| Show outdoor preaching almost inaccessible to weariness 01 0 physical pain he made his way over hill bill moor and arid mountains often frozen by the chill blasts and thickening snows of the uplands or shivering amidst the scottish mists yet storm and frost never checked his hla ardor never would he forget or pass over his appointment to preach he pressed on with the resolution of a csezar over dangerous roads inclement weather and often rose hoarse with cold and and worn with travel to speak to the anxious throngs who awaited his coming yet he relates that as he spoke his physical pains would disappear his vigor return and a genial ardor restore his feeble frame to unprecedented strength sometimes he preached while the fierce florce winds and the autumnal frost passed unnoticed over his attentive people more than once the rain descended and the lightning played while he be described the triumphs of faith over his immense audiences wesley exerted a singular influence that was almost unknown to Whit fiem flee eU or his follo followers were his calm and thoughtful rhetoric produced results that might seem appropriate only to the most impassioned eloquence sobs and cries broke from I 1 the ernest stert st leat lest breasts strong men fell down in convulsions of grief and despair the room where he preached was often filled with loud outcries and wild exclamations women fell into trances and grovelled grovel led in the dust duet and these stricken cases as they were termed formed so marked a trait of the new movement as to excite the reprobation of the cold and censorious and arid startle the philosophical but wesley saw in these singular occurrences the natural struggle for a new life and he at least was not appalled when his vast audience was shaken as if with a mighty wind when wild sobs ard shouts of agony passed over the startled throng and they fell grovelling gro velling on the earth for he believed the spirit of god was waa moving them to repentance nor in any period of strong religious excitement when savonarola preached and bernard prayed have similar traits of deep emotion been unobserved eugene lawrence in magazine |
