Wesley's Warming Journey - July 1736 by Brenda Rees

JULY 1736

Wesley’s Warming Journey by Brenda Rees

 Brenda Rees (c) All Rights Reserved

Third Savannah Journal of John Wesley, Cont.

Ship in Savannah near Bonaventure Cemetery.  John Wesley was often traveling by boat between Savannah and places such as "Charlestown."

Add Picture and Cutline:  Photograph by Brenda Rees

Add Picture and Cutline:  Photograph by Brenda Rees

Thursday, July 1, 1736 – An unusual day for John Wesley.  He sleeps during the day and only reads prayers once.  Wesley had an interview with a gray haired Indian.  The Indian questioned Wesley as to why white men bothered to build houses since they wouldn’t live forever and would soon return to dust.  Wesley told the Indian that in order to be “taught by Him” they would have to give up their bad ways.  Wesley spends two hours studying Spanish.  He see Miss Bovay who seems to have a prickly heat rash.  Wesley asks them if they are too young to be troubled with religion and if they should defer ten or twelve years.  They answer they were “not for deferring one moment.”

Friday, July 2, 1736 –  Even though Wesley will later write on April 1737 that he “Began to learn Spanish, in order to converse with my Jewish parishioners” he obviously is learning and using Spanish on this day.  He translates from Spanish the hymn “O God, my God, my all Thou art.”  His hour by hour notes for the day which starts very early as usual:

4    Private prayer; sleep.

5    Private prayer; Gemans; Gother; sung.

6   Translated verses; sun; Spanish; (looks like latin)

7   Verses; sung; Spanish

8   Verses; sung; Spanish

9   Sung Spanish verses

10 Verses; sun 1/2 meditated ¾ read prayer

11 Expounded; Ingham read prayer

12 Visited Betty Wright and company; dinner

1   Wrote letter for Charles  2  Letter.

3   Prayer with them; talked, conversation

4   Letter ½; sung.

5   Walked, rain, Germans, sung, Kempis; prayer

6   Walked, rain, Germans, sung, Kempis; prayer

7   At home; supper; conversation

8   With Germans; sung; conversed with them   9; prayer

Saturday, July 3, 1736 – Wesley is busy with Oglethorpe and influences him to be more just with the colonists.  There are meetings with Indians Chicali and Malatchi.  Curnock writes that Wesley encouraging Oglethorpe to apply more justice did not set well with Causton.

Sunday, July 4, 1736 – Wesley met with men he had met at Frederica as well as Chicali.

Monday, July 5, 1736 – Singing is what Wesley would prefer to do, but he is drawn to handle problems with Mrs. Hawkins instead.

Tuesday, July 6, 1736 – John Wesley is walking with Charles.  Charles troubles with

Oglethorpe are reaching a crisis point.

Wednesday, July 7, 1736 – Bathing in the Savannah River and Charles Wesley encounters  alligators.  Charles Wesley wrote “Between four and five this morning Mr. Delamotte and I went into the Savannah.  We chose this hour for bathing, both for the coolness and because the alligators were not stirring so all around us; …”

Thursday, July 8, 1736 – All kinds of trouble are occurring at once.  Miss Bovey is near death, a suitor of Miss Sophy is threatening to murder any suitor other than himself and Tomo-chi-chi is not well.  Also, Curnock includes in his notes p. 243 that John Wesley, not Charles, was leading the way in “hymnological transformation” at this point.  Numerous examples given.

Saturday, July 10, 1736 –  In the morning, Oglethorpe is distressed and stays with John Wesley in his garden.  Later that day, Miss Bovey dies.  Wesley asks them to wait a while to be sure before they “lay her out.”  Wesley is disappointed later that evening of his fear of a very fierce thunder storm.  “This voice of God, too, told me I was not fit to die.” 

Sunday, July 11, 1736 – Miss Bovey’s funeral was well attended and Wesley noted many good “resolutions.”  However, he doubted many would feel the same in the morning.  “It is a true saying, ‘Hell is paved with good intentions.’”  He wrote two letters for Miss Bovey, but they are now missing.  Miss Bovey’s sister later was very kind to Wesley and opened her house to his religious meetings.

Monday, July 12, 1736 – At 10 he “Began to methodize [Oglethorpe’s] business.

Tuesday, July 13, 1736 – Miss Sophy is in Savannah and Wesley has “interludes” with his friends.

Wednesday, July 14, 1736 – A long day of official letter writing.  Curnock includes that many must have been in French, Spanish and German.  Later, Wesley along with Miss Bovey, Oglethorpe, and Miss Sophy enjoy “the reading of Young’s Last Day.”

Thursday, July 15, 1736 – The morning is spent writing for Oglethorpe.  When Oglethorpe went to breakfast at seven, Wesley wrote a letter to Mrs. Hawkins.  Afterwards, his parish work kept him busy.

Friday, July 16, 1736 – Many hours are spent writing for Oglethorpe.  He was able to escape this duty for his Holy Club devotions and later Miss Bovey’s meeting, public exposition and “the daily visit to the Germans.”

Saturday, July 17, 1736 – Curnock notes several curious entries this day one being

9 At home, garden, meditated, Scotsman came, and Charles came.  Oglethorpe was also still asleep at 6 when Wesley called.

Monday, July 18, 1736 –  Wesley finds Oglethorpe still asleep at 6 again.  Curnock tells us that Wesley would also later worry about his preachers who would sleep “late.”

Tuesday, July 20, 1736 – “Five of the Chicasaw Indians (twenty of whom had been in Savannah several days) came to see us, with Mr. Andrews, their interpreter.  They were all warriors, four of them head men.  The two chief were Paustoobee and Mingo Mattaw.”  There is a long conversation and the questions and answers are detailed in Wesley’s Journal.  The Indians saw they are too busy fighting their enemies to consider being saved.  These Indians also talk about conflict with the French and Choctaws.  The conflict raging in this new land between Protestants and Catholics also comes into play in this conversation.

Wednesday, July 21, 1736 – The meetings continue at Miss Bovey’s.  Charles writes, “I heard by my brother that I was to set sail in a few days for England.”

Thursday, July 22, 1736 – John Wesley continued writing for Oglethorpe.  Charles, on the other hand, was finished with this type of business and “entirely washed my hands of the traders.”

Monday, July 26, 1736 – John and Charles left for Charlestown to send Charles back to England.  Bad winds delayed their journey.

Wednesday, July 28, 1736 – The winds were so bad that the mast of their boat fell.  John Wesley wrote, “I kept on the edge of the boat, to be clear of her when she sank.”  Sailors, however, caught the mast and were able to row safely to shore.

Saturday, July 31, 1736 –  Wesley wrote, “We came to Charlestown.  The church is of brick, but plastered over like stone.  I believe it would contain three or four thousand persons.  About three hundred were present at the morning service the next day, when Mr. Garden desired me to preach; about fifty at the Holy Communion.  I was glad to see several negroes at church, one of whom told me she was there constantly, and that her old mistress (now dead) had many times instructed her in the Christian religion.” …  Further reading reveals that Wesley was not completely satisfied with the woman’s understanding of her soul.