Monday, 24.--l left London and, the next morning, called at what is styled the Halfway House. Quickly after, as a young man was (riding by the door, both horse and man tumbled over each other. As soon as he got up, he began cursing his horse. I spoke a few words, and he was calm. He told me, he did fear God once, but for some time past he had cared for nothing. He went away full of good resolutions. God bring them to good effect!
I reached Kingswood in the evening; and the next day selected passages of Milton for the eldest children to transcribe and repeat weekly.
Thursday, 27.--I went into the school and heard half the children their lessons and then selected passages of the Moral and Sacred Poems. Friday, 28. I heard the other half of the children. Saturday, 29. I was with them from four to five in the morning. I spent most of the day in revising Kennet's Antiquities, and marking what was worth reading in the school.
Wednesday, October 3.--I revised, for the use of the children, Archbishop Potter's Grecian Antiquities, a dry, dull, heavy book. Thursday, 4. I revised Mr. Lewis's Hebrew Antiquities, something more entertaining than the other and abundantly more instructive.
Saturday, 6.--I nearly finished the abridgement of Dr. Cave's Primitive Christianity, a book written with as much learning and as little judgment as any I remember to have read in my whole life; serving the ancient Christians just as Xenophon did Socrates; relating every weak thing they ever said or did.
Thursday, 11.--I prepared a short History of England for the use of the children; and on Friday and Saturday a short Roman History, as an introduction to the Latin historians.
Monday, 15.--I read over Mr. Holmes's Latin Grammar and extracted from it what was needful to perfect our own.
Monday, December 3.--I rode to Canterbury and preached on Revelation 20. A few turbulent people made a little noise, as I found it was their custom to do. Perceiving more of them were gathered the next night, I turned and spoke to them at large. They appeared to be not a little confounded and went away as quiet as lambs.
Wednesday, 5.--I walked over the cathedral and surveyed the monuments of the ancient men of renown. One would think such a sight should strike an utter damp upon human vanity. What are the great, the fair, the valiant now? the matchless warrior--the puissant monarch?
An heap of dust is all remains of thee!
'Tis, all thou art, and all the proud shall be.
Monday, 10.--I rode to Leigh, in Essex, where I found a little company seeking God and endeavored to encourage them in "provoking one another to love and good works."
Monday, 17.--I set upon cleansing Augeas's stable; upon purging that huge work, Mr. Fox's Acts and Monuments, from all the trash which that honest, injudicious writer has heaped together and mingled with those venerable records, which are worthy to be had in everlasting remembrance.