Page:Life and journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by.djvu/329

 Sunday 26th. — At half-past ten in the morning I went, in company with Miss M. Wood and Mr. Dowling, to hear the Rev. James Wood, the oldest Methodist preacher in this country, preach at Portland Chapel. His text was from Numbers xxi. 4. After making some remarks on the journeyings and sufferings of the Israelites, he divided his subject in the following order : —  *    *    *    The minister of God concluded by imploring the blessing of Cod to rest upon young converts, to whom the discourse was principally addressed. Mr. Wood spoke with a clear voice and in an affectionate manner. He told me he was almost four score years old. He was a travelling preacher in the days of Mr. John Wesley. At 3 o'clock I went to hear Dr. Bridges preach in St. Nicholas Church. I never before heard a church clergyman preach so much like a Methodist as Dr. Bridges.

Tuesday 28th. — Mr. Jones took me to see the first Methodist chapel that Mr. Wesley built in England, which is in Broadmead Street. The lower part of the house is the chapel, and the upper rooms are for the family to live in. The chapel is commodious, and had originally free seats. But since the death of the founder of Methodism the Society have built another chapel near to the first, and as they had no use for the old one they sold it to the Calvinistic Welch Society, which I was very sorry to learn. I think the Methodists ought to have kept the old chapel for the sake of Mr. John Wesley, and its being the first Methodist chapel in this country. In this chapel class meetings were first established, which have since proved a blessing to thousands in Europe and America. At about 10 o'clock in the afternoon. Mrs. Wood, Miss Martha Wood, Miss Moore, and myself, went to Kingswood school for the purpose of being at the celebration of the birthday of the Rev. John Wesley. On our arrival at the institution we found a number of preachers and friends assembled. At 2, ,