfield, where I carefully read over Mr. Stinstra's Tract upon Fanaticism. He is doubtless a well-meaning man, but deeply ignorant of the subject he treats of; and his arguments are of no force at all; for they prove abundantly too much. They utterly overthrow many of the grand arguments for Christianity; and every man may, on those principles, prove the Apostles to have been fanatics to a man. June 10. (Being Whit-Sunday.) The church contained the congregation tolerably well. After dinner, a gentleman who came from Leicester, eight miles off, invited me thither. About eight I preached there, in a place near the walls, called the Butt Close. The people came running together from all parts, high and low, rich and poor; and their behaviour surprised me; they were so serious and attentive, not one offering any interruption. We rode to Woburn. Tuesday, 12, promised to be an exceeding hot day; but the clouds rose as soon as we set out, and continued till we were near Market-street. The sun was then burning hot ; so that how my fellow travellers would get forward, I knew not. But God knew. As soon as we set out, a cloud arose and covered us again. The wind then came about and blew in our faces, so that we had a tolerable cool ride to London. I found the town much alarmed with Mr. Rimius's Narrative, and Mr. Whitefield's letter to Count Z. July, 1753. REV. J. WESLEY'S JOURNAL. 557 It seems, indeed, that God is hastening to bring to light those hidden works of darkness.