They had sailed from Gravesend on the 21st of October, It was not till February 5th that they reached Savannah. They first landed on a little island, where they knelt down to thank God for having brought them safely to their journey’s end. General Oglethorpe then went on to the town, leaving the passengers still in the ships. The next day he came back, bringing with him a Moravian pastor, called Spangenberg. John Wesley, thinking the Germans were such wonderful people, was glad to see one who had lived some time at Savannah. He thought Spangenberg would give him good advice as to how to begin his work. But Spangenberg said, “My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Do you know whether you are a child of God?” John was astonished at this question, and knew not what to answer. Spangenberg finding he did not reply said: “Do you know Jesus Christ?” “Yes,” said John; “I know He is the Saviour of the world.” “True,” said Spangenberg, “but do you know that He has saved you?” John replied, “I hope He has died to save me.” And when Spangenberg asked him further, “Do you know yourself?” he said “I do.” But he added in his journal, “I fear they were vain words.”
John and Charles now separated. Charles went to the town of Frederica with Mr. Ingham. John and Mr. Delamotte lodged in the house of some Moravians at Savannah, and were glad to have an opportunity of watching their daily conduct. John says “they were always employed, always cheerful themselves, and in good humor with one another; they had put away all anger and strife, and wrath and bitterness, and clamor and evil speaking; they walked worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called, and adorned the gospel of our Lord in all things.”
Things did not go on very well with the two brothers in Georgia. Charles Wesley greatly displeased the people of Frederica. Having long lived by rules themselves, and having, as far as they could, obliged others to do so at Oxford, it seems both John and Charles tried the same plan in Georgia. They gave orders to the people to pray and to go to church, they told them how to dress, they interfered now and then in their affairs, and very soon General Oglethorpe sent Charles back to England. John, however, determined to stay. He soon found he could do nothing with the Indians, not knowing their language, and the few who talked English were quite unwilling to listen to anything he had to say. “No,” they said, “Christians drink! Christians beat men! Christians tell lies! we don’t want to be Christians.”
How often have people, calling themselves Christians, thus led the heathen to think that they had better remain as they are. Some of the English seemed at first inclined to listen to John. He and Delamotte each had a school for boys, and as some of the boys had no shoes and stockings, John began to go barefoot, that the barefooted boys might not be despised by the others. He and Delamotte also determined to eat no food but bread. Had he been satisfied with making rules for himself and Delamotte, nobody would have been displeased; but very soon the English settlers began to complain loudly of his severity and interference. No doubt many of the complaints were unjust and untrue, but it was in God’s great mercy that Wesley’s work in Georgia was not allowed to have any appearance of success. He began to find out that no good came of it, and at first he thought this was the fault of others, and that their taking offense was a proof that he was right. It sometimes is so, but we very often offend others by our foolish and mistaken conduct, and so it was in this case. Besides this, he was not happy in his own mind. Once when there was a terrible thunderstorm he wrote in his journal, “This voice of God told me I was not fit to die, since I was afraid, rather than desirous of it. O, when shall I wish to be dissolved and to be with Christ!”