Wesley Corpus

athirst for salvation. Wednesday, 27. I preached at Birming- ham,andhadacomfortable season. Thursday, 28. I paid another visit to the amiable family at Hilton-Hall. Friday, 29. About ten I preached for the first time at Stafford, to a large anddeeply attentive congregation. It is now the dayof small things here ; but the grain ofmustard-seed may grow up into a great tree. Hence I rode to Congleton. I had received abundance of complaints against the Assistant ofthis Circuit,-James Rogers. Saturday, 30. I heard all the parties face to face, and encou- raged them all to speak theirwhole mind. I was surprised ; so much prejudice, anger, and bitterness, on so slight occasions, I never saw. However, after they had had it out, theywere much softened, if not quite reconciled. Sunday, 31. I preached in the new church at Macclesfield, both morning and afternoon. I believe we had seven hundred communicants. Mon. SEPTEMBER 1.-We clambered over the mountains to Buxton. In the afternoon I preached in Fairfield church, about half amile from the town; it was thoroughly filled with serious and attentive hearers. Tuesday, 2. We went to Leeds, where I was glad to find several Preachers . I consulted the Preachers, how it was best to pro- ceed with the Trustees of Birstal House, to prevail upon them to settle it on the Methodist plan. They all advised me to beginby preaching there. Accordingly, I preached on Thurs- day evening, and met the society. I preached again in the morning. Friday, 5. About nine I met the nineteen Trustees ; and, after exhorting them to peace and love, said, " All that I desire is, that this Housemay be settled on the Methodist plan; and the same clause may be inserted in your Deed which is inserted in the Deed of the new chapel in London ; viz., ' In case the doctrine or practice of any Preacher should, in the opinion of the major part of the Trustees, be not conformable to Mr. W-'s Sermons and Notes on the New Testament, on representing this, another Preacher shall be sent within three months."" Oct. 1783. JOURNAL. 261 Five of the Trustees were willing to accept of our first propo- sals ; the restwere not willing. Although I could not obtain the end proposed ; and, in that