An Ox in the Congregation

Friday, July 10.—I rode to London and preached at Short’s Gardens on “the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” [Acts 3:6]. Sunday, 12. While I was showing, at Charles’ Square, what it is “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God” [see Micah 6:8], a great shout began. Many of the rabble had brought an ox, which they were vehemently laboring to drive among the people. But their labor was in vain; for in spite of them all, he ran round and round, one way and the other, and at length broke through the midst of them clear away, leaving us calmly rejoicing and praising God.

Saturday, 25 (Oxford).—It being my turn (which comes about once in three years), I preached at St. Mary’s, before the University. The harvest truly is plenteous. So numerous a congregation (from whatever motives they came) I have seldom seen at Oxford. My text was the confession of poor Agrippa, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” [Acts 26:28]. I have “cast my bread upon the waters.” Let me “find it again after many days!” [Eccles. 11:1].

Wednesday, August 26 (London).—I was informed of a remarkable conversation at which one of our sisters was present a day or two before: a gentleman was assuring his friends that he himself was in Charles ⁴⁴     The apostrophe is left off here in the text. Square when a person told Mr. Wesley to his face that he, Mr. Wesley, had paid twenty pounds already on being convicted for selling Geneva; and that he now kept two popish priests in his house. This gave occasion to another to mention what he had himself heard, at an eminent Dissenting teacher’s, namely, that it was beyond dispute Mr. Wesley had large remittances from Spain in order to make a party among the poor; and that as soon as the Spaniards landed, he was to join them with twenty thousand men.