第26章 Reinforcements(4)
In England, however, the legal year continued to begin with March 25th, until 1752, although many people were either using the newer fashion, or indicating both, and a date might be correctly written in four ways, e.g.January 10th, 1734, old style, legal, January 10th, 1734-5, or January 10th, 1735, old style, popular, and January 21st, 1735, new style, the last agreeing with the calendar now in general use.
Bishop Nitschmann gives the outline of their religious services on almost every day, and in the translation which follows these are generally omitted; in the same way some paragraphs are left out of the Wesley Journal.Extracts from Dober's and Ingham's Journals are inserted when they give facts not otherwise noted.
====== 24 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann's Diary.Oct.24th, 1735.
I went to the ship, (the `Simmonds', Captain Cornish).
My heart rejoiced to be once more with the Brethren.
In the evening we held our song service.
(We have all given ourselves to the Lord, and pray that the Saviour may comfort our hearts with joy, and that we may attain our object, namely, to call the heathen, to become acquainted with those whom we have not known and who know us not, and to worship the name of the Lord.-- Letter of Oct.28.)====== 25 Oct.1735.
John Wesley's Journal.Oct.14th, 1735, (O.S.) Tuesday.
Mr.Benjamin Ingham, of Queen's College, Oxford, Mr.Charles Delamotte, son of a merchant in London, who had offered himself some days before, my brother Charles Wesley, and myself, took boat for Gravesend, in order to embark for Georgia.Our end in leaving our native country was not to avoid want, (God having given us plenty of temporal blessings,)nor to gain the dung or dross of riches or honor; but singly this, --to save our souls, to live wholly to the glory of God.
In the afternoon we found the `Simmonds' off Gravesend, and immediately went on board.
(We had two cabins allotted us in the forecastle; I and Mr.Delamotte having the first, and Messrs.Wesley the other.Theirs was made pretty large, so that we could all meet together to read or pray in it.
This part of the ship was assigned to us by Mr.Oglethorpe, as being most convenient for privacy.-- Ingham's Journal.)====== 27 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann.Oct.27th.
Bled Mrs.Toeltschig and Mrs.Zeisberger.On deck one man was knocked down by another, striking his head on the deck so as to stun him.
In the evening we held our song service at the same hour that the English had theirs.I spoke with Mr.Oglethorpe and the two English clergymen, who asked concerning our ordination and our faith.Mr.Oglethorpe said he would be as our father, if we would permit it.
====== 28 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann.Oct.28th.
At our prayer-meeting considered Eph.1, how our election may be made sure;I also wrote to the Congregation at Herrnhut.Mrs.Zeisberger was sick, and Mr.Oglethorpe concerned himself about her comfort.
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Wesley.Oct.17th.
I began to learn German in order to converse with the Germans, six and twenty* of whom we had on board.
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* Twenty-five Moravians and the Wittenberg carpenter.
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====== 29 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann.Oct.29th.
Spoke with the Wittenberg carpenter concerning his soul.
====== 30 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann.Oct.30th.
We decided who should attend to various duties during the voyage, and held our "Band" meetings.(The "Bands" were small groups, closely associated for mutual religious improvement.)An English boy fell overboard, but was rescued by a sailor.
====== 31 Oct.1735.
Nitschmann.Oct.31st.
In the afternoon we sailed twelve miles from Gravesend.
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Wesley.Oct.20th, Monday.
Believing the denying ourselves, even in the smallest instances, might, by the blessing of God, be helpful to us, we wholly left off the use of flesh and wine, and confined ourselves to vegetable food, --chiefly rice and biscuit.In the afternoon, David Nitschmann, Bishop of the Germans, and two others, began to learn English.
O may we be, not only of one tongue, but of one mind and of one heart.
====== 1 Nov.1735.
Nitschmann.Nov.1st.
The English clergyman began to spend an hour teaching us English.
In the early service we read concerning new life in the soul;the preceding night was blessed to me, and the Saviour was near.
At the evening service we spoke of earnest prayer and its answer.
(David Nitschmann, in the presence of all the members, formally installed certain of our members in office, --David Tanneberger as overseer, Dober as teacher and monitor, Seybold as nurse for the brethren, and Mrs.Dober as nurse for the sisters.
-- Dober's Diary.)
(We have arranged that one of us shall watch each night, of which Mr.Oglethorpe approves.-- Letter of Oct.18th.)----
Wesley.Oct.21st.
We sailed from Gravesend.When we were past about half the Goodwin Sands the wind suddenly failed.Had the calm continued till ebb, the ship had probably been lost.But the gale sprung up again in an hour, and carried us into the Downs.
We now began to be a little regular.Our common way of living was this:
From four in the morning till five, each of us used private prayer.