Lay Preachers and Field Preaching

1747 Mon Aug 10. I met the society at five, and at six preached on ‘Repent and believe the gospel.’ The room, large as it was, would not contain the people who all seemed to taste the good word.
Between eight and nine I went to Mr. R(the curate of St. Mary’s) he professed abundance of goodwill, commended my sermon in strong terms, and begged he might see me again the next morning. But at the same time he expressed the most rooted prejudice against lay preachers or preaching out of a church, and said the Archbishop of Dublin was resolved to suffer no such irregularities in his diocese.
I went to our brethren, that we might pour out our souls before God. I then went straight to wait upon the Archbishop myself. But he was gone out of town.
In the afternoon a gentleman desired to speak with me. He was troubled that it was not with him as in times past, when at the age of fourteen the power of God came mightily upon him, constraining him to rise out of bed to pour out his prayers and tears from an heart overflowed with love and joy in the Holy Ghost. For some months he scarce knew whether he was in the body, continually walking and talking with God. He has now an abiding peace, but cannot rest till the love of God again fills his heart.
Between six and seven I went to Marlborough Street. The house wherein we then preached was originally designed for a Lutheran church, and will contain about four hundred people. But four or five times the number may stand in the yard. Many of the rich were there, and many ministers of every denomination. I preached on ‘The Scripture hath concluded all under sin,’ and spoke closely and strongly. But none at all seemed to be offended. If my brother or I could have been here for a few months, I question if there might not have been a larger society here than even in London itself.