Mr. Wesley visited this town nearly four-score years ago. In his Journal he says:
"Monday, May 9, 1757. -- I rode over the mountains to Huddersfield. A wilder people I never saw in England. The men, women and children, filled the street as we rode along, and appeared just ready to devour us. They were, however, tolerably quiet while I preached; only a few pieces of dirt were thrown, and the bell-man came in the middle of the sermon, but was stopped by a gentleman of the town. I had almost done when he began to ring the bells, so that it did us small disservice. How intolerable [a] thing is the Gospel of Christ to them who are resolved to serve the devil!"
What a change in H. since then! No mobs now. Methodism is honorable now. Many of its families stand high in reputation, respectability and wealth. It is not persecution, but indifference we have to contend with now. But, really, the latter is almost as bad. Perhaps, if Satan gets wounded, he may roar again. Amen! But, O my Lord! do not suffer my ministry to become fruitless, nor my seals to it to fail! ...
Thursday afternoon. -- A cold heart and vacant look, -- how chilling when general in a congregation! -- A death symptom to a physician -- so to a preacher -- would freeze or frighten eloquence out of its proprieties, poor thing, were it "on hand" these times!
Green wood will burn, if one has enough of dry wood to mix with it! Dry wood soon burns itself out unless mixed with green wood. Dead coals will soon blaze amid live ones; but the live ones grow dim unless there are dead ones to kindle upon. There is much of this apparent in revival effort. And "there is the rub" here in Huddersfield. When here last May, we had dry wood and wet wood, live coals and dead ones, in abundance; enough to set all the latter in a blaze, with a few good blasts. That was the time for Huddersfield; the power of God was present in every meeting. But I had to leave for Sheffield. The Pentecost of my ministry occurred in Sheffield, where, in about four months, three thousand three hundred and fifty-two souls were JUSTIFIED, and eleven hundred and forty-eight souls were sanctified! What was gain for that town was loss to this. No matter; it is all Immanuel's land, -- his cause there as here. True, but it makes it harder here now. I engaged to come back here on my return to England from the continent. That gave Satan time to get ready. He sprinkled the dry wood with vain trust in an arm of flesh, and made the green wood greener still; threw cold water on the live coals, and removed the dead ones to a safe distance, and so had all in readiness after his fashion. Ah! who can believe such things, but those who have had the trial in soul-saving effort! -- a work Satan can never be indifferent to, while he owns a single soul upon earth.
However, the fire may be only smoldering. I went into a blacksmith's shop, the other day. What splashes of dark, dirty water he dashed on the fire! -- enough, I thought, to put it out. But when the bellows got a going, a few blasts, and it blazed out again with increased flame and intensity of heat. The smith expected this, whether he knew the philosophy of it or not. It may be so with the Lord's forge -- the church. An excellent man remarked, some years ago, that a great deal of spiritual good comes to the Christian by the malice of his enemies; that the raging and rallying enemies of God's people serve as scullions to scour the Lord's vessels of honor; as shepherd's dogs to hunt Christ's sheep into order, and to greener pastures. -- Ps. 27:11. A scullion is a kitchen menial -- a scourer of pots and kettles, and other dirty work. So he thought the wicked serve as scullions for the benefit of the church. The devil loves dirty work himself! Perhaps the Lord allows him to act the smith, to dash dirty water on the church's fires, which makes them burn with more intensity after a few blasts of the Gospel. Satan is a poor philosopher, after all. His malice, I think, and precipitation, often get the better of his wisdom. God only is in finitely wise. All beneath him are finite, -- that is, limited or bounded in their capabilities. Satan, of all the fallen, stands at the top of the finite, -- an angel once, perhaps an archangel, -- one of the greatest intellects in the hierarchy of heaven, -- yet a finite being, therefore circumscribed; and, since his fall, partaking largely of a finite's infirmities.
He is called, in Scripture, "That old serpent" -- Rev. 12:9. The wisdom of the serpent is spoken of also; but it is finite and changeable, and often degenerates into cunning; and cunning folks are not always wise, especially when out of temper. A revival conflict teaches one much of the character of the devil; more, perhaps, than any other department of the work of God. It is on the battlefield opposing generals study each other's talents. He is often the best general who best understands the tactics of the enemy. Lord, help me! I am but a child. I shall know more about this matter hereafter. O for a larger increase of that faith, and hope, and love, of which Satan is an eternal bankrupt, and with which he has no power successfully to cope! Amen! ...
