|
Saturday [September] 14 [1805]
My soul has been much blessed of the Lord
of late [with] which I have been endeavouring to water the
Souls of the Disciples. I am certain that my soul increases
in spiritual might and I have but one choice, that is to
render all my words and actions subservient to the
advancement of the work of Religion in my soul. This I know
is the will of God towards me. In striving to do this my
minutes flows [sic] sweetly away, and time seems to be on the
wing. Not a dull hour now hangs upon me. Once time
seemed to run to slow, but for these 12 Months past I have
sometimes found it difficult to keep pace with. having had a
tolerable state of bodily health and enjoying much of the
peace of God upon my soul and by devoting myself to God, I
have found continual employment for body and mind. And O how
sweet it is to employ every moment for God, and to feel his
precious love in my soul. This is heaven begun on Earth. Our
heaven must begin here in order to have a heaven hereafter.
A very solemn circumstance happened not long since which,
when I heard made me shudder. Two weeks ago last Sabbath [25
August 1805] I preached at a place where the preachers have
laboured for some years off and on, without any apparent
fruit. The text which came to my mind was "And in hell
he lift up his eyes being in torment" [Lk
16.20-31]. The Lord
enabled me to preach strong words. Among others there was a
giddy young woman who employed herself in laughing. I
reproved her more than once to no effect. I then said I did
not know who, or what she was but I thought if the Neighbours were permitted to speak, I expected they would
tell me some bad story, that she was be [a] fornicator or
something, and that it was a wonder if she was not in hell
soon if she did not repent. It seems she went home in a
rage[,] received a hurt by a fall, caught-cold, weakened and
died in about a week: An awful warning to those who make a
sport of the worship of God. Lord have mercy upon all souls
who know not what they do, through Jesus Christ [cf.
Lk 23.34].
|