what he
"sought for, viz.: living proofs of the power of faith," and where he
stayed twelve days longer than he at first intended. The tone of his
account of Herrnhut is also distinctly friendly, though he did not
unreservedly accept two or three theological statements made to him, but
the long conversations he records prove his joy at finding sympathy, and
confirmation of what he wanted to believe concerning justification by
faith, and the fact that a weak faith was still a real faith, and as
such should be cherished and strengthened, not despised. He could not
have been greatly influenced against the Moravians by his visit to
Halle, for each time he stayed but one night, and on the first occasion
Professor Francke was not at home, nor were their arguments new to him,
that they should have impressed him deeply.

It frequently happens that when a controversy has arisen between
friends, both parties look backward and read into former words and
deeds a meaning they did not have at the time they transpired, and most
probably this is what has happened in regard to the trip to Germany and
its effect on Wesley.

Immediately on his return to England, Wesley began an active religious
campaign, drawing such crowds of all kinds of people that the various
churches in turn closed their doors upon him, and eight months later he
followed Whitefield into open air preaching, after consultation with
the Fetter Lane Society. This Society had been organized at the time of
Boehler's visit to London, and was composed of members of the earlier
Methodist societies, Germans residing in London, and English who had
been interested in salvation by Zinzendorf and the Moravian companies
bound for Georgia. It had met in the home of James Hutton until it
outgrew the rooms, and was then transferred to the Chapel at 32 Fetter
Lane. It was an independent Society, with no organic connection with
the Moravian Church, and the religious work was carried on under the
leadership of John Wesley, and, in his frequent absences, by James
Hutton and others who leaned strongly toward the Moravians, some of
whose customs had been adopted by the Society. The Hutton "Memoirs"
state that Wesley made an effort to break off intercourse between
the Society and the Moravians soon after his return from Germany, but
failed, and matters continued to move smoothly until about the time that
Wesley began his field preaching. During the subsequent months disputes
arose among th