he undergoes for the cause of God, and for the cause of despised religion and virtue! He bids the world do its worst, for he has a reserve beyond it,—and knows who will receive him into everlasting habitations, and say unto him ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!’” We have thus attempted to give an outline of the history of the Society for the Reformation of Manners; and extracts from Samuel Wesley’s sermon, preached before it in 1698; but, before the chapter closes, a few words must be added in reference to the religious societies out of which the other society arose. The religious societies, begun in 1677, continued to exist until after John Wesley had instituted his Methodist societies. Wesley’s first society was formed at Oxford in 1729, and consisted of himself, his brother Charles, Mr Morgan, and Mr Kirkham, who spent some evenings every week, in unitedly reading the Greek Testament.[133] The second was formed at Savannah in 1736, where he met a select few in his own house after evening prayers, and read and conversed with them, and concluded the meetings with a psalm.[134] On his return to England, we find him attending the meetings of the old religious societies which were still existing. On Sunday, April 26, 1738, he “went to a _society_ in Oxford, where, as his manner then was at _all societies_, after using a collect or two and the Lord’s prayer, he expounded a chapter in the New Testament, and concluded with three or four more collects and a psalm.”[135] In September of the same year, we find him attending and taking part in _society_ meetings in Bear Yard, in Aldersgate Street, and in Gutter Lane, London.[136] On the 15th of November following, he expounded at three _societies_ in Bristol.[137] In April 1739, in Bristol, he began “expounding our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount to a little _society_, which was accustomed to meet once or twice a week in Nicholas Street;”[138] and later on, in the same month, and in the same city, while “at a little _society_ in the Back Lane, the floor of the room gave way, and fell down with a great noise.”[139] In June 1739, he “went to a _society_ at Wapping, where many began to call upon God with strong cries and tears.”[140] On September 9th, he “went to a _society_ at Fetter Lane, and exhorted them to love one another;”[141] and two or three weeks afterwards “went as _usual_ to the _society_ at St James’s;” and also to a _society_ at Deptford.[142] In April, 1740, we find him at “a little _society_ at Islington, which had stood untainted from the beginning;”[143] and in the month of May following, he met with the “members of a religious _society_ at Newcastle-on-Tyne, which had subsisted for many years, had a fine library, and to whom their steward read a sermon every Sunday.”[144] ----- Footnote 133: Wesley’s _Works_, vol. viii. p. 334. Footnote 134: Wesley’s _Works_, vol. i. p. 40. Footnote 135: _Ibid._, Vol. i. p. 84. Footnote 136: