YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

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RIT. (&EOJS.CE WH1TEFIELB.

Published by Hunt oX Noyes , MtddleLown.

MEMOIRS

REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD:

BY JOHN GILLIES, D. D.

REVISED AND CORRECTED
WITH
LARGE ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
TO WHICH IS APPENDED
AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION
of ms
SERMONS AND OTHER WRITINGS.

And tfaer that be wise shall Bhino as the brightness of the firmament : and they that turn i
righteousness, as the stars, fur ever and ever.— Uaxuzl ni. 3.

MIDDLETOWN:
PUBLISHED BY HUNT & NOYES.
1838.

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1834, by
Whitmore & Buckingham and H. Mansfield,
in the Clerk's office of the District Court of Connecticut.

rAV

n in Cj \

U3(

INTRODUCTION.

For most men, the worth and influence of a book, other things being equal,
is greatly modified by their estimation of its author. The circumstance of a
personal acquaintance with, or knowledge of a man, especially when it com
bines itself with our most venerable and holy remembrances, imparts a life
like freshness and reality to his recorded doings and sayings, the effect of
which, when contrasted with the same things done and said by a person alien
and unknown to us, may be fairly illustrated by the comparative power of
oral and written discourse. No individual, in these latter days, has so identi
fied himself with the growth and spread of practical religion, in England and
America, as Whitefield. Divines and theologians there have been, and still
are, not a few of far greater depth, acuteness and comprehension. They are
burning and shining lights, and revolve with no rival or secondary glory in
their appointed spheres. They have done well, and to them be awarded all
due honor and praise. Whitefield cannot and would not measure strength
with them here. It was appointed to him to fkeach ; and before a crowd of
drowsy worldlings, be to him the honor of having no equal or rival in the ser
vice of his Master. To compare Whitefield with Edwards is impossible and
absurd. It is like comparing Sir Isaac Newton with Milton, as intellectual
giants, or the air with the earth, as the conditions of animal existence. Like
nis Master, " who had a mountain for his pulpit, and the heavens for his sound
ing-board ; and who when his gospel was refused by the Jews, sent his servants
into the high-ways and hedges;" he imprisoned not his voice within the bounds
of ecclesiastical limitation, but going forth into a temple not made with hands,
he bore the glad tidings of thegospel as far as the air would reverberate them,
to as many of those speaking ?iis vernacular tongue as the measure of his
health, strength, and years would allow. Probably no one since Luther and
Calvin has been such a chosen vessel for bearing the errands of mercy to the
multitude ; no one has been so gifted with an almost inherent aptitude for con
verting his very adversities and afflictions into instruments, without which
the very end which they were intended to frustrate would have been far less
successfully accomplished. In this country especially, his name will be af
fectionately and reverently reverted to, as having struck an almost miraculous

•» INTRODUCTION.
life into a lethargic church, and as having put to shame the contemptuous in-'
difference of unbelievers. Under God, he changed our sleril religious wastes
into verdant, heavenly pastures, and sowed on good ground those seeds of
practical piety, whose fruits yet bless and ennoble us in the institutions and
liabits that have been handed down to us from the religion of the last genera
tion. More than any other he is sacredly embalmed in the religious remem
brances of this people. No apology, it is presumed, is needed, now that his
life and writings are out of the market, and out of print, for publishing the
present volume. The religious wants of our people demand it. And few
books are so inwoven with those endearing affections and interests that lead to
an. earnest and profitable perusal.
The volume consists of a Memoir, and some of his published productions:
So far as is known, no edition ol his Memoirs has been published since the
year 1812, when two editions appeared simultaneously ; one, the original, un
altered narrative of Dr. Gillies, in New Haven; the other, the same narra
tive revised and considerably amplified by Mr. Seymour, in Philadelphia.
The original work of Dr. Gillies is, for the most part, a mere compilation. It
consists of bare details of incidents, so disposed as seldom to point us to those
individual peculiarities in which they had their origin, or bear along with
themselves the distinct features and lineaments of Whitefield's character. The
Style too, is dry and careless. It contains, however, the facts which must be
the Basis of all' other Memoirs of this wonderful man. Mr. Seymour essen--
lially improved' it, by remodelling, to a great extent, the phraseology ; by in
corporating many newly discovered facts, aneedotes, and accounts of several
active contemporary characters, tending to variegate the narrative, and throw
light upon Whitefield's course ; and finally, by many of his own reflections
and suggestions, giving method to the whole work, and prominence and dis
tinctness to the noticeable traits in Whitefield. In this latter respect, how
ever, it remained too deficient and feeble : and in this view — the only end for
¦which biography is desirable, it is believed that the present edition considera
bly surpasses all that have preceded it. The chapters at the beginning and
close of the Memoirs will be found to be in the main new, and to elucidate his
character beyond any former editions. In order to enhance the value of the
book, and not his own reputation, the Editor has not scrupled to appropriate
and imbody in the narrative, whatever came to his knowledge within the
brief time allotted to him for the revisal, calculated to illustrate the character
Of its subject. He has frequently incorporated matter from other books, some
times slightly modified, and sometimes altogether unchanged, as seemed most
Oo»ducive to his purpose. Te Southey's Life of Wesley, this volume is espe
cially indebted. This general acknowledgment, he trusts, is sufficient,, and

INTRODUCTION. V
is inserted here on account of a reluctance to break the contiguity of the nar
ration by particular quotations and references. Some slight emendations of
phraseology are also peculiar to this edition. On the whole, it is believed that
the Memoirs have received some important improvements.
The collection of Sermons and other writings which fill the latter half of
the volume, have for the most part not been extensively circulated in this
country. The only volume of his Works, with which the public at large is
acquainted, is a small volume of extempore Sermons, taken in short-hand by
Mr. Gurney. To say nothing of the circumstances that these were impro
perly transcribed, as Mr. Whitefield often complains, extemporary effusions
sxcited by a transient impulse from the present feelings and passions of an
issembly, lose all their point and force with the disappearance of the man and
the occasion. It is often difficult to discover the greatness of speeches on' paper,
whose viva voce delivery held an audience fast bound, as it were, in a superna
tural spell. Many find it hard to comprehend the excellence of Demosthenes'
Orations, and the recorded speeches of the giants of the British Parliament,
leave but faint traces of the mastery which moved at will a grave and obsti
nate assembly of legislators. The reason is, that the business of the orator is
to kindle emotions from his own breast to the hearts ol his auditors ; and he
knows little of the practical, or what philosophers call the " active and moral
powers'' in man, who has not learned that not mere logic or demonstration
reaches the inmost springs of action, though it may be, and most often is the fittest
medium or duct for conveying the vital warmth from soul to soul. The convic
tion of earnestness and seriousness in the speaker is the most indispensable ele
ment of powerful oratory. A pointed anecdote, or vivacious illustration, while
it keeps alive attention by its variety and novelty, will oftentimes involve, and
lead unschooled men to recognise and admit a truth, when a logical and pro
found analysis would be tame, dry, and far aloof from their apprehensions, and
especially, their practical feelings. All who have had any successful experience
in addressing puolic bodies, know this ; and they soon learn that a scholar-like
exhaustion of a topic, and the winning of an audience to the desired views in
regard to it, are very different things. Hence the sense of disappointment felt
by most speakers on their first appearance in public, at seeing their finely ela
borated performances go off as dull and uninteresting, when the free and care
less, yet hearty appeals of others stir and enchant the multitude. Hence too,
a self-possessed man varies his mode of presenting a subject, from the form
in which it lay in his mind after first analyzing it, as circumstances and his
immediate aim demand. This variation is always in the way of simplifying
and breaking up all those logical comiections, which would have given it eclat
before a society of scholars. Thus, a man may write and extemporize on the

»1 INTRODUCTION.
same text, and his two performances will be likely to be very different, so that
while- his spoken discourse is superior for present effect, his written one is no
less sofor the judgment of after critics. From the transcripts of Whitefield's
extempore sermons taken by Mr. Gurney, his sermons have been judged to be
ot so low an order as not to justify his great celebrity. They are - motley
compound of anecdotes and fragmentary bursts of passion, and no way indi
cate depth, comprehensiveness, or sustained energy and brilliancy. But it
should be remembered, that Whitefield habitually had all ranks fqr hearers ;
and that his lively and playful trivialities even, might have been entertaining
and exhilarating to a mob, which would have retired from the massive sermons-
of Howe or Edwards. He was engaged mainly in calling sinners to repent
ance ; and a very different manner may be suited to the business of first
urging on men attention to religion, from what is fitted to instruct them in its
duties and doctrines wheD they have become attentive. Discourses will be
likely to sufifer in the judgment of after times, greatly in proportion as they
have been so diluted and adapted as to lay hold of and interest an unthinking
crowd. Whoever will look through Mr. Gurney's volunie, while he sees no
great and far-reaching thoughts-will see no contemptible degree of intellect in
the preacher's avoidance of them, and his exquisite skill and tact in shaping
his matter to the purpose before him. Some sermons have been inserted from
it, in order- to exhibit Whitefield's incomparable power of commanding cir-
eumstanees; and interesting whatever was before him.
The collection, however, will be chiefly from sermons written and published
by himself. It is believed that they will verify the preceding hints, and set
forth their author in a far more advantageous light, than that in which those-
of his works most extensively known to the public have placed him. Their
merit is not in their theological depth and subtlety, but in that higher demon
stration of the Spirit, the unction, the life, the fervency, which marked the"
man in word and deed. It is believed, that if read with the true end of ser
monizing in view, they will bear a favorable comparison with any sermons of
khis age, especially if we consider the demands of his hearers. A polemical-
iraet is also inserted, in order to show his temper and power in this field.
The publication of this book was imperiously called for, both on account of
its scarcity in the market, and the rich unction, which its circulation will be
likely to breathe through the religious community. That it may awaken sin
ners and quicken saints, is the prayer of its Editor ; who, with thanks to his
friends for their kind suggestions, presents the book to the public as a worthy,.
and he hopes, an acceptable offering; not doubting, that it may avail to the
stirring np-«f the pure minds of some, by way of remembrance.

CONTENTS.

XtEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
Cuap. I. — Comprehending the period from his birth to his becoming a
member of the University of Oxford, .... - 9
Chap. II. — From the time of his admission to the University of Oxford,
to his embarking for Georgia, A. D. 1737, ----- 12
Chap. III. — From the time of his embarking for Georgia, to his re-
embarking for England, 1738, - - 15
Chap. IV. — From his embarking at Charleston for London, tohis preach
ing first at Moorfields, 1739, - 33
Chap. V. — From his preaching in Moorfields &c. to his laying the foun
dation of the Orphan-bouse in Georgia, 1740, - ^.-41
Chap. VI. — From his laying the foundation of his Orphan-house in
Georgia, to his arrival in England, 1711, - - - 46
Chap. VII.— His separation from_VVesley, and the circumstances attend
ing it, about the period of his return to London, 1741, - 56
Chap. VIII. — From the establishment of the church in Moorfields un
der Mr. Cennick, and his visit through Scotland, till his departure
from Edinburgh, with some letters showing his reception in that
country, 1741, 68
CnAP. IX. — From his leaving Edinburgh, 1741, to his return to that city,
in the year 1742, 83
Chap. X. — From his arrival in Scotland, 1742, to his return to London
the same year, - - 86
CuAr. XI. — From his arrival in London, in the year 1742, to his embark
ing for America, 1744, - - 9-i»
Crup. XII. — From his embarking for America, 1744, to his going to the
Bermudas, 1748, - - - 102
Chap. XIII. — From his arrival at Bermudas, to his return to London,
July, 1748, - - 108
Chap. XIV. — From his arrival in London, 1748, to his going to Ireland,
1751, ... - 117
Chap. XV. — From his first visit to Ireland, to his opening a new Taber
nacle in London, 1753, - - - - 137
Chap. XVI. — From his opening the new Tabernacle in Moorfields, to his
preaching at the chapel in Tottenham-court road, 1756, - 144
Chap. XVII. — From his opening the chapel in Tottenham-court road, to
his arrival in Edinburgh, 1750, - .... 167
Chap. XVIII. — From his arrival in Edinburgh, 1759, to his opening the
Countess of Huntingdon's chapel at Bath, 1765, .... its

Chap. XIX.— From his opening Lady Huntingdon's chapel at Bath, to
his embarking for America, 1769, - - - - * ls*
•Chap. XX.— From his last embarking for America, to his death, Sep
tember 30, 1770, " " 193
Chap. XXL— Extracts from some, of the funeral sermons preached on
the occasion of his death, - - " *^*
Chap. XXII.— An examination of Mr. Whitefield's character as an
Orator, Preacher, and Christian, - - 207
Appendix, - - ... 275
SERMONS.
Sermon I. — The Lord our Righteousness, ... - 297
Sermon II.— The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent, 313
Sermon III. — Persecution every Christian's Lot, ... 327
Sermon IV. — Abraham's offering up his son Isaac, - - - 339
Sermon V.— Saul's Conversion, - - 351
Sermon VI. — Christ the Believer's wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption, .... . jflj
Sermon VII. — The Pharisee and Publican, 373
Skrmon VIII. — The Holy Spirit convincing the world of sin, righteous
ness, and judgment, - 389
Sermon IX. — The conversion of Zaccheus, .... 402
Sermon X. — The power of Christ's Resurrection, - - 411
Sermon XI. — The indwelling of the Spirit the common privilege of all
Believers, - ... 423
Sermon XII.— The eternity of Hell Torments, - - 434
Sermon XIII. — The great duty of Family Religion, - - 443
Sermon XIV.— The Method of Grace, ... 454
Sermon XV. — The wise and foolish Virgins, - -168
Sermon XVI. — Christ the Believer's Refuge. — A funeral sermon, - 184
Sermon XVII. — Soul Prosperity, - - ... 4<W
Sermon XVIII. — Soul Dejection, 50s
Sermon XIX. — The gospel, a dying saint's Triumph. — A funeral sermon, 5I1J
..Sermon XX. — Jacob's Ladder. — A farewell sermon, - - 50;)
Sermon XXI. — God a Believer's Glory, ..... ryj
Sermon XXII.— The Burning Bush, - ... 553
Sermon XXIII. — The Lord our Light, .... goj
Sermon XXIV. — Self-inquiry concerning the work of God, - 571
Sermon XXV. — Neglect of Christ the killing sin, ... 530
Sermon XXVI. — The Good Shepherd. — A farewell sermon, . . 51)4
Sermon XXVII.— A faithful minister's parting blessing.  A farewell
sermon, - - - - - C07
MISCELLANEOUS.A Short Address to persons of all Denominations, &e. ... rja
Letter to the Rev. John Wesley, - . _ g.v.
An inquiry into the first and chief reason why the generality of chris
tians fall so far short of the holiness and devotion of Christianity G42

Memoirs

OF THE

&EV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD,

CHAPTER I.

Comprehending the period from his birth to his becoming a member
of the University of Oxford.
That eminent and singularly gifted man of God, whose life,
services and character are now to be delineated, has left few
memorials important to be recorded in a chapter confined to
fiie above mentioned period' of his life. Whitefield's gifts —
especially those which he did not possess in common with other
men — were, in an extraordinary degree, the peculiar endow
ments of the Preacher and of the Preacher merely. Of course,
whatever was characteristic in him, or excited an interest not
felt concerning ordinary men, did not appear with great power
or distinctness in any other sphere or relation. Of 'Whitefield,
the scholar, the philosopher, the theologian, little can be said,
which might not as filly be said of a common clergyman.
That portion of his life, therefore, which was not passed in
fhe ministry, or in preparation for it, contains nothing entitled'
Eo more than a brief notice. Nor does much lie open to us
respecting his genealogy or family relations, that is worthy to
swell the chapter.
George Whitefield was born at Bell Inn, in the city of
Gloucester, on the 16th day of December, O. S. 1714. His
great grandfather was born at Wantage, in Berkshire, and was
Rector of North Ledyard in Wiltshire. Of hi.s seven children
two were sons ; Samuel, who succeeded his father in the cure
of Rockhampton, whither he had removed from- North Led
yard : and Andrew, who retired upon his estate, as a private
gentleman. He had fourteen children, of whom Thomas, the'

10 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
eldest, was the father of the subject of these memoirs. He1
was first bred to the employment of a wine merchant in Bristol;
but afterwards kept an inn in the city of Gloucester. In
Bristol he married Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards, by whom he had
six sons and one daughter. Of these George was the young
est. Being bereft of his father at the helpless age of two years,
he was regarded by his mother with peculiar tenderness, and
educated' with more than ordinary care.
In a character so unparalleled for the intensity of its reli
gious fervor, energy -and decision, it would be a satisfaction to
know how far its earlier instincts and feelings corresponded
with, or guided it towards its after career. Of Whitefield,
little has reached the light in regard to this matter, save from
his own subsequent confessions. Judged by the terrible scru
tiny of his own severe standard of self-examination in after
life, he was pre-eminently debased, and proved his native
depravity of disposition by a series of most wantonly wicked
actions ; yet, his conscience was, at this time, tender enough to
excite remorse and penitence for his youthful freaks, and to ren
der him easy to be affected by religious truth. He describes him
self as froward from his mother's womb ; so brutish as to hate
instruction ; stealing from his mother's pocket, and frequently
appropriating to his own use the money that he took in the
house. " If I trace myself," he says, " from my cradle to my man
hood, I can see nothing in me but a fitness to be damned : and if
the Almighty had not prevented me by his grace, I had now
either been sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, or
condemned, as the due reward of my crimes, to be forever lifting
up my eyes in torments." Yet Whitefield could trace early
movings of his heart, which satisfied him in after life, that " God
loved him with an everlasting love, and had separated him
oven from his mother's womb, for the work to which He after
wards was pleased to call hiin." He had a devout disposition
and a tender heart, so- far as these terms can fitly characterize
unregenerate men. When he was about ten years old, Iris
mother made a second marriage : it proved an unhappy one.
During the affliction to which this led, his brother used to read
aloud Bishop Ken's Manuel for Winchester scholars. This
book affected George Whitefield greatly; and when the corpo
ration, at their annual visitation of St. Mary de Crypt's school
Where he was educated, gave him. according to custom, monev
for the speeches which he was chosen to deliver, he purchased
the book, and found it, he says, a great benefit to his soul.
Between the years of twelve and fifleen, he made good pro
gress in the Latin classics, at this public school ; and his native
powers of eloquence began to be developed, even at that early

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 11
period, in the speeches which he delivered at the annual visita
tions. The applause awarded to him on these occasions pro-
ably contributed to his fondness for theatrical amusements.
Hence some have affected to believe, or, at least, insinuated,
that he derived his oratory from the stage. This imputation
is utterly untrue. It would be more proper to say, that his
talents for elocution, which enabled him afterwards to become
so great a performer in the pulpit, were at this time in some
danger of receiving a theatrical direction. The boys at the
grammar school were fond of acting plays : the master, " seeing
how their vein ran," encouraged it, and composed a dramatic
piece himself, which they represented before the corporation,
and in which Whitefield acted a woman's part, and appeared
in girl's clothes. The remembrance of this, he says, had often
covered him with confusion of face, and he hoped it would do
so even to the end of his life ! Oratory, particularly that de
partment of it which consists in graceful and energetic delivery,
was so native to him, that he might more justly be said to
communicate it to the stasre than the stage to him. No sensi-
ble person who was acquainted with him, could fail to see, that
his eloquence was the natural, spontaneous action of that pe
culiar assemblage of powers with which God had endow
ed him.
Nevertheless, he seems to have been unconscious of his
endowment, or without the means of developing it, and entering
into a profession requiring it. Before he was fifteen, he per
suaded his mother to take him from school, saying, that she
could not place him at the university, and more learning would
spoil him for a tradesman. Her own circumstances, indeed,
were by this time so much on the decline, that his menial ser
vices were required : he began occasionally to assist her in the
public house, till at length he " put on his blue apron, washed
mops, cleaned rooms, and became a professed and common
drawer." In the little leisure which such employments allow
ed, he composed two or three sermons ; and the romances,
which had been his heart's delight, gave place awhile to Tho
mas a Kempis. One of these sermons was dedicated to his
eldest brother.
When he had been about a year in this servile occupation,
the inn was made over to a married brother, and George,
being accustomed to the house, continued there as an assistant.
His mother, though her means were scanty, permitted him to
have a bed upon "the ground in her house, and live with her,
till Providnnce should point out a place for him. The way
was soon indicated. A servitor of Pembroke College called
upon his mother, and in the course of the conversation told

12 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
£ier, that after all his college expenses were discharged for that
.quarter, he had received a penny. She immediately cried
;qut, this will do for my son ; and turning to him said, Will
you go to Oxford, George? Happening to have the same
friends as this young man, she waited on them without delay;
they promised their interest to obtain a servitor's place in the
,same college, and in reliance upon this, George returned to the
gammar school. Here he applied closely to his books, and
shaking off, by the strong effort of a religious mind, all evil
and idle courses, produced, by the influence of his talents and
example, some reformation among his school-fellows. The
impressions of religion now began to deepen upon him : and
at the age of seventeen he received sacrament of the Lord's
supper. He now became more and more watchful, both ovei
his heart and conversation. He attended public service con
stantly, received the sacrament monthly, fasted often, and prayed
frequently more than twice a day in private. Thus, at the time
of completing his preparation for Oxford, we find him mainly
absorbed in the great business of rehgion.

CHAPTER II.
from the time of his admission to fhe University of Oxford, to his
enibarking for Georgia, 1737.
At the age of eighteen Mr. Whitefield was removed to Ox
ford; the recommendation of his friends was successful; another
friend borrowed for him ten pounds to defray the expense of
entering ; and with a good fortune beyond his hopes, he was
admitted servitor immediately. He felt the advantage of having
been trained up in a public house ; his skill and diligence in
his occupation led many to seek his attendance ; and thus,
aided by the income of his services, and some few presents
made him by a kind-hearted tutor, he was enabled to live with
out incurring debts to the amount of more than twenty-four
pounds during three years.
At first he was harrassed and tempted by the society into
which he was thrown ; he had several chamber fellows, who
would fain have made him join their riotous mode of Ufe. He
however, showed his energy of resolution by sitting alone in
his study till he was sometimes benumbed with cold, in order
to escape their persecutions ; and when they discovered his
singularity of character, and his strength and fortitude in car
rying it out, they abandoned him to his own course, and suffered
Mm to pursue it in peace.

WHITEFIELD WASHING.

" He began occasionally to assist her in the public house, till at length he « put on his blue
Itpron, washed mops, cleaned rooms, and became a professed and common drawer.' " p. 1 1

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 13
It may well be conjectured that one thus mal-treated by the
-wicked, on account of the rigorous purity and strictness of his
life, would have sympathy with a small band despised for their
austere principles and scrupulous observances. Such a com
pany Oxford then contained. Before Whitefield went there,
he had heard of some young men who " lived by rule and
method," and were therefore called Methodists. They were
now much talked of, and generally despised. Drawn toward
them by kindred feelings, he defended them strenuously when
ever he heard them reviled, and when he saw them go through
the ridiculing crowd to receive the sacrament at St. Mary's
was strongly inclined to follow their example. For more thaa
a year he yearned to be acquainted with them : and a feeling
of inferiority alone checked his advances. The object of his
desires was finally thus accomplished. A pauper had attempted
suicide, and Whitefield sent a poor woman to inform Charles
Wesley that he might visit her, and administer spiritual medi
cine : the messenger was charged not to tell who sent her :
contrary to this injunction, she told his name, and Charles
Wesley, who had seen him frequently walking by himself, and
heard something of his character, invited him to breakfast the
next morning. An introduction to this little brotherhood soon
followed, and he also, like them, " began to live by rule, and
pick up the very fragments of his time, that not a moment
might be lost."
They were now about fifteen in number. When they began
to meet they read divinity on Sunday evenings only, and pursued
their classical studies on other nights ; but religion soon became
the sole business of their meetings ; they now regularly visited
the prisoners and the sick, communicated once a week, and
fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays, the stationary days of the
Ancient Church, which was thus set apart, because on those
days our Saviour had been betrayed and crucified. They also
drew up a scheme of self-examination, to assist themselves by
means of prayer and self-subjugation, in attaining the love and
simplicity of God.
As Whitefield was one of the master-spirits who communi
cated to Methodism its first impulse and direction, a brief survey
of the religious condition of that period, and the production of
this sect from it, is highly pertinent to an account of his life. At
that time, serious and practical Christianity in England was in
a very low condition ; scriptural, experimental religion (which
in the last century had been the subject of the sermons and
writings of the clergy) had become quite unfashionable ; and
the only thing insisted on was, a defense of the out-works of
Christianity against the objections of infidels. What was the
2

14 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
consequence 1 The writings of infidels multiplied every day,
and infidelity made a rapid progress among persons of every
rank ; not because they were reasoned into it by the force of
argument, but because they were kept strangers to Christ and
the power of the gospel. We have a most affecting description
of this, by Bishop Butler, whom none will suspect of exagger
ating the fact : " It is come, I know not how, to he taken for
granted, by many persons, that Christianity is not so much as
a subject of inquiry ; but that it is, now at length, discovered to
be fictitious; and accordingly they treat it as if in the present
age this were an agreed point among all people of discernment ;
and nothing remained but to set it up as a principal subject of
mirth and ridicule ; as it were by way of reprisals for its having
so long interrupted the pleasures of the world."
While pure and undefiled religion was thus well nigh extinct
in England, and fast becoming'so in Scotland, it pleased God
to keep alive, in the persons of this despised band, that salt of
the earth, which was to save it from moral putrefaction. Its
beginnings were so feeble as to be scarcely observable ; but,
like the mustard seed, it shot up into a mighty tree, whose
branches now clasp, in greater or less degrees, all Christendom.
John and Charles Wesley, had, in good earnest, been religiously
educated, by parents who had been quickened by the Spirit of
God, and manifested the fruits thereof in sober and godly lives.
In the course of their education, God in mercy delivered them
from conformity to the habits and feelings of an age of abound
ing impiety, by his super-abounding grace. John was the first
to feel its renewing and quickening power, and to transfuse its
spirit into the details of life -and action. He sought to press
upon his brother the importance of austcrer habits, and a more
active devotion, but found him loo much imbued with the cur
rent notion of a gradual reformation of character to think of
becoming a saint all at once. While, however, John was absent
at Wroote, the process which he had been vainly endeavoring
to accelerate in his brother, was silently going on. His dispo
sition, his early education, the example of his parents, and of
both his brethren, all concurred toward a change, which he
piously referred to his mother's prayers. Finding two or three
fellow-students, whose inclinations and principles resembled
his own, they associated together for the purpose of religious
improvement, lived by rule and received the sacraments week
ly. Such conduct would at any time have excited attention
in an English University ; it was peculiarly noticeable durino-
the dreadful laxity of opinions and morals, which then obtain^
ed. The awful prevalence of infidelity in the country, has been
already alluded to. It found its way also to the University

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 15
ti'nd was becoming so contagious, that the vice-chancellor had>
in a programma, exhorted the tutors to discharge their duty
by double diligence, and had forbidden the undergraduates to
read such books as might go to sap the foundations of their faith.
The greatest prudence could not have shielded men from
ridicule, who at such an age, and in such a sphere, professed
to make religion the great concern of their lives. It is too
true, that the men of this world are wiser in their generation
than the children of light : and that inflexible fortitude, which
was reckless enough of consequences to itself to brave the male
dictions of an age spell-bound in wickedness^ could scarcely be
expected to be united with that wakeful prudence, which is
ever on the alert to ward off petty misconstructions of charac
ter and actions. Accordingly they were called in derison the
Sacramentarians, Bible-bigots, Bible-moths, the Holy or the
Godly Club. One person, with less irreverence and more learn
ing, observed, in reference to their methodical manner of life,
that a new sect of Methodists had sprung up, alluding to the
ancient school of physicians known by that name. They lived
under Nero, and were remarkable for putting their patients un
der regimen and administering their applications " by rule and
method, "' and were therefore called Methodists. " The name
of Methodist," it is observed by one of the correspondents of
Wesley " is not a new name, never before given to any religious
people. Dr. Calamy, in one of his volumes of the ejected min
isters, observes, they called those who stood up for God, Metho
dists. " It is altogether probable, that before, as well as since
the distinct existence ofthe sect of Methodists, whoever distin
guished themselves from their neighbors by a stricter profession
and more scrupulous performance of the duties of religion, were
occasionally styled Methodists, Methodical, Methodistical.
Be this as it may, a certain fitness in it to indicate the peculiar
habits of the first teachers of Methodism gave it general vogue ;
and it has now become, by universal consent, the appellation
of the sect which they founded.
It was to Charles Wesley and his few associates that the
name was first given. When John returned to Oxford, they
gladly placed themselves under his direction ; their meetings
acquired more form and regularity, and obtained an accession
of numbers. His standing and character in the University gave
him a degree of credit ; and his erudition, his keen logic, and
ready speech, commanded respect wherever he was known.
But no talents, and, it may be added, no virtues, can protect
the possessor from the ridicule of fools and profligates. " I
hear," says Mr. Wesley, the father of these youthful apostles,
" my son John has the honor of being styled the father of the

16 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
Holy Club : if it be so, I am sure I must be the grandfather of
it ; and I need not say, that I had rather any of my sons should
be so dignified and distinguished, than to have the title of His
Holiness." This club was finally composed of the following
persons, the originators and first champions of Methodism.
Mr. John Wesley, fellow of Lincoln College, Mr. Charles Wes
ley, student of Christ's Church, Mr. Richard Morgan, of Christ's
Church, Mr. Kirkham, of Merton College, Mr. Benjamin Ing
ham, of King's College, Mr. Broughton, of Exeter, Mr. Clayton,
of Brazen Nose College, Mr. James Hervey, author of the Medi
tations, which have acquired such celebrity, and Mr. George
Whitefield, of Pembroke College. Some six or eight of their
pupils also joined them, and the whole company amounted to
fifteen. The finger of God is evident in thus bringing together, during
the forming period of their characters, those, whom His provi
dence had appointed to be the chief agents in restoring the pow
er to the form of godliness. Mr. Whitefield always reverted to
his acquaintance with the Rev. Charles Wesley with affection
ate interest. Mr. Wesley's ministry was so full of profit and
consolation to him, that he always accounted him his spiritual
father. And the reciprocal affection felt by Mr. Wesley stands
recorded in the verses at the beginning of Mr. Whitefield's
second and third journals.
Meanwhile, it may not be unwise to retrace his spiritual
progress.. A character so ardent and precipitate by nature,
might be expected to miscarry itself, and misguide others, in
the early stages of an enterprise of breaking up inveterate
habits of spiritual drowsiness, and erecting a new standard of
religious character. Undisciplined in logic, not far-sighted or
comprehensive in the character of his mind, but vehement and
impetuous beyond example in his feelings, and of quick and
fertile imagination, he came directly at conclusions, as it were,
by intuition, which others only reached by long and laborious
deduction, and only admitted as parts of a system self-consistent
throughout. In reading a treatise entitled " The Life of God in
the Soul of Man," wherein he found it asserted, that true reli
gion is a union of the soul with God or Christ, formed within
us, a ray of divine hght, he says, instantaneously darted in
upon him, and from that moment he knew he must be a new
creature. In seeking however to attain that " peace of mind that pass
eth all understanding," his vehemence and ardency of character
betrayed him into many ill-judged processes of moral discipline
and self-subjugation.
He describes himself as having all sensible comforts with-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 17
drawn from him, overwhelmed with a horrible fearfiilness and
dread, all power of meditation, or even thinking, taken away,
his memory gone, his whole soul barren and dry, and his sen
sations, as he imagined, like those of a man locked up in iron
armor. "Whenever I knelt down," he says, "I felt great
pressure both on soul and body ; and have often prayed under
the weight of them till the sweat came through me. God only
knows how many nights I have lain upon my bed, groaning
under what I felt. Whole days and weeks have I spent in
lying prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer." In
this state he began to practice austerities, such as the monkish
discipline encourages : he chose the worst food, and affected
mean apparel ; he made himself remarkable by leaving off
powder in his hair, when every one else was powdered, because
he thought it becoming a penitent ; and he wore woollen gloves,
a patched gown, and dirty shoes, as visible signs of humility.
Such conduct drew upon him contempt, insult, and the more
serious consequence, that part of the pay on which he depended
for his support was taken from him by men who did not choose
to be served by so slovenly a servitor. Other practices injured
his health : he would kneel under the trees in Christ Church
walk, in silent prayer, shivering the while with cold, till the
great bell summoned him to his college for the night ; he ex
posed himself to cold in the morning till his hands were quite
black : he kept Lent so strictly, that, except on Saturdays and
Sundays, his only food was coarse bread and sage tea, without
sugar. ' The end of this was, that before the termination of
forty days he had scarcely strength enough left to creep up
stairs, and was under a physician for many weeks.
At the close of the severe illness which he had thus brought
on himself, a happy change of mind confirmed his returning
health ; — it may best be related in his own words. He says,
" Notwithstanding my fit of sickness continued six or seven
weeks, I trust I shall have reason to bless God for it through
the endless ages of eternity. For, about the end of the seventh
week, after having undergone innumerable buffetings of Satan,
and many months inexpressible trials, by night and by day, un
der the spirit of bondage, God was pleased at length to remove
the heavy load, to enable me to lay hold on his dear Son by a
hving faith, and, by giving me the spirit of adoption, to seal
me, as I humbly hope, even to the day of everlasting redemp
tion. But oh ! with what joy, joy unspeakable, even joy that
was full of, and big with glory, was my soul filled, when the
weight of sin went off, and an abiding sense of the pardoning
love of God, and a full assurance of faith, broke in upon my
disconsolate soul ! Surely it was the day of mv esnousals, — a
2*

Ifi MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
day tb1 Be had in everlasting remembrance. At first my joys'
were like a spring tide, and, as it were, overflowed the banks.
Go where I would I could not avoid singing of psalms almost
aloud; afterwards they became more settled, and, blessed be-
God,, saving a few casual intervals, have abode and increased
in my soul ever since."
The Wesleys at this time were in Georgia ; and some person,
who feared lest the little society, which they had formed at
Oxford, should be broken up and totally dissolved for want of a
superintendent, had written to a certain Sir John Philips of
London, who was ready to assist in religious works with his
purse, and recommended Whitefield as a proper person to be
encouraged and patronized more especially for this purpose.
Sir John immediately gave him an annuity of 201., and promis
ed to make it 307., if he would continue at Oxford ; — for if this
could be leavened with the vital spirit of religion, it would be
like medicating the waters at their spring. His illness render
ed it expedient for him to change the air ; and he went accord
ingly to his native city, where, laying aside all other books, he
devotfed himself to the study of the scriptures, reading them
uponJiis knees, and praying over every line and word. " Thus."
as he expresses himself, " he daily received fresh life, light, and
powei? from above ; and found it profitable for reproof, for cor
rection,, for instruction in righteousness, every way sufficient1
to make the man of God perfect, throughly furnished unto every
good word and work." His general character, his demeanor
at church, his visiting the poor, and praying with the prisoners,
attracted the notice of Dr. Benson, the then bishop of Glouces
ter, who sent for him one day, after the evening service, and
having asked his age, which was little more than twenty-one.
told himj that although he had resolved not to ordain any one
under three-and-twenty, he should think it his duty to ordain
him whenever he came for holy orders. Whitefield himself"
had felt a proper degree of fear at undertaking so sacred an
office ; his repugnance was now overruled by this encourao-e-
ment, and by the persuasion of his friends ; and as he prefer
red remaining at Oxford, Sir John Philips's allowance was held'
a sufficient title by the bishop, who would otherwise have-
provided liim with a cure. Whitefield prepared himself by-
abstinence and prayer ; and on the Saturday eve, retirinc to a hill
near the town, he there prayed fervently for about two hours,
in behalf of himself and those who were to enter into holy orders
at the same time. On the following morning he was ordained.1
"I trust," he says, "I answered to every question from the
bottom of my heart ; and heartily prayed that God might say'
Amen. And when the bishop laid his hands upon my head

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 19
if my vile heart doth not deceive me, I offered up my whole
spirit, soul and body, to the service of God's sanctuary." " Let
come what will, hfe or death, depth or height, I shall hence-
fprwards live like one who this day, in the presence of men and
angels, took the holy sacrament, upon the profession of being
inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon me that mi
nistration in the church. I can call heaven and earth to wit
ness, that when the bishop laid his hand upon me, I gave
myself up to be a martyr for Him who hung upon the cross
for me. Known unto him are all future events and contin
gencies ; I have thrown myself blindfold, and I trust, without
reserve, into His Almighty hands." Such were his feelings at
the hour, and they were not belied by the whole tenor of his
after life.
Bishop Benson appears to have felt a sincere regard for the
young man whom he had thus ordained, little aware of the
course which he was designed to run. Whitefield speaks at
this time of having received from the good prelate another
present of five guineas ; " a great supply," he says, " for one
who had not a guinea in the world." He began with as small
a stock of sermons as of wordly wealth. It had been his inten
tion to have prepared at least a hundred, wherewith to com
mence his ministry ; — he found himself with only one ; it
proved a fruitful one ; for having lent it to a neighboring
clergyman, to convince him how unfit he was, as he really
believed himself to be, for the work of preaching, the clergyman
divided it into two, which he preached morning and evening
to his congregation, and sent it back with a guinea for its use.
With this sermon he first appeared in the pulpit, in the church
of St. Mary de Crypt, where he had been baptized, and where
he had first received the sacrament. Curiosity had brought
together a large congregation ; and he now, he says, felt tire
unspeakable advantage of having been accustomed to public
speaking when a boy at school, and of exhorting and teaching
the prisoners and poor people at Oxford.* More than this, ho
* " Last Sunday in the afternoon I preached my first sermon in the church
where 1 was baptized, and also first received the sacrament of the Lord's Sup
per. Curiosity drew a large congregation together. The sight at first, a little
awed me. But I was comforted with a heart-felt sense of the Divine Presence ;
and as soon found the advantage of having been accustomed to public speak
ing when a boy at school, and of exhorting and teaching the prisoners, and
foor people at their private houses, whilst at the University. By these means
was kept from being daunted over-much. As I proceeded, I perceived the
fire kindled, till at last, though so young, and amidst a crowd of those who
knew me in my childish days, I trust I was enabled to speak with some degree
of gospel authority. Some few mocked, but most, for the present, seemed
struck : and I have since heard, that a complaint had been made to the Bishop,
that I drove fifteen mad the first sermon. The worthy prelate, as I am in
formed, wished that the madness might not be forgotten before next Sunday."

Z.U MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
felt what he believed to be a sense of the Divine presence, and
kindling as he went on in his belief, spake, as he thought, with
(some degree of gospel authority. A few of his hearers mocked,
but upon the greater number a strong impression was produced,
and complaint was made to the Bishop that fifteen persons had
been driven mad by the sermon. The good man replied, ha
wished the madness might not be forgotten before the next
Sunday. That same week he returned to Oxford, took his degree; and
continued to visit the prisoners, and inspect two or three charity
schools which were supported by the Methodists. With this
state of life he was more than contented, and thought of con
tinuing in the University, at least for some years, that he might
complete his studies, and do what good he might among tha
gownsmen ; to convert one of them would be as much as-con
verting a whole parish. From thence, however, he was invited
ere long to officiate at the Tower chapel, in London, during
the absence of the curate. It was a summons which he obeyed
with fear and trembling ; but he was soon made sensible of
his power ; for though the first time he entered a pulpit in the
metropolis the congregation seemed disposed to sneer at him
on account of his youth, they grew serious during' his discourse,
showed him great tokens of respect as he came down, and
blessed him as he passed along, while inquiry was made on
every side, from one to another, who he was. Two months
he continued in London, reading prayers every evening at
Wapping chapel, and twice a week at the Towej, preaching
and catechising there once ; preaching every Tuesday at Lud-
gate prison, and daily visiting the soldiers in the infirmary and
barracks. The chapel was crowded when he preached, per
sons came from different parts of the town to hear him, and
proof enough was given that an earnest minister will make an
attentive congregation.
Having returned to Oxford, the society grew under his care
and friends were not wanting to provide for their temporal
support, Lady Betty Hastings allowed small exhibitions to
some of his disciples : he himself received some marks of well-
bestowed bounty, and was intrusted also with money for the
poor. It happened after a while that Mr. Kinchin, the minister
of Dummcr, in Hampshire, being likely to be chosen Dean of
Corpus Christi College,, invited him to officiate in his parish
while he went to Oxford, till the election should be decided
Here Whitefield found himself among poor and illiterate people"
and his proud heart, he says, could not at first brook the change •
he would have given the world for one of his Oxford friends'
and "mourned for the want of them like a dove." He found!

Memoirs of whitefield: it
however, in one of Mr. Law's books, a fictitious character held
up for imitation : this ideal being served him for a friend ; and
he had soon full satisfaction, as well as full employment, in
pursuing the same round of duties as his predecessor. For the
people had been taught by their pastor to attend public prayers
twice a-day ; in the morning before they went to work, and in
the evening after they returned from it ; their zealous minister
had also been accustomed to catechise the children daily, and
visit his parishioners from house to house. In pursuance of
this plan, Whitefield allotted eight hours to these offices, eight
for study and retirement, and eight for the necessities of na
ture ; he soon learnt to love the people among whom he la
bored, and derived from their society a greater improvement
than books could have given him.
While he was in London, some letters from Ingham and the
Wesleys had made him long to follow them to Georgia ; but
when he opened these desires to his friends, they persuaded
him that laborers were wanting at home ; that he had no visi
ble call abroad ; and that it was his duty to wait and see what
Providence might point out for him, — not to do any thing
rashly. He now learned that Charles Wesley had come over
to procure assistance ; and though Charles did not invite him
to the undertaking, yet he wrote in terms which made it evi
dent that he was in his thoughts, as a proper person. Soon
afterwards came a letter from John : " Only Mr. Delamotte is
with me," said he, " till God shall stir up the hearts of some of
his servants, who, putting their lives in his hands, shall come
over and help us, where the harvest is so great, and the
laborers so few. What if thou art the man, Mr. Whitefield ?"
In another letter, it was said, " Do you ask me what you shall
have 1 Food to eat, and raiment to put on ; a house to lay
your head in, such as your Lord had not ; and a crown of
glory that fadeth not away." Upon reading this, his heart, he
says, leaped within him, and, as it were, echoed to the. call.
The desire thus formed soon ripened into a purpose, for which
all circumstances seemed favorable. Mr. Kinchin had been
elected Dean, and must therefore reside at College ; he would
take upon him the charge of his prisoners : Hervey was ready
to supply his place in the curacy ; there were many Indians
in Georgia, — for their sake it was a matter of great importance
that serious clergymen should be sent over : there he should
find Wesley, his spiritual teacher and dear friend ; a sea voy
age, too, might not improbably be helpful to his weakened con
stitution. Thus he reasoned, finding iu every circumstance
something which flattered his purpose ; and having strengthened
it by prayer into Et settled resolution, which he knew could

£2 memoirs Of whitefield:
never be carried into effect if he " conferred with flesh and blood,*
he wrote to his relations at Gloucester, telling them his design/
and saying, that if they would promise not to dissuade him, he
Would visit them to take his leave ; but otherwise he would
embark without seeing theirij for he knew his own weakness.
Herein he acted wisely, but the promise which he extorted
was not strictly observed : his aged mother wept sorely ; and
others, who had no such cause to justify their interference,
represented to him what " pretty preferment" he might have if
he would stay at home. The Bishop approved of his deter
mination, received him like a father, as he always did, and
doubted not but that God would bless him, and he would do
much good abroad. From Gloucester he went to bid his friends
at Bristol farewell. Here he was held in high honor : thd
mayor appointed him to preach before the corporation ; Qua
kers, Baptists, Presbyterians, people of all denominations, flock
ed to hear ; the churches were as full on week days as they
used to be on Sundays ; and on Sundays crowds were obliged
to go away for want of room. " The whole city," he said;
" seemed to be alarmed." But though he says that " the word
was sharper than a two-edged sword, and that the doctrine of
the new birth made its way like lightning into the hearers' con
sciences," the doctrine did not assume a fanatic tone, and pro
duced no extravagance in public.
He himself; however, was ill a state of high toned feelingj
Having been accepted by General Oglethorpe and the trus
tees, and presented to the Bishop of London and the Primate,
and finding that it would be Some months before the vessel in
which he was to embark would be ready, he went for a while
to serve the church of one of his friends at Stone-house, in
his native country ; and there he describes the habitual exalta
tion of his mind in glowing language. Uncommon manifes
tations, he says, were granted him from above. Early in the
morning, at noon-day, evening, and midnight, — nay, all the
day long, did the Redeemer visit and refresh his heart. Could
the trees of the wood speak, they would tell what sweet com
munion he and his christian brethren had; under their shade,
enjoyed with their God. " Sometimes, as I have been walk
ing," he continues, " my soul would make such sallies, that I
thought it would go out of the body. At other times I would
be so overpowered with a sense of God's infinite majesty, that
I would be constrained to throw myself prostrate on the ground,
and offer my sdul as a blank in his hands, to write on it what
he pleased- One night was a time never to be forgotten. It
happened to lighten exceedingly. I had been expounding to
many people, and some being afraid to go home, I thought it

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELH. 23
my duty to accompany them, and improve the occasion, to stir
them up to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. In my re
turn to the parsonage, whilst others were rising from their beds,
and frightened almost to death to see the lightning run upon the
ground, and shine from one part of the heavens unto the other,
I and another, a poor but pious countryman, were in the field,
praising, praying too, and exulting in our God, and longing for
that time when Jesus shall be revealed from heaven in a flame
of fire ! Oh that my soul may be in a like frame when he
shall actually come to call me !"
From hence he went again to Bristol, having received many
and pressing invitations. Multitudes came out on foot to meet
him, and some in coaches, a mile without the city ; and the peo
ple saluted and blessed him as he passed along the street. He
preached about five times a week to such congregations, that
it was with great difficulty he could make way along the crowd
ed aisles to the reading-desk. " Some hung upon the rails
of the organ-loft, others climbed upon the leads of the church,
and all together made the church so hot with their breath, that
the steam would fall from the pillars like drops of rain." When
he preached his farewell sermon, and said to the people that
perhaps they might see his face no more, high and low. young
and old, burst into tears. Multitudes after the sermon followed
him home weeping : the next day he was employed from seven
in the morning till midnight in tallving and giving spiritual
advice to awakened hearers ; and he left Bristol secretly in the
middle of the night, to avoid the ceremony of being escorted
by horsemen and coaches out of the town.
The man who produced this extraordinary effect had many
natural advantages. He was something above the middle sta
ture, well proportioned, though at that time slender, and remark
able for native gracefulness of manner. His complexion was
very fair, his features regular, his eyes small and lively, of a
dark blue color : in recovering from the measles he had con
tracted a squint with one of them; but this peculiarity rather
rendered the expression of his countenance more remembera-
ble, than in any degree lessening the effect of itsuncommon sweet
ness. His voice excelled both in melody and compass, and its
fine modulations were happily accompanied by that grace of ac
tion which he possessed in an eminent degree, and which has
been said to be the chief requisite of an orator. An ignorant
man described his eloquence oddly, but strikingly, when he said
that Mr. Whitefield preached hke a lion. So strange a com
parison conveyed no unapt a notion of the force and vehe
mence and passion of that oratory which awed the hearers, and
made them tremble* like Felix before the apostle. For believ-

¦24 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ing himself to be the messenger of God, commissioned to call
sinners to repentance, he spoke as one conscious of his high
credentials, with authority and power ; yet in all his discourses
there was a fervent and melting charity, an earnestness of per
suasion, an out pouring of redundant love, partaking of the
virtue of that faith from which it flowed, insomuch it seemed
to enter the heart which it pierced, and to heal it as with balm.
From Bristol he went to Gloucester, and preached to a very
crowded auditory, and after staying a few days went on to
Oxford, where he had an agreeable interview with the other
Methodists, and came to London about the end of August.
Here he was invited to preach, and assist in administering
the sacrament, in a great many churches. The congregations
continually increased ; and generally .on the Lord's day he
used to preach four times to very large and very much affected
auditories, and to walk ten or twelve miles in going to the dif
ferent churches. His friends began to be afraid he would hurt
himself; but he used to say, he found by experience, the more
he did, the more he might do, for God.
His name was now put into the newspapers (though without
his consent or knowledge) as a young gentleman going volun
teer to Georgia, who was to preach before the societies at their
general quarterly meeting. This stirred up the people's curi
osity more and more. He preached, on that occasion, his
sermon on Early Piety, which was printed at the request of
the societies. After this, for near three months successively,
there was no end of people's flocking to hear him, and the
managers of charity schools were continually applying to him
to preach for the benefit of the children ; for that purpose they
procured the liberty of the churches on other days of the week
besides the Lord's day ; and yet thousands went away from the
largest churches, not being able to get in. The congregations
were all attention, and seemed to hear as for eternity. He
preached generally nine times a week, and often administered
the sacrament early on the Lord's day morning, when you might
see the streets filled with people going to church with lanterns in
their hands, and hear them conversing about the things of God.
As his popularity increased, opposition increased proportion?
ably. Some of the clergy became angry ; two of them sent for
him, and told him they would not let him preach in their pul-
Eits any more, unless he renounced that part of the preface of
is sermon on Regeneration, (lately published,) wherein he
wished " that his brethern would entertain their auditors oftener
with discourses upon the new birth." Probably some of them
were irritated the more, by his free conversation with some of
the serious dissenters, who invited him to their houses and

WHITEFIELD SAILING FOR GEORGIA.

" Whitefield sailed froni the Downs for Georgia, a few hours only before the vessel which
brought Wesley back from thence, cast anchor there." p, 26.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 25
repeatedly told him, " That if the doctrines of the new birth,
and justification by faith, were' preached powerfully in tho
churches, there would be few dissenters in England." Nor
was he without opposition even from some of his friends.
But, under these discouragements, he had great comfort in
meeting every evening with a band of religious inmates, to
spend an hour in prayer for the advancement ofthe gospel, and
for all their acquaintance, so far as they knew their circumstan
ces. In this he had uncommon satisfaction : once he spent
a whole night with them in prayer and praise ; and sometimes
at midnight, after he had been quite wearied with the labors
of the day, he found his strength renewed in this exercises,
which made him compose his sermon upon Intercession.
The nearer the time of his embarkation approached, the mora
affectionate and eager the people grew. Thousands and thou
sands of prayers were put up for him. They would run and stop
him in the alleys of the churches, and follow him with wishful
looks. But, above all, it was hardest for him to part with his
weeping friends at St. Dunstan's, where he helped to administer
the sacrament to them, after spending the night before in prayer.
This parting was to him almost insupportable.

CHAPTER IIL
From the time of his embarking for Georgia, to his re^mbarking
for England, 1738.
In the latter end of December, 1737, he embarked for Geor
gia. This was to. him a new, and at first appearance, a very
unpromising scene. The ship was full of soldiers, and there
were near twenty women among them. The captain of tha
ship, and the officers of the regiment, with the surgeon, and a
young cadet, gave him to understand, that they looked upon him
as an impostor ; and for awhile treated him as such. On the
first Lord's day one of them played on the hautboy ; and noth
ing was to be seen but cards, and little heard but cursing and
blasphemy. This was a very disagreeable situation ; but it is
worth while to observe, with what prudence he was enabled to
behave among them ; and how God was pleased to bless his
patient and persevering endeavors to do them good.
He began with the officers in the cabin, in the way of miid
and gentle reproof; but this had little effect.* He therefore
• " I could do no more for a season, than whilst I was writing, now and then
to turn my head, by way of reproof, to a lieutenant of the soldiers, who swore,
as though he was bom of a swearing constitution. Sometimes he would take
a

26 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
tried what might be done between decks, among the soldiers.
And though the place was not very commodious, he read pray
ers and expounded twice a day. At first he could not see any
fruit of his labor, yet it was encouraging to find it so kindly
received by his new red coat parishioners, (as he calls them)
many of whom submitted cheerfully to be catechised about the
lessons they had heard expounded.
In this situation things continued for some time. But all
this while, he had no place for retirement ; and there was no
divine service in the great cabin, both which he greatly desired.
At last he obtained his wish : one day finding the ship captain
a little inclined to favor him, he asked him to suffer him now
and then to retire into the round-house, where the captain slept,
and offered him money for the loan of it. The captain would
not take the money, but readily granted his request. Soon
afterwards, the military captain', having invited him to dish of
eoflee, he took the liberty to tell him, "that though he was a
volunteer on board, yet as he was on board, he looked upon
himself as his chaplain, and as such, he thought it a little odd to
pray and preach to the servants, and not to the master;" and
added, "that if he thought proper, he would makense of a short
collect now and then to him, and the other gentlemen in the
great cabin." After pausing awhile, and shaking his head,he
answered, "I think we may, when we have nothing else to do."
This awkward hint was all he got for the present; yet he wa?
encouraged thereby to hope that the desired point would b«
soon gained.
They were detained in the Downs by contrary winds for neai
a month ; the soldiers, by this time, became more and mors
civilized, and the people at Deal heard him gladly. There ha
preached thrice, at the invitation of the ministers, and often
expounded in the house where he lodged. This work was very
delightful to him; but he was suddenly called away by a fair
wind, about the end of January, 1738, just after he had preach
ed in Upper Deal church.
Whitefield sailed from the Downs for Georgia a few hours
only before the the vessel which brought Wesley back from
thence cast anchor there. The ships passed in sight of each
other, but neither of these remarkable men knew that so dear
a friend was on the deck at which he was gazing. But when
Wesley landed he learned that his coadjutor was on board the
vessel in the offing: it was still possible to communicate with
him; and Whitefield was not a little surprised at receiving a
letter which contained these words: " When I saw God by the
the hint, return my nod, with a 'doctor, I ask your pardon,' and then to his
cards and swearing again." MS.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 27
wind which was carrying you out brought me in, I asked coun
sel of God. His answer you have inclosed." The inclosure
was a slip of paper with this sentence^ "Let him return to
London." Wesley doubting, from his own experience, whether
his friend could be so usefully employed in America as in
England, had referred the question to chance, in which at that
time he had great confidence, and this was the lot* which he
had drawn. But Whitefield, who never seems to have fallen
into this superstition, was persuaded that he was called to
Georgia ; and even if he had not felt that impression upon his
mind, the inconsistency of returning to London in obedience
to a lot, which had been drawn without his consent or know
ledge, and breaking the engagements which he had formed^
would have been glaring, and the inconvenience not inconsi
derable. He betook himself to prayer : the story of the prophet
in the book of Kings came forcibly to his recollection, how he
turned back from his appointed course, because another pro
phet told him it was the will of the Lord that he should do so,
and for that reason a lion met him by the way. So he pro
ceeded on his voyage.
Being again on board, he was much comforted with the
nope of doing good in the great cabin. Having no better
place, he generally every night retired with his friend, the
honorable Mr. Habersham^ and his brother, and two servants,
behind the round-house, for prayer and other religious exercises ;
sometimes he observed Captain Whiting hearkening within.
One day, finding on the captain's pillow, The Independent
Whig, he exchanged it for a book entitled, The Self Deceiver,
Next morning, the captain came smiling, and inquired who
made the exchange. Mr Whitefield confessed the charge,
and begged his acceptance of the book, which he said he had
* This remarkable instance of Wesley's predilection for the practice of
sortilege, is not noticed by either of his biographers. Whitefield himself re
flates it, in a letter published at the time of their separation. " We sailed
immediately," he adds. " Some months after, I received a letter from you at
Georgia, wherein you wrote words to this affect : ' though God never before
gave me a wrong lot, yet perhaps he suffered me to make such a lot at that
time, to try what was in your heart.' I should never," says Whitefield,
" have published this private transaction to the world, did not the glory of God
call me to it. It is plain you had a wrong lot given you here, and justly, be
cause you tempted God in drawing one." Whitefield afterwards, in his re
marks upon Bishop Lavington's book, refers to this subject in a manner which
does him honor. " My mentioning," he says, " Mr Wesley's casting a lot on
a private occasion, known only to God and ourselves, has put me to great pain.
It was wrong in me to publish a private transaction to the worlil ; and very
ill-judged to think the glory of God could be promoted by unnecessarily ex
posing my friend. For this I have asked both God and him pardon years ago.
And though I believe both have forgiven me, yet I believe I shall never for
give myself. As it was a public fault, I think it should be publicly acknowledg
ed ; and I thank a kind Providence for giving- me this opportunity of dour* :* "

28 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. ,
read, and liked very well. From thenceforward, a visible alter
ation was seen in him. The other captain also, about the same
time, met him as he was coining from between decks, and
desired, "that they might have public service, and expounding
twice a day." In April following, he thus mentions the happy
effect of their very slow passage: — •"¦ Blessed be God, we now
live very comfortably in the great cabins We talk of little else
but God and Christ ; and scarce a word is heard among us,
when together, but what has reference to our fall in the first;
and our new birth in the second Adam."
Jn about a fortnight, they reached Gibralter, whither they
were bound to take m more soldiers. There, a Major Sinclair
had been so kind as to provide a lodging for him unasked, who,
with the other military gentlemen, even Governor Sabine, and
General Columbine, received him most courteously. Being
apprehensive, that at a public military table, he might be more
than hospitality entertained ; by way of prevention, he begged
leave to remind his excellency of an observation made in the
book of Esther, on the court of the great Ahasuerus — " that
none did compel." He took the hint, and genteelly replied,
" that no compulsion of any kind should be used at his table."
And every thing was carried on with great decorum. The
officers attended at public worship with order and gravity; the
ministers also behaved with great civility ; and all concurred
to give him invitations to preach, which he did twice or thrice
in a week ¦* and in the evenings and mornings, when not on
board, he expounded, conversed, and prayed with a religious
society of soldiers, who had liberty from the governor to assem
ble at any time in the church. His evening expositions were
attended, not only by the soldiers, but by officers, ministers, and
town's people ; and from all that could be judged, his labors
were not without the divine blessing.
Finding another society of religious soldiers there, belonging
to the church of Scotland, he sent them as well as the former,
some proper books — talked with several of them, and endeavor
ed to unite both societies together ; urging in them the neces
sity of a catholic, disinterested love, and of joining in prayer
for the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom. This exhor
tation also, by the blessing of God, had a good effect ; and two
or three of the latter society, being drafted out for Georgia,
• " Strange and unusual was the scene, both with respect to the place and
people. The adjacent promontories, and the largeness of the rock of Gibraltar
helped me to enlarge my ideas of him, who in his strength setteth fast the moun
tains, and is girded about with power. And the place being, as it were a
public rendezvous for all nations, I thought I saw the world in epitome."—
Manuscript.

WHITEFIELD PREACHING TO SAILORS.

Mr. Whitefield preached with a captain on each side of him and soldiers all around, p. 29,

"' MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 29
desired leave to go into the ship with Mr. Whitefield, which
was readily allowed them.
Before the embarkation of the soldiers, by the general's con
sent, he gave them a parting discourse in the church : and
afterwards, from time to time, as the weather permitted, he
preached to them on board their respective ships. Colonel
Cochran who commanded, was extremely civil ; and soon after
setting sail, there was such a change in Captain Mackay, that
he desired Mr. Whitefield would not give himself the trouble
of expounding and praying in the cabin, and between decks,
for he would order a drum to beat morning and evening, and
he himself would attend with the soldiers on the deck. This
produced a very agreeable alteration — they were now as regu
lar as in the church. Mr. Whitefield preached with a captain
on each side of him, and soldiers all around ; and the two other
Slips' companies, being now in the trade winds, drew near
Bid joined in the worship of God. The great cabin now be
came a Bethel — both captains were daily more and more af
fected — a crucified Savior, and the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God, were the usual topics of their conversation.
Once, after sermon, Captain Mackay desired the soldiers to stop,
whilst he informed them, that to his great shame, he had been
a notorious swearer, but by the instrumentality of Mr. White-
field's preaching he had now left it off — and exhorted them,
for Christ's sake, to go and do likewise. The children were
catechised, and there was a reformation throughout the whole
soldiery. The women cried, "what a change in our captain !"
The bad books and packs of cards, which Mr. Whitefield ex
changed for bibles and other religious books, (abundance of
which were given him to disperse by the society for promoting
Christian Knoivledge,) were now thrown overboard ;_ and a
fever, that prevailed in general through the whole ship, helped
to make the impressions sink deeper. For many days and
nights he visited between twenty and thirty sick persons, crawl
ing between decks upon his knees, administering medicines
or cordials to them, and such advice as seemed suitable to their
circumstances. The sailors did not escape the fever ; and
Captain Whiting gladly went with him to visit them. One of
them, in particular, who had been a notorious scoffer, sent for
him in a bitter agony, crying out upon and lamenting his
wicked life. The cadet, who was a cabin passenger, being also
seized, was wounded deeply — told Mr. Whitefield the history
of his life, and informed Captain Mackay of his desire to leave
the army, and return to his original intention (having had a
university education) of devoting himself to the service of God.
Mr. Whitefield was also himself seized, but through the divine
3*

30 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
blessing recovered, and was soon able to perform the burial
service over the ship's cook who had lately said, " he would
be wicked till two years before he died, and then he would be
good." But, alas ! this boaster was cut off in about six hours.
They landed the beginning of May, 1 738. After preaching
his farewell sermon, he arrived at Savannah on the seventh of
that month.
Upon this voyage (many years after) he made the following
reflection : — "A long, and I trust, not altogether unprofitable
voyage. What shall I render to the Lord lor all his mercies!)
Besides being strengthened to go through my publie work, I
was enabled to write letters, and compose sermons, as though
I had been on land.. Even at this distance of time, the remem
brance of the happy hours I enjoyed in religious exercise on the
deck, is refreshing to my soul, and though nature sometimes
relented at being taken from my friends, and little accustomed
to the inconvenience of a sea life ; yet, a conciousness that I
had in view the glory of God, and the good of souls, from time
to time, afforded me unspeakable satisfaction."
One Mr. Delamot, whom Mr. John Wesley* had left as a
» The Rftv. John Wesley was of inferior size, his visage marked with in
telligence, singularly neat and" plain in his dress, a little cast in his eye, obser
vable on particular occasions ; upright, graceful, and remarkably active. Hij
understanding, naturally excellent and acute, was highly stored with tho
attainments of literature ; and he possessed a fund of anecdote and history,
&at rendered his company as entertaining as instructive. His mode of ad
dress in public was chaste and solemn, though not illuminated with thoso
coruscations of eloquence, which marked, if we may use that expression, tha
discourses of his rival George Whitefield ; but there was a divine simplicity,.
o zeal, a venerableness in his manner, which commanded attention, and never
forsook him in his latest years ; when at fourscore he retained still all the
liveliness of vigorous old age. His health was remarkably preserved amidst
a scene of labor and perpetual exertions of mind and body, to which few men
would have been equal. Never man possessed greater personal influence over
the people connected with him. Nor was it an easy task to direct so vast a
machine,, where, amidst so many hundred wheels in motion, some moved
eccentrically, and hardly yielded to the impulse of the main spring. We need
not speak of the exemplariness of his life : too many eyes were upon him to
admit of his halting; nor could his weight have been maintained a moment
longer, than the fullest conviction impressed his people, that he was an emi
nently favored saint of God, and as distinguished for his holy walk as for
his vast abilities, indefatigable labor, and sins>-ular usefulness
His enemies reviled him, ar.d would, if possible,' rob him' of the meed ol
well deserved honor, by imputing to him objects below the prize he had in
view. Never was there a more disinterested character • but he was a man
and he mast have been more than man, if, with the consciousness of his own
devotccb.ess, the divine blessing on his labors, and the hieh admiration in
whi'.h } j was held by his followers, he had not sometimes thought of himself
more highly ;han he onght to think. We exhibit no faultless monsters Elias
was a man of hke p:.ssions as ourselves. Mr. Wesley is gone to'^ivean
account of Mms-lf io his proper Judge, by whom doubtless all his inicraitv is
pardoned, and his infirmities covered. And now that envy and enmity have
teen some time laid asleep in his grave, his character rises in general estima-
Sau, and is most highly respected by those who knew him : and it will no\r

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 31
schoolmaster at Savannah, received Mr. Whitefield at the par-
sonageJiouse, which he found much better than he expected.
Having met some of Mr. Wesley's converts here, he on the mor
row read prayers, expounded in the court-house, and waited
on the magistrates ; but being taken ill of an ague and fever,
he was confined for a week.
When he recovered, he found every part bore the aspect of
an infant colony ; and, what was more discouraging still, it
appeared likely to continue so, by the nature of its constitution.
'¦ The people," he says, " were denied the use of both rum and
slaves. The lands were allotted them according to a particular
plan, whether good or bad; and the female heirs prohibited.
from inheriting. So that in reality, to- place people there on such
a footing, was little better than to tie their legs and bid them
walk. The scheme was well meant at home ; but, as too many
vears experience evidently proved, was absolutely impracticable
ra, so hot a country abroad. However, that rendered what I
had brought over from my friends, more acceptable to the poor
inhabitants ; and gave me an ocular demonstration, which
was what I wanted, when the hint was given* of the great
necessity and promising utility of a future Orphan-house, which
I now determined, by the divine assistance, to get about in
earnest. The Saltzburghers, at Ebenezer, I found had one :
and having heared and read of what Professor Franck had
done in that way in Germany, I confidently hoped that some
thing of the like nature might be owned, and succeed in
Georgia. Many poor orphans were there already, and thB
number was likely. soon to be increased. As opportunity
offered, I visited Frederica, and the adjacent villages, and often
admired, considering the circumstances and disposition of the
first settlers* that so much was really done. The settlers were
chiefly broken and decayed tradesmen from London and other
hardly be a question with any man, whether he would not rather have been
John Wesley, who died worth ten pounds, than Lavington, bishop of Exeter,
who so bitterly reviled him.
" As a man, as a christian, as a minister, we shall not, it is to be feared.
look upon his like again speedily. After passing through evil report.and good
report, during more than sixty years of incessant labor, he entered into his
rest in the 87th year of his age. Whatever ignorance of his real character,
the fatuity of prejudice, or the insolence of pride may have suggested, the day
is coming, when his great and adorable Master will condemn every tongue that
hath risen up in judgment against him, and say in the presence of men and
angels, ' Well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord !' " See an impartial and succinct History of the Church of Christ, Cy-e
Vol. III. page 274. By the Rev. T. Haweis, LL.D.and M.D. Rector of all
Saints, AldwincUe, Northamptonshire ; Chaplain to lite late Countess Dowager
qf Huntingdon.; and Chaplain to the Right Hon. the Earl of Peterborough.
* " It was first proposed to me by my dear friend, Mr. Charles Wesley, who,
with General Oglethorpe, had concerted a scheme for carrying on such a do-
, before I had any thought of going abroad myself."

32 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
parts of England, and several Scotch adventurers, (highland-
ers) who had a worthy minister, named Macleod ; a few Mo
ravians, and the Saltzburgers, who were by far the most indus
trious of the whole. With the worthy ministers of Ebenezer,
Messrs. Grenaw and Bolkius, I contractpd an intimacy. Many
praying people were in the congregation, which, with the con
sideration that so many charitable people in England had been
stirred up to contribute to Georgia, and such faithful laborers as
Messrs. Wesleys and Ingham had been sent, gave me hopes, that,
unpromising as the aspect might be, the colony might emerga
in time out of its infant state. Some small advances Mr. Ing
ham had made towards converting the Indians, who were at a
small settlement about four miles from Savannah. He went
and lived among them for a few months, and began to compose
on Indian grammar ; but he was soon called away to England ;
and the Indians, (who were only some run-away Creeks) were
in a few years scattered or dead. Mr. Charles Wesley had
chiefly acted as secretary to General Oglethorpe ; but he went
to England to engage more laborers ; and not long alter, his
brother, Mr. John Wesley, haying met with unworthy treatment,
both at Frederica and Georgia, soon followed. All this I was
apprised of; but think it most prudent not to repeat grievances.
Through divine mercy, I met with respectful treatment from
magistrates, officers, and people. The first I visited now and
then ; the others, besides preaching twice a day and four times:
on the Lord's day, I visited from house to house. I was in
general most cordially received ; but from time to time found,
that ccelnm norn animum mutant, qui trans mare currunt —
though lowered in their circumstances, a sense of what they
formerly were in their native country, remained. It was plain
to be seen, that coming over was not so much out of choice
as constraint ; choosing rather to be poor in an unknown coun
try abroad, than beholden to relations, or live among those
who knew them in more affluent circumstances at home.
Among some of these, the event, however, proved, that the
word took effectual root. I was really happy in my little
foreign cure, and could have cheerfully remained among them.
had I not been obliged to return to England, to receive priest's
orders, and make a beginning towards laying a foundation to
the Orphan-house. And thus tire place I intended to hide
myself in, became, through my being obliged to return for these
purposes, a means of increasing that popularity which was
already begun ; but which by me, was absolutely unforeseen,
and as absolutely undesigned."*
* " During my sray here, the weather was most intensely hot sometimes
burning me almost through my shoes. Seeing others do it who were as unable

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELtS. S3
In August, he settled a schoolmaster in an adjacent village ;
leaving Mr. Habersham at Savannah, and parting affectionate
ly with his flock, he went to South Carolina. At Charleston,
he paid a visit to Commissary Garden, and at his entreaty
preached the next Sabbath morning and evening, in a grand
church resembling one of the new churches in London. The
people at first despised his youth ; but his engaging address
soon gained their general esteem. Mr. Garden thanked him
most cordially, and apprised him of the ill treatment Mr. Wesley
had met with in Georgia, and assured him, that were the same
arbitrary proceedings to commence against him, he would de
fend him with his life and fortune. He also said something
about the colony of Georgia, that much encouraged him, as if
he thought its flourishing was not very far off; and that Charles
ton was fifteen times larger now, than when he (Mr. Garden)
first came there.
It had been his practice in Georgia, especially at Savannah,
to read prayers and expound, and visit the sick, twice a day.
On Sunday he expounded at five in the morning ; at ten read
prayers and preached, and at three in the afternoon : and al
seven in the evening expounded the church catechism. How
much easier was it for the clergy in England, Scotland, or
America, to find fault with such a faithful brother in the mini»-
try, than to follow his example !

CHAPTER IV.
From his embarking at Charleston for London, to his preaching first
at Moorfields, 1739.
September 6, 1738, Mr. Whitefield embarked in a ship
bound from Charleston to London. They had a very un
comfortable passage. For almost a fortnight they were beat
about not far from the bar ; they were soon reduced to an al
lowance of water ; and the ship itself was quite out of repair
They were also very poorly off for provisions. When they
had advanced about a third part of their passage, they met
with a Jamaica-man, who had plenty of every thing. He sent
for Mr. Whitefield on board, and offered him a most commodi
ous birth ; but he did not think it right to leave his shipmates
in distress, and therefore returned to his own ship, with such
things as they were pleased to give him. The remaining part
I determined to inure myself to hardships, by lying constantly on the grountL
which, by use, I found to be so far from being a hardship, that afterwards a
became so lo lie in a bed." MS.

M MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ofthe voyage was still more perilous. The only thing com
fortable was, that, in the midst of these trials, deep impressions
were made on some that were on board. All constantly attend
ed public worship twice, and some thrice, a day. Once the
captain cried out. ''Lord, break this hard heart of mine.*
Others were impressed ; particularly one Captain Gladman, a
passenger, on whom a great change was wrought, and who
afterwards, at his own earnest request, became Mr. Whitefield's
fellow traveler. At length, after nine weeks tossing and beat
ing to and fro, they found themselves in Limerick harbor.*
At Limerick, Bishop Burscough received him very kindly ^
and engaged him to preach in the cathedral, the good effects
of which he heard of many years after. From thence he went
to Dublin, where he preached and was courteously received by
Dr. Delany, Bishop Rundell, and Archbishop Bolton, Who had
heard of him from a gentleman of Gibraltar. And, after a pas
sage of twenty-four hours from Dublin, he arrived at Parkgate;
Thursday, November 30, preached twice on the Lord's day,
at Manchester, and came to London the Friday following;
December 8.
Here he had a conference wifh the Moravian brethren, who
had lately come to London ; and though he could not directly
fall in with their way of expressing themselves, yet he heartily
agreed with them in the old Protestant doctrine of justification
in the sight of God, by faith alone in the imputed righteousness
of Christ ; and was not a little delighted to find a great increase
of the work of God, both as to light and love, doctrine and
practice, through the . instrumentality of Mr. Charles, and
especially of Mr. John Wesley.
Some of the clergy now began to show their displeasure
more and more ; so that in two days five churches were denied
him. And though the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the
Bishop of London, both received him civilly, it was but coldly :
and the latter inquired, "Whether his Journals were not a little
tinctured with enthusiasm," He replied, that they were writ
ten only for himself, and private friends', and were published
entirely without his consent or knowledge, or so much as his
consent being asked at all.t The trustees for the colony of
? " I wish I could never forget what I felt when water and other provision
were brought us from ashore. One Mr. MacMahon, a country o-entleman
came from his seat at midnight pn purpose to relieve us, and mosfkindlv in-
Tiled me, though unknown, to his house to stay as long as 1 pleased " MS
t It was certainly wrong to publish them without Ins consent and revisal-
otherwise, the publication of them was a very proper way to prevent the mis^
representation of facts, either by calumny and detraction on the one hand or
hy exaggeration on the other. And it is a great pity he did not continue them.
They would have been the best possible memoirs of his life. But we see how
&»<fiS8nse given by, or taken at, some passages, might help to determine him

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 35
Georgia received him more cordially, were pleased to express
their satisfaction at the accounts sent them of his conduct dur
ing his stay in the colony: and, being requested, by letters
sent, unlviiown to him. from the magistrates and inhabitants,
they most willingly presented him to the living of Savannah,
(though he insisted upon having no salary) and as readily
granted him five hundred acres of land, whereon to erect an
Orphan-house ; to collect money for which, together with taking
priest's orders, were the chief motives of his returning to Eng
land so soon.
Nearly a month elapsed before a board sat to make him
these returns. But during that interval he was not idle. He
and his brethren went on in their usual course, preaching oc
casionally as churches were allowed them'* And though
the church wardens and clergy were averse, yet the common
people were rather more eager than ever. But what surprised
him most was, to see many of the heads and members of the
London societies (who, by the accounts given by Drs. Wood
ward and Horneck, het thought, were founded on a good bot
tom) make such virulent opposition. However, numbers of
" to proceed, (as he afterwards says) in a more compendious way.'' The
Journals were, indeed, mostly written amidst his incessant labors in preach
ing, traveling, and writing a multitude of letters. And the whole was told
with the unguarded simplicity, which, though it charms the candid, and dis
poses them to forgive or overlook many things yet gives frequent handle to
the critical and severe. It must also be owned, that his unsuspecting honesty
made him sometimes receive with too little caution, the characters of persons
and societies, from those whom he took to be the friends of religion, arid who
perhaps were, really so, but were misinformed. Being therefore convinced,
upon second thoughts, that his Journals and the two , first parts of his Life
needed correction, he promised a new edition to them, which he accordingly
published in 1756. And in the preface he ingeniously acknowledges, that
upon a review, he had found " many mistakes," (which are now rectified,) and
" many passages that were justly exceptionable," (which are now erased.)
And in a no'e, upon September 3-1, 1740, he says, "In my former journal,
taking things by hears?./ too much, I spoke and wrote too rashly, both of tha
colleges and ministers of New England ; for which as I have already done,
when at Bos;on ia-.t, from the pulpit, I take this opportunity of asking public
pardon from the press. It was rash and uncharitable, and, though well
meant, I fear did hurt." But these corrections, while they show the author's
candor and humility, do not affect the history of his extraordinary labors and
success in the work of the gospel.
* " God gave us- a most pleasant.gospel Christmas season, and such a hap
py beginning of a new year, as I had never seen before."
" On the first night of the new year," says Wesley, "Mr. Hall, Kinchin,
Ingham, Whitefield, Hutchins, and my brother Charles, were present at our
love-feast, with about sixty of our brethern. About three in the morning, as
we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon
os, insomuch, that many cried out for exceeding joy, -and many fell to the
ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement
at the presence of His majesty, we broke out with one voice, We praise thee, O
God ; we acknowledge thee lo be the Lord."
t See Dr. Woodward's Account of the Rise aad Progress of the Religions
Societies in the city of London, Sic.

38 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD,
them were of another mind, and other societies were soon
formed in various parts of the town. A large room in Fetter-
lane was the general place of rendezvous, where they had fre
quent meetings, and great satisfaction in social prayer.* At
the same time, the people crowded into the churches that were
open, and were affected more than ever. And he and his
brethren were so much engaged, that for some days he could
walk, and preach, and visit societies, with very little sleep, and
religious exercises seemed to be their meat and drink.
January 11, 1739, he set out for Oxford, to receive priest's
orders from his good friend Bishop Benson,t which he did the
next Lord's day ; and having preached and administered the
sacrament at the Castle, and preached again in the afternoon,
to a crowded congregation, he returned to London, January 15.
As he had collected so much for the charity schools last
year, he reasonably supposed that the pulpits would not be de
nied him for the use of the Georgia Orphan-house this year.
But the religious concern advancing, and spreading more and
more, opposition also increased. A pamphlet was published
against his sermon on Regeneration. Several clergymen
made strong objections against him and his brethren, for ex
pounding in societies ; and some people were threatened with
prosecution by their parish ministers, for suffering them to ex
pound in their houses. Yet this did not discourage either
preachers or hearers. The more they were opposed the more
they were strengthened. New awakenings were heard of iri
various parts; and, "What shall I do to be saved?" was tha
question every day repeated.
All the pulpits were* not as yet shut up. Two or threa
churches were allowed him to preach in, and to collect for the
Georgia orphans, and for erecting a church for the poor Saltan
* " It was a Pentecost season indeed. Sometimes whole nights were spent
m prayer. Often have we been filled as with new wine. And often have I
seen them overwhelmed with the Divine Presence, and crying out, ' WiU
God, indeed, dwell with men upon earth ! — How dreadful is this place !  This
is no other than the house of God, and the gate of Heaven !'." MS.
t Shortly after the late Countess of Huntingdon was brought to the know
ledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, Bishop Benson, who had been Lord Hun
tingdon's tutor, was sent for in order to reason with her ladyship respecting
ter opinions and conduct. But she pressed him so hard with articles and homi
lies ; and so plainly and faithfully urged upon him the awful responsibility ot
Eds station under the great head ofthe church, Jesus Christ that his temper
was ruffled, and he rose up in haste to depart, bitterly lamenting that he had
ever laid his hands on George Whitefield, to whom he imputed0 though with
out cause, the,cbange wrought in her ladyship. She called him back • " Mt
lord," said she, " mark my words : when you come upon your dying bed that
¦will be one of the few ordinations you will reflect upon with complacence >
It deserves remark, that Bishop Benson on his dying bed, sent ten guineas to
Mr. Whitefield, as a token of his favor and approbation, and begged to be ie-
membered by him in his prayers. * >c*

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 37
(burghers at Ebenezer. One Mr. Broughton behaved nobly on
¦this occasion. Application being made to him to deny Mr.
Whitefield his pulpit, he answered, " Having got the lectureship
of St. Helen's by Mr. Whitefield's influence, if he insists upon
it, he shall have my pulpit." Mr. Whitefield did insist upon it,
t>ut (Mr. Broughton loosing the lectureship) he afterwards
blamed himself much for his conduct.
In Bristol he had the use of the churches for two or three
Sundays, but soon found they would not be open very long. The
dean was not at home : the chancellor threatened to silence
and suspend him.* In about a fortnight, every door was shut,
except Newgate, where he preached, and collected for the poor
prisoners, and where people thronged, and were much impress
ed ; but this place,- also, was soon shut against him, by orders
from the mayor.
One Sunday, when Whitefield was preaching at Bermondsey
church, as he tells us, „ with great freedom in his heart, and
clearness in his voice," to a crowded congregation, near a
•thousand people stood in the church-yard during the service,
hundreds went away who could not find room, and he had ta
strong inclination to go out and preach to them from one of the
tomb-stones. " This," he says, " put me first upon thinking of
frreaching without doors. I mentioned it to some friends, who
ooked upon it as a mad notion. However we knelt down and
prayed that nothing might be done rashly. Hear and answer,
O Lord, for thy name's sake !"
About a fortnight afterwards he went to Bristol. Near that
city is a tract of country called Kingswood ; formerly, as its
name implies, it had been a royal chase, containing between
three and four thousand acres, but it had been gradually ap
propriated by the several lords whose estates lay around about
its borders : and their title, which for a long time was no better
than what possession gave them, had been legalized. The
* When Whitefield arrived at Bristol, the chancellor of that diocese had
told him that he would not prohibit any minister from lending him a church ;
but in the course of the week he sent for him, and told him he intended to stop
his proceedings. He then asked him by what authority he preached in the
diocese of Bristol without a license. Whitefield replied, " I thought that
custom was grown obsolete. And why, pray, sir, did not you ask the clergy
man this question who preached for you last Thursday 1" The chancellor
then read to him those canons which forbade any minister from preaching in
a private house. Whitefield answered, he apprehended they dici not apply to
professed ministers of the church of England. When he was informed of his
mistake, he said, " There is also a canon, sir, forbidding all clergymen to
frequent taverns and play at cards; why is not that put in execution V and
he added, that notwithstanding those canons, he could not but speak the things
which he knew, and that he was resolved to proceed as usual. The answer
was written down, and the chancellor then said, " I am resolved, .sir, if you
preach or expound any where in this diocese till you have a license, I will
first suspend, and then excommunicate you."

38 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
deer had long since disappeared, and the greater part "of the
wood also ; and coal mines having been discovered there, from
which Bristol derives its chief supply of fuel, it was now in
habited by a race of people as lawless as the foresters their
forefathers, but far more brutal, and differing as much from
the people of the surrounding country in dialect as in appear
ance. They had at that time no place of worship, for Kings-
wood then belonged to the out-parish of St. Philip and Jacob ;
and if the colliers had been disposed to come from a distance
of three and four miles, they would have found no room in the
parish church of a populous suburb. When upon his last visit
to Bristol, before his embarkation, Whitefield spoke of convert
ing the savages, many of his friends said to him, " What need
of going abroad for this 1 Have we not Indians enough . at
home 1 If you have a mind to convert Indians, there are col
liers enough in Kingswood."
Toward these colliers, Whitefield, as he says, had long felt
his bowels yearn, for they were very numerous, and yet as
sheep having no shepherd. In truth, it was a matter of duty
and of sound policy, (which is always duty,) that these people
should not be left in a state of bestial ignorance ; heathens, or
worse than heathens, in the midst of a christian country, and
brutal as savages, in the close vicinity of a city which was
then in extent, wealth, population, and commercial importance,
the second city in England. On the afternoon, therefore, of
Saturday, Feb. 17, 1739, he stood upon a mound, in a place
called Rose Green, his " first field pulpit," and preached to as
many as came to hear, attracted by the novelty of such an ad
dress. <! I thought," says he, " it might be doing the service of
my Creator, who had a mountain for his pulpit, and the hea
vens for a sounding board ; and who, when his gospel was re
fused by the Jews, sent his servants into the highways and
hedges." Not more than two hundred persons gathered around
him, for there had been no previous notice of his intention ;
and these perhaps being no way prepared for his exhortations,
were more astonished than impressed by what they heard.
But the first step was taken, and Whitefield was fully aware of
its importance. "Blessed be God," he says in his Journal, "that
the ice is now broke, and I have now taken the field. Some
may censure me ; but is there not a cause ? Pulpits are denied
and the poor colliers ready to perish for lack of knowledo-e."
At the second and third time the- numbers greatly increas
ed, till the congregation, at a moderate computation, amounted
to near twenty thousand. But with what gladness and eager
ness many of these despised outcasts, who had never been in a
church in their lives, received the word, is above description.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 39
K Having (as he writes) no righteousness of their own to re
nounce, they were glad to hear of a Jesus, who was a friend
to publicans, and came not to call the righteous, but the sin
ners, to repentance: The first discovery of their being affect
ed, was, to see the white gutters made by their tears, which
plentifully fell down their black cheeks, as they came out of
their coal pits. Hundreds and hundreds of them were soon
brought under deep convictions; which (as the event proved)
happily ended in a sound and thorough conversion. The
change was visible to all, though numbers chose to impute it
to any thing rather than to the finger of God. As the scene
was quite new, and I had but just begun to be an extempore
preacher, it often occasioned many inward conflicts. Some
times, when twenty thousand people were before me, I had not
in my own apprehension, a word to say, either to God or to
them. But I was never totally deserted; and frequently (for to
deny it would be lying against God) so assisted, that I knew
by happy experience what our Lord meant by saying, ' Out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' The open firma
ment above me, the prospect of the adjacent fields, with the
sight of thousands and thousands, some in coaches, some on
horseback; and some in the trees, and at times all affected and
drenched in tears together, to which sometimes was added the
solemnity of the approaching evening, was almost too much
for, and quite overcame me."
Besides the colliers, and thousands from neighboring vil
lages, persons of all ranks flocked daily out of Bristol. And
he was soon invited to preach, by some of the better sort, in
a large bowling green in the city itself. Many indeed sneer
ed to see a stripling, with a gown, mount a table; upon what
they called unconsecrated ground. And for once or twice
it excited the contempt and laughter of the higher ranks, who
formerly were his admirers when he preached in the churches.
But God enabled him to endure the laugh, and to preach
the gospel of Christ with earnestness and constancy ; and
was pleased to attend it with his blessing. From all quarters
people flocked, under great concern about their souls. Some
times he was employed almost from morning to night, giving
answers to those who came in great distress, crying out,
" What shall we do to be saved ?" More assistance was want
ed ; he therefore wrote to Mr. John Wesley, who had never
yet been 'at Bristol, and," having received a favorable answer,
recommended him and his brother in the strongest manner to
the people, and humbly prayed that the last might be first ;
for he was determined to pursue his scheme of the Orphan-
house, and return to his retreat in Georgia.

40 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
Mr. Wesley having come,- he took an affectionate leave of
his friends at Bristol, and made a second excursion to Wales,
where an awakening had begun some years before, by the in
strumentality of Rev. Griffith Jones, and was now carried on
by the ministry of one Mr. Howel Harris, a layman. They
met at Cardiff, and in company with many others went to
Husk, Ponty-pool, Abergravennyr Comihoy, Carleon, Trelex,
and Newport, and preached in all these places, Mr. Whitefield
first in English, and Mr. Harris afterwards in Welch, to many
thousands. The serious persons among them ofthe Free Grace
Dissenters, rejoiced ; but many of high-flying principles, and of
another stamp, were equally enraged, and expressed their dislike
by mockings and threats. All these, however, he was enabled
to bear with patience, and without the least discouragement.
About the 8th of April, from Wales he went to Gloucester,
the place of his birth, where a church was allowed him for once
or twice, but no more. However, he preached frequently in
Bobthall (the place where the judges sit) and in his brother's
field, to many thousands.* His eoncern for his countrymen,
his fellow citizens, and his own relations, made him forget all
bodily weakness (to which, about this time, he was frequently
subject,) and he readily complied with invitations given to
preach at Pains wick, Ohelterham. Evesham, Badsey, Stroud,
Chafford, places abounding with inhabitants, and where there
is ground to hope many received much spiritual benefit. To
wander thus about from place to place ; to stand at bowling
greens, at market crosses, and in highways, especially in hie
own country, where, had he conferred with flesh and blood, he
might have lived at ease ; to be blamed by friends, and have
every evil thing spoken against him by his enemies ; was
* At the time of Mr. Whitefield's preaching in Gloucester, old Mr. Cole, a
dissenting minister, used to say, " These are the davs of the Son of Man in
deed." This Mr. Cole, Mr. Whitefield, when a boy, was taught to ridicule.
Being asked once by one of his congregation, what business he would be of,
he said, " A minister ; but he would take care never to tell stories in the pul
pit like old Cole." About twelve years afterwards, the old man hearing him
preach, and tell some story to illustrate the subject he.was upon, and having
teen informed what he had before said, made this remark to one of his elders :
" I find that young Whitefield can now tell stories, as well as old Cole." He
was much affected with Mr. Whitefield's preaching, and so humble, that he used
to subscribe himself his curate ; and went about preaching after him in the
country from place to place. But one evening, while preaching, he was
Btruck with death, and then asked for a chair to lean on, till he concluded his
sermon, when he was carried up stairs and died. Mr. Whitefield's reflection
upon this, is, " O blessed God ! if il be thy holy will, may my exit be like his !"
As to Mr. Whitefield's telling stories in the pulpit, some perhaps may find
fault ; but, besides that he had an uncommon fund of passages, proper enough
•to be thus told, and a peculiar talent of telling them, it was certainly a means
of drawing multitudes to hear him, who would not have attended to the truths
«f the gospel delivered in the ordinary manner.

FIELD PREACHJN.

" I thought it might be doing tho service ofmy Creator, who had a
mountain for a pulpit, and the heavens for a sounding board; and
who when his gospel was refused by the Jew?, Kent his servants into
the highways and hedges."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 41
(especially when his body was weak, and his spirits low) very
trying : but still he was inwardly supported.
April 21, he again went to Oxford : and, after staying a few
days with the Methodists there, came to London, where he
attempted to preach in Islington church, the incumbent, Mr.
Stonehouse, being a friend to the Methodists ; but, in the midst
of the prayers, the church warden came and demanded his
license, and otherwise he forbid his preaching in that pulpit.
He might, perhaps, have insisted on his right to preach, yet
for peace's sake he declined ; and, after the communion service
was over, he preached in the church yard.
Opportunities of preaching in a more regular way being now
denied him, and his preaching in the fields being attended with
a remarkable blessing, he judged it his duty to go on in this
practice, and ventured the following Sunday into Moorfields.
Public notice having been given, and the thing being new and
singular, upon coming out of the coach, he found an incredi
ble number of people assembled. Many had told him that he
should never come again out of that place alive. He went in,
however, between two of his friends ; who, by the pressure of
the crowd, were soon parted entirely from him, and were
obliged to leave him to the mercy of the rabble. But these,
instead of hurting him, formed a lane for him, and carried him
along to the middle of the fields, (where a table had been placed,
which was broken in pieces by the crowd,) and afterwards
back again to the wall that then parted the upper and lower
Moorfields ; from whence he preached without molestation, to
an exceeding great multitude in the lower fields. Finding
such encouragement, he went that evening to Kennington
common, a large open place, almost three miles distant From
London, where he preached to a vast multitude, who were all
attention, and behaved with as much regularity and quietness
as if they had been in a church.*

CHAPTER V.
From his preaching in Moorfields, §c. to his laying the foundation
• of the Orphan-house in Georgia, 1710.
For several months after this, Moorfields, Kennington com
mon, and Blackheath, were the chief scenes of action. At a
moderate computation, the auditories often consisted of above
twenty thousand. It is said, their singing could be heard two
* " Words cannot well express theglorious displays of Divine Grace which
we saw, and heard of, and felt." M.">- 4*

42 MEMOIRS OF WITITEFIELEv
miles off, and his voice near a mile. Sometimes there were
upwards of a hundred coaches, besides wagons, scaffolds, and
other eontrivances, which particular persons let out for the
convenience of the audience. Having no other method to
take, he was obliged to collect for the Orphan-house in the
fields, or not at all, which was humbling to him and his friends
who assisted him in that work. Jiut the willingness with
whieh the people gave, and the prayers which they put up
upon throwing in their mites, were very encouraging. In the
mean while Mr. John Wesley was laboring with great zeal at
Bristol, and his brother, Mr. Charles, in London and elsewhere ;
Mr. Ingham had been preaching in many churches of York-
shire,.Mr. Kinchin in Oxford, and Mr. Rogers in Bedfordshire.
Thus the seed sown was gradually increased, and the embargo
whkri was now laid on the shipping, gave him leisure for more
journeys through various parts of England; and God was
pleased to crown his labors with amazing success.
Some demur happening in Bristol, he went there for a few
days,, but Mr. John Wesley (who had now made progress in
building the Kingswood school, and also had begun a room at
Bristol in full power.) now took him along with him, and in
troduced him as a field preacher at Gloucester and other places.
Every where the word seemed to sink deeper into the hearts of
the hearers. Singing and praying were heard in Kingswood,.
instead of cursing and swearing ; and in many other places
the fruits of righteousness evidently appeared.
Many false reports were now spread abroad concerning him.
Not a journey he could make, but he was either killed or
wounded ; or died suddenly. One groundless fiction was con
tinually invented after another, and the bishop of London laid
hold of this occasion for publishing a charge to his clergy to
avoid the extremes of enthusiasm and luke-warmness. But
amidst these discouragements, he was not left without tho
countenance and friendship of several persons of influence.
The embargo being taken off, and upwards of a thousand*
pounds collected for the Orphan-house, he sailed, the second time
for America, August 14, 1739, with a family consisting of eight'
inen, one boy, and two children, besides his friend Mr. Seward.
After a passage of nine weeks, he arrived at Philadelphia in
the beginning of November, and was immediately invited to'
preach in the churches, to which people of all denominations
thronged as in England.* From thence he was invited to'
* " The effects produced in Philadelphia at this time by the preaching of Mr
Whitefield, were truly astonishing. Numbeis of almost all religious denomi
nation-!, and many who had ,no connection with any denomination were
liraught to inquire, with the utmost earnestness, what they should do tu be'savei

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 43
New York, by Mr. Noble, the only person with whom he had
an acquaintance in that city. Upon his arrival, they waited on
the commissary ; but he refused him the use of his church. Mr.
Whitefield, therefore, preached in the fields, and on the evening
of the same day, to a veiy thronged and attentive audience in the
Rev. Mr. Pemberton's meeting house ; and continued to do so
twice or thrice a day for above a week, with apparent success.
On his way to and from Philadelphia, he also preached at
Elizabethtown, Maidenhead, Abington, Neshaminy, Burlington,
and New Brunswick, in New Jersey, to some thousands gath
ered from various parts, among whom there had been a con
siderable awakening, by the instrumentality of a Mr. Freliiig-
huysen, a Dutch minister, and the Messrs. Tennents, Blair,
and Rowland.* He had also the pleasure of meeting with the
venerable Mr. Tennant as well as his sons, and with Mr. Dick-
inson.t It was no less pleasing than strange to him, to see
Buch was the earnestness ofthe multitude to listen to spiritual instruction, that
(here was public worship regularly twice a day for a year ; and on the Lord's
day it was celebrated generally three, and frequently four times. An aged man,
deeply interested in the scenes which then were witnessed, has informed the
writer, that the city (not then probably a third as ktrge as it now is) contained
twenty-six societies for social prayer and religious conferences ; and probably
there were others not known to him." — Memoirs of Mrs. Hannah Hodge, pub
lished in Philadelphia, 1KM.
During this visit to Philadelphia he preached frequently after night from
the gallery of the court hou<e in Market Street. Sj loud was his voice at
that time, that it was distinctly heard on the Jersey shore, and so distinct was
his speech, that every word he said was understood on board of a shallop at
Market Street wharf, a distance of upwards of four hundred feet from the
court house. All the intermedia'e space was crowded with his hearers. This
fact was communicated to the recorder of it by a gentleman lately deceased,
who was in the shallop.
* This truly pious and eloquent man, being invited to preach in the Baptist
church, proclaimed the terrors of the divine law with such energy to those
whose souls were alreadv sinking under them, that a few fainted away. On
this occasiivn, however, his error was publicly corrected by the Rev. Gilbert
Tennent, who, standing at the foot of the pulpit, and seeing the effect produ
ced on the assembly, interrupted and arrested the preacher by this address r
' Brother Rowland, is there no balm in Gilead 1 — is there no physician there V
Mr. Rowland, on this, changed immediately the terror of his address, and
sought to direct to the Savior those who were overwhelmed with a sense of
(heir guilt : but, before this bad taken place, numbers were carried out of tho
church in a state of insensibility.
t " Mr. Tennent, and his brethren in presby'ery, intend breeding up gra
cious youths for our Lord's vineyard. The place wherein the young men now
study, is a log house, about twenty feet long, and nearly as many broad. From
this despised place, seven or eight worthy ministers of Jesus have been sent
forth, ai.d a foundation is now laving-for the instruction of many others. Tha
work, I am persuaded, is of God, and therefore will not come to- nought." —
Journals, November 22, 1739.
The event has verified his judgment abont this ins'itutin-'. It is now a large
college at Princeton, New Jersey; and has alreadv had many woithy presi
dents (some of whose names are wel! known in the learned world) such as
Mr. Dickinson, Mr. Burr, Dr. Jonathan Edwards, Dr. Samuel Davies, Dr. S.
Finlfiy, and Dr. Witherspoun ; men pre-eminent for mental endowments ami,
inquisitions.

44 MEMOIRS OF WIJITEFIELD. '
such gatherings in a foreign land; ministers and people shed
ding tears ; sinners struck with awe ; and serious persons, who
had been much run down and despised, filled with joy. Mean
while the Orphan-house affairs went on well. The cargo
brought from England, was sold for their benefit. A vessel
was purchased, of which Captain Gladman was master ; and
a young man who had lately received serious impressions un
der Mr. Whitefield's preaching, willingly offered himself as
mate. Many little presents were made to his family for sea
stores, and the intended house. About the end of November,
he took his leave of his family, and ordered them to proceed
on their voyage to Savannah, while he himself, with Mr. Sew
ard, and two more determined to go thither by land.
Numbers followed, some twenty, some sixty miles out from
Philadelphia. He preached at Chester, Wilmington, Newcas
tle (where he was met on the way by Mr. Ross, minister of the
place) Christjanbridge and Whitely Creek, where Mr. William
Tennent (whose meeting house is in the neighborhood) had
erected a tent for him. Here he observed new scenes of field
preaching, or rather preaching in the woods, opened to him.
At Whitely Creek, perhaps the congregation did not consist of
less than ten thousand. Earnest invitatior.s were given him
to come and preach elsewhere ; which he hrd great encourage
ment to do, from the visible success of his latofs ; but he hasted
to be with his family at Savannah.
In his way thither, he also preached in Maryland, at North
East and Joppa, and at Annapolis, the capital, where he was
received with much civility by the governor, and at Upper
Marlborough. In Virginia also, he preached at Williamsburg!], where lie
was courteously received by the governor, and Ly Mr. Blair,
the commissary, whom he speaks of with gicat regard. When
he came to North Carolina, he thought it seemed to be the
greatest waste, and the most uncultivated of spots, both in a
temporal aud spiritual sense. Yet here, in a place called New-
hern, his preaching was attended with an mxemmen influence.
And it was not without effect at Newton, rn Cape Fear river,
where were may from Scotland aircraft the congregation)
who had lately come over to settle in North Carolina.
Immediately on coming into South Caiolina, a visille change
was observable in the manners of the peojie. And when he
came to Charleston, (which was on Saturday, January 3, 1740)
he could scarcely believe but he was amongst Londoners both
in respect of gaiety of dress, and politeness of manners.'
Here he soon perceived, that by field preaching he had lost
his old friend the commissary, who once promised to defend

WHITEFIELD IN AN OPEN BOAT.

Next morning he and his companions set out in a canoe for Savannah.

p. 45.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 43
him with life and fortune. However, at the request of tho
Independent minister (who continued his friend to his dying
day) he preached in his meeting house. At the first sermon,
all was gay and trifling, no impression seemingly made at all.
But next morning, in the French church, the scene was quite
altered. A visible and almost universal concern appeared.
Many of the inhabitants earnestly desired him to give them one
sermon more ; for which purpose he was prevailed upon to put
off his journey till the next day ; and there was reason to think
his stay was not in vain.
Next morning, he and his companions set out in a canoe for
Savannah ; and on their way, for the first time, lay in the
woods, upon the ground, near a large fire, which keeps off
wild beasts ; upon which he makes this reflection : " An em
blem, I thought, of the divine love and presence keeping off
evils and corruptions from the soul."
On his arrival at Savannah, January 11, he was very
happy to meet his family, who had reached there three weeks
before him ; and to find by letters from England, New York,
&c, that the work of God prospered. But it was a melan
choly thing to see the colony of Georgia reduced even to a
much lower "ebb than when he left it, and almost deserted by
all but such as could not well go away. Employing these,
therefore, he thought would be of singular service, and the
money expended might be also a means of keeping them in
the colony.
Before his arrival, Mr. Habersham had pitched upon- a plot
of ground for the Orphan-house, of five hundred acres, about
ten miles from Savannah, and had already began to clear and
stock it. The orphans, in the mean time, were accommodated
in a hired house. On this, many years after, he makes the
following reflections : " Had I proceeded according to the rules
of prudence, I should have first cleared the land, built the
house, and then taken in the orphans ; but I found their con-
condition so pitiable, and the inhabitants so poor, that I imme
diately opened an infirmary, hired a large house at a great
rent, and took in, at different times, twenty-four orphans. To
all this I was encouraged by the example of Professor Franck.
But I forgot to recollect, that Professor Franck built in Glau-
cha. in a populous country, and that I was building in the
very tail of the world, where 1 could not expect the least sup
ply, and which the badness of its constitution, which every
day I expected would be altered, rendered by far the most
expensive part of all his majesty's dominions. But had I
received more, and ventured less, I should have suffered less,
and others more."

46 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
The first collection he made in America was at tho Ret.
Mr. Smith's meeting house in Charleston, whither he went
about the middle of March, to see his brother, the captain of
a ship from England. He was desired, by some of the in
habitants, to speak in behalf of the poor orphans ; and the
collection amounted to seventy pounds sterling. This was no
(small encouragement to him at that time; especially as he had
reason to think it came from those who had received spiritual
benefit by his ministrations.
Having returned to Savannah, he went to the spot of
ground where he intended the Orphan-house should be built ;
and, upon the 25th day of March, 1740, laid the first brick of
the great house, which he called Bethesda, i. e. a house of
mercy* By this time, near forty children were taken in, to be
provided with food and raiment ; and, counting the workmen
and all, he had near a hundred to be daily fed. He had very
little money in the bankj and yet he was not discouraged;
being persuaded that the best thing he could do at present for
the infant colony was to carry on the work;

CHAPTER VI.
Prom his laying the foundation of his Orphan-house in Georgia, to
his arrival in England, 1741.
Mr. Whitefield again set off in a sloop for Newcastle,
in Delaware, where he arrived in ten days, extremely weak
in body, and his spirits much depressed ; yet, as he afterwards
observed, Providence was infinitely better to him than his
fears, and exceeded his most sanguine expectations ; for his
strength was surprisingly increased, insomuch, that during
the space of two months, he was enabled to preach two or
three times a day.
At Philadelphia the churches were now denied him. Ho
therefore preached in the fields, and large collections wero
made for the Orphan-house ; once, one" hundred and ten
pounds sterling. Societies for praying and singing were set
on foot,' and in every part of the town, many were concerned
about their salvation. f "Many negroes came," says Mr.
Whitefield, " some inquiring, have I a soul 1"
* Long after this he writes, " Blessed be God, I have not been disappointed
in the hope, that it would be a house and place of mercy to many, both in
respect to body and soul."
t A church was formed by the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, out of those who wero
denominated the followers and converts of Mr. Whitefield. No less than 140
individuals were received at first, after a strict examination, as members ot

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 47
At New York, New Brunswick, Staten Island, Baskenridge,
Whitely Creek, Frog's Manor, and Reedy Island, there waa
great concern upon the minds both of the preacher and
hearers. Sometimes he was almost dead with heat and fatigue.
Thrice a day he was lifted upon his horse, unable to mount
otherwise ; then rode and preached, and came in and laid
himself along upon two or three chairs. He did not doubt
that such a course would soon take him to his desired rest
Yet he had many delightful hours with Messrs. Tennents,
Blair, &c. " Night," says he, " was as it were turned into
day, when we rode singing through the woods. I could not
help recommending these men, wherever I went, in the strong
est manner, because I saw they gloried in the cross of Christ."
In a Journal written by Mr. William Seward, (Mr. White-
field's companion in traveling.) we have the following particu
lars relating to this period.
" April 9, 1749. Mr. Whitefield proposed my going to Eng
land upon several important affairs, particularly to bring over
Mr. Hutchins to take care of the Orphan-house in his absence
— to acquaint the trustees of Georgia with the state of the
colony, and the means under God, for the better establishment
thereof, it being now upheld almost wholly by the soldiery
and Orphan-house, most of the people who are unconcerned
in either, being gone or about to go. The proper means are
principally three : 1. An allowance of negroes. 2. A free-
title to the lands. 3. An independent magistracy, viz. such
as are able and willing to serve without, fee or reward. My
business with the trustees will be farther, to bring over the
money lodged in their hands for building the church at Sa
vannah. I am, moreover, to collect subscriptions for a negro
school in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Wriitefield proposes to
take up land, in order to settle a town for the reception of
those English friends, whose hearts God shall incline to come
and settle there.
"April 13. Mr. Tennent informed us of the great success
which had attended Mr. Whitefield's preaching when here
last. For some time a general silence was fixed by the Lord
on the people's minds, anel many began seriously to think on
what foundation they stood. A general outward reformation
has been visible. Many ministers have been quickened in their
zeal to preach the word in season and out of season. Congrega-
fliis newly constituted church. The admission of a large number more was
delayed, only because their exercises and spiritual state had not yet attained
such maturity as to afford satisfaction to themselves, or to the officers of the
church. — See Memoirs of Mrs. H. Hodge.

48 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
tions are increased, and some few, it is hoped, will be brought
through their convictions, into a sound and saving conversion.
"April 14. Mr. Jones, the Baptist minister, told us of two
other ministers, Mr. Treat and Mr. Morgan, who were so af
fected with Mr. Whitefield's spirit, that the latter had gone
forth preaching the glad tidings of salvation towards the sea
coast in New Jersey, and many other places which lay in
darkness and the shadow of death. The former told his con
gregation that he had been hitherto deceiving himself and
them, and he could not preach to them at present, but desired
they would join in prayer with him.
"April 15. We were informed that an Indian trader was
so affected with Mr. Whitefield's doctrine, that he was gone to
teach the Indians, with whom he used to trade.
"April 18. This day was published, Mr. Whitefield's letter
to the inhabitants of Maryland, Virginia, North and South
Carolina, about the abuse of the poor negroes.
" Heard of a drinking club that had a negro boy attending them,
who used to mimic people for their diversion. The gentiemen
bid him mimic Mr. Whitefield, which he was unwilling to dos
but they insisting upon it, he stood up and said, '/ speak the
truth in Christ, I lie not ; unless you repent, you will all be
damned? This unexpected speech broke up the club, which
has not met since.
"Notice was given of a new lecture at Germantown every
Thursday, by four ministers.
"April 22. Agreed with Mr. Allen for five thousand acres
of land on the forks of Delaware, at 2,2007. sterling, the
conveyance to be made to Mr. Whitefield, and after that as
signed to me, as security for my advancing the money. Mr,
Whitefield proposes to give orders for building the negro school
on the purchased land, before he leaves the province.
"April' 24. Came to Christopher Wigner's plantation in
Skippack, where many Dutch people are settled, and where the
famous Mr. Spalemburg lately resided. It was surprising to
cee such a multitude of people gathered together m such a
wilderness country, thirty miles distant from Philadelphia
Mr. Whitefield was exceedingly carried out, in his sermon, to
press poor sinners to come to Christ by faith, and claim all then-
privileges ; viz. not only righteousness and peace, but joy in the
Holy Ghost; and after he had done, our dear friend, Peter Bon
ier, preached in Dutch, to those who could not understand Mr.
Whitefield in English.
"Before Mr. Whitefield left Philadelphia, he was desired to
visit one who was under a deep sense of sin, from hearino- him
preach. In praying with this person, he was so carried be-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 49
yond himself, that the whole company (which were about twen
ty) seemed to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and magnified
the God of heaven.
" April 25. Arose at 3 o'clock ; and though Mr. Whitefield
was very weak in body, yet the Lord enabled him to ride near
ly fifty miles, and to preach to about five thousand people at
Amwell, with the same power as usual. Mr. Gilbert Tennent,
Mr. Rowland, Mr. Wales, and Mr. Campbell, four godly min
isters, met us here.
"April 26. Came to New Brunswick. Met Mr. Noble
from New York, a zealous promoter of our Lord's kingdom.
He said then society at New York was increased from seventy,
to one hundred and seventy, and was daily increasing ; and
that Messrs. Gilbert and William Tennent, Mr. Rowland, and
several others, were hard laborers in our Lord's vineyard.
" April 28. Had a most affectionate parting with our dear
Mr. Whitefield, and our other brethren."
The rest of Mr. Seward's journal was written mostly during
his passage to England, where he arrived June 19, and with
which it concludes. Mr. Whitefield, in the new edition of his
Journals, 1756, observes, "April 28, 1740. This was the last
time I saw my worthy friend ; for before my return to England,
he was entered into his rest, having left behind, a glorious
testimony of the transforming efficacy of everlasting grace.
This hath also been the happy case of his brother Benjamin,
who lately finished his course with joy."
With great joy Mr. Whitefield again arrived at Savannah,
June 5, bringing in money and provisions more than five hun
dred pounds sterling; and to his great encouragement, the
minds of many were wonderfully impressed, and there evident
ly appeared the strongest marks of the divine blessing on the
undertaking. His family was now increased to one hundred
and fifty, and his friends believing the work to be of God, con
tinued cheerfully to assist him.
Though he was now very weak in body, yet the cry from
various quarters for more preaching, and the necessity of sup
plying so large a family, made him go again to Charleston,
where, as well as at many other towns, the people thronged.
Charleston was the place of his greatest success, and of the
greatest opposition. The commissary thundered anathemas,
and wrote against him, but all in vain ; for his followers and
success still more and more increased. He preached twice
almost every day to great crowds, in the Independent and Bap
tist meeting house ; besides expounding in the evening in mer
chants' houses. Thus he went on successfully, though often
ready to die with excessive heat. 5

50 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
At the end of August, having received letters of invitation
from the Rev. Dr. Colman and Mr. Cooper, ministers in
Boston ; and longing to see the descendants of the stern old
Puritans, and their seats of learning, he sailed in the Orphan-
house sloop for New England, in company with several
Charleston friends, and arrived in Rhode Island, September 14,
Here he was visited (among others) by the Rev. Mr. Clap, a
very venerable and aged dissenting minister, (in whom he
thought he saw what manner of men the old Puritans were)
who procured him the church, in which he preached twice a
day, to numerous and deeply affected auditories.
This was a good entrance into New England, and before
he reached Boston his encouragement increased ; for being met
ten miles from that city by the governor's son, and a tram of
the clergy and principal inhabitants, they conducted him to
Mr. St — nf — rd's, brother-in-law to Dr. Colman, who with Mr,
Cooper and others came and joined in prayer.
Jonathan Belcher, Esq. was then governor of the Massa^
chusetts colony, and Josiah Willard, secretary. Both thes»
gentlemen were his sincere friends : so were the ministers,
Messrs. Webb, Foxcraft, Prince, Dr. Sewall, Gee, &c. To
avoid, however, giving any just offense, he went to the English
church ; but not being permitted to preach there, he began at
Dr. Colman's meeting-house, and then preached in all the rest,
and sometimes on the common.
The governor, the secretary, and several of the council gene
rally attended, treating him with the greatest respect. Old Mr.
Walter, successor to Mr. Elliot, commonly called the apostle of
the Indians, at Roxbury, said, "it was Puritanism revived."
And Dr. Colman said, " that it was the happiest day he ever
saw in his life."
He preached also at many other places, to great multitudes
of people. Gentlemen of the greatest repute had their houses
open in every place : collections were readily made for the
orphans : and in about a week, having preached sixteen times,
and rode one hundred and seventy miles, he returned to Boston,
October 6.
Here the congregations still increased, and his labors were
crowned with increasing success. At his farewell sermon, it
was supposed there were about twenty thousand people.
He received a great number of letters, and could have spent
whole days in conversing with those that came lo him under
soul concern. Ministers and students attended, and even little
children were impressed. The contributions for the orphans
amounted to nearly five hundred pounds sterling.
He next went to Northampton, having an earnest desire to

Memoirs of whitefield. 61
nee the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and to receive from the mouth
of that eminent divine, an account of a remarkable conversion
there. At every place on the road pulpits were open, and a
divine unction attended his preaching.
At Northampton, when he came to remind them of what
God had formerly done for them, it was like putting fire to tin
der. Both minister and people were much moved ; as wero
the children of the family, at an exhortation which their father
desired Mr. Whitefield to give them.
After leaving Northampton, he preached in every town to
large and affected congregations. October 23, he reached New
Haven.* where he was affectionately received by Mr. Pierpont,
brother-in-law to Mr. Jonathan Edwards, and had the pleasure
of seeing his friend Mr. Noble, of New York, who brought him
letters from Georgia. It being assembly time, and the governor
and burgesses then sitting, he stayed till the Sabbath and had
the pleasure to see numbers impressed. The good old governor
was affected in a particular manner, and at a private visit which
Mr. Whitefield paid him, said, " thanks be to God for such re
freshings in our way to heaven."
On Monday morning he set forward and preached with un
usual success at Milford, Stratford, Fairfield, Nor walk, and
Stamford, where he was visited by some ministers under deep
concern. This was on the borders of New York province, into which
he now again entered, and preached at Rye and Kingsbridge,
on his way to the city of New York, where he arrived October
30. Here for three days successively, and afterwards at Staten
Island, Newark, Baskenridge, his preaching appeared to be at
tended with more success than ever. At Trenton he had a
long conference with some ministers, about Mr. Gilbert Ten-
nent's complying with an invitation to go and preach in New
England. After prayer, and considering the arguments, both
* " The attention of the people in general was greatly awakened upon hear
ing the fame of him, that there was a remarkable preacher from England,
traveling through the country. The people flocked to hear him when he
came to New Haven. Some traveled twenty miles out of the country to
hear him. The assemblies were crowded, and remarkably attentive ; people
appeared generally to approve, and their conversation turned chiefly upon
him and his preaching. Some disapproved of several things which occasion
ed considerable disputes. I heard him when he preached in public, and when
he expounded in private in the evening, and highly approved of him, and was
somewhat impressed by what he said in public and in private. He preached
against mixed dancing and the frolicking of males and females together ; which
practice was then very common in New England. This offended some, es
pecially young people. But I remember I justified him in this in my own
mind, and in conversation with those who were disposed to condemn him.
This was in October, 1740, when I had entered on my last year in college." —
See Memoh'S of Dr. Samuel Hopkins.

52 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
for and against this proposal, they thought it best he should go;
which, however diffident of himself, he was persuaded to da
And his ministrations were attended with an extraordinary
blessing to multitudes, as is particularly narrated elsewhere.*
What sort of reception Mr. Whitefield had in New England,
will farther appear from the following letters of some eminent
ministers of Boston, and the adjacent towns, published by the
Rev. Josiah Smith, of Charleston,, in the South Carolina Ga
zette "October 1,1740.
" Rev. and dear Sir,
" Your kind letter by Mr. Whitefield, and your other, are
both now before me. You raised our expectations of him very
much, as did his Journals more, and Mr. P. of New York, con
curred with them ; but we own, now that we have seen and
heard him, that our expectations are all answered, and exceeded,
not only in his zealous and fervent abounding labors, but in
his command of the hearts and affections of his hearers. He
has been received here as an angel of God, and a servant of
Jesus Christ. I hope this visit to us will be of very great use
and benefit to ministers and people. He has found his heart
and mouth much open to speak freely and boldly to us, and he
finds it received with joy."

By the same gentleman

" November 29, 1740.

"Rev. and dear Sir,
" Mr. Whitefield left us seven weeks ago ; the last week we
heard of him in Philadelphia. I hear that much of the pre
sence of God is with him. He has left a blessing behind him,
we hope with us. Our people, high and low, old and young,
are very swift to hear. The excellent meekness of Mr. White-
field's Answer to the Querists, will honor him to you."
Another writes thus : "October 22, 1740.
"Though it is aiways a singular pleasure to me to hear from
you, yet your two letters by Mr. Whitefield, had a new circum
stance of pleasure from the dear hand that presented them
I perceive you were impatient to know what sort of introduc
tion he had among us. We (ministers, rulers, and people)
* See Prince's Christian History, or, Historical Collections of the Success
of the Gospel, "Vol. II. where the facts are set down in the order of time
About this time Mr. Whitefield wrote his letter to some ehurch members of
the Presbyterian persuasion, in answer to certain scruples and queries which
tney had proposed.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 53
generally received him as an angel of God. When he preach
ed his farewell sermon in our common, there were twenty-
three thousand, at a moderate computation. We are abun
dantly convinced, that you spoke the words of truth and so
berness in your sermon relating to him, Such a power and
presence of God with a preacher, and in religious assemblies,
I never saw before ; but I would not limit the Holy One of
Israel. The prejudices of many are quite conquered, and the
expectations of others vastly outdone, as they freely own. A
considerable number are awakened, and many christians seem
to be greatly quickened. He has preached twice at Cambridge ;
he has one warm friend there, Mr.  , the tutor, who has
followed him to Northampton, and will, for aught I know, to
Georgia. But Mr. Whitefield has not a warmer friend any
where, than the first man among us. Our governor has showed
him the highest respect, carried him in his coach from place to
place, and could not help following him fifty miles out of town,
I hope the religion of the countiy will fare the better for the
impressions left on him."
The same gentleman writes, "December 2, 1740.
" The man greatly beloved, I suppose, may be with you
before now. That his visit here will be esteemed a distin
guished mercy of heaven by many, I am well satisfied. Every
day gives me fresh proofs of Christ's speaking in him. A
small set of gentlemen amongst us, when they saw the affec
tions of the people so moved under his preaching, would at
tribute it only to his force of voice and gesture. But the im
pressions on many are so lasting, and have been so transform
ing, as to carry plain signatures of a divine hand going along
with him."
Another gentleman writes, " November 1, 1740.
" I received yours by the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, with whom
I coveted a great deal more private conversation than I had
opportunity for, by reason of the throngs of people almost per
petually with him. But he appears to be lull of the love of
God, and fired with an extraordinary zeai for the cause of
Christ, and applies himself with the most indefatigable dili
gence, that ever was seen among us, for the promoting the
good of souls. His head, his heart, his hands, seem to be full
of his Master's business. His discourses^ especially when he
goes into the expository way, are very entertaining. Every
eye is fixed upon him, and everv ear chained to his lips. Most

54 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
are very much affected ; many awakened and convinced, and
a general seriousness excited. His address, more especially to-
the passions, is wonderful, and beyond what I have ever seen.
I think I can truly say, that his preaching has quickened me,
and I believe it has many others besides, as well as the people.
Several of my flock, especially the younger sort, have been
brought under convictions by his preaching ; and there is this
remarkable thing showing the good effect of his preaching,
that the word preached now by us, seems more precious to
them^ and comes with more power upon them. My prayer for
him is, that his precious life may be lengthened out, and that
he may be an instrument of reviving dying religion in all places
whithersoever he comes, who seems to be wonderfully fitted for,
as well as spirited in it."
Saturday, November 8, Mr. Whitefield came back to Philadel
phia, and on the next day preached to several thousands in a
house built for that purpose since his last departure. Here ho
both heard'of and saw many, who were the fruits of his former
ministrations ; and continued among them till November 17,
preaching twice a day. Afterwards he preached in Gloucester,
Greenwich, Pilesgrove, Cohansie, Salem, Newcastle, Whiteley
Creek,- Frog's Manor, Nottingham ; in many or most of which
places the congregations were numerous, and deeply affected.
November 22, he reached Bohemia in Maryland, and from
thence he went to Reedy Island. At both places his preaching
was attended with great influence. And at the last (their sloop
being, detained by contrary winds near a week) he preached fre
quently. All the captains and crews of the ships that were
wind-bound constantly attended, and great numbers crowded
out of the country, some as far, as from Philadelphia ; and as
great concern as ever came upon their minds.
December 1, he set sail from Reedy Island for Charleston in
South Carolina, and here he makes the following remark :
" It is now the seventy-fifth day since I arrived in Reedy Island.
My body was then weak, but the Lord has much renewed its
strength. I have been enabled to preach, I think, a hundred
and seventy-five times in public, besides exhorting frequently
in private. I have traveled upwards of eight hundred miles,
and gotten upwards of seven hundred pounds sterling, in goods,
provisions, and money, for the Georgia orphans. Never did I
perform my journeys with so little fatigue, or see such a con
tinuance of the divine presence in the congregations to which
I have preached. ' Praise the Lord, O my soul.' "
After a pleasant passage of eight or nine days, and preaching
again at Charleston and Savannah, he arrived on the 14th oi
December at the Orphau-house, where he found his lamily

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD; 6S
comfortably settled. At Rhode Island he had providentially
met with Mr. Jonathan Barber, whose heart was very much
knit to him, and who was willing to help him at the Orphan-
house. Him, therefore, he left superintendant of the spiritual,
and Mr. Habersham of the temporal affairs ; and having spent
a very comfortable Christmas with his Orphan family, he set
off again for Charleston, were he arrived January 3, 1741,
and preached twice every day as usual, to most affectionate
auditories, till the 16th of January, when he went on board
for England. He arrived the 11th of March at Falmouth, rod«
post to London, and preached at Kennington common th«
Sunday following.

CHAPTER VII.
Bit separation from Mr. Wesley, and the circumstances attending £,.
about the period of his return to London, 1741.
On his return to England, Mr. Whitefield was called to meet
a dispensation eminently afflictive to a heart, whose very life
was fervent and all-circling love — separation from his spiritual
coadjutor and guide. No single chapter of his histoiy was
probably so fraught with incidents painful to be thought of,
even to the last day of his life. While Whitefield and Wesley
were each alike absorbed in the work of saving a perishing
world ; while the hearts of both yearned with insatiable long
ings for the restoration of men to bliss ; they each, with their
native and habitual intensity of character, attributed the ut
most importance to what was felt to be the best modus operandi,
the proper manner and means of conversion. They doubtless,
as a matter of fact, both held that Tegeneration could be affected
by divine interposition alone on the one hand ; and, on the
other, that it could never be made manifest but through human
actings and strivings, or in any manner take place without
them. It so happened, however, that they each viewed the sub
ject in one relation only, and thus they soon found themselves
pursuing opposite directions in the formation of their theologi
cal systems : Mr Whitefield viewing man chiefly in his con
dition of dependence upon God for salvation ; and Mr. Wesley
looking at him mainly as a responsible and guilty being. In
short, Mr. Wesley became an Arminian and Mr. Whitefield a
Calvinist. Nevertheless, up to this period their differences had not be
come sufficiently mature and distinct to lead to a breach. But
now conscience impelled each to assert doctrinesj which, aa

66 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
understood by the other, were not only wrong, but so mon
strous as to forbid all fellowsliip ; and the following narrative
and correspondence shows the process which consummated
the rupture, and the painful reluctance with which they came
to it.
In pushing his doctrine to its extreme, Wesley came to enter
tain as a favorite doctrine, " the free, full, and present salvation
from all the guilt, all the power, and all the inbeing of sin ;*
and knowing Whitefield to be at the opposite pole of Calvinis-
tic predestination and decrees, he could not feel satisfied with
out writing to his old friend and disciple then in Georgia, upon
both these subjects,- who at this time, though he could yield to
him upon neither, wished earnestly to avoid all dispute.
"My honored friend and brother," said he in his reply, "for
once hearken to a child who is willing to wash your feet. I
beseech you, by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,
if you would have my love confirmed towards you, write no
more to me about misrepresentations wherein we differ. To
the best of my knowledge, at present no sin has dominion over
me, yet I feel the stragglings of indwelling sin day by day.
The doctrine of election, and the final perseverance of those
who are in Christ, I am ten thousand times more convinced of,
if possible, than when I saw you last. You think otherwise.
Why then should we dispute, when there is no probability of
convincing ? Will it not, in the end, destroy brotherly love,
and insensibly take from us that cordial union and sweetness
of soul, which I pray God may always subsist between us ?
How glad would the enemies ofthe Lord be to see us divided!
How many would rejoice, should I join and make a party
against you ! And, in one word, how weuld the C3use of our
common Master every way suffer, by our raising disputes about
particular points of doctrine ! Honored Sir, let us offer salvation
freely to all by the blocd of Jesus ; and whatever light God
has communicated to us, let us freely communicate to others. I
have lately read the life of Luther, and think it in no wise to
his honor, that the last part of his life was to much taken up
in disputing with Zuinglius and others, who in all probability
equally loved the Lord Jesus, though they might differ from
him in other points. Let this, dear'sir, be a caution to us ; I
hope it will to me ; for, by the blessing of God, provoke me to
it as much as you please, I do not think ever to enter the lists
of controversy with you on the points wherein we differ. Only
I pray to God, that the more you judge me, the more I may
love you, and learn to desire no one's approbation, but that of
my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ."
While such feelings do honor to Whitefield, he gradually

MEMOIRS. OF WHITEFIELD. 5/
came to feel on the other hand, that the honest avowal and
maintenance ofthe truth required him to overstep the courtesies
of private friendship. Two months only after this letter was
written, he followed it with another in a different strain. " Hon
ored Sir," it began, "I cannot entertain prejudices against your
conduct and principles any longer without informing you.
The more I examine the writings of the most experienced men,
and the experience of the most established christians, the more
I differ from your notions about committing sin, and your deny
ing the doctrines of election and the final perseverance of the
saints. I dread coming to England, unless you are resolved
to oppose these truths with less warmth than when I was there
last. I dread your coming over to America ; because the work
of God is carried on here, and that in a most glorious manner, by
doctrines quite opposite to those you hold. God direct me
what to do ! Sometimes I think it is best to stay here, where
all think and speak the same thing : the work goes on without
divisions, and with more success, because all employed in it
are of one mind. I write not this, honored sir, from heat of
spirit, but of love. At present I think you are entirely incon
sistent with yourself, and therefore do not blame me if I do not
approve of all that you say. God himself, I find, teaches my
friends the doctrine of election. Sister H. has lately been con
vinced of it ; and, if I mistake not, dear and honored Mr. Wes
ley will be hereafter convinced also. Perhaps I may never see
you again till we meet in judgment ; then, if not before, you
will linow, that sovereign, distinguishing, irresistible 'grace1
brought you to heaven." Wesley received this letter in a kind
ly spirit, and thanked him for it. "The case is quite plain,"
he said in reply. " There are bigots both for predestination
and against it. God is sending a message to those on either
side, but neither will receive it unless from one who is of their
own opinion. Therefore, for a time you are suffered to be of
one opinion, and I of another. But when his time is come,
God will do what men cannot, namely, make us both of one
rjiind." Soon afterwards Whitefield writes to one of his friends
in England, " for Christ's sake desire dear brother Wesley to
avoid disputing with me. I think I had rather die than see a
division between us ; and yet how can we walk together, if wo
oppose each other ?" And again to Wesley himself, he says,
"for Christ's sake, if possible, dear sir, never speak against elec
tion in your sermons ; no one can say that I ever mentioned it
in my public discourses, whatever my private sentiments may
be. For Christ's sake, let us not be divided amongst ourselves ;
nothing will so much prevent a division as your being silont
on that head."

88 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD*
While Whitefield from America was thus exhorting to -tiif-
bearance from controversy, the Calvinistic Methodists in Eng
land were forcing on the separation which he deprecated, while
he foresaw. One of the leading members in London, by name
Acourt, had introduced his disputed tenets, till Charles Wesley
gave orders that he should no longer be admitted. John was
present when next he presented himself, and demanded whe
ther they refused admitting a person only because he differed
from them in opinion. Wesley answered no, but asked what
opinions he meant. He replied, "that of election. I hold that
a certain number are elected from eternity, and these must
and shall be saved, and the rest of mankind must and shall be
damned." And he affirmed that many of the society held the
same ; upon which Wesley observed that he never asked whe
ther they did or not ; " only let them not trouble others by
disputing about it." Acourt replied, " Nay, but I will dispute
about it." "Why then," said Wesley, "would you come among
us, who you know are of another mind." "Because you are
all wrong, and I am resolved to set you all right." "I fear,"
6aid Wesley, "your coming with this view would neither profit
you nor us." "Then," rejoined Acourt, "I will go and tell all
the world that you and your brother are false prophets. And
I tell you in one fortnight you will all be in confusion."
Some time before, Wesley had received a letter in which he
was reproached for not preaching the gospel because he did
not preach the doctrine of election. According to his usual
practice at that time, instead of consulting with his friends, or
even advising with himself upon the prudence of engaging in
controversy, he drew a lot for his direction, and the lot was,
"preach and print." So he preached a sermon against this
doctrine, and printed it. Whitefield was then in England, and
at his desire the publication was for a while suppressed; but it
was sent into the world soon after his departure for America.
The rising sect was thus disturbed by a question which had
so often carried discord into the schools of theology, which had
Unhappily divided the Protestant world, and which, when it
had risen in the bosom of the Catholic church, neither the
Popes with their bulls, nor the Kings of France with their
power, nor the Jesuits with all wisdom ef the serpent, could
either determine or lay to rest. Wesley had begun the discus
sion, but Whitefield persevered in it, when he would fain have
pressed it no further ; and he assumed a tone of superiority
which Wesley was little likely to countenance. "Give me
leave," said he, "with all humility to exhort you not to be stre
nuous in opposing the doctrines of election and final persever
ance, when by your own confession you have not the witness

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.. 59
ef the Spirit within yourself, and consequently are not a proper
judge. I am assured God has now for some years given this
living witness in my soul. I can say I have been on the bor
ders of Canaan, and do every day, nay almost every moment,
long for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to evade
mfterings, but with a single desire to see his blessed face. I
feel his blessed Spirit daily filling my soul and body, as plain
as I feel the air which I breathe, or the food which I eat.
Perhaps the doctrine of election and of final perseverence has
been abused, (and what doctrine has not ?) but notwithstand
ing, it is children's bread, and ought not in my opinion to be
withheld from them, supposing it always mentioned with proper
cautions against its abuse. Dear and honored sir, I write
not this to enter into disputation. I hope at this time I feel
something of the meekness and gentleness of Christ. I cannot
bear the thoughts of opposing you : but how can I avoid it if
you go about, as your brother Charles once said, to drive John
Calvin out of Bristol '} Alas, I never read any thing that Cal
vin wrote. : my doctrines I had from Christ and his apostles :
I was taught them of God ; and as God was pleased to send
me out first, and to enlighten me first, so I think he still con
tinues to do it. I wish I knew your principles fully ; did you
write oftener and more frankly, it might have a better effect
than silence and reserve."
Whitefield indeed partook so largely of the gifts and conso
lations of the Spirit, that it is no wonder that he should attri
bute his belief in this doctrine to that spiritual discernment
which cometh only from above. The alternate frames of
spiritual ecstacy and dejection through which he was made to
pass, may be understood from the following among his recorded
meditations. "I have now," lie says, "such large incomes
from above, and such precious communications from our dear
Lord Jesus, that my body sometimes can scarcely sustain
them." " I have a garden near at hand, where I go particularly
to meet and talk with my God, at the cool of every day. I
often sit in silence, offering my soul as so much clay, to be
stamped just as my heavenly potter pleases ; and whilst I am
musing. I am often filled, as it were with the fullness of God.
I am frequently at Calvary, and frequently on Mount Tabor,
but always assured of my Lord's everlasting- love." " Our dear
Lord sweetly filis me with his presence. My heaven is begun
indeed. I feast on the fatted calf. The Lord strengthens me
mightily in the inner man." At other times he " abhors" him
self " in dust and ashes. He is " a worm and no man." He
" deserves to be the outcast of the people." — •' Why do so many
ofmy Lord's servants take notice of such a dead dog as I am f1

'0© MEMOIRS OF ''WHITEFIELD.
These heaven-ward impulses would often lead him to contem
plate with perfect satisfaction the prospect of persecution, or
even of martyrdom, " Dear brother," he says to one of his
American coadjutors, " both you and I must suffer, and that,
great things before we enter into glory. My work is scarce
begun ; my trials are yet to come. What is a little scourge
of the tongue? What is a thrusting out of the synagogues?
The time of temptation will be when we are thrust into an in
ner prison, and feel the iron entering even into our souls.
Then perhaps even God's people may be permitted to forsake
us for a while, and none but the Lord Jesus to stand by us.
But if thou, O dearest Redeemer, wilt strengthen me in the in
ner man, let enemies plunge me into a fiery furnace, or throw
me into a den of lions !" And he writes as if he were realizing
the fact that persecuting rulers were again about to employ
lions' dens and burning fiery furnaces ! "I am now looking,"
he says, "for some strong attacks from Satan." "Let us suf
fer for Jesus with a cheerful heart! His love will sweeten
every cup, though never so bitter. Let us pledge him willing
ly, and continue faithful even to death ! A scene of sufferings
lies before us. Who knows but we may wade to our Savior
through a sea of blood? I expect (O pray that I may be
strengthened if called to it !) to die for his great name's sake.
*Twill be sweet to wear a martyr's crown." " Suffer we must,
I believe, and that, great things. Our Lord by his providence
begins to show it. Ere long perhaps we may sing in a prison,
and have our feet set fast in the stocks. But- faith in Jesus
turns a prison into a palace, and makes a bed of flames become
a bed of down."
This was safe boasting ; and yet if Whitefield had lived in
an age of persecution his metal would have borne to be tried
in the flames. The . temper from which it arose made him as
ready now to stand up in opposition to Wesley, as he had for
merly been to follow him. "I am sorry," he says to him,
" honored sir, to hear by many letters, that you seem to own a
sinless perfection in this life attainable. I think I cannot
answer you better than a venerable old minister in these parts
answered a Quaker, < bring me a man that hath really arrived
to this, and I will pay his expenses let him come from whence
he will.' Besides, dear sir, what a fond conceit is it to cry up
perfection, and yet cry down the doctrine of final perseverance ?
But this and many other absurdities you will run into, because
you will not own election : and you will not own election be
cause you cannot own it without believing the doctrine of re
probation. What then is there in reprobation so horrid ?"
Whitefield continued, " Oh that you would be more cautious

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 61
in casting lots ! Oh that you would not be too rash and pre
cipitant ! If you go on thus, honored sir, how can I concur
with you? It is impossible. I must speak what I know.
Thus I write out of the fullness of my heart. I feel myself to
be a vile sinner. I look to Christ. I mourn because I have
pierced him. Honored sir, pray for me. The Lord be with
your dear soul." The same week produced a fetter in a higher
tone of rebuke : " Dear brother Wesley, what mean you by
disputing in all you letters? May God give you to know
yourself, and then you will not plead for absolute perfection,
or call the doctrine of election a doctrine of devils. My dear
brother, take heed ! See that you are in Christ a new crea
ture ! Beware of a false peace : strive to enter in at the strait
gate ; and give all diligence to make your calling and election
sure : remember you are but a babe in Christ, if so much !
Be humble, talk little, think and pray much. Let God teach
you, and he will lead you into all truth. If you must dispute,
stay till you are master of the subject ; otherwise you will hurt
the cause you would defend." And in a subsequent letter he
says, " Oh dear sir, many of God's children are grieved at your
principles ! Oh that God may give you a sight of his free,
sovereign, and electing love ! But no more of this. Why
will you compel me to write thus ? Why will you dispute ?
I am willing to go with you to prison and to death j but I am
not willing to oppose you." And again,' " Oh that th.jre may
be harmony and very intimate union between us, yet it cannot
be, since you hold universal redemption. The devil rages in
London. He begins now to triumph indeed. The children
of God are disunited among themselves. My dear brother, for
Christ's sake avoid all disputation ! Do not oblige me to
preach against you : I had rather die."
He soon, however, began to fear that he had been sinfully
silent. The children of God, he thought, were in danger of"
falling into error : many who had been worked upon by his
ministry had been misled, and more were calling loudly upon
him to show his opinion also. "I must then show," said he,
" that I know no man after the flesh, and that I have no re
spect to persons any further than is consistent with my duty
to my Lord and Master." And therefore he took pen in hand
to write against Wesley, protesting that Jonah could not go
with more reluctance against Nineveh.* " Were nature to
speak," said he " I had rather die than do it ; and yet if I am
faithful to God, and to my own and other's souls, I must not
stand neuter any longer." In this letter Whitefield related
* The reader will find this most labored of Whitefield's extant writings in
(he after past of the volume. 6

62 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
how Wesley had preached and printed his obnoxious sermon,
in consequence of drawing a lot. The conclusion however is
remarkable for the honest confidence and the warmth' of affec
tion which it breathes.
That this letter was intended for publication is certain ; but
there seems to have been a hope in Whitefield's mind that the
effect which its perusal would produce might render publica
tion needless. His friends in London, however, thought pro
per to print it, without either his permission or Wesley's, and
copies were distributed at the door of the Foundry, and in the
meeting itself. Wesley holding one in his hand stated to the
congregation the fact of its surreptitious publication, and then
saying, " I will do just what I believe Mr. Whitefield would
were he here himself," he tore it in pieces. Every person pre
sent followed his example ; and Wesley, in reference to the
person by whose means these unlucky copies had been circu
lated, exclaims in his Journal, " Ah poor Ahitophel ! Ibi
omnis effusus labor /"
The person who seems to have been most active in enforc
ing Calvinism in opposition to Wesley at this time was the
Rev. John Cennick,* whom he emplo}red at Kingswood in the
* " The Rev. John Cennick was one of Whitefield's most popular and useful
fellow-laborers. He possessed a sweet simplicity of spirit, with an ardent
zeal in. the cause of his Divine Master. On the 4th of July, 1755, his happy
spirit took its 'flight to the mansions of bliss, to enjoy, through eternal ages,
uninterrupted communion and fellowship with a triune Jehovah, reconciled in
Christ Jesus, after he had passed a life of thirty-five years, in this world ol
sin and sorrow.
Mr. Cennick was rather below the middle stature, of a fair countenance,
but of a fairer mind. A good understanding, an open temper, and a tender
heart characterized the man. His christian' qualities were not less remark
able. If unaffected humility, deadness to the world, a life of communion with
God, and a cheerful reliance on a crucified Savior, constitute the real chris
tian, he was one in an eminent degree. Nor were the evidence of his call
to the ministry less striking. Few ministers have felt a warmer love to Je
sus Christ ; few were more unwearied in preaching his eospel ; few triumph
ed more in his cross, or suffered 'more patiently in his cause. As to success
in his labors, perhaps there was not one in his day, except Mr. Whitefield,
more highly honored in this particular. 'Tis true, his language was not with
the enticing words of man's wisdom ; yet his doctrine and address were power-
ful, and found access to the hearts of thousands. The gospel he so diligently
and faithfully dispensed, was the food of his own soul. He drank deeply of
the cup of religious pleasures. His altar was not to an unknown God ; he exalt
ed not a Savior whose virtues he had never proved ; he pointed not to a spirit,
under whose almighty influence he had not lived ; he directed not to a heaven,
the happiness oi which he had not anticipated. His career was short • but if
life may be estimated, by the comparative quantity of good produced in it
then this truly active, spiritual, and useful man, may be said to have lived to
a good old age.
Where, on this side heaven, can a more enviable person be found than he
whose mind is thus furnished ; whose soul is thus enriched • whose'lins thus
drop sweetness ; whose life is thus devoted ; whose services are thus blessed *
He may not have moved in the circles of the great ; he may not have ranked
with characters of literary fame ; he may not be able to trace bis pedi<n-ea

MEMOIRS CF WHITEFIELD. 63
school which Whitefield had designed for the children of col
liers. Whitefield had collected some money for this good
work, and had performed the ceremony of laying the founda
tion; but further than this ceremony it had not proceeded
when he embarked fhe second time for America, and left it to
be carried forward by Wesley. There was the great difficulty
of want of money in the way ; but this was a difficulty which
faith would remove, and in faith Wesley began building with
out having a quarter of the sum necessary for finishing it. But
he found persons who were willing to advance money if he
would become responsible for the debt ; the responsibility and
the property thus devolved upon him, and he immediately made
his will, bequeathing it to his brother Charles and Whitefield.
Two masters were provided as soon as the house was fit to
receive them, and Mr. Cennick was one. He was not in holy
orders, but the practice of lay preaching which hael at first
been vehemently opposed by the Wesleys, had now become
inevitably a part of their system, and Mr. Cennick, who had
great talents for popular speaking, labored also as one of these
helpers, as they were called. He in his horror against the
doctrines of the Wesleys wrote urgently to Whitefield, calhng
upon him to hasten from America that he might stay the
plague. "I sit," said he, "solitary like Eli, waiting what will
become of the ark ; and while I wail and fear the carrying of
it away from among my people, my trouble increases daily.
How glorious did the gospel seem once to flourish in Kings-
wood ! I spake of the everlasting love of Christ with sweet
power. But now brother Charles is suffered to open his mouth
against this truth, while the affrighted sheep gaze and fly, as
if no shepherd were among them. It is just as if Satan were
now making war with the saints in a more than common way.
Oh ! pray for the distressed lambs yet left in this place, that
they faint not ! Surely they would if preaching would do it,
for they have nothing whereon to rest, who now attended on
the sermons, but their own faithfulness. With universal re
demption brother Charles pleases the world. Brother John
follows him in every thing, t I believe no Atheist can more
preach against predestination than they ; and all who believe
election are counted enemies to God, and called so. Fly dear
brother ! I am alone, — I am in the midst of the plague ! If
God give thee leave, make haste !"
through families of noble blood ; he may not have soared on the wings of phi
losophic pursuits ; but he has pierced the clouds ; he has explored the celestial
regions, he has presented its delicious fruits, and invited us to arise and pos
sess the land. " O my soul, come thou into his secret, into his assembly mine
honor be thou united !" — See Life of the Rev. John Cermick, by the Rev. Mat
thew Wilks, prefixed to his Sermons.

64 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
A copy of this letter came into Wesley's hands, and it stung
him, because he said the writer was " one I had sent for to as
sist me, a friend that was as my own soul, that even while he
opposed me lay in my bosom." Charles in consequence ad
dressed a letter to him which forcibly expresses the feeling of
the two' brothers upon having one of their disciples thus rise
against them. "You came to Kingswood," says he, "upon
my brother's sending for yotu You served under him in the
gospel as a son, I need not say how well he loved you. You
used the authority he gave you to overthrow his doctrine.
You every where contradicted it, (whether true or false is not
the question.) But you ought first to have fairly told him, ' I
f reach contrary to you : are you willing, notwithstanding, that
should continue in your house, gainsaying you 1 If you
are not, I have no plaee in these regions. You have a right to
this open dealing. I now give you fair warning. Shall I stay
here opposing you, or shall I depart ?' My brother, have you
dealt thus honestly and openly with him? No. But you
have stolen away the people's hearts from him. And when
some of them basely treated their best friend, God only accept
ed, how patiently did you take it ! When did you ever vindi
cate us as we have you ? Why did you not plainly tell them,
you are eternally indebted to these men ? ' Think not that I
will stay among you to head a party against my dearest friend
and brother, as he suffers me to call him, having humbled him
self for my sake, and given me, no bishop, priest, or deacon,
the right hand of fellowship. If I hear that one word more
is spoken against him, I will leave you that moment.' This
had been just and honest, and not more than we have deserved
at your hands."
This was put into John Wesley's hands that he might de
liver it to Mr. Cennick if he thought proper. But matters had
proceeded so far that Mr. Cennick was forming a separate so
ciety, and Wesley deemed it better to speak to him and his
adherents publicly and reprove them for inveighing against him
behind his back. One of them replied, that they had said no
more of him behind his back than they would say to his face,
which was. that he preached false doctrine ;— he preached that
there is righteousness in man. " So," says Wesley, " there is,
after the righteousness of Christ is imputed to him through
faith. But who told you that what we preached was false doc
trine ? Whom would you have believed this from, but Mr. Cen
nick ?" Mr. Cennick then boldly answered, " You do preach
righteousness in man. I did say this, and I say it still. How
ever, we are willing to join with you ; but we will also meet
apart from you ; for we meet to confirm one another in those

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 65
truths which you speak against." Wesley replied, "You should
have told me this before, and not have supplanted me in my
own house, stealing the hearts of the people, and by private
accusations separating very {friends."
By mutual agreement the meeting was adjourned a week,
and when they re-assembled, Mr. Cennick and his friends were
surprised to find themselves arraigned by Mr. Wesley as fol
lows : " By many witnesses it appears that several members
of the Band Society in Kingswood have made it their common
practice, to scoff at the preaching of Mr. John and. Charles
Wesley ; that they have censured and spoken evil of them be
hind their backs, at the very time they professed love and es
teem to their faces ; that they have studiously endeavored to
prejudice other members of that society against ' them, and in
order thereto, have belied and slandered them in divers instan
ces ; therefore, not for their opinions, nor for any of them,
(whether they be right or wrong) but for the causes above-
mentioned, viz. for their scoffing at the word and ministers of
God, for their tale-bearing, back-biting, and evil speaking, for
their dissembling, lying, and slandering ; I, John Wesley, by
the consent and approbation of the Band Society in Kings-
wood, do declare the persons above mentioned to be no longer
members thereof. Neither will they be so accounted until they
shall openly confess their fault, and thereby do what in them
lies to remove the scandal they have given."
Having come prepared for a discussion of their opinions
and conduct, they were astonished at hearing themselves thus
excommunicated. As soon as they recovered from their sur
prise they affirmed that they had heard both him and his bro
ther preach popery many times. However, they were still wil
ling to join with them, but they would not own that they had
done any thing amiss. Wesley desired them to consider upon
it yet again, but finding after another week had elapsed that
they still refused to acknowledge that they had been in the
wrong, he once more assembled the bands, and told them that
every one must now take his chance and quit one society or
the other. One of the Calvinistic leaders observed, that the
true reason of his separating from them was because they held
the doctrine of election. Wesley made answer, " You knovir
in your own conscience it is not. There are several predesti-
narians in our societies both at London and Bristol ; nor did I
ever yet put any one out of either, because he held that opinion."
They then offered, to break up their society, provided he would
receive and employ Mr. Cennick as he had done before. To
this Wesley replied, " My brother has wronged me much : but
he doth not say I repent." Mr. Cennick made answer, " Un-
6*

66 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
less in not' speaking in your defense I do not know that I have
wronged you at all." " It seems then," says Wesley, " nothing
remains but for each to choose which society he pleases."
At this time Whitefield was on the way from America.
While upon the passage he wrote to Charles Wesley, expostu
lating with him and his brother, in strong but affectionate
terms. "My dear, dear brethren," said he, "why did you
throw out the bone of contention ? Why did you print that
sermon against predestination? Why did you in particular,
my dear brother Charles, affix your hymn, and join in putting
out your late hymn book ? How can you say you will not
dispute with me about election, and yet print such hymns, and
your brother send his sermon against election over to America ?
Do not you think, my dear brethren, I must be as much con
cerned for truth, or what I think truth, as you ? . God is my
judge, I always was, and hope I always shall be, desirous that
you may be preferred before me. But I must preach the gospel
of Christ, and that I cannot now do without speaking of elec
tion;" He then informed Charles, that one copy of his answer
to the sermon was printing at Charleston ; that another had
been sent to Boston for the same purpose ; and that he was
bringing a copy to be printed in London. " If," said he, " it
occasion a strangeness between us, it shall not be my fault.
There is nothing in my answer exciting to it that I know of.
O my dear brethren, my heart almost bleeds within me ! Me-
thinks I could be willing to tarry here on the waters fore%fer,
rather than come to England to oppose you." But although,
when he was thus addressing the Wesleys, the feelings of old
friendship returned upon him, his other letters, written during
the voyage, evince that he looked on a separation as the cer
tain consequence of this difference in opinion. " Great perils,'"
he says, " await me ; but Jesus Christ will send his angel, and
roll away every stone of difficulty." " My Lord's command
now, I believe, is, ' Take the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the
vines, for our vines have tender grapes.' Help me by your
prayers ; it is an ease thus to unbosom myself to a friend. I
have sought the Lord by prayer and fasting, and he assures me
that he will be with me ; whom then should I fear ?" " The
Lord is girding me for the battle, and strengthening me mightily
in the inner man."
In this state of mind he reached London. Charles Wesley
was there, and their meeting was affectionate. "It would
have melted any heart," says Whitefield, " to have heard us
weeping after prayer, that, if possible, the breach might be
prevented." Old feelings of respect and love revived with such
strength hi his heart, that he promised never to preach against

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 67
the Wesleys, whatever his private opinion might be. But
many things combined to sour him at this time. He had writ
ten against Archbishop Tillotson's works, and the whole Duty
of Man, a book in those days of unrivalled popularity, in a
manner which he himself then felt to be injudicious ; and this
had offended persons, who were otherwise favorably disposed
towards him. His celebrity also seemed to have passed away :
the twenty thousands who used to assemble at his preaching
had dwindled down to two or three hundred ; and in one ex
hibition at Kennington common, the former scene of his
triumphs, scarcely a hundred were gathered together to hear
him. Worldly anxieties, too, were fretting him, and those of
a kind which made the loss of his celebrity a serious eviL
The Orphan-house in Georgia was to be maintained : he had
now nearly a hundred persons in that establishment, who were
to be supported by his exertions : there were not the slightest
hinds provided, and Georgia was the dearest part of the British
dominions. He was above a thousand pounds in debt upon -
that score, and he himself not worth twenty. Seward, the
wealthiest and most attached of his disciples, was dead, and
had made no provision for him, nor for the payment of a heavy
bill on the Orphan-house account, which he had drawn, and
for which Whitefield was now responsible, and threatened
with an arrest. He called it truly a trying time: "Many,
very many of my spiritual children," says he, " who, at my last
departure from England, would have plucked out their own
eyes for me, are so prejudiced by the dear Messrs. Wesleys-
dressing up the doctrine of election in such horrible colors,.
that they will neither hear, see nor give me the least assistance ;
yea, some of them send threatening ietters that <God will speedi
ly destroy me." This folly on the part of Wesley's adherents
irritated him, and that irritation was fomented by his own
feelings ; and when Wesley, who had been summoned by his
brother Charles to London on this occasion, went to him, to
see if the breach might yet be closed, Whitefield honestly told
him, that they preached, two different gospels, and therefore he
not only would not join with him, or give him the right hand
of fellowship, but would publicly preaeh against him whereso
ever he preached at all. He was reminded of the promise
which he had but a few days before made, that whatever his
opinion might be he would not do this : but he replied, that
promise was only an effect of human weakness, and he was
now of another mind.
Thus was thq breach consummated between these co-work
ers with Christ ; who, in a more confined sense, may be said
to have now ceased being co-workers with each other.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.

CHAPTER VIII.

From the establishment of the churciuin Moorfields under Mr. Cenr
nick, and his visit through Scotland, till his departure from Edin
burgh, with some letters showing his reception in that country, 1741.
About this time he intended to return with all possible expe
dition to America. Meantime, it being inconvenient, on account
of the weather, to preach morning and evening in Moorfields —
some free Grace Dissenters (who stood by -him closely in that
time of trial) obtained the loan of a piece of ground, and en
gaged with a •carpenter to build a large temporary shed, to
screen the auditory from cold and rain, which he called a taber
nacle, as it was only intended to be made use of for a few
months, during his stay in his native country. The place fixed
upon was very near the Foundry, which he disliked, because
he thought it looked like erecting altar against altar ; but, upon
this occasion, he remarks, "All was wonderfully overruled for
good and for the furtherance of the gospel. A fresh awakening
immediately began. Congregations grew exceeding large; and
at the people's desire I sent (necessity reconciling me more and
more to lay-preaching) for Messrs. Cennick, Harris, Seagrave,
Humphries, and some others to assist."
Fresh doors were now open to him, and invitations sent to
him from many places where he had never been. At a com
mon, near Braidtree in Essex, upwards of ten thousand persona
attended. At Halstead, Dedham, Cossleshall, Weathersfield,
Colchester, Bury; and- Ipswich, the congregations were very
large and much affected.*
At this time, also, he was strongly solicited by religious per
sons, of different persuasions, to visit Scotland. Several letters
had passed between him and the Messrs. Erskines, some time
before,! and he had a great desire to see them. He therefore
* " Sweet was the conversation I had with several ministers of Christ. But
our own clergy grew more and more shy, now they knew I was a Calvinist;
though no doubt (as Mr. Bedford told me when going to the Bishop of lion-
don') our Articles are Calvinistic."
• t See his Journals, and his Letters to the Rev. Mr. R. Erskine, and th»
Rev. Mr. E. Erskine.
In his last letter to, Mr. E. Erskine before coming to Scotland, he writes—
'' May If), 1741. This morning I received a kind letter from your brother
Ralph, who thinks it best for me wholly to join the Associate Presbytery, if it
should please God to send me into Scotland. This I cannot altogether" come
into. 1 come only as an occasional preacher, lo preach the simple gospel to
nil that are willing to hear me, of whatever denomination. 1 write this, that
•here may not be the least misunderstanding between us. I love and honor
the Associate Presbytery in the bowels of Jesus Christ : But let them not be
effended, if in all things I cannot immediately fall in with them." To tie
same purpose he writes to Mr. R. Erskine, May 23.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELfi. 6$
took his passage from London to Leith, where (after five days;-
which he employed in writing many excellent letters to the
orphans, <fec.) he arrived July 30, 1741. Several persons of
distinction most gladly received him, and would have had him
preach at Edinburgh directly ; but he was determined that the
Rev. Messrs. Erskines should have the first offer ; and therefore
went immediately to Dumfermline, and preached hi Mr. Ers-
kme's meeting house.
Great efforts were made to detain him at Dumfermline, and
as great to keep him from preaching for, and visiting, the Rev.
Mr. Wardlaw, who had been colleague with Mr. Ralph Erskine
about twenty years ; and who, as well as the Rev. Mr. Davidson,
a dissenting minister in England, that went along with Mr.
Whitefield, were looked upon as perjured, for not adhering to
the Solemn League and Covenant. This was new language to
him, and therefore unintelligible. But that he might be better
informed, it was proposed that the Rev. Mr. Moncrief, Mr.
Ebenezer Erskine, and others, members of the Associate Pres
bytery, should convene in a few days, in order to give him
farther light.
In the mean time, Mr. Ralph Erskine accompanied him to
Edinburgh, where he preached in the Orphan-house park (field
preaching being no novelty in Scotland) to a very large and
affected auditory, upon these words — " The Kingdom of God
is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in
the Holy Ghost." The next day he preached in the West Kirk,
and expressed great pleasure in hearing two gospel sermons
from the Rev. Mr. Gusthart, and the Rev. Mr. Macvicar. And
the following day, he preached in the Cannongate church,
where Mr. Ralph Erskine went up with him into the pulpit.
According to promise, he returned with him to Dumfermline,
where Mr. E. Erskine, and several of the Associate Presbytery,,
were met together. When Mr. Whitefield came they soon
proposed to proceed to business. He asked them for what
purpose. They answered, to discourse and set him right about
church government, and the Solemn League and Covenant.
He replied, they might save themselves thaf trouble, for he had
no scruple about it, and that settling church government, and
preaching about the Solemn League and, Covenant, was not
his plan. He then told them something of his experience, and
how he was led into his present way of acting. One of them,
in particular, said he was deeply affected. And Mr. E. Erskine
desired they would have patience with him, for that having
been born and bred in England, and never studied the point,.
he could not be supposed to be perfectly acquainted with it.
But Mr. Macvicar insisted, that he was therefore more inexo-

TO MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
rable, for England had revolted most with respect to church
government; and that he, being born and educated there, could
not be acquainted with the matter in debate. Mr. Whitefield
told him, he had never made the Solemn League and Covenant
the subject of his study, being too busy about matters which
he judged of greater importance. Several replied, that every
pin of the tabernacle was precious. He answered, that in
every building there were outside and inside workmen ; that
the latter, at present, was his province : that if they thought
themselves called to the former, they might proceed in their
own way, and he would proceed in his. He then asked them
seriously, what they would have him to do. The answer was,-
that he was not desired to subscribe immediately to the Solemn
League and Covenant, but to preach only for them, till he had
further light. He asked, why only for them ? Mr. R. Ersldne
said, they were the Lord's people. He then asked, were no
others the Lord's people but themselves. If not, and if others
were the devil's people, they had more need to be preached to ;
that for his part, all places were alike to him ; and if the pope
himself would lend him his pulpit, he would gladly proclaim in
it the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Something pass
ed about taking two of their brethren with hiin to England,
to settle a Presbytery there ; and then, with two more, to go
and settle a Presbytery in America. But he asked, suppose a
number of Independents should come, and declare that after
the greatest search, they were convinced that independency
Was the right church government, and would disturb nobody,
if tolerated, should they be tolerated ? They answered, no.
Soon after this the company broke up. And Mr. M. preached
upon Isa. xxi. 11, 12. "Watchman, what of the night?" &c.
and took occasion to declaim strongly against the ceremonies
of the Church of England, and to argue,* "That one who
held communion with that Church, or with the backslidden
Church of Scotland, could npt be an instrument of reformation.''
The consequence of all this was, an open breach. Mr.
Whitefield retired thoughtful and uneasy to his closet. ; and,
after preaching in the fields, sat down and dined with them,
and then took a final lea\re.t
* " I attended ; but the good man so spent himself in the former part of his
sermon, in talking against prelacy, the Common Prayer Book, the surplice,
the rose, in the hat, and such like externals ; that when he came to the latter
part of his text to invite poor sinners to Christ, his breath was so gone that he
could scarce be heard. "What a pity that the last was not first, and the first
last !"
t " Having dropped something about persons building a Babel Mrs. 
said, it was a hard saying. Upon which I replied, I feared it was a true one
and that they would find the Babel fall down about their ears. I was never
received into their house any more. Thus was I called to make another sac-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 71
Many waited at Edinburgh to know the issue of the confer
ence, who were not disappointed in the event. Thither he
returned, after preaching, always twice, often thrice, and once
seven times a day, for some weeks together. The churches
were open, but, not being able to hold half the congregations,
he generally preached twice a day in the Orphan-hospital park
to many thousands. The most fashionable, as well as those of
meaner rank attended ;* at some of their houses he generally
expounded every evening. And every day, almost, there were
new evidences of the success of his labors. Numbers of minis
ters and students came to hear him, and aged, experienced chris
tians told him they could set their seal to what he preached.
In this first visit to Scotland, he preached at Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Paisley, Perth, Sterling, Crief,
Falkirk, Airth, Kinlassie, Cuiross, Kinross, Couper of Fife ;
and also, at Stonehive, Benholm, Montrose, Drechin, Forfar,
Couper of Angus; and at Innerkeithing, Newbottle, Gala-
shields, Maxton, and Haddington ; and in the west country, at
Killern, Fintry, and Balfrone. To other places to which he
was invited;t he did not go at this time. But (having collect
ed above five hundred pounds, in money and goods, for his
orphans) he left Edinburgh in the latter end of October, to go
through Wales in his way to London. His reception, minis
trations and success, at the principal places in Scotland, will
farther appear from the following letters from ministers and
private christians in Scotland, representing Mr. Whitefield's
reception and success there, in the year 1741.
At Edinburgh, one of the ministers of that city thus writes to
him : — " April 20, 1742. Rev. and dear sir : "Knowing that
many are careful to inform you, from time to time, what passes
here, I have hitherto delayed answering your most accept
able letter, -until I should tell you with the greatest certainty,
what were the blessed effects of your ministrations among us ;
and can now assure you, that they were not more surprising
than lasting. I do not know or hear of any wrought upon by
your ministry, but are holding on in the paths of truth and
righteousness. They seem possessed of a truly christian spirit.
Jesus is precious to their souls ; and, like the morning- light,
they are advancing with increasing brightness to the pertect
day. Since you left Scotland numbers in different corners
have been awakened. Many in a hopeful way. Religion in
rifice ofmy affections. But what I had met with in England made this the
more easy."
* Among his particular friends were the Marquis of Lothian, the Earl
Leven, Lord Rae, Lady Mary Hamilton, Lady Frances Gardiner, Lady Jean
Nimmo, Lady Dirleton.
t Among these was Cambuslang, and some places in the north of Scotland.

73 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ihis sinful city revives and flourislies. Ordinances are much
more punctually attended, people hear the word with gladness,
and receive it in faith and love. New meetings for prayer
and spiritual conference are established every where. Reli
gious conversation has banished slander and calumny from
several tea tables, and christians are not ashamed to own their
dear Lord and Master. Praise is perfected out of the mouths
of babes and sucklings ; and some stout-hearted sinners are
captivated to the obedience of Christ.
" I cannot easily express, with what pleasure I write these
things ; and doubtless, they will give you no less joy in read
ing them. Should not these droppings of the dew of heaven
.encourage our faith and hope of a plentiful effusion ofthe Spir
it, which will at once change our barren wilderness into a
fruitful field ? Should not this hasten your return, that we
may take sweet counsel together, and enter into the house of
God in company ? You are often in our hearts. We long to
see you face to face. May much of your great Master's pre
sence ever attend and come along with you."
Mr. George Muir, (afterwards the Rev. Dr. Muir) late min
ister of Paisley, thus wrote to James Aitken, schoolmaster in
Glasgow: — "Edinburgh, August 8, 1743. As you desire, I
have with the assistance of Mr. Archibald Bowie, Mr. Dun,
and the sergeant, informed myself a little with respect to the
number and situations of the praying societies in this place,
which you will take as follows : They are, as near as we can
guess, between twenty-four and thirty in number, some of
whicli will necessarily be obliged to divide, by reason of too
many meeting together ; and that will increase the number.
Among them are several meetings of boys and girls, who, in gen
eral, seem not only to be growing in grace, but really increasing
in knowledge. The little lambs appear to be unwilling to rest
upon duties, or any thing short of Christ ; as a young gentle
man of my acquaintance told me, when under, a temptation
to think that he was surely seeking some imaginary refuge,
instead of the Savior, he was made to cry out in prayer, 'Lord,
I want nothing else, and will have nothing short of the very
Christ of God.' There are several meetings of young women,
who (although I never as yet visited any of them) I am in
formed, hold on very well. The sergeant tells me, that at one
of these meetings, on the morning of the Lord's day, he has
known them all wet with a flood of tears, melted down with
love to Christ, and affection to one another for Christ's sake.
I have myself been much ravished (when in a meeting in the
room below where some of these resort) to hear them sing the
Lord's praises with such melodious voices. There are num.-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 73
bers of young men who meet for the excellent purpose of glo
rifying God, and promoting christian Imowledge ; amongst
some of diem I have the honor to be a member ; many of
them are divines, who are useful in instructing the weaker
sort of us ; and that they endeavor to do with the greatest de
sire. A good number of old men, substantial, standing chris
tians, meet for their edification and instruction, (the glory of
their God being always their chief end) and are hereby often
•revived, and very much refreshed. The generality of these
sorts, above mentioned, do walk very circumspectly, and really
make it appear to the world, that they have been with Jesus :
which is very much evidenced in their cheerfully bearing re
proaches for Christ's sake. And upon the whole, we hope
¦there is such a flame kindled, as shall never be extinguished.
And with respect to two particular societies, whereof Mr. Bowie
is a member, he gave me the enclosed* in writing ; which you
will peruse and return. This is not all ; for several country
people are beginning to assemble together in little meetings, to
worship their Gcd : particularly the sergeant informs me of
one about two miles from this place, where several plough
men and other illiterate persons, meet for the most noble ends
and purposes ; and are going most sweetly on, much increased
in grace and knowledge, and some are daily added to their
number. I am informed from the east country,, (where there
have been no societies since the secession) that about old Cam-
bus, six miles from Dunbar, many are now meeting together
for social prayer, and mutual conversation about matters of
religion, wherein the Lord is with them of a truth. And in
that place there is more eager thirsting for the word than
usual, and the ministers are learning to speak with new tongues.
And one ofmy acquaintance, who was in this place last winter,
has happily been the Lord's instrument in beginning these so
cieties. How beautiful and refreshing is it, my dear friend, to
* To Mr. Muir. " Edinburgh, August 6, 1743. As you desire a short ac
count of the two societies I am concerned in, I shall give it in a very few
words. They consist of twenty-five or twenty-six members each ; and, except
a very few, are all persons whose concern about religion began in the late
awakening. I never saw the ends of such societies answered near so well as
among these. -I think I may safely declare, that I was never witness to so
inuch of real christian exercise among any persons I have known, as I have
dbserved to my great satisfaction, among most of them. It is most amazing
to observe how much some of them, who at their first concern were brutishly
Ignorant of every thing good, have now made such advances in knowledge
that they excel those who were formerly before them. The concern about
their own salvation is not only remarkable, but the abiding earnestness they
show in their prayers for the increase of the Redeemer's kingdom, is most de
sirable; and the care they show in watching over one another is one convinc
ing evidence of their brotherly love, and true christian tenderness. I might
say a great deal more, but must conclude. " I am, &e. A. Bowis.
7

74 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
hear of so many following after the despised Jesus ! Should we
not take it as a token for good, that young ones, instead of
spending their spare hours in idle, vain and unprofitable play,
do now assemble, and join in calling upon the Lord ? Is it not
a good sign to hear many poor foolish virgins (instead of be
ing employed in the vanities of the generality of their sex)
meeting together for prayer ; and many prodigal youths, instead
of reveling and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness,
now breathing after the knowledge of Jesus Christ and him
crucified ? Oh that the Lord would more and more exert his
almighty power amongst us. There are several other societies
for prayer, near about this city, prospering very well."
The Rev. Mr. M'Culloch, of Camsbuslang, thus writes to Mr.
Whitefield, a few months after his first visit to Glasgow : " As
it is matter of great joy and thankfulness to God, who sent you
here, and gave you so much countenance, and so remarkably
crowned your labors when here at Glasgow with success ; so
I doubt not but the following account, of the many seals to
your ministry in and about that city, will be very rejoicing to
your heart, as our glorious Redeemer's kingdom is so much
advanced, and the everlasting happiness of immortal souls pro^
moted. " I am well informed by some ministers, and other judicious
and experienced christians, that there are to the number of
fifty persons already ascertained, in and about Glasgow, that,
by all that can be judged by persons of the best discerning in
spiritual things, are savingly converted by the blessing and
power of God accompanying your ten sermons in that place ;
besides several others under convictions, not reckoned in this
number, whose state remains, as yet, a little doubtful ; and be
sides, several christians of considerable standing, who were
much strengthened, revived and comforted, by means of hear
ing your sermons ; being made to rejoice in hope of the glory
of God, having obtained the full assurance of faitli.
"Among those lately converted here are several young peo
ple who were formerly openly wicked and flagitious, or at best
but very negligent as to spiritual concerns, but are now in the
way of salvation. Some young converts are yet under doubts
and fears ; but a considerable number of them have attained
to joy and peace in believing.
" Several lately wrought upon in a gracious way, seem to
outstrip christians of considerable standing, in spiritual-minded-
ness, and many other good qualifications ; and particularly, in
their zeal for the conversion of others, and love of the ordi
nances, without a spirit of bigotry, or party zeal. >
" These converts by your ministry are discovered from time,

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD, 75
to time ; a good many are but lately ascertained that were not
known before ; which was partly occasioned by their convic
tions not being so strong and pungent at the first as they
proved afterwards, partly by the .discouragements they met with
in the families where they resided, and partly by the reserved
tempers of the persons themselves, and their bashfulness, be
cause of their former negligence and open enormities. These
things give ground to hope there maybe more discovered after
wards, that are not yet known.
" Besides these awakened, by the power of God accompany
ing your sermons, there are others awakened since, by means
of the great visible change discovered in their former intimate
acquaintance, that were then converted when they saw the
change so remarkable, and the effects so abiding.
" Young converts are exceeding active to promote the con
version of others, especially their relations and near connec
tions, by their exhortations, and letters to distant friends in the
country ; and there are some instances of the good effects of
these endeavors.
" They have all a great love to one another and all good
christians, and a great sympathy with such of their number
as are under doubts and fears. Such of them as have not
received comfort, by their earnest and deep concern, and close
attendance on the means of grace, are hereby instrumental in
exciting christians of older standing to more diligence in religion.
" These dear brother, are a few hints of some of the most re
markable things as to the success of your labors at Glasgow,
by divine blessing. May a rich and powerful blessing give a
plentiful increase to them every where, where you come with
the glad tidings of the great salvation."
At Aberdeen, one of the ministers of that city thus writes of
him, to a person of distinction : — " October 3, 1741 . Honored Sir :
At your desire, I shall not refuse, (however much reason I may
have for declining to offer my judgment or opinion in things of
this nature) to acquaint you freely of what I think of the Rev.
Mr. Whitefield, or rather what is the opinion of persons of
more acquaintance with the good ways of God.
" He is, I believe, justly esteemed by all who are personally
acquainted with him, an eminent instrument of reviving, in
these declining times, a just sense and concern for the great
things of religion. We have, of late, been much employed, and
a great noise has been made about the lesser matters of the
law: and are now much broken in judgment about things,
many of which, I must own, I do not understand. The cry
has been, and still continues loud, ' Lo here is Christ, and lo
there.' And now the Lord has raised up this eminent instru-

76 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD,
ment, from a quarter whence we could not have expected it, to
call us to return to him, from whom, it is plain, we have deeply
revolted. His being by education and profession of a different
way from what, I cannot but think, is most justly professed
among us, seems to me to add no small weight to his testimony ;
as does also his age. The Lord by this is, as it were, attract
ing our eyes and attention to one, who, had he been formerly
of us, would doubtless, like others, be despised. And yet, I
cannot but look upon it as a sad instance of a departing God,
that, instead of regard, he meets not only with contempt, but
with opposition also, from those who ought to act a very different
part. Did he preach another Jesus, or_ another doctrine, he
ought justly to be rejected : but this is not the case. And yet
this very thing is advanced as an argument against him : It is
said, he advances nothing new. And I allow it. This gives
his friends joy. But these reverend gentlemen should mind,
that there are two things in gospel ordinances, purity and
power. The first, in mercy, we still have in some good mea
sure (though complaints of the want of this are very open :)
but the last we sadly confess the want of, and this is what
attends the gospel dispensed by him. And sure I am, that even
the credible report of it should much endear him to all who
wish well to the interests of our dear, though too unknown,
and altogether lovely, Lord Jesus.
"His calmness and serenity under all he meets with,- yea,
his joy in tribulation, is to me so surprising, that I often think
the Lord sent him to this place, in particular," to teach me how
to preach, and especially how to suffer.
" His attachment to no party, but to Christ and true grace
alone, has long appeared to me a peculiar excellency in him.
Christianity has been so long broken into so many different
sects and parties, that an honest Pagan might justly be at a
loss, were he among us, where to find the religion of Jesus.
" One now appears, who loudly calls us (and whose voice
the Lord seems to back with power) to look into the original
plan of that religion we profess : sure nothing more just, no
thing more reasonable. He tells us wherein the kingdom of
God does consist. And yet how sad is it he should be de
spised ! Who knows but this may be the Lord's last voice to
us, before he take his kingdom from us ?
" As to what you ask of his reception in this city, I invited
him, nay urged him, to undertake this journey, in consequence
of a correspondence with him, for more than two or three years.
I did it with the concurrence of a very few. His journey was
delayed, till bad reports had embittered the minds of almost all
against him : so that when he came, I could scarcely obtain

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 77
liberty for him to preach even in the fields. All that I could
do was, what I had resolved long before ; I gave him, with
great pleasure, and full freedom, my pulpit, which, for that day,
was in the church which our magistrates and principal people
of note frequent. At once, the Lord, by his preaching, melted
down the hearts of his enemies, (except  and  ;) so
that, contrary to our custom, he was allowed the same place
and pulpit in the evening of that day, and the other church as
often as he pleased.
" While he stayed among us in this city, he answered our
expectations so much, that he has not more friends in any place
of its size than here, where, at first, almost all were against him.
And the word came also with so much power, that I hope se
veral of different denominations will bless the Lord evermore,
that they ever heard him. And in his way from us, I saw in
part, and have heard more fully since, what satisfies me, that
this was of the Lord, and for the good of many.
"P. S. I suppose you have heard, that our magistrates
waited on him while here, and made him free of this place ;
though that is a compliment rarely paid to strangers of late."
Mr. Willison, minister at Dundee, wrote as follows, to his
friend at Edinburgh. " October 8, 1741. Honored Sir : I am
favored with yours, wherein you desire my thoughts of Mr.
Whitefield, and an account of his labors and success with us.
Although my sentiments may be little regarded by many, yet
when you put me to it, I think I am bound to do justice to the
character of this stranger, which I see few willing to do. I
am not much surprised, though the devil, and all he can influ
ence, be up in arms against the youth, seeing he makes such
bold and vigorous attacks upon his kingdom and strong holds.
As you, sir, do observe it to be with you, so it is with us. He
is hated and spoken evil against by all the episcopal party, and
even the most of our clergy labor to diminish and expose him
this is not to be much wondered at, seeing his incessant labors for
Christ and souls is such a strong reproof to them ; besides
what he says publicly against the sending out of unconverted
ministers, and their preaching an unknown Christ ; this must be
galling to carnal men. I look upon this youth as raised up of
God for special service, and spirited for making new and sin
gular attempts for promoting true Christianity in the world, and
for reviving it where it is decayed: and I see him wonderfully
fitted and strengthened, both in body and mind, for going through
with his projects, amidst the greatest discouragements and dif
ficulties. I see the man to be all of a piece ; his life and con
versation to be a transcript of his sermons. It is truly a rare
tiling to see so much of God about any one man ; to see one

8 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
so ernment for humility in the midst of applause — for meekness
and patience under reproaches and injuries — for love to ene
mies — for desire to glorify Christ and save souls— contentment
in a mean lot, acquiescing in the will of God in all cases —
never fretting under any dispensation, but still praising and
giving thanks for every thing. It is rare to see in a man such
a, flaming fin; for God and against sin when in the pulpit, and
yet most easy and calm in conversing with men out of it ; care
ful not to give offence to them, and yet never courting the favor
of any. God has bestowed a large measure of gifts and graces
upon "him for the work he is engaged in, and litis made him a
chosen vessel to carry his name among the Gentiles, and to re
vive his work in several other churches. Oh that God may
order his coming to poor Scotland, in such a cloudy time, for
the same end ! And who knows, but God might be entreated,
if we could wrestle with him, notwithstanding all our provoca
tions ! Things appeared most unlikely, in other places, some
while ago, where now Christ is riding in triumph, going forth
conquering and to conquer. This worthy youth is singularly-
fitted to do the work of an evangelist ; and I have been long
of opinion, that it would be for the advantage of the world,
were this still to be a standing office in the church. And see
ing the Lord has stirred him up to venture his life, reputation,
and his all for Christ, refuse the best benefices in his own conn
try, and run all hazards by sea and land, and travel so many
thousand miles to proclaim the glory of Christ, and the riches
of his free grace, of which he himself is a monument ; and
especially, seeing God has honored him to do all this with such
surprising success among sinners of all ranks and persuasions,
and even many of the most notorious, in awakening and turn
ing them to the Lord ; I truly think we are also bound to hon
or him, and to esteem him highly in love for his Master's and
for his works' sake, according to 1 Thess. v. 13. And for
those who vilify and oppose him, I wish they would even no
tice Gamaliel's words, Acts v. < Let him alone, lest haply ye be
found to fight against God :' or rather, that they would regard
the apostle Peter's words, apologizing for his going in with the
uncircumcised, Acts xi. when the Holy Ghost felfupon them ;
' What was I that I could withstand God ?' I have myself been
witness to the Holy Ghost falling upon him and his hearers,
oftener than once, I do not say in a miraculous, though in an
observable manner. Yea, I have already seen the desirable
fruits thereof in not a few ; and hope, through the divine bless
ing on the seed sown, to see more. Many here are blessing
God for sending, him to this country, though Satan has raged
much against it.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 79
K The Lord is a sovereign agent, and may raise up the instrr>
ments of his glory, from what churches or places he pleases j
and glorifies his grace the more, when he does it from those
societies whence and when it could be least expected. Though
Mr. Whitefield be ordained, according to his education, a min
ister of the Church of England, yet we are to regard him as
one whom God has raised up to witness against the corruptions
of that Church ; whom God is still enlightening, and causing
to make advances toward us. He has already conformed to ua,
both in doctrine and worsliip, and lies open to light to conform
to us in other points. He is thoroughly a Calvinist, and sound'
to the doctrines of free grace, in the doctrine of original sin,
the new birth, justification by Christ, the necessity of imputed
righteousness, and the operations of the Holy "Ghost. These
he makes his great theme, drives the point home to the con-
ecience, and God attends it with great power. And as God has
enlightened him gradually in these things, so he is still ready
to receive more light, and so soon as he gets it he is more frank
in declaring it.
" God, by owning him so wonderfully, is pleased to give a
rebuke to our intemperate bigotry and party zeal, and to tell
as, that ' neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any
thing, but the new creature.'
" P. S. Many with us are for preferring ministers, according
to the party they are of; but commend me to a pious, Christ-
exalting, and soul-winning minister, whatever be his denominar
tion. Such are ministers of Christ's sending, and of such he
saith, ' He that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that de~
spiseth you, despiseth me ;' which is a rule of duty to us."*
* The compiler lately received a transcript from the diary of a very worthy
Christian in Edinburgh, who died about two years ago, in which are the fol
lowing passages. " Sabbati, August 9, 1741. What is surprising, is that num
bers of all ranks, all denominations, and all characters, come constantly ro
hear him, though his sermons abound with those truths which would be un
welcome from the mouths of others. He is indefatigable in his works. Threo
hours before noon he appoints for people under distress to converse with him,
when he is much confined. Then he writes numbers of letters. And this
week he is to add a morning lecture to his work. I have reason, among many
others, for ble-sing God for sending him to this place.
" Sabbati, August 30, 1711. Mr. Whitefield preached Monday morning
and afternoon, Tuesday forenoon in the Canongate church, evening in tha
park, and gathered 251. 7s. 6d. for the poor Highlanders. Next day he went
to Newbottle, and preached twice. On Thursday at Whitburn ; Friday morn
ing at Torphichen ; Friday evening at Linlithgow ; Saturday morning and
afternoon, both at Falkirk. And this day he is at Airth. To-morrow ho
will preach twice at Stirling. Culross, Tuesday forenoon ; Dumfermline, af
ternoon. Wednesday, twice at Kinross. Thursday,. Perth. From Friday to
Monday, at Dundee. Monday, Kinglassie, and come to Edinburgh on Tues
day. Blessed be God, he seldom preaches without some one or other laid iuv
4er concern. Surely God has sent him to this place- for good. The devil
fcerar raged more by his emissaries. It is remarkable, that thera navei wa»

80 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
The four preceding letters show the acceptableness and suc
cess of Mr. Whitefield's ministrations in most of the great towns
in Scotland. As to smaller places, the following extract of a
letter from the Rev. Thomas Davidson, (his fellow traveler) to
the Rev. Mr. Henry Davidson of Galashields, dated Culross,
December 3, 1741, will be an agreeable specimen.
" Our journey to the north was as comfortable as any we had.
In several places, as he came along the Lord I thought coun
tenanced him in a very convincing manner, particularly at a
place called Lundie, five miles north from Dundee, where there-
js a considerable number of serious christians, who, hearing
that he was to come that way, spent most part of the night be-
• minister, no nor any other man, against whom the mouths of the licentious
have been more opened. Since he came, I have found myself more desiroui
to be watchful, lest my foot slip at any time,and to guard against many thing*
which before I thought indifferent.
" Thursday, October 27, 1741. Yesterday Mr. Whitefield left this place,
»o return to England. His departure was a great grief to many, whom the
Lord has mercifully awakened under his ministry, the number of which, I
believe, is very great. Mr. Whitefield alone, among about thirty young com
municants that came to converse with him, found about a dozen who told him
they were first effectually touched under his ministry ; and gave very good;
accounts of a work of God upon their souls. Some of the most abandoned
wretches are brought to cry, ' What shall I do to be saved V I have often had
the opportunity of conversation with him, and, I think, I never heard him, or
conversed with him, but I learned some good lesson. I do not remember to
have heard one idle word drop from him, in all the times I have, been in com
pany with him ; and others, that have been much more with him, give him
the same testimony. On Tuesday last, he preached and exhorted seven times.
I heard him to my great satisfaction, the fourth time in the park. From that
he went to the Old People's Hospital, to give them an exhortation ; but, indeed
I never was a witness to any think of the kind before. All the congregation
(for many followed him) were so moved, that very few, if any, could refrain
from crying out. I am sure the kingdom of God was then come nigh unto
them, and that a woe will be unto them that slighted the offers of a Savior
then made to them. From that, he went to Heriot's Hospital, where a great
change is wrought upon many of the boys ; for there, as well as in the Maiden
Hospitals, fellowship meetings are set up, which is quite new there ; for the
boys at that hospital were noted for the wickedest boys about town. I
was with him in a private house in the evening. When he came there he was
quite worn out. However, he expounded there, which was the seventh dis-
oourse that day ; and, what was very surprising, he was much fresher after
he had done, than at the beginning.
" November 29, 1741. I had agreeable accounts of some of the children wh«
were wrought upon by the ministry of Mr. Whitefield. I heard this day of a
good many, that I heard not of formerly, who were not only laid under con
cern, but seemed to have a work of grace wrought upon their hearts, appearing
by a most remarkable change in their conversation, and eager desires after.
fiirther degrees of knowledge of the Lord's ways, which leads them to attend
wery opportunity they can have for instruction.
» Sabbati, December 6, 1741. Since Mr. Whitefield's coming here, I find
christians more ffee in conversation than formerly ; which is a great merct
both to themselves and all about them ; the experience of which I have had
this past week, in several places where I have been. I had occasion to see a
BOldier, who was lately wrought upon by Mr. Whitefield's means. He seen*
to have come a great length in a little time, and gives a very judicious account
0 (he Lord's dealings with his soul"

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 8f
fore in prayer together. Although his preaching there was
only in a passing way, having to ride to Dundee alter it, and it
was between three and four before he reached the place : yet
he had scarce well begun, before the power of God was indeed
very discernable. Never did I see such joyous melting in a
worshipping assembly. There was nothing violent in it, or
like what we may call screwing up the passions ; for it evi
dently appeared to be deep and hearty, and to proceed from a
higher spring."
As a conclusion of this article, concerning Mr. Whitefield's
first reception and ministrations in Scotland, the reader will
not be displeased to see the following extract from the papers
of a gentleman deceased, who was eminent for learning and
knowledge of the world, and who had a general acquaintance
with those who professed the greatest regard for religion.
"Messrs. Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine corresponded with
him for two or three years, and invited him to Scotland. But
afterwards, reflecting, that if they held communion with an
episcopal minister, because a good man and successful preacher,
they could not vindicate their renouncing communion with
such ministers in the Church of Scotland, they wrote to him
not to come. However, on the invitation of some ministers and
people of the established Church, he came and preached his
first sermon in Mr. Ralph Erskine's pulpit at Dunfermline, (a
town ten or twelve miles from Edinburgh, on the other side of
Forth.) At a second visit to Dunfermline, he had a conference
with all the seceding brethren, where he honestly avowed that
he was a member of the Church of England, and as he thought
the government and worship of it lawful, was resolved, unless
violently thrust out of it, to continue so, rebuking sin, and
preaching Christ ; and told them he reckoned the Solemn Lea
gue and Covenant a sinful oath, as too much narrowing the
communion of saints, and that he could not see the divine right
of Presbyterianism. On this the Presbytery came to a resolu
tion to have no more to do with him ; and one of them preach
ed a sermon to show, that one who held communion with th*
Church of England, or the backslidden Church of Scotland,
could not be an instrument of reformation. This, however, did
not hinder multitudes, both of the seceders and established
Church of Scotland, from hearing his sermons. His soundness
in the faith, his fervent zeal and unwearied diligence in pro
moting the cause of Christ ; the plainness and simplicity, the
affection and warmth of his sermons, and the amazing power
that had accompanied them in many parts of England, and in
almost all the North American colonies, joined to his meekness,
humility, and truly candid and catholic spirit, convinced them

82 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
there was reason to think well of him, and to countenance his
ministry. Conversions had become rare, little liveliness was
to be found even in real christians, and bigotry and blind zeai
were producing animosities and divisions, and turning away
the attention of good men from matters of infinitely greater im
portance. In this situation an animated preacher appears sin
gularly qualified to awaken the secure, to recover christians to
their first love and first works, and to reconcile their affections
one to another.
" The episcopal clergy gave him no countenance, though
some few of their people did. And in the established Church
of Scotland, some of the more rigid Presbyterians would not
hold communion with him, on account of his connection with
the Church of England, and his seeming to assume the office
of an evangelist, peculiar, in their apprehension, to the first
ages of the church : while some, who affected to be thought
more sensible, or more modish and polite, were mightily disaf
fected with him for preaching the Calvinistic doctrines of elec
tion, original sin, efficacious grace, justification through faith,
and perseverance of the saints ; and for inveighing against the
play house, dancing assemblies, games of chance, haunting
taverns, vanity and extravagance in dress, and levity in beha
vior and conversation.
" Some gentlemen and ladies, who went to hear him, would
not go a second time, because he disturbed them by insisting
on man's miserable and dangerous state by nature, and the
strictness and holiness essential to the christian character.
But, upon many of his hearers in Edinburgh, of all ranks and
ages, especially young people, deep impressions were made,
and many of them waited on him privately, lamenting their
former immoral lives, or stupid thoughtlessness about religion,
and expressing their anxious concern about obtaining an in
terest in Christ, and the sanctifying influences of the Spirit.
In the greater part of these, the impressions have appeared to
be saying, from their circumspect, exemplary conduct since
tiiat time, or from their comfortable or triumphant deaths.
Many Presbyterians begin to think more mildly and candidly
than before of the ministers and members of the Church of
England."* • This year, 1741, he received the compliments of honorary Burgess Ticket*
from the towns of Stirling, Glasgow, Paisley, and Aberdeen. And in 1743,
from Irvine. And 1762, from Edinburgh.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 83
CHAPTER IX.
From his leaving Edinburgh, 1741, to his return to that city in tht
year 1742.
Mr. Whitefield having left Edinburgh in the latter end
of October, 1741, set out for Abergavenny, in Wales, where,
having some time ago formed a resolution to enter into the
married state, he married one Mrs. James, a widow between
thirty and forty years of age ; of whom he says, " She has
been a house-keeper many years, once gay, but for three years
last past a despised follower of the Lamb of God." From
Abergavenny he went to Bristol, where he preached twice a
day with his usual success. Upon returning- to London, in
the beginning of December, he received letters from Georgia
concerning his orphan family, which, with respect to their
external circumstances, were a little discouraging. On the
other hand, he had most comfortable accounts of the fruits of
his ministry in Scotland. This made him think of paying
another visit there in the spring. Meantime he had , the
pleasure of seeing his labors attended with the divine blessing
at London and Bristol. And from Gloucester he thus writes :
— " December 23, 1741. Last Thursday evening the Lord
brought me hither. I preached immediately to our friends in
a large barn, and had my Master's presence. Both the power
and the congregation increased. On Sunday, Providence
opened a door for my preaching in St. John's, one of the parish
churches. Great numbers came. On Sunday afternoon,
after I had preached twice at Gloucester, I preached at Mr.
P  's at the hill, six miles off, and again at night, at
Stroud. The people seemed to be more hungry than ever,
and the Lord to be more amongst them. Yesterday morning
I preached at Painswick, in the parish church, here in the
afternoon, and again at. night in the barn. God gives me un
speakable comfort and uninterrupted joy. Here seems to be a
new awakening, and a revival of the work of God. I find
several country people were awakened when I preached at
Tewksbury, and have heard of three or four that have died in
the Lord. We shall never know what good field preaching
has done, till we come to judgment. Many, who were pre
judiced against me, begin to be of another mind ; and God
shows me more and more that when a man's ways please the
Lord, he will make even his enemies to be at peace with him.
To-morrow morning I purpose to set out for Abergavenny, and
to preach at Bristol, in Wilts, Gloucester and Gloucestershire,
before I see London."

$4 MEMOIRS OF WHITE-FIELD,
In the latter end of December he came to Bristol, where he
continued nearly a month, preaching twice every day, and writ
ing to his friends in London and Scotland. He also set up a
general monthly meeting to read corresponding letters. From
Bristol he returned to Gloucester, and January 28, 1743,
writes — "On Friday last I left Bristol, having first settled
affairs, almost as I could wish. At Kingston I administered
the sacrament on Wednesday night. It was the Lord's passover.
On Thursday we had a sweej love feast ; on Friday the Lord
was with me twice at Tockington ; on Saturday morning I
broke up some fallow ground at Newport ; and in the evening
preached to many thousands at Stroud ; on Monday morning
at Painswich ; and ever since twice a day here. Our congre-
fations, I think, are larger than at Bristol. Every sermon is
lessed." On his way to London, Feb. 23, he was still farther encou
raged by receiving letters from America, informing him of tha
remarkable success of the gospel there, and that God had
stirred up some wealthy friends to assist his orphans in their
late extremity.* Upon his return to London, he went on with
greater zeal and success, if possible, than ever. " Our Savior
(says he, writing to a brother, April 6, 1742) is doing great
things in London daily. "I rejoice to hear that you are helped
in your work. Let this en courage you ; gd> on, go on ; the
more we do, the more we may do. for Jesus. I sleep and eat
but little, and am constantly employed from morning till
midnight, and yet my strength is daily renewed. O free
grace ! It fires my soul, and makes me long to do something
for Jesus. It is true, indeed, I want to go home ; but here
are so many souls ready to perish for lack of knowledge, that
I am willing to tarry "below as long as my Master has work
for me."
From this principle of compassion to perishing souls, he now
ventured to take a very extraordinary step. It^had been the
eustom for many years past, in the holiday seasons, to erect
booths in Moorfields, for mountebanks, players, and puppet-
shows, which were attended from morning till night by innu
merable multitudes of the lower sort of people. He formed a
resolution to preach the gospel among them, and executed it.
On Whitmonday, at six o'clock in the morning, attended by a
large congregation of praying people, he began. Thousands.
who were waiting there, gaping for their usual diversions, all
* " The everlasting God reward all their bene/actors. I find there has been
a fresh awakening among them. I am informed, that twelve nc°roes be
longing to a planter lately converted at the Orphan-house, are savingly broughl
borne to Jesus Christ." ' *

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 85
flocked around him. His text was, John iii. 14. They gazed,
they hstened, they wept ; and many seemed to be stung with
deep conviction for their past sins. All was hushed and solemn.
" Being thus encouraged (says he) I ventured out again at noon,
when the fields were quite full ; and could scarce help smiling,
to see thousands, when a merry-andrew was trumpeting to
them, upon observing me mount a stand upon the other side of
fjie field, deserting him, till not so much as one was left behind,
but all flocked to hear the gospel. But this, together with a
complaint that they had taken near twenty or thirty pounds
less that day than usual, so enraged the owners of the booths,
that when I came to preach a third time in the evening, in the
midst of the sermon a merry-andrew got up upon a man's
shoulders, and advancing near the pulpit, attempted to slash
me with a long heavy whip several times. Soon after they
got a recruiting sergeant, with his drum, to pass through the
congregation. But I desired the people to make way for the
king's officer, which was quietly done. Finding these efforts
to fail, a large -body, quite on the opposite side, assembled toge
ther, and having got a great pole for their standard, advanced
with sound of drum, in a very threatening manner, till they
came near the skirts of the congregation. Uncommon courage
was given to both preacher and hearers. For just as they ap
proached us with looks full of resentment, I know not by what
accident, they quarrelled among themselves, threw down their
staff, went their way, leaving, however, many of their company
behind, who before we had done, I trust were brought over to
join the besiegedjDarty. I think I continued in praying, preach
ing, and singing (for the noise was too great at times to preach)
about three hours. We then retired to the tabernacle, where
thousands flocked. We were determined to pray down the
booth ; but blessed be God, more substantial work was done.
At a moderate computation, I received (I believe) a thousand
notes from persons under conviction ; and soon after, upwards
of three hundred were received into the society in one day.
Some I married, that had lived together without marriage.
One man had exchanged his wife for another, and given four
teen shillings in exchange. Numbers, that seemed as it were
to have been bred up for Tyburn, were at that time plucked as
firebrands out of the burning."
" I cannot help adding, that several little boys and girls, who
were fond of sitting round me on the pulpit, while I preached,
and handing to me people's notes, though they were often pelted
with eggs and dirt, thrown at me, never once gave way ; but
on the contrary, every time I was struck turned up their little
weeping eyes,.and seemed to wish they could receive the blows

86 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD,
for me. God make them, in their growing years, great and
hving martyrs for him, who out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings perfecteth praise,"

CHAPTER X.
From his arrival in Scotland, 1742, to his return to London the same
year.
Soon after this he embarked a second time for Scotland, and
arrived at Leith, June 3, 1742.*
But here it is proper to take a view of the state of things ir
that country upon his arrival. It had pleased God to bless his
first visit to Scotland, not only for the conversion of particular
persons, and the comforting and quickening of private chris
tians, but to rouse them to more than ordinary concern about
the salvation of their neighbors, and to excite pious and con
scientious ministers to greater diligence in their work. Prayers
were put up, with some degree of faith and hope, that God
would now give success to their labors, and not suffer them
always to complain that they spent their strength in vain.
Nor were these prayers long unanswered : for in the month of
February, 1742, an extraordinary religious concern began to
appear publicly at Cambuslang, and soon after at Kilsyth and
other places ; the news of which spread quickly through the
land, and engaged general attention. Of this a just though
short description is given in the following letter, written by the
Rev. Mr. Hamilton (then minister in the Barony parish, now
in the High Church of Glasgow) to Mr. Prince, minister in
Boston. "Glasgow, Sept. 13, 1742. We, in the south and
west of Scotland, have great reason to join in thankfulness to
God, with you, for the days of the Redeemer's power, that we
* " Edinburgh, Sabbath, June, 6 1742. On Thursday last our dear friend
Mi1. Whitefield returned to this place, to the great comfort of many honest
christians, especially of those to whom he was made a means of conviction
and conversion when last here. He seems to have improved much in chris
tian knowledge. He is much refreshed with the accounts of the work of God
in the west country. I have heard him preach five excellent discourses, all
calculated for the building up of christians (though he never fails to put in a
word for the conviction of sinners ;) and, I think, can say, that I have never
heard him without some influence attending his preaching, especially in pri
vate houses. Oh may the impressions made on my heart never wear off, lest
at any time I should be in danger of dropping my watch, and becoming un-*
tender." " Oct. 17, 1742. It is a great recommendation of Mr. Whitefield to me, that,
though the seceders give him every bad character that can be devised, viz. a
sorcerer, &c. yet he takes all patiently, and, wherever he goes, speaks well of
them so far as he can : for none can approve of those gross parts of their con
duct ; therefore these he chooses to cast a mantle of love over."

memoiRs Of whitefield. 87
are favored with. Mr. Whitefield came to Scotland in the
summer of 1741, for the first time ; and in many places where
he preached, his ministrations were evidently blessed, particu
larly in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, where a consider
able number of persons were brought Under such impressions
of religion as have never yet left them ; but they are still fol
lowing on to know the Lord. However, this was only the
beginning of far greater things : for, about the middle of Feb
ruary last, a very great concern appeared among the people
of Cambuslang, a small parish, lying four miles south east of
Glasgow, under the pastoral inspection of the Rev. Mr. William
McCulloch, a man of considerable parts^ and great piety. This
concern appeared with some circumstances very unusual among
us : to wit, severe bodily agonies, outcryings and faintings, in
the congregation. This made the report of it spread like fire,
and drew vast multitudes of people from all quarters to that
place : and I believe, in less than two months after the com
mencement of it, there were few parishes within twelve miles
of Cambuslang but had some, more or fewer, awakened there,
to a very deep, piercing sense of sin ; and many at a much
greater distance. I am verily persuaded, with your worthy
brother, Mr. Cooper, in his preface to Mr. Edward's sermon,
that God has made use of these uncommon circumstances to
make his work spread the faster. But, blessed be God, Cam
buslang is -not the only place where these impressions are felt
The same work is spreading in other parishes, and under their
own ministers, particularly at Calder,- Kilsyth, and Cumber-
naud, all to the' north east of Glasgow ; and I doubt not, that
since the middle of February, when this work began at Cam
buslang, upwards of two thousand persons have been awaken
ed, and almost all of them, by the best accounts I have, in a
promising condition ; there being very few instances of impos
tors, or such as have lost their impressions, and many whom
we are bound to think true scripture converts, and who evi
dence it by a suitable walk and conversation. There is evi
dently a greater seriousness and concern about rehgion appear
ing in most of our congregations, than formerly ; a greater
desire after the word ; people applying themselves more closely
to their duty, and erecting new societies for prayer and spirit
ual conference : which gives us the joyful prospect of a con
siderable enlargement in the Messiah's kingdom.
" My parish has likewise had some share in this good work.
There have been above a hundred new communicants among
them this summer, who never did partake of the blessed sacra
ment before ; which is five times as many as ever I admitted
in any former year; most of them were awakened at Cambus-

88 memoirs of whitefield.
lang, some of them in their own church, and in othei's the
impressions have been more gradual, and not attended with .
these uncommon circumstances before mentioned. And it is
to be observed, that before we admit any to the Lord's table,
we particularly examine them, and are satisfied with their
knowledge of the principles of religion, of the nature and ends
ofthe sacrament, and the impressions of religion they have on
their minds."*
To the same purpose is the Rev. Mr. Willison's letter fo Dr.
Colman, ministei? in Boston, dated Dundee, Feb. 28, 1743;
" I must inform you a little of the work of God begun here.
I told you in my last, that after Mr. Whitefield's first coming
and preaching three months, in Scotland, there were some be
ginnings of a revival of religion in some of our principal cities
^-at Edinburgh and Glasgow — which still continue and in
crease, especially since Mr. Whitefield's second coming, in
June last. But, besides these cities, the Lord hath been pleased
to begin a work much like that in New England, in the west
of Scotland. The first parish awakened was Cambuslang;
the next was the parish of Kilsyth, about nine miles north east
of Glasgow ; and afterwards the parishes of Calder, Kirkintil
loch, Cumbernaud, Campfie, Kilmarnock, Gargunnock, and
a great many others in the country. The awakenings of
people have been, in a. good many, attended with outcryings,
faintings, and bodily distresses ; but in many more the work
has proceeded with great calmness. But the effects in both
sorts are alike good arm desirable, and hitherto we hear nothing
of their falling back from what they have professed at the be
ginning ; and still we hear of new parishes falling under great
concern, here and there, though the great cryings and outward
distresses are much ceased.
" The Lord, in this backsliding time, is willing to pity us,
and see our ways and heal them, however crooked and perverse
they have been. Oh shall not this wonderful step of divine
condescension lead us all to repentance, and to go out to meet
a returning God, in the way of humiliation and reformation 7
The magistrates and ministers in Edinburgh are beginning to
set up societies for reformation of manners, and new lectur.es
* Extract of a letter from a person of distinction to the complier. " Edin
burgh, February, 1742. I would not ascribe all the revival of religion in Scot
land to the instrumentality of Mr. Whitefield. At Cambuslang it began be
fore he had been there ; but in Edinburgh, and all the other places in Scot
land that I heard of after dilligent inquiry, it began with his first visit. This
honor he had from his divine Master, and it ought not to be taken from him.
And every time he came to Scotland, it is an undoubted fact, that an uncom
mon power attended his ministry ; and many were always brought under se
rious and lasting impressions."

memoirs of whitefield. 89
On Week days. May all our cities follow their example. There
is a great increase of praying societies also in Edinburgh and
other towns and villages ; and in them they are keeping days
of thanksgiving for the partial waterings the Lord is giving us.
Those in Edinburgh send printed memorials to others through
the nation, to excite them to it.*
" The greatest strangers to religion could not avoid hearing
of these things, but they were very differently affected with
them. Whilst some became more thoughtful and serious, many
mocked, and some were even filled with rage. On the other
hand, the temper and behavior of those who were the subjects
of this remarkable work, were strong evidences that it came
from above. Their earnest desire to be rightly directed in the
way to heaven, their tender and conscientious walk, their faith
fulness in the duties of their stations, their readiness to make am
ple restitution for any act of injustice they had formerly commit
ted, their disposition to judge mildly of others, but severely
of themselves, their laying aside quarrels and law suits, and
desiring to be reconciled, and to live peaceably with all men ;
such amiable and heavenly qualities, especially when appearing
in some who had formerly been of a very opposite character,
could not fail to strike every serious observer. In short, it was
such a time for the revival of religion, as had never before been
seen in Scotland.
'¦'The enmity which wicked and profane men discovered
against this work, and the derision with which they treated it, is
no more than what might naturally be expected. But it is not
easy to account for the conduct of the seceders. These, not satis
fied with forbearing to approve of it, went the length even to
appoint a general fast among themselves, one of the grounds of
which was, the receiving Mr. Whitefield in Scotland ; and ano
ther, the delusion, as they called it, at Cambuslang and other
places. And Mr. Gibb, one of their ministers, wrote a pamphlet
inveighing against both in the most virulent language. Such
was the bigotry and misguided zeal of the bulk of the party
at that time. It is to be hoped their successors have juster
views of this subject.f With respect to Mr. Whitefield, the
* The Rev. Mr. Macknight of Irvine, thus writes to Mr. Whitefield, June
21, 1742. " Blessed be our glorious God, there are some awakenings among
us at Irvine, not only of those who have been at Cambuslang, but several
Others are lately brought into concern about their eternal state, and among
ihem several children ; the news of which I know will rejoice you, and 1
hope will encourage you to visit us to help forward this great and glorious
work of converting sinners."
t The reader who wants to see the objections against the work at Cambus
lang, fully refuted, may consult Mr. Robe's Letters to Mr. Fisher : and Mr.
Jonathan Edwards' Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God.
And, as to the argument from the goodness of the fruits, which is level to the

90 memoirs of whitefield. '
spring of their first opposition to him sufficiently appears from
his conversation with them at Dunfermline, formerly men
tioned. And the following letter, which he wrote at Cambus
lang, August, 1742, and which was afterwards printed at Glas
gow, gives an account of their objections and his answers, which
are perfectly agreeable to the spirit of both : ' I heartily thank
you for your concern about unworthy me. Though I am not
very solcitious what the world say of me, yet I would not refuse
to give any one, much less a minister of Jesus Christ (and such
a one I take you to be) all reasonable satisfaction about any
part of my doctrine or conduct. I am sorry that the Associate
Presbytery, besides the other things exceptionable in the grounds
of their late fast, have done me much wrong. As to what
they say about the supremacy, my sentiments, as to the power
and authority of the civil magistrate as to sacred things, agree
with what is said in the Westminster Confession of faith, chap.
xxiii. paragraphs 3 and 4. And I do own the Lord Jesus to be
the blessed head and king of his church.
" : The Solemn League and Covenant I never abjured,
neither was it ever proposed to me to be abjured ; and as for
my missives, if the Associate Presbytery will be pleased to print
them, the world will see that they had no reason to expect I
would act in any other manner than I have done. What that
part of my experience is that savors of the grossest enthusiasm,
I know not, because not specified ; but this one thing I know,
when I conversed with them they were satisfied with the ac
count I then gave of my experiences, and also of the validity
at my mission ; only, when they found I would preach fhe
gospel promiscuously to all, and for every minister that would
invite me, and not adhere only to them, one of them, particu
larly, said, ' They were satisfied with all the other accounts
which I gave of myself, except of my call to Scotland at that
time.' They would have been glad of my help, and have re
ceived me as a minister of Jesus Christ, had I consented to have
preached only at the invitation of them and their people. But
that was contrary to the dictates of my conscience, and there
fore I could not comply. I thought their foundation too nar
row for any high house to be built upon. I declared freely,
when last in Scotland, (and am more and more convinced of
it since) that they were building a Babel* At the same time,
capacities of all, the Compiler thinks it his duty to add, that, among his ac
quaintance who were the subjects of that work,. the fruits were generally both
good and lasting.
* The event verified this conjecture. In his (MS.) notes, several years af
ter, he makes the following remark : " Such a work, (the religious concern at
Cambuslang) so very extensive, must meet with great opposition My col
lections for the orphans gave a great, handle ;. but the chief- opposition wa»

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 91
they knew very well I was far from being against all church
government (for how can any church subsist without it ?) I
only urged, as I do now, that since holy men differ so much
about the outward form, we should bear with and forbear one
another, though in this respect we are not of one mind. I
have often declared, in the most public manner, that I believe
the Church of Scotland to be the best constituted national
church in the world. At the same time I would bear with and
converse freely with all others, who do not err in fundamen
tals, and who give evidence that they are true lovers pf the
Lord Jesus. This is what I mean by a catholic spirit. Not
that I believe a Jew or pagan,, continuing such, can be a true
christian, or have true Christianity in them ; and if there be
any thing tending that way in the late extract which I sent
you. I utterly disavow it. And I am sure I observed no such
thing in it when I published it, though, upon a closer review,.
some expressions seem justly exceptionable. You know how
strongly I assert all the doctrines of grace, as held forth in the
Westminster Confession of faith, and doctrinal articles of the
Church of England. These I trust I shall adhere to as long
as I live, because I verily believe they are the truths of Godr
and have felt the power of them in my own heart. I am only
concerned that good men should be guilty of such misrepre
sentations. But this teaches me more and more to exercise
compassion toward all the children of God, and to be more
jealous over my own heart, knowing what fallible creatures
we all are. I acknowledge that I am a poor, blind sinner, lia
ble to err, and would fee obliged to an enemy, much more to
so dear a friend as you are, to point out my mistakes, as to my
practice, or unguarded expressions in preaching or writing.
At the same time I would humble myself before my Master
for any thing I may say or do amiss, and beg the influence
and assistance of his blessed Spirit, that I may say and do so
no more.' "
So much for Mr. Whitefield's difference with the seceders.
But, notwithstanding all this, upon his second arrival in Scot
land, June, 1742, he was received by great numbers, among
made by the seceders, who, though they had prayed for me at a most extrava
gant rate, now gave out that I was agitated by the devil. Taking it for grant
ed that all converted persons must take the covenant, and that God had left
the Scotch established churches long ago, and that he would never work by
the hand of a curate of the Church of England, they condemned the whole
work as the work of the devil, and kept a fast through all Scotland, to humble
themselves, because the devil was come down in his wrath, and to pray that
the Lord would rebuke the destroyer, (for that was my title.) But the Lord
rebuked these good men ; for they split among themselves, and excommunica
ted one another. Having afterwards a short interview with Mr. Ralph Erskinu,
we embraced each other, and he said, ' We have seen strange things.' "

92 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
whom were some persons of distinction, with much joy ; and
had the satisfaction of seeing and hearing more and more of
the happy fruits of his ministry.* At Edinburgh he preached
twice a day, as usual, in the hospital park, where a number of
seats and shades, in the form of an amphitheatre, were erect
ed for the accommodation of his hearers. And in consequence
of earnest invitations, he went to the west country, particularly
to Cambuslang, where he preached three times, upon the very
day of his arrival, to a vast body of people, although he had
preached that same morning at Glasgow. The last of these
exercises began at nine at night, continuing till eleven, when
he said he observed such a commotion among the people as he
had never seen in America. Mr. McCulloch preached after
him, till past one in the morning, and even then could hardly
persuade the people to depart. All night in the fields might
be heard the voice of prayer and praise. As Mr. Whitefield
was frequently at Cambuslang during this season, a descrip
tion of what he observed there at different times will be best
given in his own words : " Persons from all parts flocked to
see, and many, from many parts, went home convinced and
converted unto God. A brae, or hill, near the manse at Cam
buslang, seemed to be formed by Providence for containing a
large congregation. People sat unwearied till two in the morn
ing, to hear sermons, disregarding the weather. You could
scarce walk a yard, but you must tread upon some, either re
joicing in God, for mercies received, or crying out for more.
Thousands and thousands have I seen, before it was possible
to catch it by sympathy, melted down under the word and pow-
e;r of God. At the celebration of the holy communion, their
joy was so great, that, at the desire of many, both ministers
and people, in imitation of Hezekiah's passover, they had, a
month or two afterwards, a second, which was a general
rendezvous of the* people of God. The communion table was
in the field; three tents at proper distances, all surrounded
with a multitude of hearers : above twenty ministers (among
whom was good old Mr. Bonner) attending to preach and as
sist, all enlivening and enlivened by one another."
Besides his labors at Glasgow and Cambuslang, it is some
what surprising to think how many other places in the west of
Scotland he visited within the compass of a few weeks, preach
ing once or twice at every one of them, and at several, three
* " Edinburgh, June 4, 1742. This morning I received glorious accounts ot
the carrying on of the Mediator's kingdom. Three of the little boys that were
tor verted when I was last here, came to me and wept, and begged me to pray
tar and with them. A minister tells me, that scarce one is fallen back who was
awakened, either among old or young. The Sergeant, whose letter brother
t»  has, goes on well with his company."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD'. 93?
ox four times. It is worth while to set down the journal of a
week or two. In the beginning of July, he preached twice on
Monday at Paisley ; on Tuesday and Wednesday, three times
each day at Irvine ; on Thursday, twice at Mearns ; on Friday,
three times at Cumberland ; and on Saturday, twice at Falkirk,
And again in the latter end of August, on Thursday he preach
ed twice at Greenock ; on Friday, three times at Kilbride ; on
Saturday, once at Kilbride, and twice at Stevenson ; on the
Sabbath, four times at Irvine ; on Monday once at Irvine, and
three times at Kilmarnock ; Tuesday, once at Kilmarnock,*
and four times at Stewarton ; on Wednesday, once at Stewar-
ton, and twice at Mearns. He was also at lnchanned, New
Kilpatrick, Calder and Kilsyth, (where the religious concern
was still increasing) and at Torphichen.t He was indeed
sometimes taken very ill, and his friends thought he Was going
off ; " But in the pulpit, (says he) the Lord, out of weakness,
makes me to wax strong, and causes me to triumph more and
more." And even when he retired for a day or two, it Was on
purpose to write letters, and to prepare pieces for the press, so
that he was as busy as ever.
When he was at Edinburgh, he received accounts that the
Spaniards had landed at Georgia, and of the removal of his
family from thence. He immediately wrote a very encourag
ing epistle to the honourable Mr. Habersham ; in which he
* A gentleman now living, of an irreproachable character, thus writes to
the compiler, April 8, 1771. " When Mr. Whitefield was preaching at Kil
marnock, on the 28d of August, 1742, from these words, And of his fulness
have all we received, and grace for grace,' I thought I never heard such a
sermon on the fulness of grace that is treasured up in Christ Jesus ; and can tru--
ly say that I felt the efficacy of the Holy Spirit upon my soul, during that dis
course. I afterwards shut up myself in my chamber during the remaining
part of that day ; and, before I laid myself down to rest, I made a solemn
and serious dedication of myself to God, by way of covenant, extended and'
subscribed the same with my hands, and, I think, had communion with God
in so doing, to which I have often had recourse since, in adhering thereto,
and in renewing thereof. Though my life since has been attended with many
backslidings from God, and I have been perfidious in his covenant, yet still "I
rejoice in his salvation through precious Christ. And it is refreshing to be
hold the place at this very day, as I have often done since. I, from the era
above mentioned, always looked upon Mr. Whitefield as my spiritual father,
and frequently heard him afterwards in Edinburgh and Glasgow with much
satisfaction. The mentioning of his name always gave me joy, and griev
ed me when he was reproached. And I can very well remember, that when
Cape Breton was taken, I happened to be then a(; Edinburgh, and, being in
vited to breakfast with Mr. Whitefield, I never in all my life enjoyed such
another breakfast. He gave the company a fine and lively descant upon that
part, ofthe world, made us all join in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, and
concluded with a most devout and fervent prayer. In the evening of that
day he preached a most excellent thanksgiving sermon, from the first two
verses of Psalm cxxvi.
t " I never preached with so much apparent success before. At Greenock,.
Irvine, Kilbride, Kilmarnock, and Stewarton, the concern was great ; at the-
three last, very extraordinary."

§4 MEMOIRS OF WHiTEFiELD;
said, " I long to be with you— and, methinks, would wittingly
be found at the head of you kneeling and praying, though a
Spaniard's sword should be put to my throat."* In a few weeks
after, he heard that the enemy were repulsed, and his family
returned in safety to Bethesda. About the end of October, he
left Scotland, and rode post to London, where he arrived in
about five days;

CHAPTER XI.
Front his arrival in London in the year 1742, to his embarking for
America, 1744.
On Mr. Whitefield's arrival in London, he found a new
awakening at the tabernacle, which had been enlarged. He
observes : " I am employed, and glory to rich grace, I am car
ried through the duties of each day with cheerfulness and
almost uninterrupted tranquility. Our society is large, but in
good order. My Master gives us much of his graciohs presence,
both in our public and private ministrations."
In March, 1743, he went into Gloucestershire, where people
appeared to be more eager to hear the word than ever. " Preach
ing," says he, " in Gloucestershire, is now like preaching at the
tabernacle in London." And in a letter, dated April 7, lie
says, " I preached and took leave of the Gloucester people;
with mutual and great concern on Sunday evening last. It
was past one in the morning before I could lay my weary body
down. At five I rose again, sick for want of rest ; but I was
enabled to get on horseback, and ride to Mr. T  's, where
I preached to a large congregation, who came there at seven
in the morning. At ten, I read prayers and preached, and
afterwards administered the sacrament in Stonehouse church.
Then I rode to Stroud, and preached to about twelve thot>
sand in Mr. G  's field ; and about six in the evening, to
a like number on Hampton common." Next morning he
preached near Dursley to some thousands ; at about seven
reached Bristol, and preached to a full congregation at Smith's
hall ; and on Tuesday morning, after preaching, set out for
Waterford, in South Wales,t where he opened the association
* The manner in which the Spaniards were repulsed, with remarks upon
the kindness of Providence to the colony, may be seen in an extract of general
Oglethorpe's proclamation for a thanksgiving, in Letter 502.
t " The work begun by Mr. Jones, spread itself far and near, in North and
South Wales, where the Lord had made Mr. Howel Harris an instrument ot
converting several clergy as well as laymen. The power of God at the sacra
ment, under the ministry of Mr. Rowland, was enough to make a person's

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 99
which he and his brethren had agreed upon, and was several
days with them, settling the affairs of the societies. He con-r
tinued in Wales some weeks, and preached with great apparent
success ;* and in the latter end of April returned to Gloucester,
after having, in about three weeks, traveled about four hun
dred English miles, spent three days in attending associations,
and preached about forty times.
At one of the associations held in Wales, a motion was made
to separate from the established church : " But," says Mr.
Whitefield, " by far the greater part strenuously opposed it, and
with good reason : for, as we enjoy such great liberty under the
mild and gentle government of his present majesty King George,
I think we can do him, our country, and the cause of God,
more service in ranging up and down, preaching repentance
towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, to those mul
titudes who would neither come into church or meeting, but
who are led by curiosity to follow us into the fields. This is a
way to which God had affixed his seal for many years past."
In May, he went back to London : " Once more," as he
expressed it, " to attack the prince of darkness in Moorfields,"
during the holidays. The congregations were amazingly
great, and much affected. And by the collections made now,
and formerly, he had the pleasure of paying all that he owed
in England, and of making a small remittance to his friend
Mr. Habersham, for Georgia.
About the middle of June following, he again left London,
and went to Bristol, where he continued for some time, preach
ing twice every day, and four times on Sunday. Afterwards
he preached at Exeter to very large congregations, where many
of the clergy attended, who were successfully connected with
him. Among these was the Rev. J. Cennick, then in co-ope
ration with Mr. Whitefield. He was preaching in the high
street of the city of Exeter, on a large open spot of ground,
and surrounded by a great number of people, by some of whom
he had been previously ill treated. An incident is worth reT
lating here, to show how God sometimes confronts his servants'
enemies. Mr. C. was expatiating on the blood of Christ, when a
profane butcher, who was among the crowd, said, " If you love
blood, you shall presently have enough ;" and ran to get some
heart burn within him. At seven in the morning have I seen perhaps ten
thousand from different parts, in the midst of a sermon, crying, Gogunniant —
bendyttv— ready to leap for joy. Associations were now formed, and monthly
or quarterly meetings appointed, and a closer connection established between
the English and Welsh, so that several came over to assist."
* When at Carmarthen, he writes : " It was the great sessions. The jus
tices desired I would stay till they rose, and they would come. Accordingly
they did, and many thousands more ; and several people of quality."

*96 MEMOIRS OF -WHITEFIELD.
to throw on him. A Mr. Saunders (who for several years drorcs
what was called road work, post-chaises not then being much
in use) was also a by-stander, and, though at that time an en
tire stranger to divine things, from a sense of the ill usage
Mr. C. had received, and was likely to receive, felt an inclina
tion to defend him. Seeing the man come with a pail nearly
full of blood, he calmly went to meet him, and when he came
even with him, suddenly caught hold of the pail, and poured
it over the man's head. This drew the attention »f the riotous
part of the people from the preacher to Mr. Saunders, who with
-some difficulty escaped their rage, by taking shelter in a house,
and was obliged to leave the town very early on the next
morning. Mr. Saunders was afterwards awakened to a true sense of
his condition before God, under the ministry of the late Rev.
William Romaine, at St.George's,, Hanover Square. He continu
ed his occupation as a coachman, till about the year 1745 or 6 ;
when he was appointed body-coachman to his majesty, and so
continued till about the year 1780, when he petitioned for a
dismission, on account of his age, being about seventy years
old ; it was granted with regret. His majesty, when riding on
horseback through Kensington, if he saw his old servant walk
ing, would often inquire after his health ; and the same regard
was shown by the other branches of the royal family. On the
13th August, 1799, at the advanced age of eighty-nine, he sweet
ly breathed his happy soul into the bosom of his Redeemer.
In August Whitefield returned to London, but made no long
stay there. "I thank you," says he to a correspondent, "for
your kind caution to spare myself; but evangelizing is certain
ly my province. Every where -effectual doors are opened. So
far from thinking of settling at London, I am more and more
convinced that I should go from place to place."
Accordingly we find him in the months of October, November
and December, preaching and traveling through the country, as
if it were the middle of summer. At Avon hiWilts, Retherton,
Clack, Brinkworth, Chippenham, Wellington, Collampton, Ex
eter, Axminster, Ottery, Biddeford,* St. Gennis in Cornwall,t
* " Here is a clergyman about eighty years of age, but not above one year
old in the school of Christ. He lately preached three times, and rode forty
miles the same day. A young Oxonian who came with him, and many others,
were deeply affected. I cannot well describe with what power the word wa>
attended. Dear Mr. Hervey, one of our first Methodists at Oxford and who
was lately a curate here, had laid the foundation."
.* " Manyprayers were put up by the worthy rector and others, for an out
pouring of God's blessed Spirit. They were answered. Arrows of conviction
ilew thick, and so fast, and such a universal weeping prevailed from one end
of(the congregation to the other, that good Mr. J. their minister, could not help
foirjg from .seat to seat, to speak, encourage, and comfort the wounded souls.'

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 97
Birmingham,* Kidderminster,t and Broomsgrove. Nor did he
feel his health much impaired, though it was so late in the
reason. He observes, indeed, that he had got a cold; but
adds, " The Lord warms my heart."
February, 1741, he lost his only child, an event whieh tend
ed to keep him humble. Before its birth, his mind was so im
pressed, that he publicly declared that the child would be a boy,
and hoped he would live to preach the gospel. But his fond
^expectations were speedily blasted, the infant dying when but
four months old. This was no doubt very humbling to the
father ; but he was helped to make the wisest and best improve
ment of it. " Though I am disappointed," says he, writing to
a friend, •" of a living preacher by the death of my son ; yet I
hope what happened before his birth, and since at his death,
has taught me such lessons as, if duly improved, may render
his mistaken parent more cautious, more sober-minded, more
experienced in Satan's devices, and consequently more useful
in his future labors to the church of God."t
March 3, he was obliged to attend the assizes at Gloucester.
The occasion was this : in the summer of 1734, the Methodists
had been severely persecuted by the mob, especially at Hamp
ton, where many were hurt, and the lives of the preachers
threatened. Other means having been tried in vain, Mr.
Whitefield, with the advice and assistance of his friends, resolv
ed to seek the protection of the law, and, lodged an information
against the Hampton rioters., in the court of King's Bench.
Facts being proved, and the defendants making no reply, the
rule was made absolute, and an information filed against them.
They pleading not guilty, the cause was referred to the assizes
in Gloucester. After a full hearing, a verdict was given for
the plaintifs, and all the defendants were brought in guilty.
This prosecution had a very good effect; the rioters were
greatly alarmed. But the intention ofthe Methodists was only
to show them what they could do, and then forgive them.
About this time, several anonymous papers, entitled, " Ob
servations upon the conduct and behavior of a certain sect,
usually distinguished by the name of Methodists," were printed
and handed about in the religious societies of London and
* " It is near eleven at night, and nature calls for rest. I have preached five
times this day, and, weak as I am, through Christ strengthening me, I could
preach five times more."
1 1 was kindly received by Mr. Williams. Many friends were at his house.
I was greatly refreshed to find what a sweet savor of-good Baxter's doctrine,
works, and discipline remained to this day."
t In speaking to a friend of this child he said, he would not part with him
tor the whole world ; but if God should demand him, he should have him at a
moment's warning. God he added, took him at his word, and deprived him
of his child by a sudden indisposition. 9

98 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
Westminster, and given to many private persons, with strict
injunctions not to part with them. Mr. Whitefield having ac
cidentally had the hasty perusal of them ; and finding many
queries concerning him and his conduct contained therein ;
and having applied for a copy which was refused him, thought
it his duty" to publish an advertisement desiring (as he knew
npt how soon he might embark for Georgia) a speedy, open
publication of the said papers, that he might make a candid
and impartial answer. He had reason to believe the bishop of
London was concerned in composing or revising them : but
that he might not be mistaken, after the publication of the ad
vertisement, he wrote the bishop a letter, wherein he desired to
know, whether his lordship was the author or not ; and also
desired a copy. The bishop sent word, "he should hear from
him." Some time after, a Mr. Owen, printer to the bishop, left
a letter for Mr. Whitefield, informing him that he had orders
from several of the bishops, to print the Observations, wilh
some few additions, for their use : and when the impression
was finished, Mr. Whitefield should have a copy.
For these reasons Mr. WThitefield thought it proper to direct
his Answer to the Observations, to the bishop of London, and
the other bishops concerned iri the publication of them. This
answer occasioned the Rev. Mr. Church's expostulatory letter
to Mr, Whitefield ; to which he soon replied, with thanks to
the author for prefixing his name.
Being invited by Mr. Smith, a merchant, then in England.
(in the name of thousands) to make another visit to America,
he took a passage with that gentleman, in a vessel going from
Portsmouth ; but the captain refusing to take him, as he said,
for fear of spoiling the sailors, he was obliged to go to Ply
mouth, where he was in imminent danger of being assassinated.
" In my way," says he, " I preached at Wellington, where a
Mr. Darracott had been a blessed instrument of doing much
good. Exeter also, I re-visited, where many souls were awa
kened to the divine life. At Biddeford, where good Mr. Hervey
had been curate, we had much of the power of God ; and also
at Kingsbridge. But the chief scene was at Plymouth and the
Dock, where I expected least success."*
* MS. Upon mentioning Biddeford, he adds [here a character of Mr.
Hervey :] it is pity he did not write it down. However, we have a sketch of
it. " Your sentiments eo-nceming Mr. Hervey's book are very just. The
author of it is my old friend ; a most heavenly minded creature, one of
the first of the Methodists, who is contented with a small cure, and gives
all that he has to the poor. He is very weak, and daily waits for his dis
solution." Among the many -whom Mr. Whitefield was honored to be the means of
converting to the knowledge of the truth, who shall be a crown of joy to him
in the day of the Lord, it is perhaps not generally known that the celebrated

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 99
While at Plymouth, four gentlemen came to the house of one
of his particular friends, and with much seeming kindness, in
quired after him, desiring to lmow where he lodged. Soon
afterwards, Mr. Whitefield received a letter informing him, that
the writer was a nephew of Mr. S  , an attorney at New
York ; that he had the pleasure of supping with Mr. Whitefield
at his uncle's house ; and desired his company to sup with him
and a few more friends, at a tavern. Mr. Whitefield sent him
word, " that it was not customary -for him to sup abroad at a
tavern, but should be glad of the gentleman's company to eat a
morsel with him at his lodgings. " He accordingly came and
supped ; but was observed frequently to look around him, and
to be very absent. At last he took his leave, and returned to
his companions in the tavern ; and being by them interrogated,
what he had done, answered, that he had been used so civilly;
he had not the heart to touch him." Upon which, another of
the company, a lieutenant of the navy, laid a wager of ten
guineas, that he would do his business for him. His compan
ions, however, took away his sword. It was midnight : and
Mr. Whitefield, having preached to a large congregation, and
visited the French prisoners, had gone to bed ; when the land
lady came and told him, that a well dressed gentleman desired
to see him. Mr. Whitefield imagining it was somebody under
conviction, desired him to be brought up. He came and sat
down by the bed side, congratulated him on the success of his
ministry, and expressed much concern at being detained from
hearing him. Soon after he broke out into the most abusive
language ; and in a cruel and cowardly manner beat him in
bed. The landlady and her daughter hearing the noise, rush
ed into the room, and seized upon him ; but he soon disen
gaged himself from them, and repeated his blows on Mr.White-
fiefd ; who, being apprehensive that he intended to shoot or
stab him, underwent all the surprise of a sudden and violent
death. Afterwards, a second came into the house, and cried
out from the bottom of the stairs, " take courage, I am ready
to help you." But by the repeated cry of murder ! the alarm
was now so great, that they both made off. " The next morn
ing," said Mr. Whitefield, " I was to expound at a private
house, and then to set out for Biddeford. Some urged me to
stay and prosecute ; but being better employed, I went on my
intended journey, was greatly blessed in preaching the everlast
ing gospel, and upon my return was well paid for what I had
Mr. Hervey is to be numbered. In a letter to Mr. Whitefield, Mr. Hervey
thus expresses himself: " Your journals, dear sir, and sermons, and especially
the sweet sermon on ' What think ye of Christ V were a means of bringing
me to the knowledge of the truth."

100 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
suffered : curiosity having led perhaps two thousand more thaft
ordinary, to see and hear a man that had narrowly escaped
being murdered in his bed. And I trust in the five weeks
time, while I waited for the convoy, hundreds were awakened
and turned unto the Lord. At the Dock also, near Plymouth,
a glorious work was begun. Could the fields, between Ply
mouth and the Dock, speak, they could tell what blessed sea
sons were enjoyed there.
The following narrative shows the power and influence of
his preaching there.
The late Rev. Henry Tanner, of Exeter, in the year 1743,
removed to Plymouth, to obtain employment as a ship builder.
Here it pleased God to call him by his grace, under the min
istry of Mr. Whitefield. Being at work, he heard from a con
siderable distance, fhe voice of that zealous man of God, who
was preaching in the stleetr or fields, probably between Ply
mouth town and Dock : he immediately concluded that the
preacher was a madman ; and determined, with five or six
more of his companions.. to go and knock him off from the place
on which he stood ; and, for the purpose of more effectually in
juring the mad parson, they loaded their pockets with stones.
When, however, Mr. Tanner drew near, and perceived Mr.
Whitefield extending his arms, and in the most pathetic lan
guage inviting poor lost sinners to Christ, he was struck with
amazement. His resolution failed him : he listened with asto
nishment, and was soon convinced that the preacher was not
mad ; but was indeed speaking the " words of truth and sober
ness." Mr. Whitefield was then preaching from Acts xvii. 19,
20. "May we know what this new doctrine whereof thou
speaketh is ? — for thou bringest certain strange things to our
ears." He went home much impressed, and determined to hear
him again the next evening. He attended. Mr. Whitefield
was wonderfully fervent in prayer. His text was Luke xxiv.
47. " And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusa
lem." After speaking of the heinous sin of the Jews, and of
the Roman soldiers, who were the instruments of perpetrating
the cruel murder of the Lord of life, Mr. Whitefield, turning
from the spot where Mr. Tanner then stood, near his side, said,
"You are reflecting now on the cruelty of those inhuman
butchers, who imbued their hands in his innocent blood," when,
suddenly turning round, and looking intently at Mr. Tanner,
he exclaimed, " Thou art the man !" These words, sharper
than any two edged sword, pierced him to the heart ; he felt
himself the sinner, who, by his iniquities, had crucified the Son
of God. His sins stared him in the face ; he knew not how to

WHITEFIELD ASSAULTE f - IN BED.

" Soon after he broke out into the most abusive language ; and in
a cruel and cowardly mannor beat him in bed.'1 n 90

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 101
stand ; and in agony of soul he was forced to cry, " God be
merciful to me a sinner !" The preacher then, in melting lan
guage, proclaimed the free and superabounding grace of God
in Christ, which was commanded to be preached ; first of all
to Jerusalem sinners, the very people who had murdered the
Prince of life ; and from which a gleam of hope beamed into
his heart. Under this sermon, many other persons were con
vinced of sin, and brought to God. The next night Mr. Tan
ner heard Mr. Whitefield preach again : his subject was
" Jacob's ladder." From this discourse he obtained such views
of the person, character, and love of the great Mediator, as en
abled him to lay hold on the hope set before him, and to rejoice
in Christ Jesus.
The advances which Mr. Tanner made in religious know
ledge and experience, were exceedingly rapid. By reviewing
his former state, he learned to pity the souls of his fellow men,
whom he saw perishing for lack of knowledge. Having ex
perienced the power of divine truth on his own heart, he became
strongly inclined to the ministry of the gospel. In 1754, he
hired a room, and soon began to preach. His labors were
remarkably blessed, and he seemed never to preach one sermon
in vain ! A circumstance now occurred, which perhaps deserves
to be recorded : — A man, who lived in the court in which Mr.
Tanner preached, was so very much exasperated at having a
Methodist preaching room near him, that he determined to
remove to another part of the city. He did so ; but afterwards
returned to the same house. Here he was taken ill ; and was
confined in a room so near the preaching place, as to be able
to hear Mr. Tanner. He heard him pray with great fervor for
the king, and all classes of men. His prej udices were overcome :
he began to think well of him. Mr. Tanner, introduced some
part of the articles and homilies ofthe Church of England, to
prove that the doctrines which he taught were consistent with
them. The next morning the man brought a bible with the
articles, that he might judge of the truth of what he had heard.
When he read, he said to those about him, " this is just as this
man preaches." He afterwards ventured to go into the room,
where the Lord made the gospel " the power of God" unto his
salvation. This man afterwards went into the neighboring
villages to speak to his fellow sinners ; and there is reason to
believe that his attempts were blessed to many souls.
In 1769, Mr. Tanner built the Tabernacle in Exeter, where
he labored for many years, preaching three times every Lord's
day, and twice in the week, besides engaging in more private
exercises. Mr. Tanner did not confine his ministry to Exeter j he
9*

102 MEMOfR'S OF WHITEFrETiD.
looked with compassion on its peculiarly daf k neighborhood.
At the request of the late Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady, he
used to preach at Broad Hembury : he likewise labored in the
towns of Moreton, Hampstead, Creditor and Topham, and in
various villages in the vicinity. In each of these places he met
with great opposition ; yet some in heaven, and others on their
road thither bless God that they ever heard him.
Mr. Tanner's exertions continued unabated till within a short
time of his death. His frequent petition was, that he might die
in his Master's work. His petition was granted. For he was
taken out ofthe pulpit, being unable to finish his sermon; and
shortly after fell asleep in Jesus. March 30, 1805, aged eighty-
six. This is but one of the numberless instances showing
Whitefield's marvelous instrumentality in forwarding the. king
dom of his Master..

CHAPTER XII.
From his embarking for America in 1744, to his going to the Bermu
das, in the year 1748.
In the beginning of August 1744, as soon as the convoy
came,* Mr. Whitefield embarked, though in a poor state of
health ; and after a tedious passage of eleven weekst arrived
at York in New England. Colonel Pepperell went with some
friends in his own boat, to invite him to his house ; but he de
clined the invitation, being so ill of a nervous cholic, that he
was obliged immediately after his arrival to go to bed. His
friends expressed much anxiety on his behalf. An eminent
physician attended him, who had been a deist, but was awak
ened the last time he was in New England. For some time he
was, indeed very weak : " yet," he writes, " in these three weeks,.
I was enabled to preach : but, imprudently going over the ferry
to Portsmouth, I caught cold, immediately relapsed, and was
taken, as every one thought, with death, in the house of my
dear friend Mr. Sherburne. What concerned me was, that
notice had been given of my coming to preach. While the
* 'August 4. Our convoy is now come. I desire you all to bless God for
what he is doing in these parts ; for preaching in the Dock is now like preach
ing at the Tabernacle. Our morning lectures are very delightful. Oh the
thousands that flock to the preaching of Christ's gospel !"
" P. S. I must tell you one thing more.. There is a ferry over to Plymouth
The ferry-men are now so much my friends, that they will take multitudes that
come to hear me preach; saying, ' God forbid that We should sell the word of
God.' "
t His letter to the clergy of the Diocese of Litchfield and, Coventry is
iated during this voyage. - '

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 103
doctor was preparing a medicine, feeling my pains abated, I on
a sudden cried, 'Doctor, my pains are suspended: by the help
of God, I will go and preach, and then come home and die/
In my own apprehension, and in all appearance to others, I was
a dying man. I preached, the people heard me as such. The
invisible realities of another world lay open to my view. Ex
pecting to stretch into eternity, and to be with my Master before
the morning, I spoke with peculiar energy. Such effects fol
lowed the word, I thought it was worth dying for a thousand
times. Though wonderfully comforted within, at my return
home I thought I was dying indeed. I was laid on a bed upon
the ground, near the fire, and I heard my friends say, ' He is
gone.' But God was pleased to order it otherwise. P gradually
recovered; and soon after, a poor negro woman would see me.
She came, sat down upon the ground, and looked earnestly iu
my face, and then said, in broken language, 'Master, you just
go to heaven's gate, but Jesus Christ said, Get you down, you
must not come here yet, but go first and call some more poor
negroes.' I prayed to the Lord, that if I was to live, this might
be the event.
"In about three weeks I was enabled, though in great weak
ness, to reach Boston ; and, every day, was more and more
confirmed in what I had heard about a glorious work that had
been begun and carried on there, and in almost all parts of
New England, for two years together. Before my last "embark
ation from Georgia, Mr. Colman and Mr. Cooper wrote me
word, that upon Mr. Tennent's going out as an itinerant, the
awakening greatly increased in various places,* till, at length,
the work so advanced every where, that many thought the
latter day glory was indeed come, arid that a nation was to be
born in a day. But, as the same sun that lightens and- warms
the earth, gives life to noxious insects, so the same work, that
for a while carried all before it, was sadly blemished, through
the subtlety of Satan,t and the want of more experience in
ministers and people, who had never seen such a scene before.
Opposers, who waited for such an occasion, did all they could
to aggravate every thing. One rode several hundred miles, to
pick up all the accounts he could hear of what was wrong in
what he called only 'a religious stir.' And God having been
pleased to send me first, all was laid upon me. Testimonies
signed by various ministers came out against me,} almost every
day. And the disorders were also at the highest ; so that for
* See Prince's Christian History, Vol. II. page 304, where are attestations
of above a hundred and twenty ministers to the goodness of the work.
t Thus it was at the reformation in Germany.
$ He wrote an answer to a testimony by Harvard College.

104 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
a while my situation was rendered uncomfortable.* But
amidst all this smoke, a blessed fire broke out. The awaken
ed souls were as eager as ever to hear the word.t Having
heard that I had expounded early in Scotland, they begged I
would do the same in Boston. I complied, and opened a lec
ture at six in the morning. I seldom preached to less than
two thousand. It was delightful to see so many of both sexes,
neatly dressed, flocking to hear the word, and returning home
to family prayer and breakfast before the opposers were out of
their beds. So that it was commonly said, that between early
rising and tar water the physicians would have no business."
It was now spring, 1745, and at that time the first expedition
was set on foot against Cape Breton. Colonel Pepperell, who
was then at Boston, and, constantly attended Mr. Whitefield's
lecture, was pleased, the day before he accepted a commission
to be general in that expedition, to ask Mr. Whitefield's opinion
of the matter. He told him, with his usual frankness, " That
* While some published testimonials against Mr. Whitefield, others publish
ed testimonials in his favor ; as Mr. Hobby, Mr. Loring, fifteen ministers
convened at Taunton, March 5, 1745. The following paragraph is in Prince's
Christian History, No. XCIV ;
" Saturday, November 24, 1744, the Rev. Mr. Whitefield was so far revived
as to be able to set out from Portsmouth to Boston, whither he came in a very
feeble state the Monday evening after ; since which, he has been able to
preach in several of our largest houses of public worship, particularly the
Rev. Dr. Coleman's, Dr. Sewall's, Mr. Webb's, and Mr. Gee's, lo crowded as
semblies of people, and with great and growing acceptance. At Dr. Col-
man's desire, and with the consent of the church, on the Lord's day after his
arrival he administered to them the holy communion. And last Lord's day-
he preached for Mr. Cheever of Chelsea, and administered the holy supper
there. The next day he preached for the Rev. Mr. Emerson of Maiden.
Yesterday he set out to preach in some towns north, and purposes to return
hither the next Wednesday evening, and after a few days to comply with the
earnest invitations of several ministers to go and preach to their congrega
tions in the southern parts of the province. He comes with the same extraor
dinary spirit of meekness, sweetness, and universal benevolence, as before.
In opposition to the spirit of separation and bigotry, he is still for holding
communion with all Protestant churches. In opposition to enthusiasm, he
preaches a close adherence to the scriptures, the necessity of trying all im
pressions by them, and of rejecting whatever is not agreeable to them, as
delusions. In opposition to Antinomianism, he preaches up all kinds of re
lative and religious duties, though to be performed in the strength of Christ ;
and in short, the doctrines~of the Church of England, and of the first fathers
ot this country. As before, he first applies himself to the understandings of
his hearers, and then to the affections. And the more he preaches, the more
he convinces people of their mistakes about him, and increases their satis
faction." t " A man of good parts, ready wit,. and lively imagination, who had made
it his business, in order to furnish matter for preaching over a bottle to come
and hear, and then carry away scraps of my sermons, having one night got
sufficient matter to work upon, as he thought, attempted to go out • but bern*
pent in on every side, he found his endeavors fruitless. Obliged thus to
stay, and looking up to me, wailing for some fresh matter for ridicule God
was pleased to prick him to the heart. He came to Mr. P. full of horror ' con
fessed bis crimes, and longed to ask pardon." '

PREACHING TO SOLDIERS.

" As many as were in debt came to David, and he became cap
tain over them."

MEMOl'RS OF WHITEFIELD. 105
he did not, indeed, think the scheme proposed for faking Louis-
burgh very promising ; that the eyes of all would be upon him.
If he did not succeed, the widows and orphans of the slain
soldiers would be like lions robbed of their whelps ; but if it
pleased God to give him success, envy would endeavor to
eclipse his glory ; he had need, therefore, if he went, to go with
a single eye ; and then there was no doubt, but if Providence
really called him, he would find his strength proportioned to
the day." About the same time, Mr. Sherburne, another of
Mr. Whitefield's friends, being appointed one of the commis
sioners, told him, " He must favor the expedition, otherwise the
serious people would be discouraged from enlisting ; not only
so, but insisted he should give him a motto for his flag, for the
encouragement of the soldiers." This he refused to do, as it
would be acting out of character. But Mr. Sherburne would
take no denial. He therefore, at last, gave them one, Nil des-
perandtim, Christo Duce. " If Christ be captain, no fear of a
defeat." Upon which great numbers enlisted. And before
their embarkation, the officers desired him to give them a ser
mon. This he readily complied with, and preached from these
words : " As many as were in debt, came to David, and he be
came a captain over them." He spiritualized the subject, and
told theni, how distressed sinners came to Jesus Christ the son
of David ; and in his application, exhorted the soldiers to be
have like the soldiers of David, and the officers to act like
David's worthies ; then he made no manner of doubt, there
would be good news from Cape Breton. After this he preached
to the general himself, who asked him if he would not be one
of his chaplains. But he excused himself, and said, "He should
think it an honor, but believed, as he generally preached three
times a day, in various places, ro large congregations, he could
do more service by stirring up the people to pray, and thereby
strengthening his and his soldiers' hands." And in this prac
tice he persisted during the siege of Louisburgh. " I believe
(adds he) if ever people went with a disinterested view, the
New Englanders did then. Though many of them were raw
and undisciplined, yet numbers were substantial persons, who
left their farms, and willingly ventured all for their country's
good. An amazing scene of providences appeared, and though
some discouraging accounts were sent during the latter end of
the siege, yet in about six weeks news came of the surrender
of Louisburgh. Numbers flocked from all quarters to hear a
thanksgiving sermon upon the occasion. And I trust the bless
ing bestowed on the country through the thanksgivings of many,
redounded to the glory of God."
The New England people had, some time ago, offered to

106 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
build him a large house to preach in ; but as this scheme might
have abridged his liberty of itinerating, he thanked them for
their kind offer, and at tlie same time begged leave to refuse the
acceptance of it. As his bodily strength increased, and his
health grew better, he began to move farther southward ; and,
after preaching eastward as far as Casco Bay and North Yar
mouth, he went through Connecticut, Plymouth, Rhode Island,
preaching to thousands, generally twice a day. " And though
(says he) there was much smoke, yet every day I had more and
more convincing proof, that a blessed gospel fire had been kin
dled in the hearts both of ministers and people. At New York,
where I preached as usual, I found that the seed sown had
sprung up abundantly ; and at the east end of Long Island I
saw many instances. In my way to Philadelphia, I had the
pleasure of preaching, by an interpreter, to some converted
Indians, and of seeing near fifty young ones in one school, near
Freehold, learning the Assembly's catechism. A blessed awak
ening had been begun and carried on among the Delaware
Indians, by the instrumentality of David Brainerd,* such as has
not been heard of since the awakening of New England by the
venerable Mr. Elliot, who used to be styled the apostle of the
Indians; his brother followed him. Mr. William Tennent,
whose party I found much upon the advance, seemed to encou
rage his endeavors with ail his heart;
'¦'His brother, Mr. Gilbert Tennent, being early solicited
thereto, I found settled in the place formerly erected at the be
ginning of the awakening. The gentleman offered me eight
hundred pounds a year, only to preach among them six months,
and to travel the other six months where f would. Nothing
remarkable happened during my way southward. But when
I came to Virginia, I found that the word of the Lord had ran
and was glorified. During my preaching at Glasgow, some
persons wrote some of my extempore sermons, and printed
them almost as fast as I preached them. Some of these were
carried to Virginia, and one of them fell into the hands of Samuel
Morris, He read and found benefit. He then read them to
others ; they were awakened and convinced. A fire was kin
dled ; opposition was made ; other laborers were sent for ; and
* It is a circumstance worthy of note, that about the same period that the
great Head of the church was preparing Messrs. Whitefield, Wesleys, and
others, in England, to stem the torrent of infidelity, and propagate divine truth,
he manifested the same care aud concern for the inhabitants of the new world,
in raising up that burning and shining light, Dr. Jonathan Edwards, to dis
seminate the seed of eternal life in that barren soil.
In the year 1729, the spirit was poured out from on high, and the divine
glory began lo shine upon the land ; but in the year 1733, there was a very
remarkable revival of the work of God, in New England, and great numbers
cf souls were savingly converted unto God.

-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 107
many, both white people and negroes, were converted to th«
Lord. -" In North Carolina, where I stayed too short a time, little
was done. At Georgia, through the badness of the institution,
and the Trustees' obstinacy in not altering it, my load of debt
and care was greatly increased, and at times almost over
whelmed me. But I had the pleasure of seeing one, who came
as a player from New York, now converted unto God, and a
preacher of Jesus Christ. One Mr. Ratteray brought me ten
pounds ; and, at my return northward, fresh supplies were raised
up. The generous Charleston people raised a subscription of
three hundred pounds, with which I bought land, it being cheap
during the war ; aud a plantation and a few negroes were pur
chased at Indian-land. Thus, for a while, the gap was stopped.
I preached a sermon upon the rebellion ; was very sick at Phil
adelphia ; kindly received at Bohemia and at New York."
As itinerating was his delight, and America, being a new
world, particularly pleasing, he now began to think of returning
no more to his native country. But traveling, care, and a load
of debt, contracted not for himself but for the Orphan house,
weighed him down.
In his letters during this period, are the following passages :
'- August 26, 1746: The door for my usefulness, opens wider
and wider. I love to range in the American woods, and some
times think I shall never return to England any more."
" October 8. I have had some sweet times with several of
the Lutheran ministers at Philadelphia."
" June 1, 1747. The congregations yesterday were exceed
ingly large. I am sick and well, as I used to be in England ;
but the Redeemer fills me with comfort. I am determined, in
his strength to die fighting."
" June 4. I have omitted preaching one night to oblige my
friends, that they may not charge me with murdering myself;
but I hope yet to die in the pulpit, or soon after I come out of it."
" June 23. Since my last, I have been several times on the
verge of eternity. At present I am so weak that I cannot
preach. It is hard work to be silent, but I must be tried every
way." '¦ September 11. We saw great things in New England.
The flocking and power that attended the word, was like unto
that seven years ago. Weak as I was, and have been, I was
enabled to travel eleven hundred miles, and preach daily."
About this time, being much troubled with stitches in his
side, he was advised to go to the Bermudas, for the recovery
of his health. He accordingly embarked, and landed there
March 15, 1748

108 MEMOIRS OF WHJTEFIELD,
chapter' XIII.
From his arrival at the Bermudas, to his return to London in July,
1 748.
Whitefield met with the kindest reception at the Bermu*
das, and for about a month he preached generally twice a day,
traversing the island from one end to the other ; but his acti
vity, treatment, success, will best appear from the following
extracts from his manuscript journal of that period.
" The simplicity and plainness of the people, together with
the pleasant situation of the island, much delighted me. The
Rev. Mr. Holiday, minister of Spanish Point, received me in a
most affectionate, christian manner ; and begged I would make
his house my home. In the evening I expounded at the house
of Mr. Savage, at Port Royal, which was very commodious ;
and which also he would have me make my home. I went
with Mr. Savage, in a boat lent us by Captain •  !, to the
town of St. George, in order to pay our respects to the govern
or. All along we had a most pleasant prospect of the other
part of the island ; a more pleasant one I never saw. One
Mrs. Smith, of St. George, for whom I had a letter of recom
mendation from my dear old friend, Mr,. Smith, of Charleston,
received me into her house. About noon, with one of the
council, and Mr. Savage, I waited upon the governor. He
received us courteously, and invited us to dine with him and
the council at a tavern. We accepted the invitation, and all
behaved with great civility and respect. After the governor
rose from the table, he desired, if I staid in town on Sunday,
that I would^dine with him at his house.
" Sunday, March 20. Read prayers and preached twice this
day, to what were esteemed here large auditories— in the
morning at Spanish Point church, and in the evening at Brack
ish Pond church, about two miles distant from each other. In
the afternoon I spoke with greater freedom than in the morn
ing ; and I trust not altogether in vain. All were attentive —
some wept. I dined with Colonel Butterfield, one of the
council ; and received several invitations to other gentlemen's
houses. May God bless and reward them, and incline them
to open their hearts to receive the Lord Jesus ! Amen and
Amen !
« Wednesday, March 23. Dined with Captain Gibbs, and
went from thence and expounded at the house of Captain
F  le, at Hunbay, about two miles distant. The company
was here also large, attentive, and affected. Our Lord gave me
utterance, I expounded on the first part nf the (eighth chapter

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 104
i®f Jeremiah. After lecture, Mr. Riddle, a counsellor, invited
me to his house ; as did Mr. Paul, an aged Presbyterian min
ister, to his pulpit-: which I complied with, upon condition the
report was true, that the governor had served the ministers with
an injunction that I should not preach in the churches.
" Friday, March 25, Was prevented from preaehing yester
day by the rain, which continued from morning till night ; but
this afternoon, God gave me another opportunity of declaring
his eternal truths to a large company at the house of one Mr.
B  s, who last night sent me a letter of invitation.
" Sunday, March 27. Glory be to God ! I hope this has
been a profitable Sabbath to many souls : it has been a pleasant
one to mine. Both morning and afternoon I preached to a
¦large auditory, for the Bermudas, in Mr. Paid's meeting house,
which I suppose contains about four hundred. Abundance of
¦ negroes, and many others, were in the porch, and about the
house. The word seemed to be clothed with a convincing
power, and to make its way into the hearts of the hearers.
Between sermons, I was entertained very civilly in a neigh
boring house. Judge Bascom, and three more of the council,
«tme thither, and each gave me an invitation to his house.
How does the Lord make way for a poor stranger in a strange
land ! After the second sermon I dined with Mr. Paul ; and
in the evening expounded to a very large company at Counsel
lor Riddle's. My body was somewhat weak ; but the Lord
carried me through, and caused me to go to rest rejoicing.
May I thus go to my grave, when my ceaseless and uninter
rupted rest shall begin 1
" Monday, March 28. Dined this day at Mrs. Dorrel's, mo
ther-in-law to my dear friend the Rev. Mr. Smith ; and after
wards preached to more than a large house full of people, on
Matthew ix. 12. Towards the conclusion of the sermon, the
hearers began to be more affected than I have yet seen them.
Surely the Lord Jesus will give me some seals in this island !
Grant this, O Redeemer for thy infinite mercy's sake !
" Thursday, March 31. Dined on Tuesday, at Colonel Cor-
busier's ; and on Wednesday, at Colonel Gilbert's, both of the
council; and found, by what I could hear, that some good
had been done, and many prejudices removed. Who shall
hinder, if God will work 1 Went to an island this afternoon,
called Ireland, upon which live a few families ; and to my sur
prise, found a great many gentlemen, and other people, with
my friend, Mr. Holiday, who came from different quarters to
hear me. Before I began preaching, I went round to see a
most remarkable cave, which very much displayed the exquisite
workmanship of Him, who in his strength setteth fast the moun-
10

110 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
tains, and is girded about with power. While I was in tha
cave, quite unexpectedly I turned and saw Counsellor Riddle,
who with his son, came to hear me : and while we were in the
boat, told me, that he had been with the governor, who declar-r
'ed he had no personal prejudice against me — and wondered I
did not come to town, and preach -there, for it was the desire oi
fhe people ; and that any house in the town, the court house
not excepted, should be at my service. Thanks be to God for
so much favor ! If his cause requires it, I shall have more.
He knows my heart : I value the favor of man no farther, than
as it makes room for the gospel, and gives me a larger scope to '
promote the glory of God. There being no capacious house
upon the island, I preached for the first time here in the open
air. All heard very attentively ; and it was very pleasant after
sermon to see so many boats full of people returning from the
worship of God. I talked seriously to some in our own boat,
and sung a psalm, in which they readily joined.
" Sunday, April 3. Preached twice this day at Mr. Paul's
meeting house, as on the last Sabbath, but with greater freedom
and power, especially in the morning ; and I think to as great,
if not greater auditories. Dined with Colonel Harvy, another
of the council — visited a sick woman, where many came to
hear — and expounded afterwards, to a great company, at Cap
tain John Dorrel's, Mrs. Dorrel's son, who with his wife, cour
teously entertained me, and desired, me to make his house my
home. So true is that promise of our Lord, ( that whosoever
leaves father and mother, houses or lands, shall have in this
life a hundred fold with persecution, and in the world to come,
life everlasting.' Lord, I have experienced the one : in thy
good time grant that I may experience the other also !
" Wednesday, April 6. Preached yesterday at the house of
Mr. Anthony Smith, of Baylis Bay, with a considerable degree
of warmth ; and rode afterwards to St. George, the only town
on the Island, The gentlemen of the town~had sent me an
invitation by Judge Bascom ; and he, with several others, came
to visit me at my lodgings ; and informed me, that the governor
desired to see me. About ten I waited upon his excellency,
who received me with great civility, and told me he had no
objection against my person, or my principles, having never yet
heard me ; and he knew nothing in respect to my 'conduct in
moral life, that might prejudice him against me ; but his inten
tions were, to let none preach in the island, unless he had a
written license to preach somewhere in America, or the West
Indies : at the same time he acknowledged that it was but a
matter of mere form. I informed his excellency that I had
been regularly inducted into the parish of Savannah ; that J

lilEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD'. HI
was ordained priest by letters dismissary from my lord of Lon-
flon, and under no church censure from his lordship ; and
would always read the church prayers, if the clergy would give
me the use of their churches. I added farther, that a minister's
pulpit was looked upon as his freehold, and that I knew one
clergyman who had denied his own diocesan the use of his
pulpit. But I told his excellency, I was satisfied with the
liberty he allowed me, and would not act contrary to his in
junction. I then begged leave to be dismissed, because I was
obliged to preach at eleven o'clock. His excellency said he
intended to do himself the pleasure to hear me ; at eleven the
church bell rung. The church bible, prayer book, and cushion,
were sent to the town house. The governor, several of the
council, the minister of the parish, and assembly-men, with a
great number of the town's people, assembled in great order. 1
was very sick, through a cold I caught last night ; but read the
church prayers. The first lesson was the 15th chapter of the
1st book of Samuel. I preached on those words, ' Righteous
ness exalteth a nation.' Being weak and faint and afflicted
much with the head-ache, I did not do that justice to my sub
ject, which I sometimes am enabled to do; but the Lord so
helped me, that, as I found afterwards, the governor and the
other gentlemen expressed their approbation, and acknowledg
ed they did not expect to be so well entertained. Not unto me,
Lord ! not unto me ! but unto thy free grace be all the glory !
" After sermon, Dr. F — — bs, and Mr. P  1, the collector,
came to me, and desired me to favor them and the gentlemen of
the town with my company at dinner. I accepted the invita
tion. The governor and the president, and Judge Bascom were
there. All wondered at my speaking so freely and fluently)
without notes. The governor asked, whether I used minutes ?
I answered no. He said it was a great gift. At table, his ex
cellency introduced something of religion, by asking me the
meaning of the word hades? Several other things were
started about free will, Adam's fall, predestination, <fcc.. to all
which God enabled me to answer so pertinently, and taught
me to mix the utile and dulce so together, that all at table
seemed highly pleased, shook me by the hand, and invited me
to their respective houses. The governor, in particular, asked
me to dine with him on the morrow ; and Dr. F  bs, one of
his particular intimates, invited me to drink tea in the after
noon. I thanked all, returned proper respects, and went to my
lodgings with some degree of thankfulness for the assistance
vouchsafed me, and abased before God at the consideration of
my unspeakable unworthiness. In the afternoon, about five
o'cloek, I expounded the parable of the prodigal son to many

112! MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
people at a private house ; and in the evening had liberty tb*
speak freely and closely to those that supped with me. Oh
that this may be the beginning of good gospel times to the in
habitants of this town ! Lord, teach me to deal prudently
with them, and cause them to melt under thy word !
" Friday, April 8. Preached yesterday with great clearness
and freedom, to about fourscore people, at a house on David's'
Island; over against the town of St. George — went and lay at
Mr. Holiday's, who: came in a boat to fetch me — and this day
I heard him preach and read- prayers ; after which I took the
sacrament from him.. Honest man ! he would have made me
administer and officiate ; but I chose not to do it, lest I should
bring him. into trouble after my departure-. However, in the
afternoon, I preached at Mr. Todd's, in the same parish, to a
very large company indeed. The Lord was with me. My
heart was warm — and what went from the hearty I trust went
to the heart ; for many were affected. Oh that they may be
converted also ! Then will it be a good Friday, indeed, to then?
souls. " Sunday,. April 10. Dined and conversed yesterday very?
agreeably with Judge Bascom, who seems to have the greatest
insight into the difference between Arminian and Calvinistic
schemes, of any one I have met with upon the island. In the
afternoon, I visited a paralytic ; and this day preached twice
again at Mr. Paul's meeting house. The congregations were
rather larger than ever,, and the power of God seemed to be
more among them. I think I see visible alteration for the
better every Lord's day. Blessed be God ! In the evening I
expounded at Mr. Joseph Dorrel's, where I dined, to a very
large company : then went to his kinsman's, my usual lodging
on Saturday and Sunday evenings ; who with his wife and
other friends, seemed kinder and kinder daily. Good measure
pressed down, and running over, may the Lord, both as to
spirituals and temporals, return into all their bosoms !
" Saturday, April 16. Preached since Lord's day, at five
different parts of the island ; but was more indisposed one night
after going to bed> than I had been for some time. On two of
the days of this week, I dined with the president, and Captain
Spafford, one of the council, both of whom entertained me with
the utmost civility.
"Sunday,. April 17. Still God magnifies his power and
goodness more and more. This morning we had a pleasing
sight at Mr. Paul's meeting house. I began to preach, and the
people to hear and be affected as in days of old at home. In
deed, the prospect is encouraging. Praise the Lord, Q my
soul! After preaching twice to a large congregation in, \\ie

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 113
meeting house, I, at the desire of the parents, preached in the
evening a sermon at the funeral of a little boy, about five years
of age. A great number of people attended, and the Lord ena
bled me so to speak, as to affect many of the hearers. Blessed
be the Lord for this day's work ! Not unto me, O Lord ! not
unto me, but unto thy free grace be all the glory !
"Sunday, April 24. The last week being rainy, I preached
only five times in private houses ; and this day but once in the
meeting house ; but I hope neither time without effect. This
evening expounded at Counsellor Riddle's, who with the other
gentlemen treat me with great respect every day. Colonel
Gilbert, one of the council, has lent me his horse, during my
stay ; and Mr. Dorrel, this morning, informed me of a design
the gentleman had, to raise a contribution to help me to dis
charge my arrears, and support my orphan family. Thanks
be given to thy name, 0 God! Thou knowest all things;
Thou knowest that I want to owe no man any thing, but love ;
and provide for Bethesda, after my decease. Thou hast pro
mised Thou wilt fulfil the desire of them that fear thee. I
believe, Lord help my unbelief, that thou wilt fulfil this desire
ofmy soul. Even so. Amen!
" Saturday, April 30. Preached since Lord's day, two fune
ral sermons, and at five different houses in different parts of
the island, to still larger and larger auditories, and perceived
the people to be affected more and more. Twice or thrice I
preached without doors. Riding in the sun, and preaching
very earnestly, a little fatigued me ; so that this evening I was
obliged to lie down for some time. Faint, yet pursuing, must
be my motto still.
" Sunday, May 1. This morning was a little sick ; but I trust
God gave us a happy beginning of the new month. I preach
ed twice with power, especially in the morning, to a very great
congregation in the meeting house ; and in the evening, having
given previous notice, I preached about four miles distant, in
the fields, to a large company of negroes, and a number of
white people who came to hear what I had to say to them. I
believe in all, there were nearly fifteen hundred people. As the
sermon was intended for the negroes, I gave the auditory warn
ing, that my discourse would be chiefly directed to them, and
that I should endeavor to imitate the example of Elijah, who,
when he was about to raise the child, contracted himself to its
length. The negroes seemed very sensible, and attentive.
When I asked, if they all , did not desire to go to heaven, one
of them, with a very audible voice said, ' Yes, sir.' This caused
a Uttle smiling ; but in general every thing was carried on
with great decency ; and I believe the Lord enabled me so to

114 Memoirs of^ wHiTEF'iELDV
discourse, as to touch the negroes, and yet not to give them tie
least umbrage to slight;.or behave imperiously to their masters.
If ever a minister in preaching, needs the wisdom of the ser
pent to be joined wifh the harmlesshess of the dove, it must be
when discoursing to negroes. Vouchsafe me this favor, 0
God, for thy dear Son's sake !
" Monday, May 2. Upon inquiry, I found that some of the
negroes did not like my preaching because I told them of their
cursing, swearing, thieving, and lying. One or two of the
worst of them, as I was informed,. went away. Some said, they
would not go any more. They liked Mr. M — — r better, for
he never told them of these things ; and I said, their hearts
were as black as their faces. They expected, they, said to hear
me speak against their masters. Blessed be God, that I was
directed not to say any thing, this first time, to the masters at
all; though my text led me to it. It might have been of bad
consequence, to tell them their duty, or charge them too round
ly with the neglect of it, before their slaves. They would mind
alU said to their masters, and, perhaps, nothing that I said to
them. Every thing is beautiful in its season. Lord, teach me
always that due season, wherever I am called, to give either
black or white a portion of thy word ! However, others of the
poor creatures, I hear were very thankful, and came home to
their masters' houses, saying, that they would strive to sin no
mo2-e. Poor hearts ! These different accounts affected me ;
and upon the whole, I could not help rejoicing, to find that
their consciences were so far awake.
" Saturday, May 7. In my conversation these two days,
with some of my friends, I was diverted much, in hearing
several things that passed among the poor negroes, since my
prop ,-hing to them last Sunday. One of the women, it seems,
said, ' that if the book I preached out of, was the best book that
was ever bought at London, she was sure it had never all that
in it; which I spoke to the negroes.' The old man, who spoke
out loud last Sunday, and said, 'yes,' when I asked them
whether all the negroes would not go to heaven, being ques
tioned by somebody, why he spoke out so,. answered, ' that the
gentleman put the question once or twice to them, and the
other fools had not the manners to make me any answer ; till,
at last, I seemed to point at him, and he was ashamed that no
body should answer me, and therefore he- did.' Another,
wondering why I -said negroes had black hearts ; was answer
ed by his black brother- thus : 'Ah, thou fool ! dost thou not-
understand it ? He means black with sin.' Two more girls
were overheard by their mistress, talking about religion ; and
they said, *they knew, if they did not repent, they must be.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 115
damned.' From all which I infer, that these negroes on the
Bermudas are more awake than I supposed ; that their con
sciences are awake, and consequently prepared in a good
measure, for hearing the gospel preached unto them.
" Sunday, May 8. This also, I trust, has been a good Sab
bath. In the morning I was helped to preach powerfully to a
meltingr and rather a larger congregation than ever, in; Mr.
Paul's meeting house ; and in the evening, to almost as large
a congregation of blacks and whites as last Sunday in the fields,
near my hearty friend, Mr. Holiday's house. To see so many
black faces was affecting. They heard very attentively,, and
some of them now began to weep. May God grant them a
godly sorrow that worketh repentance not to be repented* of !
" Friday, May 13. This afternoon preached over the corpse
of Mr. Paul's eldest son, about twenty four years of age ; and
by all I could hear, and judge of by conversing with him, he
did indeed die in the Lord. I visited him twice last Lord's
day, and was quite satisfied with what he said, though he had
not much of the sensible presence of God. I find he was a
preacher upon his death bed : for he exhorted all his compan
ions to love Christ in sincerity ; and blessed his brother and
sister, and, I think, his father and mother, just before his
departure. A great many people attended the funeral. I
preached on Luke vii. 13. 'And when the Lord saw her, he
had compassion on her, and said unto her, weep not.' Many
were affected in the application of my discourse, and, I trust,
some will be induced, by this young man's good example, to
remember their Redeemer in the days of their youth. Grant
it, O Lord, for thy dear Son's sake.
" Sunday, May 15. Praise the Lord, Omiy soul, and all that
is within me praise his holy name ! This morning I preached.
my farewell sermon at Mr. Paul's meeting house — it was quite
full ; and, as the president said; above one hundred and fifty
whites, besides blacks, were around the house. Attention sat on.
every face ; and when I came to take my leave, Oh ! what a
sweet, unaffected weeping was there to be seen every where.
I believe there were few dry eyes. The negroes, likewise,.
without doors, I heard weep plentifully. My own heart was
affected ; and though I have parted with friends so often, yet 1
find every fresh parting almost unmans me, and very much
affects my heart. Surely, a great work is begun in some souls at
the Bermudas. Carry it on, O Lord ! and if it be thy will, sendl
me to this dear people again.. Even so, Lord Jesus. Amen !
" After sermon, I dined with three of the council, and other
gentiemen and ladies, at Captain Bascorris ; and from thence-
went to a funeral, at which Mr., M  r preached : and aftes

116 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
that, I expounded on our Lord's transfiguration, at the house
of one Mrs. Harvey, sister to dear Mr. Smith, of Charleston.
The house was exceedingly full, and it was supposed above
three hundred stood in the yard. The Lord enabled me to lifi
up my voice like a trumpet. Many wept. Mr. M  r re
turned from the funeral with me, and attended the lecture ; as
did the three counsellors, with whom I conversed freely. May
God reward them, and all the dear people of the island, for
those many favors conferred on me, who am the chief of sin
ners, and less than the least of all saints !
" Sunday, May 22. Blessed be God ! the little leven thrown
into the three measures of meal, begins to ferment, and work
almost every day for the week past. I have conversed with
souls loaded with a sense of their sins ; and, as far as I can
judge, really pricked to the heart. I preached only three times,
but to almost three times larger auditories than usual. Indeed
the fields are white ready unto harvest. God has been pleased
to bless private visits. Go where I will, upon the least no
tice, houses are crowded, and the poor souls that follow, are
soon drenched in tears. This day I took, as it were, another
farewell. As the ship did not sail, I preached at Somerset in the
morning to a large congregation in the fields ; and expounded
in the evening, at Mr. Harvey's house, around which stood
many hundreds of people. But in the morning and evening,
how did the poor souls weep ! Abundance of prayers and bless
ings were put up for my safe passage to England, and speedy
return to the Bermudas again. May they enter into the ears
of the Lord of Sabaoth ! Writh all humility and thankfulness
of heart, will I here, O Lord, set up my Ebenezer : for hitherto
surely thou hast helped me ! Thanks be to the Lord for send
ing me hither. I have been received in a manner I dared
not expect ; and have met with little, very little opposition, in
deed. The inhabitants seem to be plain and open hearted.
They have loaded me with provisions for my sea store ; and in
the several parishes, by a private voluntary contribution, have
raised me upwards of one hundred pounds sterling. This
will pay a little of Bethesda's debt, and enable me to make such
a remittance to my dear yoke fellow, as may keep her from be
ing embarrassed, or too much beholden in my absence. Blessed
be God, for bringing me out of my embarrassments by degrees !
May the Lord reward all my benefactors a thousand fold ! I
I hear that what was. given, was given exceedingly heartily ;
and people only lamented that they could do no more."*
* Bermudas is placed by itself in almost the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
ft has been justly celebrated by Waller the Poet, and the late Bishop Berkeley,
wbojesided there for some time.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 117
. After having transmitted to Georgia what was given to him
for the Orphan-house, and dreading to go back to America in
that season of heat, for fear of relapsing, and having pressing
calls to England, he took the opportunity of sailing in a brig,
and in twenty-eight days arrived at Deal.* The next evening,
July 6, 1748, he reached London, after an absence of nearly
four years.

CHAPTER XIV.
From his arrival in London, 1748, to his going to Ireland in the
year 1751.
On Whitefield's visiting a few of his friends, hnmediately
after his return, he found himself in no very agreeable situa
tion. His congregation at the Tabernacle was sadly scattered.
And as to his outward circumstances, he had sold all his house
hold furniture, to help to pay the Orphan-house debt, whicli
yet was far from being canceled. Rut under ail' these dis
couragements, he was still supported. His congregation was
soon recruited, and received him with the greatest joy. And
at this time a very unexpected thing happened to him. The
Countess of Huntingdon, before bis arrival, had ordered Mr.
Howel Harris to bring him to her house at Chelsea, as soon as
he came on shore. He went and having preached twice, the
countess wrote to him, that several of the nobility desired to1
* During- this voyage, among other letters, he'wrote the following : —
" June 24, 1748, (on board.}" Yesterday I made an end of revising all my
Journals. Alas ! alas 1 in how many things I have judged and acted wrong.
I have been too rash and hasty in giving characters both of places and per
sons. Being fond of scripture language, 1 have often used a style toj apos
tolical, and at the same time I have been too bitter in my zeal. Wild-fire has
been mixed with it, and I find that I frequently wrote and spoke in nry own
spirit, when I thought I was writing and speaking by the assistance of the'
Spirit of God. I have, likewise, too much made inward impressions my rule'
of acting, and too soon and too explicitly published what bad been better kept
in longer, or told after my death. By these things I have hurt the blessed
cause I would defend, and also stirred up needless opposition. This has hum
bled me much, and made me think- of a saying of Mr. Henry — 'Joseph had'
more honesty than he had policy, or he never would have told his dreams.'-
At the same time, I cannot but praise God, who fills me with so much of his
holy fire, and carried me, a poor weak youth, through such a torrent, both of
popularity andcontempt, and set so many seals to my unworthy ministrations.
I bless him for ripening my judgment a little more, for giving me to see and
confess, and I hope in some degree to correct and amend some of my former
mistakes." At this time also he finished his "Abridgment of Mr. Law's Serious Call ;"
which he endeavored to make more useful, by excluding whatever is not
truly evangelical, and illustrating the subject more fully from the Holy Scrip
tures,

118 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
hear him. " Blessed be God," he says, in his reply, "that the'
rich and great begin to have a hearing ear : I think it is
a good sign that our Lord intends to give, to some at least, an
obedient heart. How wonderfully does our Redeemer deal
with souls ! If they will hear the gospel only under a ceiled
roof, ministers shall be sent to them there ; if only in a church,
or a field, they shall have it there. A word in the lesson,
when I was last with your ladyship, struck me, — Paul preach
ed privately to those that were of reputation. This must be
the way, I presume, of dealing with the nobility, who yet know
not the Lord." This is characteristic ; and his answer to a
second note, respecting the time, is still more so. " Ever since
the reading your ladyship's condescending letter, my soul has
been overpowered with His presence, who is all in all. When
your ladyship styled me your friend, I was amazed at your
condescension ; but when I thought that Jesus was my friend,
it quite overcame me and made me to lie prostrate before Him,
crying, Wliy me 7 why me 1 I just now rose from the ground,
after praying the Lord of all lords to water your soul, honored
madam, every moment. As there seems to be a door opening
for the nobility to hear the gospel, I will defer my journey, and
God willing, preach at your ladyship's. Oh that God may be
with me, and make me humble ! I am ashamed to think your
ladyship will admit me tinder your rbof ; much more am I
amazed that the Lord Jesus will make use of such a creature
as I am ; — quite astonished at your ladyship's condescension,
and the unmerited superabounding grace and goodness of Him
who has loved me, and given Himself for me."
Lord Chesterfield and Bolingbroke* were among his audi
tors at Chelsea : the countess had done, well in inviting those
persons who stood most in need of repentance. The former
complimented the preacher with his usual courtliness ; the
latter is said to have been much moved at the discourse : he
invited Whitefield to visit him, and seems then to have
been not disinclined to pass from infidelity to Christianity.
, * This celebrated infidel and toiy, was one day reading Calvin's Institutes.
A clergyman (the Rev. Mr. Church, who died curate of Battersea) of his lord
ship's acquaintance coming in on a visit, Lord B. said to him, " You have
caught me reading John Calvin ; he was indeed a man of great parts, pro
found sense, and vast learning ; he handles the doctrines of grace in a very
masterly manner." " Doctrines of grace !" replied the clergyman, " the doc
trines of grace have set all mankind together by the ears." " I am surprised
to hear you say so ;" answered Lord B., " you who profess to believe and to
preach Christianity. Those doctrines are certainly the doctrines of the Bible,
and if I believe the Bible I must believe them. And, let me seriously tell you
that the greatest miracle in the world is the subsistence of Christianity and its
continued preservation, as a religion, when the preaching of it is committed
to. the care of such unchristian wretches as you."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 119
Lady Huntingdon, pleased, perhaps, by the applause which
was bestowed upon the performance, appointed Whitefield one
of her chaplains. He, at this time, writing to Mr. Wesley,
says, " What have you thought about a union ? I am afraid
an external one is impracticable. I find, by your sermons,
that we differ in principles more than I thought, and I believe
we are upon two different plans. My attachment to America
will not permit me to abide very long in England, consequent
ly I should but weave a Penelope's web if I formed societies ;
and, if I should form them, I have not proper assistants to take
care of them ; I intend, therefore, to go about preaching the
gospel to every creature."
In September, 1748, he visited Scotland the third time, and
was received with a hearty welcome. Multitudes crowded to
hear him, both at Edinburgh and Glasgow. " I have reason,"
says he, "to believe some have been awakened, and many
quickened and comforted. My old friends are more solidly so
than ever; and a foundation, I trust, has been laid for doing
much good, if ever the Lord should call me thither again.
Two Synods and one Presbytery, brought me upon the carpet ;
but^ll has worked for good."
These were the Synods of Glasgow and Perth, and the
Presbytery of Edinburgh. What happened in the Synod of
Glasgow, may be seen in a pamphlet, entitled, " a fair and im
partial Account of the Debate in the Synod of Glasgow and
Air, October 6th, 1748, against employing Mr. Whitefield,"
published at Edinburgh the same year, and supposed to be
written by the Rev. Dr. Erskine, who was then minister at
Kirkinlillock. The short history of the matter is this : A
motion was made, tending to prohibit or discourage ministers
from employing Whitefield. The speeches made in support
of the motion were upon the following topics : His being a
priest of the Church of England — That he had not subscribed
the Formula — His imprudences — Chimerical scheme of the
Orphan-house — Want of evidence that the money he collects
is rightly applied — Asserting that assurance is essential to faith
— -Encouraging a dependence on impulses and immediate rever
lations — Declaring, on slender evidence, some people converted,
and others carnal and unregenerated — Often, indeed, pretend
ing to repent of his blunders, and retract ; but as often relapsing
into them — And lastly, his being under a sentence of suspension
by Commissary Garden, from which he had appealed to the
High Court of Chancery, and made oath to prosecute that ap
peal in a twelve month ; and yet it was never prosecuted.
On the other hand, the ministers who were against the mo
tion, spoke in this manner : " I blush to think (said one) that,

120 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD..
any of our brethren should befriend a proposal so contrary to
that moderation and catholic spirit which now is, and I hope
ever will be, the glory of our church. I am sensible, that many
things in the Church of England need reformation ; but I
honor her, notwithstanding, as .our sister church. If Bishop
Butler, Bishop Sherlock, or Bishop Seeker, were in Scotland, I
should welcome them to my pulpit. In this I should imitate
Mr. Samuel Rutherford, as firm a Presbyterian as any of us,
who yet employed Bishop Usher. There is no law of Christ,
no act of Assembly, prohibiting me to give my pulpit to an
Episcopal, Independent, or Anabaptist minister, if of sound
principles in the fundamentals of religion, and of a sober life.
Our church expressly enjoins, Act. XII, April, 1711. that great
tenderness is to be used to foreign Protestants. The requiring
strangers to subscribe our Formula, before they preach with
us, would lay as effectual a bar against employing those of
Congregational principles, or Presbyterian non-subscribers, as
those of the Church of England."
"As to Mr. Whitefield (said another) there are few ministers
whose characters have been so well attested, by the most com
petent judges, both at home and abroad. One thing I carinot
but observe : those who have spoken most warmly against Mr.
Whitefield in this debate, acknowledge they have made little
W no inquiry into his character : whereas those on the other
side have made a careful inquiry ; and that inquiry has turned
out entirely to their satisfaction. With regard to his impru-
dences, there is a great difference betwixt blunders owing to a
bad heart, and those that are owing only to a misinformed
judgment ; especially, when the mistakes that occasioned them
have misled several great and good men. Whether Mr. Whiter
field's scheme of the Orphan-house be prudent or not, it is de
monstrable it was honestly meant. The magistrates of Savaiir
nah published, three years ago, in the Philadelphia Gazette,
an affidavit kh at they had carefully examined Mr. Whitefield's
receipts and disbursements, and found that what he had col
lected in behalf of the orphans had been honestly applied ; and
that, besides, he had given considerably to them of his own
property. As to his maintaining that assurance is essential to
faith, encouraging an unwarrantable regard to impressions,
and being too hasty in pronouncing men "carnal or converted,
his sentiments in these particulars, have been altered for up
wards of two years. And now he scarce preaches a sermon,
without guarding his hearers against relying on impressions,
telling them that faith, and a persuasion we" are justified, are
very different things, and that a holy life is the best evidence
of a gracious state. The retractions are owing to a reaf

-MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 121
change of sentiment. Letters from correspondents in New
England show, that this change is at least of two years date,
and that ever since ,it happened he has preached and acted
with remarkable caution. Lastly, with respect to the prosecu
tion of his appeal, Mr. Whitefield exerted himself to the utmost
to get his appeal heard, but could not prevail on the Lords
Commissioners so much as once to meet on the affair ; they,
no doubt, thinking of Mr. Garden's arbitrary proceedings with
the contempt they deserved. But, say some, ' Mr. Whitefield,
being under a suspension not yet reversed, is now no minister.'
But for what was he suspended 1 Why, for no other crime,
than omitting to use the form of prayer prescribed in the com
munion book, when officiating in a Presbyterian congregation.
And shall a meeting of Presbyterian ministers pay any regard
to a sentence which had such a foundation T
The issue of the debate was, a rejecting of the motion by a
vote of 37 to 13 ; and a resolution which was so expressed as
to be a decent burial of it ; laying no new restriction on minis
ters from inviting strangers, but leaving things precisely as
they were before. And they who chose to give Whitefield their
pulpits never after met with any molestation. Upon the whole,
the attacks made on Whitefield's character proved the occa
sion of informing the Synod of the falsehood of many asper
sions thrown out against him, of the great increase of his
prudence and eautiori', and the remarkable change in his
sentiments and behavior, so far as either were offensive. And
thus what was intended for his reproach turned out to his
honor. While he was in Scotland, he endeavored to do all the ser
vice he could to the New Jersey College, and in conjunction
with some ministers who wished well to the institution, advis
ed the sending over a minister from America, to make applica
tion in person : which was afterwards done in the year 1754,
when application was made by Mr, Tennent and Mr. Davies
to the assembly, who appointed a general collection.
Mr. Whitefield's thoughts were now engaged on a plan for
making his Orphan-house, which was at first intended only for
the reception of poor fatherless children, a seminary of litera
ture and academical learning. He thought that such an in
stitution was much wanted in America, and that, if properly
conducted, it would render very essential service to the colony.
In consequence of which, on his return to England, he signi
fied this to be his intention, by letter to the Trustees, if they
would be pleased to alter the government of the colony, and
permit a limited use of negroes ; for otherwise, it was his
opinion, that Georgia would never become a flourishing pro-

123 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
yinee. In the mean time, he traveled, preached every where
as usual, meeting with great success during the winter.
In February, 1749, he made an excursion to Exeter* and
Plymouth, where he was agreeably surprised to find a great
alteration in the people, since his last visit to those parts, about
five years before. He was received by his late converts as an
angel of God ; and by none more cordially than the Rev. An
drew Kinsman ;t at whose house he resided during the present
* When Whitefield was preaching at Exeter, a man was present who had
loaded his pockets wjth stones, in order to fling them at that precious ambas
sador of Christ. He heard his prayer, however, with patience : but no sooner
had he named his text, than the man pulled a stone out of his pocket, and
held it in his hand, waiting for a fair opportunity to throw it. But God sent
a word to his heart, and the stone dropped from his hand. After sermon he
went to Mr. Whitefield and told him, " Sir, I came to hear you this day,
with a view to break your head ; but' the Spirit of God, through your ministry j
has given me a broken heart." The man proved to be a sound convert and
lived an ornament to the gospel. Such power belongeth unto God !
t The Rev. Andrew Kinsman was born at Tavistock, in the county of DeT
von, November 17, 1724. His childhood and youth were marked by a dispo
sition and manners mild and engaging, together with a behavior to his pa
rents peculiarly dutiful. He was, however, unacquainted with the religion of
the gospel, until he had attained his seventeenth year, when providentially
meeting with a volume of Mr. Whitefield's sermons, one of those on the new
birth, was greatly blessed as a means of informing his judgment, and alarming
his conscience. Having but a few spiritual friends to converse witfi, he con
tinued for some time in a state of suspense, relative to his interest in divine
things, and was uncertain whether he was actually renewed in the spirit of
his mind. But God, who heareth the sorrowful sighing prisoner, at length
gave him the " oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit
ct heaviness."
His gloomy and tormenting fears being happily dissipated, and his heart ex
ulting m the grace of God his Savior, he was soon impressed with an ardent
concern, to jnterest the attention of his relations in these important objects.
Their great indifference, even to the form of godliness, gave frequent occa
sion to many strong cries and tears to God in secret, that Christ might be
formed in their hearts, the hope of glory. But being unable to suppress his
feelings any longer, he one evening exclaimed, with an effectual emotion,
as they were retiring to their chambers, "What ! shall we go to bed without
prayer 1 How dp w.e know but some of us may awake in hell before morn
ing!" By this unexpected address, the family wore siezed with a solemn
awe; and while they looked on each other with conscious shame, for the neg
lect of so obvious a duty, he fell upon his knees, and prayed with a readiness
and fervor, which greatly .excited their astonishment.
Nor was his anxiety confined to their spiritual jvelfare ; for his heart's de
sire was, that his neighbors might also participate in the unsearchable riches
of Christ. He therefore shortly began to read Whitefield's sermons, lo as
many as would attend ; and supposed, with Melancthon, that what had proved
so singular a blessing to himself, would not fail to produce similar effects on
them, as soon as they were heard. Continuing to read the works of eminent
divines for some time, the small company who attended these exercises, per
ceiving him to be a youth of promising abilities, encouraged him to cultivate
them, by the study and delivery pf bis own discourses. After repeated soli7
citations he was prevailed upon 5 and his first essay of this nature, was from
Ezek. xxxvii. 3. " Son of man, can these bones live 1 and I answered, O Lord
God, thou knowest." He used to speak of this as a season peculiarly solemn
arid affecting. The Lord encouraged these his early efforts, giving him many
seals to his ministry, among whom were his father, mother, and three sisters.

MEMOIRS OF WHlTEFlELO. 123
and every subsequent visit. From this time, Mr. Kinsman be
came intimately acquainted, and closely connected with White-
About this period, Whitefield, in one of his voyages to America, was obliged,
by an unexpected occurrence, to repair to Plymouth, where he had never been
before, to secure himself a passage in a ship about to sail from that port.
Here; according to his usual custom, he embraced the first opportunity of
preaching to the inhabitants. He had not delivered many discourses, before
a gracious Providence preserved him from being assassinated, and at the
same time, overruled the horrid attempt of his enemies, to the furtherance of
the gospel. Intelligence of these circumstances being circulated around the
adjacent country, Mr. Kinsman fled with great eagerness to hear him. Being
introduced after sermon to his company, he prevailed on him to visit Tavi
stock. But the opposition he there met with was so violent, as to excite such
a deep rooted antipathy in the mind of Mr: Kinsman, to his native town, that
he resolved to reside in it nd longer. Having removed to Plymouth, he, at
the age of about twenty-one, commenced an acquaintance with Miss Ann Ti-
ley, with whom he Was united in marriage; in the year 1745. She was a very
spiritual and zealous christian ; and, with many others, had been converted
under Mr. Whitefield's ministry, while he was detained there through the de
lays cf the convoy. By her he had four children, Ann, Andrew, John, and
George ; the two former of whom still survive, and are members of the reli
gious community over which he presided.
At Plymouth, God gave testimony to the word of his grace. The congrega
tions rapidly increased ; and many were "added to the church of such as should
be saved." A large place of worship was shortly after erected, called " The
Tabernacle," towards the erection of Which, Mr. Kinsman generously con
tributed. This place was chiefly supplied by Mr. Whitefield's colleagues,
the Rev. Messrs. Cennick, Adams, Middleton, &c. &c. who were kindly enter
tained under Mr. Kinsman's roof, free of any expense to themselves, or the
infant cause.
As Plymouth Dock, about two miles from Plymouth, became increasingly
populous ; and as there was no place of worship in all the town to accommo
date the inhabitants, except the little chapel in the King's Yard, Mr. Kins
man considered this circumstances as a fit occasion to diffuse among them the
savor of the knowledge of Christ. He began lo preach Out of doors, and
continued this practice for some time, amidst the most violent persecutions ;
being frequently obliged to fly for his life ; and he often expected that before
the ensuing morning, his dwelling house at Plymouth would be demolished.
At times he has been surrounded by eight or nine drums from the military, 10
drown his voice.
But amidst this formidable opposition, his strength was eqtial to his day.
Now Providence would soften his adversaries into pity, and thereby divert
them from their evil purposes ; then would fortify him with courage to with
stand the united efforts of outrageous mobs. Once in particular, at Dock, a
person of considerable fortune hired a number of men to interrupt his preach
ing. On arriving at the spot, they were so moved by his engaging address,
that they not only desisted from their design, but directed their vengeance
against their mischievous employer, who with difficulty escaped with his
life; and so exemplified the words of David, "His mischief shall return
upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own
pate." At another time, when the congregation was assembled in Plymouth Taber
nacle, it was disturbed by a lieutenant of the navy; who came with a part
of his crew, armed for a desperate assault. Having broken the windows,
they entered the place in a body. Their first attempt was to extinguish the
lights, and then to fall upon the people ; but a person perceiving their design,
drew up the chandelier to the ceiling of the building. Baffled in this project,
they fell upon the people, without regard either to age or sex, and beat them
with their bludgeons in a merciless manner.
The worship being interrupted, a general alarm and outcry of murder

124 MEMOIRS' C\F' WHITEFIEfJli.
field; for whom he retained the most filial affection to his dyh%'
day; frequently traveled with, and consulted' him as a fathef-
upon all his religious concerns.
ensued. At this instant, Mr. Kinsman, by an extraordinary effort, throwing"
himself into the midst of the throng, seized the lieutenant, the ringleader of
the rioters ; and as he was drawing his sword upon him,, wrested it from his
hand. No exertion on the side of the rioters could force Mr. Kinsman to quir
his hold of. the lieutenant; and by main strength, in the heat of the rencoun-'
ter, he drew him- out of the Tabernacle into- the yard, where the same scene of-
confusion was continued. Here the lieutenant made many violent struggles
to disengage himself, left hjs laced hat, and- had his clothes considerably torn
in the attempt. But Mr. Kinsman preserved his hold, dragged him into his
dwelling-house, and carried him off through the front door to the magistrate.
Both parties were now at a loss to discover what had become of their cham
pions. Mr. Kinsman's friends were almost distracted, supposing he had been
carried off by the rioters, and torn piece-meal. But they were soon agreea
bly disappointed. The lieutenant conducted himself with great insolence
before the magistrate; who committed him to the watch house, where he lay
all night. Being brought before Mm again the next morning, he acknowledg
ed his offence, engaged to repair all damages, and make such other conces
sions as the injured party might require. Mr. Kinsman having obtained his
bject, and being unwilling to injure the cause of reiglion in the- esteem of
ther world, by aspirit of inexorable resentment, acceded to his proposals, and
he was accordingly dismissed ; nor was he ever after called upon by Mr.
Kinsman or his friends, to fulfil his engagements.
Having procured a private house in Dock, he preached the first time to
about sixteen persons ; but the congregations rapidly increased ; and in the
year 1752, a meeting house was erected, which, by the blessing of God upon
his ministry, it became necessary to enlarge six or seven times.
He was now called out to itinerate frequently in many conn-tics in rite'
kingdom; and his peculiar abilities attracted ' general attention, which, to
gether with the affability of his manners, and his uncommon cheerfulness,
raised him to a high degree of esteem wherever he went. Nor was he less-
respected, nor his ministry attended with less general good, at Bristol- and
London — cities to which he was invited by Whitefield ; who used to call
Bristol Mr. Kinsman's America, alluding to his own popularity and success
in that quarter of the world.
Whitefield being about to sail for America, sent for him to London. On
his arrival he was introduced, and dined with him at the Tabernacle-house,
in company with a young clergyman. After dinner there was a most tre
mendous storm of thunder and lightning. As they stood at the window be
low the raging elements, Mr. Kinsman, supposing the clergyman, from his
being a visitant to Whitefield, to be a serious person, familiarly put his hand
upon his shoulder, and with great cheerfulness and energy, repeated the
words of Dr. Watts.:-*~- " The God that rules on high
And thunders when he please ;
That rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas, — "
And then, with peculiar pathos and confidence, added,
" This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our Love !"
The words so appositely introduced, so solemnly and so emphatically deliv
ered, made a deep impression on the mind of the young clergyman and
began a conversation, which, by the blessing of. God,, ended in his spying
conversion^

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 125
Multitudes crowded to hear him ; and many gave proofs of
a solid conversion to God. " Now," says he, "Plymouth seems
Here his ministry was greatly owned : and he thought himself highly
honored in preaching the first sermon that ever was delivered from the pulpit
of the present Tabernacle. His harmonious voice, his sprightly and pathetic
manner of address, brought no small number of all ranks to hear him : among
whom was Shuter, the celebrated comedian, who, having been excited by
curiosity to hear Whitefield, was so affected with his preaching, that at one
time there were hopes of his being under serious impressions. Having also
heard Mr. Kinsman, he was so delighted with him, that he frequently visited
hiifi.' But the lamentable immorality that pervades the stage, the scoffs of
ridicule from men of considerable influence, and the contemptuous insinua
tions of the profane, that most dangerous and destructive method of attack to
which Mr. Shuter was, by his profession, particularly exposed, soon operated
as a foil to those rising hopes, that were entertained concerning him, and, as
blasts, swept away those promising and blooming flowers.
Some years after, having forgotten where he lived, accidentally meeting
Mr. Kinsman at Plymouth, he embraced him with rapture, and inquired if
that was the place of his residence. He replied, " Yes ; but I am just return
ed from London, where I have preached so often, and to such large auditories,
and have been so indisposed, that Dr. Fothergill advised my immediate return
to the country, for change of air." " And I," said Mr. Shuter, " have been
acting Sir John Palstaff so often, that I thought I should have died ;. and the
physicians advised me to come into the country for the benefit of the air.
Had you died, it would have been serving the best of Masters ; but had I, it
would have been in the service of the devil. Oh, sir, do you think I shall
ever be called again 1 I certainly was when I was studying my part in the
park ; and if Mr. Whitefield had let me come to the Lord's table with him, I
never should have gone back again. But the caresses of the great are ex
ceedingly ensnaring. My Lord E  sent for me to day ; and I was glad I
could not go. Poor things ! they are unhappy, and they want Shuter to make
them laugh. But, oh, sir ! such a life as yours ! — As soon as I leave you, I
shall be King Richard. This is what they call a good play, as good as some
sermons. I acknowledge there are some striking and moral things in it. But
after it, I shall come again with my farce of A Disli of all Sorts, and knock all
that on the head. Pine reformers are we !" The inhabitants afterwards
taking notice that he visited Mr. Kinsman, were astonished ; and one gentle
man in particular, asked him, if he were a Methodist 1 " Mine is a fine
method, is it not 1 No ; I wish I was. If any are right, they are."
Mr. Kinsman was once preaching in London on the Lord's day, and a heavy
and unexpected shower of rain coining on, several Sabbath breakers passing
at that instant, fled into the Tabernacle for shelter. Among these, was a
young man who was personally acquainted with Mr. Kinsman at Plymouth.
Seeing him in the pulpit he immediately resolved to wait till the conclusion
of the service, and inquire after the welfare of his relation. This he accord
ingly did — to whom Mr. Kinsman replied, with his usual affability, " Your
good aunt and religious mother are both lately gone to heaven ; but which
way are you going 1 What will your pious mother say, if she should miss
her William there '!" Though the sermon had not the least effect, this sen
tence struck him to the heart ; and God made it the means of his conver
sion. He afterwards became a very valuable member of the church at Dock,
and died an Israelite indeed I Some years after, his youngest son, a wild
young man, marrying, and having a child, applied to Mr. Kinsman lo baptize
it. Mr. K. having some knowledge of his character, told him, he would bap
tize his child for the grandfather's sake ; and then began to relate the striking
circumstance of his father's conversion. This so affected the young man, that
from that time he became serious ; and is now a member of the same church
al Dock.
At Plymouth and Dock his preaching was still attended with remarkable
success, particularly among young persons. At length the repeated so'licila-
n*

126 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELfi.
to he quite a* riew place to me." As his health was impaired in
London, he ldved to range, as he calls it, after precious souls,
tions of the people induced him to limit the sphere of- his operations, and, ex
cept his visits to London and Bristol, his labors were chiefly confined to the
above places.
In the year 1763, the society at Dock becoming-very numerous, wished to
be formed into a regular church. They therefore gave Mr. Kinsman a una
nimous call to take the oversight of them ; and he having accepted it, was set
apart for the pastoral office at Broadmead, in Bristol, August 4th, by the Rev.
Benjamin Fawcett of Kidderminster ; the Rev. George Powell of Wethers-
field ; the Rev. Jeremiah Field of Wellington, Somerset ; the Rev. Hugh
Evans, and the Rev. John Thomanof Bristol. In the year 1771, he went to
reside wholly at Dock ; until which period he never received any pecuniary
consideration for his services ; nor did he, in the whole course of his ministry
at Plymouth, never having required an}'.
After his settlement in the pastoral office, Providence raised up several of
the members of the church to assist in preaching, particularly the Rev.
Robert Heath, now of Redborough. But these being frequently called to
labor in the adjacent towns and villages, and the state of Mr. Kinsman's
health for many years, not admitting of his preaching three times on the
Lord's day, both places were obliged to be provided with regular assistants,
the most distinguished of whom were: at Plymouth the Rev. Messrs. Dunn
and Padden ; at Dock, the Rev. Messrs. Jones and Lake : each of whom con
tinued for some time in the exercise of his talents with success, until invited
to the pastoral office of other places. After they were removed, a succession
of ministers from the metropolis and other parts of the kingdom, regularly
supplied the congregation, much upon the same plan with the London and
Bristol Tasbernacles. In January, 1792, dropsical symptoms began first to
make their appearance in his legs, and left little hope to his friends of a long
continuance among them. For the last twelve months he could do little more
than preach two or three sermons ; and it was with great difficulty that he
continued to administer the Lord's supper.
As he approached to the close of life, he would frequently look out of his
chamber window, and on seeing multitudes flocking to the meeting, would
say — " Thither I once led up the tribes of the Lord to worship." When an
ticipating his approaching dissolution, he would freqently adopt the confiden
tial language- of • the pious Watts:—
" My God, my portion, and my love,
My everlasting all :
I've none but thee in heav'n above,
Or on this earthly ball !"
And that other well known verse in the 17th Psalm : —
"O glorious hour ! O bless'd abode !
I shall be near and like my God !
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasures of the soul."
A few hours before he died, he said, "Oh" how ill I am ! but my God";
my life, my time, my all is in thy hands. On thee do I trust ; in- thee I can
confide." " A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
On thy kind arms I fall ;
Be thou my strength and righteousness-,
My Jesus aad my; all V

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 127
Yet he never wished to form anew sect, or strove to become the
head of a party. " I have seen enough of popularity," saysher
" to be sick of it; and did not the interest of my blessed Master
require my appearing ia public, the world should hear but little
of me henceforth." Notwithstanding, his zeal abated not. " I
dread the thoughts of flagging in the latter stage of my road,"
was an expression used, in his letters to his friends. He was
often indisposed; but he thought that traveling and preaching
did him good. "Fear not your weak body," says he, in a? let
ter to the Rev. James Hervey, " we are immortal till our work
is done. Christ's laborers must live by miracle — if not, I must
not live at all ; for God only knows what I daily endure ; my
continual vomitings almost kill me ; and yet the pulpit is my
cure — so that my friends begin to pity me less, and to leave off
that ungrateful caution-, ' spare thyself.' I speak this to encou
rage you."
In March, 1749, he returned to- London, having traveled about
six hundred miles in the west, and to his satisfaction found
that his former labors had been abundantly blessed.
In May, he went to Portsmouth and Portsea,* where he
A short time before be died, Mrs. Kinsman asked-him how he did. He
replied with a sweet serenity, " Still in the body."
" But in his dying countenance was seen
A smile, the index of a soul serene."
Continuing sensible, being almost gone, and scarcely able to articulate, he
said in a broken manner, " Jesus, lover of my soul — - — ."
Then smiled again, and without a sigh, fell asleep in the arms of that com
passionate Jesus,, whom he had ardently loved and faithfully preached, for
more than fifty years.- He died February 28, 1793, in the sixty-ninth year of
his age.
On the following Sabbath, two funeral sermons were preached for him:
one at Plymouth, by the Rev. Mr. Macall, from John v. 35. " He was a burn
ing and shining light." And the other at Dock, by the Rev. Matthew Wilks,
of London, from Daniel xii. 3. " They that be wise shall shine as the bright
ness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars
for ever and ever."
* This town commenced with the last century : for in the year 1700 there
were not more than a' dozen houses on the spot : and the parish of Portsea, as
it is now called, exclusive of the neighboring town of Portsmouth, did nor
contain 2000 inhabitants ; but it is now a thickly populated town. At tha?
time there was no other place of worship but the parish church ; there- are
now twelve places devoted to the service of God.
About the year 1746, the Rev. John Cennick came to Portsea, and preached-
m the open air. He was followed by the Rev. Messrs. Adams, Meredith,.
and others, in connection with Mr. Whitefield, who himself, in 1749, visitetr
the place, and preached in the fields to very numerous congregations. About
this time several serious persons, some' of whom were members of the Rev.
Mr. William's church at Gosport, and others of the Rev. Mr. Norman's at-

128 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
preached to numerous and attentive auditories. Many were
savingly wrought upon- — prejudices every where removed — and
Portsmouth, formed themselves into a society, and by a small weekly sub
scription, defrayed the expenses of the preachers who visited them. Their
number was considerably increased, by the divine blessing, on three visits
paid them by Mr. Whitefield, and by the labors of other ministers. At length,
in 1754, they erected a place of worship, fifty-three feet by thirty, which they
called, "The Tabernacle." For about fifteen years the congregation was
supplied by the Rev. Messrs. Adams, Croon, Vines, Hogg, Winter, and others ;
but this mode of supply proving inconvenient and expensive, they deter
mined on having a regular minister ; and being formed into a church, wen:
providentially led to make choice of the Rev. Thomas Tuppen, to setiW
among them as their pastor. Mr. Tuppen commenced his stated labors at
Portsea, in March, 1769, and was well attended. In a letter to Whitefield,
written the 30th of June, 17G9, he says, " I have never preached on a Lord's
day, but on some parts of it, I have had five hundred hearers; many time*
double that number ; and on the week days, never less than two or three hun
dred, which I think some encouragement-; and there is reason. to believe that
the Lord owns and blesses his word ; and that he has many people in this
place." Mr. Tuppen was born in the year 1742, at Brighthelmstone, in Sussex,
where he was trained up by a sober, moral mother, in a strict attachment tt)
the established church, the public ordinances of which he constantly attended
on the Lord's day, performing also some religious exercises at home ; but,
satisfied with the "mere performance of religious duties, he remained totally
ignorant of spiritual things, and destitute of any real concern for the salva
tion of his soul. When he arrived at the age of sixteen, the seeds of corrup
tion sprang up with vigor, and produced those fruits of transgression, which
are too common at that dangerous period of life, unless prevented by the re
straints of divine Providence, or the influence of divine grace. Becoming
at this time his own master, more fully than before, by the removal of some
of his friends to London, and associating with some very wicked companions,
he was hurried on to the gratification of carnal appetites, with increasing
eagerness, for about the space of two years.
But the Lord, who had chosen him to be a vessel of honor, to bear his
name to Gentile sinners, was pleased to send his favored servant, Whitefield,
lo Brighton at this period. Induced by curiosity to hear a preacher of such
peculiar fame, he attended a sermon out of doors, on a Friday evening, under
a tree, at the back of the White Lion Inn. But so far was he from previously
wishing to derive any spiritual benefit from the sermon, that, as he confessed
afterwards, he could gladly have joined the rabble in stoning him, or at least,
like Saul of Tarsus, have held the clothes of those who would. Mr. White-
field's text was, Ezek. xxxiii. 11.—" Turn ye, turn ye." Under that sermon
his malice was changed into admiration ; he was convinced, that though young
in years, he was a great sinner ; that he had revolted from God, and must
turn again to him, or perish. This sermon, and others delivered on the same
visit, became the happy means of leading him to serious and earnest inquiries
about salvation. His friends, who remained near him, were alarmed, and
united to oppose his religious progress ; while conscience, now awakened, sv
strongly charged him with sin, that he endured considerable distress. He was
now fully satisfied that he could nev«r help himself; and that, if ever he
were saved, he must be an eternal debtor to free and sovereign grace. He
-continued in a state of mental bondage for nearly ten months ; and though
he joined himself to a little society of christian friends, and constantly united
with them in spiritual exercises, he found but transient relief from his bui-
dens, till at one period, being about ten miles distant from home, his mind
was set at liberty, and enjoyed the peace of the gospel.
Jn September, 1761, many of his relations having settled in London, he was
induced to follow them ; and for a season, communicated with the society at
&e Tabernacle. At that time he resided in East Cheap, and being near tba

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 129
those who before calumniated and reviled him, wished him to
continue with, and preach the gospel to them.
June 24, he wrote thus from Bristol : — -" Yesterday God
brought me here, after having carried me a circuit of about
eight hundred miles;' and enabled me to preach, I suppose,
to upwards of one hundred thousand souls. I have been
in eight Welch counties ;¦ and, I think, we have not had one
dry meeting-. The work in Wales is much upon the advance,
meeting house, then occupied by the_ Rev. Mr. Elliot,'whd at that period fre
quently preached for Whitefield, attended his ministry for several years, and
frequently heard the Rev. Mr. Hart there. In December, 1767, on the death of
a preacher, who assisted Mr. Elliot, he was requested, both by 1 he minister and
the church, to preach among them occasionally, which he did for a year or two.
He was then invited to officiate among a' few serious people in'a remote
corner of Sussex ; where he had not been long, before he received an invita
tion from the society at Portsea, to settle among them. However, previous
to his settlement, he was solemnly sst apart to the pastoral office ; When the
Rev. Mr. Elliot, of London; Rev. Dr. Samuel, of Ramsey; Rev. Mr. Asli-
burner, of Poole; Rev. Mr. Lacey, Baptist minister of Portsea; Rev. Benja
min Francis, of Horsley; Rev. Mr. Meadows, of London, and Rev. Mr.
Brown, of Mitchel-Dean, engaged in the various services of the day.
By the blessing of the Lord on Mr. Tuppen's labors at Portsea, the congre
gation gradually increased ; so that in the year 1773, the Tabernacle was in
sufficient for their accommodation: it was therefore taken down, and a new
house, sixty-feet by forty, with three galleries, erected in its stead ; which
also was soon filled.
Some years after this, Mr. Tuppen's health declined, and he found himself
unable to sustain any longer the fatigue of preaching thrice on the Lord's,
day. It was therefore determined by the church, that they should have but
two sermons, namely, in the morning and in the evening, during the summer
season. But in November, 1784, Mr. Tuppen informed the church, that he
saw it was for their interest to have three sermons on the Sabbath ; but as lie
was not equal to that service, he thought it his duty to recommend to them
fo look out for another pastor. Early in the succeeding year, Mr. Tuppen
preached his last sermon to them. He left the place with regret : and far the
greater part of the people were affected in the same manner, though some
indulged a hope of his resuming his labors among, them again. Few minis
ters enjoyed a larger share of the affections of their people : but the Lord, it
seems, intended him to become the instrument of laying the foundation of a
greater work at Bath.
It was in the year 1780. that some serious persons in that cily, formed them
selves into a body for public worship, -according to the dissenting mode : but,
in consequence of the smallness of their number, and the opposition they
encountered, they with difficulty maintained the cause for four years, when
Thomas Welch, Esq., of London, and some other Independents, exerted
themselves in their favor, and engaged to look out for a suitable pastor for
them. Mr. Tuppen was the person to whom they applied ; and in the year
1785, he arrived in Bath, when the congregation rapidly increased. From'
about twenty-five persons, who at first attended him, -the number increased in
a few years, to seven or eight hundred. The place in which they worshipped
being too small for the congregation, a new one called Argyle Chapel was
begun in 1789 ; and opened October 4, 1790. But his health was then so much
reduced, that he was never able to preach a single sefmon there ; he could
only attend the services of the day, which were performed by the Rev. Wil
liam Jay, who has been the minister of the place ever since.
Mr. Tuppen, after a lingering illness, which he supported with great resig
nation and patience, entered'into his rest on the 22d of February, 1791, at the
age of forty-eight.

130 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
and likely to increase daily. Had my dear Mr. Henry beefl
there, to have seen the simplicity of so many dear souls, I am
persuaded he would have said, sit anima mea cum methodistis."
After an excursion in July and August, on his return to Lon
don, he was visited by two German ministers, who had been
preaching among the Jews ; and were instrumental to the con
version of many of them.
In the month of September; he went into Northamptonshire
and Yorkshire ; and preached at Oundle, Abberford, Leeds,
and Ha worth, where the pious Mr. Grimshaw,* that indefatiga-
* The Rev. William Grimshaw, A. B., was born September 3, 1708, at
Brindle in Lancashire; and was educated at the schools of Blackburn and
Heskin, in that county. In the eighteenth year of his age, he was admitted
a member of Christ's college, in Cambridge ; and here, as is but too usually
the case, bad example deplorably prevailed to seduce him from that decent
manner of life, and those serious reflections, which had been inculcated upon
him by his pious parents ; for at this time, having no real change wrought
upon him, and consequently having no root in himself, the prevalent impiety
ot' the college carried him away so far, that, for the space of more than two'
years, he seemed utterly to have lost all sense of religion and seriousness:
nor was there any revival of his former impressions, till on the day when he
was ordained deacon, in the year 1731. On this occasion, he was much
affected with a sense of the importance of the ministerial office, which he was
taking upon him, and the diligence which, ought to be used in the discharge'
of it. Yet these convictions were but slight, and soon carried away, like the'
wind of temptation ; though, for a little time, they were prompted by an ac
quaintance with some religious people at Rochdale, who used to meet together
once a week, for religious exercises. But, upon his removal thence, very soon
after, to Todmorden, though not far distant from Rochdale, instead of acting
up to the good motions he had felt in his soul, and which had been encoura
ged by his pious acquaintance, he pursued a different course, and went no
more among them. He conformed to the vain and thoughtless world; he fol
lowed all its stupid and trifling diversions : and endeavored to satisfy his con
science with " doing his ministerial duly," according to the common phrase,
on a Sunday, without attending any farther, either to the improvement of his
own mind by study, or to the improvement of his people, as an effect of his own.
He was, in a word; what too many of the modern clerical profession are, an
easy companion for easy men, who give themselves no trouble about their
own souls, or about God, or any thing else but what the Leviathan is repre
sented to be doing in the world, taking their pastime therein. Give them the
pleasures of the earth, if not of direct sin too; for a season : and the honor
Of Christ, and the salvation of sinners are those subordinate affairs, which
may be taken care of, at any time, or no time, by any man, or by no man, just
as they please. They comprehend ho more of spiritual good, than the luxu
rious epicure, who said, " that he did not understand what great happiness
there could be in heaven, where folks were to sit upon a large cloud through
eternity, singing hallelujahs, and having nothing to eat or to drink." There
are thousands who would be ashamed perhaps to acknowledge the letters of
the words; but who are living in the spirit of the worldliness they imply, from
day to day: Mr. Grimshaw, to his compunction afterwards, was numbered
too long amongst this ungodly fraternity. It was several years before he was
enabled to emerge from the low debauchery of the times. However, it is said,
he refrained as much as possible from gross swearing, unless in suitable com
pany, and when he got drunk, would take care to sleep it off before he came
home. Oh what a scandal to religion are swearing, drinking, hunting, horse-
racing, gambling, and ungodly priests, and what a jest, and stumbling block,
to the world I

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 131
£>le servant of Christ, was minister : in his church, they had
above one thousand communicants, and above six thou-
About the year 1734, and in the twenty-sixth of Mr. Grimshaw's life, God
was pleased to bring upon him an earnest concern for his own salvation, and
consequently for that of his flock at Todmorden. This immediately became
visible by his reformation. He quickly left all his diversions ; his hunting,
.card-playing, fishing, and the like, and now began to catechize the young peo
ple, to preach up the absolute necessity of a strict and devout life ; to visit his
people, not in order to drink and be merry with them as before, but to exhort
"and press them to seek the salvation of their souls, and to enforce what he had
delivered to them from the pulpit.
The Lord brought him to very strong and painful convictions of his own
guilt, helplessness, and misery ; by discovering to him what he did not sus
pect before, that his heart was deceitful and desperately wicked ; and, what
was more afflicting still, that all his duties, labors, and goodness, could not
procure for him pardon, or gain him a title to eternal life. Very painful ap
prehensions therefore now seized his mind, of what must become of him. But
this was the work of the law upon his conscience, and the preparation of his
soul for the gospel of peace. In this state of trouble he continued for some
time, not daring to acquaint any with the distress he suffered, lest they should
report that he was either mad or melancholy. But by these lasting and deep
convictions, being brought lo a deep aequo intance with the corruptions of his
own heart, and the knowledge of its sin by the law of God, enforced upon him
by the Spirit of God, and being therefore made willing to receive salvation
freely, and to consider himself humbly as a brand plucked out ofthe burning ,-
the day of his consolation and knowledge of Christ, infinitely precious to his
soul, graciously drew near. The Bible began now to appear quite a new book.
He found the rich import of those Scriptures, which declare the sacrifice and
righteousness of Christ to be the whole atonement and justification of a sinner
before God ; and which testify the remission of sins to believers on his name,
and sanctification as the blessed efl'ect of this believing in growing evidence ot
that remission. " I was now," says he; " willing to renounce myself, with
every degree of fancied merit and ability, and to embrace Christ only for my
all in all. Oh what light and comfort did I now enjoy in my own soul, and
what a taste ofthe pardoning love of God!"
As he was then taught of God in his own experience, so his preaching in
the year 1742, began to be clear and profitable. He dwelt much in represent
ing the nature and excellencies of christian faith, and salvation by Christ
alone. All this time he was an entire stranger to serious persons, or to those
faithful men who were the occasion under God of the revival of religion among
us. He was also an entire stranger to their writings, except a single sermon
upon Gal. iii. 24, and a letter to the people of England, published by the Rev.
Mr. Seagrave, in which he was surprised to find the nature, life, spirituality,
and power of truth and doctrine, in a material point, to be the very same with
what he now saw clearly in the word of God, and from which his peace had
entirely flowed. Dr. Owen's book on justification was also of great use to him
about this time.
In the month of May, 1742, instructed in this manner, Mr. Grimshaw came
to the people and church at Haworth, near Bradford, in Yorkshire, and very
soon the good effects of his preaching became visible among a people ignorant
and brutish, as the face of their country is wild and rugged. Many of his
careless flock: were brought into deep concern for the salvation of their souls,
and were filled with peace and joy through believing. And as in ancient
limes, before preaching was debased by modern refinement, and alas ! to such
a cold and languid exercise, that generally one can scarce observe a decent
attention to the minister in the pulpit ; his people felt in their hearts a deep
conviction of sin; and the whole congregation hav-j Been often seen in tears,
on account of their numerous provocations against God, and under a sense of
his goodness in yet sparing them and waiting to be gracious unto them. This
lively, powerful manner of representing the truths of God, could not fail of

132 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
sand hearers in the church-yard. At Leeds, the congregation
consisted of above ten thousand souls. Thither he was
.being mueh talked of, and bringing, out of curiosity, many hundreds to Ha-
worth church ; and tliere they received so much benefit by what they heard,
that when the novelty was long oyer, the church continued to be full of peo
ple, many of whom came from afa,r, and this for twenty years together. In
deed, nothing but this will draw souls heartily together, or, according to the
prophet's language, as doves lo thcjir windows. Mere morality, derived from
man's ability, neither comes warm from the heart, nor goes warmly to it.
With the trash of human attainments and human endeavors, all fallen, cor
rupt, feeble, and depraved, no soul living can be satisfied. When men preach
these, to use the words of Milton,
" The sheep look up, but are not fed."
It was the pure truth of the gospel, which brought men to reform from po
pery, and which only can produce true reformation at any time. It was this
which hath drawn thousands from the church to various dissenters, where it
hath been preached by them ; and it is the preaching of this alone, as we have
abundant proof, that can fill our churches again.
Mr. Grimshaw was now too happy himself in the knowledge of Christ, to
rest satisfied, without taking every method he thought likely to spread the
knowledge of his God and Savior. And as some indigent people constantly
make their want of better clothes to appear in, an excuse for not coming to
church in the day time, when their want would be visible to the whole congre
gation ; he contrived, for their sakes, a lecture on Sunday evenings, though he
preached twice in the former part of the day. In which lecture, a chapter or
a psalm, after the primitive custom of the christian church, was expounded.
God was pleased to give great success to these attempts, which animated him
still more to spend and be spent for Christ's cause ; so that the next year he
began a method, which was continued by him ever after, of preaching in each
of the four hamlets under his care, three times every month. By which
means the old and infirm, who could not attend the church, had the truth of
God brought to their houses; and many, who were so profane as to make the
distance from the house of God a reason for almost never coming to it, were-
induced to hear, and at length received with joy the word of life.
By this time, the great attention and labor with which he instructed his
own people, the circumspection and holiness of his conversation, and the
lasting benefit which very many from the neighboring parishes had obtained,
by attending his ministry ; all concurred to bring upon him many earnest en
treaties to come to the houses of others who lived in the neighboring parishes,
and lo expound the word of God to souls as ignorant as they were themselves,
before they had heard instruction from his lips. As the purest benevolence
was the only motive to this request; so all, who knew Mr. Grimshaw, are
assured, (and what others think or say'matters not,) that nothing but love to
the souls of men, and a desire of proving a blessing to them, engaged him to
preach, as occasion offered, in other parishes. So that while he was one of
the most diligent in overseeing, and providing abundantly for all in his own
flock, he annually found opportunity of instructing nearly three hundred
rimes, large companies, and sometimes large congregations besides. After
he had preached for the first time in any place, he commonly thanked tha
person into whose house or barn he was received, and added : " I hope you
will give me leave to come again." *
Mr. Grimshaw thus went on preaching fifteen, twenty, and often thirty times
in the week, and that for fifteen years, or upwards, besides visiting the sick,
and other occasional duties of his function. To one of his friends in a neigh
boring parish, whose wite had been sick, he thus apologized: " I am sorry
that I have not been able to visit your wife ; I have not wanted inclination,
but time ; for I have had thirty times to preach this week." It is not easy
to ascribe such unwearied diligence, and all amongst the poor, or at least very

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 133
jSavited by the iRev. Mt. Wesley's ministers, and also by the
societies. And the Rev. Charles Wesley announced him frOm
the pulpit; and by him he was introduced to the pulpit in
Newcastle, where he preached four times, and twice in the
.fields. The season being too far advanced, he did not proceed
obscure people, to any .motiye but the real one. He thought his tongue should
never be still in guilty silence, while he could speak to the honor of that God,
w^ip had done so much for his s,oul. And while he saw sinners perishing for
¦lack of knowledge, and no one breaking to them the bread of life, he was
transported by love to pity them; and, this notwithstanding the selfish reluct
ance ne felt. within, to give up his name to still greater reproach, as well as
hjjs time and strength to the work of the ministry. What a reflection should
this afford tp that laziness of heart, to call it by no worse a name, which thinks
the service of God, after naming it in prayers before him a " perfect freedom,"
to be a hard burden, and which courts easy duty and large fees, only for an
indulgence to the flesh, and to hold up a sort of foolish and unmeaning respect
in fhe world.
During ail this intense and persevering application to what was the whole
delight of his heart, God was' exceedingly favorable to him; for, through the
space of sixteen years, he was only once suspended from his labors by sickness,
though he ventured in all weathers upon the bleak mountains, and used his
body with less consideration, than a merciful man would use his beast. In
this manner Mr. Grimshaw employed all his talents even to his last illness ;
and his labors were not in vain in the Lord. He saw an effectual change
take place in many of his flock; a deep sense of evil and good, and a striking
restraint from the commission of sin, brought upon the parish in general. He
saw the name pf Jesus exalted, and many souls happy in the knowledge of
.him, and walking as becomes the gospel of Christ.
Mr. Grimshaw's behavior throughout his last illness, was all of a piece
.with the last twenty years of his life. From the very first attack of his fever,
he welcomed the approach of death. His intimate experimental knowledge
of Christ, abolished all the reluctance which nature usually feels to a dissolu
tion ; and, triumphing in him, who is the resurrection and the life, he fell
asleep in Jesus, April 7, 1703, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, and in the
twenty-first of eminent usefulness in the church of Christ His body was in
terred with what is more ennobling than all the pomp of solemn dirges, or of
a royal funeral ; for he was followed to the grave by a great multitude, with
the most affectionate sighs, and with many tears; and who cannot still hear
his much loved name without weeping for the guide of their souls, to whom
each of them was dear as children to their father.
A funeral sermon was preached at St. Dunstan's in the West, London, on
the 17th of April, 1763, ten days after his decease, by the Rev. William Ro-
maine, rector of St. Ann's, Blaekfriars, from -Phil. i. 21. " For him to lire
was Christ, and to die was gain:"
A funeral sermon was also preached at Haworth church, by that excellent
and faithful minister of Christ, the Rev. H. Venn.
A full account of Mr. Grimshaw can be seen in the " Sketch," drawn of hira
by Mr. Venn ; which mentions several particulars, which are too extraor
dinary and too valuable to be buried in silence,
The following anecdote was related in a sermon preached at Surry ohapel,
London, Sept. 29, 1793, by the Rev. Mr^ Bull, of Newport Pagnell.
When Mr. Whitefield was once preaching in Mr, Grimshaw's church, jn
Yorkshire, he took occasion to say in his discourse, that " He was willing to
hope in the judgment of charity, that most of his hearers were good people —
converted people— and truly possessed of the grace of God." Upon which
Mr. Grimshaw, who was present rose up, and with an elevated voice, said,
"No, no, sir, they are not half of th,em converted by the grace of God.
Speak to them faithfully."—" So let me be faithful to you," said Mr. Bull,
• not mince the matter, and say, peace, peace, where there is no peace."

134 MEMOIRS-OF WHITEFIELD,
to Scotland, but he returned to London, having preached thirty
times in Yorkshire ; in Cheshire and Lancashire ten. He wa»
also at Sheffield and Nottingham. The congregations were
mostly peaceable and attentive, only in one or two places was hp
rudely treated ; but this he 'regarded not, could he only win
souls to Christ.
He came to London in November, and continued till Febru
ary ; during which period, besides laboring in his usual way,
he occasionally assisted at West-street Chapel, preaching and
administering the sacrament,
February 8th, 1750, From Gloucester he writes thus:
:' Though I left London in a very weak condition, and tho
weather was bad, I came here on Friday evening, was strength
ened to preach on Saturday, and likewise on Sunday evening,
and twice the same day in the country, at the new house at
Hampton." And agaip, from Bristol, February 1-2. " Since I wrote last,
we have been favored both in Gloucester city, and in the coun
try, with very pleasant and delightful seasons. I have preach*
ed above twenty times within these nine days : and though
frequently exposed to rain and hail, am much better than wherf
I left London." From Bristol he went to Exeter and Plymouth,
On the way he met with the Rev. Mr. Pearsal, an eminent
dissenting minister at Taunton, and the Rev. Mr Darraeott^
.* The Rev. Risdon Darraeott was the son of a dissenting minister in the Isl«
of Purbeck in Dorsetshire, where he was born, February 1, 1717. He receiv
ed his academical education at Northampton, under the care of the pious Dr,
Doddridge, and began his ministerial course in 1738, at Penzance, in Corn
wall. IJere he continued little more than two years, being obliged, by ths
loss of large quantities of blood from his stomach, to leave an affeetibnata
people. Under this alarming affliction, he spent about half a year among hist
friends in Devonshire, where hi.s own father had lately been a fervent and use?
ful preacher, and where he died at about the age of forty. Upon the death of
. the Rev. Mr. Berry, an aged and excellent minister of Christ at Wellington, in
1741, Mr. Darraeott had a unanimous invitation to succeed him. He found
the congregation small, and the number of communicants but twenty-eight.
His ministrations drew a large concourse of hearers from the neighborhood,
many of whom had never before made any profession of religion, and were at
first brought to Wellington out of more curiositv. His meeting house was
soon insufficient to contain the hearers, and was therefore enlarged ; but after
that, it was usual for many to be obliged to stand without the doors. In pro
portion to the number of his stated hearers, the Rev. Mr. Fawcett, who preachr
ed" his funeral sermon, says, " He never knew any congregation which ap
peared to have so many instances of abiding religious impressions ;" and be
adds, " I have good reason to believe, that his ministry was owned to the ef
fectual conversion of many hundreds of souls." In consequence of this re
maskable success, he left behind him more than two hundred communicants.
He fell asleep in Jesus, March 14, 1759, aged forty-two.
s ^The night before he died, he said, " Oh what a good God have I, in and
through Jesus Christ ! I would praise him, but my lips cannot. Eternity will
be'too short to speak his praises." The physician coming in, he said to him,
" Oh what a mercjr is it, to be interested in the atoning blood of Jesus ! I coma
to 'the' Lord as a vile sinner, trusting in the merits and precious blood of my

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. J3g
at Wellington j both of whom he mentions with great respect.
He preached at Plymouth twelve times in six days, and each
time his hearers increased, as did the zeal of his friends ; while
the fury of his adversaries began to abate. He proceeded
tiience to the Land's End, preaching at a great many places
by the way.
WTe find him, by March 21, again at Exeter. " Invitations,"
says he, i: are sent from several places; I want more tongues,
more bodies, more souls, for the Lord Jesus; Had I ten thou
sand; he should have them all."
In April, he was in London; and at Portsmouth j and in
May went to Ashby. He had a delightful interview with the
Rev. Dr. Doddridge, Rev. James Hervey,* and others. But at
Ashby, where it might have been least expected, there was a
riot made before Lady Huntingdon's house, during the preach
ing there : and in the evening, some people returning home,
very narrowly escaped being murdered; The justice; upon
information, ordered the offenders to be brought before him.
" So that I hope," says Mr. Whitefield, " it will be overruled
for great good ; and that the gospel, for the future, will have
free course."
Leaving Ashby, he preached at Radcliff church; Nottingham,
and Sutton, with great success. " At Nottingham," says he,
" several came to me, inquiring, What they should do to be
saved ? I preached there four times. One evening, Lord S 
and several gentleman were present, and behaved with great
dear Redeemer. Oh grace ! grace ! free grace !" His last words were, '• I am
going from weeping friends to congratulating angels, and rejoicing saints in
glory ! He is coming ! Oh speed thy chariot wheels why are they so long
in coming ! I long to be gone."
* Mr. Hervey thus wrote of his interview to a friend : " I have seen lately
that most excellent minister of the ever blessed Jesus, Mr. Whitefield. I din
ed, supped, and spent the evening with him at Northampton, in company with
Dr. Doddridge and two pious, ingenious clergymen of the Church of Eng
land, both of them known to the learned world by their valuable writings.
And surely I never spent a more delightful evening, or saw one that seemed
to make nearer approaches to the felicity of heaven. A gentleman of great
worth and rank in the town invited us to his house, and gave us an elegant
treat ; but how mean were his provisions; how coarse his delicacies, compared
with the fruit of my friend's lips ; they dropped as the honey comb, and were
a well of life. Surely people do not know that amiable and exemplary man,
or else, I cannot but think, instead of depreciating they would applaud and
love him. For my part, I never beheld so fair a copy of our Lord, such a
living image of the Savior, such exalted delight in God, such enlarged benevo
lence to man, such a steady faith in the divine promises, and such a fervent
zeal for the divine glory; and all this, without the least moroseness of humor,
or extravagance of behavior ; sweetened with the most engaging cheerfulness
of temper, and regulated by all the sobriety of reason, and wisdom of scripture ;
insomuch that I cannot forbear applying the wise man's encomium of an
illustrious woman to this eminent minister ofthe everlasting gospel: ' Many
sons have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.' "

136 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
decency. Many thousands attended. Yesterday morning, tf
breakfasted with three dissenting ministers, at Mr. P  s, who
told me that Lady P  desired he would press me to preach
at the church. Yesterday in the afternoon I preached at Sut
ton, and this morning at Mansfield." He then went to Rother-
ham and Sheffield; and at the end of May was at Leeds. He
says, " methinks I am now got into another climate, where
there are many of God's people.'* He next went to Manchesj-
ter, and so on to Edinburgh, where he arrived July 16, having
preached nearly one hundred times since he left London ;
and it is supposed to above one hundred thousand souls.
" It is amazing," he writes, "to see how people are prepared in
places where I never was before. What shall I render to the
Lord?" At Edinburgh and Glasgow, in which places he spent the
month of July, 1750, he was as usual, received with the most
unfeigned tenderness and joy, preaching to great multitudes
of serious and attentive people, which made him exert himself
beyond his bodily strength. "By preaching always twice," he
says, " once thrice, and once four times in a day, I am quite
weakened, but I hope to recruit again. I am burning with a
fever, and have a violent cold ; but Christ's presence makes me
smile at pain ; and the fire of his love burns up all fevers
whatsoever." He left Edinburgh. April 3, and was soon much recovered
by riding. At Berwick, one of the ministers sent him an offer
of his pulpit, which many others around the town were also
willing to do.
When returned to London, he preached often at West-street
chapel. Mr. 'Hervey, at his request, came to town, and lodged
in his house, in whose company he enjoyed much pleasure.
In the month of October, he again ranged about, as he
expressed it, "to see who would believe the gospel report/'
preaching at Plymouth, Chatham, Gloucester,'" Birmingham,
Evesham, Wednesbury, and Nottingham. And was more than
ordinarily successful at Chatham and Canterbury.
In London, he passed the winter with incessant labor, and
with great success. He was a fortnight confined in his room,
by a fever and inflammation of the lungs ; but in Decembe*
was able to preach again.
At the latter end of January, 1751, he rode post to Ashby,
much alarmed at the news of Lady Huntingdon's dangerous
illness, and the afflictions with which her family was visited
at that time. On the 29th he writes thus : — " Blessed be God,
Lady Huntingdon is somewhat better. Entreat all our friends
to J>Yay for her. Her sister-in-law, Lady Frances Hastings, lies

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 137
dead in the house. She was a retired christian, lived silently,
and died suddenly, without a groan. May my exit be like
hers. Almost all the family have been sick in their turns."
March 5, he went again into Gloucestershire, and to Bristol,
preaching in his way to Plymouth.
April 11, at Exeter, he wrote thus to Mr. Hervey : — " Some
good I trust, is to be done this spring to many souls. This
western circuit, I believe, has been blessed already. I have
preached about forty times since I left London, and have been
enabled several times to ride forty miles a day. I find this
sensibly refreshes me. I wish you could say so too. At Ply
mouth, we had sweet seasons ; and on Tuesday last, I met
with a young clergyman who was awakened by my preaching
seven years ago. He has been at Cambridge, and was ordained
by the bishop of Exeter. He is followed much, and I suppose,
will soon be reproached for his Master's sake. I hope you find
strength to proceed in your book."
From Exeter he journeyed through Wales, and rode nearly
five hundred miles, preaching twice a day ; and then made his
visit to Ireland, which he had intended for some time.

CHAPTER XV.
From his first visit to Ireland, to 'his opening a new Tabernacle at
Loudon in the year 1753.
After a passage of five days, he arrived at Dublin, May
24, 1751. There he was received gladly, and lodged at the
house of Mr. L  , preaching also every morning and even
ing. " Surely," says he, " here are many converted souls ;
among them are two or three students, and several soldiers.
At first the greatness and hurry of the place surprised me ; but
thanks be to the Lord of the harvest, here as well as elsewhere,
the fields are white, ready unto harvest. Congregations are
large, and hear as for eternity."
And again — " Athlone, June 10. For this week past I have
been preaching twice almost every day in some country towns.
I found through the many offenses that have lately been given,
matters were brought to a low ebb. But the cry now is,
' Methodism is revived again.' "*
» In the MS. he says, " I took a journey from near Haverford west to Ire
land, where a yet greater work had been begun, and carried on to a high de
gree, amidst prodigious opposition ; numbers converted, notionly from popery,
but to Jesus Christ, at Athlone, Dublin, Limerick, Cork, and various other
places." J2,

138 S1EM0IRS OF WHITEFIELD.
At Limerick and -Cork he preached to great multitudes, mi-
disturbed, although the Methodists had met with violent perse
cution there.
At Bandon and Kinsale, the like blessings attended him : and
at Cork, the numbers of affectionate hearers greatly increased.
Being detained at Belfast, by the urgent importunity of the peo
ple, he preached in many towns and villages, and so great was
the prospect of success, that he wished he had visited the north
of Ireland sooner. But he hastened to Scotland, intending to
return before winter to his beloved charge in America.
In July, 1 751, he therefore went from Belfast to Irvine, where
the magistrates requested him to preach ; and from thence to
Glasgow. July 12, he writes thus : — " Though I preached nearly
eighty times in Ireland, and God was pleased to bless his word,
yet Scotland- seems to be a new world to me. To see the
people bring so many Bibles, turn to every passage when I am
expounding, and- hanging, as it were, upon me to hear every
word,- is very encouraging. I feel an uncommon freedom here ;;
and talking with the winter, as well as with the summer saints,.
feeds and delights my heart."* He was much pleased at this.
* Here it may be proper, otice for all, to take notice of some particulars re
lating to Mr. Whitefield's visits to Scotland, which he continued till within a
few-years of his death.
Though after the years 1741 and 174-2 there were no such extensive new-
awakenings, Mr. Whitefield's coming was always refreshing to serious per
sons, and seemed to put new life into tbem, and also to be the means oi in
creasing their number. His preaching was still eminently useful in various
respects. In the first place, it had an excellent tendency to destroy the hurt
ful spirit of bigotry, and excessive zeal for smaller matters, and to turn men's
attention to the great and substantial things of religion. Another effect was,
that it drew several persons to hear the gospel, who seldsm went to hear it
from other ministers. Again, young people in general, were much benefited-
by his ministry, and particularly young students, who became afterwards se
rious evangelical preachers. Lastly, his morning discourses, which were
mostly- intended for sincere but disconsolate souls, were peculiarly fitted to
direct and encourage all such in the christian life. And his addresses in the
evening to the promiscuous multitudes who then attended him, were of a very
alarming kind. There was something exceedingly striking- in the- solemnity
of his evening congregation in the Orphan-house par-k at Edinburgh, and
High churchyard of Glasgow, especially towards the conclusion of his ser
mons (which were commonly very long, though they seemed short to the
hearers) when the whole multitude stood fixed, and, like one man, hung upon
his -lips -with silent attention, and many under deep impressions of the great
objects of religion, and the concerns of eternity. These things will not soon
be forgotten rand it is hoped the many good effects which, by the divine bless
ing attended them, never will.
His conversation was no less reviving than his sermons. Many in Edin
burgh and Glasgow are witnesses of this, especially at Glasgow, when in com
pany with his good 'friends, Mr. M'Laurin, and Mr. Robert Scott. One might
challenge the sons of pleasure, with all their wit, good humor, and gaiety to
furnish entertainment so agreeable. At the sametime, no part of it was more
agreeable- than h was useful and edifying.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 139
time to hear, that Mr. Dinwiddie, brother-iri-law to the Rev. Mr.
M'Culloch of Cambuslang was appointed governor of Virginia.
There had been a remarkable awakening in that province for
several years, in particular in Hanover county, and' parts ad-
His friends in Scotland, among whom were many of all ranks, from the
highest to the lowest, were very constant and steady in their great regard
for him. And his opposers grew more and more mild. Some anonymum
pamphlets were written agamst him at his first coming, but these soon died
and were forgotten. Afterwards a number of stories were handed about to
luj disadvantage; but; upon inquiry, it was found either that matters were
misrepresented or exaggerated, or that there was no foundation for such re-
parts at all : in short, when they were traced to their origin, they rather turn
ed out to his honor. He used to smile at good Mr. M'Laurin's honest zeal,
who on such occasions spared no pains to come at the truth, and, when he
had discovered it, was no less eager to communicate the discovery to others;
for the vindication of Mr. Whitefield's character, in which he thought the
rredit of religion was concerned. The following instance is well remem
bered: — One Lieutenant Wright alleged, that Mr. Whitefield had kept back
money sent by a gentlewoman to her son in America. This coming to Mr.
M'Laurin's ears, he was restless till he procured a meeting between White-
field and his accuser. They met ; Mr. Wright did not retract what he had
said. Upon which a letter was instantly written to the mother at London ;
and her answer being received, a confutation of the calumny was published
in the Glasgow Courant, in the following terms: " October 31, 1748. A story
having been spread in this town of Mr. Whitefield's having received twenty
pounds sterling from a gentlewoman in London, to give to her son in Georgia,
(whereas he had received only three guineas, which he had returned to the
gentlewoman when he came back from Georgia, her son having been gone
from thence before his arrival) a letter was written to London to clear up thia
affair, to which the gentlewoman has sent this answer: 'Sir, this is to assure
you that I received of Mr. John Stevens the three guineas, which was the full
sum that I gave you for my son. I hope it is only a false aspersion on him ;
for I never beard that he would say any such thing, being three months in
England. I am, &c. September 13, 1748.' There is likewise a receipt
handed down, dated September 3, to Mr. Stevens. Both the letter and the
receipt are to be seen in the hands of the publisher."
But, indeed, Mr. Whitefield's whole behavior was so open to the eyes of
the world, and his character, after it had stood many attacks from all quar
ters, came at last to be so thoroughly established, that several of his opposera
in Scotland seemed rather to acquire a certain degree of esteem for him • at
least, they all thought proper to give over speaking against him.
When he was at Glasgow, he always lodged with Mr. James Neven, mer
chant, above the Cross ; till, towards the end of his life, his asthmatic disorder
made the town air disagree with him. And then he went out in the evenings,
and stayed with his good friend Mr. M'Culloch, at Cambuslang.
A person of eminence, whom a sincere esteem of Mr. Whitefield made
attentive to his reception and ministrations in Scotland, from first to last,
writes thus to the compiler:
" Edinburgh, January, 1772. I think more might be said, with great justice,
concerning the effects of his ministry in Scotland, after the first two years-;
as there was always a remarkable revival following each of his visits; which
many of the ministers testified to from their particular knowledge, especially
by the number of new communicants. Mention might be made of the great
number of ministers in Scotland that employed him, and of the many affec
tionate letters lie received' from' them, of which there were a good many
printed, both in London and' Glasgow Weekly Histories, from some; of the
most eminent men in the church, who' had employed him to preach in their
pulpits, and continued so to do; when opportunity offered ; except in the Pres
bytery of Edinburgh; and even there the magistrates always allowed hkn -a>
•aureh to preach in, every lime he came:"

140 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
jacent. Being unsupported by the established clergy, and
having put themselves under the care of the Synod of New
York, the Methodists were greatly discouraged by men in
power. However Providence interposed in their behalf, for the
Rev. Samuel Davies, afterwards president of the college at New
Jersey, was licensed, and placed over a congregation ; after
which the power of religion increased, and one congregation
in a short time, was increased to seven.
Thus had these good people the pleasing prospect of enjoy
ing equal privileges with Protestant dissenters at home. Au
gust 6, he set out from Edinburgh for London, in order to em
bark for America. He had thrown up much blood in Edin
burgh ; but traveling recovered hirn. He was much refreshed
with hearing of the happy effects of his labors at Kendal, the
year before. Having taken an affectionate farewell of his friends
at home, he set sail in the Antelope, Captain M'Lellan, bound
for Georgia, with Germans, taking several children with him.
October 27, he arrived at Savannah, and had the consola
tion to find the Orphan-bouse in a flourishing state. :' Thanks
be to God," says he, " all is well at Bethesda. A most excel
lent tract of land is granted to me, very near the house, which
in a few years, I hope, will make a sufficient provision for it."
November, 1751, to the beginning of April, 1752, he was part
ly at Bethesda and partly in South Carolina, always alert in
the path of duty. "I intended," says he, " by Gods assistance,
now to begin ; for as yet, alas ! I have done nothing. O that I
may be in earnest ; it is a new year ; God quicken my tardy pace,
and help me to do much work in a little time ! This is my high
est ambition."
Having suffered from the climate formerly, he did not choose
to spend the summer in America. But again embarked in
April for London. He arrived in a very seasonable time, as it
was the intention of government to put the infant colony on
the same footing with the others, whereby it was hoped it
would soon become a flourishing province. This revived his
spirits much. He now thought that Providence was appear
ing for Georgia and Bethesda ; and determined, therefore, to
dispose of his plantation, and to carry all his strength to the
Orphan-house. In June he planned a new excursion. " Next week," says ho,
" God willing, I will go to Portsmouth, and through Bath to
Wales, and may be to Scotland and Ireland." And we find
his letters about this time, dated at Portsmouth, Bristol, Cardiff,
and Haverfordwest. In returning to Bristol, he met an associ
ation, at which were present, about nine clergymen, and nearly
forty lay preachers; "who," says he, "Intrust are all bora

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 141
6f God, and desirous to promote his glory, and his people's
good. All was harmony and lOve."
August 17. His letter of this date, from London, to his friend
Dr. T  , the celebrated electrical philosopher, deserves a
particular notice here. " I find you grow more and more fa
mous, in the learned world. As you have made a pretty con
siderable progress in the mysteries of electricity, I would now
humbly recommend to your diligent and unprejudiced pursuit
and study, the mystery of the new birth. It is a most im
portant, interesting study ; and when mastered, will richly
answer and repay you for all your pains. One at whose bar we
are shortly to appear, hath solemnly declared, that without it
we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You will excuse this
freedom. I must have aliquid Christi in all my letters."
From London he next proceeded to Edinburgh, where he ar
rived in the beginning of September, 1752. He preached twice,
in his way ; at Lutterworth, the parish of the famous John
Wickliffe, and at Leicester ; and at each place, much good was
done. At. Newcastle he was entreated to stay, and preached four
times to very large congregations.
At Edinburgh and Glasgow, he labored as usual. From
the latter he writes : — " At Edinburgh, great multitudes, among
whom were an abundance of the better sort, attended twice a
day. Many young ministers and students have given close at
tention, and I hear of several persons that have been brought
under deep convictions. I intended to send you a copy of two
letters from a highland school master, who is honored of God
to do much good among the poor highland children. I have'
brave news from- Leicester and Newcastle, and have strong in
vitations to Yorkshire and Lancashire. What a pity it is"fhai
the year goes round so soon."*
On his return to London, he preached at Berwick, and alf
the principal towns. November 1, from Sheffield he writes :
" Since I left Newcastle, I have scarce known sometimes,-
whether I was in heaven, or on earth. At Leeds, Barstall, Ha-
vvorth, and Halifax,-thousand3 andf housands have flocked twice
n. day to hear the word of life. I am now come' frohr Bolton.,
Manchester, Stockport, and Chinly. Yesterday I preached in
* In 1753, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, upon a division
of the house, by a few votes, deposed Mr. Gillespie ; which afterwards gave
occasion to the society called the Presbytery of Relief. Whitefield, being in
formed of the circumstances of that affair, writes thus — " I wish Mr. Gillespie
joy. The Pope, I find, has turned Presbyterian. The Lord reigns, that is
enough for us." And again — " Now will Mr. Gillespie do more good in a
week, than before in a.year. H®w blind is Satan ! what does he get by cast
ing out Christ's servants 1 I expect that some great good will coine out oi-
these confusions."

142 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
a church. Four ordained ministers; friends to the work of
God, have been with me. The word has run so swiftly at:
Leeds, that friends are come to fetch me back ; and I am now
going to Rotherdam, Wakefield, Leeds, York, and Epworth.
God favors us with weather ; and I would fain make hay whilst
the sun shines. O that I had as many tongues, as there are
hairs upon my head ! The ever loving, ever lovely Jesus should
have them alL Fain would I die preaching ."
November 10, he arrived at the Tabernacle, in London. De
cember 15, he says; " my hands are full of work ; and I trust
I can say, the Lord causes his work to prosper in my unworthy
hands. More blessed seasons were never enjoyed. Our
sacramental occasions have been exceedingly awful and re
freshing." He now thought of erecting a new Tabernacle, a capacious
building, eighty feet square ; which was finished the summef
following. Mr. Hervey and he, about this time, were employed
in revising each other's works. Of Mr. Hervey's he says —
" for me to play the critic on them, would be like holding up a
candle to the sun. However, I will just mark a few places, as
you desire. I foretell their fate ; nothing but your scenery can
screen you. Self will never bear to die> though slain in so gen
teel a manner, without showing some resentment against its art
ful murderer."
Again, " I thank you a thousand times for the trouble you
have been at revising my poor compositions, which I am afraid
you have not treated with a becoming severity. How many
pardons shall I ask for mangling, and I fear murdering your
theron and aspasio; If you think my two sermons will do
for the public, pray return them immediately. I have nothing
to comfort me but this, that the Lord chooses the weak things
of this world, to confound the strong, and things that are not,
to bring to nought things that are. I write for the poor— yoii
for the polite and noble.- God will assuredly own and bless
what you write."
About this time he was very much afflicted, on account of
the death of the Rev. Mr. Stewajd, a valuable minister, who
began to be popular in the church, but was soon called to his
everlasting rest. " When I met the workmen to contract about
the building, I could scarce bear to think of building a Taber
nacle,. Strange ! that so many should be so soon discharged,
and we continued. Mr. Steward spoke for his Lord, as long as
he could speak at all. He had no clouds nor darkness. I was
with him till a few minutes before he slept in Jesus."
March 1, 1753, he laid the foundation of the new Taberna
cle, and preached from Exodus xx. 24. While the building was

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 143
,erecting he preached abroad, in Maorfields, and Spitalfields,
and made excursions to Chatham, Sheerness, and Braintree.
In April, he went, for a few days, to Norwich,* preaching
twice a day ; the people flocked with the greatest earnestness,
Jo hear. In the evening some riotous persons endeavored to
disturb him, but in Arain. It was about this time that he pub
lished his expostulatory letter to Count Zinzendorf, the bishop
of the Moravians, in London.
In May, he took another circuit westward ; and every where
a gracious melting season appeared to be among the people.
In about a fortnight, he rode three hundred and fifty
miles, and preached above twenty times. .
His new Tabernacle was opened on Sunday, June 10, 1753,
with a sermon in the morning, from 1 Chronicles xxix. 9.
• A young man of the city of Norwich, of about eighteen years of age, was
walking one morning, with a party of other young men, who had all agreed
Jo make that day a holiday. The first object that attracted their attention
was an old woman, who pretended to tell fortunes. They immediately em
ployed her to tell theirs, and that they might fully qualify her for their under
taking, first made her thoroughly intoxicated with spirituous liquor. The
young man of whom mention was first made, was informed, among other
things, that he would live to a very old age, and see his children, grand chil?
dren, and great grand children, growing up around him. Though he had
assisted in qualifying the old woman for the fraud, by intoxicating her, yet he
had credulity enough to be struck with these parts of her predictions which
related to himself. "And so," quoth he, when alone, "I am to see children,
grand children, and great grand children ! At that age I must be a burden to
the young people. What shall I do 1 There is no way for an old man to renr
der himself more agreeable to youth, than by sitting and telling them pleas
ant and profitable stories. I will then, thought he, during my youth, endea
vor to store my mind with all kinds of knowledge. I will see and hear, and
note down every thing that is rare and wonderful, that I may sit, when inca
pable of other employment, and entertain my descendants. Thus shall my
company be rendered pleasant, and I shall be respected rather than neglected.
in old age. Let me see what I can acquire first"? Oh ! here is the famous
Methodist preacher, Whitefield ; he is to preach, they say, to-night. I will go
and hear him."
From these strange motives the young man declared he went to hear White-
field. He preached that evening from Matthew iii. 7. " But when ho saw
many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto then;,
0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ?"
" Mr. Whitefield," said the young mar., " described the sadducean character;
this did not touch me. I thought myself as good a christian as any man in
England. From this he went to that of the pharisees. He described their
exterior decency, but observed that the poison of the viper rankled in their
hearts. . This rather shook me. At length, in the course of his sermon, he
abruptly broke off; paused for a few moments ; then burst into a flood of tears ;
lifted up his hands and eyes, and exclaimed, ' O my hearers ! The wrath's to
come! the wrath's lo come!' These word's sunk into my heart, like lead in
the waters. I wept, and when the sermon was ended, retired alone. For
days and weeks I could think of little else. Those awful words would fol
low me, wherever I went, ' The wrath's to come! the wrath's to come!'" The
issue was, that the young man, soon after made a public profession of religion,
and in a little time became a considerable preacher. He himself related the
foregoing circumstances a few years since, to the Rev. Andrew Fuller, of
Kettering.

144 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD."

CHAPTER XVI.
Ffyom his opening the new Tabernacle in Moo? -fields, to his, preaching
at the chapel in TpUerif-qm court road, 1756.,
•WnrTEFiELD, having preached at his Tabernacle a few day?
with his accustomed earnestness and success, fo crowded audi
tories, in the end pf June, set out for Scotland.
In his progress, he enjoyed very pleasant opportunities at
jOulney. He preached likewise at Leicester, Nottingham, and
.Sheffield. Multitudes every where were flocking like doves to
to their windows, to receive the word of eternal life.
In his way to Leeds, he preached at Rotherham* and
* Rotherham, and its environs, had, for a considerable time, been ranked by
.serious people, among those parts of Yorkshire, which were least inclined to
favor the spread of evangelical religion ; and when Whitefield attempted tp
disseminate divine knowledge in that neighborhood, his person and message
was treated with contempt. The propagation of malicious falsehoods was
encouraged, with a design to counteract the good effects of his ministry. Mr.
Thrope, afterwards pastor of the Independent chureh at Masborough. near
Rotherham, ranged under the standard of his most virulent opposers ; and
not content with personal insult, added private ridicule to public interruption.
Public houses became theatres, where the fate of religious opinions was to ba
determined. It was at one of these convivial resorts, that Mr. Thrope and three of his
associates, to enliven the company, undertook to mimic the preacher. The
proposition was highly gratifying to all parties present, and a wager agreed
upon, to inspire each individual with a desire of excelling in this impious at
tempt. That their jovial auditors might adjudge the prize to the most adroit
performer, it was concluded that each should open the Bible, and hold forth
from the first text that should present itself to his eye. Accordingly three in
their turn mounted the table, and entertained their wicked companions, at tha
expense of every thing sacred. When they had exhausted their little stock
of buffoonery, it devolved on Mr. Thrope lo close this very irreverent scene.
Much elated, and confident of success, he exclaimed as he ascended the table,
" I shall beat you all !" But O ! the stupendous depths of divine mercy ! who
would have conceived that a gracious Providence should have presided over
such an assembly, and that this should be the time of heavenly love to one of
the most outrageous mockers !
Mr. Thrope, when the Bible was handed to him, had not the slightest pre-
eonception, what part of the scripture he should make the subject of his ban
ter. However, by the guidance of. an unerring Providence, it opened at that
remarkable passage, Luke xiii. 3. " Except ye repent ye shall all likewise
perish." No sooner had he uttered the words, than his mind was affected in
a very extraordinary manner. The sharpest pangs of conviction now seized
him, and conscience denounced tremendous vengeance upon his soul. In a
moment he was favored with a clear view of his subject, and divided his dis
course more like a divine, who had been accustomed lo speak on portions of
scripture, than like one who never so much as thought on religious topics,
except for the purpose of ridicule ! He found ho deficiency of matter, no
want of utterance, and he has frequently declared, " If ever I preached in my
life by the assistance of the Spirit of God, -it was at that time.- ' The impres
sion that the subject made upon his mind had'such an effecfupon his manner,
that the most ignorant and profane could not -but perceive that what he had
spoken was with the greatest sincerity. '
The unexpected solemnity and pertinency of his address, instead of enter-

A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE TABERVACLE.

P 114.

MEMOIRS 0F WH1TBFIELB. 145
Wakefield ; at the former place, he had met with such disturb
ance from the mob, that he almost resolved to preach there no
more. But he was now convinced of the rashness of such a
step ; for some who had been bitter persecutors, now gladly
received him within their doors : acknowledging that God had
made him instrumental in their conversion.
At Leeds he had great success ; at York he was twice dis
turbed, and twice he preached in peace, and with much power.
At Newcastle and Sunderland, great multitudes were deeply
impressed. At five in the morning the great room was filled,
and on the Lord's day the congregation without was immense.
In short, so promising was the appearance, that he was inclined
to wish he had not engaged to go to Scotland, and resolved to
return as soon as possible.
Having spent a few days at Edinburgh and Glasgow, in his
accustomed manner, with much acceptance, he returned to
England, the 7th day of August.* He found his continual ex-
taining the company, first spread a visible depression, and afterwards a sullen
gloom, upon every countenance. This sudden change in the complexion of
his associates did not a little conduce to increase the convictions of his own
bosom. No individual appeared disposed to interrupt him ; but, on the con
trary, their attention was deeply engaged with the pointedness of his remarks ;
yea, many of his sentences, as he has often related, made, to his apprehen
sion, his own hair stand erect !
When he had left tie table not a syllable was uttered concerning the wa
ger ; but a profound silence pervaded the company. Mr. Thrope immediate
ly withdrew, without taking the least notice of any person present ; and re
turned home, with very painful reflections, and the deepest distress imaginable.
Happily for him, this was his last bacchanalian revel ! His impressions were
manifestly genuine, and from that period, the connection between him and his
former companions was entirely dissolved. Then by a sovereign, and almost
unexampled act of divine grace, in a place where, and at a time when, it
was least expected, " the prey was taken from the mighty, and the lawful
captive delivered." Hell mourns sincere, as for an only son !
A captive lost — and heaven the prize has won !
The people whom he had before so frequently reviled, became how the ob
jects of his delight. He sought their company with avidity: and soon after, was
joined to the Methodist society. His habitual seriousness, and uniform mo
rality, soon endeared him to his new connections, and the specimens he gave
of his talents, in his occasional exercises in private, flattered their hopes, that
he would soon be called forth to public notice. In these expectations they
were not disappointed.; for he was quickly sent out by Mr. Wesley to " preach
the faith which he once labored to destroy."
About two years after he was stationed for a season at Rotherham. Here
his ideas became more enlarged in the doctrines of grace ; which procured his
dismission from the society. He was chosen pastor of the church at Masbo-
rough, where he exercised the ministerial function, thirteen years. On No
vember 8, .1776, about the forty-sixth year of his age, he gently resigned his
breath, without a struggle ; and doubtless want triumphantly to the perfect
worship and happiness of heaven !
* After he .had been in Glasgow, the following paragraph appeared in the
Newcastle Journal, August 11, 1753. " By a letter from Edinburgh, we are
informed, that on the 2d instant, Mr. Whitefield, the itinerant, being at GHas-
13

146 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
.ortions exceeding his strength. Yet he went forward, preaching
twice or thrice a day, and once five times, often wishing to bq
with his divine Master in glory.
On his return to England, he went from Newcastle to Stock
ton, Dsmotherly, York, and Leeds. He had a very refreshing
season while assisting to administer the sacrament at Hawortli,
to a great number of communicants ; and rode as far as Bos
ton, Manchester, and Stockport. The eagerness ofthe people
was wonderful : he preached in every town through which he
passed, and came to London the latter end of September, hav
ing traveled about twelye hundred miles, and preached one
HUNDRED and EIGHTY times.
His stay in London was but short, for in the month of
October he made a journey to Staffordshire. A scene of ex
tensive usefulness seemed to open to him during his stay at
Oulney ; at which place, and many adjacent parts, he preached
in one week. Also at Birmingham, and all around, the mul
titudes of hearers were very attentive. At a place not far from
Dudley, called Guarnell, he was told of a whole company that
were awakened by reading his sermons. He had the pleasure
of meeting with others who had been awakened years ago ;
and heard of a notorious persecutor and drunkard, who had
gow, and preaching to an audience, near the play-house lately built, inflamed
the mob so much against it, that they ran directly from before him, and pulled
it down to ground. Several of the rioters have been since taken up and com
mitted to gaol."
It would not have been worth while to transcribe this, were it not another
specimen of the unaccountable liberties taken by some of the opposers oi
Whitefield, in telling their stories concerning him. The fact was this. White-
field being informed that the players had lately come to Glasgow, and had met
with some encouragement, took occasion in his sermon to preach against
play-houses, and to represent their pernicious influence on religion and mo
rality, especially in a populous, commercial cily, and the seat of a university.
But there was no riot. It was the proprietor of the play-house, at that time
a slight temporary booth, supported by the old walls of the bishop's castle,
who ordered his workmen to take it down.
Mr. Whitefield, in a letter to the Countess of Huntingdon, dated August
13, 1753, says, " At Glasgow, the man who owned the play-house was made
so uneasy by the word preached, that he took down the roof himself. Forthis
Satan owes me a grudge, and therefore it is put in the paper, that a mob was
raised. But there was not the least appearance of any such thing. Our
weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of Sa
tan's strong holds."
In another letter, dated August 23, 1753, lo the right honorable Lady Fran
ces Shirley, he says, " I have been of late, generally enabled to preach thriee
a day, and in all appearance the word never was attended with more success.
Satan rages and belies me, about the taking down the Glasgow play-houses ;
but I hope my letter, lately published in the Newcastle Journal, will set all
things right. Thanks be to God, without the assistance of mobs and riots,
which my soul abhors, the christian's weapons, through Divine assistance,
are mighty to the pulling down of Satan's strong holds. Blessed be his holy
name for any begun conquests there ; surely his name is wonderful that hath
done it."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 147
been powerfully convinced. It was, as he expresses it, his de
light to break up new ground ; and he sometimes found, to
his comfort, that his way was prepared by the divine blessing
on his writings, particularly at Alpenham, in Cheshire, and at
Liverpool ; where a person who had received benefit by read
ing his sermons, met him at the landing, and took him to his
house. Here all was quiet, as well as at Chester, where he
preached four times, having several of the established clergy
in his congregations. But at Wrexham and Nantwich, where
a meeting house had lately been pulled down, he was assaulted
by the mob, and compelled to remove with his congregation to
a place a little out of town.
Thus he continued traveling about, now and then returning
to spend a few days in London. November IG, he thus writes
from Gloucester : "After Lord's-day, I am bound from Bristol
and Plymouth, and hope to get into my winter quarters, some
time before Christmas. Glad should I be to travel for Jesus
all the year round ; it is more to me than my necessary food."
On Sunday, November 25, he opened the new Tabernacle
at Bristol, which he says, "was very large, but not half large
enough ; for if the place could contain them, nearly as many
would attend as in London:" He also preached twice in his
brother's great house, to the people of quality.
Though it was now so late in the year, he went to Somer
setshire, anrl preached several times, in the open air. In the
evening, " my hands and body," says he, " were pierced with
cold ; but what are outward things, when the soul is warmed
by the love of God ! The stars shone exceeding bright ; and,
by an eye of faith, I saw Him who calleth them all by their
names. My soul was filled with holy ambition, and I longed
to be one of those, who shall shine as the stars for ever and
ever.'1 John Wesley, yet his personal friend, had at this time, by
his diligence and zeal, brought his life into great danger. Not
withstanding their theological differences, Whitefield still re
tained the warm personal affection for him, which is implied in
the following extract from one of his letters. He thus writes :
" Bristol, December 3, 1753. I am now hastening to London,
to pay my last respects to my dying friend. The physician
thinks his disease is galloping consumption. I pity the church
— I pity myself — but not him. Poor Mr. Charles will now
have double work : but we can do all things through Christ
strengthening us." His letters to both the brothers on this
occasion, are very affectionate and sympathizing. In his let
ter to Charles Wesley, December 3, 1753, he says, " I can
not help sending after you a few sympathizing lines. The

14S MEMOIRS OF WHlTEFfELDv
Lord help and support you ! May a double spirit of the as
cending Elijah, descend and rest on the surviving Elisha !
Now is the time to prove the strength of Jesus yours. A wife,
a friend, and brother ill together. Well ! this is our comfort,
all things shall work together for good to those that love God.
Glad should I be to reach heaven first : but faith and patience
hold out a little longer. Yet a little white, and we shall be all
together with our common Lord. I commend you to his ever
lasting love, and am, my dear friend, with much sympathy,.
yours, (fee." To John Wesley he writes thus : — "'If seeing you
so weak when leaving London, distressed me, the news and
prospect of your approaching dissolution hath quite weighed me
down. I pity myself and the church, but not you. A radiant
throne awaits you, and ere long you will enter into your Mas
ter's joy. Yonder he stands with a massy crown, ready to put
it on your head, amidst an admiring throng of saints and an
gels. But I, poor Irthat have been waiting for my dissolution
these nineteen years, must be left behind to grovel here below.
Well, this is my comfort, it cannot be long ere the chariots will
be sent even for worthless me. If prayers can detain them,
even you, reverend and very dear sir, shall not leave us yet :
but if the decree is gone forth, that you must now fall asleep
in Jesus, may he kiss your soul away, and give you to die in
the embraces of triumphant love. If in the land ofthe living,
I hope to pay my last respects to you next week. If not, reve
rend: and dear sir, farewell. My heart is too big. tears trickle
down too fast, and I fear you are to weak for rne to enlarge.
May underneath you be Christ's everlasting arms ! I commend
you to his never failing mercy, and am, very dear sir, your
most affectionate, sympathizing, and afflicted younger brother
in the gospel of our common Lord." Shortly after this he
went to London, aud soon had the pleasure of seeing Wesley
recover. December 26, he received a visit from Messrs. Tennent and
Da vies, from. America, who came to England to raise contribu
tions for the college of New Jersey. And being commissioned
to apply for a general collection in Scotland, Whitefield gave
them recommendatory letters, and heartily endeavored to fur
ther then design.. He spent the winter of 1753 in London,
longing for a spring campaign,, as he expressed it, that he might
begin to do something for his divine Master.
March 7, 1754, having got about twenty poor chddren un
der his care, he embarked for America, but put in at Lisbon.
where he stayed frem the 20th of March, to the 13th of April
From Lisbon he writes : — "This leaves me an old inhabi
tant of Lisbon. We have now. been heje almost a week, and

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. ¦ 149
I suppose shall stay a fortnight longer. A reputable merchant
has received me into his house, and every day shows me the
ecclesiastical curiosities of the country. O my dear friend,
bless the Lord of all lords for causing your lot to be cast into
such a fair ground as England, and giving you such a goodly
heritage. • It is impossible to be sufficiently thankful for civil
and religious liberty, for simplicity of worship, and powerful
preaching of the word of God. O for simplicity of manners,
and a correspondent behavior ! The air agrees with my poor
constitution extremely well. Through divine assistance, I hope
what I see will also much improve my better part, and help to
qualify me better for preaching the everlasting gospel." Again.
" Never did civil and religious liberty appear to me in so amia
ble a light as now. What a spirit must Martin Luther, and
the first reformers have been endued with, that dared to appear
as they did for God ! Lord hasten that blessed time, when
others, excited by the same spirit, shall perform like wonders.
Oh happy England ! Oh happy Methodists, who are Methodists
indeed ! And all I account such, who being dead to sects and
parties, aim at nothing else but as holy a method of living too,
and dying in the blessed Jesus." Again. " This leaves me
pretty well satisfied, not to say surfeited, with the ecclesiastical
curiosities of Lisbon. This day fortnight we arrived ; and the
country being in want of rain, and it being Lent season, we
have been favored with frequent processions, and several ex
traordinary pieces of scenery. Alas ! to what lengths will
superstition run ! And how expensive is the pageantry of a
false religion ! What engaged my attention most, was the
number of crucifixes, and little images ofthe virgin Mary, and
of other real or reputed saints, which were placed almost in
every street, or fixed against the walls of the houses, almost at
every turning, with lamps hanging before them. To these,
I observed the people bow as they passed along ; and near
some of them stood several little companies, singing with great
earnestness. This seemed to me very odd, and gave me an
idea of what further ecclesiastical curiosities would probably
fall in my way, if I should be detained here any time. These
expectations were quickly raised ; for, not long after my arri
val at my lodgings, where I was received and entertained
with great gentility, hospitality, and friendliness, upon looking
out ofthe window, I saw a company of priests and friars bear
ing lighted wax tapers, and attended by various sorts of people,
some of whom had bags and baskets of victuals in their hands,
and others carried provisions upon their shoulders on -slicks
between two. After these, followed a mixed multitude, singing
with a very audible voice, and addressing the virgin Mary in
13*

150 MEMOIRS OF" WHITEFIELD.
their usual strain, ' Ora pro yobis.' In this manner they pro
ceeded to the prison, where all was deposited for the use ofthe
poor persons confined therein. But a far more pompous pro
cession of the like nature, as a by-stander informed me, passed
by a few days before. In this there were nearly three hundred
Franciscan friars, many of whom, besides porters hired for the
purpose, were loaded with a variety of food ; and those who
bore no burdens, carried either ladles or spoons in their hands.
Sights of this nature being quite a novelty to me, I was fond
of attending as many of them as I could. Two things con
curred to make them more frequent at this juncture — the season
of Lent, and excessive drought, which threatened the total
destruction of the fruits of the earth. For the averting so great
a judgment, and for the imploring the much longed for blessing
of rain, daily processions had been made from one convent or
another, for a considerable time. One of these I saw : it was
looked upon as a pretty grand one, being made up of the Car
melite friars, the parish priests, and a great number of what
they call the brothers of the order, who walked two by two in
divers habits, holding a long and very large lighted wax taper
in their hands. Amidst these was carried, upon eight or ten
men's shoulders, a tall image of the virgin Mary, in a kind of
man's attire ; for I think she had a very fine white wig on her
head, a dress she often appears in, and was much adorned with
jewels and glittering stones. At some distance from the lady,
under a large canopy of state, and supported likewise by six or
eight persons, came a priest, holding in his hand some noted
relic. After him, followed several thousands of people joining
with the friars in singing, lEande?i cantilenan, Ora pro nobis','
all the way. Still rain was denied, and still processions were
continued. At length the clouds began to gather, and the
mercury in the barometer fell very much. There was brought
out a wooden image, which they say never failed. It was the
figure of our blessed Lord, clothed with purple robes, and
crowned with thorns. I think they called him the lord of
the passion. Upon his shoulders he bore a large cross, under
the weight of which he was represented as stooping, till his
body bent almost double. He. was brought from Le Grass
Convent in very great pomp, and placed in a large cathedral
church. Being on board at that time, I lost this sight ; but the
subsequent evening I beheld the seigneur fixed on an emi
nence in a large cathedral church, near the altar, surrounded
with wax tapers of a prodigious size. He was attended by
many noblemen, and thousands of spectators of all ranks and
stations, who crowded from every quarter, and in their turns,
were admitted by the guards to come withinthe railsrand per-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 151
form their devotions. This they expressed by kneeling, and
kissing the seigneur's heel, by putting their left and right eye
to it, and then touching it with their beads, which a gentleman
in waiting received from them, and then returned again. This
scene was repeated for three days successively ; and during all
this time, the church and space before it, was so thronged with
carriages and people, that there was scarcely any passing. The
music on this oceasion was extremely soft, and the church was
illuminated in a very striking manner. The third day in the
forenoon it rained, and soon after the seigneur was conducted
home in a great splendor, and with much greater rejoicing,
than when he was brought forth. As my situation was very
commodious, I saw the whole ; and afterwards went and heard
part of the sermon, which was delivered before the seigneur,
in the church to which he belonged. The preacher was fuh
o«f action ; and in some part of his discourse, as one who
understood Portuguese informed me, pointing to the image,.
lie said, ' Now he is at rest. He went out in justice, but is re
turned in mercy.' And toward the conclusion he called upon
the people to join with him in an extempore prayer. This
they did with great fervency, which was expressed not only
by repeating it aloud, but by beating their breasts, and. clapping
their cheeks, and weeping heartily. To complete the solemnity,
immediately after the delivery ofthe blessing, all on a sudden,
from the place near which the image stood,, there was heard a
most soft and soothing symphony of music, whicli being ended,
the assembly broke up, and I returned to my lodgings ; not a
little affected, to see so many thousands led away from the sim
plicity of the gospel, by such a mixture of human artifice and
blind superstition, of which indeed I could have formed no
idea, had I not been an eye-witness. This concern was still
increased, by what I heard from some of my fellow passengers,
who informed me that about eleven, one night, after I came on
board, they not only heard a friar preaching most fervently be
fore the seigneur, but also saw several companies of penitents
brought in, lashing and whipping themselves severely. How
little is this unlike to those who cut themselves with knives and
lancets, and cried out from morning to night ' O Baal, hear us.'
Methinks I hear you say, And had I been present, I should have
wished for the spirit of an Elijah to';  Hush,. my friend, I:
am content to guess at the rest till we meet. In the meanwhile,.
let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that there is a season
approaching, when the- Lord. God of Elijah will himself come,.
and destroy this and every other species of antichrist, by the
breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his appearing, even by
the all conquering manifestations of his eternal spirit,.' Whether

152 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
as men, christians, or Protestants, we have not more and more
reason to pray night and day, for the hastening on of that glo
rious and long wished for period, you will be better able to
judge, when I send you, as I purpose to do, if I have time, a
further account of a Lent procession or two, of which I was
also a spectator.
The following account of the procession of St. Francis,
Mr. Whitefield gives, in a letter, dated April 3, 1754, to the
same friend. " My dear friend,
" Though some other business demands my attention, yet I
must not forget the promise made you of a further account of
the processions 1 saw at Lisbon. Some of those already men
tioned, were extraordinary, by reason of the great drought ;
but that which is to be the subject of my present letter, was an
annual one ; it being the custom at Lisbon to exhibit some pro
cession or another every Friday in Lent. An intelligent Pro
testant, who stood near me, was so good as to be my interpreter
of the dumb show as it passed along. I say dumb show : for
for you must know it was chiefly made up of waxen or wooden
images, carried on men's shoulders through the streets, intend
ing to represent the life and death of St. Francis, the founder
of one of their religious orders. They were brought out from
the Franciscan convent, and were preceded by three persons
in scarlet liabits, with baskets in their hands, in which they re
ceived the alms of the spectators, for the benefit of the poor
prisoners. After these, came two little boys in parti- colored
clothes, with wings fixed on their shoulders, in imitation of
little angels. Then appeared the figure of St. Francis, very gay
aud beau like, as he used to be before his conversion. In the next.
he was introduced under conviction, and consequently stripped
of his finery. Soon after this, was exhibited an image of our
blessed Lord himself, in a purple gown, with long, black hair,
with St. Francis lying before him, to receive his immediate or
ders. Then came the virgin mother, (horrcsco referens) with
Christ her son at her left hand, and St. Francis making obei
sance to both. Here, if I remember aright, he made his first
appearance in his frair's habit, with his hair cut short, but not
as yet shaved on the crown of his head. After a little space,
followed a mitred cardinal, gaudily attired, and before him lay
St. Francis, almost prostrate, in order to be confirmed in hia
office. Soon after this, he appears quite metamorphosed into a
monk, his crown shorn, his habit black, and his loins girt with
a knotted cord. Here he prays to our Savior, hanging on a
cross, that the marks of the wounds in his hands, feet and side,

MEMOIRS OF1 WHITEFlELK 153
might be impressed on the same parts of his body. The prayer
is granted ; blood comes from the hands, feet, and sides ; and the
saint, with great devotion,- receives the impressions. This was
represented by red waxen strings,- reaching from those parts of
the image, to the corresponding parts of St. Francis' body.
Upon this he begins to do wonders ; and therefore, in a little
while, he is carried along, as holding up a house, which was
just falling. This miracle, they say, was performed, if my in
formation be true, at Madrid, but the particulars of its history
I have forgotten. At length, the father died, and is brought
forth lying in his grave. But lo ! the briers and nettles under
which he lay, are turned into fine fragrant flowers. After this.
lie is borne along Upon a bier, covered with a silver pall, and
four friars lamenting over him. He then appears for the last
time, but with an increase of power ; for he was represented as-
drawing tormented people out of purgatory with his knotted
cord, which, as you may well imagine, the poor souls caught
at, and took hold of very eagerly. At length, came a gorgeous
friar, under a splendid canopy, bearing in his hand a piece of
the holy cross. After him followed two more little winged
boys, and then a long train of fat and well favored Franciscans,
with their Calceis Fcnestratis, as Erasmus calls them; and so
the procession ended. Methinks I hear you say, 'It is full
time ;' and so say I : for as the sijrht itself disgusted me, so 1
am persuaded the bare narration of it, though ever so short.,
cannot be very pleasant to' one who I know abhors every thing''
that savors of superstition and idolatry. We will, therefore, -
take our leave of St. Francis, whose procession was in the day
time : but I must tell you, it is only to inform you of another'
of a much more awful and shocking nature, which I saw after
wards in the night. About ten o'clock, being deeply engaged
in conversation with my kind host, iii came an Englishman,
and told me in all haste, that he had seen a train of nearly two-
hundred penitents passing along, and that in all probability \
might be gratified with the same sight, if I hastened to a place
whither he would conduct me. I very readily obeyed the sum
mons, and, as curiosity quickened my pace, we soon came up
with some of these poor creatures, who were then making a halt,
and kneeling in the street, while a friar from a high cross, with
an image of our Lord crucified in his hand, was preaching to
them and the populace with great vehemence. Sermon being
ended, the penitents went forward, and several companies fol
lowed after, with their respective preaching friars at their head,
bearing crucifixes. These they pointed to and brandished fre
quently, and the hearers as frequently beat their breasts, and
clapped their cheeks. At proper pauses they stopped and prayed,

154 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
and one of them, more zealous than the rest, before the king's pa
lace, sounded the word penitentia through a speaking trumpet.
The penitents, themselves, were clothed and covered all over
with white linen vestments, only holes were made for their eyes,
to peep out at. All were bare-footed, and all had long heavy
drains fastened to their ankles, which, when dragged along the
street, made a dismal rattling : but though alike in dress, }ret in
other respects there was great variety amongst them. For some
carried great stones on their backs, and others' dead men's bones
and skulls in their hands. Some bore large and 'seemingly very
heavy crosses upon their shoulders; while others had their arms
extended quite wide; or carried a bow full of swords, with the
points downwards. Most of them whipped and lashed them
selves, some with cords, and others with flat bits of iron. It
being a moonlight night, I could see them quite well ; and in
deed, some of them struck so hard, that I perceived their backs,
left bare on purpose to be lashed, were quite red, and swollen
very much by the violence and repetition of the blows. Had
my dear friend been thefe, he would have joined with me in
saying, that the whole scene was horrible ; so horrible, that,
being informed it was to be continued till morning, I was glad
to return from whence I came about midnight. Had you been
with me, I know you would have joined with foe in praising
and gratefully adoring the Lord of all lords, for the great worn
der of the reformation, and also for that glorious deliverance
wrought out for us a few years past, in defeating the unnatural
rebellion. O what a mighty spirit and power from on high
must Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, Zuinglius, and those glori
ous reformers, have been necessarily endued with, who dared
first openly to oppose and stem such a torrent of superstition
and spiritual tyranny ! and what gratitude owe we to those,
who, under God, were instrumental in saving us from the re
turn of such spiritual slavery, and such blind obedience to a
papal power ! To have had a papist for our king ; a papist,
if not born, yet from his infancy nursed up at Home ; a papist,
one of whose sons is advanced to the ecclesiastical dignity of a
cardinal, and both under the strongest obligations to support
the interest of that church, whose superstitions, as well as po
litical state principles, they have sucked in and imbibed even
from their infancy. But, blessed be God, the snare is broken,
and we are delivered. O for Protestant practises to be added to
Protestant principles ! O for an obediential acknowledgment to
the ever blessed God, for our repeated deliverances ! But alas !
Pardon me, my dear friend, I stop to weep. Adieu. I cannot en
large, but leaving you to guess from what source my tears flow,
I must hasten to subscribe myself, my dear friend, yours, &c."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 155
In another letter, dated April 9, 1754, he observes, " The
preachers here have also taught me something ; their action
is graceful. Vividi oculi, — vividce manus, — omnia vivida.
Surely our English preachers would do well, to be a little
more fervent in their address. They have truth on their side,
why should superstition and falsehood run away with all that
is pathetic and affecting?" In another letter he says, "Vast
are the outward preparations made here. Altars upon altars
are erecting. Penitents upon penitents are walking and lash
ing themselves : but what I want to have erected and adorned,
is an altar in my heart, and the blows and lashes I desire to
feci, are the crucifixion and mortification of the old man and
its deeds. Without this, all is mere parade." Again he says,
April 10, 175-1, " To-morrow is what they call Holy Thursday.
May I be as solicitous to have my heart illuminated by the
spirit of God, as the people here are to illuminate their church
es and altars. The pageantry is, indeed, incredible. Though
I have been detained longer than expectation, yet -I trust what
f have seen and heard, will do me service in the future part
of my life. O that I may bs like a busy bee, and suck some
honey even from superstitious flowers ! I do not wonder now,
whence the illuminations, dressings of altars, and those other
things which 1 have lately mentioned in a public manner on
another occasion, took their birth. It is ail an imitation of
what is daily practised abroad. May the Lord Jesus crush
the cockatrice in its egg, and prevent its growing any bigger!"
The following letter contains a long and lively description
ofthe superstitious and impious farces which he saw perform?
ed »n Holy Thursday, as they call it ; and concludes with
suitable reflections, and sympathetic expressions towards the
poor deluded people, the unhappy dupes of their crafty and
designing priests, who cruelly prevent them from examining
the word of God. "Lisbon, April 12, 1754.
" My dear friend,
" Providence still detains us at Lisbon, and therefore I know
you will be inquiring what more news from thence ? Truly,
as extraordinary as ever : for I have now seen the solemnities
of a Holy Thursday, which is a very high day in this me
tropolis, and particularly remarkable for the grand illumina
tions of the churches, and the king's washing twelve poor men's
feet. Through the interest of a friend, 1 got admittance into
the gallery were the ceremony was performed. It was large,
and hung with tapestry ; one piece of which represented the
humble Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Before this,

156 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
upon a small eminence, sat twelve men in black- At the upper
end, and in several other parts of the gallery, were side boards
of large gold and silver basins and ewers, most curiously
wrought ; and near these a large table covered with a variety
of dishes, all cold, Set off 9-nd garnished after the Portuguese
fashion. Public high mass being over, his majesty came in,
attended with his nobles, .who seemed to me to look like so
many Roman senators. The act of washing the feet, I djd
not get. in time enough to see ; but that being ..ended, several
of the young noblemen served up the dishes to the king's
brother and uncles.; these again handed them to his majesty,
who gave, I think, twelve of them in all, to each poor man. -
Every thing was carried on with a great deal of decency snd
good humor. The young noblemen served very cheerfully,
their seniors looked quite pleased, and the king and his roytil
relations behaved in a very polite, easy manner. Upon tlie
whole, though, as you may easily guess, it was not an exact
copy of the tapestry, yet as the poor men's clothes and food,
when sold, came to about ten moidores ; and as -there was a
little mixture of superstition in it, I cannot say but I was as
well pleased with my morning's entertainment as any thing I
had seen since my arrival. I believe the whole took up nearly
two hours. After dinner we went to see the churches ; but the
magnificence and sumptuousness of the furniture, cannot well
be expressed. Many of them were hung on the occasion with
purple damask trimmed with gold. In one of them there was
a solid silver altar of seA^eral yards circumference, and nearly
-twelve steps high : and in another a gold one, still more mag
nificent, of about the same dimensions. Its basis was studded
with many precious stones, and near the top were placed silver
images, in representation of angels. Each step was filled with
large silver candlesticks, with wax tapers in them, which going
up by a regular ascent, until they formed themselves into a
pyramid, made a most glittering and splendid blaze. The great
altars also of the other churches were illuminated most pro
fusely, and silver pots of artificial flowers, with large wax
tapers between each, were fixed all around several of them.
Between these, were large paintings in black and white, repre
senting the different parts of our Savior's passion. And, in
short, all was so magnificently, so superstitiously grand, that I
am persuaded several thousands of pounds woujd not defray
the expenses of this one day. Go which way you would,
nothing was to be seen but illuminations within, and hurry
without. For all persons, princes and crowned heads them
selves not excepted, are obliged on this day to visit seven church
es or altars, in imitation, as is supposed, of our Lord's being

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 157
hurried from one tribunal to another, before he was condemned
to be hung upon the cross. I saw the queen pass in great state
to visit three of >them. Velvet cushions were carried before
her majesty, and boards laid along the streets for herself and
retinue to walk upon. Guards attended before and behind,
and thousands of spectators stood on each side to gaze at them
as they passed along. Being desirous of seeing the manner of
their entrance, we got into the last church before they came.
Jt was that of St. Domingo, where was the gold altar before
mentioned, and at which her majesty and train knelt about a
quarter of an hour. All the while, the Dominican friars sung
most surprizingly sweet. But as I -stood near the altar, over
against the great door, I must confess my very inmost soul was
struck with a secret horror, when, upon looking up I saw, over
the front of the great window of the chureh, the heads of many
hundred Jews, painted on (canvas, who had been condemned
by what >they call the Holy Inquisition, and carried out from
that church to be burned. Strange way this, of compelling
people to come in ! Such was not thy method, O meek and com
passionate Lamb of God! thou earnest not to destroy men's
lives, but to save them. But bigotry is as cruel as the grave.
Jt knows no remorse. From all its bitter and dire effects, good
Lord deliver us ! But to return to the queen. Having perform
ed her devotions, she departed and went in a coach of state, I
believe, directly from the church to her palace, and without
doubt sufficiently fatigued •; for, besides walking through the
streets to the several churches, her majesty also, and the prin
cesses, had been engaged in waiting upon, and washing the
feet of twelve poor women, in as public a manner as the king.
In our walk home, we met his majesty with his brother and
two uncles, attended only by a few noblemen in black velvet,
and a few guards without halberts. I suppose he was return
ing from his last church, and as one may well imagine, equally
fatigued with his royal consort and daughters. When church
and state thus combine to be nursing fathers and nursing moth
ers to superstition, is it any wonder that its credit and influence
is so diffusive among the populace 1 O Britain ! Britain ! hadst
thou a zeal proportionable to thy knowledge, an inward purity
adequate to the simplicity of thy external worship, in what a
happy and godlike situation wouldst thou be ! Here I could
weep again,. Again I leave you to guess the cause ; and if I
can send you one more letter of a like nature, before we leave
this place, it is ail you must expect from, my dear friend, yours
most assuredly in our glorious iiead, Sec."
The following account of the representation of the crucifix
ion of the blessed Jesus, in one of the large churches, is curious.
n

158 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. " Lisbon, April 12, 1754.
" My dear friend,
" After the news already sent you, I thought our Lisbon cor?
fespondence would entirely have been put a stop to ; for upon
returning to my lodgings, as weary I believe, as others that had
been running from church to ehurch all day, word was sent to
me, that our ship would certainly sail the next morning. This
news, I own, was not altogether agreeable to me, because I
wanted to see the conclusion of the Lent solemnities. However,
I made ready,; and having despatched my private affairs over
night, was conducted very early in the 'morning, by my kind
host, down to Bellum-, where the ship lay. We parted. The
wind promised to be fair ; but dying away, I very eagerly went
ashore once more. But how was the scene changed ! Before,
all used to be noise and hurry ; now, all was hushed and shut
up in the most awful and profound silence. No clock or bell
had been heard since yesterday noon, and scarcely a person
was to be seen in the street all the way to Lisbon. About two
in the afternoon we got to the place, where, I heard some days
ago, an extraordinary scene was to be exhibited. Can you
guess what it was? Perhaps not. Why then I will tell you.
It was the crucifixion of the Son of God, represented partly
by dumb images, and partly by living persons, in a large church
belonging to the convent of St. De Beato. Several thousands
crowded into it ; some of whom, as I was told, had been wait
ing there from, six in the morning. Through the kind inter
position and assistance of a protestant or two, I was not only
admitted into the church, but was very commodiously situated
to view the whole performance. We had not waited long be
fore the' curtain was drawn up. Immediately, upon a high
scaffold hung in the front with black baize, and behind with silk
purple damask, laced with gold, was exhibited to our view an
image of the Lord Jesus at full length, crowned with thorns,
and nailed on a cross between two figures of like dimensions,
representing the two thieves. At a little distance on the right
hand, was placed an image of the virgin Mary, in plain long
mines, and a kind of widow weeds. Her veil was purple silk,
and she had a wire glory round her head. At the foot of the
cross lay, in a mournful posture, a living man, dressed in wo
man's clothes, who personated Mary Magdalen ; and not fai
off stood a young man, in imitation of the beloved disciple.
He was dressed in a loose green silk vesture, and bob wig.
His -eyes were fixed on the cross, and his hands a little extend
ed. On each side, near the front of the stage, stood two senti
nels in buff, with formidable caps and long beards ; and directly
in fhe front stood another *yet more formidable, with a large

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 159
target iri his hand. We may suppose him to be the Roman cen
turion. To complete the scene, from behind the purple hangings
came out about twenty little purple vested winged boys, two by
two, each bearing a lighted wax taper in his hand, and a crim
son and gold cap on his head. At their entrance upon the stage,
they gently bowed their heads to the spectators, then kneeled
and made obeisance, first to the image • on the cross, and then
to that of the virgin Mary. When risen, they bowed to each
other, and then took their respective places over against one
another, on steps assigned for them at t!;e front of the stage i
Opposite to this, at a few yards distance, stood a black friar in
a pulpit hung in mourning. For a while he paused, and then;
breaking silence, gradually lifted up his voice until it was ex
tended to a pretty high pitch, though I think scarcely high
enough for so large an auditory. After he had" proceeded in
his discourse about a quarter of an hour, a confused noise was
heard near the front great door; upon turning my head, I saw
four long bearded men; two of whom carried a ladder on their
shoulders, and after them followed two more with large gilt
dishes in their hands, full of linen, spices, &c. These, as I
imagined, were the representatives of Nicodemus and Joseph
of Arimathea. On a signal given from the pulpit, they ad
vanced towards the steps of the scaffold. But upon their first
attempting to mount it, at the watchful centurion's nod, the
observant soldiers made a pass at them; and presented the
points of their javelins directly to their breasts. They are re
pulsed. Upon this a letter from Pilate is produced. The cen
turion reads it, shakes his head; and with looks that bespoke a
forced compliance, beckons to the sentinels to withdraw thei '
arms. Leave being thus obtained, they ascend ; and having
paid their homage, by kneeling first to the image on the cross,
and then to the virgin Mary, they retired to the back of the
stage. Still the preacher continued declaiming, or rather, as
was said, explaining the mournful scene. Magdalen persists
in wringing her hands, and variously expressing her personated
sorrow ; while John, seemingly regardless of all besides, stood
gazing on the crucified figure. By this time it was near three
o'clock, and therefore proper for the scene to begin to close.
The ladders are ascended, the superscription and crown of
thorns taken off, long white rollers put around the arms of the
image, and then the nails knocked out which fastened the
hands and feet. Here Mary Magdalen looks most languishing,
and John, if possible, stands more thunder-struck than before.
The orator lifts up his voice, and almost all the hearers express
ed concern by weeping, beating their breasts, and smiting their
cheeks. At length the body is gently let down. Magdalen

160 MEMOIRS oF whitefield:
eyes it, and, gradually rising, receives the feet into her wide0
spread handkerchief ; while John, who hitherto stood motion
less like a statue, as the body came nearer the ground, with an
eagerness that bespoke the intense affection of a sympathizing
friend, runs toward the cross, seizes the upper part of it into
his clasping arms, and, with his disguised fellow-mourner, helps
to bear it away. And here the play should end, were I not
afraid you would be angry with mer if I did not give you an
account of the last act, by telling yon what became of the
corpse after it was taken down. Great preparations were made
for its interment. It was wrapped in linen and spices, &c,
and being laid upon- a bier richly hung, was afterwards carried
round the church yard in grand procession. The image of
the virgin Mary was chief mourner, and John and Magdalen,
with a whole troop of friars, with wax tapers in their hands,
followed after. Determined to see the whole,- 1 waited its re
turn, and in about a quarter of an hour the corpse was brought
in, and deposited in an open sepulchre prepared for the pur
pose ; but not before a priest, accompanied by several of the
same order in splendid vestments, had perfumed it with incense,
sung to, and kneeled before it. John and Magdalen attended
the obsequies ;. but the image of the virgin Mary was carried'
away and placed upon the front of the stage, in order to be
kissed, adored, and worshipped by the people. This I saw them
d© with the utmost eagerness and reverence. And thus ended
this Good Friday's tragi-comical, superstitious, idolatrous farce.
A farce, which, while I saw, as well as now while I am describ
ing it,, excited in me a high indignation. Surely, thought I,
while attending on such a scene of mock devotion, if ever, now
is the Lord Jesus crucified afresh ; and I could then, and even
now, think of no other plea for the poor beguiled devotees, than
that which suffering innocence put up himself for his enemies,
when actually hanging upon the cross : ' Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do.' There was but one thing
wanting to raise one's resentment to the highest pitch, and that
was, for one of the soldiers to have pierced the side of the image
upon the cross. This in all probability you have heard has
actually been done in other places, and with a little more art,
might, I think, have been performed here. Doubtless it would
have afforded the preacher as good, if not a better opportunity
of working upon the passions of his auditory, than the taking
down the superscription and crown of thorns, and wiping the
head with a blooded cloth, and afterwards exposing it to the
view of the people ; all which I saw done before the body was
let down. But alas ! my dear friend, how mean is that elo
quence,, and how entirely destitute of the demonstration of the

PULPIT SCENE.

"At tha tabernacle a man cama up to him in tha Dulpit. p. 165."

memoirs of whitefield. 161
spirit, and of a divine power, must oratory necessarily be, that
stands in need of such a train of superstitious pageantry to
render it impressive ! Think you, my dear friend, that the
apostle Paul used or needed any such artifices to excite the
passions of the people of Galatia, amongst whom, as he himself
informs us, 'Jesus Christ was crucified, and evidently set
forth V But thus it is, and thus it will be, when simplicity and
spirituality are banished from our religious offices, and artifice
and idolatry seated in their room. I am well aware that the
Romanists deny the charge of idolatry ; but after having seen
what I have seen this day, as well as at sundry other times
since my arrival here, I cannot help thinking that a person
must be capable of making more than metaphysical distinctions,
and deal in very abstract ideas indeed, fairly to evade the charge.
If weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, I am positive the
scale must turn on the Protestant side. But such a balance
these poor people are not permitted to make use of ! Doth not
your heart bleed for them ? Mine doth I am sure, and I believe
would do so more and more, were I to stay longer, and see
what they call their hallelujah, and grand devotions on Easter
day. But that scene is denied me. The wind is fair, and I
must away. Follow me with your prayers, and believe me to
be, my dear friend, yours, &c."
Leaving Lisbon, after a passage of six weeks, he arrived, May
27, at Beaufort, in South Carolina, with his orphans, all in
health. Having settled them in his family in Georgia, which
now consisted of upwards of one hundred, and spent some time
in Carolina, he made an excursion to the northward.
" At Charleston," says he, " and other parts of Carolina, my
poor labors have met with the usual acceptance ; and I have
reason to hope a clergyman has been brought under very se
rious impressions. My health is wonderfully preserved. My
wonted vomitings have left me ; and though I ride whole
nights, and have been frequently exposed to great thunders,
violent lightnings, and heavy rains, yet I am rather better than
usual, and as far as I can judge, am not yet to die. O that I
may at length learn to begin to live ! I am ashamed of my sloth
and lukewarmness, and long to be on the stretch for God !"
He arrived at New York, by water, July 27, and preached
backwards and forwards, from New York to Philadelphia, and
Whitely Creek, till the middle of September. " Every where,"
he observes, " a divine power accompanied the word, prejudices
were removed, and a more effectual door opened than ever for
preaching the gospel."
In the latter end pf September, he enjoyed the pleasure of
meeting his venerable old friend. Governor Belcher, at Eliza-

162 MEMOrRS OF whitefteld-.
bethtown, New Jersey.* And it being the New Jersey com-
mencement/the president and trustees presented Mr. Whitefield
with the degree of A. M. The meeting of the Synod succeeded,
before whom he preached several times. He had much satis
faction in their company. " To-morrow," says he, " October
1, God willing, I shall set out with the worthy president, Mr.
Burr, for New England, and expeet to return back to the Or
phan-house, through Virginia. This will be about a two
thousand miles circuit; but the Redeemer's strength will be
more than sufficient." He likewise wished, had it been prac
ticable, to stop some time at the West Indies, before he return
ed to England.
October 9, he arrived at Boston, accompanied by President
Burr, where he remained a week, preaehing with great suc
cess. "In Rhode Island and Boston," he says, "souls fly to the
gespel, like doves to their windows. Opposition seems to fall
daily." To his great joy, while at Boston, he heard the wel
come news, that a governor was at last appointed for Georgia, to
whom his friend, Mr. Habersham, was made secretary. To
* When Whitefield was in this country,, the Rev. William Tennent paid
him- a visit; and dined, together with him and other ministers, at a gentle-
man'shouse. After diDner, Mr. Whitefield adverted to the difficulties attend
ing the gospel ministry; lamented that all their zeal availed but little; said
that he was weary with the burdens of the day ; declared his great consola
tion, was, that in a short time his work would be done, when he should depart
and be with Christ ; he then appealed to the ministers, if it was not their great
comfort that they should soon go to rest. They generally assented, except Mr.
Tennent who sat next to Whitefield in silence; and by his countenance
discovered but little pleasure in the conversation. Whitefield tapping him
on the knee, said, " Well ! brother Tennent, you are the oldest man amongst
us, do you not rejoice to think that your time is so near at hand, when you
will be called home 1" Mr. T. bluntly answered, " I have no wish about it."
Whitefield pressed him again ; and Mr. T. again answered, " No, sir, it is no
pleasure to me at all ; and if you knew your duty, it would be none to you.
I have nothing to do with death ; my business is to live as long as I can, as
well as I can, and to serve my master as faithfully- as I can, until he shall
think proper to call me home." Whitefield still urged for an explicit answer
to his question, in case the time of death were left to his own choice. Mr. T.
replied', " I have no choice about it : I am God's servant, and have engaged
to do his business as long as he pleases to continue me therein. But now,
brother, let me ask you a question. What do you think I would say, if I was
to send my man Tom into the field to plough; and if at noon I should go to
the fieM; and find him lounging under a1 tree, and complaining,. ' Master, the
sun is very hot, and the ploughing very hard; I am weary of ' the work you
hare appointed me, and am overdone with the heat and burden of the day :
do master, let me- return home, and be discharged from this hard service V
What would :V say t Why, that he was a- lazy fellow ; that it was his busi-
mess to do the work- I had appointed him, until T should: think fit to call- him
home." The pleasant manner in which- this reproof was administered, rather
increased the social harmony of the company ; who became satisfied that it
was very possible to err, even in desiring with undue earnestness " to depart
aad be with Christ, which is- far better" than to' remain in this imperfect
state; and that it is the duty of the christian in this respect to say, "all the'
days of my appointed time will I wait till my chance con»e."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. IfJS
him he writes,. " may the King of kings enable you to dis
charge your trust, as becomes a good patriot, subject, and
christian !"
He now traveled north as far as Portsmouth, New Hamp
shire, always preaching two or three times a day. At Boston
he met with a far more agreeable reception than formerly ;
and his ministry, in general,, seemed to be attended with as-
great a blessing as ever.
November 7, at four o'clock in the morning, he took an af
fectionate leave of his friends in Boston, proceeded to Rhode
Island, and went onward through Maryland and Virginia 7
with a prospect so pleasing, that he lamented he had not come
sooner. The whole country seemed eager to hear the gospel,
many coming forty or fifty miles, and a spirit of conviction
and consolation appeared in every congregation. Prejudices
seemed to have fled — churches were opened to him — high and
low, rich and poor, now seemed to think favorably of his mi
nistrations ; and many acknowledged what God had done for
their souls, through his preaching, when he was there before.
In February, 1755, he went back to Charleston, and then to
Savannah, preaching as usual ; till in the latter end of March-
he embarked for England, and arrived safe, on the 8th of May,
at New Haven, in Sussex.
The chief thing which he took notice of, on his landing once
more in his native country, was the wonderful success of the
gospel. " Glory be to the great head of the church ! the word
hath still free course. The poor despised Methodists are as
lively as ever ; and in several churches the gospel is now
preached with power. Many in Oxford are awakened to the
knowledge of the truth ; and' I have heard almost every week
of some fresh minister, or another, that seems determined to-
know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified."* This
consideration re-animated him. He seemed to preach with
increasing energy and success in London, Bristol, Bath, and
in Gloucestershire, till the month of August. He then went to
open the Tabernacle at Norwich. "At this last place," he
says, " notwithstanding offenses have come, there has been a
glorious work begun, and is now carrying on, (August 30r
1755.) The polite and great seem to' hear with much atten
tion ; and I scarce ever preached; a week together with greater
freedom." Soon after this,, he set out on his northern circuit ; and the
Lord wonderfully blessed his labors all the way, especially at
Northampton, Liverpool, Bolfouf, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford,
» In the MS. he pots down the names: of Jones, Romaine, and Madan, oi
« horn it appears he instead©* to have written more particularly.

164

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.

York, &c.* He proposed to go to Ireland : but after spending
a few days at Newcastle, he found it was too late to go there,
or even to Scotland ; he therefore returned to London, having
preached two or three times a day for two months, to many
thousands. "Next to Jesus," says he, " my king and country,
were upon my heart. I hope I shall always think it my bounden
duty, next to inviting sinners to the blessed Jesus, to exhort
my hearers to exert themselves against the first approaches of
popish tyranny, and arbitrary power. t O that Ave may be
enabled to watch and pray, against all the opposition of anti
christ in our hearts ! for after all, there lies the most dangerous
man of sin."
In November he caught cold, and preached in much pain,
having a sore throat : this obliged him to be silent a few days ;
as it was feared, it would end in an inflammatory quinsy. But
as soon as the danger was over, he could not be restrained from
his master's work.f
Application being now made to him, by many persons, to
preach twice a week at Long Acre chapel, near the theaters,
upon being assured that the place was licensed, he preached
his first sermon there, December 23, 1 755 ; but not without
great opposition. He received a prohibition from the bishop
of B  . A number of soldiers, drummers, and many other
malicious persons were employed to make a noise in an adjoin
ing house, or yard, belonging to a Mr. C  : these raised
a dreadful uproar, and that as often as Mr. Whitefield preached.
They were hired by subscription, and supplied with drums.
bells, <fcc, thus keeping up a continual din, from the beginning
to the end of his sermon. Thus mobs were excited to riot at
the doors of the chapel, insulting and abusing both. preacher
and hearers, as soon as service was over. They repeatedly
broke the windows with large stones, by which several of
the congregation were severely wounded. In consequence of
these unwarrantable proceedings, Whitefield wrote several
spirited letters to the bishop of B  ; in one of them he
thanks his lordship for his candor, favorable opinion, and
good wishes, the bishop having answered his first letter ; but
yet, in a manly style, and with a just sense of British liberty,
defended his own conduct, and powerfully remonstrated against
* " At York, I hope a fine gentleman was touched ; and several, I find, were
awakened these, and at Newcastle, at my last visit."
t This refers to the encroachments made by the French upon the British
eolonies in America ; and their threatening Great Britain with an invasion;
which occasioned a declaration of war against France next year.
t " One physician prescribed a perpetual blister ; but I have found perpctmal
preaching to be a better remedy. When this great catholicon fails, it is over
with me."

A PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF TOTTENHAM COURT CHAPEL. p. 1GT

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 165

the riotous proceedings of his enemies. " Last Tuesday night,"
Says he, " all was hushed, and in order to throw off all popular
odium, I gave it as my opinion, that it was owing to your
lordship's kind interposition. One Mr. C  , and one Mr.
M  , I am informed are greatly concerned. I know them
not ; and I pray the Lord of all lords, never to lay this ill and
Unmerited treatment to their charge. If no more noise is made
on their part, I assure your lordship, no further resentment
shall be made on mine. But, if they persist, I have the autho
rity of the apostle, on a like occasion, to appeal unto Ceesar ;
and thanks be to God, we have a Csesar to appeal to, whose
laws will not suffer any of his loyal subjects to be treated in
such an inhuman manner. I have only one favor to beg of
your lordship, that you would send, as they are your lordship's
parishioners, to the above gentlemen, and desire them, hence
forward to desist from such unchristian, and, especially at this
critical juncture, such riotous and dangerous proceedings.
Whether as a chaplain to a most worthy peeress, and a pres
byter of the Church of England, and a steady disinterested
friend to our present happy constitution, I have not a right to
ask such a favor, I leave to your lordship's mature delibera
tion." In the mean time his preaching was blessed by God,
particularly to one, who had been a subscriber to hire rioters
to make a noise.
In the beginning of February, 1756. he sent eighty pounds
of the collection which he had made at the Tabernacle, on the
day of the public fast, to the society for relieving the poor per
secuted French Protestants.*
The riots at Long Acre chapel still continuing with incfeas-'
ing violence, his friends persuaded hirm to prosecute those no
torious, offenders agamst all law and decency; which being
known, his life was threatened. At the Tabernacle, a man'
came up to him in the pulpit : and three anonymous letters
were sent him, denouncing certain and sudden death, unless he
desisted from preaching and pursuing the offenders. As the
matter concerned not only himself, but the public also, and;
struck at the welfare of civil government, he sent a copy of
one of the letters to the Honorable Hume C  11, begging the
favor of his advice ; who advised him, by all means, to put all
concerned into the court of king's bench. The Earl of Holder-
ness, one of the secretaries of state, to whom he was introduced
on this occasion, received him very courteously, seeming in
clined to offer a reward for the discovery of the letter writer.
* This year, 1756, he published, " A short Address to Persons of all Deno
minations, occasioned by the alarm of an intended invasion," which will be
found near the end of this volume.

166 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
" I find," says Whitefield, in a letter to Lady Huntingdon, May
2, 1756, " that all things happen for the furtherance of the gos
pel. I suppose your ladyship has seen his majesty's promise
of a pardon, to any that will discover the Writer : and this
brings the further news of my having taken a piece of ground,
very commodious to build on, not far from the foundling hospi
tal. I have opened the subscription, and through God's bless
ing, it has already amounted to near six hundred pounds. I
hope, in a few months, to have, what has long been wanted, a
place for the gospel at the other end of the town. This even
ing, God willing, I venture once more to preach at Long Acre."
The place he here speaks of, is the chapel in Tottenham court
road, which he began to build, May 10, 1756.
Soon after this, he again made his favorite tour, successfully
preaching about three weeks at the following places ; at Bristol,
and in Gloucestershire ; at Bradford, Fromer, Warminster,
and at Portsmouth ; and returned to London in the beginning
of June.
In a letter, dated July 27, he says, " The gospel flourishes
in London. I am just returned from preaching at Sherness,
Chatham; and in the camp." The next day he set off for
Scotland. , On his journey he writes thus : " Sunderland, Au
gust 14. 1756. How swiftly doth my precious time fly away ! It
is now a fortnight since I came to Leeds ; in and about which,
I preached eight days, thrice almost every day, to thronged and
affected auditories. On Sunday last, at Bradford, in the morn
ing, the auditory consisted of about ten thousand ; at noon,
and in the evening, at Birstall, to near double the number.
Though hoarse, I was helped to speak so that all heard. Next
morning, I took a sorrowful leave of Leeds ; preached at Don
caster at noon and at York the same night. On Wednesday, at
WarstalJ, about fifty miles off; on Thursday, twice at Yaran ;
and last night and this morning here. Wherever he came,
he heard of the good effects of his preaching in those parts
last year.
Upon receiving pressing invitations; by letter; from friends
in Scotland, he again set out and arrived at Edinburgh, on the
20th of August ; where, and at Glasgow, he continued to preach
with much acceptance, and peculiar success. The Glasgow
Courant has the following accounts :
"Edinburgh, Sept. 9, 1756.
" For near these three weeks the Rev. Mr. Whitefield has
been preaching in the Orphan-hospital park, to very crowded
auditories, twice every day. As he was frequently very ex
plicit in opening the miseries of popish tyranny and arbitrary

MEMOIRS OF AVHITEFIELD. 167
.power, and very warm in exhorting his hearers to loyalty and
courage at home, and in stirring them up to pray for the suc
cess of his majesty's forces, both by sea and land abroad, we
have reason to believe, that his visit at this juncture hath been
particularly useful. "Edinburgh, Sept. 23.
" On Sunday evening, the Rev. Mr. Whitefield. after sermon,
made a collection for the poor highlanders, when upwards of
sixty pounds sterling was collected."
September 22. he received a message from the new governor
of Georgia in London, desiring to see and converse with him,
concerning the affairs of the colony, before he embarked.
In his way to London, he stopped at Leeds, and went some
days into good Mr. G  and J  's round, preaching to
great multitudes on the mountains ; but the appearance of a
return of his last year's disorder, obliged him to hasten to town.
On the 7th of November, he opened his new chapel in Totten
ham court road, preaching from 1 Cor. iii. 11. For other
foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.

CHAPTER XVII.
From opening the chapel in Tottenham court road, to his arrival
in Edinburgh, in the year 1759.
His constant work was now preaching about fifteen times
a week, which, with a weak appetite, want of rest, and much
care lying upon his mind, reduced him to a state of great bodily
weakness. " But yet," says he, " the joy of the Lord is my
strength ; and my greatest grief is, that I can do no more for -
him, who has done and suffered so much for me."
His new chapel succeeded according to his wish. On Sun
day mornings, hundreds went away, not being able to get in.
Several people of rank were desirous of obtaining constant
seats ; and a very affecting letter was received from one under
convictions, who acknowledged that curiosity alone brought
him first to see what sort of a place it was* It is said that
Hume was a hearer of Mr. Whitefield, and was much taken
with his eloquence. Such testimonies as the latter, are recorded
merely for their singularity.!
* " A neighboring doctor calls the place WniTEFiELD'a Soul Trap. I pray
the friend of sinners, to make it a soul trap indeed, to many wandering crea
tures. Shuter, the player, always makes one of the auditory ; and, as I hear,
is much impressed, and brings others with him."
t An intimate friend of the infidel Hume, asked him what he thought of
Mr. Whitefield's preaching ; for he had listened to the latter part of one of

168 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELB.
In 1757, he again took his circuit northward, and came te
Edinburgh some time in the month of May, and at the time
of the annual meeting of the general assembly, a circumstance
which afforded him much satisfaction. His preaching was
attended by many ministers ; it is said, a hundred at a time.
Many of them appeared to be deeply affected ; and thus their
prejudices were removed. About thirty of them, as a proof of
;their regard, invited him to a pubhc entertainment. His ma
jesty's commissioner, Lord Cathcart, also invited him to his table.
And his lordship's predecessor, the Earl .of Ii  , showed par
ticular attention to Whitefield, as indeed he had constantly done
from the time of his first coming to Scotland. Multitudes, and
a great many of them of the highest rank, daily flocked to hear
him. The .congregations still increased more and more.
Leaving Edinburgh, he arrived at Glasgow on the 8th of
June, haying preached twice by the way, and continued preach
ing as usual, till the 14th, in the High Church yard, to large
¦congregations, twice a day ; and both forenoon and afternoon,
in a church in the city.
Seeing the pitiable condition the poor of Glasgow were in at
this time, notwithstanding the bounty of the affluent and hu
mane, he, with the concurrence of the magistrates, at his sermon
on Monday evening, made a collection for them, amounting to
near sixty pounds. Next day he preached at Paisley ; and
immediately set out for Ireland.
His reception in Dublin was as promising as formerly ; the
.congregations were very large, and a blessing appeared to at
tend his preaching, many being much affected. A certain
prelate told a noble lord, that he was glad Whitefield had come
to rouse the people. Persons of all ranks attended, and all
seemed, in some measure, affected with the solemn truths
which he delivered.

bis sermons at Edinburgh. " He is sir," said Mr. Hume, " the most inge
nious preacher I ever heard. It is worth while to go twenty miles to hear
him." He then repeated the following passage which he heard towards the
close of (hat discourse. " After a solemn pause, Mr. Whitefield thus address
ed his numerous auditory : — ' The attendant angel is just about to leave tha
threshold, and ascend to heaven. And shall he ascend and not bear with
him the news of one sinner, among all this multitude, reclaimed from the er
ror of his waysl' To give the greater effect to this exclamation, he stamped
with his foot, lifted up his hands and eyes to heaven, and with gushing tears,
cried aloud, ' Stop, Gabriel ! Stop, Gabriel ! Stop, ere you enter the sacred
portals, and yet carry with you the news of one sinner converted to God.'
He then in the most simple, but energetic language, described what he called
a-Savior's dying love to sinful man ; so that almost the whole assembly melted
into tears. This address was accompanied with such animated, yet natural
action that it surpassed anything I ever saw or heard in any other preacher."
Happy had it been for poor Hume, had he received what he then heard
" as tne word of God, and not as the word of man !"

WHITEFIELD ASSAULTED BV A MOB.

" 1 thought of Stephen, and was in hopes, like him, to go off in this
bloody triumph to the immed into presence ofmy Master." p. 196.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 189
'On Sunday afternoon, having preached in Oxmantown
'Green, a place much frequented by large parties of the Ormond
.and Liberty Boys, as they were called, who often fought there,
.he very narrowly escaped with his life. It being war time, he
,had earnestly exhorted his hearers, as was his usual practice,
,not only to fear God. but also to honor the king ; and prayed
for the success of his Prussian majesty's arms. While he was
.preaching, and earnest in prayer, some stones were thrown at
him, which providentially did him no hurt. But when he had
done, endeavoring to return the way that he came, by the
barracks, to his great surprise, access was denied : so that he
was obliged to walk near half a mile over the green, through
some hundreds of rioters and buffoons, who, perceiving him
to be alone, four preachers and a soldier having. deserted him
and fled, threw showers of stones upon him from every quarter,
which made him reel backwards and forwards, till he was al
most breathless, and covered with a gore of blood.* At length,
with the greatest difficulty, he, staggered to the door of a minis
ter's house, near the green, which was humanely opened to
him. For a considerable time he remained speechless, and
gasping for breath ; but his weeping friends having given him
some cordials, and washed his wounds, procured a coach, in
which, amidst vollies of oaths, horrid imprecations, and violent
-threatenings of the rabble, he came safe home ; and joined in a
hymn of thanksgiving with his mourning, yet rejoicing friends 5
of whom he says, <' none but spectators could form an idea of
the affection with which I was received."!
* " I received many blows and wounds ; one was particularly large and
near my temples. I thought of Stephen ; and was in hopes, like him, to go
otf in this bloody triumph, to the immediate presence of my Master."
He used to say, in speaking of this event, that in England, Scotland and
America, he had been' treated only as a common minister of the gospel, but
that in Ireland he had been elevated to the rank of an Apostle, in having had
the honor of being stoned.
t It was under this sermon, that the late Rev. John Edwards was impressed
with the great importance of religion. Whitefield, in the sermon alluded to,
addressed the consciences of the people with such peculiar energy and suc
cess, that Mr. E. thought every word was personally directed to him, though
he had concealed himself from the preacher's view, and to him was entirely
unknown. In what period of his life he entered on the work of the ministry, we can
not learn. Several years he preached in connection with Mr. Wesley ; but
some disagreeable circumstances easting in the society of Leeds, he and a
number of friends, attached to him as the instrument of their spiritual know
ledge and happiness, after much deliberation with each other, and prayer to
God, withdrew themselves, and built another chapel, where he continued to
dispense the word of life for more than thirty years.
Before he settled at Leeds, in the year 1755, he went about doing good, after
the example of the friend of sinners. He endured the cross and despised the
Bhame. In Ireland he traveled and labored much in the early part of the
ministry ; and the effects of his humble exertions to diffuse the knowledge of
IS

170 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
The next morning, though extremely weak, he set out for
Port Arlington, " leaving," he says, " my persecutors to his mer
cy, who of persecutors has often made preachers. I pray God,
I may thus be avenged Of them I"
Having preached at Port Arlington, Athlone, Limerick, and
Cork ; in the beginning of August, he returned to England ;
and whenever the weather was favorable, continued to range,
as he termed it, every where preaching with as great earnest
ness and apparent success as ever. " This spiritual hunting,"
Christ, were crowned with abundant success. At one time, while he resided
in Dublin, as he was returning from preaching at a village, a party of rude
fellows, composed of the Ormond Boys, who used to assemble in the evening
recognized him as swaddling John* a term of reproach applied to the Me
thodist preachers in Ireland; and seized him with all the madness of their
enmity against the truth he preached, declared they would throw him over the
bridge into the Lifl'ey. This was observed by an opposite party, who had
assumed the appellation of LibeHy Boys, residing on the other side of the
river ; they immediately encountered his assailants, determined they would
rescue him out of their hands. This they accomplished, and carried him
home in triumph; saying he was their swaddling John, for he lived on their
side of the river, and none should hurt him. Thus God preserved his life,
and made both the wrath and ignorance of man to praise him.
At another time, having preached cut oi" doors, after he had finished \\\?
discourse, a furious mob of the While Boys beset the house into which lie had
entered, and threatened to burn it lo the ground, if he was permitted to con
tinue in it. This desperate menace greatly alarmed ihe inhabitants, who
were extremely unwilling to gratify their wicked desire. ' There was, how
ever, but one way for his escape, and that was through a window which
opened into a garden belonging lo a justice of the peace, who was himself a
bitter persecutor of the Methodists ; through this window he was let down in
a basket. Here he stood some time in great consternation, fearing the family
would observe him, and charge him with having broken into their garden for
bad purposes, and that thereby both himself and religion might be injured.
At length he ventured to knock at the door ; asked for the squire ; and being
introduced, ingeniously stated the circumstances oi" his distressed situation,
which had such an effect on the magistrate's mind, that he protected and en
tertained him at his house two days in a hospitable manner.
He was sincere in all his pastoral engagements— deeplv impressed with the
vast importance of his work, and greatly loved by his congregation. The sal
vation of souls excited his watchfulness, his prayers, and his zeal ; and in his
whole life he was an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men.
Governed by a disinterested concern for the peace and prosperity of the
people committed to his charge, he was instant in season and out of season ;
reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with all long suffering and gentleness.
" And, as a bird each fond endearment tries
To tempt its new fledged offspring to the skies ;
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allur'd to brighter worlds, and led the way."
On the 17th oi February, 1785, aged 71, he bid adieu to all his connections
in this mortal life, and entered into his eternal rest.
* Thia term of reproach originated, in the following circumstance. Soon after tire introduction of
Methodism into Ireland, the late Rev. John Cennick wag preaching in Dublin on a Christmas day His
text was Luke ii. 12. Ye shall find, the babe wrapped in swaddling- clothes, and lying in a manger
A drunken fellow, who was listening at the door, to pick up something by which lie might ridicule this
new religion, which had not yet obtained a name : hearing the word swaddling often repeated ran
.along the street, exclaiming with great vulgarity, 0/ these people are swaddlers, they are swaddlers '
The name quickly took, and became the-badge of opprobrium through Ireland.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 171
says he, " is delightful sport, when the heart is in the work !"
At Plymouth, he had the pleasure of seeing officers, soldiers,
sailors, <fcc. attending divine worship with becoming reverence
and delight. He enjoyed, also, delightful seasons in Exeter,
Bristol, Gloucester, and other towns, and about the middle of
October. 1757, returned to London. By his unremitted attend
ance this winter .at the chapel and the Tabernacle, together
with much study and care, his health became greatly impaired.
Weakened as he was by continual vomitings, want of sleepj
and loss pf appetite, he, however; still went on as well as he
could. " I am brought now," says he, " to the short allowance
of preaching but once on week days, aud twice on a Sunday."
When disengaged from his public ministrations, he was ever
projecting some plan or other for the advancement of religion ;
as the erecting of . alms-houses for religious widows, on the
ground which surrounded the chapel. '¦ I have a plan," says
he, "for twelve. The whole expense will be four hundred.
pounds,. I have a prospect of two. I propose allowing each
widow half a crown a week. The sacrament money will
more than do. If this be affected, many godly widows will be
provided for, and a standing monument left that the Methodists
were not against good works." In a short time he put this plan
into execution. February 16, 1758, the foundation of the
alms-house was laid, and the widows began to be admitted in
the June following*
His summer circuit this year, he began at Gloucester : from
whence he proceeded to Bristol, and onward to Wales. During
his stay in that country, his health was much on the decline ;
so that he could not sit up in company, as he had been used to
do ; and could take but little food. Yet, notwithstanding his
infirmities, he continued his journey through great part of
South Wales, incredible multitudes attending his preaching
wherever he went.
In the month of July, he set off for Scotland. In his way,
he preached at Everton, St. Neot's, Kayso, Bedford, Oulney,
Weston, Underwood, Ravenstone, Northampton, and Newcas
tle. Four clergymen lent him their pulpits. His bodily strength
so little increased by this journey, that he frequently felt an
inclination to turn back. But he did not think it consistent
with his duty. " Through divine strength," says he, " I hope
to go forward ; and shall strive, as much as in me lies, to die
in this glorious work." Yet, through the divine blessing, his
* To a gentleman who visited hirn-in London in the year 1768, he pointed
out those houses from the room in wnich they sat, and said, " those are my
redoubts. The prayers of the poor women who reside in them, protect me in
my house."

172 ETES40IRS OF WHITEFIELD.
health was greatly increased, soon after his return from Scot-'
land. From Edinburgh, he writes, August 19 and 24 : — " For
these four months past, I have been brought so exceedingly
low in my body, that I was in hopes every sermon I preached
would waft me to my wished for home. Scotland, I hoped'
would finish my warfare ; but it has rather driven me back to
sea again. On Tuesday next, I thought to have moved ; but
as it is race-week, and my health is improving, friends advise
me to stay, to stir them up to run with patience the race that
is set before us." The following account appeared in the
Glasgow Courant.
" Edinburgh, September 14, 1758. Mr. Whitefield's presence,
at this time, has been particularly useful to the Orphan-hos
pital, for which upwards of two hundred pounds has been
raised from the collection at the doors, and seat rents. Before
he left Glasgow, he made a collection for the Glasgow Charita
ble Highland Society, for supporting the highland children ; a
scheme particularly useful at this time, when so many pf their
parents and friends are abroad in America, in his majesty's
service. During his stay here, he has had occasion to preach
three thanksgiving sermons, for the victory of Crevelt, the
taking of Cape Breton, and the late defeat ofthe Russians. By
his warm and repeated exhortations to lo3ralty, and a steady
adherence to the Protestant interest on this and all other oc
casions, it must' be acknowledged, even in this view,, his visis-
here has been useful to the community in a civil, as well as a*-
religious light."
Having left Edinburgh, he preached with his usual abun
dant liberty and success in most of the principal towns, in the
north of England : and about the end of October, arrived in
London. His affairs in America being in a prosperous state,
he now began to think of going over to Georgia again. " Bless
ed be God," says he, "that I can send you word, a never fail
ing Providence has put it in my power to pay off all Bethesda's
arrears. I am talking every day of coming over ; but how to
do it in war time, or how to get the chapel and Tabernacle
supplied, I cannot, as yet, be clear in."
Not being able, it seems, to get over these difficulties, he spent
the winter of 1758, in London ; and opened his spring cam
paign at Bristol. The month of June he spent preaching
through Gloucestershire and Yorkshire ; people of all ranks
and distinctions every where flocked, as usual, twice a day, to
hear him,, and from thence revisited Scotland,

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 173
CHAPTER XVIII.
From his arrival at Edinburgh, 1759, to his opening the Countess of
Huntingdon's chapel at Bath, 1765.
About the beginning of July, 1759, he came to Edinburgh.
The congregations were never more numerous or attentive
than here and at Glasgow. Yet, he complains in his letters,
" that with respect to the power of religion, it was a dead time
in Scotland, in comparison with London, and several other
parts of England." During his stay, the sum he collected for
the benefit of the Orphan-hospital, amounted to two hundred
and fifteen pounds. This year's visit to Scotland occasioned
an occurrence which redounded much to his credit, and fully
cleared him from the charges of mercenary and sordid motives,
brought against him very unjustly by some of his adversaries.
A Miss Hunter, a young lady of considerable fortune, made
him an offer of her whole estate, both money and lands, amount
ing to above seven thousand pounds, which he generously re
fused : and upon his declining to accept it for himself, she
again offered it for the benefit of the institution in Georgia,
which he also absolutely refused. These are facts too well
known to be denied.
This winter he continued in London ; during which, he
wrote a preface to Dr. Samuel Clarke's bible. He also consid
erably enlarged his chapel, which was far too small to contain
the congregation.
On the 14th of March, 1760, he collected at Tottenham court
chapel and Tabernacle, upwards of four hundred pounds for
the relief of the distressed Prussians, who suffered so much
from the savage cruelty of the Russians, at Newmark, Custrin,
&c. For this disinterested act of benevolence, he received the
thanks of his Prussian majesty.
In the summer of 1760, he traveled through Gloucestershire
and Wales, and afterwards to Bristol. When he preached at
the Tabernacle, many more attended than the place would hold ;
and in the fields there were supposed to be ten thousand.
About this time, he underwent a new sort of persecution,
which however, men of the greatest eminence have sometimes
experienced, being burlesqued and ridiculed in a manner the
most ludicrous and profane, on the stage of the theater royal,
Drury lane. Many acts of violence had been offered to his
person, but his enemies being now convinced that the law
would not permit them longer to proceed in that way with im
punity, determined to try the effect of mockery. For this pur
pose, they procured for their tool, Mr, Samuel Foote, a man
15*

174' MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD:
well qualified to act the mimic ; who having imitated White-
field's person and action with success, and spoke some ludi
crous sentences in his manner, was thereby encouraged to write
a farce, called the Minor, to be performed at Drury lane.
Whitefield takes notice of this in a letter, dated August 16,
1760. It seems to have taken its rise from the malice of the
play house people, after they had failed in their attempt to de
ter him from preaching at Long Acre chapel ; and even still
more exasperated by his building a chapel of his own in Tot-
tenham court road. A letter was written to David Garrick,
Esq., occasioned by the intended representation of the Minor.
This letter was supposed to have been written by the Rev.
Martin- Madan.
This theatrical piece, by its horrid blasphemy and impiety,
excited the just indignation of every serious person. The im
pious author, intending to expose Mr. Whitefield to public con
tempt, makes no scruple to treat the very expressions, and sa
cred doctrines of the Bible, with that profane ridicule, which a
sober minded Mahomedan would blush at ! Or. to put the most
favorable construction upon the matter, he, and the agents em
ployed at the Tabernacle and chapel, to procure materials, were
so shamefully ignorant of the inspired writings, as not to know,
that what they took for Mr. Whitefield's peculiar language, was
that of the word of God ! However, they lost their labor ; for
by their endeavors to lessen the number of his followers, they
increased them, and brought thousands more to hear the gospel :
and thus Providence gave him- the victory over them, baffling
all the schemes of the prince of darkness !
Here it will not be amiss to insert the following account from
Edinburgh : — " Mr. Foote* being manager of the Edinburgh
theater, in the winter of 1770, the Minor was acted there.
The first night it was pretty full, as people fond of any novelty,
were led to it without knowing any thing of the nature of. the
performance. But such was The public sense of the impurity
and indecency of it, when known, that on the second night,
only ten women appeared. When it was acted on Saturday,
November 24, a dispute arose among the spectators, whether
it was proper to bring Mr. WhiteneloTupon the stage, as he was
now dead 1 This, however, was done, and raised a general in
dignation in" the inhabitants of that city. Next day several
» One evening while Foote was exhibiting Whitefield to public ridicule, in
the theater of Drury lane, the venerable-man himself was engaged in preaehin<*
st Tottenham court chapel. His suoject was, " the joys of Heaven." Towards
the close of his discourse, when his piety, his imagination, and his eloquence
were on fire, he cried out in the midst of a melted and enraptured assembly
pointing to the heavens, " there, there, an ungodly foot tramnles on the saints
no more."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 17.5
ministers, the Rev. Dr. Erskine, Dr. Walker, &c, took notice
of it in their discourses from the pulpit. Dr. Walker, whose
church was frequented by people of the higher rank, observed
in his lecture upon 2 Cor. v. 14 — 21, that he could not read
the 17th verse, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature,
without expressing the just indignation he felt, upon hearing,
that last night a profane piece of buffoonry was publicly acted,
iu which this sacred doctrine is ridiculed. The Rev. Mr. Baine,
of the kirk of relief, preached a sermon on the occasion, De
cember 2, from Psalm xciv. 16. Towards the conclusion he:
says, " how base and ungrateful is such treatment of the dead !
and that too so very nigh to a family of orphans, the record.;;
of whose hospital will transmit Mr. Whitefield's name to pos
terity with honor, when the memory of others will rot ! How
illiberal such usage of one, whose seasonable good services for
his king and country, are well known ; and whose indefatigable
labors for his beloved Master, were countenanced by heaven !''
May 14, 1760, he preached at Tottenham court chapel, from
Hosea xi. 8, 9, and at the Tabernacle in the evening, when his
text was the last verse of the 80th Psalm. At the former place,
he collected two hundred and twenty-two pounds, eight shil
lings, and ninepence ; and at the latter, one hundred and eighty-
two pounds, fifteen shillings, and ninepence, for the distressed
Protestants in Prussia. Thus it appears that, his benevolent
disposition led him strictly to observe public occurrences : and
surely no man more carefully endeavored to approve them.
The months of September and October, 1760, he spent in
traveling and preaching through Yorkshire ; and passed the
winter in London, in his usual manner.
February 13, 1761, being a day appointed for a general fast,
he preached early in the morning at the Tabernacle, from
Exodus xxxiv. 3, and collected one hundred and twelve pounds.
In the forenoon again, at the chapel, from Joel ii. 15. After
sermon, the collection amounted to two hundred and forty-two
pounds ; and in the evening he preached at the Tabernacle,
from Genesis vii. l,and collected two hundred and ten pounds.
These sums, amounting to five hundred and sixty-four pounds,
were immediately applied to the noble purposes for which they
were collected, the relief of the poor afflicted German Protest
ants, and the unhappy sufferers by fire at Boston. Four
hundred pounds were conveyed to the Germans, through the
hands of the Rev. Mr. Ziegenhagen.
" Boston, February 27, 1764. At a meeting of the freeholders
and other inhabitants of the town of Boston, on Friday last, it
was voted unanimously, that the thanks of the town be given
to the Rev. George Whitefield, for his charitable care and pains

176

memoirs of whitefield.

in collecting a considerable sum of money in Great Britain, for
the distressed sufferers by the great fire in Boston, in 1760 ;
and a respectable committee was appointed to wait on Mr.
Whitefield, to inform him of the vote, and present him with a
copy thereof."
But his bodily health, which had often been very bad, now
grew worse and worse ; so that, in August, 1761, he was
brought to the very gates ; yet the Lord was pleased to raise
him again. It was happy for him, that he frequently obtained
the assistance of clergymen from the country at this time ;
particularly of the Rev. John Berridge,* vicar of Everton, Bed-
* This eminently humble, laborious, and highly honored ambassador of the
Lord Jesus, was born in 1710, at Kingston, in Nottinghamshire. In the fil-
teenth year of his age he was convinced of the sinfulness of man, and the
necessity of being born again, not of the will of man, or of the will of the
flesh, but of God.
He was sent to the University of Cambridge in the nineteenth year of his
age, and in 1749, began his ministry, at Stapleford, near Cambridge ; where
he preached regularly six years with zeal and faithfulness, but wilh little suc
cess. In 1755 he was admitted to the vicarage of Everton, in Bedfordshire ;
where he continued till his death.
From his own memorandums, found among his papers since his decease, it
appears he was a stranger to that faith which' purines, works by love, and
makes Christ all in all to the believing soul, till the year 1757 ; and therefore
went about preaching up the righteousness of the creature, instead of the
merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ alone, for acceptance with God.
This made it no wonder that his ministrations were no more blessed to the
souls of others than to his own. In the following year it pleased the Lord of
his infinite mercy to open the eyes of his mind, to see his error, and make him
cry out, " Lord, if I am right, keep me so ; but if I am not, make me so ;
and lead me to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus."
A few days after this, his earnest and constant prayer was granted ; he was
led by the hlessed spirit to acknowledge the insufficiency of good works to
merit the divine favor, and accordingly renounced them, as unworthy of de
pendence, and in no wise meritorious in the sight of God. He was taught
the necessity of believing in the Redeemer alone for life and salvation, and
joyfully received and depended on him as the only Savior from the wrath to
cnine ; agreeably to the declaration of an inspired apostle, Acts iv. 12. " Nei
ther is salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven,
given among men, whereby we musi be saved."
From this time he truly found his preaching was net in rain in the Lord ;
for he had many bright and eminent seals added to his ministry, which weie
hi.s joy in life, and shall doubtless be his crown of rejoicing when time shall
be no more. Among these was the Rev. Mr. Hicks, a clergyman of Wrest-
lingworth, about four miles from Everton, who became a very useful man,
and often accompanied him in his itinerant labors from place to place.
Having so good a Master, he entered upon his work with cheerful steps,
and pursued it with the greatest industry. Emboldened by the success of
Whitefield, he saw it to be his duty to itinerate, or to extend the sphere of his
usefulness by becoming a traveling preacher. He did not confine his labors
to the narrow limits of Everton, but, like the majestic sun, illuminated an
extensive tract of country. His love to mankind was ardent ; he knew the
worth of an immortal soil ; he knew the awful terrors of the Lord ; he knew
the emptiness of the present world ; he knew the sandy foundation upon
which thousands build ; he knew the dangerous devices of Satan ; he knew
the awful precipice upon which the ungodly stand. His bowels melted with
pity— 4iis heart yearned to assist them. He therefore left no. means unat-

memoirs of whitefield, 177
ibrdshire ; Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge ; and chaplain
to the Right Honorable, the Earl of Buchan ; of whorh he writes,
tempted to awaken their concern, and allure them to the Son of God. In his
itineracy he would take the counties of Bedford, Cambridge, Essex, Hertford
and Huntingdon, making the episcopal mandate the invariable rule of hi.s
operations, " Go and seek Christ s sheep where thou canst find them." In this
circuit he preached upon an average from ten to twelve sermons a week, and
frequently rode a hundred miles. Nor were these extraordinary exertions
the hasty fruit of intermitting zeal, but they were regularly continued during
the long succession of more than twenty years, exemplifying through the whole
of his ministerial career, the motto of the late celebrated Dr. Doddridge.
Dum vicimus vivamus.
The first year that he began to preach the gospel, he was visited by upwards
of a thousand different persons under serious impressions : and it has been
computed, that under his own, and the joint ministry of Mr. Hicks, about
four thousand were awakened to a concern about their souls, in the space of
twelve months.
For several years before Whitefield died, Mr. Berridge preached at the
Tabernacle and Tottenham court chapel, and continued to do so annually till
1793; he intended to have come that year, and was expected by his nume
rous friends in "Londoil, but instead of his presence, they received the melan
choly tidings of his death. For some days previous to his decease, his strengih
and health had visibly decreased, and on Sunday, 20th January, he came
down into his parlor as usual, but with great difficulty reached his chamber
in the evening. A few hours after he was in bed, he appeared to be seized
with the symptoms of immediate dissolution. His face was contracted and
his speech faltered ; and iri this situation he continued till about three o'clock'
on Tuesday afternoon, January 22, when breathing less and less, this cham
pion of his Redeemer calmly entered into the joy of his Lord, in the 7uth
year of his age. On the ensuing Sabbath, his remains were interred in his
own parish churchyard. The Rev. Charles Simeon, Fellow of King's col
lege, Cambridge, preached his ftmeTat sermon, from' 2 Tim. iv. 7;&. ' Six*
neighboring clergymen attended to bear his pall. The almost immense con
course of people, who assembled from all parts of the country, to be present
at this solemnity, the undissembled grief which was depicted upon every
countenance, the tears which trickled down every cheek, were a melancholy,
but expressive eulogium on his character, and should be considered as a just
panegyric on his worth.
Never man entered upon the work of his Master with more disinterested
views. His purse was as open as his heart, though not so large. His ear was
ever attentive to the tale of woe, his eye was keen to observe the miseries of
the poor, the law of kindness was written upon his heart, and his hand wa.s
always ready to administer relief. The gains of his vicarage, of his fellow
ship, and of his patrimonial income, (for his father died very rich,) were
appropriated to- support his liberality. Houses were rented, lay preachers
maintained, and his own traveling expenses disbursed' by himself. Cottagers
were always gainers by his company. He invariably left a half crown for
the homely provisions of the day, and during his itineracy, it actually cost
him five- hundred pounds in this single article of expenditure.
His mental powers were far from contemptible : he possessed a' strength
of understanding — a quickness of perception— ;a depth of penetration — a bril
liancy of fancy — and a fuhd of prompt wit, beyond most men. A vein of
innocent humour ran through all his public and private discourses. This
softened, what some might call the austerity of religion, and rendered his
company pleasant to pe6ple of less serious habits ; but, what is very singular,
it never overcame his gravity.
In learning he was inferior to very few of the most celebrated sons of
science and literature at the university. His masculine ability, his uniform
sobriety, and long residence at college, were favorable top improvement ; and
so insatiable was his thirst for Imowledge, that from hi& entrance at Clare
Hall, to his acceptance of the vicarage of Everton, he regularly' studied fil"-

178 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
" A new instrument is raised up out of Cambridge university !
he has been preaching, with great fame, and like an angel of
the church indeed." After his recovery, which was very gra
dual, he was so extremely weak as to be unable to labor aft
formerly ; and therefore left London, and visited Bristol, Exe
ter, and Plymouth.
He now found himself much better, though not able to bear
the fatigue of long journeys and frequent preaching, as he used
to do. Of this he complains in October, 1761 : " I have not
preached a single sermon for some weeks. Last Sunday 1
spoke a little, but I feel its effects ever since. A sea voyage
seems more necessary to me now than ever. I now know
what nervous disorders are. Blessed be God, that they were
contracted in his service ! I do not repent, though I am fre
quently tempted to wish that the report of my death had been
true, since my disorder keeps me from my old delightful work
of preaching."
In a journey this month to Leeds and Newcastle, although
he was enabled to bear riding in a post chaise, he could preach
but seldom ; and his friends prudently refrained from pressing
him. " I hope, however," says he, " I am traveling in order to
preach." Accordingly he journeyed slowly to Edinburgh and
Glasgow ; and was in London till the month of December ;
when he was much recovered, which he attributed instrumen-
tally to his following the advice and prescriptions of several
eminent physicians in Edinburgh ; being convinced, as he said,
" that their directions had been more blessed, than all the medi
cines and advice he had elsewhere."
His health being in a great measure restored, he could not
refrain from his beloved work. And writes from Bristol, April,
1762: "Bristol air agrees with me. I have been enabled to
preach five times this last week, without being hurt. Who
knows but I may yet be restored so far as to sound the gospel
trumpet for my God ! The quietness I enjoy here, -with daily
riding out, seems to be one very proper means."
Notwithstanding his weakness and shortness of breath, he
still continued preaching four or five times a week, till the
middle of May ; and now and then was enabled to " take the
field," as he called it ; in which exercise he much delighted.
" Mounts," says he, " are the best pulpits ; and the heavens the
leen hours a clay. He was as familiar with the learned languages as with
his mother tongue.
None who intimately knew him, will consider this as an exaggerated his
tory, but will rather join the honest man, who told the minister at the closa of
his funeral sermon in London, " Sir, I have known good Mr. Berridge above
forty years ; and after all your commendation, I must say, as the queen of
Sheba did on another occasion, the half has not been told."

MEMOIR? OF WHITEFIELD. 179
Lest sounding boards. 0 for power equal to my will ! I would
fly from pole to pole, publishing the everlasting gospel of the
Son of God !"
After his return to town, his zealous exertions, increasing
cares and labors, affected his spirits, and Brought him low again.
He therefore resolved on a voyage to Holland ; and according
ly set out in the month of July. The sea air agreed so well
with him, that finding himself much better, he writes from
Norwich, July 31 : '¦ The expedition to Holland, was. I trust,
profitable to myself and others ; and, if ever my usefulness is
to be continued at London, I must be prepared for it by a longer
.itineration both by land and water. At present, blessed be
God. 1 can preach onco a day ; and it would do your, heart
good to see what an influence attends the word. AU my old
times are revived again."
August 18, he arrived at Edinburgh : from thence went to
Glasgow : preached at each place alternately every day, and
at Oa.'nhusla.iig twice, till September 13, when he returned to
England; and rejoiced at the news of an expected peace,
hoping soon to embark for America.
During his stay in England, he was not able to preach more
than once a day, through extreme weakness and bodily pain.
At Leeds, Bristol, and Plymouth, he labored with greater ease
and pleasure ; but of London, he says, "as affairs are circum
stanced, every thing there tends to weigh me down." Having
therefore engaged some of his dearest and most intimate friends,
to take upon them the whole care and management of the affairs
of his chapel and Tabernacle, with all his other concerns in
England, he set sail in the month of March, 1763, for Greenock,
in Scotland. In this tour, he preached at Everton, Leeds,
Aberford, Kippax, and Newcastle ; and also was employed in
writing his observations, in answer to Bishop Warburton.
For some weeks after his arrival in Scotland, he regularly
preached once a day ; but was obliged, by the return of his
former complaint, when at Edinburgh, to refrain, for the most
part, for almost six weeks.
At length he embarked the sixth time for America, on the
first of June, in the ship Fanny, Captain Archibald Galbraith.
bound from Greenock to Virginia ; and arrived there in the
latter end of August, after a voyage of twelve weeks. " Thanks
to a never failing Redeemer," says he "I have not been laid by
an hour, through sickness, since I came on board. A kind
captain, and a most orderly and quiet ship's company, who
gladly attended when I had breath to preach. Scarce an oath
have 1 heard upon deck, and such a stillness has been through
the whole ship, both on week days and the Lord's day, as hath

180 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
from time to time surprised me." He dated his letters in Sep
tember, October, and November, from Philadelphia. Though
still reduced by weakness, yet he continued to preach twice a
week. "Here," says he, "are some young bright witnesses
rising up in the church. Perhaps I have already conversed
with forty new .creature ministers of various denominations.
¦Sixteen popular students, I am credibly informed, were con
verted in New Jersey college last year. What an open door
if I had strength ! Last Tuesday we had a remarkable season
..among the Lutherans ; children and grown people were much
^impressed." It was his earnest wish to go immediately to Georgia, but he
was absolutely dissuaded by his physicians, till he recovered
,his strength. In the latter end of November, he left Philadel
phia and went to New York, preaching several times by the
way ; at the college of New Jersey, and also at Edinburgh
town, with much approbation and success. His spirits now
.revived, so that he was enabled to preach three times a week.
During his stay in New York, in the winter, he writes, "pre
judices in this place have most strongly subsided. The
better sort flock, as eagerly as the common people, and are
fond of coming for private gospel conversation. Congregations
continue Arery large, and, I trust, saving impressions are made
upon many." This appears by the following account taken
from the Boston Gazette.
" New York, January 23, 1754. The Rev. George White-
field has spent seven weeks with us, preaching twice a week,
with more general approbation than ever ; and has been treat
ed with great respect, by many of the gentlemen and merchants
of this place. During his stay, he preached two charity ser
mons, the one on the occasion of the annual collection for the
poor, in which double the sum was collected that ever was
upon the like occasion ; the other was for the benefit of Mr.
Wheelock's Indian school at Lebanon, in New England, for
which he collected, notwithstanding the present prejudices of
many people against the Indians, the sum of one hundred and
twenty pounds. In his last sermon, he took a very affectionate
leave, of the people of this city, who expressed great concern
at his departure. May God restore this great and good man,
in whom the gentleman, the christian, and accomplished ora
tor, shine forth with such peculiar lustre, to a perfect state of
health, and continue him long a blessing to the world, and the
church of Christ !"
Having left New York, he preached at East Hamptonbridge,
Hampton, and South Hold, on Long Island, at Shelter Island,
and at New London, Norwich, and Providence, on the main

MEMOIRS 0F WHITEFIELD. 181
Jand, in his way to Boston, where he arrived in the latter end
of February, 1764, and was welcomed by many, with great
affection. But as the small pox was spreading through the
town, he preached for some time in the parts adjacent. At
Newbury, in particular, a divine power attended the word
preached. From Concord, he writes, to his friend Mr. S  ,
•" How would you have been delighted to have seen Mr. Whee-
lock's Indians ! Such a promising nursery of future mission
aries, I believe, was never seen in New England before. Pray
encourage it with all your might. I also wish you would give
some useful puritanical books to Harvard college library, lately
burnt down." The estimation in which he was held by the
gentlemen of Harvard college, will be seen by the following :
" At a meeting of the president and fellows of Harvard college,
August 22, 1768, the Rev. G. Whitefield, having, in addition
to his former kindness to Harvard college, lately presented to
the library a new edition of his journals, and having procured
large benefactions from several benevolent and respectable
gentlemen, voted, that the thanks ofthe corporation be given
to the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, for these instances of candor and
generosity."
PRESENT.
The President, Dr. Elliot,
Mr. Appleton, Dr. Cooper,
Mr. Professor Winthrop, Treasurer Hubbard.
(A true Copy,) Per E. Holyoke, President.
In the month of April his disorder returned ; but not so vio
lently as to prevent him long from preaching, and the Bostoni-
ans flocked with great eagerness to hear him. He left Boston,
in order to proceed immediately southward, but messengers
were sent after him to persuade him to return.
June 1, 1764, he writes, " Friends have even constrained me
to stay here^ for fear of running into the summer's heat. Hither
to I find the benefit of it. Whatever it is owing to, through mer
cy, I am much better in health than I was this time twelve
months, and can preach thrice a week to very large auditories,
without hurt ; and every day I hear of some brought under
concern. This is all of grace !"
He again left Boston, to the great grief of his friends, after
a sorrowful parting, and came back fo New York ; and from
thence his letters are dated from June till the end of August.
" At present," says he, " my health is better than usual, and as
yet I have felt no inconvenience from the summer's heat. I
have preached twice lately in the fields, and we sat under the
blessed Redeemer's shadow with great delight. My late ex-
16

182 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
cursions upon Long Island, I trust, have been blessed. It
would surprise you to see above one hundred carriages at every
sermon, in the new world !''
He spent the months of September and October at Philadel
phia ; where the provost of the college read prayers for him.
Both the present, and the late governor, with the principal gen
tlemen of the city, attended. He received the thanks of the
trustees, for speaking for the charity children, and recommend
ing the institution.
Leaving Philadelphia, he continued his journey southward
through Virginia ; and November 22, from New Brunswick.
in Carolina, he writes thus : — "At Newbern, last Sunday, good
impressions were made. From that place to this, I have met
with- what they call New Lights in almost every stage. I have
the names of several of their preachers. This with every other
place, being open and exceedingly desirous to hear the gospel,
makes me almost determined to come back early in the spring."
Having preached at Charleston, he once more arrived at Sa
vannah, and had the happiness to find the state of the colony
as prosperous as he could wish. " The colony," says he, " is
rising fast ; nothing but plenty at Bethesda ; and all arrears, I
trust, will be paid off before I leave it : so that in a short time,
I hope to be freed from these outward encumbrances." And
he was not disappointed in his expectations. He writes, "Be
thesda, January 14, 1765. God hath given me great, favor in
the sight of the governor, council, and assembly. A memorial
was presented for an additional grant of land, consisting of two
thousand acres. It was immediately complied with. Both
houses addressed the governor in behalf of the intended college.
As warm an answer was given. Every heart seems to leap
for joy, at the prospect of its future utility." Again, "Bethes
da. February 13. Yesterday morning, the governor, and Lord
J. A. G  n, with several other gentlemen, favored me with
their company to breakfast. But how was my lord surprised
and delighted ! After expressing himself in the strongest terms,
he took me aside, and informed me, that the governor had show
ed him the accounts, by which he found, what a great benefac
tor I had been ; that the intended college would be of the utmost
utility to Georgia, and the neighboring provinces ; that the
plan was beautiful, rational, and practicable ; and that he was
persuaded his majesty would highly approve of, and also favor
it with some peculiar marks of his royal bounty." He adds in
the same letter, " Now farewell, my beloved Bethesda ; surely
the most delightful place in all the southern parts of America.
What a blessed winter have I had ! Peace and love, and har
mony, and plenty, reign here ! Mr. Wright, hath done much

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 183
in a littte time, all are surprised at it ; but he hath worked
night and day, and not stirred a mile for many weeks. Thanks
be to God, all outward things are settled on this side the water.
The auditing the accounts, and laying the foundation for a col
lege, hath silenced enemies, and comforted friends. The fin
ishing of this affair confirms my call to England, at this time.
Having left Bethesda iu such comfortable circumstances, he
determined, on the ISth of February, to delay his intended
journey to the northward, judging it best to sail immediately
for England, to settle the college affairs. However, he spent
part of the month of March at Charleston, and then taking an
affectionate farewell, proceeded towards Philadelphia, preach
ing at many places by the way, especially at Newcastle. He
says, " all along from Charleston to this place, the cry is, for
Christ's sake stay and preach to us ! O for a thousand lives
to spend for Jesus !"
There being no vessel at Philadelphia, bound for England,
he sailed for New York, in the Earl of Halifax packet, and
once more landed in England, July 5, 1765. He writes, " we
have had but a twenty-eight days' passage. The transition
hath been so sudden, that I can scarce believe I am in Eng
land. I hope, ere long, to have a more sudden transition into
a better country." When he arrived, he was very ill of a ner
vous fever ; which left him extremely weak in body, and pre
vented him from exerting himself, as he had been used to do.
Yet, far from being discouraged, he continued to do all the
good he could, being in expectation of soon entering into his
eternal- rest. " O, to end life well !" says he, " methinks I have
now but one river to pass over. And we know of One that
can carry us over, without being ankle deep."
On the 6th of October, he was called to open the Countess
of Huntingdon's chapel at Bath. His text was 2 Cor. vi. 1 6.
He says, " the chapel is extremely plain, and yet equally grand
— a beautiful original — all was conducted with great solemnity.
Though a very wet day, the place was very full. I preached
in the morning ; the Rev. Mr. Townsend, of Pewsy, in the

CHAPTER XIX.
Frcnn his opening Lady Huntingdon's chapel ai Bath, to his embark
ing for America, 1769.
Whitefield made but a short stay at Bath, and returned
to London. January 18, 1766, he writes to a friend at Sheer-
ness, " I am sorry to acquaint you that it is not in my power lo

184 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
comply with your request, for want of more assistance. 1 ant
confined in town with the care of two important posts, when
I am only fit to be put into some garrison among invalids."
Early in the spring he was awhile relieved ; for he was, in
the month of March, at Bath and Bristol.
He writes March 17, " the uncertainty of my motions has
made me slow in writing ; and a desire to be awhile free from
London cares, has made me indifferent about frequent hearing
from thence. Last Friday evening, and twice yesterday, I
preached at Bath, to very thronged, and brilliant auditories."
A cause of much joy to him about this time, was the repeal of
the stamp act ; for he had the colonial interest always at heart,
and he ardently wished for the restoration of peace and tran
quility to his beloved country. We find in his letter book, the
following memorandum ; " March 16, 1767, stamp act re
pealed ! — gloria Deo."
The celebrated Indian ministers, Mr. Occum* and Mr. Whit
aker, now arrived from America, in order to raise subscriptions
for Mr. Wheelock's Indian school. That pious institution
Whitefield much approved ; and concerning it, in a letter,
dated London, April 25, he writes, " the prospect of a large
and effectual door being opened among the heathen, blessed be
God, is very promising. Mr. Occum is a settled, humble chris
tian ; the good and great, with a multitude of lower degree,
heard him preach last week at Tottenham court chapel, and
felt much of the power and presence of the Lord. Mr. Ro-
maine has preached, and collected one hundred pounds, and I
believe seven or eight hundred more are subscribed. The truly
noble Lord Dartmouth espouses the cause most heartily, and
his majesty has become a contributor. The King of kings,
and Lord of lords, will bless them for it." Mr. Occum and
Whitaker came afterwards to Scotland, and procured very
large contributions in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow ;
but especially from the family of Mr. Sprewell, of Glasgow,
and from the Rev. Mr. M'Culloch, at Cambuslang.t
June 19, we find him at Collam, near Bristol, from whence
he writes : — " As my feverish heat continues, and the weather
* Mr. Occum was one of the Mohegan tribe of Indians, in Connecticut.
He was admitted into the Rev. Mr. Wheelock's school, at Lebanon, when a
youth, where he learned Latin and Greek, with a view to the exercise of his
ministry among the Indians. He married an Indian woman, by whom he
had seven or eight children ; and kept a school on Long Island, where hit
wife and family tilled the ground.
He was orda'ined a preacher by the Suffolk presbytery ; and was sent on a
mission to the Oneida Indians, one of the six nations, and afterwards to sev-
era. other tribes.
t It appears from accounts, afterwards published, that they ccllected the
great sum of 9494J. 7s. Id.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 185
is too wet to travel, I have complied with the advice of friends,
and have commenced a hot well water drinker twice a day.
However, twice this week, at. six in the morning, I have been
enabled to call thirsty souls to come and drink of the vmter of
life freely. To-morrow evening, God willing, the call is to be
repeated, and again on Sunday."
From Collam he returned to London,* from which place he
* About this time Whitefield became acquainted with that faithful servant
ef Jesus, the Rev. Torial Joss. Mr. Joss was a native of Scotland. He was
born September "29, 1731, at a small village on the sea coast, about twenty
miles north of Aberdeen. Mr. Joss was of a very mild disposition, and
rather inclined to serious subjects ; but these being discouraged at home, he
hid his Bible out ofthe house, and embraced every opportunity of consulting
it, as the guide of his youth. As soon as his age would admit, he was placed
out to a maritime employment. This was a habit of life, not very favorable
to religious improvement ; but that God who siltelh upon the floods, " Can," as
Whitefield said of him and the celebrated Captain Scott, afterwards the Rev.
Jonathan Scott, " bring a shark from the ocean, and a lion from the forest,
And fo i m them for himself to shorn forth his praise."
The vessel lie was in being taken by the enemy, he was carried to a foreign
prison, where he suffered extremely. On his return, in the year 1746, a date
rendered memorable in the British annals by the total suppression of the
Scotch rebellion, he was led by curiosity to view the royal and rebel armies.
Here he was impressed, and sent on board a king's ship, stationed n that
coast, lo co-operate with the land forces.
After some time he made his escape, and traveling to Sunderland, bound
himself in articles of apprenticeship to a captain of a coasting vessel, belong
ing to Robin Hood's Bay, near Whitby, in Yorkshire. It does not appear that
his morals were injured by the vicissitudes he had already witnessed ; nor was
it till after this period, that he gave evident signs of conversion to God. He
was, however, eager to obtain useful learning ; and during the winter months,
when the vessels were laid by, regularly attended at school, to acquire a scien
tific knowledge of his profession.
By a series of the most singular providences, the gospel was brought to Ro
bin Hood's Bay. Many people heard il with attention ; and some believed to
the saving of their souls. Wesley, on hearing this circumstance, went, and
soon established a society in the town. Mr. Joss had, jirevious lo this, begun
to pray and exhort ; and was greatly encouraged by Vvesley, to proceed. He
now joined this newly formed society, and though not an Arminian in senti
ment, was ever admitted to the pulpits belonging to that people.
He was now about eighteen years of age, and became exceedingly zealous.
He carried the savor of his Master's name on board ; where some heard, and
others mocked. Waxing strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, he sought
every occasion to teach and preach in the several harbors, where his vessel
lay. His first public sermon was delivered at Boston, in Lincolnshire, where
God was with him of a truth.
When Mr. Joss was appointed to the command of a ship, he immediately set
up regular worship. As often as the weather would permit, he preached re
gularly to his crew ; and before he left the sea, he had a number of the sailors
who could publicly pray and exhort.
Having a nattering prospect of sueeeding in life, he was married on Christ
mas day, 1755, to Miss Moorsom, of Whitby, after a mutual and intimate at
tachment of ten years. By Mrs. Joss he had eleven children, only two of
whom, together with his mournful widow, survive him.
Mr. Joss now looked forward to that period when he should realize a gen
teel fortune for his growing family. But fortunes, dependent upon the caprice
qf wind or weather, and especially when they stand in the way of ministerial
duty, are a precarious tenure. While he commanded the ships of other pro-
16*

186 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
writes, September 25 : "Many in this metropolis seem to be on
the wing for God ; the shout of a king is yet heard in the Metho-
prietors, he never experienced the least disaster ; but when he became a joint
owner, he witnessed nothing else. In his fourth voyage to London, the ves
sel was lost at the Nore, and he and his crew were with difficulty saved. He
then went down to Berwick, to superintend the building of one considerably
larger. During his residence at this port, he preached to crowds with great
acceptance and success. When the ship was finished and laden, the poor peo
ple began to regret the prospect of his departure. The wind was fair, and the
next tide he intended to sail ; but the next morning it became foul, and detain
ed him five weeks longer than he intended. After be had sailed, a gentleman
of Berwick, unknown to Mr. Joss, wrote to an acquaintance of Whitefield
in London, saying what a wonderful preacher they had been favored with for
nine months. He mentioned when he supposed the vessel would be in the
Thames. Her n-ame was the Hartley Trader, but the other coasting crews,.
called her the Pulpit. Whitefield, who had seen the above letter, and
had heard that the ship had come lo her moorings, published, without the
knowledge of Mr. Joss, that a. captain would preach on Saturday evening.
Being found. on board he was apprised of the circumstance, and refused to
comply ; but the messenger resolved not to go on shore till he consented. The
services of this and the ensuing evening, were so gratifying to Whitefield,
that he immediately requested him to leave the sea, and labor in the Taberna
cle connection. To these solicitations he turned a deaf ear; and nothing
"b.'jrt of a speaking Providence would ever have prevailed.
'JThu was his first voyage, and in it he lost his main anchor. On his next
neftirn to London, he preached frequently at the Tabernacl-e, which was greatly
tttended. Whitefield renewed his application — he declined. In this voy
age he lost one of hi.s crew, a promising youth, who was drowned. On his
third voyage to London, his congregations were prodigiously crowded; and
Whitefield pressed on him the duty of leaving a maritime employment, and
being devoted wholly to the ministry. Mr. Joss had on board a younger
brother, a pious man, who was very dear to him on many accounts, and
thought if ever he should change his views, it would be a good situation for
him. He was so far prevailed on, as to send his brother, this trip, while he
supplied the Tabernacle ; but lo ! in going down the river, his brother fell over
the side of the ship, and was drowned. Whitefield then addressed him in
a very solemn manner, saying, " Sir, all these disasters are the fruit of your
disobedience ; and, let me tell you, if you refuse to hearken to the call of God,
both you and your ship will soon go to the bottom!" Overcome by the voics
of Providence, he yielded ; and on his fourth voyage, he quitted the compass,
the chart, and the ocean, for the service of the sanctuary. This was late in
the year 1766. Immediately he entered into close communion with White-
field, who, to the day of his death continued to him his affection, and intrust
ed him with his confidence.
In this change of situation, he could not have been actuated by motives of
a pecuniary nature ; for his prospects in trade were by far more flattering
than in the ministry. His sermons, in the former years of his residence in
town, were not only attended by large auditories, but with energy to the con
version of many souls; nor did God leave him without many witnesses to the
success of his ministerial labors. He generally spent four or five months in the
year out of London, for the purpose of itinerating. In this period, he regular
ly visited South Wales, Gloucestershire, Bristol Tabernacle, and occasion
ally other parts of the kingdom. In Pembrokeshire the Welsh followed hira
in multitudes; and, on the Lord's day, would travel from one to twenty miles
round Haverford West to hear him. To not a few of these he became a spir
itual father ; and, indeed, wherever he exercised his talents, though but a
few weeks, he left some seals of his apostleship behind.
Mr. Joss died of a fever, after a few days illness, on the 17th of April, 1797,
in the 66th year of his age. During his illness, he enjoyed a solid peace ; and
tfce Lord Jesus indulged him with a peculiar manifestation of bis gracious

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 187
dist camp. Had I wings, I would gladly fly from pole to pole ;
but they are clipped by thirty year's feeble labors. Twice or
thrice a week I am permitted to ascend my gospel throne.
The love of Christ, I am persuaded, will constrain you to pray
that the last glimmering of an expiring taper may be blessed
to the guiding of many wandering souls to the Lamb of God."
In the month of November, this year, he visited Bath and
Bristol. At the latter city he had very numerous and respecta
ble auditories (notwithstanding the weather was extremely
bad,.) and administered the sacrament : and at Bath, he never
remembered so large an assembly of nobility and persons of dis
tinction, attending his preaching before.
About the latter end of November, he again returned to Lon
don ; and in a letter dated December 15, says, " I have been
itinerating at Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, and at Oxford, and
humbly hope my feeble labors were not altogether in vain in
the Lord."
In January, 1767, he wrote a recommendatory preface to a
new edition ofthe works of Bishop Banyan, as he used to call
him ; which has been published among his tracts ; and March
20, he was called to open Lady Huntingdon's new chapel at
Brighthelmstone in Sussex, when he preached on 2 Peter iii. 18.
After an excursion to Norwich, in April, 1767, he writes thus;
" I fear my spring and summer fever is returning. If so, my
intended plan of operations will be much contracted. But fu
ture things belong to him who orders all things well." Yet
(to our astonishment) the very next month, we find he preached
at Rodborough, Gloucester, Haverford West, in Wales ; from
which place he writes, May 31: "Thousands and thousands
attend by eight in the morning. Life and light seem to fly all
around. On Tuesday, God willing, I am to preach at Wood
stock ; on Friday, at Pembroke ; here again next Sunday, by
eight; and then for England." And after his return to Glou
cester, June 10, " blessed be God," says he, " I have got on this
presence. Some of his last words were, " Into thy hands I commit my soul !
0 the preciousness of faith! I have finished my course! My pilgrimage is at
an end ! O, thou Friend of sinners, take thy poor old friend home !" The
last w ird he was heard to speak was, " Archangels !" In a few minutes after,
he lifted up both his hands, and smiled and died. Mr. Joss was between thie--
tv and forty years a faithful preacher of the everlasting gospel.
Thus liv'd, and died, this servant of the Lord,
A painful, faithful, preacher of his word ;
Ripen'd in age, and steadlast in the faith,
Joyful he sunk into the arms of death ;
His soul upmounted to- the realms of day;
Let the dark tomb awhile retain his clay,
Which with immortal blooming joys shall rise,
"When the last trumpet shakes the vaulted skies.

188 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
side the Welch mountains. Blessed be God, I have been on
the other side. What a scene last Sunday ! What a cry for
more ofthe bread of life! but I was quite worn down."
September 11, he arrived at Leeds, after preaching at North
ampton and Sheffield on his way. And September 20, he
writes from Newcastle, in high spirits : " I have now a blessed
Methodist field street preaching plan before me. This after
noon in the Castle Garth ; to-morrow for Sunderland, and
then to Yarmouth. I have been enabled to preach in the street
at several places, and hope to go to Gesborough, Whitby, Scar
borough, New Malton, York, Leeds, Liverpool, Chester, and
Manchester." Again from Thirck, September 28 : " My body
feels much fatigued in traveling ; comforts in the soul over
balance." And from Leeds. October 3 : " Field and street
preaching hath rather bettered than hurt my bodily health."
The negotiations about the intended college at Bethesda,
were this winter brought to an issue. A memorial, addressed
to his majesty, was put into the hands of the clerk of the privy
council, selting forth the great utility of a college in that place,
to the inhabitants of the southern provinces ; and praying that
a charter might be granted upon the plan of the college at
New Jersey. This memorial was transmitted by the clerk of
the privy council to the lord president, and by his lordship
referred to the archbishop of Canterbury, to whom also a
draft of an intended charter was presented by the Earl of
Dartmouth. Upon which an epistolary correspondence en
sued between the archbishop and Whitefield ; the consequence
of which was, that his grace gave the draft of the college to
the lord president, who promised he would consider of it ; and
gave it as his opinion, that "the head of the college ought to
be a member of the Church of England ; that this was a quali
fication not to be dispensed with ; and also, that the public
prayers should not be extempore ones, but the liturgy of the
church, or some other settled and established form." Whitefield
replied, that these restrictions he could by no means agree to,
because the greatest part of the collections and contributions
for the Orphan-house, came from Protestant dissenters ; and
because he had constantly declared, that the intended college,
should be founded upon a broad bottom, and no other. " This,"
said he, " I judged I was sufficiently warranted to do, from the
known, long established, mild, and uncoercive genius of the
British government ; also from your grace's moderation toward
Protestant dissenters ; from the unconquerable attachment of
the Americans to toleration principles, as well as from the
avowed, habitual feelings of my own heart.
* This being 4he case, and as your grace, by your silence

Memoirs of whitefield. 189
seems to be like minded with the lord president ; and as your
grace's and his lordship's influence will undoubtedly extend
itself to others, I would beg leave, after returning all due ac
knowledgments, to inform your grace" that I intend troubling
your grace and his lordship no more about this so long depend
ing concern. As it hath pleased the great head of the church,
in some. degree to renew my bodily strength, 1 propose now to
renew my feeble efforts, and turn the charity into a more gene
rous, and consequently into a more useful channel. I have
no ambition to be looked upon as the founder of a college ; but
I would fain act the part of an honest man, a disinterested
minister of Jesus Christ ; and a true catholic, moderate pres
byter of the Church of England."
He now determined, (upon mature deliberation,) in the mean
time, on the addition of a public academy to the Orphan-house,
similar to what was done at Philadelphia, before its college
charter was granted ; and to embrace the first favorable op
portunity that might offer, of making another application for
a charter on a broad bottom. The steps he took in this affair,
are more fully narrated, than the limits of our present plan
would admit, in a letter to Governor Wright. In a letter to his
intimate friend Mr. Keen, he complains, " None but God knows
what a concern is upon me now, in respect of Bethesda. As
another voyage, perhaps, may be the issue and result of all at
last, I would beg you and my dear Mr. H  y to let me have
all my papers and letters, that I may revise and dispose of
them in a proper manner. This can do no hurt, come life or
come death."
October 28, he preached at the Tabernacle, to the society for
promoting religious knowledge amona; the poor ; and collected,
after sermon, upwards of one hundred pounds, above four
times as much as usual ; and besides, gained eighty new sub
scribers. His text was Luke xi. 2. Thy kingdom come. The
place was so full, that many went away who could not get in.
Several dissenting ministers, of different denominations, were
present, perhaps more than ever before attended to hear a cler
gyman of the established church preach. He afterwards dined
at Draper's hall, with the ministers and whole company, who
treated him with great respect. The time was spent in the
utmost harmony ; which gave him much pleasure in reflection.
Early in the year 1768, six pious students were expelled
from St. Edmund hall, in Oxford, for praying, reading, sing
ing hymns, and exhorting each other in private and religious
meetings !
The following is an extract of a letter from Oxford, inserted
in the St. James' Chronicle for Thursday, March 17, 1768 :

190 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
" On Friday last, March 9. 1768, six students belonging to
Edmund hall, were expelled the university after a hearing of
several hours before the vice chancellor and some of the heads
of houses, for holding Methodistical tenets, and taking upon
them to pray, read and expound the scriptures, and sing hymns
in a private house. The principal of the college, the Rev.
Dr. Dixon, defended their doctrines from the thirty-nine arti
cles of the established church, and spoke in the highest terms
of the piety and exemplariness of their lives; but this motion
was overruled, and sentence pronounced against them. Dr.
Dixon observed, that as these six gentlemen were expelled for
having too<much religion, it woifld be very proper to inquire
into the conduct of some who had too little ; and the vice
chancellor was heard to tell their chief accuser, that the uni
versity was much obliged to him for his good work.
The following are \he names of the young men, with the
names of those who passed sentence on them. The sentence
was pronounced in the chapel. James Matthews, Thomas
Jones, Joseph Shipman, Benjamin Kay, Erasmus Middleton,
and Thomas Grove. " For the crimes above mentioned, we,
David Durell, D. D., vice. chancellor of the university, and
visitor of the hall ; Thomas Randolph, D. D., president of C.
C. C. ; Thomas Fothergill, D. D., provost of queen's college ;
Thomas Nowell, D. D., principal of St. Mary's hall ; and the
Rev. Thomas Atterbury, A. M., of Christ's church, senior
proctor, deem each of them worthy pf being expelled the hall ;
I therefore, by my visitorial power, do hereby pronounce them
expelled."* * This event occasioned a long and unpleasant controversy, in which Dr.
Nowell and Sir Richard Hill, Bart, were principal combatants. The apology
offered by the friends of the expulsion was, that the young men had broken
the statutes of the university, which would have been pleaded with abetter
grace, had1 the same zeal for discipline appeared in the expulsion of a few
young men for swearing, gaming, and intoxication, which were certainly not
less irregularities, than extemporary praying, singing hymns, and expounding
the scriptures. The issue exposed the university to a great deal of ridicule,
particularly in the " Shaver, a sermon," which was written by the late Rev.
John McGowan; and was not only very popular at the time, but has gone
through twenty editions. Dr. Home, bishop of Norwich, also wrote in de
fence of the students.
According to the Rev. Dr. Nowell's learned answer to Sir Richard Hill, it
is evidently much more safe, and less impious, to ridicule the miracles of Mo
ses and of Christ, than to pray in private houses without book. The eloquent
orator of the university gives a full account of the case of Mr. W — 11 — ng, a
friend of his oratorship's, who was charged upon oath with the above said
contempt of the scripture, and ridicule of the miracles of Moses and Christ.
The proofs were so poinl blank against the said Rev. Mr. W — 11 — ng, that his
reverence could not deny the charge. Well, then, what was the issue 1 Was
he expelled 1 No, he was not. Uuery, why was he not expelled 7 Answer,
his reverence pleaded his being drunk when he uttered those contemptuous
words against the miracles of Moses and Christ, i. e. The candidate for hoh)

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 191
Upon this occasion Whitefield wrote his letter to Dr. Durell,
vice chancellor of the university ; in which he observes, " that
however criminal the singing hymns in a university might be
deemed, the same practice in a camp, was not thought repre
hensible by a noble general. The late Duke of Cumberland,
who, when in Germany, happened one evening to hear the
sound of voices from a cave at, a little distance, asked the senti
nel what noise it was. He was answered, that it was some de
vout soldiers, who were singing hymns. Instead of citing them
to appear before their officers, ordering them to the halberts to be
whipped, or commanding them to be drummed out of the regi
ment, he pleasantly said, " are they so ? Let them go on, then,
and be as merry as they can." In this he acted wisely ; for he
knew, and found by repeated experience, as did other command
ing officers, that singing and praying, in these private societies,
did not hinder, but rather fitted and animated these pious sol
diers to fight their country's battles in the field ; and it may be
presumed, that if these students had not been expelled for sing
ing hymns, (fee, they certainly would not have been less, but,
in all probability, much better prepared for handling the sword
of the spirit, the word of God, and fighting therewith, either
from the press or the pulpit the battles of the Lord of Hosts."
In the summer, he went the last time to Edinburgh ; and
there the congregations were as large, attentive, and affectionate
as ever.
Soon after his return to London, Mrs. Whitefield fell ill of
an inflammatory fever, and died on the 9th of August. On the
14th he preached her funeral sermon from Romans viii. 20,
and September 12, he writes, " I have been in hopes of my own
departure. Through hard writing, and frequent preaching, T
have burst a vein. The flux is in a great measure stopped : but
rest and quietness are strictly enjoined. We were favored
with glorious gospel gales this day fortnight and several pre
ceding days."
In his memorandum book, he wrote as follows : " August
24, 1768, opened good Lady Huntingdon's chapel and college,
in the parish of Falgarth, Brecknockshire, South Wales* —
orders was drunk when he ridiculed revealed religion ; and yet he got into
orders ; and yet he continues a member of the university !
In the same affair, related by the Rev. Dr. Durell, it is plain that private
religious assemblies, alias cunventicles, are in much less esteem at Oxford,
than tap houses and taverns ; for the six Methodists were expelled for pray
ing in a conventicle, but the Rev. Mr. W— 11 — ng could get drunk in a tap
house, and yet continues a member of the university. Nor can this be denied,
unless the public orator should eat his words; or otherwise show from good
and authentic records, that members of that learned body do occasionally get
drunk within their own peculiar districts.
* Here it may be proper to observe, that the college in Wales ceased at her

192 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD,
preached from Exodus xx, 24. In all places where I record
my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
" August 25. Gave an exhortation to the students in the cok
lege chapel, from Luke i. 15, He shall be great in the sight
of the Lord.
" Sunday, August 28, Preached in the court before the col
lege, the congregation consisting of some thousands, from 1 Cor,
iii. 11. Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
Thus we see him incessantly doing the work of an evangel
ist. Well would it be for the church of Christ, if there were
more of his brethren inclined to follow his steps, even as he
followed Christ !
Concerning his dear departed friend and fellow laborer, Mr.
Middleton, he writes, September 26 : " He is now made per^
fectly whole. He was carried from the Tabernacle last Wednes
day evening, and a subscription opened for his four orphans.
In the midst of his torturing pains, being asked by his daugh
ter how he was, answered, ' a heaven upon earth.' Soon af
terwards he fell asleep in Jesus."
The latter end of this year, we find his health very much
impaired j yet, though in much weakness, he continued to preach
as often as he was able.
Bristol, November 12. "Last night, I hope, the Redeemer
manifested forth his glory. Friday evening, and the following
Sunday, I shall preach at Bath. In three weeks I expect to
reach London, unless called before that period to reside at the
New Jerusalem ; the pleasing prospect lies day and night be
fore me."
Thus this good and great man, found increasing pleasure in
laboring in his Master's vineyard, while pains and infirmities
brought his body low, his soul was exulting in the expectation
of speedily entering into everlasting rest !
It pleased the Lord, in the ensuing spring, 1769, to restore
him a little ; so that he was enabled to preach oftener than he
had done for some time past. His joy was now much increas
ed, by the addition of some noble members, joined to Lady
Huntingdon's society. " Some more coronets, I hear are likely
to be laid at the Redeemer's feet. They glitter gloriously when
set in and surrounded with a crown of thorns."

ladyship's death, the lease being just expired, and no endowment being left,
her income dying with her ; but a new college, on a plan more promising for
literature, has been established at Cheshunt in Herlfordshire near London;
and under the superintending care of trustees appointed for that purpose. A
number of students have been already educated there, and many are gone
forth, now preaching the gospel with much acceptance, from this seminary.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 193
About midsummer, he preached at Kingswood, Bristol,
Bradford, Frome, Chippenham, Rodborough, Castlecomb, and
Dursley. But, intending to open Lady Huntingdon's chapel
at Tunbridge, he did not go his western circuit at this time.
July 23, 1769, he opened Lady Huntingdon's new chapel at
Tunbridge Wells, and preached from Genesis xxviii. 17.
This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gale
of Heaven. The congregation being too large to be accom
modated in the chapel, he preached out of doors, from a mount
in the court before the chapel ; after which he gave a general
exhortation ; and next day administered the Lord's supper, and
preached from Thess. ii. 1 1, 12.
He now began seriously to prepare for another voyage across
the Atlantic, to visit once more his beloved orphans and friends
at Georgia. Accordingly, at the beginning of September, he
embarked the seventh and last time, in the Friendship, Captain
Ball, for America. From on board he writes : " I am comfort
ed on every side — a civil captain and passengers ; all willing
to attend on divine worship, and to hear of religious things."

CHAPTER XX.
From his last embarking for America, to his death, September 30,
1770.
The vessel was detained a month in the Downs, by contrary
winds ; one ship was lost, but the passengers escaped in a boat.
Whitefield, as usual, ever careful to redeem the time, employed
himself in writing many excellent consolatory epistles to hia
numerous friends ; he often preached on board, and sometimes
also on shore, both at Deal and Ramsgate. During the vio
lence of the storms, they sung the following hymns, written by
the Rev. Charles Wesley.
HYMN I.
Lord of the wide extended main,
Whose power the winds and waves controls ;
Whose hand doth earth and heaven sustain,
Whose spirit leads believing souls.
For thee we leave our native shore,
(We, whom thy love delights to keep,)
In other worlds, thy works explore,
And see thy wonders in the deep.
'T is here thy unknown paths we trace,
Which dark to human eyes appear ;
17

194 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
While through the mighty waves we pass,
Faith only sees that God is here !
Throughout the deep thy footsteps shine.
We own thy way is in the sea:
O'er aw'd by majesty divine,
And lost in thy immensity !
Thy wisdom here we learn to adore,
Thy everlasting truth we prove ;
Amazing heights of boundless power.
Unfathomable depths of love !
Infinite God ! thy greatness span'd
These heav'ns, and meted out the skies j
Lo ! in the hollow of thy hand,
The measur'd waters sink and rise !
Thee to perfection, who can tell 1
Earth and her sons beneath thee lie,
Lighter than dust within thy scale,
And less than nothing in thine eye.
Yet in thy Son divinely great,
We claim thy providential care ;
Boldly we stand before thy seat,
Our advocate hath plac'd us there.
Willi him we're going up on high,
Since he is our's, and we are his ;
With him we reign above the sky,
Yet walk upon our subject seas.
We boast of our recover'd powers,
Lords, are we of the lands and floods ;
And earth, and heaven, and all is our's,
And we arc Christ's, and Christ is God's.

HYMN II.
Gi.ory to Thee, whose powerful word,
Bids the tempestuous winds arise ;
Glory to Thee, the sov'reign Lord
Of air, and earth, and seas, and skies 1
Let air, and earth, and skies obey,
And seas thy awful will perform:
From them we learn to own thy sway,
And shout to meet the gathering storm.
What tho' the floods lift up their voice,
Thou hearest, Lord, our louder cry ;
They cannot damp thy children's joys,
Or shake the soul, when God is nigh-
Headlong we cleave the yawning deep,
And back lo highest heaven are borne )
Unmov'd tho' rapid whirlwinds sweep,
And all the watery world upturn.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 195
Roar on, ye waves ! our souls defy
Your roaring to disturb our rest.
In vain to impair the calm ye try,
The calm in a believer's breast.
Rage, while our faith the Savior tries,
Thou sea, the servant of his will :
Rise, while our God permits thee rise ;
But fall, when he snail say, " ee still !"
It is presumed, the following extract from Whitefield's MS.
Journal, relative to this period, will be read with interest.
" Saturday, September 2. Had a most awful parting season
at Tottenham court chapel sacrament, last Sunday morning ;
the sermon from Gen. xxviii. 12. 'And he dreamed, and be
hold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to
heaven ; and, behold, the angels of God ascended and descend
ed on it.' Preached from the same text at the Tabernacle,
which was more than full, on Wednesday morning at seven
o'clock. This day dined with my worthy, fast, and tried friend,
Mr. Keen ; and having comfortably settled, and left all my
outward concerns in his hands, I took an affectionate leave, and
in company with some dear friends, this evening reached
Gravesend ; where others met us. We supped and conversed
together in some degree, I trust, like persons who hoped, ere
long, to sit down together at the marriage feast of the supper
of the Lamb. Hasten, O Lord, that wished for time !
" Sunday, September 3. Preached this morning at the
Methodist's Tabernacle, from John xii. 32. 'And 1, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.' The
congregation was not very large ; but God gave me great
freedom of speech, and made it indeed a house of God, and
gate of heaven. In the afternoon, I preached in the market
place, from Gen. iii. 13. 'And the Lord God said unto the
woman, what is this that thou hast done 1 and the woman said,
the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat' — to a much larger, but
not more devout auditory. In the out-skirts, as might natu
rally be expected, some were a little noisy ; but a great body
were very attentive, and I was enabled lo lift up my voice like
a trumpet. The remainder of the evening was spent as the
night before, with my London christian friends, who, with me,
less than the least of all, exceedingly rejoiced at the opportunity
of a parting street market-place preaching ; where, I trust, some
pennyless bankrupt sinners, were made willing to buy gospel
wine and milk, without money, and without price. May the
great day show, that this hope was not altogether ill grounded !
" Monday, September 4. Had my dear christian friends on
board to breakfast wifh me this morning. Conversation was

196 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
sweet, but parting bitter. What mean you, said the apostle, to
weep and break my heart 1 However, through infinite mercy,
I was helped to bear up ; and after their departure, the divine
presence made up the loss of all, even with new creature com
forts. Lord, if thy divine presence go not with, and accompany
me all the way, for thine infinite mercy's sake, suffer me not
to go one step further !
But I believe thy promise Lord,
Oh! help my unbelief !
" Tuesday, September 5. The captain not coming down aa
was expected, we did not weigh anchor till this morning's ebb.
" The winds being contrary, and the weather hazy, we did
not arrive in the Downs till the Friday following. In the in
terim, I had the opportunity of conversing a little with the pilot,
and strange passengers. All attended divine worship very
orderly, and thanked me for my offer of lending them books,
and giving them what assistance lay in my power, towards
making their voyage comfortable. All seemed thankful, and
the pilot parted with tears in his eyes. May the great and
never failing pilot, the Almighty Jesus, renew us, and take us
all into his holy protection, and then all must necessarily end
in our safe arrival in the haven of eternal rest !
" Tuesday, September 12. Preached last Sunday morning
to my little flock on board', and was most agreeably surprised
to-day, with a kind unexpected visit from the Rev. Dr. Gibbons.
His discourse was very friendly and devout.
"Wednesday, September 13. I went on shore, and attended
an ordination solemnity, at the dissenting meeting. Several mi
nisters officiated. Several very important questions were asked
and answered before, and a solemn charge given after imposi
tion of hands. But the prayer put up in the very act of laying
on of hands, by Dr. Gibbons, was so affecting, and the looks and
behavior of those that joined, so serious and solemn, that I hard
ly know when I was more struck under any one's ministration.
The ordination being over, at the desire of the ministers and
other gentlemen, I went and dined with them; our conversation
was edifying ; and being informed, that many were desirous to
hear me preach, I willingly complied ; and I trust some seed
was sown the same evening at Deal ; which, by God's heavenly
blessing, will spring up to life eternal. The people of Deal
seemed very civil, and some came to me who had not forgotten
my preaching to them, and their deceased friends and parents,
thirty-two years ago.
" Friday, September 15. I had received most pressing invi
tations to visit Ramsgate manv weeks ago. These were now

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 197
repeated by many of that place,, who came to the ordination
at Deal ; so there was no resisting their importunity. We reach
ed Ramsgate at about two, took some refreshment, and there 1
preached about four, not to a very large, but an attentive and
affected auditory. This I did also the morning following ; and
was most agreeably entertained with the discourse and good
memory of one in particular, who had been my fellow passen
ger, and frequent nearer many years ago, in the Wilmington,
Captain Darling, bound to Piscataway, in New England. The
people's behavior here was so undissembledly generous, frank,
genteel, and christian, that I know not where 1 have been more
pleased and delighted. Being quite uneasy, lest by staying
longer I should be unready, if the wind should turn favorable,
I went early on Sunday morning to Deal, and* from thence
immediately on board, and preached in the afternoon. This
morning, I received a surreptitious copy of my Tabernacle fare
well sermon, taken, as the. short hand writer professes, verbatim
as I spoke it. But surely he is mistaken. The whole is so in
judiciously paragraphed, and so wretchedly unconnected, that
1 owe no thanks to the misguided, though it may be well meant
zeal of the writer and publisher, be they who they will. But
such conduct is an unavoidable tax upon popularity. And all
that appear for Jesus Christ and his blessed gospel, must, like
their master, expect to suffer from the false fire of professing
friends, as well as the secret malice of avowed enemies. How
ever, if any one sentence is blessed to the conviction of one
sinner, or the edification of any individual saint, I care not
what becomes of my character, though I would always pray
to be preserved from bringing upon myself, or others, needless
and unnecessary contempt.
"Monday, September 25. Weighed anchor last Tuesday
morning, with a small favorable gale and fine weather. So
many ships which had lain in the Downs, moving at the same
time, and gently gliding by us, together with the prospect of
the adjacent shore, made a most agreeable scene. But it prov
ed only a very transient one. For by the time we got to Fair-
lee, the wind backened, clouds gathered, very violent gales
succeeded, and for several days we were so tossed, that after
coming over against Brighthelmstone, the captain rightly judg
ing, turned back, as did many other ships, and anchored over
against New Rumsey and Dungeness. Lord, in thine own
time, thou wilt give the winds a commission to carry us for
ward towards our desired port !"
Reader! what was it, think you, that inspired this venerable
evangelist with such a firm confidence in the goodness and
mercy of God, towards his people in general, and himself in
17*

198 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
particular 1 Nothing but an experimental knowledge of, and
a steadfast belief in the most important doctrines of grace !
For in a letter to administer, written many years ago, he thus
expresses himself: — "The doctrines I have preached, come
with double evidence upon my mind day by day. I am more
convinced that they are the truths of God : they agree with
the written word, and the experience of all the saints in all
ages. Nothing more confirms me in the belief of them, than
the opposition that is made against them, by natural men.
Election, free grace, free justification, without any
regard to works foreseen, are such paradoxes, to carnal minds,
that they cannot away with them. This is the wisdom of God,
which is foolishness with men ; and which, the Lord being my
helper, I intend to exalt and contend for more and more ; not
with carnal weapons, that be far from me ; but with the sword
of tile spirit, the word of God. No sword like that." And be
Continued to preach, and earnestly contend for those God ex
alting, creature humbling truths. " Truths which," as a good
man once said,* " lie at the fountain of God's glory and his peo-
^!s!s comfort, not only to this period, but to the end df his life !"
At length they were enabled to clear the channel ; and pro-
eoeding on their voyage, arrived safe on November 30, at
Uharleston, in South Carolina. They had a most perilous and
trying passage ; yet, on his arrival, Whitefield found himself
ia a much better state of health, than after any voyage he had
made for many years. And his eagerness to promote the glory
of God, and the good of precious souls, increased with his
bodily strength, so that the same day he landed on the Ameri
can shore, he preached at Charleston, where his reception was
as hearty, or more so than ever. Here he was met by Mr.
Wright, who brought him the welcome news that all things
were in great forwardness at Bethesda.
In his memorandum book, is written the following : — " No
vember, 1769. For the last week we were beating about our
port, within sight of it, and continued for two days in five fath
om hole, just over the bar. A dangerous situation, as the wind
blew bard, and our ship, like a young christian, for want of
more ballast, would not obey the helm. But through infinite
mercy, on November 30, a pilot boat came and took us safe
ashore to Charleston, after being on board almost thirteen
weeks. Friends received me most cordially. Praise the Lord,
0 fny soul, and forget not all his mercies. Oh ! to begin to
b© a christian and minister of Jesus !"
* Mr. William Mason, author of the Spiritual Treasury, and many other
valuable pieces, which have been made exceedingly useful to many of God's
children.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 199
When he reached Bethesda, he writes : — " January 11, 1770.
Every thing exceeds my most sanguine expectations. I am
almost tempted to say, it is good for me to be here ; but all
must give way to gospel ranging — divine employ !
" For this, let men revile my name,
I'll shun no cross, I'll fear no shamej
All hail, reproach !  "
In another letter, Whitefield says, " And the increase of this
colony is almost incredible. Two wings are added to the
Orphan-house, for the accommodation of students ; of which
Governor Wright laid the foundation, March 25, 1769."
The very great esteem which the whole colony entertained
for Whitefield, and which at this time, in particular, they
thought it their duty to express, appears from the following
papers : —
"Commons House of Assembly, Monday, January 29,
1770. Mr. Speaker reported, that he, with the house, having
waited on the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, in consequence of his in
vitation, at the Orphan-house academy, beared him preach a
very suitable and pious sermon on the occasion ; and with
great pleasure observed the promising appearance of improve
ment, towards the good purposes intended, and the decency
and propriety of behavior of the several residents there ; and
were sensibly affected, when they saw the happy success which
has attended Whitefield's indefatigable zeal for promoting the
welfare of the province in general, and the Orphan-house in
particular. Ordered, that this report be printed in the Gazette.
"John Simpson, Clerk."
Extract from the Georgia Gazette. " Savannah, January
31, 1770. 'Last Sunday, his excellency the governor, council
and assembly, having been invited by the Rev. Mr. Whitefield,
attended at divine service in the chapel of the Orphan-house
academy, where prayers Avere read by the Rev. Mr. Ellington,
and a very suitable sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr.
Whitefield. from Zachariah iv. 10, ' For who has despised the
day of small things'?' to the great satisfaction of the auditory ;
in which he took occasion to mention the many discourage
ments he met with, well known to many there, in carrying on
the institution for upwards of thirty years past, and the present
promising prospect of its future and more extensive usefulness.
After divine service, the company were very politely enter
tained with a handsome aud plentiful dinner ; and were greatly
pleased to see the useful improvements made in the house, the

2KX) MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
two additional wings for apartments for students, one hundred
and fifty feet each in length, and other lesser buildings, in so
tnuch forwardness ; and the whole executed with taste, and in
so masterly a manner ; and being sensible of the truly gene
rous and disinterested benefactions derived to the province
through his means, they expressed their gratitude in the most
respectful terms."
The following speech was delivered by an orphan, after
Whitefield's sermon preached before the governor, and others,
January 28, 1770.
" When I consider where I stand, and before whom I am
about to speak, no wonder that, previous to my rising, a tremb
ling seized my limbs ; and now, when risen, a throbbing seizes
my heart ; and, as a consequence of both, shame and confu*
sion cover my face. For what am I, a poor unlettered orphan,
unlearned, almost in the very rudiments of my mother tongue.
and totally unskilled in the persuasive arts of speaking, that I
should be called to speak before such a venerable, august as
sembly, as is this day convened under Bethesda's roof? But,
when 1 reflect, that I stand dp at your command, reverend sir,
to whom, under God, I owe my little ail ; and when I further
reflect on the well known candor of those that compose this
venerable, august assembly, my trembling begins to abate, my
throbbing ceases, and a gleam of hope breaks in, that the
tongue of the stammerer will, in some degree, be able to speak
plain. But where shall I begin ? and how shall I express the
various emotions that, within the space of half an hour, alter
nately agitated and affected my soul ? If the eye, as I have
been taught to think, is the looking-glass of the soul ; and if
the outward gestures, and earnest attention, are indications
expressive of the inward emotions and dispositions of the hu
man heart, then a heartfelt complacency and joy hath pos
sessed the souls of many in this assembly, whilst the reverend
founder hath been giving from the pulpit such a clear, succinct,
and yet withal, affecting account of the rise and progress of his
Orphan-house academy, and of the low estate of this now
flourishing colony, when the first brick of this edifice was laid.
All hail that happy day ! which we now commemorate, when
about thirty-two years ago, in faitli and fervent prayer, the first
brick of this edifice was laid. Many destitute orphans were
eoon taken in, and without any visible fund, in the dearest part
of his majesty's dominions, more than fifty laborers were em
ployed and honorably paid ; and a large orphan family, for
these many years, has been supported, clothed, and brought up
In the nurture and admonition of the Lord. O could these
walls speak ! could every chamber, every corner of this fabrio

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 201
speak ! what agonizing supplications, what inwrought ener
getic prayers would they tell us they had been witness to ; and
also of the blessed fruits, of which we are now partakers !
Behold ! a once infant, deserted, and despised colony, not only
hfting up its drooping head, and in some degree overtopping,
at least, for trade, and increase and extent of commerce, vieing
with some of its neighboring provinces. Behold ! the once
despised institution ! the very existence of which, for many
years denied, through the indefatigable industry, unparalleled
disinterestedness, and unwearied perseverance of its reverend
founder, expanding and stretching its wings, not only to receive
a larger number of helpless orphans like myself, but to nurse
and cherish many of the rising generation, training them up
to be ornaments both in church and state. For ever adored be
that providence, that power and goodness, which have brought
matters to such a desirable and long expected issue ! Thanks,
thanks be rendered to your excellency, for the countenance
you have always given to this beneficent plan, for laying the
first brick of yonder wings this time twelve mouth, and for the
favor of your company on this our anniversary. Thanks to
you, Mr. President,* who have long been a fellow helper in this
important work, and have now the pleasure of seeing the fruit
of all your labors. Thanks to the gentlemen of his majesty's
honorable council, and to the members of the general assembly,
who so warmly recommended the utility of this institution.
Thanks to you, sir, who first opened it by preaching. Thanks
to you who left your native country, and without fee or reward,
have for many years labored and watched over us in the Lord.
Thanks to all who have this day honored us with their pre
sence. And, above all, thanks, more than an orphan tongue
can utter, or orphan hearts conceive, be under God, rendered
unto you, most honored sir, who have been so happily instru
mental, in the hands of a never failing God, in spreading his
everlasting gospel." TO MR. ROBERT KEEN.
February 10, 1770, Whitefield writes : " Through infinite
mercy, this leaves me enjoying a greater share of bodily health
than I have known for many years. I am now enabled to
preach almost every day, and my poor feeble labors seem not
to be in vain in the Lord. Blessed be God, all things are in
great forwardness a-t Bethesda. I have conversed with the
governor in the most explicit manner, more than once, con
cerning an act of assembly, for the establishment of the intend-
• The Hon. Mr. Habersham, president of his majesty's council and Mr.
Whitefield's executor, in Georgia.

202 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ed Orphan-house college.* He most readily consents. I have
shown him a draught, which he much approves of, and all will
be finished at my return from the northward: in the mean while,"
the building will be carried on. As two ministers from New Jer
sey and Rhode Island, have been soliciting benefactions for
their respective colleges, no application of that nature can be
made here ; but the Lord will provide ! My eyes wait upon Him,
from whom all temporal and spiritual salvations come. Since
my being in Charleston, I have shown the draught to some
persons of great eminence and influence. They highly approve
of it, and willingly consent to be some of the wardens. Nearly
twenty are to be of Georgia, and about six of this place ; one
of Philadelphia, one of New York, one of Boston, three of
Edinburgh, two of Glasgow, and six of London. Those of
Georgia and South Carolina, are to be qualified ; the others to
be only honorary corresponding wardens. I have therefore
taken the freedom of nominating ****** ; and as my name is to
be annihilated, they may accept the trust without expecting
much trouble, or suffering contempt for being connected with
me. This. I think, is the chief of the plan : more particulars
that may occur, together with the draught of the charter, you
may expect hereafter." TO THE SAME.
" Charleston, February 12, 1770.
" No letters by the packet, or another ship, that hath brought
in above five hundred from London. As I hear Captain
Rainer is bound to Savannah, 1 hope at my return to Bethesda,
to find a letter there. Your last, dated November 2, was imme
diately answered. Mr. B  s will accept my most grateful
acknowledgments for his kind present of maps and charts. In
a few months, I hope, all will be completed. But what may
these few months produce? Lord Jesus, prepare us for what-
soever thou hast prepared for us, and give peace in our time,
for thine infinite mercy's sake ! You must expect another
draught soon. God be praised for that saying, 'it is more
blessed to give than to receive.' You would be pleased to see
with what attention people hear the word preached. I have
been in Charleston near a fortnight — am to preach at a neigh
boring country parish church next Sunday, and hope to see
Georgia the week following. Perhaps I may sail from thence
* A paper of College Rules was found written with his own hand, and in
which he orders the following authors in divinity to be read: Henry, Dod
dridge, Guyle, Bnrkitt, Willison, Professor Franck, Boston, jenks, Hervey,
Hall, Edwards, Trapp, Pool, Warner, Leighton, Pearson, Owen, Bunyan,
and the Homilies to be read publicly by rotation. He intended to publish a
aev edition of the Homilies. '

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 203
to the northward, and perhaps embark from thence. Lord
Jesus, direct my goings in thy way ! I am blessed with bodily
health, and am enabled to go on my way rejoicing. Grace !
grace ! Join in shouting those blessed words. I wrote by one
Captain Watt, who was to sail from Georgia this week. In that
you will find something concerning my late visit to, and pub
lic entertainment at Bethesda. You see how often I pester you
with letters. I can only add, that you may tell all, I am hap
pier than words can express ; which I take, in a great measure,
to be owing to the prayers of my dear English friends, which
are daily put up for me, and I hope daily returned by, an un
worthy worm." TO ANOTHER FRIEND.
" Charleston, February 27, 1770.
" I owe you an answer to your kind letter. Blessed be God,
1 can send you good news from a far country ! All things at
Bethesda go on quite well. My bodily health is on the ad
vance ; and the word, I trust, runs and is glorified. At present
my intended plan about returning, continues the same ; but all
depends on news from home. Strange ! that none could write
a line or two by so many ships. Only one letter have I re
ceived from Mr. Keen, since my arrival. Next week, God
willing, I return to Georgia ; and soon after, I purpose to go to
the northward. I know who will follow me with their prayers
— they will avail much. The Lord Jesus be with all your
spirits ! I suppose you heard from Bethesda, by Captain An
derson. Mr. Wright is the main spring, with regard to the
buildings ; and all the other wheels move orderly and well.
Praise the Lord, 0 my soul ! O this pilgrim way of life ! To
me it is life indeed. No nestling, no nestling, my dear Mr.
Brown, on this side eternity. This is not our rest. Ere long
we shall sing : All our sorrows left below,
And earth exchang'd for heaven.
" Leaving you to add Hallelujah ; and sending most hearty
greetings to your whole self."
" Savannah, March 11, 1770.
a Blessed be God, the good wine seemed to be kept to the last,
at Charleston. Last Thursday, I returned, and found all weD
at Bethesda. I am come to town to preach this morning, though
somewhat fatigued, with being on the water three nights.
Upon the whole, however, I am better in health than I have
been for many years. Praise the Lord, O my soul ! I have
been sadly disappointed in receiving no letters by the Charley

204 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ton packet. All knew that I was to be in those parts, only till
the ensuing lady-day : then I purpose to set off for the north
ward. I drew at Charleston for  . Perhaps may draw
again soon. Expect more particulars in a few days. This is
waited for. God bless you all ! Dearly beloved in the Lord,
pray for us. Time is scarce allowed me to subscribe myself,
my very dear friend, " Less than the least of all,
" G. W."
" Bethesda, April 6, 1770.
" I am waiting here for a brig that is to carry me northward,
and for a letter and news from England. Your last was dated
November 2. Several months have intervened. I now almost
despair of hearing from you again, till my arrival at Boston.
But I hope that you, and all, remember us oftener than you
write. You are daily remembered at a throne of grace. How
glad would many be to see our Goshen, our Bethel, our Bethes
da ! Never did I enjoy such domestic peace, comfort, and joy,
during my whole pilgrimage. It is unspeakable, it is full of
glory. Peace, peace unutterable attends our paths : and a
pleasing prospect of increasing, useful prosperity is continually
rising to our view. I have lately taken six poor children, and
God willing, purpose to add greatly to their number. Dear Mr.
D  n and his wife are to sail next month, in the Brittania,
Captain Dean, bound for Portsmouth. We part with great
respect. Fain would I retain such an old, tried, disinterested
friend, in the service of the sanctuary, and near my person.
But what scheme to pursue, I know not, being uncertain as to
the path which I shall be called to take. A few months will
determine, perhaps a few weeks. In the mean while, I can
only commend you all to the blessed Jesus, and the word of his
grace ; and entreat the continuance of your prayers. Again,
hallelujah ! ] raise the Lord ! The books and letters, both by
Ball and Sunbury, are come safe. You have done quite right.
Our Lord must choose his own means to bring about his own
purpose. Mr. Smith, the clerk, was much rejoiced by receiving
a letter. Poor Mr. Jacob W  1, an honest, industrious
creature, was as much dejected by receiving none. If Mr.
G  s had added a line or two to his present, it would have
been doubly acceptable. Next week, God willing, we sail for
Philadelphia, I shall leave letters behind me to come by
Mr. D- — n. All is well — all more than well here ? Never,
never did I enjoy such an era of domestic peace and happiness.
I have taken about trm orphans. Prizes ! Prizes ! Hallelujah !
Join, my very dear friends, join in praising Him whose name
endureth for ever. If possible, 1 shall write a Une to the Welch

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 205
brethren. They have sustained a loss indeed, in the death of
Mr. Howell Davies. God sanctify it ! surely my time will come
toy and by. But I must away to Savannah. Real good, I trust,
is done there." "Bethesda, April 20, 1770.
" To my very great joy, a few days ago, I received your very
kind letters, with all the papers. We enjoy a little heaven on
earth here. With regret I go northward, as far as Philadelphia
at least, next Monday. Though I am persuaded, as the house
is now altered, I should be cooler here, during the summer's
heat than at any other place I know of, where I used to go. I
should be glad to treat you with some of the produce of our
, colony, which is much earlier than yours. The audits, &c,
sent with this, be pleased to communicate to all my real friends.
You have certainly determined quite right in a late affair.
Every thing concurs to show me, that Bethesda's affairs must go
on as yet in their old channel. A few months may open strange
scenes. O for a spirit of love and moderation on all sides, and
, on both sides the water ! I wish some books might be procured
for our infant library ; but more of this in our next. Letters
may now be sent by way of Boston, New York, and Philadel
phia. I should be glad to hear often, if it be but a line. In
all probability, I shall not return hither till November. Was
ever any man blessed with such a set of skillful, peaceful,
laborious helpers ! O Bethesda, my Bethel, my Peniel ! My
, happiness is inconceivable. A few hundreds besides what is
already devoted, would finish all, I do not in the least doubt
I have had nine or ten prizes lately. You know what I mean
— nine or ten orphans have lately been taken in. Hallelujah!
hallelujah ! let chapel, Tabernacle, heaven, and earth rebound
.with hallelujah ! I can no more. My heart is too big to speak
. or add more." Bethesda, April 21, 1770.
" This comes to, inform you, that the Father of mercies has
, not forgotten to be gracious to the chief of sinners, and less than
the least of all saints. On the contrary, he daily loads us with
his benefits. Bethesda is a place, that the Lord doth and will
bless. Dear Mr. D  n and his wife will inform you of
particulars. Among other things, they will tell you of our new
chapel. I have sent for sundries for its use and completion. O
help me to praise Him, whose loving kindness is better than
life ! I hope your daughter grows in grace, and will become
like unto one of the polished comers of the temple. That root
and branch may increase, with all the increase of God, most
cordially prays, &c."
From these . and the following extracts, may be seen ti*e
18'

206 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
astonishing goodness of God to this distinguished minister of
Christ. What blessings attend his ministry ! What success
crowned all his undertakings ! How was his soul supported
under every difficulty, amid hosts of foes, against all opposition !
Still was he enabled to triumph, and come off more than con
queror through Hirh that loved him.
"Bethesda, April 21, 1770.
" No such good news yet. Less than the least of all is not
drowned to this veiy day. Perhaps he may live to see his
London friends in England, or at Bethesda. How would many
rejoice to be in such a peaceable, commodious, and comfortable
habitation ! I cannot tell you half. Blessed be God, I was
never better at this season of the year in bodily health — never
more comfortable in my soul. Grace ! grace ! hallelujah J
praise the Lord.
" Again— Well ! so that we may die daily to ourselves and
the world, all is well, and shall be well. This I am persuaded
is your happy case ; and, in some degree, I trust, it is mine."
" Savannah, April 24, 1770.
" Five in the morning ; I am just going into the boat, in or
der to embark for Philadelphia. I hope the good wine was
left to the last on Sunday. Mr. D  n and his wife, are to sail
in a fortnight. He is an honest creature, and an excellent ac
countant. I have written strongly on his behalf. He will
bring a large packet, and is to have  pounds of you, which
I have given him as a present. This will prove a blessed yeai
for me at the day of judgment. Hallelujah ! come Lord,
come ! Mr. Robert Wright has herewith sent you a power of
attorney, begging you would settle his affairs in Essex. He is
worthy, for whom you should do this. A quiet, ingenious,
good creature ; and his wife an excellent mistress of the family.
Such a set of helpers I never met with. They will go on with
the buildings, while I take my gospel range to the northward.
It is for thee, O Jesus, even for thee, thou never failing Be-
thesda's God !" "Philadelphia, May 9, 1770.
" This leaves me a two days' inhabitant of Philadelphia. I
embarked at Savannah in the Georgia packet, on the twenty-
fourth ultimo, and arrived here the sixth instant. The even
ing following, I was enabled to preach to a large auditory,
and was to repeat the delightful task this evening. Pulpits,
hearts, and affections, seem to be as open and enlarged towards
me as ever. Praise the Lord, O my soul ! As yet I have my
old plan in view, to travel in these northern parts all summer,

MEMOIRS of whitefield. 207
and return late in the fall to Georgia. Through infinite mercy,
I still continue in good health, and more and more in love
every day with a pilgrim life. God bless you and all my dear
friends and hearers in the great metropolis. I know they
pray for me. They are never forgotten day or night"
" Philadelphia, May 24, 1770.
" I have now been here near three weeks ; and in about a week
more, I purpose to set off for New York, in my way to Boston.
A wide and effectual door, I trust, has been opened in this
city. People of all ranks flock as much as ever. Impressions
are made on many, and I trust they will abide. To all the
episcopal churches, as well as most of the other places of wor
ship, I have free access. Notwithstanding.! preach twice on
the Lord's day, and three or four times a week besides, yet I
am rather better than I have been for many years. This is
the Lord's doing. To the long suffering, never failing Lord,
be all the glory." "Philadelphia, June 14, 1770.
" This leaves me just returned from a one hundred and fifty
miles' circuit, in which, blessed be God, I have been enabled
to preach every day. So many new as well as old doors are
open, and so many invitations sent from various quarters, that
I know not which way to turn myself. However, at present,
I am bound to New York. Help me to praise him whose
mercy endureth for ever. As yet I am enabled to ride and
travel cheerfulfy ; the heat not being greater than in England.
Expect to hear further, as we go along. The ship I find is
going." " New York, June 30. •
" I have been here just a week. Have been enabled to preach
four times ; and am to repeat the delightful task this evening.
Congregations, are larger than ever. You will see, by the in
closed packet, what numerous invitations from every quarter,
I am daily receiving. Blessed be God, I have been strengthen
ed to itinerate and preach daily, for some time. Next week I
purpose to go to Albany ; from thence, perhaps, to the Oneida
Indians ; there is to be a very large Indian congress ; Mr.
Kirkland accompanies me. He is a truly christian minister,
and missionary. Every thing possible should be done to
strengthen his hands and his heart. I shall write, God willing
at my return. Perhaps I may not see Georgia till Christmas.
As yet, I keep to my intended plan, in respect to my returning.
Lord Jesus direct my goings in thy way ! The heat begins
now to be a little intense ; but, through mercy, I am enabled
to bear up bravely. What a God do we serve !"

208 memoirs of whitefield.
Infidel ! read and tremble ! This awful God who- thus pre
serves the men who fear him, though earth and hell, unite'
against them ; this God shall surely come in flaming fire, to"
judge and punish all who now despise his power, reject his
word, and persecute his saints !
But, 0 ye fearful saints, fresh courage take ; for this same
God is yonr's, your Father and your Friend. For you He
comes in smiling majesty, with his angelic hosts, to raise your
ransomed souls from earth to heaven !
"New York, July 29, 1770.
" Since my last and during this month, I have been above
a five hundred miles' circuit ; and have been enabled to preach
and travel through the heat every day. The congregations
have been very large, attentive, and affected, particularly at
Albany, Schenectady, Great Barrington, Norfolk, Salisbury,
Sharon, Smithfield, Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, New Rumbart,
New Windsor, and Peck's Hill. Last night I returned hither,
and hope to set out for Boston in two or three days. O what
a new scene of usefulness is opening in various parts of this
world ! All fresh work, where I have been. The divine in
fluence has been as at first. Invitations crowd upon me both
from ministers and people, from many, many quarters. A very
peculiar providence led me lately to a place where a horse
stealer was executed. Thousands attended. The poor crimi
nal had sent me several letters, hearing I was in the country.
The sheriff allowed him to come and hear a sermon under an
adjacent tree. Solemn, solemn ! After being, by himself about
an hour, 1 walked half a mile with him to the gallows. His
heart had been softened before my first visit. He seemed full
of solid, divine consolation. An instructive walk ! I went up
with him into the cart. He gave a short exhortation. I then
stood upon the coffin — added, I trust, a word in season — pray
ed, gave the blessing, and took my leave. Effectual good, I
hope, was done to the hearers and spectators. Grace ! grace I
But I must not enlarge." Boston, September 17.
He sends the following letter to Mr. Wright, at Bethesda : —
" Fain would I come by Captain Souder, from Philadelphia ;
but people are so importunate for my stay in these parts, that I
fear it will be impracticable. My God will supply all my wants
according to the riches of his grace in Christ Jesus. Two or
three evenings ago, I was taken in the night with a violent
flux, attended with retching and shivering: so that I was
obliged to return from Newbury, but through infinite mercy, I
am restored, and to-morrow morning hope to begin again.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 209
Never was the word received with greater eagerness than now.
All opposition seems, as it were, for a while to cease. I find
God's time is the best. The season is critical as to outward
circumstances ; but when forts are given up, the Lord Jesus
can appoint salvation for walls arid for bulwarks ; he has
promised to be a wall of fire round about his people. This
comforts me concerning Bethesda, though we should have a
Spanish war. You wuTbe pleased to hear, I never was carried
through the summer's heat so well."
And lastly, to his dear friend, Mr. Keen, in London. " Ports
mouth, New Hampshire, September 23, 1770. By this time I
thought to be moving southward. But never was greater im
portunity used to detain me longer in these northern parts.
Poor New England is much to be be pitied ; Boston people
most of all. How grossly misrepresented ! What a mercy that
our christian charter cannot be dissolved ! Blessed be God for
an unchangeable Jesus ! You will see, by the many invita
tions, what a door is opened for preaching the everlasting gos
pel. I was so ill on Friday, that I could not preach, though
thousands were waiting to hear. Well, the day of release will
shortly come, but it does not seem yet ; for by riding sixty
miles I am better, and hope to preach here to-morrow. I trust
my blessed Master will accept these poor efforts lo serve him.
O for a warm heart ! O to stand fast in the faith, to acquit our
selves like men, and be strong ! May this be the happy expe
rience of you and your's ! 1 suppose your letters are gone for
me in the Anderson to Georgia. If spared so long, I expect to
see it about Christmas. Still pray and praise. I am so poorly,
and so engaged when able to preach, that this must apologize
for 'not writing to more friends ; it is quite impracticable. Hop
ing to see all dear friends about the time proposed, and ear
nestly desiring a continual interest in all your prayers, &c."*
Thus end the epistles of this truly great man ; of whom
the pious Mr. Hervey once wrote to a friend thus : " I have
seen lately that most excellent minister of the ever blessed
Jesus, Mr. Whitefield. I dined, supped, and spent the evening
with him at Northampton, in company with Dr. Doddridge,
and two pious, ingenious clergymen of the Church of Eng
land, both of them known to the learned world by their valu
able writings. And surely, I never spent a more delightful
evening, or saw one that seemed to make nearer approaches to
the felicity of heaven. A gentleman of great worth and rank
in the town, invited us to his house, and gave us an elegant
treat ; how mean was his provision, how coarse his delicacies,
* Whitefield died the 30th.
18*

210 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD*.
compared with the fruit of my friend's lips ; they dropped as
the honey-comb, and were as a well of life. Surely people
do not know that amiable and exemplary man, or else, I can
not but think, instead of depreciating, they would applaud
and love him. For my part, I never beheld so fair a copy of
our Lord — such a living image of the Savior — such exalted
delight in God — such enlarged benevolence to man — such a
steady faith in divine promises— and such a fervent zeal for
the divine glory — and all this without the least moroseness of
humor, or extravagancies of behavior, sweetened with the most
engaging cheerfulness of temper, and regulated by all the so
briety of reason, and wisdom of scripture ; insomuch, that I
cannot forbear applying the wise man's encomium of an illus
trious woman, to this eminent minister of the everlasting
gospel ; many sons have done virtuously, but thou excellest
them all."
From the 17th to the 20th of September, Whitefield preached
every day in Boston ; on the 20th of September, at Newton ;
and proceeded from Boston, September the 21st, on an excur
sion to the eastward, although at that time indisposed. At
Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, he preached daily from the
23d to the 29th of September ; also once at Kittery, and once
at York ; and, on Saturday morning, September 29, he set out
for Boston ; but before he came to Newburyport, where he had
engaged to preach next morning, he was importuned to preach
by the way, at Exeter. At the last he preached in the open
air, to accommodate the multitudes that came to hear him, no
house being able to contain them. He continued his discourse
nearly two hours, by which he was greatly fatigued ; notwith
standing which, in the afternoon, he set off for Newburyport,
where he arrived that evening ; and soon after retired to rest,
being Saturday night, fully intent on preaching the next day.
His rest was much broken, and he awoke many times in tho
night, and complained very much of an oppression at his lungs,
breathing with much difficulty. And at length, about six
o'clock on the Lord's day morning, he departed this life, in a
fit of the asthma.
Thus died this faithful laborer in the gospel vineyard, who
finished his course with joy, and is now singing the praises of
that Jesus whom he so many years delighted to preach. Read
er ! may you and I be prepared to follow him !
Mr. Richard Smith, who attended Whitefield from England'
to America the last time, and was his constant companion in
all his journeyings while there, till the time of his decease, has
given the following particular account of his death and in
terment :

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 211
"On Saturday, September 29, 1770, Mr. Whitefield rode
from Portsmouth to Exeter, (fifteen miles,) in the morning, and
preached there to a very great multitude, in the fields. It is
remarkable, that before he went out to preach that day, (which
proved to be his last sermon,) Mr. Clarkson, senior, observing
him more unecasy than usual, said to him, ' Sir, you are more
fit to go to bed than to preach.' To which Mr. Whitefield
answered, ' true sir ;' but turning aside, he clasped his hands
together, and looking up, said, ' Lord Jesus, I am weary in thy
work, but not of thy work. If I have not yet finished my
course, let me go and speak for thee once more in the fields,
seal thy truth, and come home and die.' His last sermon was
from 2 Cor. xiii. 5. ' Examine yourselves, whether ye be in
the faith ; prove your own selves : know ye not your own
selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ?'
He dined at Captain Gilman's. After dinner, Whitefield and
Mr. Parsons rode to Newburyport. I did not get there till two
or three hours after them. I found them at supper. I asked
Whitefield, how he felt himself after his journey. He said, ' he
was tired, therefore he supped early, and would go to bed.'
Me eat a very little supper, talked but little, asked Mr. Parsons
'to discharge the table, perform family duty ; and then retired
up stairs. He said, ' that he would sit and read till I came to
him,' which I did as soon as possible ; and found him reading
in the Bible, with Dr. Watts' Psalms lying open before him.
He asked me for some water gruel, and took about half his
usual quantity ; and kneeling down by the bedside, closed the
evening with prayer. After a little conversation, he went to rest,
and slept till two in the morning, when he awoke me, and
asked for a little cider, of which he drank about a wine glass
full. I asked him how he felt, for he seemed to pant for breath.
He told me, 'his asthma was coming on him again ; he must
have two or three days' rest. Two or three days' riding, with
out preaching, would set him up again.' Soon afterwards, he
asked me to put the window up a little higher, (though it was
half up all night,) ' for,' said he, ' I cannot breathe ; but I hope
I shall be better by and by ; a good pulpit sweat to-day, may
give me relief: I shall be better after preaching.' I said to him,
I wished he would not preach so often. He replied, ' I had
rather wear out than rust out.' I then told him, I was afraid
he took cold in preaching yesterday. He said, ' he believed he
had ;' and then sat up in the bed, and prayed that God would
be pleased to' bless his preaching where he had been, and also
bless his preaching that day, that more souls might be brought
to Christ ; and prayed for direction, whether he should winter
at Boston, or hasten to the southward— prayed for a blessing ore

212 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
his Bethesda college, and his dear family there ; for the Ta
bernacle and chapel congregations, and all connections on the
other side of the water ; and then laid himself down to sleep
again. This was nigh three o'clook. At a quarter past four
he waked, and said, ' my asthma, my asthma is coming on ; 1
wish I had not given out word to preach at Haverhill, on Mon
day ; I don't think I shall be able ; but I shall see what to-day
will bring forth. If I am no better to-morrow, I will take two
or three days' ride !' He then desired me -to warm him a little
gruel ; and, in breaking the fire wood, 1 waked Mr. Parsons,
who, thinking I knocked for him, rose and came in. He went
to Whitefield's bed-side, and asked him how he felt himself.
He answered, 'I am almost suffocated. I can scarce breathe,
my asthma quite chokes me.' I was then not a little surprised,
to hear how quick, and with what difficulty he drew his breath.
He got out of bed, and went to the open window for air. This
was exactly at five o'clock. I went to him, and for about the
space of five minutes saw no danger, only that he had a great
difficulty in breathing, as I had often seen before. Soon after
wards he turned himself to me. and said. ' / am dying.' I
said, ' I hope not, sir.' He ran to the other window, panting
for breath, but could get no relief. It was agreed that I should
go for Dr. Sawyer ; and on my coming back, I saw death on
his face; and he again said, '/ am dying.' His eyes were
fixed, his under lip drawing inward every time he drew breath ;
he went towards the window, and we offered him some warm
wine, with lavender drops, which he refused. I persuaded
him to sit down in the chair, and have his cloak on ; he con-
rented by a sign, but could not speak. I then offered bim the
glass of warm wine ; he took half of it, but it seemed as if it
would have stopped his breath entirely. In a little time he
brought up a considerable quantity of phlegm and wind. I then
began to have some small hopes. Mr. Parsons said, he thought
Whitefield breathed more freely than he did, and would recover.
I said, 'no sir, he is certainly dying.' I was continually em
ployed in taking the phlegm out of his mouth with a handker
chief, and bathing his temples with drops, rubbing his wrists,
&c, to give him "relief, if possible, but all in vain ; his hands
and feet were as cold as clay. When the doctor came in, and
saw him in the chair leaning upon my breast, he felt his pulse,
and said, 'he is a dead man.' Mr. Parsons said, 'I do not be
lieve it ; you must do something, doctor !' He said, ' I cannot ;
he is now near his last breath.' And indeed, so it was ; for
he fetched but one grasp, and stretched out his feet, and breath
ed no more. This was exactly at six o'clock. We continued
rubbing his legs, hands, and feet with warm cloths, and bathed

DEATH OP WHITEFIELD

" We continued rubbing his legs, hands and feet with warm cloths, and bathed him with
spirits for some time, but all in rain." p. 212.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 213
him with spirits for some time, but all in vain. I then put
him into a warm bed, the doctor standing by, and often raised
him upright, continued rubbing him and putting spirits to
his nose for an hour, till all hopes were gone. The people
came in crowds to see him ; I begged the doctor to shut the
door.* " The Rev. Mr. Parsons, at whose house my dear master
died, sent for Captain Fetcomb, and Mr. Boadman, and others
of his elders and deacons, and they took the whole of the burial
upon themselves ; prepared the vault, and sent and invited the
bearers. Many ministers, of all persuasions, came to the house
of the Rev. Mr. Parsons, where several of them gave a very
particular account of their first awakenings under his ministry,
several years ago, and also of many in their congregations,
that to their knowledge, under God, owed their conversion
wholly to his coming among them, often repeating the blessed
seasons they had enjoyed under his preaching : and all said,
that his last visit was attended with more power than any
other ;' and that all opposition fell before him. Then one and
another of them would pity and pray for his dear Tabernacle and
chapel congregations, and it was truly affecting to hear them
bemoan the calamity of America and England. Thus they
continued for two hours conversing about his great usefulness,-
and praying that God would scatter his gifts and drop his man
tle among them. When the corpse was placed at the foot of
the pulpit, close to the vault, the Rev. Daniel Rogers made a
very affecting prayer, and openly confessed, that under God, he
owed his conversion to the labors of that dear man of God,
whose precious remains now lay before them. Then he cried
out, O my father, my father ! then stopped and wept, as though'
his heart would break, and the people weeping all through the
place. Then he recovered, and finished his prayer, and sat
down and wept. Then one of the deacons gave ont that hymn
' Why do we mourn departing friends V Sec.
* In the last visit but one which Whitefield paid to America, he spent a day
or two at Princeton, under the roof of the Rev. Dr. Finley, then president 0/
the college at that place. At dinner, the doctor said, " Mr. Whitefield, I hope
it will be very long before yon will be called home, but when that event shall
arrive, I should be glad to hear the noble testimony you will bear for God."
" You would be disappointed, doctor," said Whitefield, " I shall die silent.
It has pleased God to enable me to bear so many testimonies for him during
my life, that he will require none from me when I die. No, no, it is your
dumb christians, that have walked in fear and darkness, and thereby been
unable to bear a testimony for God during their lives, that he compels to speak
out for him on their death beds." This anecdote was communicated to tha
writer of it, by a gentleman now living, who was then a student at the col
lege, and a boarder in Dr. Finley's family. The manner of Whitefield's
death verified his prediction.

214 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
some of the people weeping, some singing, and so on alternate1
ly. The Rev. Mr. Jewel preached a funeral discourse, and
made an affectionate address to his brethren, to lay to heart the
death of that useful man of God ; begging that he and they
might be upon their watch-tower, and endeavor to follow his
blessed example. The corpse was then put into the vault,
and all concluded with a short prayer, and dismission of the
people, who went weeping through the streets to their respective
places of abode."
The melancholy news of Whitefield's decease, arrived in Lon
don on Monday, November 5, 1770, by the Boston Gazette, and
also by several letters from different correspondents at Boston,
to his worthy friend. Mr R. Keen ; who received likewise, by
the same post, two letters written with his own hand, when in
good health, one seven and the other five days before his death.
Mr. Keen caused the mournful tidings to be published the same
night at the Tabernacle) and the following evening at Totten
ham court chapeL His next step was to select some proper
person to deliver a funeral discpurse, when it occurred to his
mind, that he had many times said to Whitefield, " If you should
die abroad, who shall we get to preach your funeral sermon ?
Must it be your old friend, the Rev. John Wesley V And his
answer constantly was, " He is the man." Mr. Keen therefore
waited on Mr. Wesley, on the Saturday following, and he pro
mised to preach it on the Lord's day, November 18, which he
did, to an extraordinarily crowded and mournful auditory; many
hundreds being obliged to go away, who could not possibly
get within the doors.
In both the chapel and Tabernacle, the pulpits were hung
with black cloth, and the galleries with fine black baize.
Escutcheons were affixed to the fronts of the pulpits ; and on
each of the adjoining houses, hatchments were put up : the
motto of which was — " Mea vita — salus et gloria Christus?
At the expiration of six months, the mourning in each place of
worship, and the escutcheons in the vestries, were taken down.
The hatchments remained twelve months, when one was taken
down, and placed in the Tabernacle, and the other over a neat
marble monument, erected by Whitefield- for his wife in Tot
tenham court chapel, with a space left for an inscription respect
ing himself after his decease, as he wished to be interred in the
same vault had he died in England. The Rev. Titus Knight*
• The Rev. Titus Knight, was a native of Halifax, a town in which he ex
ercised his ministry, and in which, indeed he may be said to have spent his
whole life. He was born December 17, 1719. During his childhood, he had
« particular veneration for sacred things, took a delight in attending tjie
ehurch, and used frequently to weep. At the same early period he learned

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 215
of Halifax, in Yorkshire, accordingly wrote the foUowing
epitaph : In Memory of
REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD, A. M.
Chaplain to the Bight Honorable, the Countess of Huntingdon,
Whose soul, made meet for glory,
Was taken to Immanual's bosom,
On the 30th of Sept. 1770;
And now lies in the silent grave, at Newburyport, near Boston, in
New England ;
There deposited in hope of a joyful resurrection to eternal life and
glory.
He was a man eminent in piety,
Of a humane, benevolent, and charitable disposition.
His zeal in the cause of God was singular ;
His labors indefatigable ;
And his success in preaching the Gospel remarkable and
astonishing.
He departed this life,
In the fifty-sixth year of his age,

And like his Master,was by some despised.;
Like Him, by many others loved and prized :
But their's shall be the everlasting crown,
Not whom the world, but Jesus Christ will own.
something of the vanity and unsatisfying nature of all worldly pleasure, lisaag
before he knew where to seek for solid and substantial happiness. Many in
stances of this he used to relate ; of which the following is a specimen. The
annual fair at Halifax, which is kept on midsummer day, was a season te
which he looked forward with the most eager expectation of pleasure and satis
faction. But when this day came, he invariably found the most painful dis
appointment ; in a few hours he grew weary of diversion, wandered about
quite unhappy, and never could this extraordinary day afford him any satis
faction, unless when he could retire from the noise and hurry of it, to enjoy
the common recreation of bathing.
It may not be improper here to introduce some account of an interestinj
part of his life, which he has given in a work, entitled, Amyntas and Phile
tus, or Christian Conversation, published in the year 1770. The reader
therefore, will not be displeased, if the memorialists retire a little, while h;
who is the subject of this sketch is introduced to speak (though dead) of the
things which it pleased God to do for his soul.
" My dear parents were of the establishment ; and although filial duty, as
well as christian charity, requires me to hope the best in behalf of them, yet I
seldom or ever saw or heard any thing of religion but at church on the Sab
bath day. They were, I believe, strictly honest in their dealings with men,
supported a fair character, and appeared as religious as their neighbors, nor
did they suspect, as church folks, that they could miss of salvation. I was
taught to conceive of dissenters, as base hypocrites, a people that resembled
the scribes and pharisees, against whom our Lord so vehemently inveighed
and denounced so many woes; rhat attempted to hide their wickedness b_
deceitful pretext of superior sanctity. In consequence of these and the like
things spoken of dissenters, and confirmed by instances I was then incapable
of inquiring into, or judging of, 1 contracted very unfavorable ideas of every
sect of Protestant dissenters ; and, 1 think, could vie with any in bigotry and
^eal, thinking as highly of the ,cfcu,rch, as it was possible for any to thiiik of

216 MEMOIRS OF WHilTEFIELn.
Whitefield was not quite fifty-six years, of. age -at the time of
his decease ; thirty-four years of which he spent in the work
the meeting. But I can never. sufficiently admire or adore the free, rich, and
distinguishing grace of God to me ; for although there was nothing of religion
in our family, not even so much as the form ; and the way of life I was engaged
in, from seven years old, not only unfavorable to, but quite destructive of aj-l
good morals, yet it pleased the Lord to preserve .me from the^filthy conversa-
. tion of my necessary companions, and from learning and using the diabolical
language, I mean of cursing and swearing,- which was daily intermixed with
, the most familiar conversations. About the age of eleven, 1 began to be very
thoughtful concerning a future state. The cogitations of the day afforded
,much matter for imagination in my sleeping hours, so that I often alarmed
the family with the most lamentable shrieks and cries, occasioned by terrifying
dreams of being shut out from. God, and thrust into endless torments. These
thoughts and dreams, produced a,h uncommon seriousness in , my whole de
portment. I diligently read the Bible, gladly catching every opportunity ol
' attending public prayers at the church in the week days, prayed often and fer
vently in secret ; and in secret it was, for prayer not being used in the family,
J feared to be found in the practice of it. These impressions, and the influences
'thereof, abodewith me for the space of six years, during all which time .1
soughtand expected the favor of God, and the acceptation of my person, solely
on the account of my own righteousness. Nor is this at all to be wondered
at, seeing all the sons of Adam naturally seek justificalion and life, by virtue
,of that law and covenant which lie violated and broke in paradise. Nor was
this error in any wise corrected by any of the public sermons I then heard,
all of which were more legal than evangelical, and the preachers rather sent
the congregation for life, to Moses than to Christ. About the age of seven
teen, I began to learn psalmody, and for the space of more than ten years, J
; became extravagantly fond of all kinds of music ; so that my affections were
entirely captivated thereby, and in a great measure alienated from God; yet
all that time the good spirit of .God never left off striving with me, (if I may
,be allowed that expression) so that at certain seasons I was greatly distress
ed, and lyished, ' it were with me as in months past.' Sometimes (to use tho
hyperbolical phrase of the Psalmist) ' I made my bed to swim, and water
ed my couch with tears,' purposed and resolved to resume my former course
.of life, and relinquish the idol of my soul. About this time it pleased that
.God, whose eyes are ever upon the objects of his everlasting love, to favor ms
.with an opportunity of bearing ihe gospel ; , and the spirit of God so opened
,my heart lo attend to the things that were spoken, and shed such light on my
understanding, that when 1 returned home, and began to read my Bible, it
seemed to be quite another book, in respect to iis doctrines, and the method
of salvation published in it, from, what 1 had till that time conceived it to be.
.From that memorable day tjie Lord was pleased to break my chain, and loose
,the bonds of my captivity, so that I could say with holy David, 'My soul is
escaped as a bird out of the snare of ihe fowler ; the snare is broken, and J
am escaped.' My heart was now exceedingly rejoiced, and I again renewed
my former resolutions of engaging my heart with God, and. devoting my life
to his service. And my gracious Redeemer was pleased to say 'Amen' to
my purposes and prayers, and bade me, with an efficacious word, take hold on
his stiength, which his good spirit enabling me todo, I was filled with joy and
peace in believing. I no longer felt that narrowness of spirit, which I was
under the power of before, nor thought salvation confined to name or party.
I found that in Christ Jesus, it availed nothing what a man had been before
his conversion,. whether Greek, or Jew, nor what modes of worship he after
wards preferred, seeing Christ is all and in all to them that believe in him.
Since that happy period, although my backslidings and departures from God
have beep more than I can enumerate, and what I bjtish to mention, yet my
.dear Redeemer, glory be to his name ! having bought me at so dear a rate, '
and according to the greatness of that love, wherewith he loved me, would
bot, could not (for his tender heart forbade it,) forsake or cast me off.''

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. SJ17
of the ministry. And surely, if life is to be measured by the
greatest diligence and enjoyment ; as being ever intent upon
From the above account it may be gathered, that about the year 1746 or
1747, he was first brought to a true knowledge of God, and of himself; soon
after which it pleased the Lord to introduce him to public notice. As that
part of his life, which preceded the above period, is rather involved in obscu
rity, we may conclude there could be nothing in it very interesting. He was
always diligent in his business, and his morality was above the common stand
ard; notwithstanding, as he afterwards acknowledged, he was living " without
,God and without Christ in the world." Deeply convinced of the inestimable
value of his own soul, he immediately became desirous of being an instru nent
jn the hand of God of saving the souls of others. After much prayer and
deliberation on this important matter, he ventured at length to go forth in the
strength of the Lord, and to proclaim that Jesus came to save sinners. This
was in the year 1749, for in a manuscript written with the trembling hand of
infirmity, in the year 1792, he mentions that he had been forty-three years en
gaged in publishing the precious truths of the gospel. His first labors, it is
-well known, were among the Methodists in Mr. Wesley's connection ; and
having opportunities of preaching in various parts of the kingdom, he became
signally and extensively useful. Many old disciples in that connection re
member his name to this day with affection and gratitude.
Having labored for some years. in Mr. Wesley's connection, he found that
he could no longer publicly insist upon certain points of doctrine maintained
Jby that people. This occasioned some struggle in his mind, as to the
propriety of his continuance in that connection, or separation from it. But
after much deliberation, and earnest prayer, a separation appeared most eligible,
and he determined peaceably to withdraw. This event look place about the
spring of the year 1762. For a short season his mind was perplexed ; not that
he doubled his call to preach the gospel, but being unable to perceive to whom
his future labors should be directed. The providence of God, however, soon
delivered him from this embarrassment. A few faithful friends, to whom he
;had been useful, still adhered to him ; and to them he continued to preach as
opportunity permitted. These being soon increased by the addition of others,
a scheme was suggested of erecting a house, in which ihey might more regu
larly assemble together. This plan was immediately adopted; but fresh diffi
culties occurred, as the parties concerned had no resources within themselves,
equal to such an undertaking. But they were soon taught that the word of
God. is not bound, and that the Lord has the hearts of all men at his disposal.
Such liberal contributions were obtained, as enabled them to accomplish their
design. A house was erected, and a church formed on the independent, or
congregational plan, of which Mr. Knight was ordained pastor, in the summor
of 1763. This was a Bethel indeed. The word delivered within these walls
was made effectual to the turning of many from the error of their ways, and to
the building up of the people of God in their most holy faith. The congrega
tion continually increasing, it soon became necessary to <".ect a gallery, as
large as the building would admit. Here he labored with much assiduity and
zeal, preaching twice on the Lord's day in the winter season, and three times
in the summer, and giving a lecture on every Thursday evening throughout
the year. He administered the Lord's supper regularly every month ; and on
the Friday evening preceding the celebration of it, he met the' members of
his church, and delivered an address suited to the approaching solemnity.
He established among his people several little societies, which assembled
once a week, for the purpose of prayer and religious conversation. One of
these societies met at his own house ; and the rest he attended occasionally,
as opportunity permitted.
By the divine blessing on his public and private labors, the number of those
who attended the preaching of the word became so greal, that a larger and
more commodious house was necessary for their reception. This was tor
some time considered as a thing rather desirable than attainable. At length,
however, it was cordially set about, and ?ry spacious and elegant structure
10

218 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
some praiseworthy design, and zealous in the accomplishmenl
of it : redeeming the time by repeated acts of piety and benevo
lence, which characterize the worthy man and christian ; hav
ing a heart constantly flowing with ardent love for the souls of
completed, which was opened in May, 1772. Here he exercised his publie
ministrations to very large congregations, till it pleased the Lord to incapaci
tate him for public service ; and, to use his own expression, to reduce him
from a working to a waiting servant.
About the year 176-1, his acquaintance with Wliitefield commenced, which,
under God, was the means of extending his usefulness very considerably.
For, being invited by Whitefield to his pulpits, and his preaching being ap
proved, he afterwards became one of the assistant preachers, and spent two
months every venr in preaching at the Tabernacle, Tottenham court chapel,
Greenwich, Woolwich, and other places in ihe same connection.
Mr. Knight had uniformly enjoyed a remarkable good slate of health, till it
pleased God to afflict him v. illi a paralytic stroke, in the month of June, 179U.
in a short lime, he was so far recovered, that he resumed his usual labor*.
'Bin his mental faculties, especially- his memory, had evidently sustained an
injury. Of this he was himself very sensible, but bore the affliction with a
iruly christian submission.
In the year 1791, he undertook his annual journey to London, but with a
ietermination to preach more sparingly than usual. While in town, he was
i-ffiicted with a second paralytic stroke, which affected his understanding far
nore than the former. With great difficulty he returned to Halifax, and
.hough, in a measure, he recovered from this stroke likewise, and afterwarda
^reached several sermons, yet it left him so debilitated, that he was incapabla
;if continuing his public services ; and having preached, for the last time, on
he 18th of September, 1791, from the convictions of his own mind, and the
persuasions of his friends, he resigned the charge of his congregation.
His patient submission lo the divine will, was an instructive lecture to thosa
who were around him. When he reflected on the decay of his mental facul
ties, he would sometimes say, "what an idiot I am become !" but immediately
would add, " but no wrong is done to me. He that gave my.facullies, has a
right to take ihem away whenever he pleases, and he might juslly have done
so forty years ago." Being asked by one of his sons, concerning the feelings
of his mind, he replied, " I am happy on two considerations ; ihe one is, that I
am not in bell; ihe other, that I am not afiaid of ever going the e." At an
other lime, when several of his family were together, the subject of politics .
ivas introduced, and something mentioned respecting the probability of the
king of France losing his crown ; upon which he observed, though scarce able
to understand the subject of conversation, " I know a king who will not lose
his crown, I mean king Jesus. He reigns, and ever will reign ;" and with a
flood of tears he added, " to him I wish you every one to submit."
Hi.s sight at length so failed, thai Le could neither read nor write ; and his
understanding m.d memory continuing to bo impaired, he began to long for
the hour of his dissolution. However, beseemed greatly afraid lest his desire
tc depart and to be with Christ, should betray him into impatience. After
breathins-, rather t an living, for some months, he was, on Saturday morning,
ilareh 2d, 179.'! mercifully released from the burthen ofthe flesh, and remov
ed to a belter and indissoluble mansion, in the 74th year of his age.
O much respected, such lamented friend,
Thy life was holy — happy was thine end I
By saints esteem'd, and e'en by sinners blest,
And best belov'd bv those who knew thee best !
> In thee the Savior's image clearly shone,
As crystal lakes reflect the orient sun.
The wonders grace divine perform'd in thee,
Such, and superior, may '.' work in me 1

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 219
rnen, and especially a fervent desire to glorify God, accompanied
by the deepest humility and self-abasement ; Whitefield, in these
thirty-four years, may be said to have lived more than most
men would do, though their lives were prolonged for many
ages. Early on the morning after his death, Mr. Sherburne of Ports
mouth sent Mr. Clarkson and Dr. Haven, with a message to
Mr. Parsons, desiring that Whitefield's remains might be buri
ed in his own new tomb, at his own expense ; and in the evening
several gent I emeu from Boston, came to Mr. Parsons, desiring
that the body might be carried there. But as Whitefield had
repeatedly desired that he might be buried before Mr. Parsons'
pulpit, if he died at Newburyport, Mr. Parsons thought himself
obliged to deny both of their requests.
The following account of his interment is subjoined to. this
sermon, viz : — October 2, 1770. At one o'clock all the bells in
the town were tolled for an hour, and all the vessels in the
harbor gave their proper signals of mourning. At two o'clock,
the bells tolled a second time. At three, the bells called lo at
tend a funeral. The Rev. Dr. Haven of Portsmouth, the Rev.
Messrs. Daniel Rogers of Exeter, Jedediah Jewet, and James
Chandler, of Rowley, Moses Parsons, of Newbury, and Edward
Bass, of Newburyport, were pall bearers. The procession was
from the Rev. Mr. Parsons' of Newburyport, where Whitefield
died. Mr. Parsons and his family, together with many other
respectable persons, followed the corpse iu mourning. The
procession reached only one mile, when the corpse was carried
into the Presbyterian church, and placed on a bier in the
broad aisle, over which the Rev. Mr. Roarers made a very
suitable prayer in the presence of about six thousand per
sons, within the walls of the church, while many thousands
were on the outside, not being able to find admittance.
Then the following hymn by Dr. Watts was sung by the
congregation. Why do we mourn departing friends 1
Or shake at death's alarms 1
'Ti--. but the voice that Jesus sends
To call them lo his arms.
Are we not tending upward too,
As fast as time can move 1
Nor should we wish the hours more slow,
To keep us from our love.
Why should we tremble to convey
Their bodies to the tomb 1
There the dear flesh of Jesus lay,
And left a long perfume.

220 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
The graves of all his saints he bless'd,
And soft'ned every bed ;
Where should the dying members rest,
But with their dying Head 1
Thence he arose, ascending high,
And show'd our feet the way ;
Up to the Lord our flesh shall fly,
At the great rising day.
Then let the last loud trumpet sound,
And bid our kindred rise ;
Awake, ye nations under ground ;
Ye saints ascend ihe skies.
The following Epitaph, in memory of Whitefield was com
posed, by the Rev. Thomas Gibbons.
In Reverendum Virum
GEORG1UM WHITEFIELD,
Laboribus sacris olim abundantera ; nunc vero, ut bene speratia'
cffilestem et immortalem vitam cum Christo agentem.
EP1TAPHIM,
(Auctore Thomas Gibbons, S. T. P.)
Electum at divinum vas, Whitefielde, suisti
Ingenio pollens, divitiisque sacris :
His opibus populo longe laleque tributiSj
Tandem perfraers tetitia superum
Inque hanc intrasti, Domino plaudente ministrum :
Experlum in multis, assiduumque bonum:
Ecce mei- portus, er clara palatia cceli
Delic s plenis omnia aperta tibi.
Dummatutinam Stellam, quam dulce rubenteml
Vivificos roresque ossa sepulta manent.

TRANSLATION.
A vessel chosen and divine, replete
With nature's gifts, and grace's richer stores,
Thou Whitefield wast : these thro' the world dispens'd
In long laborious travels, thou at length
Hast reach'd the realms of rest, to which thy Lord
Has welcomed thee with his immense applause.
All hail, my servant, in thy various trusts
Found vigilant and faithful, see the ports,.
See the eternal kingdoms of the skies,
With all their boundless glory, boundless joy
Open'd for thy reception, and thy bliss.
Mean time the body, in its peaceful cell
Reposing from its toils, awaits the star,
Whose living lusters lead that promised morn
Whose vivifying dews thy mouldered corse
Shall visit, and immortal life inspire.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 221
The following inscription is on Whitefield's tombstone, in
Kewburyport. THIS CENOTAPH
is erected with affectionate veneration,
to the memory of the
REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD,
born at Gloucester, Eng. Dec'r. 16, 1714:
educated at Oxford University : ordained 1736.
Is a ministry of thirty-four years, he crossed the Atlantic thirteen
times, and preached more than eighteen thousand sermons.
As a soldier of the cross, humble, devout, ardent; he put on
the whole armor of God, preferring t ,e honors of Christ
to his own interest, repose, reputation, or life. As a
Christian orator, his deep piety, disinterested zeal,
and vivid imagination, gave unexampled energy
to his look, action, and utterance. Bold, fer-
yent, pungent, and popular in his eloquence,
no other uninspired man ever preached to so
large assemblies, or enforced the simple
truths of the gospel by motives so per
suasive and awful, and with an in
fluence so powerful on the hearts
of his hearers.
He died of asthma, Sept. 30, 1770;
suddenly exchanging his life of unparalleled labors for 1 is
eternal rest.

CHAPTER XXI.
Extracts from some of the funeral sermons preached on the occasion
of his death.
Many sermons were preached on the occasion of his death,
both in America and England. . Prom these, the reader will
probably not be displeased to see the following extracts ; as '
they not only set the character of Whitefield in a variety of
lights, but are so many testimonies to it, by witnesses of un
doubted credit, in different parts ofthe world.
The first sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Parsons at
Newburyport, the very day on which he died, from Phil. i. 21.
" For m,e to live is Christ, and to die is gain." In which he
gives the following character of his departed friend :
"Christ became a principle of spiritual life in his soul, while
he was an under-graduate at the university in Oxford. Before
his conversion, he was a pharisee of the pharisees, as strict as
ever Paul was, before God met him on his way to Damascus,
according to his own declaration in his last sermon,, which. J
beared him preach at Exeter, yesterday. He was, by means
19*

222 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
of reading,, a very searching puritanical writer ; convinced
of the rottenness of all duties he had done, and the danger Of
a self-righteous foundation of hope. When he heared Christ
speak to him in the gospe', he cried, ' Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do ?' And it seems as if, at that time, it had been
made known to him, that he was a chosen vessel, to bear the
name of Jesus Christ through the British nation, and her colo
nies ; to stand before kings and nobles, and all sorts of people,
to preach Christ, and him crucified. From that time, the dawn
of salvation had living power in his heart, and he had an ar
dent desire to furnish himself for the gospel ministry. To this
end, besides the usual studies at the college, he gave himself
to reading the holy scriptures, to meditation and prayer ; and
particularly, he read Mr. Henry's Annotations on the Bible,
upon his knees before God.
" Since my first acquaintance with him, which is about
thirty years ago, I have highly esteemed him,- as an excellent
christian, and an eminent minister of the gospel. A heart so
beut for Christ, with such a sprightly, active genius, could not
cdniit of a stated fixed residence in one place, as the pastor of
a particular congregation ; and therefore, he chose to itinerate
from, place to place, and from one country to another ; which
indeed, was much better suited to his talents, than a fixed
abode would have been. I often considered him as an angel
flying through the midst of heaven, with the everlasting gospel,.
to preach unto them that dwell on the earth: for he preached
the uncorrupted word of God. and gave solemn warnings
against all corruptions- of the gospel of Christ.* When he
came the first time to Boston, the venerable Dr. Coleman, with
isfiom I had a small acquaintance, condescended to write to
mey 'that the wonderful man was come, and they had a week
of sabbaths ; that his zeal for Christ was extraordinary ; and
yet he recommended himself to his many thousand hearers by
liis engagedness for holiness and s-ouls.' I fooh had opportu
nity to observe, that wherever he flew, like a flame of fire, his
ministry gave a general alarm to all sorts of per-Tile, though be
fore they had, for a long time, been amazinalv sunk into dead
formality. It was then" a time in New England, when real
chiistians generally had slackened their zeal for Christ, and
fallen into a remiss and careless frame of spirit; and hypocrit
ical professors were sunk into a deep sleep of carnal security.
Ministers, and their congregations seemed to be at ease. But
his preaehiug appeared to be from the heart,, though too many,
• The late Dr. Grosvenor, upon hearing Whitefield preach at Charles*
square, Hoxton, expressed himself thus :— " That if the apostle Paul had
. preached te this auditory, he would have preached in the same manner."

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 223
who spake the same things, preached as if it were indifferent,
whether they were received or rejected. We were convinced
that lie believed the message he brought us, to be of the last
importance. Nevertheless, as soon as there was time for reflec
tion, the enemies of Christ began to cavil, and hold up some of
his sallies as if they were unpardonable faults. By such means
he met with a storm as tempestuous as the troubled sea, that
casts up mire and dirt. Some of every station were too fond
of their old way of formality, to part with it, for such a de
spised cause as living religion. But the spirit of Christ sent
home the message of the Lord upon the concienccs of some,
and shook them off from their false hopes : but many began to
find fault, and some to write against his evangelizing through
the country, while others threatened fire brands, arrows, and
death. Yet God gave room for his intense zeal to operate, and
fit objects appeared, wherever he went, to engage him in
preaching Christ, and him crucified.
" In his repeated visits to America, when his services had
almost exhausted his animal spirits, and his friends were ready
to cry, 'Spare thyself.' his hope of serving Christ, and winning
souls to him, animated and engaged him to run almost any
risk. Neither did he ever cross the Atlantic, on an itinerating
visitation, without visiting his numerous brethren here, to see
how religion prospered amongst them ; and we know that his
labors have been unwearied among usr and to the applause of
all his hearers ; and, through the infinite mercy of God, his
labors have sometimes been crowned with great success, in the
conversion of sinners, and the edification of saints. And
though he often returned from the pulpit, very feeble after
public preaching, yet his engaging sweetness of conversation,
changed the suspicions of many into passionate love and
friendship. " In many things, his example is worthy of imitation ; and if
in any thing he exceeded, or came short, his integrity, zeal for
God, and love to Christ and his gospel, rendered him, in ex
tensive usefulness, more than equal to any of his brethren. In
preaching here, and through most parts of America, he has
been in labors more abundant, approving himself a minister of
God, in much patience, in afflictions, in watehings, in fastings,
by pureness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned ; as sorrow
ful, yet always rejoicing; as having nothing, "yet possessing all
things. And God, that comforteth those that are cast down,
has often comforted us by his coming j and not by his coining
only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in ua,
so that we could rejoice the more.
" His popularity exceeded all that ever I knew ; and though

224 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
the asthma was sometimes an obstruction to him, his delivery
and entertaining method was so inviting to the last, that it
would command the attention of the vast multitudes of his
hearers. An apprehension of his concern to serve the Lord
Jesus Christ, and do good to the souls of men drew many thou-
eands after him, who never embraced the doctrines he taught.
He had something so peculiar in his manner, expressive of
sincerity in all hedelivered, that it constrained the most aban
doned to think he believed what he said was not only true, but
of the last importance to souls ; and by adapted texts adduced,
and instances of the grace of God related agreeable thereto,
often surprised his most judicious hearers.
" His labors extended not only to New England, and many
other colonies in British America, but were eminent and more
abundant in Great Britian. Many thousands at his chapel
and Tabernacle, and in other places, were witnesses that he
faithfully endeavored to restore the interesting doctrines ofthe
reformation, and the purity of the church to its primitive glory.
Some among the learned, some of the mighty and noble, have
been called by his ministry, to testify for the gospel of the grace
of God. The force of his reasonings against corrupt principles,
and the easy method he had of exposing the danger of them,
have astonished the most that heard him, in all places where
he preached. How did he lament and withstand the modern
unscriptural notions of religion and salvation, that were palm
ed upon the churches of every denomination ! The affecting
change from primitive purity to fatal heresy, together with the
sad effects of it in mere formality and open wickedness, would
often make him cry, as the prophet did in another case, 'How
is the gold become dim, and the most fine gold changed !
How has the Lord covered the daughter of Zicn with a cloud
in his anger, and cast down from heaven to earth, the beauty
of Israel.'
" It is no wonder that this man of God should meet with
enemies and with great opposition to his ministry ; for hell
trembled before him. It is no more than may be always ex
pected of the devil, that he should stir up his servants, to load
the most eminent ministers of Christ with calun-ny and most
impudent lies ; and represent them as the filth and ofiscouring
of all things. All this may be, and often has been done, under
a pretense of great concern for the honor of Christ, and the
preservation of the gospel order. When Satan totters and be-
fins to fall, he can find men enough to cry, ' the church is in
anger ;' and that he knows is sufficient with many, to hide
his cloven foot, and make him appear as an angel of "light.
"Through a variety of such labors und trials, our worthy

IftEMOlRS OF WHITEFIELD. 225
friend, and extensively useful servant of Christ, Mr. Whitefield,
passed both in England and America ; but' the Lord was his
sun to guide and animate him, and his shield to defend and
help him unto the end : neither did he count his own life dear,
60 that he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry
that he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of
the grace of God.
" The last sermon that he preached, though under the dis
advantage of a stage in the open air. was delivered with such
clearness, pathos, and eloquence, as to please and surprise the
surrounding thousands. Aud as he had been confirmed by the
grace of God, many years before, and had been waiting and
hoping for his last change, he then declared; that he hoped it
was the last time he should ever preach. Doubtless, he then
had such clear views of the blessedness of open vision, and the
complete fruition of God in Christ, that he felt the pleasures of
heaven in his raptured soul, which made his countenance shine
like the unclouded sun."
The following lines are part of a poem on Whitefield, writ
ten by a negro servant girl, seventeen years of age, belonging
to Mr. J. Wheatly, of Boston.

" He prayed that grace in every heart might dwell,
He longed lo see America' excel <
Ile charg'd its youth to let the grace divine
Arise, and in their future actions shine.
He ofi'er'd that he did himself receive,
A greater gift not God himself can give.
He urg'd the need of Him to ev'ry one;
It was no less than God's co-equal Son.
Take Him ye wretched for your only good;
Take Hi in ye starving souls to be your food.
Ye thirsty, come to this life-giving stream ;
Ye preachers, lake him for your joyful theme.
Take Him, my dear Americans, he said,
Be your complaints in his kind bosom laid.
Take Him. ye Africans, he longs for you;
Impartial Savior is his title due.
If you will choose to walk in grace's road,
You shall be sons, and kings, and priests to God.
Great countess ! we Americans revere
Thy name, and thus condole thy grief sincere.
New England, sure doth feel ; the orphan's smart
Reveals the true sensations of his heart.
His lonely Tabernacle sees no more
A Whitefield landing on the British shore.
Then let us view him in yon azure skies,
Let every mind with this lov'd object rise.
Thou tomb, shall safe retain thy sacred trust,
Till life divine re-animates his dust.

The next sermon was preached by Dr, Pemberton, of Bos-

226 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ton, October 11, 1770, upon 1 Peter i. 4. "To an inheritande
reserved in heaven for you." In which he says :
" 1 am not fond of funeral panegyrics. But where persons
have been distinguishingly honored by heaven, and employed
to do uncommon services for God's church upon earth, it would
be criminal ingratitude to suffer them to drop into the dust
without the most respectful notice. The memory of the just
is blessed ! Posterity will view Mr. Whitefield, in many re
spects, as one of the most extraordinary characters of the pre
sent age. His zealous; incessant, and successful labors; in
Europe and America, are without a parallel.
"Devoted early to God, he took orders as soon as the con
stitution of the established church in England allowed. His
first appearance in the work ofthe ministry was attended with
surprising success. The largest churches in London were not
able to co'ntain the numbers that perpetually flocked to hear
his awakening discourses. The crowds daily increased. He
was soon forced into the fields, followed by multitudes, who
hung with silent attention upon his lips, and with avidity re
ceived the word of life. The spirit of God in an uncommon
measure, descended upon the hearers. The secure were awaken
ed to a salutary fear of divine wrath, and inquiring minds were
directed to Jesus, the only Savior of a revolted world — the
vicious were visibly reclaimed ; and those who had hitherto
rested in a form of godliness, were made acquainted with the
power of a di vine life. The people of God were refreshed with
the consolation of the blessed Spirit, and rejoiced to see their
exalted Master, going on from conquering to conquer, and sin
ners of all orders and characters, bowing to the scepter of a
crucified Savior.
"His zeal could not be confined within the British islands.
His ardent desire for the welfare of immortal souls, conveyed
bin: to the distant shores of America. We beheld a new star
arise in the hemisphere of these western churches ; and its salu
tary influences were diffused through a great part of the, British
settlements in these remote regions. We heard with pleasure,
from a divine of the Episcopal communion, those great doctrines
of the gospel, which our venerable ancestors brought with
them from their native country. With a soul elevated above
a fond attachment to forms and ceremonies, he inculcated that
pure and unadulterated religion, for the preservation of which
our fathers banished themselves into an uncultivated desert.
In his repeated progresses through the colonies, he was favored
with the same success which attended him on the other side of
the Atlantic. He preached from day to day in thronged assem
blies ; yet his hearers never discovered the least weariness, but

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 227
always followed him with increasing ardor. When in the pul
pit, every eye was fixed upon his expressive countenance ; every
ear was charmed with his melodious voice ; all sorts of per
sons were captivated with the propriety and beauty of his
address. " But it is not the fine speaker, the accomplished orator, that
we are to celebrate from the sacred desk : these engaging quali
ties, if not sanctified by divine grace, and consecrated to the
service of heaven, are as the sounding brass, and the tinkling
cymbal. When misimproved, instead of conveying happiness
to mankind, they render us more illustriously miserable.
"The gifts of nature, the acquisitions of art, which adorned
the character of Mr. Whitefield, were devoted to the honor of
¦God. and toe enlargement of the kingdom of our divine Re
deemer. While he preached the gospel, the Holy Ghost was
sent down to apply it to the consciences of the hearers ; the eyes
of the blind were opened, to behold the glories of the compas
sionate Savior; tne ears of the deaf were unstopped, to attend
to the invitations of incarnate love; the dead were animated
with a divine principle of life ; many in all parts of the land
were turned horn darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God.
" These doctrine which we had been instructed in from our
infancy, by our faithful pastors, seemed to acquire new force,
and were, attended with uncommon success when delivered by
him. His discourses were not trifling speculations, but con-
lained the most inrerestiug truths ; they were not an empty play
of wit, but solemn addresses to the hearts of men.
"To convince sinners that they were by nature children of
wrath; by practice, transgressors of the divine law; and in
consequence of this, exposed to the vengeance of offended hea
ven ; to disptay the transcendent excellency of a Savior, and
persuade awakened minds to confide in his merits and righte
ousness, as the only hopes of a guilty world ; to impress upon
the professors of tiie gospel the necessity, not only of an out
ward reformation, but an internal change, by the powerful
influences of the Spirit ; to lead the faithful to a zealous practice
of the various duties of the christian life, that they may evidence
the sincerity of their faith, and adorn the doctrine of God their
Savior. These were the reigning subjects of his pulpit dis
courses. " He was no contracted bigot, but embraced christians of
every denomination in the arms of his charity, and acknow
ledged them to be children of the same father, servants of the
same master, heirs ofthe same undefiled inheritance.
" That 1 am not complimenting the dead, but speaking the

228 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
words of truth and soberness, I am persuaded I have many
.witnesses in this assembly.
" He was always received by multitudes .with pleasure, when
he favored these parts with his labors ; but he never had a more
obliging reception than in his last visit. Men of the first dis
tinction in the province, not only attended his ministry, but
gave him the highest .marks of their respect. With what faith
fulness djd he declare unto lis the whole counsel of .God !
With what solemnity did he reprove us for our increasing de
generacy ! With what zeal did he exhort us, to remember from
whence we were fallen, and repent and do our first works, lest
,God should come and remove our candlestick.out of its place I
" Animated with a God-like design of promoting the tempo
ral and spiritual happiness of mankind, after the example of his
.divine Master, he went uboitf doing good. In this he persevered
with unremitting ardor and assiduity, till death removed him
to that rest which remains for the people of God. Perhaps np
man, since the apostolic age, preached oftener or with greater
success. " If we view his private character he will appear in a mos,t
amiable point of light. The polite gentleman ; the faithful
friend ; the engaging companion ; above all, -the sincere chris
tian, were visible in the whole of his deportment.
" With large opportunities of accumulating wealth, he never
discovered the least tincture of avarice. What he received
from the kindness of his friends, he generously employed in of
fices of piety and charity. His benevolent mind was perpetual
ly forming plans of .extensive usefulness. The Orphan-house,
which many years ago he erected in Georgia, and the college
he was founding in that province at the time of his death, will
be lasting monuments of his .care, that religion and learning
might be propagated to future generations.
" I have not, my brethren, drawn an imaginary portrait,
but described a character exhibited in real life. I have noi
mentioned his natural abilities, which were vastly above the
.common standard. I consider him principally in the light of
a christian, and a minister of Jesus Christ, in which he shone
with a superior luster, as a star of the first magnitude.
" After all, I am not representing a perfect man ; there arc
.spots in the most shining characters upon earth. But this may
be said of Mr. Whitefield with justice, that after the most pub
lic appearances, for above thirty years, and the most critical
examination of his conduct, no other blemish could be fixed
^upon him, than what arose from the common frailties of human
(nature, and the peculiar circumstances which attended his fir^t
entrance into public life.

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 229
" The imprudences of inexperienced youth, he frequently ac
knowledged from the pulpit, with a frankness which will for
.ever do honor to his memory. He took care to prevent any
bad consequences that might flow from his unguarded censures
in the early days of his ministry. The longer he lived, the
more he evidently increased in purity of doctrine, in humanity,
.in meekness, prudence, patience, and the other amiable virtues
of the christian life."
Another funeral sermon on Whitefield, was preached by the
Rev. Mr. Ellington, at Savannah, iu Georgia, November 11,
1770, upon Hebrews xi. 26. " Esteeming the reproach of
¦Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt : for he
had respect unto the recompense of the reward." In which
are the following passages :*
" The receiving the melancholy news of the much lamented
death of a particular friend to the province, a person who was
once minister of this church, is the reason of this discourse;
-and my choice of this subject before us, is to pay my grateful
.respect to the memory of this well known able minister of the
New Testament, aud faithful servant of the most high God,
ihe Rev. George Whitefield, whose life was justly esteemed,
and whose death will be greatly regretted, by the sincerely
religious part of mankind of all denominations, as long as there
is one remaining on earth, who knew him. to recollect the fer
vor of spirit, and holy zeal with which he spake, when preaching
the everlasting gospel : and every other part of Ins disinterested
conduct, consisteiU with the ministerial character, in life aud
^conversation. Mr. Whitefield's works praise him loud enough.
I am not able to say any thing that can add greater luster to
them. May every oue that ministers in holy things, and all
who partake of their ministrations, have equal right to tha
characteristic in the text, as he had.
" It is the ruling opinion of many, that the offense of the
cross is long since ceased: and that whatever evil treatment
some of a singular turn may meet with, it is only the fruit of
* Extract of a letter from the late Rev. Cornelius "Winter, to the Rev.
William Jay.
" You have no conception of the effect of Mr. Whitefield's death upon the
inhabitants ofthe province of Georgia. All the black cloth in the stores was
bought up; the pulpit and desks of the church, the branches, the organ loft,
the pews of the governor and council, were covered with black. The gov
ernor and council, in deep mourning, convened at ihe slate house, and went
in procession to chureh, and were received by the organ playing a funeral
dirge. Two funeral sermons were preached, one by the Rev. Mr. Ellington;
the other by the Rev. Mr. Zubly.
" The same public marks of regard were shown at one of the churches in
Philadelphia, of which Mr. Sprout is pastor, which, by ihe desire of the ses
sion and committee, was put in mourning. Also, at their desire and expense,
the bells of Christ church, in that city, were rung muffled."
ao

230 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
their own doings, and the reward of their own work, whereby
they raise the resentment of mankind against them for uncha
ritable slander, and spiritual abuse. But whoever knoweth
any thing of the gospel, and has experienced it to be the power
of God unto salvation, knoweth this is the language of persons
who are unacquainted with the depravity of their nature ; and
through the degeneracy of their hearts, are unwilling to bo
disturbed; therefore are saying to the ministers of Christ, pro
phecy unto us smooth things. But the ministers of the gospel
are to be sons of thunder, and so to utter their voice, and con
duct their lives, as to prove the nature of their work.
" Our dear and reverend friend was highly honored for
many years, in being a happy instrument to do this success
fully. With what a holy zeal he proceeded, long before he
was publicly ordained to the sacred office, has been long attest
ed ; and no person has been able to contradict the testimony.
No sooner did he appear in the work of the sanctuary, but he
soon convinced his numerous auditories, that his Almighty
Lord, who had given him the commission, had by his grace
wrought him for the self-same thing ; and through the Holy
Spirit attending his endeavors, made him a workman that need-
eth not to be ashamed. One would think his great success in
his public labors, the frequent opportunities he embraced of
doing good, by the relief of people in distressing circum
stances, every occasion he took to use his influence for the good
of mankind, and the whole of his behavior through a life of
fifty-six years, being, so far" as the frailty of our present state
will admit, unblamable and unreproachable, should have ex
empted him from contempt and reproach. But, quite the con
trary : there was so near a resemblance to his blessed Master,
as obliged him to bear his reproach. He has suffered with him
on earth, and he is now glorified with him in heaven. He
has labored abundantly, and he has been as liberally reproach
ed and maligned from every quarter. Clergy and laity have
whet their tongues like a sword against him. and bent their
bows to shoot their arrows ; but the Lord, amongst all, has
known and approved his righteous servant. Though it is
well known, he has had opportunity long since to enjoy epis
copal emolument; yet, in his opinion, and it will be found he
judged like a wise man in the end, sinners, through his instru
mentality, being turned unto the Lord, and becoming his joy
and crown of rejoicing, in the day of our Lord Jesus, was
esteemed a greater honor than any thing this world could
afford him. His longing desire for the salvation of immortal
Souls, would not admit of his being confined within the district
of any walls ; though it must be acknowledged, he never

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 231
thought of commencing field preacher, till his invidious ene^
mies refused him church pulpits, with indignation of spirit un
becoming the lowest and most vulgar class of mankind, much
less men professing themselves preachers of godliness. Though
he has, throughout the whole course of his ministry, given
sufficient proof of his inviolable attachment to our happy esta
blishment, he was desirous to countenance the image of Christ
wherever he saw it, well knowing, that political institutions, in
any nation whatever, should not destroy the blessed union, or
prevent the communion which ought to subsist throughout the
holy catholic church, between real and sincere christians of all
denominations. Some people may retain such a veneration for
apostolic phrases, as to suppose they ought not to be applied to
other persons. Sorry am I to observe, that few deserve the
application of them. But of Mr. Whitefield we may say, with
the strictest truth, in journeyings often, in perils of water, in
perils of robbers, in perils of his own countrymen, in perils in
the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in
perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, he
hath approved himself a minister of God. All who knew and
were acquainted with him, soon discovered in him every mark
of good sense and good manners. His company and conver^
sation so enlivening and entertaining, and at the same time so
instructive and edifying, that no person, with the least degree
of common sense, could behave improperly in his presence. In
him met, what do not often meet in one person, the finished
and complete gentleman, and the real and true christian.
Why then did he take pleasure in reproaches, and submit to
the taunts and insults, both of the vulgar and politer part of
mankind 1 He had respect to the recompense of reward.
Though the believer's work will never entitle him to. a reward
of debt, yet the reward of grace will always excite a holy desire
to render something unto the Lord. What wilt thou have me
to do 1 is the incessant inquiry of that soul, who by the merits
• of the Redeemer's death, and the virtue of his precious blood,
is redeemed from sin, and made a partaker of the inheritance
incorruptible, undefiled, aud that fadeth not away. Faith
operates by good works : and let all the men of the world say
to the contrary, or put ever so base a construction upon our
doctrine, it will evidence itself by these good fruits. It was
from these principles that Mr. Whitefield acted, and they were
productive of the desired effect, not only in alms-giving, this
was but a small matter, when compared with the happier and
more important attempt which he made for the good of man
kind, at the hazard of his life, and the expense of an unblem
ished character. How he has preached with showers of stones,

232 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
and many other instruments of malice and revenge about his
ears, many of his surviving friends can witness. But having
the salvation of sinners at heart, and a great desire to rescue
them from the power of eternal death, he resolved to spend
and be spent for the service of precious and immortal souls ;
and spared no pains, and refused no labor, so that he might
but administer to their real and eternal good. And glory be
to our good God, he hath persevered and endured to the end
of his life, having respect unto the recompense-of the reward.
Surely nothing else could support him under such a weight of
care, and enable him, amidst it all, for so many years, to bear
it with so much cheerfulness. The worthy inhabitants of this
province do not want my attestation, either to the loss the pro
vince has sustained, or to the desire he has had for its pros
perity. His indefatigable endeavors to promote it, and the
many fervent prayers he has night and day offered for it, speak
loud enough. Happy omens we would hope in favor of it,
both as to its temporal increase, and spiritual prosperity'. May
God raise up some useful men to supply his place, and carry
on unto perfection what he hath so disinterestedly begun, that
the institution he has founded in this province, maybe of pub
lic utility to the latest posterity !
"As to his death, little more can be said of it, than has been
communicated to the public already. He died like a hero, in
the field of battle — he has been fighting the fatties of the
Lord of hosts upwards of thirty years, against the world, sin,
and Satan — and he has been a conqueror — he has fought suc
cessfully — many, very many, converted sinners are the trophies
of his victory. But now his warfare is accomplished, ihe cap
tain of his salvation has granted him a discharge, he has entered
into his everlasting rest, and is reaping the benefit of a life
sincerely dedicated to his service of the once crucified, but now
exalted Jesus. He preached the day before his decease: though
his death was sudden, he was not surprised. The morning of
his departure, not many hours before his spirit took its flight
to the regions of bliss, he prayed to the God of his salvation, and
committed his departing soul into his hands, as his faithful
Creator, and all merciful Redeemer. Soon after he said, ' I am
near my end' — then fell asleep — he fainted and died — not one
sigh, or groan — the Lord heard his prayer, and granted his
request, and gave him an easy dismission out of time into eter
nity. Sudden death was his desire ; and sudden death was to
him sudden glory. He has fought the good fight ; few, if any,
since the apostles, have been more extensively useful, or labor
ed more abundantly. Thousands, I believe, I may with pro
priety say, in England, Scotland, and America, have great

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 233
reason to bless God for his ministrations : for he has traveled
far and wide, proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation through
faith in a crucified Savior. Adorable Emanuel, make thou up
the loss of him to thy church and people ! Let a double por
tion of thy Spirit be poured oat upon the remaining ministers !
Let that holy fire, which burnt so bright in thy departed ser
vant, warm each of their hearts ! And, O tliou Lord of the
harvest, send forth more such true and faithful laborers into
thy harvest."
Many funeral discourses were preached for him at. home and
abroad. In that by the Rev. Dr. Edwards, November 11, 1770,
on Hebrews xi. 4, "By it he being dead, yet speaketh," — is
given the character of Whitefield as follows :
1. " The ardent love he bore to the Lord Jesus Christ was
remarkable. This divine principle constrained him to an un
wearied application in the service of the gospel ; and transport
ed him, at times, in the eyes of some, beyond the bounds of
sober reason. He was content to be a fool for Christ's sake ;
to be despised, so Christ might be honored : to be nothing,
that Jesus might be all iu all. He had such a sense of the
incomparable excellence of the person of Christ, of his adorable
condescension in taking our nature upon him. and enduring
the curses of the holy law ; his complete suitableness and suf
ficiency, as the wisde-m, righteousness, sanctification, and re
demption of his people, that he could never say enough of him.
He was so convinced of the happy tendency and efficacy of
this principle in his own mind, that he made use of it. and pro
posed it to others, in the room of a thousand arguments when
ever he would inculcate the most unreserved obedience to the
whole will of God, or stir up believers to a holy diligence in
adorning the doctrines of God our Savior in all things. In
spired by this principle, nothing frightened or flattered him from
his duty.
2. "Another pleasing ingredient in his character, and a sure
evidence ofthe former, was to love the souls of mankind. He
rejoiced in their prosperity as one that had found great spoil ;
and with St. Paul, was willing to spend and he spent in pro
moting their happiness. He loved all who loved Jesus Christ
in sincerity, however they might differ in some circumstantials.
He embraced all opportunities to expose the malignant leaven
of a party, and to remove prejudices and misapprehensions.
which good people too often entertain of one another, when
under the influence of sectarian humor.
3. " His attachment to the great doctrines of the gospel was
inflexible ; having known their worth, and experienced their
power in his own heart, he plainly saw, that though they were
20*

234 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
unacceptable to the carnal heart, yet they bore the plain im-
press of the infinite wisdom of God. Those important truths,
which tended to humble the sinner, to exalt Christ, and pro
mote holiness in heart and life, were his darling subjects. He
did not disguise gospel truths by some artful sweetening, to
render them more" palatable to men of corrupt minds : he stu
died to preach the word in its purity, plainness, and simplicity.
The warmth of his zeal disgusted many who make a mighty
outcry about candor and charity, and are willing to extend it
to every sentiment, except the truths in which the apostles
gloried. It was his love to the truths of God, and the souls of
men, that led him to expose those who plead for the rectitude
and excellences of human nature ; deny the proper godhead of
Jesus Christ, justification by faitli in* his righteousness imputed,
on the new birth ; and the absolute necessity ofthe operations
of the Holy Ghost. Faith and holiness were ever united to
gether in nis system, in opposition to those wlio pretend to faith
without obedience to rhe law of God as the rule of life. He
knew errors of the great truths ofthe gospel are not indifferent,
but dreadful and fatal ; he knew it was not candor and cha
rity to say thai errors in judgment are not hurtful, but the
greatest unmercifulness and cruelty ; therefore he often reprov
ed such sharply.
"Although he was so tenacious of the foundation truths of
the gospel, yet none more candid in things that are not essen
tial : herein he was full of gentleness and forbearance. In
things indifferent he became all things to all men.
4. " To tho foregoing particulars in Mr. Whitefield's charac
ter, I may add his zeal. His christian zeal was like the light
of the sun, which did warm, shine and cherish, but knew not
to destroy ; full of generous philanthropy and benevolence, his
zeal made him exceeding earnest and importunate in his ad
dresses to saints and sinners. His zeal returned blessings for
curses, and prayers for ill treatment — it kindled in him a be
coming indignation against the errors, follies, and sins of the
time — it led him to weep bitterly over those who would not be
persuaded to fly from the wrath to come — it made him bold
aud intrepid in ihe cause of God. and kept him from that flat
ness, and deadness, which is too visible iu some good ministers.
In those things he was an example to ministers of every deno
mination ; and if the limits of my discourse would admit, I
could mention many things, as to his charity to the poor, his
humility. &c."
On Sunday, November 18, 1770, the Rev. John Wesley,
preached his funeral sermon at the chapel in Tottenham court

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 233
road, and at the Tabernacle,* from Numbers xxiii. 10. "Let
me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like
his." And in the sermon, after giving some particulars of his
rife and death, Mr. Wesley says :
1. " We are next to take some view of his character. A
little sketch of this was soon after his death, published iu the
Boston Gazette, an extract of which is subjoined: Little can
be said of him but what every friend to vital Christianity, who
has sat under his ministry will assert. In his public labors he
has for many years astonished the world with his eloquence
and devotion. With what divine pathos did he persuade the
impenitent sinner to embrace the practice of early piety and
virtue : filled with the spirit of grace, he spoke from the heart
with a fervency of zed perhaps unequalled since the days of
the apostles ; adorned the truths lie delivered with the most
graceful charms of rhetoric and oratory. From the pulpit he
was unrivalled in the command of an ever crowded auditory.
Nor was he less agreeable and instructive in his private con
versation : happy in a remarkable ease of address, willing to
communicate, studious to edify. May the rising generation
catch a spark of that flame which shone with such distinguished
luster in the spirit and practice of this faithful servant of the
most high God.
2. " A more particular and equally just character of him has
appeared in one ofthe English papers, London Chronicle, No
vember 8, 1770. It may not be disagreeable to you to add
the substance of this likewise. The character of this truly
pious person, must be deeply impressed on the heart of every
friend to vital religion. In spite of a tender and delicate con
stitution, he continued to the last day of his life, preaching with
a frequency and a fervor, that seemed to exceed the natural
strength of the most robust. Being called to the exercise of
his function at an age. when most young men are only begin
ning to qualify themselves for it, he had not time to make a
very considerable progress in the learned languages: but this
defect was amply supplied by a lively and fertile genius, by fer
vent zeal, and by a formidable and most persuasive delivery.
And though in the pulpit he often found it needful, by the ter
rors of the I/Ord, to persuade men, he had nothing gloomy in
his nature, being singularly cheerful, as well as charitable and
* London Chronicle, November V), 1770. " Yesterday the Rev. John Wes
ley preached a funeral sermon on Mr. Whitefiel i's death in the morning, at
Tottenham conn chapel; and in ihe evening, at the Tabernacle; the inside
of each place was lined with black cloth, ami an escutcheon hung on the pul
pits. The multitudes thai went, wilh a design to hear the sermon, exceed all
belief. The chapel and the Tabernacle were both filled as soon as they were-
opened."

236 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
tender hearted. He was as ready to relieve the bodily, as spiritu
al necessities of those that applied to him. It ought also to be
observed, that he constantly enforced upon his audience every
moral duty, particularly industry in their several callings, and
obedience to their superiors. He endeavored, by the most ex
traordinary efforts of preaching in different places, and even
in the open fields, to rouse the lower class of people, from the
last degree of inattention and ignorance, to a sense of religion.
For this, and his other labors, the name of George White-
field will long be remembered with esteem and veneration.
3. " That both these accounts are just and impartial, will
readily be allowed ; that is, as far as they go : but they go little
farther than the outsides of his character : they show you the
preacher, but not the man, the christian, the saint of God.
May 1 be permitted to add a little on this head, from a personal
knowledge of nearly forty years ? Indeed, I am throughly sensi
ble how difficult it is to speak on so delicate a subject ; what
prudence is required to avoid both extremities, to say neither
too little nor too much ! Nay, I know it is impossible to speak
at all, to say either less or more, without incurring from some
the former, from others the latter censure. Some will serious
ly think that too little is said : and others that it is too much :
but without attending to this, I will speak just what I know,
before Him to whom we are all to give an account.
4. " Mention has been already made of his unparalleled
zeal, his indefatigable activity, his tender heartedness to the
afflicted, and charitableness toward the poor. Btit should we
not likewise mention his deep gratitude to all whom God had
used as instruments of good to him '? Of whom he did not
cease to speak in the most respectful maimer, even to his dying
day. Should we not mention that he had a heart susceptible
of the most generous and the most tender friendship'.' I have
frequently thought that this, of all others, was the distinguish
ing part of his character. How few have we known of so kind
a temper, of such large and flowing affections. Was it not
principally by this, that the hearts of others were so strongly
drawn and knit to him 1 Can any thing but love beget love?
This shone in his very countenance, and continually ^breathed
in all his words, whether in public or private. Was it not this,
which, quick and penetrating as lightning, flew from heart to
heart ? Which gave that life to his sermons, his conversation,
his letters 1 Ye are witnesses.
5. "But away with the vile misconstruction of men of cor
rupt minds, who knew of no love, but what is earthly and
sensual. Be it remembered at the same time, that he was en
dued with the most nice and unblemished modesty. His office

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 237
called him to converse very frequently and largely with women
as well as men, and those of every age and condition. But his
whole behavior towards them, was a practical comment on that
advice of St. Paul to Timothy, ' entreat the elder women as
mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity.'
6. " Mean time, how suitable to the friendliness of his spirit,
was the frankness and openness of his conversation ? Although
it was as far removed from rudeness on the one hand, as from
guilt and disguise ou the other. Was not this frankness at
once a fruit and a proof of his courage and intrepidity? Arm
ed with these, he feared not the faces of men, but used great
plainness of speech to persons of every rank and condition,
high and low. rich and poor ; endeavoring only by manifesta
tion of the truth, to commend himself to every man's con
science iu the sight of God.
7. '¦'¦ Neither was he afraid of labor or pains, any more than
of what man could do unto him, being equally
' Paiienl in bearing ill, and doing well.'
" And this appeared in the steadiness wherewith he pursued
whatever he undertook, for his Master's sake ; witness one in
stance for all. the Orphan-house in Georgia, which he began
and perfected, in spite of all discouragements. Indeed, in
whatever concerned himself, he was pliable and flexible. In this
case he was easy to be entreated, easy to be either convinced
or persuaded ; but he was immovable in the things of God, or
wherever his conscience was concerned. None could persuade,
any more than affright him, to vary in the least point from that
integrity, which was inseparable from his whole character, and
regulated all his words and actions. Herein he did
' Sland as an iron pillar strong,
And steadfast as a wall of brass.'
8. " If it be inquired, what was the foundation of this in
tegrity, or of his sincerity, courage, patience, and every other
valuable aud amiable quality? it is easy to give the answer. It
was not the excellence of his natural temper ; not the strength
of his understanding; it was not the force of education ; no,
nor the advice of his friends. It was no other than faith in a
believing Lord ; faith of the operation of God. It was a lively
hope of an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth
not away. It was the love of God shed abroad in his heart
by the Holy Ghost, which was given unto him, filling his soul
with tender, disinterested love to every child of man. From
this source arose that torrent of eloquence, which frequently
bore down all before it. From this, that astonishing force of

238 ' MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
persuasion, which the most hardened sinners could not resist
This it was, which often made his head as waters, and his eyes
a fountain of tears. This it was, which enabled him to pour
out his soul in prayer, in a manner peculiar to himself, with
such fullness and ease united together, with such strength and
variety both of sentiment and expression.
6. " I may close this head with observing, what an honor it
pleased God to put upon his faithful servant, by allowing him
to declare his everlasting gospel in so many various countries,
to such numbers of people, and with so great an effect on so
many of their precious souls !"
On the same day, November 18, 1770, the Rev. Henry Venn,
A. M., rector of Yelling, in Huntingdonshire, and chaplain to
the Right Honorable the earl of Buchan, preached a sermon at
the Countess of Huntingdon's chapel at B^th, on Isaiah viii.
18. "Behold I, and the children whom the Lord hath given
me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel, from the Lord
of Hosts, whicli dweileth in Mount Zion." The following
hymn was sung : Servant of God, well done !
Thy glorious warfare's past,
The battle's fought, the race is won,
And thou art crowned at last ;
Of all thy heart's desire,
Triumphantly possess'd,
Lodg'd by the ministerial choir,
In thy Redeemer's breast.
In condescending love
Thy ceaseless prayer he heard,
And bade thee suddenly remove
To thy complete reward ;
Ready to bring the peace,
Thy beauteous feet were shod,
When mercy signed thy soul's release,
And caught thee up to God.
With saints enthron'd on high,
Thou dost thy Lard proclaim,
And still to God salvation cry,
Salvation to the Lamb 1
O happy, happy soul,
In ecstasies of praise,
Long as eternal ages roll,
Thou seest thy Savior's face.
Redeem'd from earth and pain,
Ah ! when shall we ascend,
And all in Jesus' presence reign,
With our translated friend !
Come Lord, and quickly come 1
And when in thee complete,
Receive thy longing servants home,
To triumph at thy feet I

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 239
Of Whitefield, Mr. Venn says :— " Though the children of
Christ are all for signs and for wonders in Israel, yet do they
differ as one star differeth from another star in glory. Talents,
grace, and zeal, eminently dignify some, and draw the eyes of
men upon them. In the foremost of this rank, doubtless, is the
Rev. Mr. Whitefield to be placed ; for his doctrine was the
doctrine of the Reformers, of the Apostles, and of Christ ; it
was the doctrine of free grace, of God's everlasting love.
Through Jesus he preached the forgiveness of sins, and perse
verance in holy living, through his faithfulness and power en
gaged to his people. And the doctrines which he preached, he
eminently adorned by his zeal, and by his works. For, if the
greatness, extent, success, and disinterestedness of a man's labor,
can give him distinction among the children of Christ, we are
warranted to affirm, that scarce any one of his ministers, since
the apostles' days, has exceeded ; scarce any one has equalled
Mr. Whitefield.
"What a sign and wonder was this man of God in the
greatness of his labors ! One cannot but stand amazed that his
mortal frame could, for the space of thirty years, without inter
ruption, sustain the weight of them. For what is so trying to
the human frame, in youth especially, as long continued, fre
quent and violent straining of the lungs? Who, that knows
their structure, would think it possible, that a person, little
above the age of manhood, should speak in the compass of a
single week, and that for years, in general, forty hours, and in
very many weeks sixty, and that to thousands ; and after this
labor, instead of taking any rest, should be offering up prayers,
intercessions, with hymns and spiritual songs, as his manner
was, in every house to which he was invited. The history
of the church of Christ affords but very few instances of men
thus incessantly employing their whole strength, as it were,
every breath they drew, in the business of their sacred func
tion. And the truth is, that in point of labor, this extraordi
nary servant of God did as much in a few weeks, as most of
those who exert themselves are able to do in the space of a
year. Thus laboring, not by fits or starts, but with constancy,
perseverance, and ardor unabated, his mortal frame, about nine
years since, began to sink under the weight of much work. If
with the length and frequency of Mr. Whitefield's preaching,
we consider the intenseness of voice and spirit with which he
spoke, the greatness of his labors will appear perfectly astonish
ing. He knew not how to speak with less zeal, in his whole
manner, than became the subject of his discourse. The total
ruin of the human race by the fall, the complete recovery of
believers in Christ, his dying love, and the unsearchable riches

240 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
of his grace, to be known experimentally in this life, though
fully to be displayed in the next ; and the infatuation of sin
ners, led captive by their lusts, down to the chambers of death.
These grand truths, of more weight than words can pain^
fired his whole soul ; they transported him as much as earthly
spirits are transported into vehemence, when they contend per
sonally for their own property ; he cried out therefore, as his
dear Lord was" wont to do, with a voice audible to an amazing
distance. Hence, in a thousand instances, where the cause
of God, more coolly pleaded, would have been neglected, he
gained it a hearing, and carried the day: for the unusual
earnestness of the speaker roused the most stupid and lethargic ;
it compelled them to feel ; the matter must be momentous, in
deed, which the speaker was urging, as a man would plead for
his own life. Early and often his body suffered for this violent
exertion of his strength. Early and often his inside has bled
a considerable quantity, and cried out. spare thyself; but pro
digal of life, in the best of causes, he would give himself no
rest, expecting very soon to finish his course, and infinitely
desirous to save the souls condemned to die — he perished.
Though this may be blamed as an excess, it was an excess far
above the reach of a selfish mind, or an ordinary faith.
"Equal to the greatness and intenseness of his labors, was
their extent. The abilities and grace of most teachers, have
full employ in but a small district, nor have common men
talents for more. But, when God lights up in the breast, an
apostolic zeal for his own glory, an apostolic love for the souls
of men, it seems reasonable to conclude such an instrument is
designed for the most extensive usefulness.
"Accordingly the compass of Mr. Whitefield's labors, exceeds
any thing that others can pretend to. Not only in the south,
the west, and north of England, did he lift up his voice, saying,
repent, for the kingdom of heaven is come, but in Wales, in
Scotland, in Ireland, and America, from Georgia to Boston,
vast multitudes in each country were witnesses of his zeal for
the salvation of souls.
"And to crown all. he was abundantly successful in his vast
labors, and disinterested too. The seals to his ministry, from
first to last, I am persuaded, are more than could be credited,
could the number be fixed. This is certain, his amazing popu
larity was only from his usefulness ; for he no sooner opened
his mouth as a preacher, than God commanded an extraordi
nary blessing upon his word. The people were so deeply in>
pressed wifh the sense of divine things, from what he delivered,
that, to his own great surprise, they followed him from church
lo church, until the largest churches in London could no longer

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 241
contain a fourth part of the crowds, which pressed to hear the
word of God from his lips.
" Should any one say, few in comparison, besides the low,
ignorant, common people, were his followers, I would answer,
the souls of the poor and ignorant are to the full as precious
as those of the rich and learned ; and the mob have shown the
justest discernment, and have received the truth ; whilst men
of wealth, learning, and education, have trampled it under their
feet. Witness the chief scribes and pharisees, who rejected
both the baptist and the Savior, when the common people
justified God, and gave them both the honor of being sent from
him. Indeed, in every age, we see the scripture fulfilled — not
many rich, not many mighty, not many wise men after the
flesh are called ; but God has chosen the poor, rich in faith, and
heirs of the kingdom.
" However, when the fierceness of prejudice was worn off,
numbers, who at first despised him, taught to do so by gross
slanderers, were happy under his ministry. And this honor
was put upon him even to the last. He had a much larger
audience statedly to hear him, than any man in the whole
kingdom, perhaps in all Christendom.
" And that this vast multitude of people were gathered, just
as the primitive churches of Christ, by the truth they heard,
and the spiritual benefit they received under his word, is evi
dent beyond a reasonable doubt. For, if you trace his pro
gress through the various cities and countries where he preach
ed the gospel, you will find, as the case was with St. Paul, so
it was with this servant of Christ ; many were turned by him
from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God,
receiving remission of their sins, and an inheritance among
those that are sanctified, through *faith in Christ. Inquire of
the effects of his labors, from the only proper judges, those who
live in the religious world ; and they will aver, that many with
in their own knowledge, small as that circle must be, confess
they owe theii ownselves to this faithful witness for his Lord.
Added to this, that the letters he received of grateful acknow
ledgments, from persons of all ages and conditions in life, for
the spiritual blessings he had conveyed to them, would fill
volumes. Nay. it is a well known fact, that the conversion of
men's souls has been the fruit of a single sermon from his lips;
so eminently was he made of God, a fisher of men. But he
was not more, successful than he was "disinterested in his labors;
for though a vast multitude, which must ever be the case with
those whom God is pleased remarkably to own, followed him,
he had still no ambition to stand at the head of a party. His
great object was to exalt Christ crucified : and when his hear-
?1

242 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ers were brought to the knowledge of salvation, his point was
gained, and his soul was satisfied. Hence, neither in his ser
mons, nor more private exhortations, did he cast disparaging
reflections upon other preachers of Christ. No base sugges
tion dropt from his mouth, as if to differ from him must be
owing to blindness in the judgment, or coldness of the heart
for the interests of holiness. Truly cordial and catholic in his
love for all who appeared to love the Lord Jesus in sincerity,
he never desired to see his congregation increased by those who
had evangelical pastors of their own.
"Further, in proof of his disinterestedness, consider what
he gained by his labors. The scourge of the tongue was let
loose upon him, and his name was loaded with the foulest ca
lumnies; he was often in tumults, and more than once in dan
ger of his life, by the rage of the people ; he wore himself
away in the service of souls ; and when he died, he died quite
exhausted by much speaking ; but in his death, he received an
immediate answer to his own prayer, ' that if it were consis
tent with the divine will, he might finish that day his Master's
work.' " For such a life, and such a death, though in tears under
our great loss, we must yet thank God. And though we are
allowed to sorrow, because we shall never see or hear him
again, we must rejoice that millions have heard him so long,
so often, aud to so much good effect ; that out of this mass of
people, multitudes are gone before him, we doubt not, to hail
his entrance into the world of glory ; and that in every period
of life, from childhood to hoary age, many of his children in
the Lord are still to follow; all to be his crown of rejoicing;
the only effectual, everlasting confutation of his adversaries;
that he ran not in vain, nor labored in vain."
Many more sermons were preached, on Whitefield's death,
by the Rev. Messrs.Whitaker and Smith, of Charleston ; Sproutt,
of Philadelphia : Langford, Elliott, and others.
It appears, from a paper written by Whitefield, that if he
had lived to finish his imperfect manuscript, sometimes quoted
in these memoirs, the conclusion would have been, "Reflec
tions upon the whole, containing arguments to prove the di
vinity of the work ; and answers to objections against field
preaching— lay preaching— irregularities — and the blemishes
that have attended it."
His death preventing the execution of this design, we could
refer the reader to what has been published upon the subject,
by the Rev. Messrs. Jonathan Edwards, Hobby, Shutliff, and
others. The Rev. John Newton, late rector of St. Mary Woolnoth,

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 243'
London, preached a sermon at Olney, November 11, 1770, on
John v. 35, He was a burning and a shining light. In which
he speaks of Whitefield, as follows : "Some ministers are burn
ing and shining lights in a peculiar and eminent degree. Such
an one, I doubt not, was the servant of God, whose death we
now lament. I have had some opportunities of looking over
the history of the church in past ages. I am not backward to
say, that I have not read or heard of any person since the
apostles' days, of whom it may be more emphatically said, he
was a burning and shining light, than the late Mr. Whitefield,
whether we consider the warmth of his zeal, the greatness of
his ministerial talents, or the extensive usefulness with which
the Lord honored him. I do not mean to praise the man, but
the Lord who furnished him, and made him what he was. He
was raised np to shine in a dark place. The state of religion,
when he first appeared in public, was very low in our establish
ed church. I speak the truth, though to some it may be an
offensive truth. The doctrines of grace were seldom heard
from the pulpit, and the life and power of godliness were little
(mown. Many of the most spiritual among the dissenters,
were mourning under the sense of a great, spreading declen
sion on their side. What a change has taken place through
out the land, within a little more than thirty years, that is, since
the time when the first set of despised ministers came to Ox
ford ! And how much of this change has been owing to God's
blessing on Mr. Whitefield's labors, is well known to many who
have lived through this period ; and can hardly be denied by
those who are least willing to allow it.
"First — He was a burning light. He had an ardent zeal for
God, an inflamed desire for the salvation of sinners ; so that
no labors could weary him, no difficulties or opposition dis
couraged him, hardly any limits could confine him ; not con
tent with the bounds of a country, or a kingdom, this messen
ger of good tidings preached the everlasting gospel in almost
every considerable place in England, Scotland, and Ireland,
and throughout the British empire in America, which is an
extent of more than one thousand miles. Most of these places
he visited again and again ; nor did he confine his attention to
places of note, but in the former part of his ministry, was
ready to preach to few, as well as to many, wherever a door
was opened ; though in the latter part of his life, his frequent
illness, and the necessity of his more immediate charge, con
fined him more at home. In some of his most early excursions,
the good providence of God led him here : and many, I trust,
were made willing to rejoice in his light, and have reason to
bless God, that ever they saw and heard him.

&

244 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
" Secondly — He was a shining light. His zeal was not like
wild fire, but directed by sound principles, and a -sound judg
ment. In this part of his character I would observe — 1st.
Though he was very young when he came out, the Lord soon
gave him a very clear view of the gospel. In the sermons he
published, soon after his first appearance, there is the same
evangelical strain observable, as in those whieh he preached in
his advanced years. Time and observation, what he felt, and
what he saw, enlarged his experience, and gave his preaching
an increasing ripeness and savor, as he grew older in the work •
but from first to last he preached the same gospel, and was
determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him cruci
fied. 2d. His steadiness and perseverance in the truth was the
more remarkable, considering the difficulties and snares he was
sometimes beset with. But the Lord kept him steady, so that
neither the example, nor friendship, nor importunity of those
he dearly loved, were capable of moving him. 3d. The Lord
gave him a manner of preaching, whieh was peculiarly his
own. He copied from none, and I never met any one who
could imitate him with success. They who attempted, gene
rally made themselves disagreeable. His familiar address,-
the power of his action, his marvelous talent in fixing the
attention even of the most careless, I need not describe to those
who have heard him, and to those who have not, the attempt
would be vain. Other ministers could preach the gospel as
clearly, and in general say the same things ; but, I believe, no
man living could say them in his way. Here I always thought
him unequaled ; and I hardly expect to see his equal while I
live. 4th. But that which finished his character, as a shining
light, and is now his crown of rejoicing, was the singular suc
cess which the Lord was pleased to give him in winning souls.
What numbers entered the kingdom of glory before him, and
what numbers are now lamenting his loss, who were awakened
by his ministry ! It seemed as if he never preached in vain.
Perhaps there is hardly a place, in all the extensive compass of
his labors, where some may not be found, who thankfully
acknowledge him for their spiritual father. Nor was he an
awakening preacher only ; wherever he came, if he preached
but a single discourse, he usually brought a season of refresh
ment and revival with him, to those who had already received
the truth. Great as his immediate and personal usefulness
was, his occasional usefulness, if I may so call it, was, per
haps, much greater. Many have cause to be thankful for him,
who never saw or heard him. I have always observed, that
there was a something peculiar to his manner of preaching, in
which no person of sound judgment would venture to imitate

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 245
hira. But, notwithstanding this, he was in other respects, a
signal and happy pattern and model for preachers. He intro
duced a way of close and lively application to the conscience,
for which, I believe, many of the most admired and eminent
preachers now living, will not be ashamed, or unwilling to ac
knowledge themselves his debtor."
How highly the Rev. William Romaine thought of White-
field, his own account of his death will best 'ell,
" Look at the public loss ! 0 w' at has th-; chirch suffered
in the setting of that bright star, which had shone so gloriously
in our hemisphere. Mr: Whitefield's preaching is over — now
he is praising. We have none left to succeed him: none of
his gifts ; none any thing like him in usefulness."
The Rev. Samuel Brewer, of Stepney, near "London, also
preached a sermon on the occasion which his modesty would
not permit him to print. And many ministers, both iu and out
of the establishment, auvuigst whom were the Rev. William
Romaine. the Rev. Martin Madan, the Rev. Dr. Gibbons, and
the Rev. Dr. Trotter, who, in their preaching and prayers,
lamented the loss of so eminently faithful, and uncommonly
successful a servant of God.
These sermons are so many testimonies to the extraordinary
and unexampled effects, wrought by this wonderful man of
God, in both hemispheres; and in the act of acknowledging,
they pay in the purest and scarcest coin, the debt of gratitude
due to this spiritual soldier, for his heroic and self-sacrificing
perseverance in breaking up that sensual spell, in which the
people had been fast bound, whose purified lives were the seals
of his ministry, the crown of his rejoicing, and the earnest of
their own salvation. They were the spontaneous, unsought
expressions of grief at the loss of one, who had been to them,
under God, the conductor of Spiritual Life. Few men have
made themselves felt so sensibly and widely during their own
lives ; and still fewer have been privileged to fill a space so
large, that their death seems to leave, through a whole people,
a mournful and irreparable'void. Even among this small band,
it is seldom that any have their graves watered with tears,
flowing from that fount of affection, which supplies itself from
the enduring and immortal within us.
That devout and affectionate veneration, which would have
led throngs to bathe Whitefield's feet in their tears, never
exists for any merely earthly hero. The same power of touch
ing the truest and deepest chords within us, which made his
memory and worth so much eulogized after death, also awak*
ened a love and admiration which irresistibly sj oke themselves
oat before the living man. So effectual was the impression
21*

245 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
xnade by him wherever he went, that formal commendatory
discourses were often pronounced upon him, in his younger
days, the tone of which precisely accords with the eulogies
after his death. This is proof that his fame was not accidental
or temporary, but rested on the fixed basis of intrinsic worth
and pre-eminence. A specimen of these demonstrations of
the respect deferred to him, may be found in the following ser
mon. It was preached by the Rev. Josiah Smith, of Charles
ton, when Whitefield was but twenty-six years of age, and was
published in Boston, with a recommendatory preface by the
Rev. Dr. Coleman, and the Rev. Mr. Cooper, in the year 1740.
The sermon is as follows :
Job xxxiii. 27. I said, I will answer my part. I also wilt
show my opinion.
My design from this text is, to show my impartial opinion1
of that son of Thunder, who has lately graced and warmed
this desk ; and would have been an ornament, I think, to the
best pulpit in the province. Happy shall I think myself, if I
can only clinch the nails, this great master of assemblies* has
already fastened. Like Elihn, the gallant youth before us, "I
am now full of matter ; the spirit within me constrained! me ;
my belly is as wine which hath no vent, it is ready to burst
like new bottles, I will speak that I may be refreshed." Others-
liave freely spoken their sentiments of the wondrous man be
fore me ; and I have heard the defaming, as well as the ap
plause of many. " I said, therefore, I will answer also my
part, I will also show my opinion." In this I design no offence,
mor would I give flattering titles to any man, lest my Maker
should take me away.
The scheme proposed is,
I. To show my opinion of the doctrines he insisted upon,
" well established.
II. To speak something of the manner of his preaching.
HI. To offer my sentiments upon his personal character.
Lastly, to give my thoughts, of what Providence seems to
have in view, in raising up men of this stamp in our day,
almost every where spoken against, yet crowded after and just
ly admired.
I. I shall give you my opinions of the doctrines he insisted
upon among us.
To speak more generally, they were doctrines; I am of opin>-
ion, agreeable to the dictates of reason ; evidently founded
upon scripture ; exactly correspondent with the articles of the
establishment ; of great use and necessity in forming the
• That*ministers of the gospel are called masters of assemblies. See Paurt
Annotations on Eccl. xii. 11.

Memoirs of Whitefield. 24?
christian life ; which I had early imbibed from the best writer*
and systems ; from which I had never yet seen reason to re
cede, and which therefore you are witnesses, I have not fallen-
to introduce and inculcate, in the course of my ministry
among you.
To be more particular :
One of the doctrines, which he has hardly passed over in
silence, in any single discourse, is that of original sin. A truth
so manifest in scripture, that I am almost of opinion, it is im
possible any sincere, diligent and unprejudiced inquirer should
miss it ; for it is written in sun beams, that a man may run
and read.
By original sin I mean nothing less than the imputation of
Adam's first sin to all his posterity by ordinary generation ;
which imputation is the result of his being constituted to act
for then! in the extensive capacity of legal representative : the
consequence of which is, that inherent corruption of nature, and
those sinful propensities, we are now born with into the world.
As to the point of imputation, it is a doctrine, it must be con
fessed, of more intricacy; about which, it is therefore possible, a
well meaning man may labor under some scruples, while per
haps he allows of the depravity of human nature. Though I
must beg leave to express my surprise, that any person of
judgment should maintain this depravity, and not immediately
discover its neccessary connection with the imputation, and
how impossible it is to secure the justice of God, without hav
ing recourse to it : for, certainly, the corruption of human na
ture, so universal and inseparable, is one of the greatest punish
ments that could be inflicted upon the species ; and that it is
inflicted, appears from hence, that God made man at first up
right. Now, if there be no previous imputation, to lay a legal
foundation for this punishment, then God has inflicted an
evident punishment upon a race of men, perfectly innocent,
and which had neither sinned personally, nor yet by imputa
tion ; and thus, while we imagine we honor the justice of God
by renouncing imputation, we in fact pour the highest dishonor
Upon that sacred attribute. This, I fear, is the grand reason,
why the adversaries of original sin labor so hard to explode the
depravity of nature ; for should they once admit that, they are
conscious they must admit imputation too. I say, I fear this
is the grand reason. How else is it possible a man should ques
tion a truth, written in capitals upon the moral world 1 A truth,
we feel in every power of our soul ! what we read upon our
own hearts ; and is indeed stamped upon universal nature, with
in our horizon ; and which, the more righteous any man is, the
more he feels and groans under. We need not wonder then,

248 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
•>ur late incomparable preacher should insist upon original
fiin, when we consider, not only in what an incontestable man
ner he proved it, but of what vast importance it must be. For
to give my opinion freely ; I cannot think, I cannot see, how the
christian scheme can be consistent with itself, or supported with
honor, without this basis. I look upon it, not merely as a doc
trine of the scriptures, the great fountain of truth, but a very
fundamental one ; from which, I hope, God will suffer none of
you to be enticed, by any sophistry of the subtle disputers of this
World, or charms of language.
But to proceed.
Another doctrine we have lately had in the warmest language
impressed upon us, is that Pauline one of justification by faith
alone. And here you will remember, how the preacher vindi
cated himself from >»U suspicions of Antinomian error, and open
ing a door to licentious manners : for while on the one hand,
he earnestly contended for our justification, as the free gift of
God, by faith alone in the blood of Christ, an article of faith
delivered to tiie saints of old ; so on the other hand, he took
special care to guard against the licentious abuse of it, and
would not make void the law, when he asserted that good
works were the necessary fruits and evidences of true faith ;
telling us plainly, and with the clearest distinction, that a
man was justified these three ways ; meritoriously by Christ,
instrumentally by faith alone, declaratively by good works.
And believe me, my brethren, this is the true gospel of Jesus
Christ, and the writings ofthe apostles. For when Abraham
believed God, was not it (his faith) imputed to him for righte
ousness? And yet, was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar ? How
shall we then reconcile this ? Why very easily. The act cf
this faith justified him through Christ, and the offering of Isaac
justified that faith : the first in the sight of God, the other in
the sight of man. In justification faith precedes, works follow
after ; for if works precede, or had any casual influence in our
justification, wc might seem to have whereof to glory before God.
But here, it is the free gift of God, and boasting for ever exclud
ed. God, when he justifies a man, never finds, but makes him
holy ; without any previous merit, of whicli there can be ni
shadow in an apostate creature. No ; ¦ By grace ye are saved, .
through faith : and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God. And, could I live the most exact life ever man lived ;
could I even excel the virtues of the pious preacher himself;
could I produce as many good works as the saints in all ages
collected together ; I would not for ten thousand worlds, put
my justification upon them; I would only consider them, as

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 249
bright and pleasant evidences of the truth of my faith in Christ.
Good works are valuable things ; God forbid we should lisp a
word against them, in their proper place ; we plead for them,
we press the practice of them, as incumbent upon all chris
tians ; but we cannot allow them any share in our justification
before God. They may prove we are justified ; but they can
not justify us. No, verily : Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but of his own mercy, God saveth us.
Hitherto then, our preacher is orthodox in Ms doctrine, which
both excludes licentiousness, establishes the law, and exalts
free grace ; the evident design and language of the gospel, and
which. I am of opinion, every minister of Christ should ear
nestly contend for ; because the sinner must first see himself
naked, before he will come to Christ for his white raiment ;
the pure and fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints,
and which I counsel you all to buy of him.
Regeneration was another great doctrine, which the excel-
lent man much insisted upon ; hardly a single sermon, but he
mentioned if, sometimes more than. twice ; and one, and perhaps
the best of his discourses, was ex professo upon this subject.
Nor can any man be surprised, that a minister of the New Tes
tament should so heartily espouse a principle, which our Lord
himself began to speak, and asserted as a fundamental point of
Christianity, indispensably requisite to eternal life ; and this
with so much vehemency, and earnest repetition. Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, (from
above,) he cannot see the kingdom of God. He assures us,
We must be born of water and of the Spirit. Our regenera
tion results, in its necessity, from original sin. They that are
shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin, must be washed and
cleansed. By which is not meant the mere forms and rites of
baptism ; not the washing away the filth of the flesh, as the'
corrupt Pharisees might wash their hands and the outside of
the cup; but the answer of a good conscience towards God,
purged by the blood of Christ. For we can only be saved by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost : the infusion of a new life, a divine, heavenly, and pro
lific principle. As we are by nature dead in trespasses and
sins, God must quicken us by his Spirit, and through that we
must mortify the deeds of the body, and crucify the flesh with
its lusts and affections. For until we know (until we feel the
exceeding greatness of) the power of Christ's resurrection, we
have no part in him : we cannot enter into heaven ; or if we
should, our first petition would be, to be discharged as soon as
possible. Pleasure is the result of harmony ; the nature must
agree with the object: there must be a great change upon

'250 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
the nature, to make us susceptive of the pleasures of God's1
presence. Cavilers and scoffers, I know, there are enough, in these last
days against this doctrine. Some master of Israel may ask,
How can these things be ? Can a man when he is old enter
a second time into his mother's womb, and be born ? Who
ever said he could? Or what would it avail, if he should?
But I hope there may be such a thing as a spiritual birth, sub
sequent to the natural. May we not be again begotten to a
lively hope ? May not God of his own will do it by his word
and spirit ? And may we not then become as little children
and new born babes. Born not of blood, nor of the will of
man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God ? Are we not
told, in the most express language, — that which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit '?¦
Are not here two births, one natural, the other spiritual? I am
really astonished, any man should read his Bible and his own
heart, and be a stranger to this doctrine of the new birth ;
without which nil our boasted morality, and ethical virtues,
however splendid and rhetoricated upon, can never adorn us
in the sight of God, nor qualify us for his redeeming love.
True religion is an inward thing, a thing of the heart ; it
chiefly resides there, and consists in a right disposition and
sanctified temper of the will and affections; and as we have
been lately told, in righteousness, peace, and joy in ihe Holy
Ghost. Which naturally introduces another doctrine, nearly
allied to this, and which was very strongly insisted cm, viz :
The impressions, or (which was the preacher's own phrase)
inward feelings of the spirit. And here you remember, how
he guarded against the invidious censure, of assuming the
character of an apostle.
He renounced all pretensions to the extraordinary powers
and signs of apostleship, gifts of healing, speaking with tongues,
the faith of miracles ; things, peculiar to the age of inspiration,
and extinct with them. He also allowed these feelings of the
spirit were not in every person, or at all times, in the same
degree; and that though a full assurance were attainable, and
what every one should labor to attain, yet not of absolute ne
cessity to the being of a christian. Only he asserted that we
might feel the spirit of God, in his sanctifying and saving im
pressions, and witnessing with our own spirits. And what is
there in all this repugnant to reason ! What is there in it, but
what is perfectly agreeable to Scripture ! How can we be led
by the spirit, or have joy in the Holy Ghost, without some
sensible perceptions of it ! Can I at any time feel my soul in
B&cred raptures, burning with the love of God, and of Christ,

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 251
and all my l>ost passions alive ? Can I feel a secret pleasure in
the word, ordinances, and communion of God ? Can I taste
the powers of the world to come ? Can I feel the threatenings
of God impressed upon my conscience, or promises of paradise
working upon my hopes ! Can I groan under the burden of
my corruptions, or exult in the liberty of spirit, I may somer
times have, in a calm and retired hour, in the meditation of
my pardon, and the contemplation of heaven and immortality?
1 say, can I have all these things in me, and do I feel them
upon my soul, and yet this doctrine of feeling the spirit be bur
lesqued and ridiculed, in an age of infidelity, and of men who
love to speak evil of the things which they know not? Indeed
a sinful and adulterous generation may seek after a sign. But
what sign can we give them of things that must be known by
being felt ? Or what ideas can I convey of light to the blind,
and of harmony to the deaf/ Let God touch their hearts as
he has done ours,, and they shall feel what we feel ; and what
I would not but feel for millions of worlds. But till then it is
impossible in nature to represent it, in a full, adequate light to
them ; and they may as well ask for mathematical demonstra
tions in a point of pure morality. This is a doctrine, I have
been acquainted with these many years ; it is not new or sur
prising to me ; you have heard me preach it scores of times,
though perhaps, clothed in other expressions as the influences
of the spirit, the impressions of grace. And however derided
by some, who set up and caress a system of rational religion,
I hope to have always enthusiasm enough to maintain that the
spirit of God may be felt. To conclude this head, all the doc
trines now mentioned, are primitive, protestaflt, puritanic ones ;
which our good fathers, conformists and dissenters, have filled
their writings with ; and as Dr. Watts has well observed,
" They fill heaven apace, for God was with them."
Yet all that vast reverence, with which I heard these doc
trines from the mouth of our famous preacher, could not win
my applause or approbation of some few harsher epithets and
expressions (you know what I mean) f/hich dropt from his lips.
These, in my opinion, may be pronounced' failings ; but such
as often attend a warm zeal for orthodoxy, in the points of the
last importance, arise from a principle of conscience, and are
found interwoven with the brightest characters ; and he that
has none, let him cast the first stone.
II. I shall next give .ypu my opinion of the manner of his
preaching. And here I need not say, nor can my pen describe his action
and gesture, in all their strength and decencies. He is certain
ly a finished preacher, and a great master of pulpit oratory and

252 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
elocution, while a noble negligence ran through his style. Yet
his discourses were very extraordinary when we consider how
little they were premeditated, and how many of them he gave
us, the little time he was with us. Many, I trust, have felt, and
will long feel the impressions of his zeal and fire, the passion
and flame of his expressions : which were such, that I cannot
think my public character of him, in the least exceeds the
bounds of truth and strict verity ; only making that allowance
for figures of speech, which is always expected, upon extraor
dinary occasions, and in the portraiture of great characters.
He appeared to me, in all his discourses, very deeply affect
ed and impressed in his own heart. How did that burn and
boil within him, when he spake of the things he had made,
touching the King ? How was his tongue like the pen of a
ready writer ? Touched as with a coal from the altar ! With
what a flow of words, what a ready profusion of language,
did he speak to us upon the great concerns of our souls ? In
what a naming light did he set our eternity before us ? How
earnestly did he press Christ upon us ? How did he move our
passions with the constraining love of such a Redeemer? The
awe, the silence, the attention, which sat upon the face of so
great an audience, was an argument, how he could reign over
all their powers. Many thought, He spake as never m.an spake
before him. So charmed were people with his manner of ad
dress, that they shut up their shops, forgot their secular busi
ness, and laid aside their schemes for the world ; and the
oftener he preached, the keener edge he seemed to put upon
their desires of hearing him again ! How awfully, with what
thunder and sound did he discharge the artillery of Heaven
upon us ? And yet. how could he soften and melt even a sol
dier of Ulysses, with the love and mercy of God ! How close,
strong and pungent were his applications to the conscience ;
mingling light and heat, pointing the arrows of the Almighty
at the hearts of sinners, while he poured in the halm upon
wounds of the contrite, and made broken bones rejoice ? Eter
nal themes, the tremendous solemnities of our religion, were
all alive upon his tongue ! So methinks (if you will forgive
the figure) St. Paul would look and speak in a pulpit, and in
some such manner, I have been tempted to conceive of a seraph,
were he sent down to preach among us, and to tell us what
things he had seen and heard above ! How bold and cour
ageous did he look ? He was no flatterer, would not suffer
men to settle upon their lees ; did not prophesy smooth things
nor sow pillows. He taught the way of God in truth, and
regarded not the person of men. The politest, the most
modish 'A our vices he struck at, the most fashionable enter-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 253
tainments ; regardless of every one's presence, but his in whose
name he spoke, with authority. He delivered his own soul,
very sharply rebuked our balls and midnight assemblies, that
bane of all that is serious and religious ; and I dare warrant,
if none would go to these diversions, till they have answered
the solemn questions he put to their consciences, our theater
¦would soon sink and perish.
You may be sure I was not displeased with this part of his
conduct, when I have so often myself mentioned these things,
as of pernicious tendency to our morals, religion, and prosperity.
And who can blame a minister's freedom and zeal : what hard
measures, what cruel treatment would it be to censure our
plainness of speech ; when our very commission requires us to
lift up our voice like a trumpet, to cry aloud, and spare not, to
show people their transgressions ; and when the blood of your
souls, the most insupportable thing in the world, must be re
quired at our hands, if we be afraid to warn ! I am sure, would
ipeople consider this, and that we cannot possibly propose any
temporal advantage to ourselves, by striking at the right eye,
-they would applaud, and not censure, our warmth and freedom.
I must tell you, over and over again, such things are danger-
¦ous to your souls ; this cannot consist with your christian pro
fession and baptism : they tend to devour the seeds and weak
en all the young springs of virtue, and to erase the most pious
impressions. But if the voice of ministers cannot be heard, at least let the
.circumstances of our country, and the louder roarings of Provi
dence, awe and restrain us.; for -sure I am it is now a time to
mourn, and not to dance : and the Scripture severely threatens
a people, that disregarded the operations of God's hands.
III. I now proceed to show my opinion of our preacher in
-his personal character and behavior.
Here I may take courage, and challenge his worst enemies
,to lay any thing to the charge of his^morals, or to arraign his
sincerity, so visible in his whole deportment.
While he preaches up faith alone, in our justification before
God, yet he is careful to maintain good works, and denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live soberly, righteously, and
godly. These things the- grace of God teaches us ; and how
much of this doctrine has be transcribed into his life ? How
rich has he been in all good works? What an eminent pat
tern of piety towards God ? How holy and unblamable in all
conversation and godliness? How seasoned, how much to
the use of edifying, aU his discourses? How naturaUy does ho
4um them to religion ?. How much is he given to meditation
Jbimself, and how dees he labor to excite it In others?
22

254 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD,
It is indisputable with me, that he affects no party in religion,
nor sets himself at the head of any : had this been his aim,
no man living has had fairer occasions offered ; but he abhors
the spirit, he endeavors to suppress it. He is always careful to
time his Sabbath discourses, so as not to interfere with thij
stated hours of worship, in that church, of which he is. a pro
fessed member and minister, and in the opinion of many peo^
pie a very bright ornament ; because, as he told us, he would
not tempt away hearers from their proper and respective pas.
tors. And is not this a noble and generous, a catholic and
christian spirit ? He is not bigoted to the modalities and lereer
rites and forms of religion, while zealous enough and very
warm and jealous in all its essentials, especially in the divine
honors and godhead of his Savior. He professed love to good
men of every denomination, and told us, that the kingdom of
heaven consists not of meats and drinks. He appears to me
a man full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. Though his pray
ers, in this pulpit, were all extempore, yet how copious, how
ardent, with what compass of thought ! The spirit of grace
and supplication seemed to be poured out upon him in plenty,
and to kindle and animate his devotions. He prays in public.
with that spirit, variety, and fluency, which could only be
expected from a man, who was no stranger to the sacred duty
in private. He lives much by faith, and above the world ;
despises preferments and riches ; of which last I am told, he
has had great offers in Europe. His heart seems set upon
doing good. He goes about his great Master's work, with dili
gence and application ; and with such cheerfulness, as would
make one in love with a life of religion, which has so many
inward springs of the best comforts, and is not that gloomy
melancholy thing, which prejudice and imagination make it
He is proof against reproach and invective. When he is re
viled, he revileth not again, but prays heartily for all his ene
mies, and that such a*s ojjpose the truth, may be converted to
it. He professes himself to lay down his life for Christ, and
to spend and be spent in the service of souls. Such a-man has
all imaginable claim to our highest love and honor. I freely
own he has taken my heart, and I feel his reproaches. God
seems to be with him of a truth ; has set his seal upon him :
his rod has budded, and he has many to whom he can say,
Ye are my epistle. Wherever he has preached, he has been
thronged, and many have come to him pricked in their hearts,
saying, What shall we do to be saved ! He has put a new face
upon religion, my letters inform me, in some populous cities
and parts of our neighboring continent ; given new life to
ministers and people ; made sermons, once a drug, a vendible

Memoirs of whitefield. 256
Commodity amOng them ; evening and weekly lectures are set
up, and always crowded with persons of different persuasions ;
while he has put a damp upon their polite diversions, which
always dwindle as Christianity revives. Surely, no man could
do these things, I had almost said, these miracles, unless God
were with him, who gives the increase, even when Paul plants,
and Apollos waters. Had ecclesiastical perferment been his
idol, fame and reputation his motive, as he has taken a prepos
terous way to acquire them, so I can never suffer myself to
think God would have owned him so visibly, or given him so
many seals of his ministry. Our Savior himself makes good
fruits the general characteristic of good ministers. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Either the fruits and success of
their ministry, the design and tendency of their doctrines, or
the fruits of the Spirit in their lives! And which of these have
been wanting in this extraordinary man? Who can object
against the tendency of his doctrines ? And for success, his
enemies know it to their own confusion. And who can say
his life is unfruitful, or that, he has appeared like an immoral
man? He renders to all their due. While zealous for the
things of God, he is a friend to Cassar ; a loyal subject to King
George, heartily prays for him and his royal house ; " May
it abide before God!" A prayer, to which, I doubt not, you are
all ready to say Amen.
But to proceed with our character of the preacher, whom
hath he wronged or defrauded ? Whose ox or whose ass hath
he taken 7 Say, if any man hath found aught in his hands ;
so far from it, that he seems to live, not by bread alone, but by
the word and promise of God ; without taking thought for the
morrow, what he shall eat, or drink, or put on.
And for charity, as it consists in compassion and acts of
beneficence, we have few men like minded. In this grand
circle of practical religion, he seems to be a second Job, as
well as for patience ; and deserves a good report of all men,
and of the truth itself. Had he been under any criminal in
fluence of a mercenary, covetous temper, had he collected
money for himself, in his journeyings often, and itinerating
preachings, under the pretext of doing it for the poor, as he
was slanderously reported, he had certainly a fair opportunity
to enrich himself. But we have seen a plain fact cannot be
denied, that he cast all into the treasury, and serves the table
of the poor with it. Strolling and vagabond orphans, poor
and helpless, without father, without mother, without purse,
and without friend, he seeks out, picks up, and adopts into his
family. He is now building accommodations, and laying the
best foundation for their support and religious instruction, with-

256

memoirs of whitefield.

out any visible fund ; encouraged to go on in faith, from the
shining example of the great professor in Germany, who began
a like pious work with almost nothing ; and raised it to such
perfection, as is the wonder and astonishment of all that hear
it. This is a sacrifice well pleasing to God ! The loins of the
poor will bless him, the blessing of him that was ready to
perish, shall come upon him ! He hath dispersed abroad, he
hath given to the poor ; his righteousness ought to endure, and
be celebrated among us. After this, let none call him an un
charitable man ; for what brighter evidence of pure religion
than this, to visit the fatherless in their affliction.
And permit me here, to join in my thanks to you, and the
other charitably disposed christians, who have shown their
bowels of mercy in the late very large collection* for the Or
phan-house in Georgia. This is an honor to our whole town.
And, believe me, you will never be a penny the poorer, for
helping the poor ; Them we have ahcays with us, and inas
much as we have done it unto them, we have done it unto
Christ, and cannot fail of a reward ; at least the reflection we
make upon it, on our last bed, will give us more satisfaction,
than what we contribute to the support of balls and assemblies
of music, to the pride and luxuries of life ; nor can it fail to
occasion many thanksgivings unto God.
I now proceed, under the last head, to give my opinion, what
views Providence may have in raising up men of this stamp,
now among us.
And this I desire to do with all humility and modesty.
I pretend to no spirit of prophecy, and can only conjecture,
and offer the result of observation, reason, and the usual ten
dencies of things, corroborated by the great promises scattered
up and down in our Bibles, wherein glorious things are spoken
of thee, thou city of our God ! The prophecies are usually
too dark and mystic to be fully understood : the seals of that
book are seldom broken, until fhe several periods of accom
plishment, which makes time the best and surest expositor.
But certainly, if we can discern the face of the sky in the
morning, we might make some humble and faint conjectures at
the times and seasons, whieh the Father keeps in his own
power. Now we are none of us ignorant, how far the primi
tive spirit of Christianity has sunk into a mere form of godlf-
ness. Irreligion has been rushing in, even upon the Protestant
world like a flood : the dearest and most obvious doctrines of
tho Bible have fallen into low contempt ; the principles and
systems of our good and pious fathers have been more and
* Six hundred pounds.

memoirs of whitefield. 257
more exploded. And now behold ! God seems to have revived
the ancient spirit and doctrines. He is raising up our young
men, with zeal and courage to stem the torrent. They have
been in labor more abundant ; they have preached with such
fire, assiduity, and success ; such a solemn awe have they
struck upon their hearers ; so unaccountably have they con
quered the prejudices of many persons ; such deep convictions
have their sermons produced ; so much have they roused and
kindled the zeal of ministers and people ; so intrepidly do they
push through all opposition, that my soul overflows with joy,
and my heart is too full to express my hopes. It looks as if
some happy period were opening, to bless the world with
another reformation. Some great things seem to be upon the
anvil, some big prophecy at the birth : God give it strength to
bring forth ! May he especially water the good seed his ser
vant has plentifully sown among us ; may we remember how
we have heard, and hold fast ; may we cherish conviction ; be
fixed and rooted in our christian faith ; not rebel against the
light, nor make shipwreck at last, by the various winds of doc
trine which are blowing upon us!
Thus have I answered for my part, and shown my opinion :
I have done it in the integrity of my heart ; I have designed
no offence ; only supported the doctrines and character of a
preacher, which love and duty constrain me to honor and de
fend : while I preclude no man from showing his opinion, who
shall do it with the same impartiality. >

CHAPTER XXII.
An examination of Whitefield's character as an Orator, Preacher,
and Christian.*
In the preceding memoir, the main facts of interest in Mr.
Whitefield's public career have been narrated in detail, and
while they prove and illustrate the influence of extraordinary
elements in the formation of his character, they are yet far
from stating, or holding forth in distinct view, what these ele
ments were. It cannot be otherwise than profitable to unravel
as far as possible, the secret of this man's almost super-human
power, that we may know in what respects he ought to be our
model, and in the light of his excellencies and defects, rightly
appreciate, adjust, and attemper our own characters. A gene
ral review of his public course, illustrated by some of those
* For a description of his person see page 23.
22*

288 memoirs of whitefield.
incidents of evory-day life, in which character is nakedly and
spontaneously spoken out, will be most likely to set forth dis
tinctly those gifts, in which he was " imitating none and inim
itable by any." In terminating this memoir, therefore, we shall
endeavor to give a more decisive expression and meaning to
the wondrous incidents already detailed, by illustrating them
in the light of the principles and constitutional peculiarities,
in which they had their origin. For the more perfect ac
complishment of this aim, recourse will be had to those authors
who have been most successful in their attempts to define and
delineate his real character.
In reviewing the life of this extraordinary man, the follow
ing particulars appear very remarkable.
First — We are struck with his unwearied diligence in the
offices of religion, and his conscientious improvement of every
portion of his time. Early in the morning he rose to his Mas
ter's work,, and all the day long was employed in a continual
succession of different duties. Take a view of his public con
duct ; here he is engaged either in preaching the gospel, in
visiting and giving counsel to the afflicted, in instructing the
ignorant, or in celebrating the praises of God. Observe his
behavior in private company; there you hear him introducing,.
upon all occasions, and among all sorts of people, discourse
that tended to edification. And if you follow him to his retire
ments, you see him writing devout meditations upon the oc
currences of the day, or letters to his christian acquaintance,
full of piety and zeal. What a gloomy idea must a stranger
to vital piety entertain of a life spent in this manner ! He will
think it must have been not only joyless and disgusting, but
intolerably burdensome. Far otherwise did it appear in the
experience of this servant of Christ. He felt the greatest en
joyment when engaged in a constant round of social and reli-
fious duties. In these, whole weeks passed away like one day.
nd when he was visited with any distress or affliction, preach
ing, as he tells us himself, was his catholicon, and prayer his
antidote against every trial. The pleasure of a man of busi
ness, in successfully pushing his trade, or of a philosopher,
when pursuing his favorite studies, may give us some faint
conception of the joys which he felt. Yet so ardent were his
desires after the heavenly happiness, that he often longed to
finish his work, and to go home to his Savior. " Blessed be
God," says her "the prospect of death is pleasant to my soul.
I would not live here always. I want to be gone. Sometimes
it arises from a fear of falling. Sometimes from a prospect of
future labors and sufferings. But there are times when my
soul has such foretastes of God, that I long more eagerly to be

MEM0IR3 OF WHITEFIELD.

259

with him ; and the prospect of the happiness which the spirits
of just men made perfect, now enjoy, often carries me, as it
were, into another world."
Again, we are justly surprised at his frequent and fervent
preaching, under all the disadvantages of a sickly constitution,
und the many fits of illness with which he was suddenly seiz
ed. It must, indeed, be confessed, that change of air, frequent
traveling on horseback, and the many voyages he made, might
contribute to the preservation of his health and vigor ; but
when we consider what exertion of voice was necessary to
reach his large congregations ; that he preached generally two
or three times a day,* and often four times on the Lord's day ;
but above all, after what waste of strength and spirits every
sermon must have cost him, through the earnestness of his de
livery, it is truly astonishing, how his constitution could hold
out so long. He says, " I preach till I sweat through and
through." But there is another circumstance not less remark
able than either ofthe former ; which is, the uncommon desire
? " As a specimen of his indefatigable labors in the work of the ministry,
we take the following account of the sermons lie preached after his arrival at
Newport, Rhode Island, to the time of his death. He sailed from New York,
Tuesday, July 31, P. M., arrived at Newport, Friday, August 3, A. M., and
preached, •.

Aug. 4. at Newport,
5, do.
6, do.
7, do.
8, do.
9, at Providence,
10, do.
11, do.
1-2, do.
1)1, at Attleborough,
14, ut Wrentham,
15, at Boston,
16, do.
17, do.
18, do.
1!), at Maiden,.
20, at Boston,
21, do.
2-2, do.
23, do.

Aug. 24, at Boston,
25, do.
26, at Medford,
27, at Charlestown,
28, at Cambridge,
29, at Boston,
30, do.
31, at Ro.tbury Plain,
Sept. 1, at Milton,
2, at Roxbury,
3, at Boston,
5, at Salem,
6, at Marblehead,
7, at Salem,
8, at Cape Ann, '
9, at Ipswich,
10, at Newburyport,
11, do.
12, at Rowley,
13, do.

" From the 13th of Sept. to the 17th, he was detained from public service
by a severe indisposition. When recovered, he preached,
Sept. 17, at Boston, I Sept. 19, at Boston,
18, do. | 20, at Newton.
M The 21st of September, he departed from Boston, upon a tour to the east
ward, pretty much indisposed. But on the 23d he preached.

Sept. 23, at Portsmouth.
24, do.
25, do.
26, at Kiuery,

Sept. 27, at York,
28, at Portsmouth,
29, at Exeter.

260 MEMOIRS OP WHITEFIELD.
that all sorts of people expressed to attend his preaching, and.
that not upon the first or second visit only, but at every suc
ceeding opportunity. Wherever he went, prodigious numbers
flocked to hear him. His congregations often consisted of
about four or five thousand ; in populous places they swelled
to ten thousand ; sometimes fourteen thousand ; and upon
some occasions, the concourse was so great, that they have
been computed to amount from twenty to thirty thousand.
It is wonderful to think, how he commanded the attention
of such multitudes ; with what composure they listened when
he began to speak ; how they hung upon his lips, and were
often dissolved in tears ; and this was the case with persons
of the most hardy and rugged, as well as those of the softer
tempers. It will be remembered that he encountered severe trials and
opposition on his first entrance into Scotland, because he re
fused assent to certain notions of church discipline. While
the dignitaries were denouncing him as fanatical, he rode tri
umphantly through all opposition. His amenity and warmth
of disposition, aided by his mighty eloquence, enabled him to
rise before auditories that had just heard him reviled, and
silence his detractors by the emphatic rebuke implied in an
admiring audience. The following account, chiefly in his
own language, is a true record of his triumphs, and will con
duct us at once to consider their origin— his unparalleled
eloquence. Coming as a stranger into Scotland, and being free from all
local prejudice and passion upon the subject, Whitefield saw
the folly and the mischief of the schisms in which his new
acquaintance were engaged. They spared no pains to win
him over to their side. " I find," said he, " Satan now turns
himself into an angel of light, and stirs up God's children to
tempt me to come over to some particular party." To one of
his correspondents he replies, " I wish you would not trouble
yourself or me in writing about the corruption of the Church
of England. I believe there is no church perfect under heaven ;
but as God, by his providence, is pleased to send me forth
simply to preach the gospel to all, I think there is no need of
casting myself out." He was invited to Aberdeen by the min
ister of one of the kirks in that city ; but the minister's co-pastor
had prepossessed the magistrates against him, so that when he
arrived, they refused to let him preach in the kirk-yard. They
had, however, sufficient curiosity to attend when he officiated
in his friend's pulpit ; the congregation was very, large, and,
in Whitefield's own words, " ligbjt and life fled all around."
In the afternoon it was the other pastor's turn : he began hia

MEMOIRS OP WHITEFIELD. 261
prayers as usual ; but, in the midst of them, he named White-
field personally, whom he knew to be then present, and entreat
ed the Lord to forgive the dishonor that had been put upon
him, when that man was suffered to preach in that pulpit.
Not satisfied with this, he renewed the attack in his sermon,
reminded his congregation that this person was a curate of
the Church of England, and quoted some passages from his
first printed discourses, which he said were grossly Arminian.
" Most of the congregation," says Whitefield, " seemed surprised
and chagrined, especially the good natured colleague ; who,
immediately after sermon, without consulting me in the least,
stood up, and gave notice that Mr. Whitefield would preach
in about half an hour. The interval being so short, the ma
gistrates returned into the session house, and the congregation
patiently waited, big with expectation of hearing my resent
ment. At the time appointed, I went up, and took no other
notice of the good man's ill-timed zeal, than to observe, in some
part of my discourse, that if the good old gentleman had seen
some of my later writings, wherein I had corrected several of
my former mistakes, he would not have expressed himself in
such strong terms. The people, being thus diverted from con
troversy with man, were deeply impressed with what they
heard from the word of God. All was hushed, and more than
solemn. And on the morrow the magistrates sent for me, ex
pressed themselves quite concerned at the treatment I had met
with, and begged 1 would accept of the freedom of the city."
This triumph Whitefield obtained, as much by that perfect
self command, which he always possessed in public, as by his
surprising oratory. But wherever he could obtain a hearing,
his preaching was triumphant, and his success in Scotland
was, in some respects, greater than it had yet been in England.
" Glory be to God." he says. " he is doing great things here. I
walk in the continual sunshine of his countenance. Congrega
tions consist of many thousands. Never did I see so many
Bibles, nor people look into them, when I am expounding, with
euch attention. Plenty of tears flow from the hearers' eyes. I
preach twice daily, and expound at private houses at night ;
and am employed in speaking to souls under distress greafpart
of the day. Every morning I have a constant levee of wound
ed souls, many of whom are quite slain by the law. At seven
in the morning (this was at Edinburgh) we have a lecture in
the fields, attended not only by the common people, but per
sons of great rank. I have reason to think -several of the lat
ter sort are coming to Jesus. I am only afraid lest people
should idolize the instrument, and not look enough to the glo
rious Jesus, in whom alone I desire to glory. I walk confirm-

;262 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
ally in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. The love of Christ
quite strikes me dumb. 0 grace, grace ! let that be my song."
In Scotland it was that he first found access to people of
rank. " Saints," says he, " have been stirred up and edified ;
and many others, I believe, are translated from darkness to
light, and from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God.
The good that has been done is inexpressible. I am intimate
with three noblemen and several ladies of quality, who have a
great hiring for the things of Gpd. I am now writing in an
earl's house, surrounded with fine furniture ; but, glory be to
free grace, my soul is in love only with Jesus."
His exertions increased with his success. "Yesterday," he
says, " I preached three times, and lectured at night. This
day Jesus has enabled me to preach seven times ; once in the
church, twice at the girl's hospital, once in the park, once at
the old people's hospital, and afterwards twice at a private
house ; notwithstanding, I am now as fresh as when I arose in
the morning. ' They that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength ; they shall mount on wings like eagles.' • It
would delight your soul to see the effects of the power of
God. Both in the church and park the Lord was with us.
The girls in the hospital were exceedingly affected, and so
were the standers by. One of the mistresses told me, she is
now awakened in the morning by the voice of prayer and
praise ; and the master of the boys says, that they meet to
gether every night to sing and pray ; and when he goes to
their rooms at night, to see if all be safe, he generally disturbs
them at their devotions. The presence of God at the old peo
ple's hospital, was really very wonderful. The Holy Spirit
seemed to come down like a mighty rushing wind. The
mourning of the people was like the weeping in the valley of
Hadad-Rimmon. They appear more and more hungry. Eve
ry day I hear of some fresh good wrought by the power of
God. I scarce know how to leave Scotland."
The representation thus given by this remarkable man, of
the effect which his preaching produced upon all ranks and
descriptions of people, is not exaggerated. Dr. Franklin has
justly observed, that it would have been fortunate for his repu
tation if he had left no written works ; his talents would then
have been estimated by the effect which they are known to
have produced ; for, on this point, there is the evidence of
witnesses whose credibility cannot be disputed. Whitefield's
writings afford merely the measure of his knowledge and of
his intellect, but not of his genius as a preacher. His printed
sermons, instead of being, as is usual, the most elaborate and
finished discourses of their author, have indeed the disadvan-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 263
tage of being precisely those upon which the least care had
been bestowed. This may be easily explained.
"By hearing him often," says Franklin, "I came to distin
guish easily between sermoiis newly composed, and those which
ne had often preached in the course of his travels. His deli
very of the latter was so improved by frequent repetition, that
every accent, every emphasis, every modulation of voice, was
so perfectly well turned, and well placed, that, without being
interested in the subject, one could not help being pleased with
the discourse: a pleasure of much the same kind with that
received from an excellent piece of music. This is an advan
tage itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary, as
the latter cannot well improve their delivery of a sermon by so
many rehearsals." It was a great advantage, but it was not
the only one, nor the greatest which he derived from repeating
his discourses, and reciting instead of reading them. Had they
been delivered from a written copy, one delivery would have
been like the last ; the paper would have operated like a spell,
from which he could not depart— invention sleeping, while the
utterance followed the eye. But when he had nothing before
him except the audience whom he was addressing, the judg
ment and the imagination, as well as the memory, were called
forth. Those parts were omitted which had been felt to come
feebly from the tongue, and fall heavily upon the ear, and their
place was supplied by matter newly laid in in the course of his
studies, or fresh from the feeling of the moment. They who
lived with him, could trace him in his sermons to the book
which he had last been reading, or the subject which had re
cently taken his attention. But the salient points of his ora
tory were not prepared passages, — they were bursts of passion,
like jets from a Geyser, when the spring is in full play.
The theatrical talent which he displayed* in boyhood, mani
fested itself strongly in his oratory. When he was about to
preach, whether it was from a pulpit, or a table in the streets,
or a rising ground, he appeared with a solemnity of manner,
and an anxious expression of countenance, that seemed to show
how deeply he was possessed with a sense of the importance
of what he was about to say. His elocution was perfect.
They who heard him most frequently, could not remember
that he ever stumbled at a word, or hesitated for want of
one. He never faltered, unless when the feeling to which he
had wrought himself overcame him, and then his speech was
interrupted by a flow of tears. Sometimes he would appear to
lose all self-command, and weep exceedingly, and stamp loudly
and passionately ; and sometimes the emotion of his mind ex
hausted him, and the beholders felt a momentary apprehension

264

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.

even for his life. And, indeed, it is said, .that the eflect of hi*
vehemence upon his bodily frame was tremendous ; that he
;usually vomited after he had preached, and sometimes dis
charged, in this manner, a considerable quantity of blood. Bui
this was when the effort was over, and nature was left at lei
sure to relieve herself. While he was on duty, he controlled
all sense of infirmity or pain, and made his advantage of the
passion to which he had given way. "You blame me for
weeping," he would say, " but how can I help it, when you
will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are
upon the verge Of destruction, and, for aught I laiow, you are
hearing your last sermon, and may never more have an oppor
tunity to have Christ offered to you !"
Sometimes he would set before his congregation the agony
of our fSavior, as though the scene was actually before them,
" Look yonder I" he would say, stretching out his hand, and
pointing as he spoke. ¦' what is that I see ? It is my agonizing
Lord ! Hark, hark ! do you not hear ? — O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me ! nevertheless, not my will,
but thine be done !" This he introduced frequently in his ser
mons ; and one who lived with him says, the eflect was not
.destroyed by repetition ; even to those who knew wh'at was
-coming, it came as forcibly as if they had never heard it before.
In this respect it was like fine stage acting ; and indeed White-
field indulged in a histrionic manner of preaching, which would
;have been .offensive if it had not been rendered admirable by
his natural gracefulness and inimitable power. Sometimes, at
¦the close of a sermon, he would personate a judge about to per
form the last awful part of his office. With his eyes full .of
•tears, and .an emotion that made his speech falter, after a pause
¦which kept the whole audience iu breathless expectation of
-what was to come, he would say, " I am now going to put on
.my condemning cap. Sinner, I must do it : I must pronounce
sentence upon you !" and then, in a tremendous strain of elo-'
quence, describing the eternal punishment of the wicked, he
Tecited the words of Christ, " Depart from me ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." When
he spoke of St. Peter, how, after the cock- crew, he went out
,and wept bitterly, he had a fold of his gown ready, in which
he hid his face.
Perfect as it was, histrionisrn like this would have produced
no lasting eflect upon the mind, had it not been for the unaf
fected earnestness, and the indubitable sincerity ,of the preach
er, which equally characterized his manner, whether he rose
lo the height of passion in his discourse, or won the attention
«f the -motley .crowd by the .infifOductiQn.of fanfiliar stories and

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 265
illustrations, adapted to the meanest* capacity. To such di
gressions hir disposition led him, which was naturally inclined
to a comic playfulness. Minds of a certain power will some
times express their strongest feelings with a levity at which
formalists are shocked, and which dull men are wholly unable
to understand. But language, which, when coldly repeated,
might seem to border upon irreverence and burlesque, has its
effect in popular preaching, when the intention of the preacher
is perfectly understood ; it is suited to the great mass of the
people, it is felt by them when better things would have pro
duced no impression, and it is borne away when wiser argu
ments would have been forgotten. There was another, and
more uncommon way in which Whitefield's peculiar talent
sometimes was indulged ; he could direct his discourse towards
an individual so skillfully, that the congregation had no suspi
cion of any particular purport in that part of the sermon
while the person at whom it was aimed, felt it, as it was direct
ed, in its fail force. There was sometimes a degree of sport-
iveness.t almost akin to mischief in his humor.
Remarkable eases are related of the manner in which he
impressed his hearers. The man at Exeter! is an instance,
who stood with stones in his pocket, and one in his hand, ready
to throw at him ; but he dropped it before the sermon was far
advanced, and going up to him, after the preaching was over,
he said, " Sir, I came to hear you with an intention to break
your head ; but God, through your ministry, has given me a
broken heart." A ship builder was once asked, what he thought
of him. " Think !" he replied, " I tell you, sir, every Sunday
* Wesley says of him in his Journal, " how wise is God in giving different
talents to different preachers ! Even the little improprieties, both of his lan
guage and manner, were a means of profiting many who would not have been
touched by a more correct discourse, or a more calm and regular manner of
speaking." St. Augustine somewhere says, that is the best key which opens
the ctoor: quid- enim prodesl clavis aurea si aperire quod volumus mm potest?
aut quod, obesl lignea, si hoc prodesl, quando nihil qucerimus nisi palere quod clau
sum est '!
t Mr. Winter relates a curious anecdote of his preaching at a maid servant,
who had displeased him by some negligence in the morning. " In the even
ing," says the writer, "before the family retired to rest, I found her under
great dejection, the reason of which I did not apprehend ; for it did not strike
me that, in exemplifying a conduct inconsistent with the christian's professed
fidelity to his Redeemer, he was drawing it from remissness of duty in a living
character; but she felt it so sensibly, as to be greatly distressed by it, until he
relieved her mind by his usually amiable deportment. The next day, being
about to leave town, he called out to her, 'farewell :' she did not make her
appearance, which he remarked lo a female friend at dinner, who replied,
'Sir, you have exceedingly wounded poor Betty.' This excited in birri'a
heany laugh: and when I shut the coach door upon him, he said, ' Be ^ure
and remember me to Betty ; tell her the account is settled, and Uiat I have
ftpthirig more against her.' "
t See p. 122. 23

266 MEMOIRS OP WHITEFIELD,
that I go tb my parish church, I can build a ship from stem to
stern under the sermon ; but were it to save my soul, under
Mr. Whitefield, I could not lay a single plank." Hume pro
nounced him the most ingenious preacher he had ever heard ;
arid said, it was worth while to go twenty miles to hear him.
But, perhaps, the greatest proof of his persuasive powers was,
when he drew from Franklin's pocket the money which that
clear, cool reasoner had determined not to give : it was for the
Orphan-house at Savannah, "I did not," says the philosopher,
"disapprove of the design ; but as Georgia was then destitute
of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to send them
from Philadelphia, at a great expense, I thought it would have
been better to have built the house at Philadelphia, and brought
the children to it. This I advised ; but he was resolute in his
first project, rejected my council, and I therefore refused to con
tribute. I happened, soon after, to attended one of his sermons,
in the course of which I perceived he intended to finish with
a collection, and I silently resolved he should get nothing from
me. I had in my pocket, a handful of copper money, three or
four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded,
I began to soften, and concluded to give the copper ; another
stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and deter
mined me to give the silver ; and he finished so admirably,
that I emptied" my pocket into the collector's dish, gold and
all."* The manner in which he once turned a thunder storm to
his purpose, has been thus narrated. Before he commenced
his sermon, long, darkening columns crowded the bright, sunny
sky of the morning, and swept their dull shadows over the
building, in fearful augury of the storm.
His text was, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ; for many,
I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
" See that emblem of human life," said he, pointing to a shadow
that was flitting across the floor. " It passed for a moment,
and concealed the brightness of heaven from our view ;¦ — but
it was gone. And where will ye be, my hearers, when your
lives have passed away like that dark cloud ? Oh, my dear
friends, I see thousands sitting attentive, with their eyes fixed
* " At this sermon," continues Franklin, " there was also one of our club,
who, being of my sentiments respecting the building in Georgia, and suspect
ing a collection might be intended, had, by precaution, emptied his pockets be
fore he came from home : towards the conclusion of the discourse, however,
he felt a strong inclination to give, and applied to a neighbor, who stood near
bim, to lend him some money for the pur| ose. The request was fortunately
made to perhaps the i-nly man in the company who had the firmness not to be
affected by the preacher. His answer was, ' At any other time, friend Hop-
kinson, I would lend to thee freely, but not now, for thee seems to me »o Be
out of thy right senses.' "

Memoirs of whitefield. 26?
tfti the poor, unworthy preacher. In a few days, we shall all
meet at the judgment seat of Christ. We shall form a part of
that vast assembly that Avill gather before the throne ; and
every eye will behold the Judge. With a voice whose call you
must abide and answer, he will inquire whether on earth ye
strove to enter in at the strait gate ; whether you were su
premely devoted to God; whether your hearts were absorbed
in him. My blood runs cold when I think how many of you
will then seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Oh, what
plea can you make before the Judge of the whole earth ? Can
you say it has been your whole endeavor to mortify the flesh,
with its affections and lusts ? that your life has been one long
effort to do the will of God ? No ! you must answer, I made
myself easy in the world by flattering myself that all would
end well ; but I have deceived my own soul, and am lost.
" You, O false and hollow christian, of what avail will it be
that you have done many things ; that you have read much
in the sacred word ; that you have made long prayers ; that
you have attended religious duties, and appeared holy in the
eyes of men? What will all this be, if, instead of loving Him
supremely, you have been supposing you should exalt yourself
in heaven by acts really polluted and unholy'/
"And yon, rich man, wherefore do you hoard your silver?
wherefore count the price you have received for him whom
you every day crucify in your love of gain? Why, that, when
you are too poor to buy a drop of cold water, your beloved son
may be rolled to hell in his chariot, pillowed and cushioned
around him."
His eye gradually lighted up, as he proceeded, till, towards
the close, it seemed to sparkle with celestial fire.
" Oh, sinners !" he exclaimed, " by all your hopes of happi
ness, I beseech you to repent. Let not the wrath of God be
awakened. Let not the fires of eternity be kindled against
you. See there !" said he, pointing to the lightning, which
played on the corner of the pulpit — " 'Tis a glance from the
angry eye of Jehovah ! Hark !" continued he, raising his fin
ger in a listening attitude, as the distant thunder grew louder
and louder, and broke in one tremendous crash over the build
ing. " It was the voice of the Almighty as he passed by in
his anger !"
As the sound died away, he covered his face with his hands,
and knelt beside his pulpit, apparently lost in inward and in
tense prayer. The storm passed rapidly away, and the sun,
bursting forth in his might, threw across the heavens a mag
nificent arch of peace. Rising, and pointing to the beautiful
object, he exclaimed, "Look upon the raiubow, and praise him

268 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
that made it. Very beautiful it is in the brightness thereof. It
compasseth the heavens about with glory ; and the hands of
the Most High have bended it."
No wonder that such a preacher should be admired and fol
lowed in a country where the habits of the people were devo
tional. On his second visit to Scotland, he was met on the
shore at Leith by multitudes, weeping and blessing him, and
they followed his coach to Edinburgh, pressing to welcome
him when he alighted, and to hold him in their arms. Seats,
with awnings, were erected in the park, in the form of an am
phitheater, for his preaching. Several youths left their parents
and masters to follow him, as his servants and children in the
gospel ; but he was wise enough to show them their error, and
send them back. The eflect which he produced was over
whelming. At Cambuslang it exceeded any thing which he
had ever witnessed in his career. " I preached at two," he
says, " to a vast collection of people, and at six in the evening,
and again at nine. Such a commotion, surely, never was heard
of, especially at eleven at night. For about an hour and a
half there was such weeping, so many falling into deep distress,
and expressing it various ways, as is inexpressible. The peo
ple seem to be slain by scores. They are carried off, and
come into the house, like soldiers wounded in and carried off
from a field of battle. Their cries and agonies are exceedingly
affecting. Mr. M. preached, after I had ended, till past one in
the morning, and then could scarcely persuade them lo depart.
All night, in the fields, might be heard the voice of prayer and
praise. Some young ladies were found by a gentlewoman
praising God at break of day : she went and joined with them."
Soon afterwards he returned there, to assist at the sacrament.
"Scarce ever," he says, " was such a night seen in Scotland.
There were, undoubtedly, upwards of twenty thousand per
sons. Two tents were set np, and the holy sacrament was
administered in the fields. When 1 began to serve a table, the
power of God was felt by numbers ; but the people crowded
so upon me, that I was obliged to desist, and go to preach at
one of the tents, while the ministers served the rest of the ta
bles. God was with them and with his people. There was
preaching all day, by one or another ; aud in the evening,
when the sacrament was over, at the request of the ministers,
I preached to the whole congregation. I preached about an
hour and a half. Surely it was a time much to be remembered.
On Monday morning I preached again to near as many; but
such a universal stir" I never saw before. The motion fled as
swift as lightning from one end of the auditory to another.
You might have seen thousands bathed in tears : some at the

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 269
same time wringing their hands, others almost swooning, and
others crying out and mourning over a pierced Savior." "
All this, if we are to confide in the testimony of eye-wit
nesses, conveys but a faint and inadequate impression of the as
tounding power which accompanied his eloquence. Through
it all, we discover a lively imagination, which made people
think they saw what he described ; an action still more lively,
if possible, by which, while every accent of his voice spoke to
the ear, every feature of his face, every motion of his hands,
and every gesture, spoke to the eye ; so that the most dissipated
and thoughtless found their attention involuntarily fixed, and
the dullest and most ignorant could not but understand. He
had likewise a certain elevation of character which raised him
equally above praise and censure, and added great authority
to whatever he said. The natural language of this christian
fortitude, we have in one of his letters — " the Lord only knows
how he will be pleased to dispose of me — great afflictions I am
sure of having — and a sudden death, blessed be God, will not be
terrible — I know that my Redeemer liveth. I every day long
to see him, that I may be free from the remainder of sin, and
enjoy him without interruption for ever."
But what was, perhaps, the most important of all, be had a
heart deeply exercised in all the social, as well as the pious and
religious affections, and was at the same time most remarkably
communicative, by which means he was peculiarly fitted to
awaken like feelings in others, and to sympathize with every
one that had them.
This last, some have thought, was the distinguishing part
of his character. It was certainly a distinguishing trait in it.
In his journals and letters, an impartial reader will find in
stances of it almost in every page ; such as lively gratitude to
God in the first place, and to all whom God had used as instru
ments of good to him : sincere love in dealing so plainly with
his correspondents about the interests of their souls ; frequent
and particular intercession for his friends, his enemies, and all
mankind ; great delight in the society of christian acquaint
ances ; many very sorrowful partings, and joyful meetings with
his friends ; tender-heartedness to the afflicted ; his pleasure in
procuring and administering a seasonable supply to the indi
gent ; and condescension to people ofthe lowest rank, to instruct
and converse with them for their good, in as kind and sociable
a manner as if he had been their brother or intimate friend.
These are manifest proofs that he had a heart easily susceptible
of every humane, tender, and compassionate feeling. And this
was certainly a great mean of enabling him so strongly to af
fect the hearts of others. 23*

270 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
Had his natural talents for oratory been employed in secular
affairs, and been somewhat more improved by the refinements
of art, and the embellishment of erudition, it is probable they
would soon have advanced him to distinguished wealth and
renown. But his sole ambition was to serve a crucified Savior,
in the ministry of the gospel. And being early convinced of
the great injury that has been done to Christianity,. by a bigoted
spirit, he insisted not upon the peculiar tenets of a party ; "for,"
says ho, in one of his letters, " I love all that kvve our Lord
Jesus Christ." In another, " Oh ! how do I long to see bigotry
and party zeal taken away, and all the Lord's servants more
knit together !" Again, "I wish all names among the saints of
God, were swallowed up in that one of christian !" But
upon the universally interesting doctrines of holy scripture,
concerning the ruin of mankind by sin, and their recovery by
divine grace ; doctrines, the truth of which, he himself had
deeply felt ; to make men sensible of the misery of their aliena
tion from God, and of the necessity of justification by faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ; of regeneration by the Holy Spirit-;
and of a life of devotedness to God, was the principal scope of
all his discourses. "The only Mei hodism, I desire to knowr"
says he, " is a holy method of dying to ourselves, and living
to Gad." By this description he- was far from intending to
confine true religion to the exercises of devotion. By " living
to God," he meant a constant endeavor after conformity to the
divine will in all things. " For," says he, in another place,
"it is a great mistake to suppose religion consists only in say
ing our prayers. Every christian lies under the necessity to
have some particular calling, whereby he may be a useful mem
ber of the society to which he belongs. A man is no farther
holy, than he is relatively holy, and he only will adorn the gos
pel of our Lord Jesus Christ in all things, who is careful to
perform all the civil offices of life, with a single eye to God's
glory, and from a principle of lively faith in Jesus Christ our
Savior. This is the morality which" we preach. He used also
to give this definition of true religion, " That it is a universal
morality founded upon the love of God, and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ." Licentiousness and luxury, and all sorts of time
wasting and dissipating amusements, how fashionable -soever,
he constantly inveighed against. These were the topics on
which he employed his eloquence.
But not to dwell any longer on his accomplishments as an
orator, and the excellent purposes to which, through the grace
of God, he devoted them ; one thing remains to be mentioned,
of an infinitely higher order than any human powers whatever:
and that is, the power of God, which. so remarkably accompa-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 271
nled the labors of his servant, and without which, both scrip
ture and experience teach us, that all external means, how
ever excellent, are ineffectual and vain. It is here Whitefield
is much to be envied, were it lawful to envy any man. When
we consider the multitudes that were not only awakened, but
brought under lasting religious impressions by his ministry !
and the multitudes that were wrought upon in the same man
ner by the ministry of others, excited by his example, both in
Great Britain and America, we are naturally led into the same
sentiments with Mr. Wesley, in his funeral sermon ; "What
an honor has it pleased God to put upon his faithful servant !
Have we read or heard of any person since the apostles, who
testified the gospel of the grace of God, through so widely ex
tended a space, through so large a part of the habitable world ?
Have we read, or heard of any person, who called so many
thousands, so many myriads of sinners to repentance ? Above
all, have we read, or heard of any, who has been a blessed
instrument in his hand, of bringing so many sinners from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God?"
This excellent character, joined to talents so extraordina
ry, and to labors, which God was pleased to bless with almost
unequaled success, was shaded with some infirmities. And
what else could be expected in the present condition of hu
manity ? These have been sufficiently laid open in the prece
ding narrative of his life. And it ought to be observed, that as
there was something very amiable in the frankness and unre-
servedness which prevented his concealing them ; so through
his openness to conviction, his teachableness to confess and
correct his mistakes, they became still fewer and smaller, and
decreased continually, as he advanced in knowledge and ex
perience. In his letters, we find the following remarkable passages:
" May God reward you for watching over my soul. It is diffi
cult, I believe, to go through the fiery trial of popularity and
applause, untainted. When I am unwilling to be told of my
faults, correspond with me no more. If I know any thing of
my heart, I love those most who are most faithful to me in
this respect ; henceforward, dear sir, I beseech you, by the
mercies of God in Christ Jesus, spare me not. We must be
helps to each other on this side eternity. Nothing gives me
more comfort, next to the assurance of the eternal "continu
ance of God's love, than the pleasing reflection of having so
many christian friends to watch with my soul. I wish they
would smite me friendly, and reprove me oftener than they do.
I rejoice that you begin to know yourself. If possible, Satan
will make us think more highly of ourselves than we ought to

272 MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.
think. I can tell this by fatal experience. It is hot sudden
flashes of joy, but having the humility of Jesus Christ, that
must denominate us christians. If we hate reproof, wc are
so far from being true followers of the Lamb of God, that in
the opinion of the wisest of men we are brutish. O my dear
brother, still continue faithful to my soul — do not hate me in
your heart — in any wise reprove me. You need no apology
for your plain dealing. I love those best, who deal most sin
cerely with me. Whatever errors I have been, or shall be
guilty of in my ministry, I hope the Lord will show me, and
give me grace to amend."
It would be unjust to his memory not to take notice, upon
this occasion, of that uniformity of sentiment, which nui3
through all his sermons and writings, after he was thoroughly
enlightened in the truth. Indeed, when he first set out in the
ministry, his youth and inexperience led him into many ex
pressions which were contrary to sound doctrine, and which
made many of the sermons he first printed, justly exception^
able : but reading, experience, and a deeper knowledge of hi$
own heart, convinced him of his errors, and upon all occasions
he avowed his adherence to the thirty-nine articles of the
Church of England, aud the standards ofthe Church of Scot
land, as expressly founded on the word of God. He loved his
friend, but he would not part with a grain of sacred truth for
the brother of his heart. Thus we see him constrained to
write and print against the Arminian tenets of Wesley, whom
he loved in the bowels of Christ. And it appears from several
other tracts in his works, that he neglected no opportunity of
stepping forth as a bold champion, in defence of that faith which
was once delivered to the saints.
"He who engages himself to fight the battles of the Lord,"
says a minister of the gospel, " has need of uncommon strength
and irresistible arms ; and if he be destitute of one or the other,
he vainly expects to stand in the evil day." Whitefield was
exposed to a vast variety of dangers, and beset with innumer
able enemies. His whole life was one continued scene of war
fare, in which he wrestled sometimes with visible, and at other
times with invisible adversaries. He saw it to be absolutely
necessary to be furnished with weapons of celestial temper in
this spiritual warfare; and he put On "the whole armor of
God," with a determined resolution never to put it off, till his
last conflict should be decided. This sacred panoply enabled
him to grapple with his strongest enemies ; and made him truly
invincible in the cause of godliness.
It becomes all who are called to the sacred oflico of the
ministry, to be faithful in the discharge of that work commit-

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD. 273
ted to them. They are not to be as " sullen lamps, enlighten
ing only themselves ;" but as conspicuous sims, enlightening
and animating all around them. Whitefield entered upon the
duties of his vocation with an extraordinary degree of earnest
ness and zeal. He saw the difficulties of his situation, and the
reproaches to which he should be exposed, by a conscientious
discharge of his duty ; but, persuaded of the importance of
his charge, and concerned for the welfare of immortal souls
upon the very verge of destruction, he set his face like a flint
against all who might oppose the truth or grace of God. What
ever his hand found to do, in any part of the sacred vineyard,
it may be truly said, that he did it with all hi.s might. As a
steward of the manifold grace of God, he faithfully dispensed
the word of life, according as every man had need. He was a
laborious workman in his Lord's vineyard. Instant in season
and out of season, he diligently performed the work of an
evangelist, and lost no opportunity of declaring the truths of
the gospel. It appears from a little memorandum book, where
in lie minuted the times and places of his ministerial labors,
that he preached upwards of eighteen thousand sermons in
die course of his ministry, which included thirty-four years
and a quarter ; which was somewhat more than five hundred
sermons a year. The day preceding his death, he expressed
a great desire to enter his eternal rest ; at the same time say
ing, "Lord, thou knowest I am not weary of thy work, though
I am weary in it !" Every duty of his sacred vocation, this
apostolic man performed, with an earnestness and zeal, of which
but a very imperfect idea can be given. Never weary of well
doing, he counted it his greatest privilege "to spend and be
spent" in ministering to the church of God, and in the service
of which he sacrificed his strength, his health, and his life.
He was "a burning and shining light" — a Boanerges, and
yet a Barnabas in the church of God. Whether the enemies
of God appeared in the splendor of riches, or in the meanness
of poverty ; whether they were distinguished by their erudi
tion, or despicable by their ignorance, he marshaled against
them the most terrible denunciations of the Almighty's wrath.
Una wed either by the majesty of kings, or the madness of tho
people, he was equally fitted to appear with Moses at an impious
court, or to stand with Stephen in a turbulent assembly. Tha
fidelity with which he performed this part of his duty, is worthy
of admiration.
But while he was fa'thful, in proclaiming " the day of ven
geance" to the wicked, ie neglected not "to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were
bound." In the discharge of this favorite part of his office, he

?274 Memoirs of whitefield.
was equally faithful as in the former. He shunned not fo deP
clare the whole counsel of God. He made Jesus the Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and ending of all his ministrations.
He explored the intricate mazes, and unlocked the secret re
cesses of the human heart. He was solicitously concerned to
have his hearers thoroughly convinced that they were sinful,
lost creatures, exposed to the everlasting vengeance of a right
eous God. He displayed the infinitely tender love, and free
grace of Jesus, in dying for apostate man. He pointed the sin
ner to the Lamb of God, whose blood cleanseth from all sin ;
whose merits are infinite, and able to save to the uttermost ;
and whose righteousness is sufficient to justify the ungodly.
Thus, with all possible plainness and fidelity, this apostolic
preacher administered the word of God, in bis day and gene
ration, whether it was a word of threatening to the careless
and impenitent, or a word of consolation to the fearful and
afflicted. The inexpressible concern which he felt for the enlargement
of the kingdom of Christ, and the salvation of immortal souls
induced him to go forth into the highways and hedges, to pub
lish the gospel ; and anxious to do "the work of an evangelist''
with all possible fidelity, he was not ashamed, that every hour
and every place should bear testimony to the affectionate zeal,
with which he exhorted the ignorant, the careless, and the
abandoned, to "flee from the wrath to come." Considering
himself as a minister of the church of Christ, he complained
of no hardships, nor thought any difficulty too great to be en
countered, in winning souls to Christ. He was careful to act,
in every instance, consistently with his high profession. He
preferred the path of duty before the lap of repose ; he listen
ed not to the suggestion of fear, nor regarded the dictates of
worldly prudence ; and he counted neither ease, nor interest,
nor reputation, nor even life itself, dear to him. He strove to
" finish his course with joy."
Such was this favored servant of God. Well may he be our
exemplar. And, as a well nigh apostolic unction, fervor, and
energy possessed him, so may his mantle fall on many, who
shall behold his character reflected through these records.

AN APPENDIX
To the Life-of Whitefield, containing some additional documents of
interest concerning his life, character, and death.
The following extract of a letter appeared in the Georgia
Gazette, soon after Mr. Whitefield's death ,: " The considera
tion of public calamities is never out of season ; and if pro
perly attended to, as they ought to be. will afford matter of
great improvement to the mind, that views them as happening
by the permission of an unerring divine Providence. And as
the loss of emine.Yit and public spirited persons, who have sigr
nally distinguished themselves by serving lheir country in a
free, disinterested, and generous manner, is none of the least,
so it deserveth a particular regard.
"In this light, I look upon the very much lamented death
of the late Bev, George Whitefield, especially in respect to
Georgia ; for which lie has demonstrated, by every means in
his power, a most uncommonly warm, affectionate, and una-
bating regard, for near thirty-three years past ; I say, by every
means in his power, because it is well known that, until within
a few years past, he has been constantly loaded with a heavy
debt to support and carry on his benevolent institution, the
Orphan-house, which he frequently felt so severely, that had
not that God, whom he faithfully served, supported him, he
must have sunk under the burden : notwithstanding he was at
the same time maligned, traduced, and persecuted with unre
lenting virulence, as a cheat, an impostor, and a public robber,
who, under tire specious pretence of promoting a charitable
design, was amassing great wealth to himself; all which he
bore with an uncommon degree of patience : and never to my
knowledge said more, at these unmerited reproaches, than that
the great day would show his accusers their mistake.
" When he was the stated minister of this parish, which
was before the Orphan-house was settled, his liberal heart de
vised liberal things ; and the then inhabitants of Savannah,
of the villages of Highgate and Llampstead, and of the other
adjacent places ; the Saltzburghers of Ebenezer, the inhabi
tants of Darien and Frederica, who were at that time not in
considerable in number, all partook of his unbounded bounty
to a very large amount ; although he then almost denied him-

276 appendix.
self the necessaries of life, with which I was intimately ac
quainted. In. short, it was his whole study, in imitation of his
great Master, "to do good to the bodies, as well as to the souls,
of all about him,
" He constantly performed divine service publicly very early
every morning, and at the close of the day every evening,
throughout the year, Ihat he might not interrupt the new colo
nists in their labor in the day time, when he always expounded
part of the first or second lesson. Every Sunday he adminis
tered the holy communion, and had public service four times,
arid his congregations were very numerous^ in comparison^
the number of people in his parish; for though there were
many dissenters, there were few absentees ; besides, he made it
his daily practice to visit in rotation from house to house, with
out any regard to religious denominations, or party distinc
tions,, which he often told me, he thought a very important and
indispensable part of a minister's duty, as by that means he
had an opportunity of frequently dropping a word in season,
as well as of being better acquainted with the spiritual and
temporal circumstances of his parishioners ; and thereby, as
far as in his power, of assisting them in both. Thus he acted
as a parish minister, considering himself as the steward of God,
and accountable for every moment of time, which he had
solemnly dedicated to his service. And it is no wonder, when,
by a series of divine providences, his sphere of action became
more enlarged and unconfined, that his zeal and activity were
proportioned. " These facts, of which there are some now living, besides
myself, who can witness to the 'truth of them, I think it my
honor and indispensable duty to communicate to the public, in
memory of my very dear deceased friend.
" I could with great truth say much more, but I purposely
confine my observations to his conduct in Georgia, where his
memory appeals to be .deeply engraven on the" hearts of its
grateful inhabitants.
" The very honorable and truly respectful notice the legisla
ture have publicly shown to it, by causing the parish church
in this town to be to decently and handsomely hung in mourn
ing, and their attending as a body last Sunday on divine ser
vice, strongly mark their real concern for their loss. The rec
tor, the Rev. Samuel Frink, gave a very suitable discourse in
the morning, from Philippians i. 23. 24 ; and the Rev. Edward
Ellington, another in the .afternoon, from Hebrews ii. 26. Both
of them affectionately remarked the many amiable qualifica
tions of the deceased, as a christian, a divine, and a gentle
man ; and especially his liberality to .thisprovince j as likewise

APPENDIX.
4id the Rev, Mr. Zubly, in his meeting, which was alsf>:
mourning, from Daniel xii. 3.
"'An old and real friend' to the deceased,
and to Georgia."
The following extract of a letter was publisher! in the Gos
pel Magazine, for February, 1771 :
" My very dear Sir,
"A great man is fallen in our Israel— the Rev. Mr. White-
field is no more ! he has left his charge, his flock, and gone to
mansions of blessedness. ,.,'
" I may safely say, a great man, a great christian, a humble
follower of the divine Redeemer, and a zealous defender of the
doctrines of grace died, when Whitefield closed his eyes.
That voice which was lifted up like a trumpet, and flew around
the sacred roof, proclaiming salvation through the dying Jesus,
teaching a sinful world the Savior's name, is now lost in per
petual silence 1 That man, whose labors in the cause of God,
have been so abundant, has ceased from his work. That emi
nent minister of the New Testament, that son of thunder to
the careless and secure, that cheering son of consolation to the
weary and heavy laden, who has been distinguished as the
happy instrument of bringing strayed sheep to the fold of God,
is gone to experience the truth of his doctrine ; and will one
day appear, with all those who have been savingly brought to
the knowledge -of Jesus by his means, at the right hand of
God, to give an account of the ministry he received from him;
and in the presence of a surrounding world, say, ' Lord, here
am I, and the children thou hast given me.'
" It is an afflictive, awful, and alarming providence to the
church of God. A great light extinguished, a bright star set,
and a numerous people deprived of their pastor. Who shall
supply his place ? Who shall, with that pathetic language,
strength of argument, and force of persuasion? compel sinners
to partake of the gospel feast ? Who shall animate our associ
ations, and diffuse a spirit of candor, charity, and moderation,
throughout our assemblies ? Who shall declare the glories,
the riches, the freeness, the fulness of that complete salvation
which Messiah finished ? Who shall exhort, by precept and
example, to that steady, uniform, constant character, which
adorns the profession of the gospel ? Who shall recommend
a life of fellowship and communion with the Father, Son, and
Spirit, as the most desirable blessing, and build up the saints in
their most holy faith ? Who shall !— J am stopped by the
jOQOUth of him who says, ' Shall I not do what I will with my
Hi

278

APPENDIX.

own ? Is it not my prerogative to take and leave as seemeth
me good? I demand the liberty of disposing my servants at
my own pleasure — he has not slep't as others do — it is your's to
wait and trust, mine to dispose and govern — on me be the care
of ministers and churches — with me is the residue of the spirit
•^-1 set my laborers to work, and when I please, I take them to
the rest I have appointed for them — my power is "not diminr
ished, my arm not shortened, my love not abated, and my faith
fulness still the same — I know my sheep, and they shall not
stray into forbidden pastures, for want of a shepherd to feed
them with knowledge and understanding.'
" With these thoughts my passions subside, my mind is -soft
ened and satisfied. But now for the wings of faith and divine
contemplation, to view him among the celestial throng, par
taking of the. happiness, sharing the "joys of yonder blissful
regions — ascribing salvation to him who loved and washed
him in his blood — having on that perfect robe of immaculate
righteousness, wrought out by the dear Redeemer — having on
his head a crown of never fading glory, and palms of eternal
victory in his hands — drinking at the fountain head of bless
edness, and refreshing himself continually at that river which
flows in sweet murmurs from the right hand of the Majesty on
high — forever out of the reach of scandal and reproach —
where calumny can never penetrate, and the wicked cease
from troubling — where God, even his own God, wipes away
all tears from his eyes — where he will for ever bask in the
boundless fruition of eternal love, continually receiving out of
the divine fulness, fresh supplies of glory for glory, from which
on earth, he had communication of grace for grace — sees the
King in his beauty, rejoices in the beatific vision, follows the
Lamb wheresoever he goes — and with those who are redeemed
from among men, rests in the closest embraces of his'Lord.
'And now his voice is lost in death,
Praise will employ his noblest pow'rs,
While life, or thought, or being last,
Or immortality endures !'
" Here we must take our leave of the dear departed saint,
till the happy time takes place, when we shall put off this
body, and enter the confines of unmolested joy. And 0 ! in
what elevation of happiness, and refinement of felicity, shall
we awake up in the likeness and express image of that God.
who has loved us, and called us with a holy calling. Yet let
us be persuaded of this, that when the important period com
mences, when the surprising signs, and descending inhabitants
of heaven proclaim the second coming of our glorious In>

APPENDIX. 279
manuel — whert the heavens open and disclose his radiant
glory, the archangel's trump shall sound, the Lord himself
descend with a shout, and the dead in Christ arise glorious and
immortal — leave corruption, weakness, and dishonor behind
them — we shall with him, and all the ransomed race, ascend
to mansions of glory, bliss, and immortality, and join that uni
versal chorus :
1 Say, live forever, glorious King !
Born to redeem, and strong to save :
Then ask the monster, where's thy sting 1
And where's thy victory boasting grave V
" But my dear sir, this awful dispensation demands a suit
able improvement. The death of ministers, and mankind in
general, are so many mementos ; be ye also ready, is their
solemn language. Come then, O my soul, examine with im
partiality thy state. Nothing but an interest in the perfectly
finished, infinitely glorious, and everlastingly sufficient, salva
tion of Jehovah Jesus, can be of any avail, can be any real
ground of consolation, when the grim tyrant stares thee in the
face. May thy evidence be clear, thy faith strong, and thy
hope on tiptoe ; that when the bridegroom comes, and sum
mons thy attendance, thou mayest with joy answer, Lord, I
come. " Should not the death of one and another of God's people;
give fresh wings to our souls, make life less pleasant, and
heaven more desirable ; wean our affections from the beggarly
enjoyments of time and sense, and make us long to dwell
where Jesus reveals his beauties, glories, and matchless excel
lence, face to face ? Here on earth we have some faint glim
merings, and 0 I how ought we to prize them, as they are
drops from the ocean ! but the ravishing blaze is reserved for
the upper and better world.
' O glorious hour, O bless'd abode !
I shall be near, and like my God ;
And flesh and sense no more control
The sacred pleasures of the soul.'
" Though our interviews in the church militant are very
sweet, yet they are very short. The world's ten thousand baits,
the devil's ensnaring wiles, but above all, the flesh with its
legions of corruptions, enslave the soul, and deaden our relish
for divine things. O happy day ! O blessed hour ! when
Christ shall have all enemies under his feet, and death itself
be swallowed up of life ; when we shall get within the enclo
sures of the New Jerusalem, and go out no more for ever 1

280 APPENDIX,
"If faithful ministers are so soon removed from lis, holt
should we prize them while we have them ! O let us never
give ear to, much less be the means of promoting" the malevo
lent whispers of slander ; but esteem them very highly in love
for their work's sake ! Should it not be our constant care, and
studious concern, through divine grace, to improve by every
sermon we hear, that the end of all ordinances may be obtained,
even an increase in love to Jesus, and fellowship- with him /
That this desirable end may be answered, let us be earnest and
frequent in our address to the throne of grace, for ministers and
people, that God may be glorified by bringing home sinners to
himself, and in the edification of saints ; that each stone in the
spiritual fabric may be edified and built Up upon the foundation,
Christ Jesus, till the top-stone is brought forth with shoutings,
grace, grace, unto it !
" The clock strikes twelve, and tells me to conclude. But
how can I do it, without commending you to that God, whose
power alone is able to keep you from falling, and at last pre
sent you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceed
ing joy ? May he give you continual assurances of his grace,
mercy and love, in his lower courts, thereby making them a
heaven upon earth ; and cause you at last to join the general
assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are writ
ten in heaven. This is the hearty, unfeigned, and constant
prayer of him, who is with great esteem and affection,
" Your's sincerely."
The following is the substance of a letter addressed to the
Rev. William Jay, of Bath, by the late venerable Cornelius
Winter, minister of the gospel at Painswick in Gloucestershire.
Mr. Winter was one of Whitefield's most faithful fellow labor
ers ; he accompanied him several times to America, and regu
larly supplied the chapels in Whitefield's connection. On his
first going to the Tabernacle, he was particularly struck with
the largeness of the congregation ; the solemnity that sat upon
it ; the melody of the singing ; Whitefield's striking appear
ance, and his earnestness m preaching. From this time pre
judice had no more place in his breast ; and he embraced
every opportunity to hear him. Yet he had no knowledge of
the evil of sin, and the depravity of his nature. On the 9th of
April, 1760, being Wednesday in Easter-week, and the close
of the holiday, as he was playing at cards with some of his
companions in iniquity ; recollecting he might that evening
hear Whitefield, he broke off in the midst of the game, which
much discomposed and enraged his companions, who suspected
where he was going. It was a night much to remembered,

APPENDIX. 281
The scales of ignorance then fell from his eyes, a sense of his
misery opened gradually to him, and he diligently inquired
what he should do to be saved. He never more played a game
afterwards. Whitefield's text was 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52. "The
introduction to the sermon, " Come my brethren, we have from
Sunday till yesterday been meditating upon the resurrection
of our Lord, it is now time that we should think about our
own." " Could I recite the whole sermon," says Mr. Winter,
"and it would read acceptably, it would want the energy, viva
voce, which was so very peculiar to the preacher, that a resem
blance is nowhere to be found. But it was God iu the preach
er that made the word efficacious ; to him be the glory. It is
a mercy he is not confined to the abilities of men whose talents
are superior to those of their brethren. Much good was done
at that time by the instrumentality of men whose gifts were
very inconsiderable ; and the Lord could have wrought upon
my soul by an inferior preacher. It is ' not by might, nor by
power ;' which is but to say, it is not by human eloquence, but
by the spirit of the Lord, that work is wrought upon the soul
which is essential to salvation."
" The time he set apart for preparation for the pulpit, during
my connection with him, was not to be distinguished from the
time he appropriated to other business. If he wanted to write
a pamphlet upon any occasion, he was closeted ; nor would he
allow access to him, but on an emergency, while he was en
gaged in the work. But I never knew him engaged in the
composition of a sermon until ho was on board ship, when he
employed himself partly in the composition of sermons, and
reading very attentively the history of England, written by
different authors. He had formed a design of writing the his
tory of Methodism, but never entered upon it. He was never
more in retirement on a Saturday than on another day ; nor
sequestered at any particular time for a longer period than he
used for his ordinary devotions. I never met with any thing
like the form of a skeleton of a sermon among his papers, with
which I was permitted to be very familar, nor did he evergive
me any idea ofthe importance of being habituated to the plan
ning of a sermon. It is not injustice to his great character to
say, I believe, he knew nothing about such a kind of exercise.
"Usually for an hour or two before he went into the pulpit,
he claimed retirement : and on a Sabbath day morning, more
particularly, he was accustomed to have Clarke's Bible, Matthew
Henry's Comment, and Cruden's Concordance within his reach ;
his frame at that time was more than ordinarily devotional.
I say more than ordinarily, because, though there was a vast
rein of pleasantry usually in him, the intervals of conversa-
24*

282 APPENDIX.
tion evidently appeared to be filled up with private ejaculation
connected with praise. His rest was much interrupted, and
his thoughts were much engaged with God in the night. He
has often said at the close of a very warm address, ' this ser
mon I got when most of you who now hear me were fast
asleep.' He made very minute observations, and was much
disposed to be conversant with life, from the lowest mechanic
to the first characters in the land. He let nothing escape him,
but turned all into gold that admitted of improvement, and, in
one way or other, the occurrence of the week or the day, fur
nished him with matter for the pulpit. A specimen — when an
extraordinary trial was going forward, he would be present ;
and on observing the formality of the judge putting on his
black cap to pronounce sentence, I have known him avail him
self of it in the close of a sermon.*
"He had a most peculiar art of speaking personally to you,
in a congregation of four thousand people, when no one would
suspect his object. The famous comedian, Shuter, who had a
great partiality for Mr. Whitefield, showed him friendship, and
often attended his ministry. At one period of his popularity,
lie was acting in a drama under the character of Ramble.
During the run of the performance, he attended service on
Sabbath mornings at Tottenham court chapel, and was seated,
in the pew exactly opposite to the pulpit, and while Mr. White-
field was giving full sally to his soul, and in his energetic ad
dress, was inviting sinners to the Savior, he fixed himself full
against Shuter, and with his eyes upon him, adding, to what
he had previously said, 'and thou, poor rambler, who hast
long rambled from him, come you also. O end your rambling
by coming to Jesus.' Shuter was exceedingly struck, and
coming to Mr. Whitefield, said, ' I thought I should have faint
ed, how could you serve me so?' It was truly impressive to-
see him ascend the pulpit. My intimate knowledge of him>
admits of my acquitting him of the charge of affectation.
"Professed orators might object to hisliands being lifted up
too high, and it is to be lamented that in that attitude, rather
than in any other, he is represented in print. His own reflec
tions upon that print were, when it was first put into his
hands, ' Sure I do not look such a sour creature as this sets
me forth ; if I thought I did, I should hate myself.' It is neces
sary to remark, that the attitude was very transient, and always
accompanied by some expressions which would justify it,
"You may be sure, from what has been said, that when he
treated upon the sufferings of our Savior, it was not without
» See p. 264

APPENDIX. 283
great pathos. He was very ready at that kind of painting,
which frequently answered the end of real scenery. As though
Gethsemene were within sight, he would say, stretching out
his hand — ' Look yonder. What is that I see ? It is, my
agonizing Lord !' And, as though it were no difficult matter
to catch the sound of the Savior praying, he would exclaim,
'Hark! Hark! Do you not hear him?* You may suppose
that as this occurred frequently, the efficacy of it was destroyed :
but no ; though we often knew what was coming, it was as
new to us as though we had never heard it before.
" That beautiful apostrophe, used by the prophet Jeremiah,
' O earth, earth, earth, hear the words of the Lord,' was very
subservient to him, and never used impertinently.
"He abounded with anecdotes, which, though not always
recited verbatim, were very just as to the matter of them. One,
for instance. I remember, tending to illustrate the efficacy of
prayer, though I have not been able to meet with it in English
history. It was the case of the London apprentices before
Henry VIII., pleading his pardon of their insurrection. The
monarch, moved by their sight, and their plea, 'Mercy ! Mercy !'
cried, ' Take them away, I cannot bear it.' The application,
you may suppose, was,, that if an earthly monarch of Henry's
description, could be so moved, how forcible is the sinner's plea
in the ears of Jesus Christ. The case of two Scotchmen, in
the convulsion of the state, at the time of Charles II. , subserved
his design ; who, unavoidably obliged to pass some of the troops,
were conceiving of their danger, and. meditating what method
was to be adopted to come off safe. One proposed the wearing
of a skull-cap ; the other, supposing that would imply distrust of
the providence of God, determined to proceed bare headed.
The latter, being first laid hold of,, and being interrogated,
' Are you for the covenant ?' replied, ' Yes ;' and being further
asked, 'What covenant?' answered, 'The covenant of grace;'
by which reply, eluding further inquiry, he was let pass ; the
other, not answering satisfactorily,, received a blow with the
sabre, which, penetrating through the cap, struck him dead.
In the application. Mr. Whitefield, warning against vain confi
dence, cried, ' Beware of your skull-caps.' But here likewise
the description upon paper, wanting the reality, as exemplified
by him with voice and motion, conveys but a very faint idea.
However, it is a disadvantage which must be submitted to,
especially as coming from my pen.
"The difference of the times in which Mr. Whitefield: made
his public appearance, materially determined the matter of his
•ermons, and, in some measure, the manner of his address.
He dealt far more in the explanatory and a doctrinal mode e£

284 APPENDIX.
preaching on a Sabbath day morning, than perhaps at any
other time ; and sometimes made a little, but by no means im
proper show of learning. If he had read upon astronomy in
the course of the week, you would be sure to discover it. He
knew how to convert the centripetal motion of the heavenly
bodies to the disposition of the christian toward Christ, and
the fatal attraction of the world, would be very properly repre
sented by a reference to the centrifugal. Whatever the world
might think of him, he had his charms for the learned as well
as the unlearned ; and as he held himself to be a debtor both
to the wise and to the unwise, each received his due at such
times. The peer and the peasant alike went away satisfied.
" As though he heard the voice of God ever sounding in his
ears the important admonition, ' work while it is called to-day;'
this was his work in London at one period of his life. After
administering the Lord's supper to several hundred communi
cants, at half an hour after six in the morning ; reading the
first and second service in the desk, which he did with the
greatest propriety, and preaching full an hour, he read prayers
and preached in the afternoon, previous to the evening service,
at half an hour after five ; and afterwards addressed a large
society in public. His afternoon sermon used to be more gen
eral and exhortatory. In the evening he drew his bow at a
venture, vindicated the doctrines of grace, fenced them with
articles and homilies, referred to the martyrs' zeal, and exem
plified the power of divine grace in their sufferings, by quota
tions from the venerable Fox. Sinners were then closely plied,
numbers of whom from curiosity coming to hear a sentence or
two, were often compelled to hear the whole sermon. How
many in the judgment day will rise to prove that they heard
to the salvation ofthe soul.
" Perhaps Mr. Whitefield never preached greater sermons than
at six in the morning, for at that hour he did preach, winter and
summer, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
At these times his congregations were of the select description,
and young men received admonitions similar with what were
given in the society ;* and were cautioned, while they neglected
the duty required from them under the bond of an indenture, not
to anticipate the pleasures and advantages of future life.
« This society, consisting of several hundreds of widows, married people,
young men, and spinsters, placed separately in the area of the Tabernacle,
used, after sermon, to receive from Mr. Whitefield, in the colloquial style, va
rious exhortations, comprised in short sentences, and suitable to their various
stations. The practice of Christianity in all its branches, was then usually
Inculcated, not wiliiout seme pertinent anecdote of a character worthy to b»
held up for an example, aad ia whose conduct the hints recommended wer«
•JWBiplified.

APPENDIX. 286
" His style was now colloquial, with little use of motion ;
pertinent expositions, with suitable remarks ; and all compre
hended within the hour. Christian experience principally
made the subject of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurs
day evening lectures ; when, frequently .having funeral ser
mons to preach, the character and experience of the dead help
ed to elucidate the subject, led to press diligence in the chris
tian course, to reflect upon the blessing of faith on earth, and
glory in heaven. Mr. Whitefield adopted the custom of the in
habitants of New England in their best days, of beginning the
Sabbath at six o'clock on Saturday evenings. The custom could
not be observed by many, but it was convenient to a few ; a few
compared with the multitudes, but abstractedly considered, a
large and respectable company. Now ministers of every des
cription found a peculiar pleasure in relaxing their minds from
the fatigues of study, and were highly entertained by his pe
culiarly excellent subjects, which were so suitable to the audi
tory, that I believe it was seldom disappointed. It was an op
portunity peculiarly suited to apprentices and journeymen in
some businesses, which allowed of their leaving work sooner
than on other days, and availing themselves at least of the ser
mon ; from which I also occasionally obtained many blessings.
Had my memory been retentive, and I had studiously treasured
up his rich remarks, how much more easily might I have met
your wishes, and have answered the design of this letter ! But
though I have lost much of the letter of his sermons, the sa
vor of them yet remains. The peculiar talents he possessed,
subservient to great usefulness, can be but faintly guessed from
his sermons in print ; though, as formerly, God has made the
reading of them useful, I have no doubt but in future they will
have their use. The eighteen taken in short hand, and faith
fully transcribed by Mr. Gurney, have been supposed to do dis
credit to his memory," and therefore they were suppressed. But
they who have been accustomed to hear him, may collect from
them much of his genuine preaching. They were far from
being the best specimens that might have been produced. He
preached many of them, when, in fact, he was almost incapa
ble of preaching at all. His constitution, long before they
were taken, had received its material shock, and they were all,
except the two last, the production of a Wednesday evening ;
when by the current business of the day, he was fatigued and
worn out. The ' Good Shepherd' was sent him on board
the ship. He was much disgusted with it, and expressed him
self to me as in the 1440th letter of the third volume of his
works ; ' It is not verbatim as I delivered it. In some places
it makes me speak false concord, and even nonsense ; in others

286 APPENDIX.
the sense and connection is destroyed by the injudicious dis
jointed paragraphs, and the whole is entirely unfit for the pub
lic review.' His manuscript journal notes ; ' September 15.
This morning came a surreptitious copy of my Tabernacle
farewell sermon, taken, as the short hand writer professes, ver
batim as I spoke it ; but surely he is mistaken. The whole is
so injudiciously paragraphed, and so wretchedly connected,
that I owe no thanks to the misguided, though it may be well
meant zeal of the writer and publisher, be they whom they will.
But such conduct is an unavoidable tax upon popularity.' He
was then like an ascending Elijah, and many were eager to
catch his dropping mantle. In the sermons referred to, there
are certainly many jewels, though they may not be connected
in a proper order.
" Whatever fault criticism may find with his sermons from
the press, they were, in the delivery, powerful fo command the
most devoted attention. I have been informed by good judges,
that if many of the speeches in our two houses were to be given
in their original state, they would not appear to the first advan
tage, nor would Mr. Whitefield's sermons have had criminal de
fects, had they been revised with his own pen. In the fifth and
sixth volumes of his works, all the sermons he ever printed are
comprised. It is very easy to distinguish them which, were pre-
composed; from others which were preached extemporary. Of
the latter; I notice Peter's denial of his Lord, and the true way
pf beholding the Lamb of God ; Abraham offering up his son
Isaac * Christ the believer's husband, and the resurrection of
Lazarus. These and others preserve the extemporary style, and
fully serve to discover the exactness of the preacher. He shines
brightest with a long text, on which fancy has scope to play,
and the mind has liberty to range. However exact he may
appear in the page, it is impossible for the natural man, who
discerneth not the things of the spirit, to understand him. God
may make the page printed, the instrument in his hand to
convert the sinner, and then he will no longer 'ask, 'Doth he
not speak parables ?' But till then, as living he was, so dead,
he is liable to the lash of severity ; but the same Providence that
preserved his person, will maintain his works ; and then he be
ing dead, yet speaketh, and will continue to speak for a great
while to come. Whatever invidious remarks they may make
upon his written discourses, they cannot invalidate his preach
ing. Mr. Toplady called him the prince of preachers, and with
good reason, for none in our day preached with the like effect."
This following is an attempt towards a concise character of
the late Rev. George Whitefield, by the Rev. Augustus Monta
gue Toplady, A. B., late vicar of Broad Hembury, Devon.

APPENDIX. 287
i" I deem myself happy in having an opportunity of thus
publicly avowing the inexpressible esteem, in which I held this
wonderful man ; and the affectionate veneration which I must
ever retain for the memory of one, whose acquaintance and
ministry were attended with the most important spiritual bene
fit to me, and to tens of thousands besides.
" It will not be saying too much, if I term him, the Apos
tle op the English Empire : in point of zeal for God, a
long course of indefatigable and incessant labors, unparalleled
disinterestedness, and astonishingly extensive usefulness.
"He was a true and faithful son ofthe Church of England-;
and invincibly asserted her doctrines, to the last ; and that, not
in a merely doctrinal way, though he was a most excellent
systematic divine, but with an unction of power from God,
unequaled in the present day.
" He would never have quitted even the walls of the church,
had not either the ignorance, or the malevolence of some, who
ought to have known better, compelled him to a seeming sepa
ration. " If the absolute command over the passions of immense au
ditories, be the mark of a consummate orator, he was the greatv
est ofthe age. If the strongest good sense, the most generous
expansions of heart, the most artless but captivating affa
bility, the most, liberal exemption from bigotry, the purest and
most transpicuous integrity, the brightest cheerfulness and the
promptest wit, enter into the composition of social excellence,
he was one of the best companions in the world.
"If to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the
works of the Lord ; if a union of the most brilliant, with the
most solid ministerial gifts, ballasted by a deep and humbling
experience of grace, and crowned with the most extended suc
cess in the conversion of sinners, and edification of saints, be
signatures of a commission from heaven, George White-
field cannot but stand highest on the modern list of christian
ministers. " England has had the honor of producing the greatest men,
in almost every walk of useful Imowledge. At the head of
these are : 1st. Archbishop Bradwardine, the prince of di
vines; 2d, Milton, the prince of poets ; 3d, Sir Isaac New
ton, the prince of philosophers ; and 4th, Whitefield, the
prince of preachers.
u Bishop Benson was the prelate who had the distinguished
honor of ordaining the greatest, the most eloquent, and the
moat useful minister that has, perhaps, been produced since
the days of the apostles.
•¦ It appears from a passage in one of Mr. Whitefield's own

appendix.
letters, published since his decease, that he was the person,
whom the gracious spirit and providence of God raised up and
sent forth, to begin that great work of spiritual revival in the
Church of England, which has continued ever since, and still
continues, with increasing spread, to replenish and enrich tha
evangelical vineyard by law established. In the remarkable
passage to which I refer, Mr. Whitefield expresses himself ver
batim, thus, to the Rev. John Wesley : ' As God was pleased
to send me out first and.to enlighten me first ; so, I think, he
still continues to do it ; my business seems to be chiefly in
planting. If God sends you to water, I praise his name.' On
the whole, he was the least imperfect character I ever kriew ;
and yet, no person was ever more shockingly traduced and
vilified, by those who either were unacquainted with him, or
who hated him for his virtues, and for his attachment to the
gospel of Christ. But the pen of faithful history, and the
suffrages of unprejudiced posterity, will do justice to the me
mory of a man, of whom the present generation was not
worthy." The following lines, by the inimitable pen of Cowper, who
did not disdain fo tune his harp to themes, which formerly vi
brated on the harp of the son of Jesse, and whose poetical
characteristic is truth and taste, are transcribed, as descriptive
of that invaluable man, and by being inserted in proximity
with the character given by Mr. Toplady, it is presumed can
not fail of being interesting to the reader.
Leuconomas, beneath well sounding Greek
I slur a name, a poet must not speak,
Stood pilloried on infamy's high stage,
And bore the pelting scorn of half an age.
The very bust of slander, and the biot
For ev'ry dart that malice ever shot.
The man that mentioned him, at once dismiss'd
All mercy from his lips, and sneer'd and hiss'd.
His crimes were such as Sodom never knew,
And perjury stood up lo swear all true :
His aim was mischief and his zeal pretense,
His speech rebellion against common sense :
A knave when tried on honesty's plain rule,
And when by that of reason a mere fool.
The world's best comfort was, his doom was pass'd,
Die when he might, he must be damn'd at last.
Now truth perform thine office, waft aside
The curtain drawn by prejudice and pride ;
Reveal, the man is dead, lo wond'ring eyes,
This more than monster in his proper guise.
He loved the world that hated him : the tear
That dropp'd upon his Bible was sincere,
Assail'd by scandal, and the tongue of strife,
His only answer was — a blameless life :
And he that forged, and he that threw the dart,
Had each a brother's interest in his heart.

APPENDIX. 289
Paul's love of Christ, and steadiness unbrib'd,
Were copied close in him, and well transcrib'd j
He followed Paul — his zeal a kindred flame,
His apostolic charity the same.
Like him cross'd cheerfully tempestuous seas,
Forsaking country, kindred, friends, and ease ;
Lake him he laboi'd, and like him, content
To bear it, suffer'd shame where'er he went.
Blush calumny ! and write upon his tomb,
If honest eulogy can spare thee room,
Thy deep repentance of thy thousand lies,
Which aimed at him0 have pierced th' offended skies ;
And say, blot out my sin, confess'd, deplor'd,
Against thine image, in thy saint, 0 Lord !
'Whitefield's executors having received the probate of his
will, February .6, 1771, Mr. Keen, who was well acquainted
with the whole of his affairs, published it, with the following
'introduction :
"As we make noxloubt the numerous friends ofthe Rev. Mr.
jGeorge Whitefield, will be glad -of an opportunity of seeing a
genuine copy of his last will and testament, his executors have
favored us with a copy of the same, transmitted to them from
the Orphan-house, in Georgia, and which they have proved in
the prerogative court of Canterbury. And, as it was Mr. White-
field's constant -declaration, that he never meant to raise either
a purse or a party, it is to be remarked, that almost the whole
sum he died possessed of, came to him within two or three
years of his death, in the following manner, viz. Mrs. Thom
son, of Tower Hill, bequeathed him 5001. ; by the death of his
wife, (including a bond of 300Z.) he got 7001. ; Mr. Whitmore
bequeathed him 1001., and Mr. Winder 1007. And it is highly
probable, that had he lived to reach Georgia, from his last
northern tour, he would have lessened the above sums, by dis
posing of them in the same noble and disinterested manner, in
which all the public or private sums he was intrusted with,
were bestowed. Georgia."
" By his Excellency, James Wright, Captain General, Gover
nor and Commander in chief of his Majesty's said province
of Georgia, Chancellor and Vice- Admiral of the same :
" To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting — Know
ye, that Thomas Moodie, who has certified the annexed copy
from the original, in the secretary's office, is deputy secretary
of the said province ; and therefore all due faith and credit is,
and ought to be had and given to such his certificate.
" In -testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and
caused the great seal of this his majesty's said province, to be
put and affixed, dated at Savannah, the 10th day of December,
25

290 APPENDIX.
in the year of our Lord, 1770, and in the eleventh year of the
reign of his majesty King George the third.
By his Excellency's command, J. Wright.
Thomas Moodie, Deputy Secretary.
"In the name ofthe Father, Son, and Holy Ghosf, three perr
sons, but one God; I, George Whitefield, clerk, at present
residing at the Orphan-house academy, in the province of
Georgia, in North America, being, through infinite mercy, in
more than ordinary bodily health, and of a perfect, sound and
composed mind, knowing the certainty of death, and yet the
uncertainty of the time 1 shall be called by it to my long wish
ed for home, do make this my last wijl and .testament, in man
ner and form following, viz. :
" Imprimis — In sure and certain hope of a resurrection to
eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, I commit my body
to the dust, to be buried in the most plain and decent manner;
and knowing in whom I have believed, and being persuaded
that he will keep that which I have committed unto him, in
the fullest assurance of faith I commend my soul into the
hands of the ever loving, altogether lovely, never failing Jesus,
on whose complete and everlasting righteousness I entirely de
pend, for the justification of my person, and acceptance of my
poor, worthless, though I trust sincere, performances, at that
day when he shall come in the glory of his father, his own
glory, and the glory of his holy angels, to judge both the quick
and dead. In respect to my American concerns, which 1 have
engaged in simply and solely for his great name's sake, I leave
that building, commonly called the Orphan-house, at Bethes
da, in the province of Georgia, together with all the other buildr
ings lately erected thereon ; and likewise all other buildings,
lands, negroes, books, furniture, and every other thing whatso
ever, which I now stand possessed of in the province of Geor
gia aforesaid, to that elect fady, that mother in Israel, that mir
ror of true and undefiled religion, the Right Honorable Selina,
Countess Dowager of Huntingdon ; desiring, that as soon as
may be after my decease, the plan of the intended Orphan-
house Bethesda college may be prosecuted ; if not practicable,
or eligible, to pursue the present plan of the Orphan-house
academy, on its old foundation and usual channel ; but if her
ladyship should be called to enter her glorious rest before my
decease — I bequeath all the buildings, lands, negroes, and ever
ry thing before mentioned, which I now stand possessed of in
the province of Georgia aforesaid, to my dear fellow traveler,
and faithful, invariable friend, the Honorable James Haber
sham, president of his majesty's honorable council : and should

APPENDIX.

291

he survive her ladyship, I earnestly recommend him as the
most proper person to succeed her ladyship, or to act for her
during her ladyship's life time, in the Orphan-house academy.
With regard to my outward affairs in England ; whereas there
is a building, commonly called the Tabernacle, set apart many
years ago for divine worship; I give and bequeath the said
Tabernacle, with the adjaceiit house in which I usually reside*
when in London, with the stable and coach house in the yard
adjoining; together with all books, furniture, and every tiling
else whatsoever, that shall be found in the house and premises
aforesaid ; and also the building, commonly called Tottenham
court chapel.; together with all the other buildings, houses, sta
ble, coach house, and every thing else whatsoever, which I stand
possessed of in that part of the town, to my worthy, trusty,
tried friends, Daniel West, Esq., in Church street, Spitalfields,
and Mr. Robert Keen,* woolen draper, in the Minories, or the
longer survivor of the two; As to the moneys, which a kind
Providence, especially of late, in a most unexpected way, and
unthought of means, has vouchsafed to intrust me with — I
give and bequeath the sum of 1001. sterling to the Right Hon
orable the Countess Dowager of Huntingdon aforesaid, humbly
beseeching her ladyship's acceptance of so small a mite, as a nep-
per corn acknowledgment, for the undeserved, unsought for hon-
* Two persons could not have been more happily associated, than Mr.
West and Mr. Keen. They were always regular and exact in the discharge
of the weighty duties that devolved upon them. An uninterrupted harmony
characterized all their public transactions. It was ever their study to con
ciliate the affections of the ministers^ to promote the glory of Jesus Christ,
and the spiritual interests of the congregations ; and they had the happiness
to see the pleasure of the Lord prosper in their hands.
Mr. Keen breathed out his happy soul into the hands of his Redeemer, on
the 30th of January, 1793. His name deserves to be recorded in the annals
of the church, as an illustrious example of holiness and zeal in the cause of God.
Mr. West fell asleep in Jesus, on the 30th of September, 1796, in the seven
tieth year of his age. He was for many years a happy subject of divine grace,
and a zealous and approved friend of the gospel. For thirteen years before
his death, he was greatly affected with a painful malady in his bladder. His
sufferings were extreme, both night and day ; but he was never heard to utter
a murmuring expression.
His corpse was carried to Tottenham court chapel, attended by a vast
number of mourning coaches, and interred under the communion table, in
a vault that contained the remains of Mrs. Whitefield, Mrs. West, and Mr.
Keen. The Rev. Mr. Edwards read the burial service, and the Rev. Joel
Abraham Knight delivered an oration. Two funeral sermons were preached
on the following Sabbath ; that in the morning, at Tottenham court chapel,
by the Rev. Torial Joss, 'from Psalm cxii. 6, and that in the evening, at the
Tabernacle, by the Rev. Matthew Wilks, from John xii. 26.
It is a singular circumstance, that Mr. Whitefield, Mr. Keen, and Mr.
West, all died on the 30th day of the month, and the two latter, on the 30th
of September.
Mr. West, by his last will, bequeathed the management of the places to
Samuel Foyster, Esq. and John Wilson, Esq., gentlemen well known in the
ehristian world.

292 Appendix:
or her ladyship conferred upon me, in appointing me, less than3
the least of all, to be one of" her ladyship's domestic chaplains;
"Item. — I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved friend',
the Honorable James Habersham aforesaid, my late wife's gold
watch, and 101. for mourning; to my dear old friend, Gabriel
Harris, Esq. of the city of Gloucester, who received and board
ed me in his house, when I was helpless and destitute, above
thirty-five years ago, I give and bequeath the Sum of 501. ; to
my humble, faithful servant and friend, Mr. Ambrose Wright,
if in my service and employ, either in England or America, or
elsewhere, at the time of my decease, I give and bequeath the
sum of 5001. ; to my brother, Mr. Thomas Whitefield, I give
and bequeath the sum of 50/., to be given him at the discretion
of Mr. Robert Keen ; to my brother-in-law, Mr. James Smith,
hosier, in the city of Bristol, I give and bequeath the sum of
50/. and 30/. also for family mourning ; to my niece, Mrs. Fran
ces Hartford, of Bath, I give and bequeath the sum of 50/. and
20/. for family mourning; to Mr. J. Crane, now a faithful stew
ard at the Orphan-house academy, I give and bequeath the
sum of 40/. ; to Mr. Benjamin Stirk, as an acknowledgment of
his past services at Bethesda, I give and bequeath the sum of
10/. for mourning; to Peter Edwards, now atthe Orphan-house
academy, I give and bequeath the sum of 50/. ; to William
Trigg, at the same place, I give and bequeath the sum of 50/. ;
both the sums aforesaid to be laid out, or laid up for them, at
the discretion of Mr. Ambrose Wright ; to Mr. Thomas Adams,
of Rodborough, in Gloucestershire, my only surviving first fel
low laborer, and beloved much in the Lord, I give and bequeath
the sum of 50/. ; to the Rev. Mr. Howel Davies, of Pembroke
shire, in South Wales, that good soldier of Jesus Christ ; to
Mr. Torial Joss, Mr. Cornelius Winter, and all my other dearly
beloved present stated assistant preachers at the Tabernacle and
Tottenham court chapel, I give and bequeath 10/. each for
mourning ; to the three brothers of Mr. Ambrose Wright, Ann,
the wife of his brother, Mr. Robert Wright, now faithfully and
skillfully laboring and serving at the Orphan-house academy,
I give and bequeath the sum of 10/. each for mourning ; to
Mr. Richard Smith, now a diligent attendant on me, I give
and bequeath the sum of 50/. and all my wearing apparel,
which I shall have with me in my journey through America,
or on my voyage to England, if it should please an all wise
God to shorten my days in either of those situations. Finally,
I give and bequeath the sum of 100/., to be distributed at the
discretion of my executors, herein after mentioned, for mourn
ing among my old London servants, the poor widows at Totten
ham court chapel, and the Tabernacle poor ; especially my old

appendix. 293
trusty, disinterested friend and servant, Mrs. Elizabeth Wood.
All the other residue, if there be any other residues of moneys.
goods, and chattels, or whatsoever profits may arise from the
sale of any books, or any manuscripts that I may leave behind, I
give and bequeath to the Right Honorable the Countess Dow
ager of Huntingdon ; or in case of her ladyship being deceased
at the time of my departure, to the Honorable James Haber
sham, Esq. before mentioned, after my funeral expenses and
just debts are discharged, towards paying off any arrears that
may be due on the account of the Orphan-house academy, or
for annual prizes as a reward for the best three orations that
shall be made in English, on the subjects mentioned in a paper
annexed to this my will. And I hereby appoint the Honorable
James Habersham, Esq. aforesaid, to be my executor in respect
to my affairs in the province of Georgia, and my trusty, tried,
dearly beloved friends, Charles Hardy, Esq., Daniel West, Esq.,
and Mr. Robert Keen, to be executors of this my last will and
testament,- in respect of my affairs in England, begging each
to accept of a mourning ring.
" To all my other christian benefactors, and more intimate
acquaintance, I leave my most hearty thanks and blessing, as
suring them that I am more and more convinced of the un
doubted reality and infinite importance of the grand gospel
truths, which I have from time to time delivered ; and am so
far from repenting my delivering them in an itinerant way,
that had 1_ strength equal to my inclination, I would preach
them from pole to pole ; not only because I have found them
to be the power of God to the salvation of my own soul, but
because I am as much assured that the great Head of the
church has called me by his word, providence, and spirit, to
act in this way, as that the sun shines at noon day. As for
my enemies and misjudging friends, I most freely and heartily
forgive them, and can only add, that the last tremendous day
will only discover what I have been, what I am, and what I
shall be, when time itself shall be no more ; and therefore from
my inmost soul, I close all by crying, come, Lord Jesus, come
¦quickly ; even so, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen !
"George Whitefield."
" This was written with the testator's own hand, and at his
desire, and in his presence, sealed, signed, and delivered,
at the Orphan-house academy, in the province of Georgia,
before us witnesses, Anno Domini, March 22, 1770.
C Robert Bolton,
"Signed, < Thomas Dixon,
( Cornelius Wintee."
25»

294 appendix.
" N. B. I also leave a mourning ring, to my honored and
dear friends, and disinterested fellow laborers, the Rev. John
and Charltes Wesley, in token of my indissoluble union with
them, in heart and christian affection, notwithstanding our
difference in judgment about some particular points of doctrine.
Grace be with all them, of whatever denomination, that love
our Lord Jesus, our common Lord', in sincerity."
" Georgia, Secretary's Office.
"A true copy, taken from the original in this office, examin
ed and certified : and I do further certify, that the same was
duly proved ; and the Honorable James Habersham, one of the
executors therein named, was duly qualified as executor, be
fore his Excellency, James Wright, Esq., Governor and Ordi
nary of the said province, this 10th day of December, 1770.
"Thomas Moodie, Deputy Secretary."

SELECTIONS

SERMONS AND OTHER WRITINGS

REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

ADVERTISEMENT.

It will be remembered, by those who have perused the foregoing
memoirs, that Whitefield complains, that the transcripts of his sermons,
taken in short-hand, and published by his well meaning, but irrespon
sible friends, were unfair and mutilated exhibitions of his actual per
formances. He says of some of these imperfect copies, that " the sense
and connection are entirely destroyed." It has been thought a duty,
therefore, to confine the following selections from his sermons and
other writings, as far as possible, to those which came immediately
from his own pen, or received his final revision, or, at least, his sanc
tion and approbation. Thus, it is believed, justice will be done to the
memory of this wonderful man ; and no further apology need be made
for. limiting our range of selection mainly to those writings which,
*ays he, " I think I may say, were given me by the Lord Jesus Christ."

SERMON I.

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah xxiii. 6.
The Lord our Righteousness'.
Whoever is acquainted with the nature of mankind iri
general, or the propensity of his own heart in particular, must
acknowledge that self-righteousness is the last idol that is root
ed out of the heart. Being once born under a covenant of
works it is natural for us all to have recourse to a covenant of
works, for our everlasting salvation. And we have contracted
such a devilish pride by our fall from God, that we would, if
not wholly, yet in part at least, glory in being the cause of our
own salvation. We cry out agamst Popery, and that very
justly ; but we are all Papists, at least I am sure we are all
Arminians by nature ; and, therefore, no wonder so many na
tural men embrace that scheme. It is true we disclaim the
doctrine of merit, and are ashamed directly to say we deserve
any good at the hands of God ; therefore, as the apostle excel
lently well observes, we go about, we fetch a circuit, to estab
lish a righteousness of our own, and like the Pharisees of old.
will not wholly submit to that righteousness which is of God,-
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This' is the sorest, though, alas ! the most common evil that'
was ever yet seen under the sun. An evil, that in any age.
especially in these dregs of time, wherein we live, cannot suf
ficiently be inveighed against. For as it is with the people,
so it is with the priests ; and it is to be feared, even in those
places where once the trath as it is in Jesus was eminently
preached, many ministers are so sadly degenerated from their
pious ancestors, that the doctrines of grace, especially the per
sonal, all-sufficient righteousness of Jesus, is but too seldom,
too slightly mentioned. Hence the love of many waxeth cold ;
and I have often thought, was it possible, that this single con
sideration would be sufficient to raise our venerable forefathers
again from their graves, who would thunder in their ears
their fatal error.

298 the lord our righteousness. [Serm. i.
The righteousness of Jesus Christ is one of those great mys
teries which the angels desire to look into, and seems to be one
of the first lessons that God taught men after the fall. For
what were the coats that God made to put on our first parents,
but types of the application of the merits or righteousness of
Jesus Christ to believers' hearts ? We are told, that those eoats
were made of skins of beasts'; and as beasts were not then food
for men, we may fairly infer that those beasts were slain in
sacrifice, in commemoration of the great sacrifice., Jesus Christ,
thereafter to be offered. And the skins of those beasts thus
slain, being put on Adam and Eve, they were thereby taught
how their nakedness was to be covered with the righteousness
of the Lamb of God.
This is it which is meant, when we are told Abraham be
lieved on the Lord, and it was counted to him for righteous
ness. In short, this is it of which both the law and all the
prophets have spoken, especially Jeremiah, in the' words ofthe
text : The Lord our righteousness.
I propose, through divine grace,
I. To consider who we are to understand by the word Lord.
II. How the Lord is man's righteousness.
III. I will consider some of the chief objections that are
generally urged against this doctrine.
IV. I shall show some very ill consequences that flow natu
rally from denying this doctrine.
V. Shall conclude with an exhortation to all to come to
Christ by faith; that they may be enabled to say with the pro
phet in the text, The Lord our righteousness.
I. I am to consider who we are to understand by the word
Lord — The Lord our righteousness.
And if any Arians or Socinians are drawn by curiosity to
hear what the babbler has to say, let them be ashamed of de
nying the divinity of that Lord that has bought poor sinners
with his precious blood. For the person mentioned in the text,
under the character of Lord, is Jesus Christ. Behold^ ver. 5.
the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous branch, a King shall reign and prosper, shall exe
cute judgment and justice in the earth. In his day, ver. 6.
Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely ; and
this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord our
righteousness. By the righteous Branch, all agree that we
are to understand Jesus Christ. He it is that is called the
Lord in our text. If so, if there were no other text in the
Bible to prove the divinity of Christ, that is sufficient. For if
the word Lord may properly belong to Jesus Christ, he must
be God. For as you have it in the margins of your Bibles, the

Serm. l.J the lord our righteousness. 299
word Lord is in the original Jehovah, which is the essential
.title of God himself. Come, then, ye Arians, kiss the Son of
;God, bow down before him, and honor him, even as you honor
the Father. Learn of the angels, those morning stars, and
worship Jrim as truly God. For otherwise you are as much
idolaters, as those that worship the Virgin Mary. And as for
you, Socinians, who say Christ was a mere man, and yet pro
fess that he was your Savior, according to your own principles,
you are accursed. For, if Christ be a mere man, then he is
only an arm of flesh. And it is written, Cursed is he that
trust eth on an arm of flesh. But I would hope there are no
such monsters here. At least, that after these considerations,
they would be ashamed of broaching such monstrous absurd
ities any more. For it is plain, that by the word Lord, we are
to understand the Lord Jesus Christ,, who here takes to himself
the title of Jehovah, and therefore must be very God, of very
God, or, as the apostle devoutly expresses it, God blessed for
.evermore. II. How the Lord is to be man's righteousness comes next
to be considered.
And that is, in one word, by imputation. For it pleased
¦God, after he had made all things by the word of his power,
to create man after his own image. And so infinite was the
condescension of the high and lofty One, who inhabiteth eter
nity, that although he might have insisted on the everlasting
obedience of him and his posterity, yet he was pleased to oblige
himself, by a covenant or agreement made with his own crea
tures, upon condition of an unsinuing obedience, to give them
immortality and eternal life. For when it is said, the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die, we may fairly infer,
so long as he continued obedient, and did not eat thereof, he
should surely live. The 3d of Genesis, gives us a full, but
mournful account, how our first parents broke this covenant,
and thereby stood in need of a better righteousness than their
own, in order to procure their future acceptance with God.
For what must they do ? They were as much under a cove
nant of works as ever. And, though after their disobedience
they were without strength, yet they were obliged not only to
do, but continue to do all things, and that too in the most per
fect manner which the Lord had required of them. And not
only sp, but to make satisfaction to God's infinitely offended
justice, for the breach they had already been guilty of. Here
then opens the amazing scene of divine philanthropy ; I mean,
God's love to man. For behold, what man could not do, Jesus
Christ, the Son of the Father's love, undertakes to do for him.
And that God might be just in justifying the ungodly, though

300 the IvQrd.our righteousness. [Serm. L
he was in the form, of God, and therefore tthought it no rob
bery to be equal with. God, yet he took upon him.the form of a
servant, even human nature. In that nature he obeyed, and
thereby fulfilled the whole moral law in our stead. And also
died ,a .painful death upon the cross, and thereby .became a
curse for, or instead of, those whom the Father hathgiven him.
As God, he satisfied at the same time that he obeyed, and suf
fered as man ; and being God and man, in. one person, wrought
out a fiill, perfect, and sufficient righteousness for all to whom
it was to be imputed.
Here then we see the meaning of the word righteousness.
\t implies the active, as well as passive obedience of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We generally, when talking of the merits of
Christ, only mention the latter, viz. : his .death ; whereas the
former, viz. : his life and active obedience, is equally necessary.
Christ is not such a Savior as becomes :tis, unless we join both
together. Christ not only died, but lived ; not only suffered,
but obeyed, for or instead of poor sinners. And both these
jointly make up that complete righteousness which is to be im
puted to us, as the disobedience of our first parents was made
ours by imputation. In this sense, and no other, are we to
understand that parallel which St. Paul draws in the 5th of the
Romans, between the first and second Adam. This is what he
elsewhere terms our being made the righteousness of God in
him-. This is the sense wherein the prophet would have us
understand the words of the text ; therefore, Jer. xxxiii. verse
16, She, i. e. the church itself shall be called (having this
righteousness imputed to her) the Lord our righteousness. A
passage, I think, worthy of the profoundest meditation of all
,the sons and daughters of Adam.
Many are the objections which the proud hearts of fallen
men are continually urging against this wholesome, this divine,
this soul-saving doctrine. I come now, in the third place, to an
swer some few of those which I think the most considerable.
And first, they say, because they would appear friends to
morality, " That the doctrine of. an imputed righteousness is
destructive of good works, and leads to licentiousness."
And who, pray, are the persons that generally urge this ob
jection ? Are they men full of faith, and men really concerned
for good works ? No, whatever few exceptions there may be, if
there be any at all, it is notorious, they are generally men of cor
rupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. The best title I can
give them is, that of profane moralists, or moralists falsely so
called. For I appeal to the experience of the present, as well
as past ages, if iniquity did and does not most abound when?
.the doctrine of Christ's whole personal righteousness is most

¦Serm. 1.] the lord our righteousness. 301
cried down, and most seldom mentioned. Arminian being
antichristian principles, always did and always will lead to
antichristian practices. And never was there a reformation
brought about in the church, but by the preaching the doctrine
of Christ's imputed righteousness. This, as that man of God.
Luther, calls it, is Articulus stantis aut cadentis Ecclesice, the
article upon which the church stands or falls. And though the
preachers of this doctrine are generally branded by those on
the other side with the opprobrious names of Antinomians,
deceivers, and what not ; yet, I believe if the truth of the doc
trine on both sides were to be judged of by the lives of the
preachers and professors of it, those on our side the question
would have the advantage every way.
It is true, this, as well as every other doctrine of grace, may
be abused. And perhaps the unchristian walk of some, who
have talked of Christ's imputed righteousness, justification by
faith, and the like, and yet never felt it imputed to their own
«ouls, has given the enemies of the Lord thus cause to blas
pheme. But this is a very unsafe, as well as very unfair way
of arguing. The only question sheuld be, Whether or not this
doctrine of an imputed righteousness does, in itself, cut off the
.-occasion of good works, or lead to licentiousness 1 No, in no
wise. It excludes works indeed from being any cause of our
justification in the sight of God. But it requires good works
as a proof of our having this righteousness imputed to us, and
as a declarative evidence of our justification in the sight of men.
And then how can the doctrine of an imputed righteousness
be a doctrine leading to licentiousness ?
It is all calumny. St. Paul introduces an infidel making this
objection, in his .epistle to ihe Romans. And none but infi
dels, that never felt the power of Christ's resurrection upon
their souls, will urge it over again. And therefore, notwith
standing this objection, with the prophet in the text, we may
boldly say, The lard our righteousness.
But Satan, (and no wonder that his servants imitate him)
often transforms himself into an angel of light. And there
fore, (such perverse things will infidelity and Arminianism
make men speak) in order to dress their objections in the best
colors, some urge, " that our Savior preached no such doctrine
— that in his sermon upon the mount, he mentions only moral
ity," and consequently the doctrine of an imputed righteous
ness falls wholly to the ground.
But surely the men who urge this objection, either never read
or never understood our blessed Lord's discourse, wherein the
doctrine of an imputed righteousness is so plainly taught, that
he that runs, if he has eyes that see, may read.
26

$02 the lord ,our righteousness. [Serm. J.
Indeed our Lord does recommend morality and good works,
(as all faithful ministers will do) and clears the moral law from
the many corrupt glosses put upon it by the letter-learned phari
sees, But then, before he comes to this, it is remarkable, he
talks of inward piety, such as poverty of spirit, meekness, holy
mourning, purity of heart, especially hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, and then recommends good Avorks, as an
evidence of our having his righteousness imputed to us, and
these graces and divine tempers wrought in our hearts. " Let
your light, ({hat is, the divine light I before have been mention
ing^ shine before men, in a holy life, that they, seeing your good
works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven." And
then immediately adds, f Think not that I am come to destroy
the moral law— I came not to destroy, to take away the force
of it as a rule of life, but to fulfil, to obey it in its whole latitude,
and give the complete sense of it." And then he goes pn to
show, how exceeding broad the moral law is. So thajt our
Lord, instead of disannulling an imputed righteousness in his
sermon upon the mount, not only confirms it, but also answers
the foregoing objection urged against it, by making good works
a proof and evidence of its being imputed to our souls. He,
therefore, that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the prophet
says in the words of the text — The Lord our righteouspess.
But as Satan not only quoted scripture, but also backed one
temptation with it after another, when he attacked Christ's perr
son in the wilderness ; so his children generally take the same
method in treating his doctrine. And therefore they urge
another objection against the doctrine of an imputed righteous?
ness, from the example of the young man in the gospel.
We may state it thus : '¦' The evangelist, St. Mark," say they,
" chap, x., mentions a young man that came to Christ, running
and asking him what he should do to inherit eternal life ?
Christ, say they, referred him to the commandments, to know
what he must do to inherit eternal life. It is plain, therefore,
works were to be partly, a.t least, the cause of his justification ;
and consequently the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is
unscriptural." This is the objection in its full strength ; and
little strength is in all its fulness. For, were I to prove the
necessity of an imputed righteousness, I scarce know how J
could bring a better instance to make it good.
Let us take a more intimate view of this young man, and
our Lord's behavior towards him. Mark x. 17, f the evangelist
tells us, ''That when Christ was gone forth 'info the way,
there came one running (it should seem it was some nobleman,
a rarity indeed, to see such a one running to Christ !) and
not only so, but he kneeled to him, (though many of his rank

Serm. i.J the lord our righteousness^ 303
scarce know the time when they kneeled to Christ,) and asked
him, saying, " Good Master what shall I do that I may in
herit eternal life ?" Then Jesus^ to see whether or not he
believed him to be what he really was, truly and properly God,
said unto him, " Why callest thou me good ? there is none
good but one, that is God." And that he might directly an
swer his question ; says he, " Thou knowest the command
ments : Do not commit adultery, Do not bear false witness -j
Defraud not, Honor thy father and thy mother." This, I say,
was a direct answer to his question ; namely, that eternal life
was not to be attained by his doings. For our Lord, by refer
ring him to the commandments, did not, (as the objectors in
sinuate,) in the least, hint that his .morality would recommend
him to the favor and mercy of God. But he intended thereby
to make the law his schoolmaster to bring him to himself;
that the young man, seeing how he had broken every one of these
commandments, might thereby be convinced of the insufficiency
of his own, and consequently ofthe absolute necessity of look
ing out for a better righteousness, whereon he might depend
for eternal life.
This was what our Lord designed. The young man, be
ing self-righteous, and willing to justify himself, said, "All
these have I observed from my youth." But had he known
himself, he would have confessed, "All these have I broken
from my youth." For supposing he had not actually committed
adultery, had he never lusted after a woman in his heart ?
What if he had not really killed another ; had he never been
angry without a cause, or spoken unadvisedly with his lips ?
If so, by breaking one of the least commandments in the least
degree, he became liable to the curse of God : For " cursed is
he (saith the law) that continueth not to do all things that are
written in this book." And therefore, as I observed before,
our Lord was so far from speaking against, that he treated the
young man in that manner, on purpose to convince him of the
necessity of an imputed righteousness.
But perhaps they will reply, it is said, Jesus beholding him,
loved him. And what then ? This he might do with a hu
man love, and at the same time this young man have no in
terest in his blood. Thus Christ is said to wonder ; to weep
over Jerusalem, and say, Oh that thou, hadst known, fyc. But
such like passages are to be referred only to his human nature.
And there is a great deal of difference between the love where
with Christ loved this young man, and that wherewith he
loved Mary, Lazarus, and .their sister Martha. To illustrate
this by a comparison : A minister of the Lord Jesus Christ,
seeing many amiable dispositions, such as a readiness to hear

304 the lord our righteousness. [Serm. 1.
the word, a decent behavior at public worship, a life outwardly
spotless in many, cannot but so far love them. But then there
is much difference betwixt that love which a minister feels for
such, and that divine love, that union and sympathy of soul,
which he feels for those that he is satisfied are really born
again of God. Apply this to our Lord's case, as a faint illus
tration of it. Consider what has been said upon the young
man's case in general ; and then, if before you were fond of
this objection, instead of triumphing like him, you will go sor
rowful away. Our Savior's reply to him more and more con
vinces us of the truth of the prophet's assertion in the text, viz.
that the Lord is our righteousness.
But there is a fourth and grand objection yet behind, and
that is taken from the 25th chapter of St. Matthew, " where
our Lord is described, as rewarding people with eternal life,
because they fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and such like.
Their works therefore were a cause of their justification ; con
sequently, the doctrine of imputed righteousness is not agreea
ble to scripture."
This, I confess, is the most plausible objection that is brought
against the doctrine insisted on from the text. And in order
that we may answer it in as clear and as brief a manner as
may be, we confess, with the article of the Church of England,
" That albeit good works do not justify us, yet they wilf follow
after justification, as fruits of it ; and though they can claim
no reward in themselves, yet forasmuch as they spring from
faith in Christ, and a renewed soul, they shall receive a reward
of grace, though not of debt ; and consequently, the more we
abound in such good works, the greater will be our reward
when Jesus Christ shall come to judgment."
Take these considerations along with us, and they Will help
us much to answer the objection now before us. For thus St.
Matthew — Then shall the King say to them on his right hand,
Come ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the king
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. —
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye
took me in. Naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye
visited me. I was in prison, and ye came unto me. "I will
therefore reward you, because you have done these things out
of love to me, and hereby have evidenced yourselves to be my
true disciples." And that the people did not depend on these
good actions for their justification in the sight of God is evi-
lent. For when saw we thee an hungered, say they, and fed
thee 7 Or thirsty, and gave thee drink 7 When saw we
thee a stranger, and took thee in 7 Or naked, and clothed

Serm. 1.] the lord our righteousness. 308
thee 7 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came
unto thee 7 — Language and questions quite improper for per
sons relying on their own righteousness for acceptance in the
sight of God.
But then they reply against this. In the latter part of the
chapter, say they, it is plain that Jesus Christ rejects and damns
the others for not doing these things. And therefore, if he
damns those for not doing, he saves those for doing ; and con
sequently the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is good for
nothing. But that is no consequence at all — For God may justly damn
any man for omitting the least duty of the moral law, and yet
in himself is not obliged to give any one any reward, supposing
he has done all that he can. We are unprofitable servants, we
have done not near so much as it was our duty to do, must be
the language of the most holy souls living; and therefore
from, or in ourselves, cannot be justified in the sight of God.
This was the frame of the devout souls just referred to. Sen
sible of this, they were so far from depending on their works
for justification in the sight of God, that they were filled, as it
were with a holy blushing, to think our Lord should conde
scend to mention, much more to reward them for their poor
works of faith and labors of love. I am persuaded their hearts
would rise with a holy indignation against those who urge
this passage as an objection against the assertion of the proph
et in the words of the text, that the Lord is our righteousness.
Thus I think we have fairly answered these grand objec
tions, which are generally urged against the doctrine of an
imputed righteousness. Were I to stop here, I think I might
say, we are made more than conquerors, through him that loved
us — But there is a way of arguing which I have always ad
mired, because I have thought it always very convincing, viz.
hj showing the absurdities that will follow from denying any
particular proposition in dispute.
IV. This is the next thing that was proposed. " And never
did greater or more absurdities flow from the denying any doc
trine, than will flow from denying the doctrine of Christ's im
puted righteousness."
And first, if we deny this doctrine, we turn the truth; I mean
the word of God, as much as we can into a lie, and utterly
subvert all those places of scripture, which say, That we are
saved by grace; that it is not of works, lest any man should
boast. That salvation is God's free gift — and that, He that
glorieth, must glory only in the Lord. For, if the whole per
sonal righteousness of Jesus Christ be not the sole cause of my
acceptance with God, if any work done by or forseen in me
26*

306 the lord our righteousness. [Serm. 1.
was in the least to be joined with it, or looked upon by God
as an inducing, impulsive cause of acquitting my soul from
guilt, then I have somewhat whereof I may glory in myself.
Now boasting is excluded in the great work" of our redemption.
But that cannot be, if we are enemies to the doctrine of an im
puted righteousness. It would be endless to enumerate how
many texts of scripture must be false, if this doctrine be not
true. Let it suffice to affirm in the general, that if we deny
an imputed righteousness, we may as well deny a divine reve
lation all at once. For it is the Alpha and Omega, tire begin
ning and the end of the book of God. We mast either disbe-
lievu that, or believe what the prophet has spoken in the text,
That the Lord is our righteousness.
But farther, — I observed at the beginning of this discourse,
that we are all Arminians and Papists by nature ; — for, as one
observes, Arminianism is the back way to Popery. And here
I venture further to affirm. " that if we deny the doctrine of an
imputed righteousness, whatever we may style ourselves, we
are really Papists in our hearts, and deserve no other title from
men. Sirs, What think you?: — Suppose I were to come and tell you,
that you must intercede with saints, for them to intercede with
God for you, — would you not then say, I was justly reputed a
Popish missionary by some, and deservedly thrust out of the
synagogues by others ? — I suppose you would. And why? Be^-
cause you would say, the intercession of Jesus Christ was suffi
cient of itself, without the intercession of saints; and that it
was blasphemous to join theirs with his, as though it was not
sufficient. Suppose I went a little more round about, and told you, that
the death of Christ was not sufficient, without our death being
added to it ; that you must die as well as Christ, join your
death with his, and then it would be sufficient. Might you
not then, with a holy indignation, throw dust in the air, and
justly call me a setter forth of strange doctrines ? And now
then, if it be not only absurd, but blasphemous, to join the in
tercession of saints with the intercession of Christ, as though
his intercession was not sufficient ; or our death with the death
of Christ, as though his death was not sufficient ; judge ye, if
it be not equally absurd, equally blasphemous, to join our obe
dience, either wholly or in part with the obedience of Christ,
as if that was not sufficient. And if so, what absurdities will
follow the denying that the Lord, both as to his active and pas
sive obedience, is our righteousness ?
One more absurdity I shall mention, that will follow from
the denying this doctrine, and I have done.

Serm. l.J the lord our righteousness. 307
I remember a story of a certain prelate, who, after many
arguments in vain urged to convince the Earl of Rochester of
the invisible realities of another world, took his leave of his
lordship with some such words as these : " Well my lord," says
he, " if there be no hell, I am safe ; but if there be such a thing,
my lord, as hell, what will become of you V I apply this to
those that oppose the doctrine now insisted on. If there be no
such thing as the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, those
that hold It, and bring forth fruit unto holiness, are safe. But
if there be such a thing, (as there certainly is) what will be
come of you that deny it ? It is no difficult matter to determine.
Your portion must bein the lake of fire and brimstone for ever
and ever; since you will rely upon your works, by your works
you shall be judged. They shall be weighed in the balance
of the sanctuary. They will be found wanting. By your
works, therefore, shall you be condemned ; and you, being out
of Christ, shall find God, to your poor wretched souls, a con
suming fire.
The great Stoddard, of Northampton, in New England, has
therefore well entitled a book which "he wrote, (and which I
would take this opportunity to recommend) " The safety of ap
pearing in the righteousness of Christ." For why should I lean
upon a broken reed, when I can have the rock of ages to stand
upon, that never ean be moved?
And now, before I come to a more particular application,
give me leave, in the apostle's language, triumphantly to cry
out, Where is the scribe? where the disputer ? where is the
reasoning infidel of this generation ? Can any thing appear
more reasonable, even according to your own way of arguing,
than the doctrine here laid down ? Have you not felt a con
vincing power go along with the word ? Why then will yon
not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that so he may become
the Lord your righteousness.
But it is time for me to come a little closer to your con
sciences. Brethren, though some may be offended at this doctrine, and
may account it foolishness, yet to many of you, I doubt not
but it is precious, it being agreeable to the form of sound words,
which from your infancy has been delivered to you ; and
coming from a quarter you would least have expected, may be
received with more pleasure and satisfaction. But give me
leave to ask you one question, Can you say, the Lord our
righteousness? I say, the Lord our righteousness. For en
tertaining this doctrine in your heads, without receiving the
Lord Jesus Christ savingly by a lively faith into your hearts,
will but increase your damnation. As I have often told you,

308 the lord our righteousness. [Serm. 1.
so I tell you again, an unapplied Christ, is no Christ at all.
Can you then, with believing Thomas, cry out, My Lord, and
my God? Is Christ your sanctification, as well as your out
ward righteousness ? For the word righteousness in the text,
not only implies Christ's personal righteousness imputed to us,
but also holiness of heart wrought in us. These two God hath
joined together. He never did, he never does, he never will
put them asunder. If you are justified by the blood, you are
also sanctified by the Spirit of the Lord. Can you then in this
sense say, the Lord our righteousness. Were you never made
to abhor yourselves for your actual and original sins, and to
loathe your own righteousness, (or, as the prophet beautifully
expresses it, your righteousnesses,) as filthy rags ? Were you
never made to see and admire the all-sufficiency of Christ's
righteousness, and excited by the spirit of God to hunger and
thirst after it ? Could you ever say, my soul is athirst for
Christ, yea, even for the righteousness of Christ ? 0 when
shall I come to appear before the presence" of my God in the
righteousness of Christ ! O nothing but Christ ! nothing but
Christ ! Give me Christ, O God, and I am satisfied ! My soul
shall praise thee for ever. Was this, I say, ever the language
of your hearts ? And after these inward conflicts, were you
ever enabled to reach out the arm of faith, and embrace the
blessed Jesus in your souls, so that you could say, My beloved
is mine, and I am las 7 If so, fear not, whoever you are.
Hail, all hail, you happy souls ! The Lord, the Lord Christ,
the everlasting God is your righteousness. Christ has justified
you, who is he that condemneth you ? Christ has died for
you, nay rather is risen again, and ever liveth to make inter
cession for you. Being now justified by his grace, you have
peace with God, and shall ere long be with Jesus in glory,
reaping everlasting and unspeakable redemption both in body
and soul. For there is no condemnation to those that are really
in Christ Jesus. Whether Paul'or Apollos, or life or death, all
is yours, if you are Christ's, for Christ is God's ! O my breth
ren, my heart is enlarged towards you ! O, think on the love
of Christ in dying for you ! If the Lord be your righteousness,
let the righteousness of your Lord be continually in your
mouth. Talk of, oh talk of and recommend the righteousness
of Christ, when you lie down and when you rise up, at your
going out and coming in ! Think of the greatness of the gift,
as well as of the giver ! Show to ail the world in whom you
have believed ! Let all, by your fruits, know that the Lord is
your righteousness, and that you are waiting for your Lord
from heaven ! O study to be holy, even as he who has called
you, and washed you in his own blood, is holy ! Let not tha

Serm. 1.] the lord our righteousness. 309
righteousness of the Lord be evil spoken of through you. Let
not Jesus be wounded in the house of his friends ; but grow
in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ day by day. O, think of his dying love ! Let that love
constrain you to obedience. Having much forgiven, love
much. Be always asking, What shall I do to express my grati
tude to the Lord, for giving me his righteousness? Let that
self-abasing, God-exalting question be always in your mouths.
O be always lisping out, Why me, Lord ? Why me ? Why am
I taken, and others left ? Why is the Lord my righteousness ?
Why is he become my salvation, who have so often deserved
damnation at his hands ?
O, my friends, I trust I feel somewhat of a sense of God's
distinguishing love upon my heart ! Therefore I must divert
a little from congratulating you, to invite poor Christless sin
ners to come to him, and accept of his righteousness, that
they may have life.
Alas, my heart almost bleeds ! What a multitude of precious
souls are now before me ! How shortly must all be ushered
into eternity : and yet, O cutting thought ! was God now to
require all your souls, how few, comparatively speaking, could
really sav, the Lord our righteousness.
And think you, O sinners, that you will be able to stand in
the day of judgment, if Christ be not your righteousness? No,
that alone is the wedding garment in which you must appear.
O, Christless sinners, I am distressed for you ! The desires of
my soul are enlarged ! O, that this may be an accepted time !
0, that the Lord may be your righteousness ! For whither
would you flee, if death should find you naked ? Indeed there
is no hiding yourselves from his presence. The pitiful fig-
leaves of your own righteousness will not cover your naked
ness, when God shall call you to stand before him. Adam
found them ineffectual, and so will you. O, think of death !
O, think of judgment ! Yet a little while, and time shall be
no more ; and then what will become of you, if the Lord be
not your righteousness? Think you. that Christ will spare
you? No, he that formed you, will have no mercy on you.
If you are out of Christ, if Christ be not your righteousness,
Christ himself will pronounce you damned. And can you
bear to think of being damned by Christ ? Can you bear to
hear the Lord Jesus say unto you, Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels?
Can you live, think you, in everlasting burnfhgs? Is your
flesh brass, and your bones iron ? What if they are ? helJ
fire, that fire prepared for the devil and his angels, will heat
them through and through ! And can you bear to depart

310 the lord our righte6usness. [Serm. L
from Christ ? O, that heart-piercing thought ! Ask those holy
souls, who are at any time bewailing ah absent Gody who walk
in darkness, and see no light, though but a few days or hours ;
ask them, what it is to lose a sight and presence of Christ?
See how they seek him sorrowing, and go mourning after him
all the day long ! And if it is so dreadful to lose me sensible
presence of Christ, only for a day, what must it be to be ban
ished from him to all eternity ? But thus it must be, if Christ
be not your righteousness. For God's justice must be satisfied ;
and unless Christ's righteousness is imputed and applied to you
here, you must be satisfying the divine justice in heft torments
eternally, hereafter. Nay, as I said before, Christ himself, the
God of love, shall condemn you to that place of torment. And
O, how cutting is that thought ! Methinks I see poor, trem
bling, Christless wretches,- standing before the bar of God,
crying out " Lord, if we must be damned, let some angel,- or
some archangel, pronounce the damnatory sentence." But all
in vain. Christ himself shall pronounce the irrevocable sen
tence. Knowing, therefore, the terrors of the Lord, let me
persuade you to close with Christ, and never rest, till you can
say, the Lord our righteousness. Who knows but the Lord
may have mercy on, nay, abundantly pardon you ? Beg of
God to give you faith ; and if the Lord give you that, you will
by it receive Christ, with his righteousness, and his all. You
need not fear the greatness or number of your sins. For are
you sinners ? So am I. Are you the chief of sinners ? So
am I. Are you backsliding sinners ? So am I. And yet
the Lord, (for ever adored be his rich, free, and sovereign
grace) the Lord is my righteousness. Come, then, 0 young
men, who (as I acted once myself) are playing the prodigal,
and wandering away afar off from your heavenly Father's
house, come home, come home, and leave your swine's trough
— feed no longer on the husks of sensual delights. For Christ's
sake, arise and come home ! Your heavenly Father now
cads you. See, yonder the best robe, even the righteousness
of his dear Son awaits you. See it, view it again and. again.
Consider at how dear a rate it was purchased, even by the
blood of God. Consider what great need you have of it. You
are lost, undone, damned for ever, without it. Come then,
poor, guilty prodigals, come home. Indeed, I will not, like
the elder brother, be angry. No, I will rejoice with the angels
in heaven. And oh, that God would now bow the heavens,
and come down ! "Descend, 0 Son of God, descend ; and as
thou hast shown in me such mercy, O let the blessed Spirit
apply thy righteousness to some prodigals now before thee, and
clothe their naked souls with thy best robe." >

Serm. 1.] the lord our righteousness. 311
But I must speak a word f° y°u) young maidens, as well as
young men. I see many of you adorned, as to your bodies •;
but are not your souls naked ! Which of you can say, the
lord is my righteousness ; which of you was ever solicitous
to be dressed in this robe of invaluable price, and without which,
you are no better than whited sepulchres in the sight of God ?
Let not then so many of yoUj young maidens, any longer forget
your only .ornament : Oh. seek for the Lord to be your right
eousness or otherwise burning will soon be upon you instead
of beauty !
And wha-t shall I sav to you of a middle age, you busy mer-
.chants, you cumbered Marthas, who with all your gettings, have
not yet gotten the Lord to be your righteousness ? Alas !
what profit will there be of all your labor under the sun, if
you do not secure this pearl of invaluable price ? This one
.thing, so absolutely needful, that it can only stand you instead,
when all other things shall be taken from you. Labor there
fore no longer so anxiously for the meat which perisbeth, but
henceforward seek for the Lord to be your righteousness. A
righteousness that will entitle you to life everlasting. I see also
many hoary heads here, and perhaps the most of them cannot
say, the Lord is 'my righteousness. O gray headed sinners, I
could weep over you ! Your gray hairs which ought to be
your crown, and in which perhaps you glory, are now your
shame. You know not that the Lord is your righteousness.
Oh, haste then, haste, ye aged sinners, and seek an interest in
redeeming love ! Alas, you have one foot already in the grave.
Your glass is just run out. Your sun is just going down, and
it will set and leave you in an eternal darkness, unless the Lord
be your righteousness ! Flee then, oh, flee for your lives ! Be
not afraid. All things are possible with God. If you come,
though it be at the eleventh hour, Christ Jesus will in nowise
cast you out. Oh, seek then for the lord to be your righteous
ness, and beseech him to let you know how it is that a man
may be born again when he is old ! But I must .not forget the
lambs of the flock. To feed them was one of my Lord's last
commands ; I know he will be 'angry with me, if I do not
tell them, that the Lord may be their righteousness ; and that
of such is the kingdom of heaven. Come then, ye little child
ren, come to Christ ; the Lord Christ shall be your righteous
ness. Do not think that you are too young to be converted.
Perhaps many of you may be nine or ten years old, and yet
cannot say the Lord is our righteousness ; which many have
said, though younger than you. Come then, while you are
young. Perhaps you may not live to be old. Do not stay for
Other people. If your fathers and mothers will not come to

312 the seed of the woman, *c. [Serm. 2.
Christ, do you come without them. Let children lead them,
and show them how the Lord may be their righteousness. Our
Lord Jesus loved little children. You are his Lambs. He bids
me feed you. I pray God make you willing betimes to take the
lord for your righteousness.
Here then I could conclude, — but I must not forget the poor
negroes. No? I must not. Jesus Christ has died for them aa
well as others. Nor do I mention you last, because I despise
your souls, but because I would wish what I have to say, to
make the deeper impression upon your hearts. Oh that you
Vould seek the Lord to be your righteousness ! Who knows
but he may be found of you. For in Jesus Christ there is nei
ther male nor female., bond or free ; even you may be the child
ren of God, if you~ believe in Jesus. Did you never read of
the Eunuch belonging to the queen of Candace ? — a negro like
yourselves.- He believed — The Lord was his righteousness,
he was baptized. Do you also believe, and you shall be saved.
Christ Jesus is the same now, as he was yesterday, and will
wash you in his own blood. Go home then, turn the words of
the text into a prayer, and entreat the Lord to be your right
eousness. Even so, come Lord Jesus, come quickly,, into all
our souls \ Amen, Lord Jesus, Amen and Amen.

SERMON II.

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN, AND THE SEED OP THE SERPENT,

Genesis iii. 15.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel.
When I read to you these words, I may address you in the
language of the holy angels, to the shepherds that were watcl>
ing their flocks by night"; Behold I bring you glad tidings of
great joy. For this is the first promise that was made of a
Savior to the apostate race of Adam. We generally look for
Christ only in the New Testament ; but Christianity, in one
sense, is very nearly as old as the creation. It is wonderful to
observe, how gradually God revealed his Son to mankind. He
began with the promise in the text, and this the elect lived upon
till the time of Abraham ; to him God, made further discover^

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 313
of his eternal council concerning man's redemption. After
wards, at sundry times, and in divers manners, God spake to
the fathers by the prophets, till at length the Lord Jesus him
self was manifested in the flesh, and came and Tabernacled
amongst us.
This first promise must certainly be but dark to our first pa
rents, in comparison of that Jight which we now enjoy. And
yet, dark as it was, we may assure ourselves they built upon it
iheir hopes of everlasting salvation, and by that faith were saved.
How they came to stand in need of this promise, and what
is the extent and meaning of it, I intend, God willing, to make
the subject matter of your present, meditation.
The fall of man is written in too legible characters not to
be understood : those that deny it, by their denying proove it.
The very heathens confessed and bewailed it. They could see
the streams of corruption running through the whole race of
mankind, but could not trace them to the fountain head. Be
fore God gave a revelation of "his Son, man was a riddle to
himself. And Moses unfolds more in this one chapter (out of
which the text is taken) than all mankind could have been
capable of finding out of themselves, though they had studied
to all eternity.
In the foregoing chapter, he had given us a full account,
how God spoke the world into being ; and especially how he
formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into him the
breath of life, so that he became a living soul. A council of
the Trinity was called concerning the formation of this lovely
creature. The result of that council was, Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness. So God created man in his
oioji image, in the image of God created he him. Moses re
markably repeats the words, that we might take particular no
tice of our divine original. Never was so much expressed
in so few words. None but a man inspired could have done
so. But it is remarkable, that though Moses mentions our be
ing made in the image of God, yet he mentions it but twice, and
that, as it. were, in a transient manner, as though he would
have said, " Man was made in honor, God made him upright,
in the image of God male, and female created he them. But
man so soon fell, and became like the beasts that perish, nay,
like the devil himself, that it is scarce worth mentioning."
How soon man fell after he was created, is not told us,
and therefore to fix any time, is to be wise above what is
written. And, I think, they who suppose that man fell the
same day in which he was made, have no sufficient ground
for their opinion. The many things which are crowded to
gether in the former chapter, such as" the formation of Adanfs
27

314 the seed or the woman, [Serm. '2.
wife, his giving names to the beasts, and his being put into the
garden which God had planted, I think require a longer space
of time than a day to be transacted in. However, all agree in
this, " Man stood not long." How long or how short a while,
I will not take upon me to determine. It more concerns us to
inquire how he came to fall from his steadfastness, and what
was the rise and progress of the temptation which prevailed
over him. The account given us in this chapter concerning
it, is very full, and it may do us much service, under God, to
make some remarks upon it.
Now the serpent, says the sacred historian, was more subtle
than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made,
and he said vnto the woman, yea, hath God said, he shall not
eat of every tree of the garden !
Though this was a real serpent, yet he that spoke was no
other than the devil ; from hence, perhaps, called the old ser
pent, because he took possession of the serpent when he came
to beguile our first parents. The devil envied the happiness of
man, who was made, as some think, to supply the place of fal
len angels. God made man upright, and with full power to
stand if he would. He was just, therefore, in suffering him to
be tempted : if he fell he had no one to blame except himself.
But how must Satan effect his fall ? He cannot do it by his
power, he attempts it therefore by policy. He takes possession
of a serpent, which was more subtle than all the beasts of the
field, which the Lord God had made ; so that men that are full
of subtlety, but have no piety, are only machines for the devil
to work upon, just as he pleases.
And he said unto the woman. Here is an instance of his
subtlety. He says unto the woman, the weaker vessel, and
when she was alone from her husband, and therefore was more
liable to be overcome. Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden 7 These words are certainly spoken
in answer to something which the devil either saw or heard.
In all probability, the woman was now near the tree of know
ledge of good and evil ; (for we shall find her, by and by,
plucking an apple from it,) perhaps she might be looking at,
*nd wondering what there was in that tree more than the others,
that she and her husband should be forbidden to taste of it,
Satan seeing this, and coveting to draw her into a parley with
him, (for if the devil can persuade us not to resist, but to com
mune with him, he has gained a great point,) he says, Yea,
hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden 7
The first thing he does, is to persuade her if possible, to enter
tain hard thoughts of God ; this is his general way of dealing
with God's children. " Yea," says he, " hath God said, ye shall

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 315
not eat of every tree of the garden ? What ! hath God planted
a garden, and placed you in the midst of it only to teaze and
perplex you ? hath he planted a garden, and yet forbid you
making use of any of the fruits of it at all ?" It was impossi
ble for him to ask a more ensnaring question in order to gain
his end : For Eve was here seemingly obliged to answer, and
vindicate God's goodness. And therefore,
Ver. 2, 3. The woman said unto the serpent. We may eat
of the fruit of the trees of the garden : But, of the fruit of the
tree which is in the -midst of the garden, God hath said, ye
shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
The former part of the answer was good, " We may cat of
Ihe fruit of the trees of the garden, God has not forbid us eating
of every tree of the garden. No, we may eat of the fruit of the
trees in the garden, (and it should seem even ofthe tree of life,
which was as a sacrament to man in a state of innocence ;) there
'e only one tree in the midst of the garden, of which God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die." Here she begins to warp, and sin begins to conceive in
her heart. Already she has contracted some of the serpent's
poison, by talking with him, which she ought not to have done
at all. For she might easily suppose, that it could be no good
being, that could put such a question unto her, and insinuate
such dishonorable thoughts of God. She should therefore have
fled from him, and not stood to have parleyed with him at all.
Immediately the ill effects of it appear, she begins to soften the
divine threatening. God had said, the day thou eatest thereof,
thou shall surely die : or, dying thou shall die : But Eve
says, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
We may be assured we are fallen into, and begin to fall by
temptation, when we begin to think God will not be as good
as his word, in respect to the execution of his threatenings de
nounced against sin. Satan knew this, and therefore artfully
said unto the woman, (ver. 4,) Ye shall not surely die, in
an insinuating man ner, " Ye shall not surely die. "Surely
God will not be so cruel as to damn you only for eating an
apple : it cannot be." Alas ! how many does Satan lead cap
tive at his will, by flattering them, they shall not surely die ?
that hell torments will not be eternal ; that God is all mercy ;
that he therefore will not punish a few years, sin with an eter
nity of misery. But Eve found God as good as his word, and
so will all they that go on in sin, under a false hope that they
shall not surely die.
We may also understand the words spoken positively, and this
is agreeable to what follows ; you shall not surely die ; " it is all a
delusion, a mere bugbear to keep you in a servile subjection."

316 the seed of the woman, [Serm. 2
For, ver. 5. God doth knoiu, that in the day ye eat thereof
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,- know
ing good and evil.
What child of God can expect to escape slander, when God
himself was thus slandered even in paradise ? Surely the
understanding of Eve must have been, in some measure, blind
ed, or she would not have suffered the tempter to speak such
perverse things. In what odious colors is God here represent
ed ! " God doth know, that in the day yre eat thereof, ye shall
be as gods," (equal with God.) So that the grand temptation
was, that they should be hereafter under no control, equal, if
not superior to God that made them, knowing good and evil.
Eve could not tell what Satan meant by this ; but to be sure,
she understood it of some great privilege which they were to
enjoy. And thus Satan now points out a way, which seems
right to sinners, but does not tell them the end of that way is
death. To give strength and force to this temptation, in all proba
bility, Satan, or the serpent, at this time, plucked an apple
from the tree, and ate it before Eve, by which Eve might be
induced to think, that the sagacity and power of speech, which
the serpent had above the other beasts, must he owing in a
great measure, to his eating that fruit ; and therefore, if ne re
ceived so much improvement, she might also expect a like
benefit from it. All this, I think, is clear ; for, otherwise, I do
not see with what propriety it could be said, When the woman
saw that it to as good for food. How could she know it was
good for food, unless she had seen the serpent feed upon it?
Satan now begins to get ground apace. Lust had conceiv
ed in her heart ; shortly it will bring forth sin. Sin being con
ceived, brings forth death. Ver. & And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to
'he eye, and a tree lo be desired to make one wise, she look of
he fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her hus
band, and he did vat.
Our senses are the landing ports of our spiritual enemies.
How needful is that resolutionof holy Job, I have made a cove
nant with mine eyes. When Eve began to gaze on the for
bidden fruit with her eyes, she soon began to long after it with
her heart. When she saw that it was good for food, and
pleasant to the eyes, (here was the lust ofthe flesh, and lust
of the eye) but, above all, a tree to be desired to make one
wise, wiser than God would have her be, nay, as wise as God
himself: she took of the fruit thereof, and gave also unto her
husband with her, and he did eat. As soon as ever she sinned
herself, she turned tempter to her husband. It is dreadful

b

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 317
when those, who should be helpmates for each other in the
great work of their salvation, are only promoters of each others
damnation : but thus it is. If we ourselves are good, we shall
excite others to goodness ; if we do evil, we shall entice others
to do evil also. There is a close connection between doing
and teaching. How needful then is it for us all to take heed
that we do not sin any way ourselves, lest we should become
factors for the devil, and ensnare, perhaps, your nearest and
dearest relations ? She gave also unto her husband with Iter,
and he did eat.
Alas ! what a complication of crimes was there in this one
single act of sin ! Here is an utter disbelief of God's threaten
ing ; the utmost ingratitude to their Maker, who had so lately
planted this garden and placed them in it. with such a glori
ous and comprehensive charter. Here is the utmost neglect
of their posterity, who they knew were to stand or fall with
them: here was the pride of the heart; they wanted to be
equal with God ; here is the utmost ccntempt put upon his
threatening and his law ; the devil is credited and obeyed be
fore him, and all this only to satisfy their sensual appetite.
Never was a crime of such a complicated nature committed
by any here below. Nothing but the devil's apostacy and re
bellion could equal it.
And what are the consequences of their disobedience ? Are
their eyes opened ? Yes, their eyes are opened ; but, alas ! it
is only to see their own nakedness. For, we are told, ver. 7.
That the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that
they were naked.: Naked of God, naked of every thing that
was holy and good ; and destitute of the divine image, which
they before enjoyed. They might rightly now be termed
Ichabod ; for the glory of the Lord departed from them. O !
how low did these sons of the morning then fall : out of God
into themselves ; from being partakers of the divine nature,
into the nature of the devil and the beast. Well, therefore, might
they know that they were naked not only in body but in soul.
And how do they behave now they are naked? Do they
flee to God for pardon ! Do they go to him for a robe to cover
their nakedness ? No. They were now dead to God, earthly,
sensual, devilish ; and therefore, instead of applying to God for
mercy, they seiced or platted fig-leaves together, and made
themselves aprons, or things to gird about them. This is a
lively representation of all natural men : We see that we are
naked : We, in some measure, confess it ; but, instead of look
ing up to God for succor, we patch up a righteousness of our
own (as our first parents platted fig-leaves together) hoping to
cover our nakedness by that. But our righteousness will not
27«

318 THE SEED OF THE WOMAN, [Serjl. 2.
stand the severity of God's judgment ; It will do us no more
service than the fig-leaves did Adam and Eve, that is none
at all.
For, verse 8. They heard the voice of the Lord God walk
ing in ihe trees of the garden, in the cool of the day : and
Adam and his wife (notwithstanding their fig-leaves) hid them
selves from the presence of the Lord God, among the trees of
the garden.
They heard the voice of the Lord God. or the Word of the
Lord God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, wlio is the Word that-
was with God, and the Word that was; God. They heard him
walking in the trees of the garden, iu the cod of Ihe day. A
season, perhaps, when Adam and Eve used to go, in an espe
cial manner, and offer up an evening sacrifice of prais:e and
thanksgiving. The cool of the. day. Perhaps, the sin was com
mitted in the morning, or at noon : hut Gcd would net come
upon them immediately, he staid till the cool ofthe day. For
if we would effectually reprove others, we should not do it
when they are warmed with passion, but wait till the cool of
the day.
But what an alteration is here !. Instead of rejoicing at the
voice of their Beloved, instead of answering the voice of their
God, with songs of praise and thanksgiving ; having now
broken hir only law, and divested themselves, by their disobe
dience, of their perfect innocence, they, who had ro openly
braved the Almighty, by the violation of his single and easy
command, now. stung by conscience and dreading the conse
quences of such a deliberate crime, slunk abashed behind the
shadowy trees ; thus attempting to elude the search of him
who is all-seeing. Is not this then what lias disrobed our souls,
and thus, contaminating tho source, renders us impure by na
ture ? Assuredly it is. Wc labor to cover our nakedness with
the fig-leaves of our own righteousness : we hide ourselves
from God as long- a"- we can ; and will not come, and never
should come, did not the Father prevent, draw, and sweetly
constrain us by his grace, as he here prevented Adam.
Ver. 9. Ami the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto
him, Adam, where art thou ?
"The Lord God called unto Adam," (for otherwise Adam
would never have called unto the Lord Gcd) and said, Adam,
where art thou 7 " How is it that thou comest not to pay thy
devotions as usual." Christians, remember the Lord keeps an
account when you fail coming to worship. Whenever, there
fore, you are tempted to withhold your attendance, let each of
you fancy you hear the Lord God calling upon you, and say
ing, " O man, O woman, where art thou ?" It may he under

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 319
stood in another and better sense : Adam, where art thou ?
What a condition is thy poor soul in ? This is the first thing
the Lord asks, and convinces a sinner of, when he prevents,
and calls him effectually by his grace. He also calls him by
name : for unless God speaks to us in particular, and we know
where we are, how poor, how miserable, how blind, how na
ked, we shall never value the redemption wrought out for us
by the death and obedience of the dear Lord Jesus. Adam,
•where art thou ?
Ver. 10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and
I was afraid. See what cowards sin makes us. If we knew
no sin. wc should know no fear. Because I was naked, and
I hid myself. Ver. 11. And he said, Who told thee that
thou w-ast naked ? Hurt thou eaten of the tree whereof I
(thy maker and Lawgiver) commanded thee, that thou shoudst
not eat ?
God knew very well that Adam was naked, and that he had
eaten of the forbidden fruit: but God would know it from
Adam's own mouth. Thus God knows ail our necessities be
fore we a:;!:, but yet insists upon our asking for his grace, and
confessing our sins. For. by such acts, we acknowledge our
dependence upon God, take shame to ourselves, and thereby
give glory to his great name.
Ver. 12. And the man said, the woman which thou gavesl
to be with me, she gave ms of the tree, and I did eat.
Never was nature mire vividly delineated. See what pride
Adam contracted Iiy the fall ! How unwilling he is to lay the
blame upon, or take shame to himself. This answer is fulf
of insolence towards God, enmity against his wife, and disin-
geLiuousuess in respect to himself. For herein he tacitly reflects
upon God. The woman that Thou gavest lo be with me.
As much a^ to say, If Thou hadst not given, me that woman,
I had not eaten the forbidden fruit. Thus when men sin, they
lay the fault upon their passions; then blame and reflect upon
God forgiving them those passions. Their language is, " The
appetites that thou gavest us, they deceived us, and therefore we
sinned against thee." But, as God, notwithstanding, punished
Adam for hearkening to the voice of his wife, so he will punish
those who hearken to the dictates of their corrupt inclinations.
For God compels no man to sin. Adam might have withstood
the solicitations of his wife, if he would ; and so, if we look up
to God, we should find grace to help in time of need. The devil
and our own hearts tempt, but they cannot force us to consent,
without the concurrence of our own wills. So that our dam
nation is of ourselves, as it will evidently appear at the great
day, notwithstanding all men's present impudent replies against

320 the seed of the woman, [Serm. 2.
God, as Adam speaks insolently in respect to God, uo he speaks
with enmity against his wife : The woman, or this woman, she
gave me. He lays all the fault upon her, and speaks of her
with much contempt. He does not say, my wife, my dear wife ;
but this woman. For sin disunites the most united hearts.
It is the bane of holy fellowship. Those who have been com
panions in sin here, if they die without repentance, will both
hate and condemn one another hereafter. All damned souls
are accusers of their brethren. Thus it is, in some degree, on
this side the grave. The woman whom thou gavest to be with
rne, she gave tne of the tree, and I did eat. What a dis
ingenuous speech was here ! He makes use of no less than fif
teen words to excuse himself, and but one or two (in the ori
ginal) to confess his fault, if it may be called a confession at
all. The woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me ofthe tree ; here are fifteen words; and I did eat. With
what reluctance do these last words come out ? How soon
are they uttered ? And I did eat. But thus it is with an un-
hnmbled, unregenerate heart. It will be laying the fault upon
the dearest friend in the world, nay, upon God himself, rather
than take shame to itself. This pride we are all subject to by
the fall ; and, till our hearts are broken, and made contrite by
the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be always charg
ing God foolishly. "Against ti-if.e, and thee only, have I
sinned, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and clear
when thou art judged," is the language of none but those, who,
like David, are willing to confess their faults, and are truly
sorry for their sins. This was not the case of Adam : his
heart was not broken ; and therefore he lays the fault of his
disobedience upon his wife and God, and not on himself: The
woman which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the
tree, and I did. eat.
Ver. 13. And the Lord God said, what is this that thou hast
done ? What a wonderful concern does God express in this
expostulation ! "What a deluge of misery hast thou brought
upon thyself, thy husband, and thy posterity ? What is this
that thou hast done ? Disobeyed thy God, obeyed the devil,
and ruined thy husband, for whom I made thee to be an help
meet? What is this that thou hast done?" God would here
awaken her to a sense of her crime and danger, and therefore,
as it were, thunders in her ears. For the law must be preach
ed to self-righteous sinners. We must take care of healing,
before we see sinners wounded, lest we should say, Peace,
peace, where there is no peace. Secure sinners must hear the
thundering of Mount Sinai, before we bring them to Mount
Zion. They who never preach up the law, it is to be feared

;-

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 321
are unskillful in delivering the glad tidings of the gospel.
Every minister should be a Boanerges, a son of thunder, as well
as a Barnabas, a son of consolation. There was an earth
quake and a wirlwind, before the small still voice came to
Elijah : we must first show people that they are condemned,
and then show them how they must be saved. But how and
when to preach the law, and when to apply the promises of
the gospel, wisdom is profitable to direct. And the Lord God
said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done 7
And the wioman said, the serpent beguiled me, and 1 did eat.
She does not make use of so many words to excuse herself,
as her husband'; but then her heart is as unhumbled as his.
"What is this," says God. "that thou hast done?" God here
charges her with doing it. She dares not deny the fact, or say,
I have not done it; but she takes the blame off herself, and
lavs it upon the serpent : The serpent beguiled me, and I did
eat She does not say, "Lord. I was to blame for talking with
tho serpent ; Lord, I did wrong, in not hastening to my hus
band, when he put the first question to me ; Lord, I plead
guilty, I only am to blame ; oh let not my poor husband suffer
for my wickedness !" This would have been the language of
her heart, had she now been a true penitent. But both were
now alike proud ; therefore neither will lay the blame upon
themselves : The serpent beguiled me and I did eat: ihe wo
man whicli. thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of ihe tree,
and I did eat.
I have been the more particular in remarking this part of
their behavior, because it tends so much to the magnifying of
free grace, and plainly shows us salvation cometh only from
the Lord. Let us take a short view of the miserable circum
stances our first parents were now in : they were legally and
spiritually dead, children of wrath and heirs of hell, they had
eaten the fruit, of which God had commanded them, that they
should not eat ; and when arraigned before God, notwitbstand"
ing their crime was so complicated, they could not be brought
to confess it. What reason can be given, why sentence of
death should not be pronounced against the prisoners at the
bar? All must own they are worthy to die. Nay, how can
God, consistently with his justice, possibly forgive them? He
had threatened, that the day wherein they eat ofthe forbidden
fruit, they should surely die ; and if he did not execute this
threatening, the devil might then slander the Almighty indeed.
And yet mercy cries, spare these sinners, spare the work of thine
own hands. Behold then wisdom contrives a scheme how
God may be just, and yet be merciful ; be faithful to his threat
ening, punish the offense, and at the same time spare the offend-

822 the seed of the woman, [Serm. %
er. An amazing scene of divine love here opens to our view,
which had been from all eternity hid in the heart of God !
Notwithstanding Adam and Eve were thus unhumbled, aud
did not so much as put up one single petition for pardon. God
immediately passes sentence upon the serpent, and reveals to
them a Savior.
Ver. 14. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because
thou hast done this, thou art accursed above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field ; upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and dust shalt thou cat all the days of thy life : i. c. he should
be in subjection, and his power should always be limited and
xestrained. His enemies shall lick the dust, says the Psalm
ist. Ver. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and tha
woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.
Before I proceed to the explanation of this verse, I cannot
but take notice of one great mistake which the author of the
Whole Duty of Man is guilty of, in making this verse contain
a covenant between God and Adam, as though God personally
treated with Adam, as before the fall. For, talking of the
second covenant, in his preface concerning caring for the soul,
says he, " This second covenant was made with Adam, and
us in him, presently after the fall, and is contained in these
words, Gen. iii. 15, where God declares, ihe seed of the woman
shall break the serpent's head; and this was made up as the
first was, of some mercies to be afforded by God, and some du
ties to be performed by us." This is exceeding false divinity
for these words are not spoken to Adam ; they are directed
only to the serpent. Adam and Eve stood by as criminals, and
God could not treat with them, because they had broken his
covenant. And it is so far from being a covenant, wherein
" some mercies are to be afforded by God, and some duties to
be performed by us," that here is not a word looking that way;
it is only a declaration of a free gift of salvation, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. God the Father and God the Son had enter
ed into a covenant concerning the salvation of the elect from
all eternity ; wherein God the' Father promised, that if the Son
would offer his soul a sacrifice for sin, he should see his seed.
Now this is an open revelation of this secret covenant, and
therefore God speaks in the most positive terms. It shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The first Adam
God had treated with before , he proved false ; God, therefore,
to secure the second covenant from being broken, puts it into
the hands of the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. Adam,
after the fall, stood no longer as our representative ; he and Eve
were c nly private persons as we are, and were only to hold on

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 323
to the declaration of mercy contained in this promise by faith
(as they really did) and by that they were saved. I do not say,
but we are to believe and obey, if we are everlastingly saved.
Faith and obedience are conditions, if we only mean that they
in order go before our salvation ; but I deny that these are pro
posed by God to Adam, or that God treats with him in this
promise, as he did before the fall, under the covenant of works.
For, how could that be, when Adam and Eve were now pris
oners at the bar, without strength to perform any conditions at
all ? The truth is this : God, as a reward of Christ's suffer
ings, promised to give the elect faith and repentance, in order
to "bring them to eternal life ; and both these and every thing
else necessary for their everlasting happiness, are infallibly
secured to them in this promise, as Mr. Boston, an excellent
Scotch divine, sweetly and clearly shows, in a book entitled,
" A view of the covenant of grace."
This is, by no means, an unnecessary distinction ; it is a
matter of great importance. For want of knowing this, people
have been so long misled. They have been taught that they
must do so and so, as though they were under a covenant of
works ; and then for doing this, they should be saved. This
is plainly the whole drift of the book wrongly entitled, " The
Whole Duty of Man." Whereas, on the contrary, people
should be taught, that the Lord Jesus was the second Adam,
with whom the Father entered into covenant for fallen man :
that they can now do nothing of or for themselves, and should
therefore come to God, beseech him to give them faith, by
which they shall be enabled to lay hold on the righteousness
of Christ ; and that faith they will then show forth by their
works, out of love and gratitude to the ever blessed Jesus, their
¦most glorious Redeemer, for what he has done for their souls.
This is a consistent scriptural scheme : without holding this,
we must run into one of those two bad extremes ; I mean An-
tinomianism on the one hand, or Arminiauism on the other ;
from both which may the good Lord deliver us !
But to proceed : By the seed of the woman, we are here to
understand, the Lord Jesus Christ, who though very God of
very God, was, for us men and our salvation, to have a body-
prepared for him by the Holy Ghost, and to be born of a wo
man who never knew man, and by his obedience and death
make an atonement for man's transgression, and bring in an
everlasting righteousness, work in them a new nature, and
thereby bruise the serpent's head, i. e. destroy his power and
dominion over them. By the serpent's seed, we are to under
stand, the devil and all his children, who are permitted by God

324 the seed of the woman, [Serm. 2.
to tempt and sift his children. But, blessed be God," he can
reach no further than our heel.
It is not to be doubted but Adam and Eve understood this
promise in this sense ; for it is plain, in the latter part of the
chapter, sacrifices were instituted. From whence should those
skins come, but from beasts slain for sacrifice, of which God
made them coats ? We find Abel, as well as Cain, offering sacri
fice in the next chapter ; and the apostle tells us, he did it by faith,
no doubt in this promise. And Eve, when Cain was born, paid,
I have gotten a man from the Lord ; or, (as Mr. Henry ob
serves, it may be rendered) I have gotten a man, — the -Lord,
— the promised Messiah. Some further suppose, that Eve was
the first believer; and therefore they translate it thus, the seed
(not of the, but) of this iconian; which magnifies the grace
of God so much the more, that she, who was the fiist in the
transgression, should he the first partaker of redemption. Adam
believed also, and was saved ; for unto Adam and his wife did
the Lord make coats of skins, and clothed them, which was a
remarkable type of their being clothed with the righteousness
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This promise was literally fulfilled in the person of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Satan bruised his heel, when he tempted him
for forty days together in the wilderness ; he bruised his heel,
when he raised np strong persecution against him, during the
time of his public ministry ; he, in an especial manner, bruised
his heel, when our Lord complained, that his soul w as exceed
ingly sorrowful even unto death, and he siceat great drops of
blood, falling ujjo?i the ground when praying in the garden :
he bruised his heel, when he put it into the heart of Judas to
betray him : and he bruised him yet most of all, when his em
issaries nailed him to an accursed tree, and our Lord cried out,
" My God, my God ! why hast thou forsaken me ?" Yet in all
this, the blessed Jesus, the seed of the woman, bruised Satan's
accursed head : for, in that he was teir.ptcd he was able to suc
cor tho-e that are tempted. By his stripes we are healed.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him. By dying, he
destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil.
He thereby spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show
of them openly, triumphing over them upon fhe cross.
This promise has been, is, and will be fulfilled in the elect
of God, considered collectively, as well before, as after the com
ing of our Lord in the flesh : for they may be called the " seed
of the woman." Marvel not, that all who will live godly in
Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution. In this promise, there
is an eternal enmity put between the seed of the woman and
the seed of the serpent ; so that those that are born after the

Serm. 2.] and the seed of the serpent. 325
^esh, cannot but persecute those that are born after the Spirit.
This enmity showed itself soon after this promise was revealed,
in Gain's bruising the heel of Abel ; it continued in the church
through all ages before Christ came in the flesh, as the history of
the Bible and the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews plainly shows.
It raged exceedingly after our Lord's ascension ; witness the
Acts of the apostles, and the history of the primitive Christians.
It now rages, and will continue to rage and show itself, in a
greater or less degree, to the end of time. But let not this dis
may us ; for in all this the seed of the woman is more than
conqueror, and bruises the serpent's head. Thus the Israelites,
the more they were oppressed, the more they increased. Thus
it was with the apostles ; thus it was with their immediate fol
lowers. So that Tertullian compares the church in his time
to a mowed field ; the more frequently it is cut, the more it grows.
The blood of the martyrs was always the seed of the church.
And I have often sat down with wonder and delight, and ad
mired how God has made the very schemes which his enemies
.contrived in order to hinder, become the most effectual means
to propagate his gospel. The devil has had so little success in
persecution, that if I did not know that he and his children,
according to this verse, could not but persecute, I should think
he would count it his strength to sit still. What did he get by
persecuting the martyrs in queen Mary's time ? Was not the
grace of God exceedingly glorified in their support ! What did
he get by persecuting the good old Puritans ? Did it not prove
the peopling of New England ? Or to come nearer our own
times, What has he got by putting us out of the synagogues ?
Has not the word of God, since that, mightily prevailed ? My
dear hearers, you must excuse me for enlarging on this head ;
God fills my soul generally, when I come to this topic. I can
say with Luther, " If it were not for persecution, I should not
understand the scripture." If Satan should be yet suffered to
bruise my heel further, and his servants should thrust me into
prison, I doubt not, but even that would only tend to the more
effectual bruising of his head. I remember a saying of the then
Lord Chancellor to the pious Bradford : " Thou hast done more
hurt, said he, by thy exhortations in private in prison, than
thou didst in preaching before thou wast put in," or words to
this effect. The promise of the text is my daily support ; " I
will put enmity between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Further : This promise is also fulfilled, not only in the
church in general, but in every individual believer in particu
lar. In every believer there are two seeds, the seed of the wo
man, and the seed of the serpent ; the flesh lusting against "the
28

326 the seed of the woman, &c. [Serm. 2>
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. It is with the believer,
when quickened with grace in his heart, as it was with Rebec
ca, when she had conceived Esau and Jacob in her womb ; she
felt a struggling, and began to be uneasy ; " If it be so," says
she, "why am I thus?" Thus grace and nature struggled,
(if I may so speak) in the womb of a believer's heart : But, as
it was there said, the elder sball serve the younger ; so it is
here ; grace in the end shall get the better of nature ; the seed
of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. Many of you
that have believed in Christ, perhaps may find some particular
corruption yet strong, so strong, that you are sometimes ready
to cry* out with David, "I shall fall one day by the hand of
Saul." But. fear not, the promise in the text insures the per
severance and victory of believers over sin, Satan, death, and
hell. What if indwelling corruption does yet remain, and
the seed of the serpent bruise your heel, in vexing and dis
turbing your righteous souls? Fear not, though faint, yet
pursue : You shall yet bruise the serpent's head. Christ has
died for you, and yet a little while, and he will send death to
destroy the very being of sin in you. Which brings me
To show fhe most extensive manner in which the promise
of the text shall be fulfilled, viz : at the final judgment, when
the Lord Jesus shall present the elect to his Father, without
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, glorified both in the body
and soul.
Then shall the seed of the woman give the last and fatal
blow, in bruising the serpent's head. Satan, the accuser of
the brethren, and all his accursed seed, shall then be cast out,
and never suffered to disturb the seed of the woman any
more. Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the king
dom of their Father, and sit with Christ on thrones in majesty
on high.
Let us, therefore, not be weary of well doing ; for we shall
reap an eternal harvest of comfort if we faint not. Dare, dare,
my deal- brethren in Christ, to follow the Captain of our salva
tion, who was made perfect through sufferings. The seed of
the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. Fear not men.
Be not too much cast down at the deceitfulness of your hearts.
Fear not devils ; you shall get the victory even over them.
The Lord Jesus has engaged to make you more than conquer
ors over all. Plead with your Savior, plead. Plead the pro
mise in the text. Wrestle, wrestle with God in prayer. If it
has been given you to believe, fear not if it should also be
given you to suffer. Be not any wise terrified by your adver
saries ; the king of the church "has them nil in a chain. Be
kind to them ; pray for them ; but fear them not. The Lord

Serm. 3.] persecution every christian's lot. 327"
will yet bring back his ark, though at present driven into the
wilderness ; and Satan like lightning shall fall from heaven.
Are there any enemies of God here? The promise of the
text encourages me to bid you defiance : The "seed of the wo
man," even the blessed Jesus, "shall bruise the serpent's head."
What signifies all your malice ? You are only raging waves
of the sea, foaming out your own shame. For you. without
repentance, is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
The Lord Jesus sits in heaven, ruling over all, and causing all
things to work for his children's good ; he laughs you to scorn,
he has you in the utmost derision, and therefore so will I.
Who are you that persecute the children of the ever blessed
God. Though a poor stripling, the Lord Jesus, the seed of
the woman, will enable me to bruise your heads.
My brethren in Christ, I think I do not speak thus in my
own strength, but in the strength of my Redeemer. I know in
whom I have believed ; I am persuaded he will keep that safe
which I have committed unto him. He is faithful who has
promised, that the seed ofthe woman shall bruise the serpent's
head." May we all experience a daily completion of this pro
mise, both in the church and in our hearts, till we come to the
church ofthe first-born, in the spirits of just men made perfect,
in the presence and actual fruition of the great God our hea
venly Father !
To whom, with the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be ascribed
all honor, power, might, majesty, and dominion, now and for
evermore. Amen.

SERMON III.

PERSECUTION EVERY CHRISTIAN'S LOT.

2 Timothy iii. 12.
Yea and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer perse
cution.
When our Lord Jesus was pleased to take upon himself
the form of a servant, and go about preaching the kingdom of
God, he took all opportunities in public, and more especially
in private, to caution his disciples against seeking great things
for themselves ; and also to forewarn them of "the many dis
tresses, afflictions, and persecutions which they must expect to

328 PERSECUTION EVERY CHRISTIAN'S LOT. [Serm. 3.
endure and go through for his name's sake. The great St,
Paul, therefore, the author of this epistle, in this, as in all other
things, following the steps of his blessed Master, takes particu
lar care, among other apostolical admonitions, to warn young
Timothy of the difficulties he must expect to meet with in the
course of his ministry : " This know also," (says he, verse first
of this chapter) "that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incon- .
tinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ; hav
ing a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof : from
such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into
houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away
with divers lusts ; ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth." Now, as Jannes and Jambres (two
of the Egyptian magicians) withstood Moses (by working sham
miracles) so do these also resist the truth ; and (notwithstand
ing they keep up the form of religion) are men of corrupt
minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But, in order to keep
him from sinking under their opposition, he tells him, that
though God, for wise ends, permitted these false teachers, as
he did the magicians, to oppose for some time, yet they should
now proceed no farther. " For their folly," says he, " shall be
made manifest unto all men, as theirs" (the magicians) " also
was," when they could not stand before Moses, because of the
boil ; for the boil was upon the magicians as well as upon all
the Egyptians. And then, to encourage Timothy yet the more,
he propounds to him his own example : " But thou hast fully
known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffer
ing, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came
unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra ; what persecutions
I endured ; But out of them all the Lord delivered me." And
then, lest Timothy might think that this was only the particular
case of Paul ; " Yea," says he, in the words of the text, "and
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution."
The words, without considering them as they stand in re
lation to the context, contain a necessary and important truth,
viz. that persecution is the common lot of every godly man.
This is a hard saying. How few can bear it ? I trust God,
in the following discourse, will enable me to make it good, by
showing, I. What it is to live godly in Christ Jesus.
II. The different kinds of persecution to which they, who
Uve godly, are exposed.

Serm. 3.] persecution every christian's lot. 329
III. Why it is, that godly men must expect to suffer perse
cution. Lastly, We shall apply the whole.
And first, Let us consider what it is to live godly in Christ
Jesus : this supposes, that we are made the righteousness of
God in Christ, that we are born again, and are made one with
Christ by a living faith, and a vital union even as Jesus Christ
and the Father are one. Unless we are thus converted, and
transformed by the renewing of our minds, we cannot properly
be said to be in Christ, much less to live godly in him. To
be in Christ merely by baptism, and an outward profession, is
not to be in him in the strict sense of the word : No ; They
that are in Christ Jesus, are new creatures ; old things are
passed away, and all things are become new in their hearts.
Their life is hid with Christ in God ; their souls daily feed on
the invisible realities of another world. To live godly in
Christ, is to make the divine will, and not our own, the sole
principle of all our thoughts, words, and actions ; so that,
whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we do all to
the glory of God. Those who live godly in Christ, may not so
much be said to live, as Christ to live in them : he is their
alpha and omega, their first and last, their beginning and end.
They are led by his Spirit, as a child is led by the hand of its
father ; and are willing to follow the Lamb whithersoever he
leads them. They hear, know, and obey his voice. Their
affections are set on things above. Their hopes are full of im
mortality ; their citizenship is in heaven. Being born again
of God. they habitually live to, and daily walk with God. They
are pure in heart ; and, from a principle of faith in Christ, are
holy in all manner of conversation and godliness.
This is to live godly in Christ Jesus : and hence we may
easily learn, why so few suffer persecution ; because so few
live godly in Christ Jesus. You may attend on outward du
ties ; you may live morally in Christ, i. e. you may do (as
they term it) no one 'any harm, and avoid persecution : but
they that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must sutler perse
cution. Secondly, What is the meaning of the word persecution, and
how many kinds there are of it. I come now to consider.
The word persecution is derived from a Latin word signify
ing to pursue, and generally implies, " pursuing a person for
the sake of his goodness, or God's good will to him." The
first kind of it, is "t hat of the heart. We have an early example
of this in that wicked one Cain, who, because the Lord had
respect to Abel and his offering, and not to him and his offer
ing, was very wroth, his countenance fell, and at length he
28*

330 persecution every christian's lot. [Serm. 3.
cruelly slew his envied brother. Thus the Pharisees hated
and persecuted our Lord, long before they laid hold of him :
and our Lord mentions being inwardly hated of men, as One
kind of persecution his disciples were to undergo. This heart
enmity, (if I may so term it) is the root of all other kinds of
persecution, and is in some degree or other, to be found in the
soul of every unregenerated man ; and numbers are guilty of
this persecution, who never have it in their power to persecute
any other way. Nay, numbers would be carried out actually
to put in practice all other degrees of persecution, had not the
name of persecution become odious amongst mankind, and did
they not hereby run the hazard of losing their reputation.
Alas ! how many at the great day, whom we know not. now,
will be convicted and condemned, that all their life harbored a
secret evil will against Zion ! They may now screen it before
men ; but God sees the enmity of their hearts, and will judge
them as persecutors at the great and terrible day of judgment !
A second degree of persecution, is that of the tongue ; out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Many, 1 sup
pose, think it no harm to shootout arrows, even bitter words,
against the disciples of the Lord : they scatter the fire-brands,
arrows, and death, saying, " Are we not in sport ?" But, how
ever they may esteem it, in God's account, evil speaking is a
high degree of persecution. Thus Ishmael's mocking Isaac
in the Old, is termed persecuting him in the New Testament.
" Blessed are ye," says our Lord, " when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you, falsely, for my name's sake." From whence we may gath
er, that reviling and speaking all manner of evil falsely for
Christ's sake, is a high degree of persecution. " For a good
name," says the wise man, " is better than precious ointment.''
and to many is dearer than life itself. It is a great breach of
fhe sixth commandment, to slander any one ; but to speak evil
of and slander the disciples of Christ, merely because they are
his disciples, must be highly provoking in the sight of God ;
and those who are guilty of it, (without repentance,) will find
that Jesus Christ will call them lo an account, and punish them
for all their ungodly and hard speeches, in a lake of fire and
brimstone. This shall be their portion to drink.
The third and last kind of persecution, is that which ex
presses itself in actions ; as when wicked men separate the
children of God from their company; "blessed are ye," says
our Lord, " when they shall separate you from their company ;"
or expose them to church censures. " They shall put you out
of their synagogues ;" threatening and prohibiting them from
making an open profession of his religion or worship ; or in-

Serm. 3.] persecution every christian's lot. 331
terdicting ministers for preaching his word; as the high priests
threatened the apostles, and forbade them any more to speak in
the name of Jesus; and Paul "breathed out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord :" or when they call
them into courts ; " you shall be called before governors," says
our Lord : or when they fine, imprison, or punish them, by con-
fisication of goods, cruel scourging, and lastly, death itself.
It would be impossible to enumerate in what various shapes
persecution has appeared. It is a many-headed monster, insa
tiable as hell, cruel as the grave ; and, what is worse, it general
ly appears under the cloak of religion. But cruel, insatiable,
and horrid as it is, they that live godly in Christ Jesus, must
expect to suffer and encounter it in all its forms.
This is what we are to makegood under our next general head.
Thirdly. Why is it that godly men must expect to suffer
persecution ? And,
First, This appears from the whole tenor of our Lord's doc
trine. We will begin with his divine sermon on the mount.
" Blessed," says he, " are they who are persecuted for righteous
ness' sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." So that, if
our Lord spoke truth, we are not so blessed as to have an interest
in the kingdom of heaven, unless we are or have been perse
cuted for rfghteousness' sake. Nay, our Lord (it is remarkable)
employs three verses in this beatitude, and only one in each
of the others ; not only to show that it was a thing v/hich men
(as men) are unwilling to believe, but also the necessary conse
quence of it upon our being christians. This is likewise evi
dent, from all those passages wherein our Lord informs us,
that he came upon earth, not to send peace, but a sword ; and
that the father-in-law shall be against the mother-in-law, and
that a man's foes shall be those of his own household. Pas
sages, whicli, though confined by false prophets to the first, I am
persuaded will be verified by the experience of all true Chris
tians in this, and every age of the church. It would be endless
to recount all the places wherein our Lord forewarns his dis
ciples that they should be called before rulers, nay, that the
time would come, wherein men should think that they did God
service to kill them. For this reason, he so frequently declared,
that unless a man forsake all that he had, and even hated life
itself, he could not be his disciple. And therefore it is worthy
our observation, that in that remarkable passage, wherein our
Lord makes such an extensive promise to those who left all
for him he cautiously inserts persecution. " And Jesus an
swered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that
hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's but

332 persecution every christian's lot. [Serm. 3,
he shall receive an hundred fold now in this time ; houses and
brethren, and sisters and mothers, and children and lands, with
persecutions ; (the word is in the plural number, including all
kinds of persecution) and in the world to come eternal life."
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what Christ says in all
these passages, and then confess, that all who live godly in
Christ Je$us, shall suffer persecution.
As this is proved from our Lord's doctrine, so it is no less
evident from his life. Follow him from the manger to the
cross, and see whether anv persecution was like that which
the Son of God, the lord of glory, underwent whilst, here on
earth. How was he hated by wicked men ! How often
would that hatred have excited them to take hold of him, had
it not been for fear ofthe people ! How was he reviled, count
ed and called a blasphemer, a wine-bibber, a Samaritan, nay,
a devil, and, in one word, had all manner of evil spoken against
him falsely ! What contradiction of sinners did he endure
against himself ! How did men separate from his company,
and were ashamed to walk with him openly ! Insomuch that
he once said to his own disciples, "Will you also go away?"
Again, how was he stoned, thrust out of the synagogues, ar
raigned as a deceiver of the people, a seditious and pestilent
fellow, an enemy to CasSar, and as such, scourged, blindfolded,
spit upon, and at length condemned, and nailed to an accursed
tree ! Thus was the Master persecuted ; thus did the Lord
suffer ; and the servant is not above his master, nor the disci
ple above his Lord : " If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you," saith the blessed, Jesus. And again, every
man that is perfect, i. e.. a true christian, must be as his Mas
ter, i. e. suffer as he did. For all these things our Lord has
set us an example, that we should follow his steps : and there
fore, God forbid that any who would live godly in Christ Je
sus, should henceforward expect to escape suffering persecution,
But farther: Not only our Lord's example, but the example
of all the saints that ever lived, evidently demonstrates the
truth of the apostle's assertion in the text. How soon was
Abel made a martyr for his religion ! How was Isaac mocked
by the son of the bond-woman ! And what a large catalogue
of suffering Old Testament saints, have we recorded in the
eleventh chapter of the Hebrews ! Read the Acts of the apos
tles, and see how the Christians were threatened, stoned, im
prisoned, scourged and persecuted, even unto death ! Examine
church history in after ages, and you will find the murder of
the innocents by Herod, was but an earnest of the innocent blood
which should be shed for the name of Jesus. Examine the
experience of saints now living on earth, and if it were possible

Serm. 3.] persecution every christian's lot. 333
to consult the spirits of just men made perfect, I am persuaded
each would concur with the apostle in asserting, that all who
will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.
How can it be otherwise in the very nature of things ? Ever
since the fall, there has been an irreconcilable enmity between
the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Wicked
men hate God, and therefore, cannot but hate those who are
like him ; they hate to be reformed, and therefore must hate
and persecute those who, by a contrary behavior, testify of
them, that their deeds are evil. Besides, pride of heart leads
men to persecute the servants of Jesus Christ. If they com
mend them, they are afraid of being asked, " Why do you not
follow them ?" And therefore because they dare not imitate.
though they may sometimes be even forced to approve their
way, yet pride and envy make them turn persecutors. Hence
it is, that as it was formerly, so it is now, and so will it be to
the end of time : he that is born after the flesh, the natural
man, does and will persecute him that is born after the Spirit,
the regenerate man. Because christians' are not of the world,
but Christ has chosen them out of the world, therefore the
world will hate them. If it be objected against this doctrine,
" that we now live in a christian world, and therefore must not
expect such persecution as formerly ;" I answer, " All are not
christians that are called so ; and till the heart is changed, the en
mity against God (which is the root of all persecution) remains,"
and consequently christians, falsely so called, will persecute as
well as others. I observed therefore, in the- beginning of this
discourse, that Paul mentions those that had a form of religion,
as persons of whom Timothy had need be chiefly aware : for,
as our Lord and his apostles were mostly persecuted by their
countrymen the Jews, so we must expect the like usage from
the formalists of our own nation, the Pharisees, who seem to
be religious. For the most horrid and barbarous persecutions
have been carried on by those who have called themselves
Christians ; witness the days of queen Mary ; and the fines,
banishments, and imprisonments of the children of God in the
last century, and the bitter, irreconcilable hatred that appears
in thousands who call themselves Christians, even, in the pre
sent days wherein we live.
Persons who argue against persecution now, are not suffi
ciently sensible of the bitter enmity of the heart of every unre
generate man against God. For my own part, I am so far
from wondering that christians are persecuted, that I wonder
our streets do not run with the blood of the saints : were men's
power equal to their wills, such a horrid spectacle would soon
appear. But,

334 persecution every christian's lot. [Serm. 3*.
Persecution is necessary in respect to the godly themselves.
If we have not all manner of evil spoken of us, how can we
know whether we love contempt, and seek only that honor
which cometh from above? If we have not persecutors, how
can our passive graces be kept in exercise ? How can many
christian precepts be put into practice ? How can we love,
pray for, and do good to those who despitefully use us ? Bow
can we overcome evil with good ? In short, how can we know
we love God better than life itself? St. Paul was sensible of all
this, and therefore so positively- and peremptorily asserts, that
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.
Not that I affirm, "All are persecuted in alike degree." No:
This would be contrary both to scripture and experience. But
though all christians are not really called to suffer every kind
of persecution, yet all christians are liable thereto: and not-
\vithstanding some may live in more peaceful times of the
church than others, yet all christians, in all ages, will find by
their own experience, that, whether they act in a private or
public capacity, they must, in some degree or other, suffer per
secution. Here then I would pause, and, lastly, by way of application,
exhort all persons,
First, To stand a while and examine themselves. For, by
what has been said, you may gather one mark, whereby you
may judge whether you are christians or not. Were you ever
persecuted for righteousness' sake? If not, you never yet lived
godly in Christ our Lord. Whatever you may say to the con
trary, the inspired apostle, in the words of the text (the truth
of which, I think, I have sufficiently proved) positively asserts,
that " all that will live godly in him, shall suffer persecution."
Not that all who are persecuted are real christians ; for many
sometimes suffer, and are persecuted on other accounts than fbi
righteousness' sake. The great question therefore is, "Whether
you are ever persecuted for living godly?" You ma}'- boast (as
perhaps you may think) of your great prudence and sagacity,
(and indeed these are excellent things) and glory because you
have not run such lengths, and made yourselves so singular,
and liable to such contempt, as some others have. But, alas !
this is not a mark of your being a christian, but of a Laodi
cean spirit, neither hot nor cold, and fit only to be spewed out
of the mouth of God. That which you call prudence, is often
only cowardice, dreadful hypocrisy, pride of heart, which
makes you dread contempt, and afraid to give up your reputa
tion for God. You are ashamed of Christ and his gospel ;
and in all probability, were he to appear a second time upon
earth, in words, as well as works, you would deny him. Awake

Serm. 3.] persecution every christians lot. 335
therefore, all ye that live only formally in Christ Jesus, and no
longer seek that honor which cometh of man. I do not desire
to eourt you, but I entreat you to live godly, and fear not con
tempt for the sake of Jesus Christ. Beg of God to give you
his Holy Spirit, that you may see through, and discover the
latent hypocrisy of your hearts, and no longer decieve your
own souls. Remember you cannot reconcile two irreconcilable
differences, God and Mammon, the friendship of this world,
with the favor of God. Know you not who has told you, that
the " friendship of this world is enmity with God ?" If there
fore you are in friendship with the world, notwithstanding all
your specious pretenses to piety, you are at enmity with God ;
you are only heart hypocrites, and, " What is the hope of the
hypocrite, when God shall take away his soul?" Let the words
of the text sound an alarm in your ears ; O let them sink deep
into your hearts ; "yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus, shall suffer persecution."
Secondly, From the words of the text, I would take occasion
to speak to those, "who are about to list themselves under the
banner of Christ's cross." What say you ? Are you resolved
to live godly in Christ Jesus, notwithstanding the consequence
will be, that you must suffer" persecution ? You are beginning
to build, but have you taken our Lord's advice to sit down
first and count the cost ? Have you well weighed with your
selves that weighty declaration. " he that loveth father or mo
ther more than me, is not worthy of me ;" and again, "Unless
a man forsake all that lie hath, he cannot be my disciple?"
Perhaps some of you have great possessions ; will not you go
away sorrowful, if Christ should require you to sell all that
you have ! Others of you again, may be kinsmen, or some
way related, or under obligations to the high priests, or other
great personages, who may be persecuting the Church of Christ ;
what say you? Will you. with Moses, rather choose to "suffer
affliction with the people of God, than enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season ?" Perhaps you may say, " My friends will
not oppose me." That is more than you know ; in all proba
bility your chief enemies will be those of your own household.
If therefore they should oppose you, are you willing naked to
follow a naked Christ? And to wander about in sheep skins,
and goat skins, in dens and caves of the earth, being afflicted,
destitute, tormented, rather than not be Christ's disciples ? You
are now all following with zeal, asRnth and Orpah did Naomi,
and may weep under the word ; but are not your tears croco
dile's tears? And when difficulties come, will you not go back
from following your Lord, as Orpah departed from following
Naomi ; have you really the root of grace in your hearts ? Or,

336 persecution every christian's lot. [Serjn. 3,
are you only stony ground hearers ? You receive the word
with joy .; but when persecution arises because of the word,
will you not be immediately offended ? Be not angry with me
for putting these questions to you. I am jealous over you, but
it is with a godly jealousy ; for, alas ! how many have put
their hands to the plough, and afterwards have shamefully
looked back ? I only deal with you, as our Lord did with the
person that said, " Lord I will follow thee whithersoever thou
wilt." " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of man, (says he) has not where to lay his
head." What say you ? Are you willing to endure hardness,
and thereby approve yourselves good soldiers of Jesus. Christ ?
You now come on foot out of the towns and villages to hear
the word, and receive me as a messenger of God : But will you
not by and by cry out, "Away with him, away with him ; it
is not fit- such a fellow should live upon the earth ?" Perhaps
some of you, like Hazael, may say, " Are we dogs that we
should do this?" But, alas ! I have met with many unhappy
souls, who have drawn back unto perdition, and have after
wards accounted me their enemy, for dealing faithfully with
them ; though once, if it were possible, they would have pluck
ed out their own eyes, and have given them unto me. Sit down
therefore, 1 beseech you, and seriously count the cost, and ask
yourselves again and again, whether you count all things but
dung and dross, and are willing to suffer the loss of all things,
so that you may win Christ, and be found in him; for you
may assure yourselves the apostle has not spoken in vain, " AD
that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution."
Thirdly, The text speaks to you that are patiently suffering
for the truth's sake : " Rejoice and be exceeding glad ; great
shall be your reward in heaven." For to you it is given not
only to believe, but also to suffer, and perhaps remarkably too,
for the sake of Jesus ! This is a mark of your discipleship, an
evidence that you do live godly in Christ Jesus. Fear not,
therefore, neither be dismayed. O, be not weary and faint in
your minds ! Jesus, your Lord, your life, cometh, and his re
ward is with him. Though all men forsake you, yet will not
he. No ; the spirit of Christ and of glory shall rest upon you.
In patience, therefore, possess your souls. Sanctify the Lord,
God in your hearts. Be in nothing terrified by your adversa
ries : on -their part Christ is evil spoken of; on your part he is
glorified. Be not ashamed of your glory, since others can glory
in their shame. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial,
wherewith you are or may be tried. The devil rages, knowing
that he hath but a short time to reign. He or his emissaries
have no more power than what is given them from above ; God

Serm. 3.] persecution every christian's lot. 33F
sets them their bounds, which they cannot pass ; and the very
hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not ; no one shall
set upon you to hurt you, without your heavenly Father's
knowledge. Do your earthly friends and parents forsake you ?
Are you cast out of the synagogues ? The Lord shall reveal
himself to you, as to the man that was born blind. Jesus Christ
-shall take you up. If they carry you to prison, and load you
with chains, so that the iron enter into your souls, even there
shall Christ send an angel from heaven, to strengthen you, and
(enable you with Paul and Silas, to sing praises at midnight.
Are you threatened to be thrown into a den of lions, or cast
into a burning fiery furnace, because you will not bow down
and worship the beast ? Fear not ; the God whom you serve,
js able to deliver you ; or, if he should suffer the flames to de
vour your bodies, they would only serve as so many fiery
.chariots, to carry your souls to God. Thus it was with ihe
martyrs of old ; so that one, when he was burning, cried out,
'" Come, you Papists, if you want a miracle, here, behold one 1
This bed of flames, is to me a bed of down." Thus it was with
almost all that suffered in former times ; for Jesus, notwith-
¦standing he withdrew his own divinity from himself, yet he
always lifted up the light of his countenance upon the souls of
¦suffering saints. " Fear not therefore those that can kill the
body, and after that have no more that they can do : but fear
him only, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Dare, dare, to live godly in Christ Jesus, though you suffer all
manner of persecution. But,
Fourthly, Are there any true ministers of Jesus Christ
here? You will not be offended, if I tell you, that the words
of the text are iu an especial manner applicable to you. St.
Paul wrote them to Timothy ; and we, of all men, that live
godly in Christ Jesus, must expect to suffer the severest perse
cution, Satan will endeavor to bruise our heels, let who will
escape ; and it has been the general Way of God's providence,
in times of persecution, to permit the shepherds first to be smit
ten, before the sheep are scattered. Let us not therefore show
that we are only hirelings, who care not for the sheep ; but,
like the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, let us readily lay
down our lives for the sheep. Whilst others are boasting ot
their great preferments, let us rather glory in our great afflic
tions and persecutions for the sake of Christ. St. Paul now
rejoices that he suffered afflictions and persecutions at Iconium
and Lystra. Out of all the Lord delivered him ; out of all the
Lord will deliver us, and cause us hereafter to sit down with
him on throng when he comes to judge the twelve tribes of
Israel.

338 PERSECUTION EVERY CHRISTIANS LOT. [Serm. 3
¦ I could proceed ; but I am conscious in this part of my dis
course, I ought more particularly to speak to myself, knowing
that Satan has desired to have me, that he may sift me as
wheat. I know I must (how can it be avoided ?) suffer great
things for Christ's name sake. Without a spirit of prophecy,
we may easily discern the signs of the times. Persecution in
even at the doors ; the tabernacle of the Lord is already driven
into the wilderness ; the ark of the Lord has fallen into the
unhallowed hands of uncircumcised Philistines, They have
]«-ng since put us out of their synagogues, and high priests
have been calling on civil magistrates to exert their authority
against the disciples of the Lord. Men in power have been
breathing out threatenings : we may easily guess what will fol
low, imprisonment and slaughter. The storm has been gather
ing some time ; it must break shortly. Perhaps it will fall on
me first.
Brethren, therefore, whether in the ministry or not, I be
seech you, pray for me, that I may never suffer justly, as an
evil doer, but only for righteousness' sake. O ! pray that I
. may not deny my Lord in any wise, but that I may joyfully
follow him, both to prison and to death, if he is pleased to call
me to seal his truths with my blood. Be not ashamed of Christ,
er of his gospel, though I should become a prisoner of the
Lord. Though I am bound, the word of God will not be
bound. No ; an open, an effectual door is opened for the
preaching the everlasting gospel, and men or devils shall never
be able to prevail against it. Only pray, whether it be in life
or death, that Christ may be glorified in rne. Then I shall
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
And now to whom shall'I address myself next?
Fifthly, To those "who persecute their neighbors for living
godly in Christ Jesus." But, what shall I say to you ? Howl
and weep for the miseries that shall come upon you : for a lit
tle while the Lord permiis you to ride over the heads of his
people ; but, by and by, death will arrest you, judgment will
find you, and Jesus Christ shall put a question to you, which
will strike you dumb : " Why persecuted you me?" You may"
plead your laws and your canons, and pretend what you do is
out of zeal for God; but God shall discover the cursed hypo
crisy and serpentine enmity of your hearts, and give you over
to the tormentors. It is well, if in this life, God does not set
some mark upon you. He pleaded the cause of Naboth, when
innocently condemned for blaspheming God and the king ; and
our Lord sent forth his armies, and destroyed the city of those
Who killed the prophets, and stoned them that were sent unto
them. If you have a mind, therefore, to fill up the measure of

Serm. 4.] Abraham's offering up his son isaac. 339
your iniquities, go on, persecute and despise the disciples of
the Lord : but know that, for all these things, God shall bring
you into judgment. Nay, those you now persecute, shall be
in part your judges, and sit on the right hand of the Majesty
on High, whilst you are dragged by infernal spirits into a lake
that burnetii with fire and brimstone; and the smoke of your
torment shall be ascending up for ever and ever. Lay down
therefore, ye rebels, your arms against the Most High God, and
no longer persecute those who live godly in Christ Jesus. The
Lord will plead, the Lord will avenge their cause. You may
be permitted to bruise their heels, yet in the end they shall
bruise your accursed heads. I speak not thisj as though I were
afraid of you ; for I know in whom I have believed. Only
out of pure love I warn you, and because I know not but Jesus
Christ may make some of you vessels of mercy, and snatch
you, eveu you persecutors, as fire-brands out of the fire. Jesus
Christ came into the world to save sinners, even persecutors)
the worst of sinners : his righteousness is sufficient for them ;
his spirit is able to purify and change their hearts. He once
converted Saul ; may the same God magnify his power, in con
verting all those who are causing the godly in Christ Jesus, as
much as in them lies, to suffer persecution ! The Lord be with
you all. Amen.

SERMON IV.

Abraham's offering up his son Isaac.

Genesis xxii. 12.
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any
thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
The great apostle Paul, in one of his epistles, informs us,
that " whatsoever was written aforetime, was written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the holy
scripture might have hope." And as without faith it is impos
sible to please God, or to be accepted in Jesus, the Son of his
love ; we may be assured, that whatever instances of a more
than common faith are recorded in the book of God, they were
more immediately designed by the Holy Spirit for our learning
and imitation, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

340 Abraham's offering up his son isaac. [Seim 4
For this reason, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, in
the eleventh chapter, mentions a noble catalogue of Old Testa
ment saints and martyrs, "who subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, stopped the mouths of lions, <fcc. and are gone
before us to inherit the promises,"' A sufficient confutation, I
think, of their error, who lightly esteem the Old Testament
saints, and would not have them mentioned to Christians, as
persons whose faith and patience we are called upon more im
mediately to follow. If this was true, the apostle would never
have produced such a cloud of witnesses out of the Old Testa
ment, to excite the christians of the first, and consequently
purest age of the church, to continue steadfast and immovable
in the possession of their faith. Amidst this catalogue of"
saints, methinks, the patriarch Abraham shines the brightest,
and differs from the others, as one star differeth from another star
in glory ; for he shone with such distinguished luster, that he
was called the friend of God, the father of the faithful ; and
those who believe on Christ, are said to be sons and daugh
ters of, and to be blessed with, faithful Abraham. Many trials
of his faith did God send this great and good man, after he had
commanded him to get out from his country, and from his kin
dred, unto a land which he should show him ; but the last
was the most severe of all, I mean, that of offering up his only
son. This, by the divine assistance, I propose to make the
subject of your present meditation, and, by way of conclusion,
to draw some practical inferences, as God shall enable me,
from this instructive story.
The sacred penman begins the narrative thus ; verse 1.
"And it came to pass, after these things, God did tempt Abra
ham." " After these things," that is, after he bad underwent
many severe trials before, after he was old, full of days, and
might flatter himself perhaps that the troubles and toils of life
were now finished : " after these things, God did tempt Abra
ham." Christians, you know not what trials you may meet
with before you die ; notwithstanding you may have suffered,
and been tried much already, yet, it may be a greater measure
is still behind, which you are to fill up. " Be not high-minded,
but fear." Our last trials, in all probability, will be the great
est : and we can never say our warfare is accomplished, or
our trials finished, till we bow down our heads, and give up
the ghost. " And it came to pass, after these things, that God
did tempt Abraham."
" God did tempt Abraham." But can the scripture contra
dict itself? Does not the apostle James tell us, that God
tempts no man ; and God does tempt no man to evil, or on
purpose to draw him into sin ; for, when a man is thus tempt-

Serm. 4.] Abraham's offering up his son isaac. 341
ed, he is drawn away of his own heart's lust, and enticed.
But in another sense, God may be said to tempt, I mean, to try
his servants ; and in this sense we are to understand that pas
sage of Matthew, where we are told, that " Jesus was led up
by the Spirit (the good Spirit) into the wilderness, to be tempt
ed of the devil." And our Lord, in that excellent form of prayer
which he has been pleased to give us, does not require us to
pray that we may not absolutely be led into temptation, but
delivered from the evil of it ; whence we may plainly infer,
that God sees fit sometimes to lead us into temptation, that is,
to bring us into such circumstances as will try our faith, and
other Christian graces. In this sense we are to understand
the expression before us, " God did tempt or try Abraham."
How God was pleased to reveal his will at this time to his
faithful servant, whether by the Shechinah, or divine appear
ance, or by a small still voice, as he spoke to Elijah, or by a
whisper, like that of the Spirit to Philip, when he commanded
him to join himself to the Eunuch's chariot, we are not told,
nor is it material to inquire. It is enough that we are informed,
God said unto him, Abraham ; and that Abraham knew that
it was the voice of God : for " he said, behold, here I am." O what
a holy familiarity (if I may so speak) is there between God and
those holy souls that are united to him by faith in Christ Jesus !
God says, Abraham ; and Abraham said, (it should seem with
out the least surprise,) " Behold, here I am." Being reconciled
to God by the death and obedience of Christ, which he rejoiced
in, and saw by faith afar off; he did not, like guilty Adam, seek
the trees of the garden to hide himself from, but takes pleasure
in conversing with God, and talketh with him, as a man talk-
eth with his friend. O that Christless sinners knew what it is
to have fellowship with the Father and the Son ! They would
envy the happiness of saints, and count it all joy to be termed
enthusiasts and fools for Christ's sake.
But what does God say unto Abraham ; verse 2. " Take
now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and o-et
thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-
offering upon one ofthe mountains which I shall tell thee of."
Every word deserves our particular observation. What
ever he was to do, he must do it now, immediately, without
conferring with flesh and blood. But what must he do ? Take
now thy son. Had God said, take now a firstling, or choicest
lamb or beast of thy flock, and offer it up for a burnt-offering,
it would not have appeared so ghastly : but for God to say,
" Take now thy son, and offer him up for a burnt-offering,''
one would have imagined, was enough to stagger the strongest
feith. But this is not all : It must not only be a son, but thine
39*

342 Abraham's offering up his son isaac. [Serm. 4.
only son Isaac, wltom thou lovest. If it must be a son, and
not a beast, that must be offered, why will- not Ishmael do, tho
son of the bond-woman ? No, it must be his only son, the heir
of all, his Isaac, by interpretation laughter, the son of his old
age, in whom his soul delighted ; whom thou, lovest, says God,
in whose life his own was wrapped up : And this son, this only
son, this Isaac, the son of his love, must be taken now, even
now without delay, and be offered up by his own father, for a
burnt -offering, upon one of the mountains of the which God
would tell him.
Wetl might the apostle, speaking of this man of God, say,
that against hope he believed in hope, and, being strong in
faith, gave glory to God : For, had he not been blessed with
faith which man never before had, he must have refused to
comply with this severe command. For how many arguments
might nature suggest to prove that such a command could
never come from God, or to excuse himself from obeying it?
'What ! (might the good man have said) butcher my child !
.'t is contrary fo the very law of nature : Much more to butcher
my dear son Isaac, in whose seed God himself has assured
me, that all the families of the earth shall be blessed. But sup
posing I could give up my own affections, and be willing to pari
with him, though 1 love him so dearly, yet, if I murder him,
what will become of God's promise ? Besides I am now like a
city built upon a hill ; I shine as a light in the world, in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation : How then shall
I cause God's name to be blasphemed, how shall I become a
by-word among the heathen, if they hear that I have committed
a crime which they abhor ! But. above all, what will Sarah my
wife say? How can I ever return to her again, after I have im
bued my ha/ids in my dear child's blood ? O that God would par
don me in this thing, or take my life in the place ofmy son's P
Thus, I say, Abraham might have argued, and that too seem
ingly with great reason, against complying with the divine
command. But, as before by faith he considered not the dea&-
ness of Sarah's womb, when she was past age, but believed on
him, who said, " Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed ;"
so now being convinced that the same God spoke to, and com
manded him to offer up that son, and knowing that God was
able to raise him from the dead, without delay he obeys the
heavenly call.
O that unbelievers would learn of faithful Abraham, and
believe whatever is revealed from God, though they cannot
fully comprehend it ! Abraham knew God commanded him
to offer up his son, and therefore believed, notwithstanding
carnal reasoning might suggest many objections. We have

Serm. 4.] Abraham's offering up his son isaac. 343
sufficient testimony, that God has spoken to us by his son ;
why should we not also believe, though many things in the
New Testament are above our reason ? For, where reason
ends faith begins. And, however infidels may style themselves
reasoners, of all men they are the most unreasonable : For is
it not contrary to all reason, to measure an infinite by a finite
understanding, or think to And out the mysteries of godliness
to perfection?
But to return to the patriarch Abraham. We observed be
fore what plausible objections he might have made ; but he
answered not a single word. No, without replying against
his Maker, we are told, ver. 3. that "Abraham rose up early
in the morning, aud saddled his ass, and took two of his young
men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the
burnt-offering, and rose up and went unto the place of whicli
God had told him."
From this verse, we may gather that God spoke to Abraham
in a dream, or vision of the night : For it is said, he rose up
early. Perhaps it was near the fourth watch ofthe night, just
before break of day, when God said, Take now thy son ; and
Abraham rises up early to do so : as I doubt not but he used
to rise early to offer up his morning sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving. It is often remarked of people in the Old Tes
tament,, that they rose early in the morning ; and particularly of
our Lord in the New, that he rose a great while before day to
pray. The morning befriends devotion : and if people cannot
use so much self-denial as to rise early to pray, I know not how
they will be able to die at a stake (if called to it) for Jesus-
Christ. The humility, as well as piety of the patriarch, is observable.
He saddled his own ass (great men should be humble ;) and to-
show his sincerity, though he took two of his young men with
him, and Isaac his son, yet he keeps his design as a secret from
them all : nay, he does not so much as tell Sarah his wife : for
he knew not but she might be a snare unto him in this affair :
and, as Rebecca afterwards, on another occasion, advised Jacob
to flee, so Sarah also might persuade Isaac to hide himself; or
the young men, had they known of it, might have forced him.
away, as in after ages the soldiers rescued Jonathan out ofthe-
hands of Saul. But Abraham sought no such evasion, and'
therefore, like an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile,
he himself resolutely " clave the wood for the burnt offering,
rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him."
In the second verse, God commanded him to offer up his son
upon one of the mountains which he would tell him of. He
commanded him to offer his son up, but would not then direct -

344 Abraham's offering up his son isaac. [Serm. 4.
ly tell him the place where. This was to keep him dependent
and watching unto prayer : For there is nothing like being
kept waiting upon God ; . and, if we do, assuredly God will re
veal himself unto us yet further in his own time. Let us practice
what we know, follow providence as far as we can see already;
and what we know not, what we see not as yet, let us only be
found in the way of duty, and the Lord will reveal even that
unto us. Abraham knew not directly where he was to offer up
his son ; but he rises up and sets forward, and behold now God
i-hows him ; and he went to the place of which God had told
him. Let us go and do likewise.
Ver. 4. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and saw the place afar off.
So that the place, of which God had told him, was no less
than three days' journey distant from the place where God first
appeared to him, and commanded him to take his son. Was
not this to try his faith, and to let him see what he did, was not
merely from a sudden pang of devotion, but a matter of choice
and deliberation ? But who can tell what the aged patriarch
felt during these three days ? Strong as he was in faith, I am
persuaded his bowels often yearned over his dear son Isaac.
Methinks 1 see the good old man walking with his dear child
in his hand, and now and then looking upon him, loving him,
and then turning aside to weep. And perhaps, sometimes he
stays a little behind to pour out his heart before God ; for he
had no mortal to tell his case to. Then, methinks.I see him
join his son and servants again, and talking to thera of the
thing3 pertaining to the kingdom of God, as they walked by
the way. At length, on the third day, he lifted up his eyes
and saw the place afar off. And, to show that he was yet sin
cerely resolved fo do whatsoever the Lord required of him, he
ei'en now will not discover his design to his servants, but said,
verse 5. to his young men, (as we should say to our worldly
thoughts when about to tread the courts of the Lord's house)
" abide you here with the ass; andi and the lad will go up
yonder and worship, and come again to you." This was a
sufficient reason for their staying behind ; and, it being their
master's custom to go frequently to worship, they could have
no suspicion of what he was going about. And from Abra
ham's saying, that he and the lad would come again, I am apt
to think he believed God would raise him from the dead, if he
permitted him to offer his child up for a burnt offering. How
ever that be, he is yet resolved to obey God to the uttermost :
and therefore,
Ver. 6. "Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and
laid it upon Isaac his son ; and -he took the fire in his hand,

Serm. 4.] Abraham's offering up his son isaac. 34S
and a knife, and they went both of them together." Little did
Isaac think that he was to be offered on that very wood
which he was carrying upon his shoulders ; and therefore, ver.
7, Isaac innocently, and with a holy freedom (for good men
should not keep their children at too great a distance) spake
unto Abraham his father, and said, My father ; and he (with
equal affection and holy condescension) said, Here am I, my
son. And to show how careful Abraham had been (as all
christian parents ought to be) to instruct his Isaac how to sacri
fice to God, like a youth trained up in the way wherein he
should go ; Isaac said, Behold the fire and the wood ; but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering ? How beautiful is early
piety ! How amiable, to hear young people ask questions about
sacrificing to God in an acceptable way ! Isaac knew very
well that a lamb was wanting, and that a lamb was necessary
for a proper sacrifice : Behold the fire and the wood ; but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Young men and
maidens, learn of him.
Hitherto, it is plain, Isaac knew nothing of his father's design :
but I believe, by what his father said in answer to his question,
that now was the time Abraham revealed it unto him.
Verse 8. "And Abraham said, my son, God will provide'
himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Some think that Abra
ham by faith saw the Lord Jesus afar off. and here spake pro
phetically of that Lamb of God already slain in decree, and
hereafter to be actually offered up for sinners. This was a
lamb of God's providing indeed (we dared not have thought
of it) to satisfy his own justice, and to render him just in jus
tifying the uugodly. What is all our fire and wood, the be3t
preparation and performances we can make or present, unless
God had provided himself this Lamb for a burnt offering? He
could not away with them. The words will well bear this in
terpretation. But, whatever Abraham might intend, I cannot
but think he here made an application, and acquainted his son
with God's dealing with his soul ; and at length, with tears in
his eyes, and the utmost affection in his heart, cried out, "Thou
art to be the lamb, my son ; God has commanded me to pro
vide thee for a burnt offering, and to offer thee upon the moun
tain which we are now ascending." And, as it appears from
a subsequent verse, Isaac, convinced that it was the divine will,
made no resistance at all : for it is said, " they went both of
them together;" and again, verse 9, when we are told that
Abraham bound Isaac, we do not hear of his complaining, or
endeavoring to escape, which he might have done, being (as
some think) near thirty years of age, and it is plain, was capa
ble of carrying wood enough for a burnt offering. But he was

$46 Abraham's offering up his son isaac. [Serm. 4
partaker of fhe like precious faith with his aged father, and
therefore is as willing to be offered, as Abraham is to offer him;
and'so they went both of them together.
Verse 9. At length "they came to the place of which God
had told Abraham. He built an altar there and laid the wood
in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar
upon the wood."
And here let us pause awhile, and by faith take a view of
the place where the father has laid him. I doubt not but the
blessed angels hovered round the altar and sang, Glory be to
God in the highest, for giving such faith to man. Come, all
ye tender-hearted parents, who know what it is to look over a
dying child. Fancy that you saw the altar erected before you,
and the wood laid in order, and the beloved Isaac bound upon
it: Fancy that you saw the aged parent standing by weeping.
(For, why may we not suppose that Abraham wept, since Jesus
himself wept at the grave of Lazarus?) O what pious endear
ing expressions passed now alternately between the father and
the son ! Josephus records a pathetic speech made by each,
whether genuine I know not ; but methinks I see the tears trickle
down the patriarch Abraham's cheeks ; and, out of the abun
dance of the heart, he cries, Adieu, adieu, my son ; the Lord
gave thee to me, and the Lord calls thee away ; blessed be the
name ofthe Lord; adieu, my Isaac, my only son, whom I love
as my own soul ; adieu, adieu. I see Isaac at the same time
meekly resigning himself into his heavenly Father's hands, and
praying to the most High to strengthen his earthly parent to
strike the stroke. But why do I attempt to describe what either
son or father felt? It is impossible; we may indeed form some
faint idea of, but shall never fully comprehend it, till we come
and sit down with thern in the kingdom of heaven, and hear
them tell the pleasing story over again. Hasten, O Lord, that
blessed time ! O let thy kingdom "come 1
And now, ver. 10. The fatal blow is going to be given1.
"And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife
to slay his son." But do you not think he intended to turn
away his head, when he gave the blow? Nay, why may we
not suppose he sometimes drew his hand in, after it was stretch
ed out, willing to take another last farewell of his beloved
Isaac, and desirous to defer it a little, though resolved at last
to strike home? Be that as it will, his arm is now stretched
out, the knife is in his hand, and he is about to put it to his
dear son's throat.
But sing, O heavens ! and rejoice, O earth ! Man's extremity
is God's opportunity ; for behold, just as the knife, in all proba
bility, was near his throat, ver. 11, " the angel of the Lord, (or

Serm. 4.] Abraham^ offering up his son isaac. 347
rather, the Lord of angels, Jesus Christ, the angel of the ever
lasting covenant,) called unto him, (probably in a very audible
manner,) from heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham. (The
word is doubled, to engage his attention ; and perhaps the
suddenness of the call made him draw back his hand, just as he
was going to strike his son.) And Abraham said, Here am I."
And he said, verse 12. " Lay not thine hand upon the lad,
neither do thou any thing unto him ; for now know I that
thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine
onlv son from me."
Here then it was that Abraham received his son Isaac from
the dead in a figure. He was in effect offered upon the altar,
and God looked upon him as offered and given unto him. Now
it was that Abraham's faith, being tried, was found more pre
cious than gold purified seven times in the fire. Now as a
reward of grace, though not of debt, for this signal act of obe
dience, by an oath, God gives and confirms the promise, " that
in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed," verse
17, 18. With what comfort may we suppose the good old
man and his son went down from the mount, and returned unto
the young men ! With what joy we imagine he went home,
and related all that had passed to Sarah ! And above all, with
what triumph is he exulting now in the paradise of God, and
adoring rich, free, distinguishing, electing, everlasting love,
which "alone made him to differ from the rest of mankind, and
rendered him worthy of that title which he will have so long
as the sun and the moon endure : " The father of the faithful !"
But let us now draw our eyes from the creature, and do
what Abraham, if he was present, would direct ; I mean, fix
them on the Creator, God blessed for evermore.
I see your hearts affected, I see your eyes weep, (and indeed,
wlio can refrain weeping at the relation of such a story?) But,
behold, I show you a mystery hid under the sacrifice of Abra
ham's only son, which, unless your hearts are hardened, must
cause you to weep tears of love, and that plentifully too. I
would willingly hope you even prevent me here, and are ready
to say, "it is the love of God, in giving Jesus Christ to die for
our sins. Yes, that is it." And yet perhaps you find your
hearts at the mentioning of this, not so much affected. Let this
convince you. that we are fallen creatures, and that we do not
love God or Christ as we ought to do : for, if you admire
Abraham offering up his Isaac, how much more ought you to
extol, magnify, and adore the love of God, who so loved the
world, as to give his only begotten Son, Christ Jesus our Lord,
" that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have
everlasting life ?" May we not well cry out, Now know we,

349 Abraham's offering .up his son isaac. [Serm. 4.
O Lord, that thqu hast loved us, since thou hast not withheld
thy Son, thine only son from us ? Abraham was God's crea
ture, (and God was Abraham's friend) and therefore under the
highest obligation to surrender up his Isaac. But O stupend
ous love ! Whilst we were his enemies, God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law, that he might become
a curse for us. O the freeness, as well as the infinity, of the
love of God our Father ! It is unsearchable : I am lost in
contemplating it ; it is past finding out. Think, O believer&
think of the love of God, in giving Jesus Christ to be a propi
tiation for our sins. And when you hear how Abraham built
an altar, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son,
and laid him on the altar upon the wood ; think how your
heavenly Father bound Jesus Christ his only Son, and offered
him upon the altar of his justice, and laid upon him the iniqui
ties of us all. When you read of Abraham's stretching forth
his hand to slay his son,, think, O think, how God actually
suffered his Son to be slain, that we might live for evermore.
Do you read of Isaac carrying the wood upon his shoulders,
upon which he was to be offered ? Let this lead you to Mount
Calvary, (this very mount of Moriah where Isaac was offered,
as some think,) and take a view of the antitype Jesus
Christ, that son of God, bearing and ready to sink under the
weight of that cross on which he was to hang for us. Do yon
admire Isaac so freely consenting to die, though a creature, and
therefore obliged to go when God called ? O do not forget to
admire infinitely more the dear Lord Jesus, that promised seed,
who willingly said, " Lo, I come," though under no obligation
so to do, " to do thy will," to obey and die for men, 0 God!
Did you weep just now when I bid you fancy that you saw
the altar, and the wood laid in order, and Isaac laid bound on
the altar ? Look up by faith, behold the blessed Jesus, our all-
glorious Immanuel, not bound, but nailed on an accursed tree::
see how he hangs crowned with thorns, and had in derision of
nil that are round about him : see how the thorns pierce him,
and how the blood in purple streams trickles down his sacred
.temples ! Hark ! how the God of nature groans ! See how
he bows his head, and at length humanity gives up the ghost;!
Isaac is saved, but Jesus, the God of Isaac dies ; a ram is offer
ed up in Isaac's room, but Jesus has no substitute ; Jesus must
bleed, Jesus must die : God the Father provided this Lamb for
himself from all eternity. He must be offered in time, or mah
must be damned for evermore. And now where are all your
tears 1 Shall I say, refrain your voice from weeping ? No,
rather let me exhort you to look to hifn whom you have pierced,
and mourn, as a woman monrneth for her first born : for wfe

Serm. 4.] Abraham's offering up his son isaac. 349
have been the betrayers, we have been the murderers of this
Lord of glory ; and shall we not bewail those sins, which
brought the blessed Jesus to the accursed tree ? Having so
much done, so much suffered for us, so much forgiven, shall
we not love much ? O ! let us love him with all our hearts,
and minds, and strength, and glorify him in our souls and
bodies ; for they are his. Which leads me to a second infer
ence I shall draw from the foregoing discourse.
From hence we may learn the nature of true justifying faith.
•Whoever understands and preaches the truth as it is in Jesus,
-•must acknowledge, that salvation is God's free gift, and that
we are saved, not by any or all the works of righteousness
which we have done or can do : no ; we can neither wholly
;nor in part justify ourselves in the sight of God. The Lord
Jesus Christ is our righteousness ; and if we are accepted with
:God, it must be only in and through the personal righteous
ness, the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ his be-
rloved Son. This righteousness must be imputed, or counted
•over to us, and applied by faith to our hearts, or else we can
in no wise be justified in God's sight : and that very moment
when a sinner is enabled to lay hold on Christ's righteousness
;hy faith, he is freely justified from all his sins, and shall never
enter into condemnation, notwithstanding he was a fire-brand
-of hell before. Thus it was that Abraham was justified before
he . did any good work : he was enabled to believe on the Lord
Christ ; it was accounted to him for righteousness ; that is,
Christ's righteousness was made over to him, and so accounted
his. This, this is gospel ; this is the only way of finding ac
ceptance with God : good works have nothing to do with our
justification in his sight. We are justified by faith alone, as
saith the article of our church ; agreeably to which the apos
tle Paul says, *' By grace ye are saved, through faith ; and that
-not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God." Notwithstanding
good works have their proper place : they justify our faith,
though not our persons ; they follow it, and evidence our justifi
cation in the sight of men. Hence it is that the apostle James
asks, was not Abraham justified by works, (alluding, no doubt,
¦to the story on which we have been discoursing,) that is, did
he not prove he was in a justified state, because his faith was
-productive of good works ? This declarative justification in
the sight of men, is what is directly to be understood in the words
of the text : " Now know I," says God, " that thou feares't me,
since thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."
Not but that God knew it before ; but this is spoken in conde
scension to, our weak capacities, and plainly shows, that his
offering up .his son was accepted with God, as an evidence at
30

350 Abraham's offeriivg up ms son Isaac. [Serm. 4,
the sincerity of his faith, and for this, was left on record to fu
ture ages. Hence then you may learn, whether you are blessed
with, and are sons and daughters of faithful Abraham. You
say you believe ; you talk of free grace, and free justification :
you do well ; the devils also believe and tremble. But has the
faith which 3rou pretend to, influenced your hearts, renewed
your souls, and, like Abraham's, worked by love ? Are your
affections, like his, set on things above ? Are you heavenly-
minded, and like him, do you confess yourselves strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. In short, has your faith enabled you
to overcome the world, and strengthened you to give up your
Isaacs, your laughter, your most beloved lusts, friends, pleas
ures, and profits for God ? If so, take the comfort of it ; for
justly may you say, " We know assuredly, that we do fear and
love God, or rather are loved of him." But if you are only
talking believers, have only a faith of the head, and never felt
the power of it in your hearts, however you may bolster your
selves up, and say, " we have Abraham for our father, or Christ
is our Savior ;" unless you get a faith of the heart, a faith
working by love, you shall never sit with Abraham, Isaac, Ja
cob, or Jesus Christ in the kingdom of heaven.
But I must draw one more inference, and with that I shall
conclude, Learn, O saints ! from what has been said, to sit loose to all
your worldly comforts ; and stand ready prepared to part with
every thing, when God shall require it at your hand. Some of
you perhaps may have friends, who are to you as your own souls,
and others may have children, in whose lives your own lives
are bound up : all I believe have their Isaacs, their particular
delights of some kind or other. Labor, for Christ's sake, labor,
ye sons and daughters of Abraham, to resign them, daily in
affection to God, that, when he shall require you really to sacri
fice them, you may not confer with flesh and blood, any more
than the blessed patriarch now before us. And as for you that
have been in any measure tried like unto him, let his example
encourage and comfort you. Remember, Abraham your father
was tried so before you : think, O think, of the happiness ho
now enjoys, and how he is incessantly thanking God for
tempting and trying him when here below. Look up often by
the eye of faith, and see him sitting with his dearly beloved
Isaac in the world of spirits. Remember, it will be but a little
while, and you shall sit with them also, and tell one another
what God has done for your souls. There I hope to sit with
you, and hear this story of his offering up his son from his own
mouth, and to praise the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne, for
what he hath done for all our souls, for ever and ever.

Serin. 5.] saul's conversion^ 361
SERMON V.

SAUL S CONVERSION,

Acts ix. 22.
But Saul increased the more in strength, and' confounded the Jewt
which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
It is an undoubted truth, however it may seem a paradox
to natural men, that " whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus;
shall suffer persecution." And therefore it is very remarkable,
that our blessed Lord, in his glorious sermon on the Mount,
after he had been pronouncing those blessed, who were poor
in spirit, meek, pure in heart, and such like, immediately adds,
(and spends no less than three verses in this beatitude,) " Blessed
are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." No one
ever was or ever will be endowed with the forementioned
graces in any degree, but he will be persecuted for it in a mea
sure. There is an irreconcilable enmity between the seed of
the woman, and the seed of the serpent. And if We are not of
the world, but show by our fruits that we are of the number
of those whom Jesus Christ has chosen out of the world, for
that very reason the world will hate us. As this is true of
every particular christian, so it is true of every christian
church in general. For some years past we have heard but
little of a public persecution : why ! Because but little of the
power of godliness has prevailed amongst all denominations
The strong man armed has had full possession of most profess
ors' hearts, and therefore he has let them rest in a false peace.
But we may assure ourselves, when Jesus Christ begins to
gather in his elect in any remarkable manner, and opens an
effectual door for preaching the everlasting gospel, persecution
will flame out, and Satan and his emissaries will do their
utmost (though all in vain) to stop the work of God. Thus it
was in the first ages, thus it is in our days, and thus it will be
till time shall be no more.
Christians, and christian churches must then expect enemies.
Our chief concern should be, to learn how to behave towards
them in a christian manner ; for unless we take good heed to
ourselves, we shall embitter our spirits, and act in a manner
unbecoming the followers of that Lord, " who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, threatened not ;
and, as a lamb before his shearers is dumb, so opened he not

352 saul's conversion. [Serm: 5v
his mouth." But what motive shall we make use of to bring
ourselves to this blessed lamb-like temper ? Next tb the im
mediate operation of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts, I know
of no consideration more conducive to teach us long suffering
towards our most bitter persecutors, than this,- " That, for all
that we know to the contrary, some of those very persons, who
are now persecuting, may be chosen from all eternity by God,
and hereafter called in time, to edify and build up the church
of Christ."
The persecutor Saul, mentioned in the words of the text,
(and whose conversion, God willing, I propose to treat of in
the following discourse) is a noble instance of this kind.
I say, a persecutor, and that a bloody one : for see how he
is introduced in the beginning of this chapter ; " and Saul yet
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of our Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him
letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of
this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring
them bound to Jerusalem."
"And Saul yet breathing out." This implies that he had
been a persecutor before. To prove which, we need only look
back to the seventh chapter, where we shall find him so very
remarkably active at Stephen's death, that the " witnesses laid
down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was
Saul." He seems, though young, to be in some authority.
Perhaps, for his zeal against the christians, he was preferred in
the church, and was allowed to sit in the great council or san
hedrim : for we are told, chap. viii. ver. 1. " That Saul was
consenting unto his death ;" and again, at ver. 3, he is brought
in as exceeding all in his opposition ; for thus speaks the evan
gelist, " as for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering
into every house, and hailing men and women, committed them
to prison." One would have imagined, that this should have
satisfied, at least abated the fury of this young zealot. No :
being exceedingly mad against them, as he himself informs
Agrippa, and having made havoc of all in Jerusalem, he now
is resolved to persecute the disciples of the Lord, even to strange
cities ; and therefore yet breathing out threatening. " Breath
ing out." The words are very emphatical, and expressive of
his bitter enmity. It was as natural to him now to threaten
the christians, as it was for him to breathe ; he could scarcely
speak, but it was some threatenings against them. Nay, he
not only breathed out threatenings, but slaughter also, (and
those who threaten, would also slaughter, if it were in their
power) against the disciples of the Lord. Insatiable therefore
as hell, finding he could not refute or stop the christians by

Serm. 5.J saul's conversion. 3153
force of argument, he is resolved to do it by force of arms ;
and therefore went to the high priest (for there never was a
persecution yet without a high priest at the head of it) and de
sired of him letters, issued out of his spiritual court, to the
synagogues or ecclesiastical courts at Damascus, giving him
authority, " that, if he found any of this way, whether they
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusa
lem," I suppose to be arraigned and condemned in the high
priest's court. Observe how he speaks of the christians. Luke,
who wrote the Acts, calls them disciples of the Lord, and Saul
styles them men and women of this way. I doubt not but he
represented them as a company of upstart enthusiasts, that had
lately gotten into a new method or way of living ; that would
not be content with the temple service, but they must be right
eous over much, and have their private meetings or conventi
cles ; and break bread, as they called it, from house to house,
to the great disturbance of the established clergy, and to -the
utter subversion of all order and decency. I do not hear that
the high priest makes any objection : no, he was as willing to
grant letters, as Saul was to ask them ; and wonderfully pleased
within himself, to find he had such an active zealot to employ
against the christians.
Well then, a judicial process is immediately issued out, with
the high priest's seal affixed to it. And now methinks I see
the young persecutor finely equipped, and pleasing himself
with thoughts how triumphantly he should ride back with men
and women of this way, dragging after him to Jerusalem.
What a condition may we imagine the poor disciples at
Damascus were in at this time ! No doubt they had heard of
Saul's imprisoning and malting havoc of the saints at Jerusa
lem, and we may well suppose were apprised of his design
against them. I am persuaded this was a growing, because a
trying time with these dear people. O how did they wrestle
with God in prayer, beseeching him either to deliver them from,
ot give them grace sufficient to enable them to bear up under
the fury of their persecutors ? The high priest doubtless with
the rest of his reverend brethren, flattered themselves, that they
should now put an effectual stop to this growing heresy, and
waited with impatience for Saul's return.
But, " He that sitteth in heaven laughs them to scorn, the
Lord has them in derision." And therefore, verse 3. " As Saul
journeyed, and came even near unto Damascus," perhaps to
the very gates, (our Lord permitting this, to try the faith of his
disciples, and more conspicuously to baffle the designs of his
enemies) "suddenly (at mid-day, as he acquaints Agrippa)
there shined round about him a light from heaven," a light
30*

354 saul's conversion. [Serm. 5.
brighter than the snn : " and he fell to the earth, (why not into
hell ?) and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me ?" The word is doubled, Saul, Saul : like
that of our Lord to Martha ; Martha, Martha ; or the prophet,
O earth, earth, earth ! Perhaps these words came like thundei
to his soul. That they were spoken audibly, we are assured
from verse 7. His companions heard the voice.
Our Lord now arrests the persecuting zealot, calling him by
name ; for the word never does us good, till we find it spoken
to us in particular. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
Put the emphasis upon the woid why, what evil have I done ?
Put it upon the word persecutest, why persecutest ! I suppose
Saul thought he was not persecuting ; no, he was only putting
the laws of the ecclesiastical court into execution ; but Jesus,
whose eyes are as a flame of fire, saw through the hypocrisy
of his heart, that, notwithstanding his specious pretenses, all
this proceeded from a persecuting spirit, and secret enmity of
heart against God ; and- therefore says, " Why persecutest thou
me ?" Put the emphasis upon the word me. Why persecutest
thou me ? Alas ! Saul was not persecuting Christ, was he ?
He was only taking care to prevent innovations in the church,
and bringing a company of enthusiasts to justice, who other
wise would overturn the established constitution. But Jesus
says, " Why persecutest thou me ?"' For what is done to
Christ's disciples, he takes as done to himself, whether it be
good or whether it be evil. He that touches Christ's disciples,
touches the apple of his eye ; and they that persecute the fol
lowers of our Lord would persecute our Lord himself, were he
again to come and tabernacle amongst us.
I do not find that Saul gives any reason why he did perse
cute ; no, he was struck dumb ; as every persecutor will be,
when Jesus Christ puts the same question io them at the ter
rible day of judgment. But being pricked at the heart, no
doubt with a sense not only of this, but of all his other offenses
against the great God, he said, ver. 5. " Who art thou, Loid ?"
See how soon God can change the heart and voice of his most
bitter enemies. Not many days ago, Saul was not only blas
pheming Christ himself, but, as, much as in him lay, compelling
others to blaspheme also : but now, he who before was an im
postor, is called Lord ; " who ait thou, Lord ?" This admira
bly points out the way in whieh God's spirit works upon the
heart : It first powerfully convinces of sin, and df our damna
ble state ; and then puts us upon inquiring after Jesus Christ.
Saul being struck to the ground, or pricked to the heart, cries
out after Jesus, " Who art thou, Lord ?" As many of you that
were never so far made sensible of your damnable state, as to

Serm. 5.] saul's* conversion. 3^
be made feelingly to seek after Jesus Christ, were never yet
truly convicted by, much less1 converted to, God. May the
Lord who struck Saul, effecti&tlly now strike all my Christless
hearers, and set them upon inquiring after Jesus, as their all
in all ! Saul said;- " Who' art thou,- Lord ? And the Lord
said, I am Jesus; whom thou persecutest." Never did any one
inquire truly after Jesus Christ, but Christ made a saving dis
covery of himself to his soul. It should seem, our Lord ap
peared to him in person; for Ananias afterwards says," the
Lord who -appeared to thee in the way which thou earnest;"
though this may not only imply Christ's meeting him in the
way ; it is not much matter. It is plain Christ here speaks to
him, and says, " 1 am Jesus whom thou persecutest." It is re
markable,, how our Lord takes to himself the name of Jesus ;
for it is a name in which he delights. I am Jesus, a Savior of
my people, both from the guilt and power of their sins ; a
" Jesus, whom thou persecutest." This seems to be spoken to
convince Saul more and more of his sin ; and I doubt not,.
but every word was sharper than a two-edged: sword, and came
like so many daggers to his heart. O, how did these words
affect him ! A. Jesus ! a Savior ! and- yet I am persecuting
him. ! This strikes Rim with horror; but then the word Jesus,
though he was a persecutor, might give him some hope. How
ever", our dear Lord, to convince Saul that he was to be saved
by grace, and' that he was not afraid of his power and enmityr
tells him, " It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." As
much as to say, though he was persecuting, yet he could not
overthrow the church of Christ : for he would set as King
upon his holy hill of Zion ; the malice of men or devils should
never be able to prevail against him.
Ver. 6. " And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ?" Those, who think Saul had a dis
covery of Jesus made to his heart before, think that this ques
tion is the result of his faith, and that he now desires to know
what he shall do, out of gratitude, for what the Lord had done-
for his soul ; in this sense it may be understood,* and I have
made use of it as an instance to prove that faith will work by
love ; but perhaps it may be more agreeable to the context, if
we suppose that Saul had only some distant discovery of Christ
made to him, and not a full assurance of faith ; for we are told,
" he trembling and astonished." trembling at the thoughts of
his persecuting a Jesus, and astonished at hisown vileness, and
the infinite condescension of this Jesus, cries out, " Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ?" Persons under soul-trouble, and;
* Ses my Sermon on What think ye ef Christ ?

356 saul's conversion. [Serm. 5,
sore conviction, would be glad to do any thing, or comply on
any terms, to get peace with God. " Arise," says our Lord,
" and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou
shalt do."
And here we will leave Saul awhile, and see what is become
of his companions. But what shall we say ? Gcd is a sove
reign agent ; his sacred Spirit bloweth when and where it
hsteth ; " He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy."
Saul is taken, but, as far as we know to the contrary, his fel
low travelers are left to perish in their sins ; for we are told,
ver. 7. " That the men who journeyed with him stood, indeed
speechless, and hearing a confused voice." I say a confused
voice, for so the word signifies, and must be so interpreted, in
order to reconcile it with chap. xxii. ver. 9. where Saul giving
an account of these men, tells Agrippa, " They heard not the
voice of him that spake to me." They heard a voice, a con
fused noise, but not the articulate voice of him that spake to
Saul, and therefore remained unconverted. For what are all
ordinances, all, even the most extraordinary dispensations of
providence, without Christ speaks to the soul in them ? Thus
it is now under the word preached : many, like Saul's com
panions, are sometimes so struck with the out-goings of God
appearing in the sanctuary, that they even stand speechless :
they hear the preacher's voice, but not the voice of the Son of
God, who, perhaps, at the same time is speaking effectually to
many other hearts ; this I have known often ; and what shall
we say to these things ? O the depth of the sovereignty of
God ! It is past finding out. Lord, I desire to adore what I
cannot comprehend. "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good
in thy sight !"
But to return to Saul. The Lord bids him arise and go into
¦the city ; and we are told, verse 8. that " Saul arose from the
earth ; and when his eyes were opened," (for he was so over
powered with the greatness ofthe light that shone upon them,
that) " he saw no man ; but they led him by the hand, and
brought him into Damascus," that very city which was to be
the place of his executing or imprisoning the disciples of the
Lord. " And he was three days without sight, and neither did
eat nor drink." But who can tell what horrors of conscience,
what convulsion of soul, what deep and pungent convictions
of sin he underwent during these three long days ? It was this
that took away his appetite, (for who can eat or drink when
under a sense of the wrath of God for sin ?) and, being to be
greatly employed hereafter, he must be greatly humbled now ;
therefore the Lord leaves him three days groaning under the
spirit of bondage, and buffeted, no doubt, with the fiery darts

Serm. 5'.] saul's conversion. 357
of the devil, that, being tempted like unto his brethren, he
might be able hereafter, to succor those that were tempted.
Had Saul applied to any of the blind guides of the Jewish
church under these circumstances, they would have said he
was mad, or going beside himself; as many carnal teachers
and blind pharisees now deal with, and so more and more dis
tress poor souls laboring under awakening convictions of their
damnable state. But God often at our first awakenings, visits
us with sore trials, especially those who are, like Saul, to shine
in the church, and to be used as instruments in bringing many
sons to glory : those who are to be highly exalted, must first
be deeply humbled ; and this I speak for the comfort of those,
who may be now groaning under the spirit of bondage, and
perhaps, like Saul, can neither eat nor drink ; for I have gene
rally observed, that those who have had the deepest convic
tions, have afterwards been favored with the most precious
communications, and enjoyed most of the divine presence in
their souls. This was afterwards remarkably exemplified in
Saul, who was three days without sight, and neither did eat
nor drink.
But will the Lord leave his poor servant in this distress ?
No. His Jesus (though Saul persecuted him) promised and he
will perform that it "should be told him what he must do.
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias,
and unto him, said the Lord in a vision, Ananias ; and he said,
Behold, I am here, Lord." What a holy familiarity is there
between Jesus Christ and regenerate souls ! Ananias had been
used to such love visits, and therefore, knew the voice of his
beloved. The Lord says, Ananias ; Ananias says, "Behold,
I am here, Lord." Thus it is that Christ now, as well as for
merly, often talks with his children at sundry times, and after
divers manners, as a man talketh with his friend. But what
has the Lord to say to Ananias ?
Verse 11. "And the Lord said unto bim, arise, and go into
the street, which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of
Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus ;" (see here for your com
fort, O children ofthe most high God, what notice Jesus Christ
takes of the street, and the house where his own dear servants
lodge) " for behold, he prayeth ;" but why is this ushered in
with the word behold 7 What, was it such a wonder Jo hear
that Saul was praying ? W hy, Saul was a pharisee, and there
fore, no doubt, fasted and made long prayers ; and, since we are
told that he profited above many of his equals, I doubt not but he
was taken notice of for his gift in prayer : and yet it seems,
that before these three days, Saul never prayed in his life :
and why ? Because, before these three days, he never- fell himself

358 saul's conversion. [Serm. 6.
a condemned creature ; he was alive in his own opinion, because
without a knowledge of the spiritual meaning ofthe law ; he
felt not a want of, and therefore, before now, cried not after a
Jesus, and consequently, though he might have said, or made
a prayer, as many Pharisees do in these days, he never uttered
a prayer ; but now, behold ! he prayed indeed ; and this was
urged as one reason why he was converted. None of God's
children, as one observes, come into the world still-born ; prayer
is the very breath of a new creature ; and therefore, if we are
prayerless, we are Christless ; if we never had the spirit, of
supplication, it is a sad sign that we never had the spirit of
grace in our souls ; and you may be assured you never did
pray, unless you have felt yourselves sinners, and seen the
want Of Jesus to be your Savior. May the Lord, whom I serve
in the,gospel of his dear Son, prick you all to the heart, and
may it be said of you all as it was of Saul, Behold, they pray !
The Lord goes on to encourage Ananias to go to Saul : sa3rs
he, verse 12. "For he hath seen in a vision a man named
Ananias, coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he
might receive his sight." So that though Christ converted
Saul immediately by himself, yet he- will carry on the work,
thus begun, by a minister. Happy they, who under soul trou
bles have such experienced guides, and as well acquainted with
Jesus Christ as Ananias was : you that have such, make much
of and be thankful for them ; and you who have them not,
trust in God ; he will carry on his own work without them.
Doubtless, Ananias was a good man ; but shall I commend
him for his answer to our Lord ? I commend him not ; for
says he, verse 13. " Lord, I have heard by many of this man,
how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem : and
here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that
call upon thy name." I fear this answer proceeded from some
relics of self-righteousness, as well as infidelity, that lay undis
covered in the heart of Ananias. " Arise, (said our Lord) and
go into the street, which is called Straight, and inquire in
the hoirse of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus ; for behold
he prayeth !" One would think this was sufficient to satisfy
him : but says Ananias, " Lord I have heard by many of this
man" (he seems to speak of him with much contempt ; for
even good men are apt to think too contemptuously of those
who are yet in their sins) " how much evil he hath done to thy
saints in Jerusalem ; and here, he hath authority from the chief
priests, to bind all that call upon thy name." And what then,
Ananias ? Is any thing too hard for the Lord ? Who made
thee to differ ? Could not he who converted thee, convert him
also ! Surely Ananias here forgets himself, or perhaps fears,

Serm. 5.] saul's conversion. 359
lest this man, who had authority from the chief priests to bind
all that call upon Christ's name, should bind him also, if he
went unto him ; but the Lord silences all objections, with a
'' Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my
name's sake." Here God stops his mouth immediately, by as
sarting his sovereignty, and preaching to him the doctrine of
election. And the frequent conversion of notorious sinners to
God, to me is one great proof, amongst a thousand others, of
that precious, but too much exploded, and sadly misrepresented
doctrine of God's electing love ; for whence is it that such are fa
llen, whilst thousands not near so vile, die senseless and stupid?
All the answer that can be given, is, "They are chosen vessels;
Go thy way, (says God) for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children
of Israel ; for I will show him how great things he must suffer
for my name's sake." Observe what a close connection there
is between doing and suffering for Christ. If any of my breth
ren in the ministry are present, let them hear what preferment
we. must expect, if we are called out to work remarkably for
God ; not great prebendaries or bishoprics, but great sufferings
for our Lord's name sake ; these are the fruits of our labor ; and
he that will not contentedly suffer great things for preaching
Christ, is not worthy of him. Suffering will be found to be the
best preferment, when we are called to give an account of our
ministry at the great day.
I do not hear, that Ananias quarreled with God concerning
the doctrine of election ; no ; O that all good men would, in
this, learn of him! "He went his way, and entered into the
house ; and put his hands on him, and said, brother Saul ;"
just now it was this man; now it is brother Saul: It is no
matter what a man has been, if he be now a christian ; the
same should be our brother, our sister, and mother ; God blots
out every convert's transgressions as with a thick cloud, and so
should we ; the more vile a man has been, the more should we
love him when believing iii Christ, because Christ will be more
glorified on his behalf. I doubt not, but Ananias was wonder
fully delighted to hear that so remarkable a persecutor was
brought home to God ! I am persuaded he felt his soul immedi
ately united to him by love, and therefore addresses him not with
"Thou persecutor, Thou murderer, that comest to butcher
me and my friends ; but, brother Saul." It is remarkable that
the primitive christians much used the word brother and breth
ren ; I know it is a term now much in reproach ; but .those
who despise it, I believe would be glad to be of our brother-

360 saul's conversion. [Serm. 5.
hood, when they see us sitting at the right hand of the Majes
ty on high. "Brother Saul, the Lord (even Jesus that ap
peared unto thee in !the way as thou earnest) hath sent me,
that thou -mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the
Holy Ghost." At this time, we may suppose, he laid his hands
upon him. See the consequences.
Verse 18. " Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had
been scales, and he received sight forthwith ;" and not only bodi
ly, but spiritual sight; he emerged as it were into a new
world; he saw, and felt too, things unutterable; he felt a
union of soul with God ; he received the spirit of adoption;;
he could now, with a full assurance of faith, cry, Abba, Fa
ther. Now was he filled with the Holy Ghost ; and had the
love of God shed abroad in his heart ; now were the days of
his mourning ended; now was Christ formed in his soul-;
now he could give men and devils the challenge, knowing
that Christ had justified him ; now he saw the excellences of
Christ, and esteemed him the fairest among ten thousand.
You only know how to sympathize with the apostle in his joy, '
who, after a long night of bondage, have been set free by the
Spirit, and have received joy in the Holy Ghost. May all that
are now mourning, as Saul was, be comforted in like manner-!!
The scales then are now removed from the eyes of Saul's
mind ; Ananias has done that for him, under God : he must
now do another office — baptize him, and so receive him info
the visible church of Christ ; a good proof to me of the neces
sity of baptism where it may be had : for I find here, as well
as elsewhere, that baptism is administered even to those who
had received the Holy Ghost ; Saul was convinced of this,
and therefore arose and was baptized ; and now it is time for
him to recruit the outward man, which, by three days absti
nence and spiritual conflicts, had been much impaired: we
are therefore told, (verse 19.) "when he had received meat,
he was strengthened."
BatQ, with what comfort did the apostle now eat his food?
I am sure it was with singleness, I am persuaded also with
gladness of heart : and why ? He knew. that he was reconciled
to God ; and, for my own part, did I not know how blind and
flinty our hearts are by nature, I should wonder how any one
could eat even his common food with any satisfaction, wlio
has not some well grounded hope of his being reconciled to
God. Our Lord intimates thus .much to us, for in his glori
ous prayer, after he has taught. us to pray for our .daily bread,
immediately adds that petition, !' forgive us our -trespasses ;" a»
though our daily bread would do ;us no service, unless we wera
sensible of having the !forgiveness,of our sins,.

>n

Serm. 5.] saul's conversion. 361
To proceed:: Saul hath reeeived meat, and is strengthened ;
and whither will he go now ? To see the brethren ; " then
was Saul certain days with the disciples that were at Damas
cus." If we know and love Christ, we shall also love, and
desire to be acquainted with the brethren of Christ: We may
generally know a man by his company. And though all are
not saincs that associate with saints, (for tares will be always
springing up amongst the wheat till the time of harvest,) yet,
if we never keep company, but are shy and ashamed of the
despised children of God, it is a certain sign we have not yet
experimentally learned Jesus, or received him into our hearts.
My dear friends, be not deceived : if we are friends to the
bridegroom, we shall be friends to the children of the bride
groom. Saul, as soon as he was filled with the Holy Ghost,
" was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus."
But who can tell what joy these disciples felt when Saul
came amongst them ! I suppose holy Ananias introduced him.
Methinks I see the once persecuting zealot, when they came
to salute him with a holy kiss, throwing himself upon each of
their necks, weeping over them with floods of tears, and saying,
" O my brother, O my sister, Can you forgive me ? Can you
give such a wretch as I the right hand of fellowship, who in
tended to drag you behind me bound unto Jerusalem !" Thus,
I say, we may suppose Saul addressed himself to his fellow
disciples ; and I doubt not but they were as ready to forgive
and forget as Ananias was, and saluted him with the endear
ing title of brother Saul. Lovely was this meeting ; so lovely,
that it seemed Saul continued certain days with them, to com
municate experiences, and to learn the way of God more per
fectly, to pray for a blessing on his future ministry, and to
praise Christ Jesus for what he had done for their souls. Saul,
perhaps, had sat certain years at the feet of Gamaliel, but un
doubtedly learnt more these certain days, than he had learnt
before in all his life. It pleases me to think how this great
scholar is transformed by the renewing of his mind : what a
mighty change was here ! That so great a man as Saul was,
both as to his station in life, and internal qualifications, and
such a bitter enemy to the christians ; for him, I say, to go and
be certain days with the people of this mad way, and to sit
quietly, and be taught of illiterate men, as many of these dis-
oiples we may be sure were, what a substantial proof was this
of the reality of his conversion !
What a hurry and confusion may we suppose the chief
priests now were in ! I warrant they were ready to cry out,
what ! is he also deceived ? As for the common people, who
«new not the law and are accursed, for them to be carried
31

362 saul's conversion. [Serm. 5,
away, is no such wonder ; but for a man bred up at the feet
of Gamaliel, for such a scholar, such an enemy to the cause
as Saul ; for him to be led away with a company of silly, der
ceived men and women. -surely it is impossible. We cannot
believe it. But Saul soon convinces them ofthe reality of his
becoming a fool for Christ's sake. For straightway, instead of
going to deliver the letters from the high priests, as they ex
pected, in order to bring the disciples that were at Damascus
bound to Jerusalem, "he preached Christ in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God." This was another proof of his
being converted. He not only conversed with christians in
private, but he preached Christ publicly in the synagogues.
Especially, he insisted on the divinity of our Lord, proving,
notwithstanding his state of humiliation, that he was really
the Son of God.
But why did Saul -preach Christ thus ? Because he bad
felt the power of Christ upon his own soul. And here is the
reason why Christ is so seldom preached, and his divinity so
slightly insisted on in our synagogues, because the generality
of those that pretend to preach him, never felt a saving work
of conversion upon their own souls. How can they preach,
unless they are first taught of, and then sent by God? Saul
did not preach Christ before fie knew him ; no more should
any one else. An unconverted minister, though he could
speak with the tongues of men and angels, will be but as sound
ing brass and tinkling cymbal to those whose senses are exer
cised to discern spiritual things. Ministers that are unconverted,
may talk and declaim of Christ, and prove from books that he
is the Son of God ; but they cannot preach with the demon
stration of the Spirit and with power, unless they preach from
experience, and have had a proof of his divinity, by a work
of grace wrought upon their own souls. God forgive those
who lay hands on an unconverted man, knowing that he is
such : I would not do it for a thousand worlds. Lord Jesus,
keep thy own faithful servants pure, and let them not be then
partakers of other men's sins !
Such an instance as was Saul's conversion, we may be as
sured, must make a great deal of noise ; and therefore, no won
der we are told, ver. 21. " But all that heard him were amazed,
and said, Is not this he that destroyed them who called on this
name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he
might bring them bound to the chief priests?" '
Thus it will be with all that appear publicly for Jesus Christ;
and it is as impossible for a true christian to be hid, as a city
built upon a hill. Brethren, if you are faithful to, you must
be reproached and have remarks made on you for Christ j

Serm. 5.] saul's conversion. 363
especially if you have been remarkably wicked before your
conversion. Your friends say, is not this he, or she, who a
little while ago would run to as great excess of riot and vanity
as the worst of us all ? What has turned your brain ? Or if
you have been close, false, formed hypocrites, as Saul was, they
will wonder that you should be so deceived, as to think you
were not in a safe state before. No doubt, numbers were sur
prised to hear Saul, who was touching the law blameless,
affirm that he was in a damnable condition, (as in all proba
bility he did) a few days before.
Brethren, you must expect to meet with many such difficul
ties as these. The scourge of the tongue is generally the first
cross we are called to bear for the sake of Christ. Let not,
therefore, thi^ move you : It did not intimidate, no, it rather
encouraged Saul.
Says the text, " But Saul increased the more in strength, and
confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, proving that
this is very Christ." Opposition never yet did, nor ever will
hurt a sincere convert. Nothing like opposition to make the
man of God perfect. None but a hireling, who careth not for
the sheep, will be affrighted at the approach or barking of
wolves. Christ's ministers are as bold as lions. It is not for
such men as they to flee.
And therefore (that I may draw towards a conclusion) let the
ministers and disciples of Christ learn from Saul, not to fear
men or their revilings ; but, like him, increase in strength, the
more wicked men endeavor to weaken their hands. We can
not be christians without being opposed. No ; disciples in
general must suffer ; ministers in particular must suffer great
things. But let not this move any of us from our steadfast
ness in the gospel. He that stood by and strengthened Saul,
will also stand by and strengthen us. He is a God mighty to
save all that put their trust in him. If we look up with an
eye of faith, we, as well as the first martyr St. Stephen, may
see Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ready to assist
and protect us. Though the Lord's seat is in heaven, yet he
has respect to his saints in an especial manner, when suffering
here on earth. Then the Spirit of Christ and of glory rests
upon their souls. And, if I may speak my own experience, " I
never enjoy more rich communications from God, than when
despised and rejected of men for the sake of Jesus Christ."
However little they may design it, my enemies are my greatest
friends. What I most fear, is a calm ; but the enmity which
is in the hearts of natural men against Christ, will not suffer
them to be quiet long. No ; as I hope the work of God will
increase, so the rage of men and devils will increase also. Let

364 saul's conversion. [Serrri; S>
us put on, therefore, the whole armor of God. Let us not fear
the face of men. Let us fear him only who can destroy both
body and soul in hell. I say unto you, let us fear him alone.
You see how soon God can stop the fury of his enemies.
You have just now heard of a proud, powerful zealot stopped
in his full career, struck down to the earth with a light from
heaven, converted by the almighty power of efficacious grace,
and thereupon zealously promoting, nay, resolutely suffering
for, the faith which once with threatenings and slaughters he
endeavored to destroy. Let this teach us to pity and pray for
our Lord's most inveterate enemies. Who knows, but in an
swer thereunto, our Lord may give them repentance unto life?
Most think, that Christ had respect to Stephen's prayer, when
he converted Saul. Perhaps for this reason God suffers his
adversaries to go on, that his goodness and power may shine
more bright in their conversion.
But let not the persecutors of Christ take encouragement
from this to continue in their opposition. Remember, though
Saul was converted, yet the high priest and Saul's companions,
were left dead in trespasses and sins. If this should be -your
case, you will of all men be most miserable. For persecutors
have the lowest place in hell. And, if Saul was struck to the
earth by a light from heaven, how will you be able to stand
before Jesus Christ, when he comes in terrible majesty to take
vengeance on all those who have persecuted his gospel? Then
the question, " Why persecuted thou me ?" will cut you through
and through. The secret enmity of your hearts shall be then
detected before men and angels, and you shall be doomed to
dwell in the blackness of darkness for evermore. Kiss the
Son therefore, lest he be angry : For even you may yet find
mercy, if you believe on the Son of God. Though you per
secute him, yet he will be your Jesus. I cannot despair of
any of you, when I find a Saul among the disciples at Damas
cus. What though your sins are as scarlet, the blood of Christ
shall wash them as white as snow. Having much to be for
given, despair not ; only believe, and like Saul, of whom I
have now been speaking, love much. He counted himself the
chiefest sinner of all, and therefore labored more abundantly
than all. Who is there among you fearing the Lord ? Whose
hearts hath the Lord now opened to hearken to the voice of
his poor unworthy servant ! Surely the Lord will not let me
preach in vain. Who is the happy soul that is this day to be
washed in the blood of the Lamb 1 Will no poor sinner take
encouragement from Saul to come to Jesus Christ ? You are
all thronging round, but which of you will touch the Lord
Jesus ? What a comfort will it be to Saul, and to your own

Serm. 6.] christ the believer's wisdom, &c. 365
souls, when you meet him in heaven, to tell him, that hearing
of his, was a means, under God, of your conversion ! Doubt
less it was written for the encouragement of all poor returning
sinners ; he himself tells us so : For " in me God showed aU
long-suffering that I might be an example to them that should
hereafter believe." Were Saul here himself, he would tell you
so, indeed he would; but being dead, by this account of his
conversion, he yet speaketh. O that God may speak by it to
your hearts ! O that the arrows of God might this day stick
fast in your souls, and you made to cry out, " Who art thou,
Lord?" Are there any such amongst you? Methinks I feel
something of what this Saul felt, when he said, "I travail in
birth again for you, till Christ be formed again in your hearts."
O come, come away to Jesus on whom Saul believed ; and
then I care not if the high priests issue out never so many
writs, or injuriously drag me to a prison. The thoughts of
being instrumental in saving you, will make me sing praises
even at midnight. And I know yon will be my joy and crown
of rejoicing, when I am delivered from this earthly prison, and
meet you in the kingdom of God hereafter.

SERMON VI.

CHRIST THE BELIEVER S WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTI
FICATION, AND REDEMPTION.

1 Cor. i. 30.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us,
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Of all the verses in the book of God, this which I have now
read to you, is, I believe, one of the most comprehensive. What
glad tidings does it bring to believers ! What precious privi
leges are they here invested with ! How are they here led to
the fountain of them all, I mean, the love, the everlasting love
of God the Father ! "Of him. ye are in Christ Jesus, who of
God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption."'
Without referring you to the context, I shall from these words,
First, Point out to you the fountain, from which all those
blessings flow, which the elect of God partake of in Jesus Christ,
"who of God ia made unto us." And,
31

366 christ the believer's [Serm. 6.
Secondly, I shall consider what these blessings are, " wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."
First, I would point out to you the fountain from which all
those blessings flow, that the elect of God partake of in Jesus,
" who of God is made unto us :" the Father, he it is who is
spoken of here. Not as though Jesus Christ was not God also ;
but God the Father is the fountain of the Deity ; and, if we
consider Jesus Christ acting as Mediator, God the Father is
freater than he ; there was an eternal contract between the
'ather and the Son : " I have made a covenant with my chosen,
and I have sworn unto David my servant;" now David was a
type of Christ, with whom the Father made a covenant, that
if he would obey and suffer, and make himself a sacrifice for
sin, he should "see his seed, he should- prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands." This
compact our Lord refers to,, in that glorious prayer recorded in
the 17th chap, of John : and therefore he prays for, or rather
demands with a full assurance, all that were given to him by
the Father : " Father, I will that they also whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am." For this same reason the
apostle breaks out into praises of God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ ; for he loved the elect with an everlasting.
.ave, or, as our Lord expresses it, "before the foundation of the-
world ;" and therefore, to show them to whom they were be
holden for their salvation, our Lord, in the 25th of Matthew,
represents himself, saying, "Come, ye blessed children of my
Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the founda
tion ofthe world." And thus, in reply to fhe mother of Zebe-
dee's children, he says, " It is not mine to give, but it shall be
given to them for whom it is prepared of the Father." The apos
tle therefore, when here speaking of the Christian's privileges,
lest they should sacrifice to their own worth, or think their
salvation was owing to their own faithfulness, or improvement
of their own free will, reminds them to look back on the ever
lasting love of God the Father ; who of God is made unto us, &c.
Would to God, this point of doctrine was considered more,
and people were more studious of the covenant of redemption
between the Father and the Son ! we should not then have so
much disputing against the doctrine of election,- or hear it con
demned (even by good men) as a doctrine of devils. For my
own part, I cannot see how true humbleness of mind can be
attained without a knowledge of it ; and though I will not say,
that every one who denies election is a bad man, yet I will
say, with that sweet singer, Mr. Trail, it is a very bad sign :
such an one, whoever he be, I think cannot truly know him
self : for, if we deny election, we must, partly at least, glory

Serm. 6.] wisdom righteousness, &c 367
in ourselves ; but our redemption is so ordered, that no flesh
should glory in the divine presence ; and hence it is, that the
pride of man opposes this doctrine, because according to this
doctrine, and no other, "me that glories must glory only in the
Lord." But what shall I say ? Election is a mystery that shines
with such resplendent brightness, that, to make use of the words
of one who lias drank deeply of electing love, it dazzles the
weak eyes of some of God's dear children ; however, though
they know it not, all the blessings they receive, all the privi
leges they do or will enjoy, through Jesus Christ, flow from
the everlasting love of God the Father : " But of him are you
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, right
eousness, sanctification, and redemption."
Secondly, I come to show what these blessings are, which
are here, through Christ, made over to the elect. And,
First, Christ is made to them wisdom ; but wherein does
true wisdom consist ? Was I to ask some of you, perhaps you
would say, in indulging the lusts of the flesh, and saying to
your souls, eat, drink, and be merry ; but this is only the wis
dom of brutes ; they have as good a gust and relish for sensual
pleasures, as the greatest epicure on earth. Others would tell
me true wisdom consisted in adding house to house, and field
to field, and calling lands after their own names ; but this can
not be true wisdom ; for riches often take to them wings and
fly away, like an eagle towards heaven. Even wisdom itself
assures us, " that a man's life doth not consist in the abundance
of the things which he possesses ;" vanity, vanity, all these
things are vanity ; for, if riches leave not the owner, the owner
must soon leave them ; " for rich men must also die, and leave
their riches for others ;" their riches cannot procure them re
demption from the grave, whither we are all hastening apace.
But perhaps you despise riches and pleasure, and therefore
place wisdom in the knowledge of books : but it is possible for
you to tell the numbers of the stars, and call them all by their
names, and yet be mere fools ; learned "men are not always
wise ; nay, our common learning so much cried np, makes
men only so many accomplished fools ; to- keep you therefore
no longer in suspense, and- withal to humble you, I will send
you to a heathen school, to learn what true wisdom is : know
thyself, was a saying of one of the wise men of Greece ; this
is certainly true wisdom, and this is that wisdom spoken of in
the text, and which Jesus Christ has made to all elect sinners ;
they are made to know themselves, so as not to think more
highly of themselves, than they ought to think. Before they
were darkness ; now they are light in the Lord ; and in that
light they see their own darkness ; they now bewail themselves.

368 christ the believer's [Serm. 6.
as fallen creatures by nature, dead in trespasses and sins, sons
and heirs of hell, and children of wrath, ; they now see that
all their righteousnesses are but as filthy rags ; that there is no
health in their souls ; that they are poor and miserable, bhnd
and naked ; and that there is no name given under heaven,
whereby they can be saved, but that of Jesus Christ. They
see the necessity of closing with a Savior, and behold the wis
dom of God in appointing him to be a Savior ; they are also
made willing to accept of salvation upon our Lord's own terms,
and to receive him as their all in all : thus Christ is made to
them wisdom.
Secondly, Righteousness. " Who of God is made unto us,
wisdom, righteousness ;" Christ's whole personal righteousness
is made over to, and accounted theirs. Being enabled to lay
hold on Christ by faith, God the father blots out their trans
gressions, as with a thick cloud ; their sins, aud their iniquities
he remembers no more ; they are made the righteousness of
God in Jesus, who is the end of the Jaw for righteousness to
every one that believeth. In one sense, God now sees no sin
in them ; the whole covenant of works is fulfilled in them ;
they are actually justified, acquitted, and looked upon as right
eous in the sight of God ; they are perfectly accepted in the
Beloved ; they are complete in him : the flaming sword of
God's wrath, which before moved every way, is now removed,
and free access given to the tree of life ; they are enabled now
to reach out the arm of faith, and pluck and live for evermore.
Hence it is that the apostle, under a sense of this blessed privi
lege, breaks out into this triumphant language ; " it is Christ
that justifies, who is he that condemns ?" Does sin condemn?
Christ's righteousness delivers believers from the guilt of it :
Christ is their Savior, and is become a propitiation for their sins :
who therefore shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ?
Does the law condemn ? By having Christ's righteousness im
puted to them, they are dead to the law, as a covenant of
works ; Christ has fulfilled it for them, and in their stead. Does
death threaten them ? They need not fear. The sting of
death is sin, the strength of sin is the law ; but God has given
them the victory, by imputing to them the righteousness of
the Lord Jesus.
And what a privilege is here ! Well might the angels at the
birth of Christ, say to" the humble shepherds, "Behold, I bring
you glad tidings of great joy;" unto you that believe in Christ,
"a Savior is born." And well may they rejoice at the conver
sion of poor sinners : for the Lord is their righteousness : they
have peace with God, through faith in Christ's blood, and
•hall never enter into condemnation. O believers ! (for this

Serm. 6.] wisdom, righteousness, &c 369
discourse is intended in a special manner for you) lift up your
heads ; " Rejoice in the Lord always ; again I say, rejoice."
Christ is made to you of God, righteousness, what then should
you fear ? you are made the righteousness of God in him ; you
may be called, " The Lord our righteousness." Of what then
should you be afraid ? What shall separate you henceforward
from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or per
secution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? No : I
am persuaded, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi
palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord, who of God is made unto you righteousness.
This is a glorious privilege, but this is only the beginning of
the happiness of believers : for,
Thirdly, Christ is not only made to them righteousness, but
sanctification. By sanctification, I do not mean a bare hypo
critical attendance on outward ordinances, (though rightly in
formed christians will think it their duty and privilege con
stantly to attend on all outward ordinances.) Nor do I mean
by sanctification, a bare outward reformation, and a few transient
convictions, or a little legal sorrow ; for all this an unsanctified
man may have ; but, by sanctification, I mean a total renovation
of the whole man ; by the righteousness of Christ, believers
become legally, by sanctification they are made spiritually,
alive ; by one they are entitled to, by the other they are made
meet for glory. They are sanctified therefore throughout, in
spirit, soul and body.
Their understandings, which were before dark, now be
come light in the Lord : and their wills, before contrary to,
now become one with the will of God: their affections are
now set on things above ; their memory is now filled with
divine things ; their natural consciences are now enlighten
ed ; their members, which were before instruments of unclean
ness, and of iniquity unto iniquity, are now instruments of
righteousness and true holiness ; in short, they are new crea
tures ; " old things are passed away, all things are become
new,"- in their hearts ; sin has now no longer dominion over
them ; they are freed from the power, though not the indwell
ing and being of it ; they are holy both in heart and life, in all
manner of conversation ; they are made partakers of a divine
nature ; and from Jesus Christ, they receive grace for grace ;
and every grace that is in Christ, is copied and transcribed into
their souls ; they are transformed into his likeness ; he is form
ed within them ; they dwell in him, and he in them ; they are
led by the Spirit, and bring forth the fruits thereof; they know

370 christ the believer's [Serm. 6,
that Christ is their Immanuel, God with and in them ; they
are living temples of the Holy Ghost. And therefore, being a
holy habitation unto the Lord, the whole Trinity dwells and
walks in them ; even here, they sit together with Christ in
heavenly places, and are vitally united to him, their head, by
a living faith ; their Redeemer, their Maker, is their Husband;
they are flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone ; they talk, they
walk with him1, as a man talketh and walketh with his friend ;
in short, they are one with Christ, even as Jesus Christ and
the Father are one.
Thus is Christ made to believers sanctification. And 0 !
what a privilege is this ! To be changed from beasts into
saints, and from a devilish to be made partakers of a divine
nature; to be translated from the kingdom of Satan, into the
kingdom of God's dear Son ! To put off the old man, which
is corrupt, and to put on the new man, which is created after
God, in righteousness and true holiness. O what an unspeak
able blessing is this ! I almost stand amazed at the contem
plation thereof. Well might the apostle exhort believers to re
joice in the Lord ; indeed they have reason always to rejoice,
yea, to rejoice on a dying bed ; for the kingdom of God is in
them ; they are changed from glory to glory, even by the
Spirit of the Lord. Well may this be a mystery to the natural,
for it is a mystery even to the spiritual man himself— a mys
tery which he cannot fathom. Does it not often dazzle your
eyes, O ye children of God, to look at your own brightness,
when the candle of the Lord shines out, and your Redeemer
lifts up the light of his blessed countenance upon your souls 1
Are you not astonished, when you feel the love of God shed
abroad in your hearts, by the Holy Ghost, and God holds out the
golden sceptre of his mercy, and bids you ask what you will,
and it shall be given you ? Does not that peace of God, which
keeps and rules your hearts, surpass the utmost limits of your
understandings? And is not the joy you feel unspeakable?
Is it not full of glory ? I am persuaded it is ; and in your se
cret communion, when the Lord's love flows in upon your
souls, you are as it were swallowed up in, or, to use the apos
tle's phrase, " filled with all the fullness of God." Are you not
ready to cry out with Solomon, " And will the Lord, indeed,
dwell thus with men ? How is it that we should be thus thy
sons and daughters, O Lord God Almighty !"
If you are children of God, and know what it is to have
fellowship with the Father and his Son ; if you walk by faith,
and not by sight, I am assured this is frequently the language
of your hearts.
But look forward, and see an unbounded prospect of eternal

Serm. 6.] wisdom, righteousness, &c. 371
happiness lying before thee, 0 believer ! What thou hast
already received, are only the first fruits, like the cluster of
grapes brought out of the land of Canaan ; only an earnest and
pledge of yet infinitely better things to come : the harvest is to
follow; thy grace is hereafter to be swallowed up in glory.
Thy great Joshua, and merciful High Priest, shall administer
an abundant entrance to thee into the land of promise, that
rest which awaits the children of God : for Christ is not only
made to believers, wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification,
but also redemption.
But, before we enter upon the explanation and contemplation
cf this priviiege,
First, Learn hence the great mistake of those writers, and
.clergy, who, notwithstanding they talk of sanctification and
inward holiness, (as. indeed sometimes they do, though in a
very loose and superficial manner) yet they generally make it
the cause, whereas they should consider it as the effect, of our
justification. Of him "are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, righteousness," and then sanctification.
For Christ's righteousness, or that which Christ has done in
our stead without us, is the sole cause of our acceptance in the
sight of God, and of all holiness wrought in us. To this, and
not to the light within, or any thing wrought within, should
poor sinners look for justification in the sight of God : for the
sake of Christ's righteousness alone, and not any thing wrought
in us, does God look favorably upon us ; our sanctification at
best, in this life, is not complete. Though we are delivered
from the power, we are not freed from the in-being of sin; but
not only the dominion, but the in-being of sin, is forbidden by
the perfect law of God : for it is not said, thou shalt not give
way to lust, but, thou shalt not lust. So that whilst the prin
ciple of lust remains in the least degree in our hearts, though
we are otherwise never so holy, yet we cannot, on account of
that, hope for acceptance with God. We must first therefore
look for a righteousness without us, even the righteousness of
our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason the apostle mentions
it, and puts it before sanctification in the words ofthe text. And
whosoever teacheth any other doctrine, doth not preach the
truth as it is in Jesus.
Secondly, From hence also, the Antinomians and formal
hypocrites may be confuted, who talk of Christ without, but
know nothing experimentally, of a work of sanctification
wrought within them. Whatever they may pretend to, since
Christ is not in them, the Lord is not their righteousness, and
they have no well grounded hope of glory. For though
sanctification is not the cause, yet it is the effect of our accept-

372 christ the believer's [Serm. 6.
ance with God; "who of God is made unto us righteousness
and sanctification." He therefore, that is really in Christ, is a
new creature ; it is not going back to a covenant of works, to
look into our hearts, and, seeing that they are changed and re
newed, from thence form a comfortable and well grounded
assurance of the safety of our states. No, but this is what we
are directed to in scripture ; by our bringing forth the fruits,
we are to judge whether or no we ever did truly partake of
the Spirit of God. " We know (says John) that we are passed
from death unto life, because we love the brethren." And
however we may talk of Christ's righteousness, and exclaim
against legal preachers ; yet, if we are not holy in heart and
life, if we are not sanctified and renewed by the spirit in our
minds, we are self-deceivers, we are only formal hypocrites : for
we must not put asunder what God has joined together. We
must keep the medium between the two extremes ; not insist so
much on the one hand upon Christ without, as to exclude
Christ within, as an evidence of our being his, and as a prepara
tion for future happiness ; nor on the other hand, so depend on
inherent righteousness or holiness wrought in us, as to exclude
the righteousness of Jesus Christ without us. But,
Fourthly, Let us now go on, and take a view of the other
link, or rather the end, of the believer's golden chain of privi
leges — redemption. But we must look very high; for the top
of it, like Jacob's ladder, reaches heaven, where all believers
will ascend, and be placed at the right hand of God. "Who
of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption."
This is a golden chain indeed ! And, what is best of all,
not one link can ever be broken assunder from another. Were
there no other text in the book of God, this single one suffi
ciently proves the final perseverance of all true believers: for
never did God yet justify a man, whom he did not sanctify ;
nor sanctify one whom he did not completely redeem and glo
rify: no, as for God, his way, his work, is perfect; he always
carried on and finished the work he began ; thus it was in the
first, so it is in the new creation ; when God says, "let there
be light," there is light, that shines more and more unto the
perfect day, when believers enter into their eternal rest, as God
entered into his. Those whom God has justified, he has in
effect glorified: for as a man's worthiness was not the cause of
God's giving him Christ's righteousness, so neither shall his.
unworthiness be a cause of his taking it away; God's gifts and
callings are without repentance ; and I cannot think, they are
clear m the notion of Christ's righteousness, who deny the final
perseverance ofthe saints; I fear, they understand justification

Serm. 6.] wisdom, righteousness, &c 373
in that low sense, in which I understood it a few years ago, as
implying no more than remission of sins : but it not only signi
fies remission of sins past, but also a federal right to all good
things to come. If God has given us his only Son, how will
he not with Mm freely give us all things? Therefore, the
apostle, after he says, "who of God is made unto us righteous
ness," does not say, perhaps he may be made to us sanctifica
tion and redemption; but he is made: for there is an eternal,
indissoluble connection between these blessed privileges. As
the obedience of Christ is imputed to believers, so his persever
ance in that obedience is imputed to them also : and it argues
great ignorance of the covenant of grace and redemption to
object against it.
By the word redemption, we are to understand, not only a
complete deliverance from all evil, but also a full enjoyment of
,all good both in body and soul. I say both in body and soul ;
for the Lord is also for the body ; the bodies of the saints in
;this life are temples of the Holy Ghost. God makes a covenant
with the dust of believers ; after death, though worms destroy
.them, yet, even in their flesh shall they see God. I fear, indeed,
there are some sadducees in our days, or at least heretics, who
say, either that there is no resurrection of the body, or that the
resurrection is past already, namely, in our regeneration. Hence
it is, that our Lord's coming in the flesh, at the day of judg
ment, is denied ; and" consequently, we must throw aside the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper. For why should we remem
ber the Lord's death until he come to judgment, when he is
already come -to judge our hearts, and will not come a second '
-time ? But all this is only the reasoning of unlearned, unsta
ble men, who certainly know not what they say, or whereof
ihey affirm. That we must follow our Lord in the regenera
tion, be partakers of a new birth, and that Christ must come
into our hearts, we freely confess, and we hope, when speaking
of these things, we speak no more than what we know and
-feel : but then it is plain, that Jesus Christ will come, hereafter,
to judgment, and- that he ascended into heaven with the body
which he had here on earth ; for says he, after his resurrection,
" handle me, and see ; a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you
see me have." And it is plain, that Christ's resurrection was
an earnest of ours : for says the apostle, '¦' Christ is risen from
the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept ;" and
as in Adam all die and are subject to mortality ; so all that
are in Christ, the second Adam, who represented believers as
their federal head, shall certainly be made alive, or rise again
"With their bodies at the last day.
Here then, O believers ! is one, though the lowest, degree of
32

374 ghrist the believer's [Serm. 6.
that redemption which you are to be partakers of hereafter ; I
mean, the redemption of your bodies. For this corruptibte
must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality.
Your bodies, as well as souls, were given to Jesus Christ by
the Father: they have been companions in watching, and
fasting, and praying. Your bodies therefore, as well as souls,
shall Jesus Christ raise up at the last day. Fear not, therefore,
O believers, to look into the grave ; for to you it is no other
than a consecrated dormitory, where your bodies shall sleep
quietly until the morning of the resurrection ; when the voice
of the archangel shall sound, and the trump of God give the
general alarm, ¦" Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment ;" earth,
air, fire, water, shall give up your scattered atoms, and both in
body and soul shall you be ever with the Lord. I doubt not
but many of you are groaning under crazy bodies, and com
plain often that the mortal body weighs down the immortal
soul ; at least this is my case : but let us have a little patience,
and we shall be delivered from our earthly prisons ; ere long,
these tabernacles of clay shall be dissolved, and we shall be
clothed with our house which is from heaven : hereafter, our
bodies shall be spiritualized, and shall be so far from hindering
our soiils through weakness, that they shall become strong ; so
strong, as to bear up under an exceeding and eternal weight
of glory ; others again may have deformed bodies, emaciated
also with sickness, and worn out with labor and age; but wait
a little, until your blessed change by death comes ; then your
bodies shall be renewed and made glorious, like unto Christ's
glorious body ; of which we may form some faint idea, from
the account given us of our Lord's transfiguration on the
Mount, when it is said, " His raiment became bright and glisten
ing, and his face brighter than the sun." Well then may a
believer break out into the apostle's triumphant language, " 0
death, where is thy sting ! O grave, where is thy victory !"
But what is the redemption of the body, in comparison of
the redemption of the better part, our souls? I must, there
fore, say to you believers, as the angel said to John, " Come
up higher," and let us take as clear a view as we can, at such
a distance, of the redemption Christ has purchased for, and will
shortly put you in actual possession of. Already you are jus
tified, already you are sanctified, and thereby freed from the
guilt and dominion of sin: but, as I have observed, the being
and indwelling of sin yet remains in you ; God sees it proper
to leave some Amalekites in the land, to keep his Israel in
action. The most perfect Christian, I am persuaded, must
agree, according to one of our articles, " that the corruption of
nature remains even in the regenerate ; that the flesh lusted*

Serm. 6.] wisdom, righteousness, &c 375
always against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh." So
that believers cannot do things for God with that perfection
they desire : this grieves their righteous souls day by day, and,
with the holy apostle, makes them to cry out, " Who shall deli
ver us from the body of this death !" I thank God, our Lord
Jesus Christ will, but not completely before the day of our disso
lution ; then will the very being of sin be destroyed, and an
eternal stop put to inbred, indwelling corruption. And is not
this a great redemption ? I am sure believers esteem it so : for
there is nothing grieves the heart of a child of God so much, as-
the remains of indwelling sin. Again, believers are often in
heaviness through manifold temptations ; God sees that it is
needful and good for them so to be ; and though they may be
highly favored, and wrapped up in communion with God, even
to the third heavens, yet a messenger of Satan is often sent to
buffet them, lest they should be puffed up with the abundance
of revelations. But be not weary, be not faint in your minds ;
the time of your complete redemption draweth nigh. In heaven
the wicked one shall cease from troubling you, and your weary
souls shall enjoy an everlasting rest ; his fiery darts cannot
reach those blissful regions : Satan will never come any more to
appear with, disturb, or accuse the sons of God, when once the
Lord Jesus Christ shuts the door. Your righteous souls are now
grieved, day by day, at the ungodly conversation of the wicked ;
tares now grow up among the wheat ; wolves come in sheep's
clothing : but the redemption spoken of in the text will free
our souls from all anxiety on these accounts ; hereafter you
shall enjoy a perfect communion of saints ; nothing that is
unholy or unsanctified shall enter into the holy of holies, which
is prepared for you above. This, and all manner of evil what
soever, you shall be delivered from, when your redemption is
hereafter made complete in heaven ; not only so, but you shall
enter into the full enjoyment of all good. It is true, all saints
will not have the same degree of happiness, but all will be as
happy as their hearts can desire. Believers, you shall judge
evil, and familiarly converse with good, angels ; you shall sit
down with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the spirits of just
men made perfect ; and, to sum up all your happiness in one
word, you shall see God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ;
and, by seeing God, be more and more like unto him, and pass
from glory to glory, even to all eternity.
But I must stop : the glories of the upper world crowd in so
fast upon my soul, that I am lost in the contemplation of them.
Brethren, the redemption spoken of is unutterable; we cannot,
here find it out ; eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it
entered into the hearts of the most holy men living, to conceive

376 christp the believer's- [Serrn: 61
how great it is. Were I to entertain you whole ages with an
account of it, when you eome to heaven, you must say, with
the queen of Sheba, "Not half, no, not one thousandth part
was told us." All we can do here, is to go upon Mount Pisgah,
and, by the eye of faith, take a distant view of the promised
land : we may see it, as Abraham did Christ, afar off, and re
joice in it ; but here we only know in part. Blessed be God,
there is a time coming, when we shall know God, even as we
are known, and God be all in all. " Lord Jesus, accomplish
the number of thine elect ! Lord Jesus, hasten thy kingdom !"
And now, where are the scoffers of these last days, who
count the lives of Christians to be madness, and their end to
be without honor ? Unhappy men ! you know not what you
do. Were yo.ur eyes open, and had you senses to discern
spiritual things, you would not speak all manner of evil against
the children of God, but you would esteem them as the excel
lent ones of the earth, and envy their happiness : your souls
would hunger and thirst after it : you also would become fools
for Christ's sake. You boast of wisdom : so did the philoso
phers of Corinth : but your wisdom is the foolishness of folly
in the sight of God. What wjill your wisdom avail you, if it
does not make you wise unto salvation ? Can you, with all
your wisdom, propose a more consistent scheme to build your
hopes of salvation on, than what has been now laid down be
fore you ? Can you, with all the strength of natural reason,
find out a better way of acceptance with God, than by the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ ? Is it right to think
your own works can in any measure deserve or procure it?
If not, why will you not believe in him ? Why will you not
submit to his righteousness ? Can you deny that you are fallen
creatures ? Do not you find that you are full of disorders, and
that these disorders make you unhappy ? Do not you find
that you cannot change your own hearts ? Have you not re
solved many and many a time, and have not your corruptions
yet dominion over you ? Are you not bond-slaves to your lusts,
and led captive by the devil at his will ? Why then will you
not come to Christ for sanctification ? Do you not desire to
die the death of the righteous, and that your future state may
be like theirs? I am persuaded you cannot bear the thought
of being annihilated, much less of being miserable for ever.
Whatever you may pretend, if you speak truth, you must con
fess, that conscience breaks in upon you in your more sober
intervals, whether you will or not, and even constrains you to
believe, that hell is no painted fire. And why then will you
not come to Christ ? He alone can procure you everlasting
redemption. Haste, haste away to him, poor beguiled sinners.

Serm. 6.] wisdom, righteousness, &c. 377
You lack wisdom ; ask it of Christ. Who knows but he may
give it you ? He is able : for he is the wisdom of the Father ;
ne is that wisdom which was from everlasting. You have no
jighteonsness; away, therefore, to Christ. He is the end of
ihe law for righteousness to every one that believeth. You
are unholy ; flee to the Lord Jesus ; he is full of grace and
truth ; and of his fuflness, all may receive that believe in him.
You are as if afraid to die ; let this drive you to Christ : he-
has the keys of death and hell ; in him is plenteous redemp
tion; he alone can open the door which leads to everlasting
'ife. Let not, therefore, the deceived reasoner boast any longer
his pretended reason. Whatever you may think, it is the
nost uniessonable thing in the world not to believe on Jesus
Christ, whom God hath sent. Why, why will you die ? Why
will you not come unto him, that you may have life ? Ho !
every one that thirsteth, come unto the waters of life and
drink freely : Come, buy without money and without price.
Were these blessed privileges in the text to be purchased with
money, you might say, we are poor and cannot buy : or, were
they to be conferred only on sinners of such a rank or degree,
then you might say, how can such sinners as we expect to be
so highly favored ? But they are to be freely given of God to
the worst of sinners. To us, says the apostle ; to me a perse
cutor, to you, Corinthians, who were unclean, drunkards,
covetous persons, idolaters. Therefore, each poor sinner may
say then, why not unto me ? Has Christ but one blessing ?
What if he has blessed millions already, by turning them away
from their iniquities ; yet, he still continues the same : he lives.
for ever to make intercession, and therefore will bless you,
even you also. Though Esau-like, you have been profane,
and hitherto despised your heavenly Father's birth-right ; even
now, if you believe, Christ will be made to you of God, " wis
dom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."
But I must turn again to believers, for whose instruction, as
I observed before, this discourse, was particularly intended.
You see, brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, what
great blessings are treasured up for you in Jesus Christ your
head, and what you are entitled to by believing on his name.
Take heed, therefore, that ye walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called. Think often howtfhighly you are
favored ; and remember, you have not chosen Christ, but
Christ hath chosen you. Put on (as the elect of God) hum
bleness of mind, and glory, but let it be only in the Lord : for
you have nothing but what you haye received of God. By
nature, ye were as foohsh, as legal, as unholy, and in as damna
ble a condition as others. Be pitiful, therefore, be courteous •
32*

378 the pharisee and publican. [Serm. 7.
and, as sanctification is a progressive work, beware of thinking
you have already attained. Let him that is holy, be holy
still ; knowing that he who is most pure in heart, shall here*
after enjoy the clearest vision of God. Let indwelling sin be
your daily burden ; and not only bewail and lament, but see
that you subdue it daily by the power of divine grace ; and
look up to Jesus continually to be the finisher, as well as the
author of your faith. Build not on your own faithfulness, but
on God's unchangeableness. Take heed of thinking you stand
by the power of your own free-will.. The everlasting love of
God the Father must be your only hope and consolation : let
this support you under all trials. Remember that God's gifts
and callings are without repentance ; that Christ having once
loved you, will love you to the end. Let this constrain you to
obedience, and make you long and look for that blessed time,
when he shall not only be your wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, but also complete and everlasting redemption.
" Glory be to God in the highest."

SERMON VII.

THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN.

Luke xviii. 14.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other : For every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased; and
he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.
Though there be some who dare deny the Lord Jesus, and
disbelieve the revelation he has been pleased to give us, and
thereby bring upon themselves swift destruction ; yet I would
charitably hope there are but few, if any such among you to
whom I am now to preach the kingdom of God. Were I to ask
you, " how you expect to be justified in the sight of an offended
God ?" I suppose you would answer, only for the sake of our
Lord Jesus Christ. But. were I to come more home to your
consciences, I fear most would make the Lord Jesus but in
part their Savior, and go about, as it were, to establish a righte
ousness of their own. And this is not thinking contrary to
the rules of christian charity : For we are all self-righteous by
nature ; it is as natural for us to turn back to a covenant of
works, as for the sparks to fly upwards. We have had so

Serm. 7.] the pharisee and publican. 379
many legal and so few free grace preachers, for these many
years, that most professors now seem to be settled upon their
lees, and rather deserve the title of pharisees than christians.
Thus it was with the generality of the people during the
time of our Lord's public ministrations : and therefore, in al
most all his discourses, he preached the gospel to poor sinners,
and denounced terrible woes against proud self-justifiers. The
parable to which the words of the text belong, looks both these
ways : for the evangelist informs us, (verse 9.) that our Lord
" spake it unto certain who trusted in themselves, that they
were righteous, and despised others." And a notable parable
it is ; a parable worthy your most serious attention. " He that
hath ears to hear let him hear" what Jesus Christ speaks to all
visible professors in it.
Ver. 10. " Two men went up into the temple to pray," (and
never two men of more opposite characters) " the one a phari
see, and the other a publican." The pharisees were the strict
est sect among the Jews. I was of the strictest sect of the
pharisees, says Paul. They prayed often ; not only so, but
they made long prayers ; and, that they might appear extraor
dinarily devout, they would pray at the corners of the street,
where two ways met, that people going or coming, both ways,
might see them. " They made broad (as our Lord informs us)
the borders of their philacteries :" they had pieces of parchment
sewed to their long robes, on which some parts of the scrip
ture were written, that people might from thence infer, that
they were lovers of the law of God. They were so very punc
tual and exact in outward purifications, that they washed at
their going out and coming in. They held to the washing of
pots, brazen vessels and tables, and many other like things they
did. They were very zealous for the traditions of the fathers,
and for the observation ofthe rites and ceremonies of the church,
notwithstanding they frequently made void the law of God by
their traditions. And they were so exceedingly exact in the
outward observation of the Sabbath, that they condemned our
Lord for making a httle clay with his spittle ; and called him a
sinner, and -said hewas not of God, because be had given sight
to a man born blind, on the Sabbath day. For these reasons, they
were had in high veneration among the people, who were sadly
misled by these blind guides : they had the uppermost places in
the synagogues, and greetings in the market places, (which they
loved deariy) and were called of men, Rabbi ; in short, they
had such a reputation for piety,, that it became a proverb among
the Jews, that if there were but two men saved, the one of them
must be a pharisee.
As for the publicans, it was not so with them. It seems

"380 THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. [Serm. 7
they were sometimes Jews, or at least proselytes of the gate ;
for we find the one here coming up to the temple ; but for the
generality, I am apt to think they were Gentiles; for they
were gatherers of the Roman taxes, and used to amass much
wealth (as appears from the confession of Zaccheus, one of the
chief of them,) by wronging men by false accusations. They
were so universally infamous, that our Lord himself tells his
disciples, the excommunicated man should be to them as a
heathen man, or a publican. And the pharisees thought it a
sufficient impeachment of our Lord's character, that he was
a friend to publicans and sinners, and went to sit down with
them at meat.
But, however they disagreed in other things, they agreed
in this, that public worship is a duty incumbent upon all : for
they both came up to the temple. The very heathens were
observers of temple worship. We have very early notice of
men's sacrificing to, and calling upon, the name of the Lord,
in the Old Testament ! and I find it no where contradicted in
the New. Our Lord, and his apostles, went up to the temple ;
and we are commanded by the apostle, " not to forsake the as
sembling of ourselves together," as the manner of too many
is in our days ; and such, too, as would have us think well of
them, though they seldom or never tread the courts of the
Lord's house. But, though our devotions begin in our closets,
they must not end there. And, if people never show their de
votions abroad, I must suspect they have little or none at home.
" Two men went up into the temple." And what went they
thither for? Not, (as multitudes amongst us do) to make the
house of God a house of merchandise, or to turn it into a den of
thieves ; much less to ridicule the preacher, or disturb the con
gregation. No, they came to the temple, says our Lord, to
pray. Thither should the tribes of God's spiritual Israel go
up, to walk with and pour out their hearts before the mighty
God of Jacob.
" Two men went up into the temple to pray." I fear one
of them forgot his errand. I have often been at a loss what to
call the pharisee's address. It certainly does not deserve the
name of a prayer. He may rather be said to come to the tem
ple to boast, than to pray ; for I do not find one word of con
fession of his original guilt ; not one single petition for pardon
of his past actual sins, or for grace to help and assist him for
the time to come ; he only brings in God, as it were, a reckon
ing of his performances, and does that, which no flesh can justly
do, I mean, glory in his presence.
Verse 11. "The pharisee stood, and prayed thus with him-

Serm. 7.] the pharisee and publican. 381
self: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extor
tioners, unjust, adulterers,- or even as this publican."
Our Lord first takes notice of his posture ; the pharisee
stood, he is not to be condemned for that ; for standing, as
well as kneeling, is a proper posture for prayer. When you
stand praying, says our Lord; though sometimes our Lord
kneeled, nay, lay flat on his face upon the ground ; his apos
tles also kneeled, as we read in the Acts, which has made me
wonder at some, who are so bigoted to standing in family as
well as public prayer, that they will not kneel, notwithstand
ing all kneel, that are around them. I fear there is something
of the pharisee in this conduct. Kneeling and standing are
indifferent, if the knee of the soul be bent, and the heart upright
towards God. We should study not to be particular in indif
ferent things, lest we offend weak minds. What the pharisee is
remarked for, is his standing by himself: for the words maybe
rendered, he stood by himself, upon some eminent place, at the
upper part of the temple, near the holy of holies, that the con
gregation might see what a devout man he was. Or it may
be understood as we read it, he prayed by himself or of him
self, out of his own heart ; he did not pray by form, it was an
extempore prayer ; for there are many pharisees that pray and
preach too extempore. I do not see why these may not be ac
quired, as well as other arts and sciences. A man, with a
good elocution, ready turn of thought, and good memory, may
repeat his own or other men's sermons, and by the help of a
Wilkins or Henry, may pray seemingly excellently well, and
yet not have the least grain of true grace in his heart ; and I
speak this, not to cry down extempore prayer, or to- discourage
those dear souls who really pray by the Spirit ; I only would'
hereby give a word of reproof to those who' are so bigoted1 to'
extempore prayer, that they condemn, at least judge, all that
use forms, as though they were not so holy and heavenly, as
others who pray without them. Alas ! this is wrong. Not
every one that prays extempore, is a spiritual, nor every one
that prays with a form, a formal man. Let us not judge one
another ; let not him that uses a form, judge him that prays
extempore, on that account ; and let not him that prays ex
tempore, despise him who uses a form. " The pharisee stood,
and prayed thus by himself." Which may signify also pray
ing inwardly in his heart ; for there is a way (and that an
excellent one too) of praying when we cannot speak ; thus
Anna prayed, when she spoke not aloud, only her lips moved.
Thus God says to Moses, " Why criest thou ?" when it is plain
he did not speak a word. This is what the apostle means by
the " Spirit making intercession (for believers) with groanings

382 the pharisee And publican. [Serm. 7;
which cannot be uttered." For there are times when the soul-
is too big to speak ; when God fills as it were, and overshadows
it with his presence, so that it can only fall down, worship,
adore, and lie in the dust before the Lord. Again, there is a
time when the soul is benumbed, barren, and dry, and the be
liever has not a word to say to his heavenly Father ; and then
the heart only can speak. And I mention this for the encour
agement of weak christians, who think they never are accept
ed but when they have a flow of words, and fancy they do not
please God at the bottom, for no other reason but because they
do not please themselves. Such would do well to consider,
that God knows the language of the heart, and the mind of
the spirit ; and that we make use of words, not to inform God,
but to affect ourselves. Whenever therefore any of you find
yourselves in such a frame, be not discouraged : offer your
selves up in silence before God, as clay in the hands of the
potter, for him to write and stamp his own divine image upon
your souls. But I believe the pharisee knew nothing of this
way of prayer : he was self-righteous, a stranger to the divine
life ; and therefore either of the former explanations may be
best put upon these words. ' "He stood, and prayed thus
with himself. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican."
Here is some appearance of devotion, but it is only in appear
ance. To thank God, that we are not extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, and as wicked in our practices, as other men are, is
certainly meet, right, and our bounden duty : for whatever de
grees of goodness there may be in us, more than in others, it is
owing to God's restraining, preventing, and assisting grace.
We are all equally conceived and born in sin ; all are fallen
short of the glory of God, and liable to all the curses and
maledictions of the law ; so that he that glorieth, must glory
only in the Lord. For none of us have any thing which he did
not receive ; and whatever we have received, we did not in the
least merit it, nor could we lay the least claim to it on any
account whatever : we are wholly indebted to free grace for
all. Had the pharisee thought thus, when he said, " God, I
thank thee that I am not as other men are," it would have been
an excellent introduction to his prayer : but he was a free wilier,
as well as self-righteous, (for he that is the one must be the
other) and thought by his own power and strength he had kept
himself from these vices. And yet I do not see what reason
he had to trust in himself that he was righteous, merely be
cause he was not an extortioner, unjust, adulterer ; for all this
while he might be, as he certainly was, (as is also every self-
righteous person) as proud as the devil. But he not only boasts,

Serm. 7.] the pharisee and publican. 383
,but lies before God (as all self-justifiers will be found liars here
or hereafter.) He thanks God that he was not unjust ; but is
it not an act of the highest injustice to rob God of his preroga
tive ! Is it not an act of injustice to judge our neighbor ? And
yet of both these crimes this self-righteous vaunter is guilty.
" Even as this publican !" He seems to speak with the utmost
disdain ; this publican ! Perhaps he pointed at the poor man,
that others might treat him with the like contempt. Thou
proud, confident boaster, what hadst thou to do with that poor
publican ? Supposing other publicans were unjust, and extor
tioners, did it therefore follow that he must be so ? Or, if he
had been such a sinner, how knowest thou but he has repented
of those sins ? His coming up to the temple to pray, is one
good sign of a reformation at least. Thou art therefore inex
cusable^ O pharisee, who thus judgest the publican : for thou
that judgest him to be unjust, art, in the very act of judging,
unjust thyself : thy sacrifice is only the sacrifice of a fool.
We have seen what the phari see's negative goodness comes
to ; I think, nothing at all. Let us now see how far his positive
goodness extends ; for, if we are truly religious, we shall not
only eschew evil/but also do good : "I fast twice in the week,
I give tithes of all that J possess."
The pharisee is not here condemned for his fasting, for fast
ing is a christian duty ; " when you fast," says our Lord, there
by taking it for granted, that his disciples would fast. And
" when the bridegroom shall be taken away, then shall they
fast in those days." In fasting often, says the apostle. And all
that would not be cast-aways, will take care, as their privilege,
without legal constraint, to "keep their bodies under, and
bring them into subjection." The pharisee is only condemned
for making a righteousness of his fasting, and thinking that
God would accept him, or that he was any better than his
neighbors, merely on account of his fasting : this is what he
was blamed for. The pharisee was not to be discommended for
fasting twice in a week ; I wish some christians would imitate
him more in this : but to depend on fasting in the least, for his
justification in the sight of God was really abominable. " I
give tithes of all that I possess." He might as well have said,
I pay tithes. But self-righteous people (whatever they may say
to the contrary) think they give something to God. I give
tithes of all that I possess. I make conscience of giving tithes,
not only of all that the law requires, but of my mint, anise, and
cummin, of all things whatever I possess ; this was well ; but
to boast of such things, or of fasting, is pharisaical and devilish.
Now then let us sum up all the righteousness of this boasting
pharisee, and see what little reason he had to trust in himself,

384 the pharisee and publican. [Serm. 7
that he was righteous, or to despise others. He is not unjust,
(but we have only his word for that, and I think I have proved
the contrary ;) he is no adulterer, no extortioner ; he fasts twice
in the week, and gives tithes of all that he possesses ; and all
this he might do, and a great deal more, and yet be a child of
the devil : for here is no mention made of his loving the Lord
his God with all his heart, which was the "first and great
commandment of the law ;" here is not a single syllable of in
ward religion ; and he was not a true Jew, who was only one
outwardly. It is only an outside piety at the best ; inwardly
he is full of pride, self-justification, free-will, and great uncharir
tableness. Were not the pharisees, do you think, highly offended at
this character ? For they might easily know that it was spo
ken against them. And though perhaps some of you may be
offended at me, yet, out of love, I must tell you, I fear this
parable is spoken against many of you. For are there not
many of you, who go up to the temple to pray, with no better
spirit than this pharisee did ? And because you fast, it may
be in Lent, or every Friday ; and because you do nobody any
harm, receive the sacrament, pay tithes, and give an alms now
and then ; you think that you are safe, and trust in yourselves
that you are righteous, and inwardly despise those, who do
not come up to you in these outward duties. This, I am per
suaded, is the case of many of you, though, alas ! it is a despe
rate one, as I shall endeavor to show at the close of this discourse.
Let us now take a view of the publican, verse 13. "And
the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God
be merciful to me a sinner." -
The "publican standing afar off." Perhaps in the outward
court of the temple, conscious to himself that he was not wor
thy to approach the holy of holies : so conscious, and so
-weighed down with a sense of his own unworthiness, that he
would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, which he
knew was God's throne. Poor heart ! what did he feel at this
time ! None but returning publicans, like himself, can tell.
Methinks I see him standing afar off, pensive, oppressed, and
even overwhelmed with sorrow; sometimes he attempts to
look up ; but then, thinks he, the heavens are unclean in God's
sight, and the very angels are charged with folly ; how then
shall such a wretch as I, dare to lift up my guilty head ! And
4o show that his heart was full of holy self-resentment, and
that he sorrowed after a godly sort, he smote upon his breast ;
the word in the original implies, that he struck hard upon his
breast: he will lay the blame upon none but his own wicked

Serm. 7.] the pharisee and publican. 385
heart. He will not, like unhumbled Adam, tacitly lay the fault
of his vileness upon God, and say, the " passions which thou
gavest me, they deceived me, and I sinned :" he is too penitent
thus to reproach his Maker ; he smites upon his breast, his
treacherous, ungrateful, desperately wicked breast ; a breast
now ready to burst : and at length, out of the abundance of
his heart, I doubt not with many tears, he at last cries out,
¦*' God be merciful to me a sinner." Not, God be merciful to
yonder proud pharisee. He found enough in himself to vent
ihis resentment against, without looking abroad upon others.
Not, God be merciful to me a saint ; for he knew all his right
eousness were but filthy rags. Not, God be merciful to such or
such a one ; but, God be merciful to me, even to me a sinner;
a sinner by birth ; a sinner in thought, word, and deed ; a sin
ner as. to my person ; a sinner as to all my performances ; a
sinner in whom is no health, in whom dweileth no good thing ;
a sinner, poor, miserable, blind, and naked, from the crown of
the head to the soul of the feet, full of wounds, and bruises,
and putrifying sores ; a self-accused, self-condemned sinner.
What think you ? would this publican have been offended if
any minister had told him that he deserved to be damned ?
would he have been angry, if any one had told him, that by
.nature he was half a devil and half a beast ? No : he would
.have confessed a thousand hells to have been his due, and that
he was an earthly, devilish sinner. He felt now what a dread
ful thing it was to depart from the living God : he felt that he
was inexcusable every way ; that he could in no wise, upon
account of any thing in himself, be justified in the sight of
God ; and therefore lays himself at the feet of sovereign mer
cy : " God be merciful to me a sinner." Here is no confidence
in the flesh, no plea fetched from fasting, paying tithes, or the
performance of any other duty ; here is no boasting that he
rwas not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. Perhaps he
had been guilty of all these crimes, at least he knew he would
have been guilty of all these, had he been left to follow the
..devices and desires of his own heart ; and therefore, with a
broken and contrite spirit, he cries out, " God be merciful to me
a sinner." This man came up to the temple to pray, and he prayed
indeed. And a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.
I tell you, says our Lord, I who lay in the bosom of the father
from all eternity ; I who am God, and therefore know all things ;
I who can neither deceive, nor be deceived, whose judgment
is according to right ; I tell you, whatever you may think of
it, or of me for telling you so, this man, this publican, this des
pised, sinful, but broken-hearted man, went down to his house
33

386 the pharisee and publican, [Serm. 7.
justified (acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in the sight
of God) rather than the other.
Let pharisees take heed that they do not pervert this text :
for when it is said, " this man went down to his house justified
rather than the other," our lord does not mean that both were
justified, and the publican had rather more justification than
the pharisee : but it implies, either that the publican was actu
ally justified, but the pharisee was not ; or, that the publican
was in a better way to receive justification, than the pharisee ;
according to our Lord's saying, " the publicans and harlots
enter into the kingdom of heaven before you." That the pha
risee was not justified is certain, for God resisteth the proud ;
and that the publican was at this time actually justified (and
perhaps went home with a sense of it in his heart) we have
great reason to infer from the latter part of the text, " For every
one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that hum-
bleth himself shall be exalted."
The parable therefore now speaks to all who hear me this
day : for that our Lord intended it for our learning, is evident,
from his making such a general application ; " for every one
that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted."
The parable of the publican and pharisee, is but as it wero
a glass, wherein we may see the different dispositions of all
mankind ; for all mankind may be divided into two general
classes. Either they trust wholly in themselves, or in part, that
they are righteous, and then they are pharisees ; or they have
no confidence in the flesh, are self-condemned sinners, and then
they come under the character of the publican just now des
cribed. And we may add also, that the different reception
these men met with, points out to us in lively colors, the differ
ent treatment the self-jirstifier and self-condemned criminal will
meet with at the terrible day of judgment. " Every one that
exalts himself shall be abased, but fie that humbleth himself
shall be exalted."
Every one, without exception, young or old, high or low,
rich or poor, (for God is no respecter of persons) every onej
whosoever he be, that exalteth himself, and not free-grace ; every
one that trusteth in himself that he is righteous, that rests in
his duties ; or thinks to join them with the righteousness of
Jesus Christ, for justification in the sight of God, though he
be no adulterer, no extortioner, though he be not outwardly
ttnjust, nay though he fast twice in the week, and give tithes
of all that he possesses ; yet shall he be abased in the sight of
all good men who know him here, and before men and angels,
and God himself, when Jesus Christ comes to appear in judg

Serm. 7.] the pharisee an"d puHlIcaN. 387
ment hereafter. How low, none but the Almighty God can tell.
He shall be abased to live with devils, and make his abode in
the lowest hell for evermore.
Hear this, all ye self-jitstifiefSj tremble, and behold yOur doom !
a dreadful doom, more dreadfiil than words can express, or
thought conceive ! If you refuse to humble yourselves, aftei
hearing this parable, I call heaven and earth to witness against
you this day, that God shall visit you with all his storms, and
pour all the vials of his wrath upon your rebellious heads ; you
exalted yourselves here, and God shall abase you hereafter ;
you are as proud as the devil, and with devils shall you dwell
to all eternity. Be not deceived, God is not mocked ; he sees
your hearts, he knows all things. And notwithstanding you
may come up to the temple to pray, your prayers are turned
into sin, and you go down to your houses not justified, if you
are self-justifiers ; and do you know what it is not to be justi^
fied ? Why, if you are not justified, the wrath of God abideth
upon you ; you are in your blood ; all the curses of the law
belong to you. Cursed are you when you go out ; cursed are
you when you come in ; cursed are your thoughts ; cursed are
your words ; cursed are your deeds ; every thing you do; says
or think from morning to night, is only one continued series
of sin. However highly you may be esteemed in the sight of
men ; however you may be honored with the uppermost seats
in the synagogues in the church militant, you will have no
place in the church triumphant. Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God. Pull down every self-right
eous thought, and every proud imagination, that now exalt-
eth itself against the perfect, personal, imputed righteousness
of the dear Lord Jesus. For he (and he alone) that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
He that humbleth himself, whatever he be ; if, instead of
fasting twice in a week, he has been drunk twice in the week ;
if, instead of giving tithes of all that he possesses, he has cheat
ed the minister of his tithes, and the king of his taxes ; not
withstanding he be unjust, an extortioner, an adulterer, nay,
notwithstanding the sins of all mankind centre and unite in
him ; yet, if through grace, like the publican, he is enabled to
humble himself, he shall be exalted ; not in a temporal man
ner ; for christians must rather expect to be abased, and to have
their names cast out as evil, and to lay down their lives for
Christ Jesus in this world. But he shall be exalted in a spirit
ual sense ; he shall be freely justified from all his sins by the
blood of Jesus ; he shall have peace with God — a peace which
passeth all understanding ; not only peace, but joy in believing ;
he shall be translated from the kingdom of Satan, to the king-

388 THE PHARISEE and publican. [Sertn. 7.
dom of God's dear Son : he shall dwell in Christ, and Christ
in him : he shall be one with Christ, and Christ one with him :
he shall drink of divine pleasures as out of a river : he shall
be sanctified throughout in spirit, soul, and body ; in one word,
he shall be filled with all the fullness of God. Thus shall the
man who humbleth himself be exalted here ; but O how high
shall he be exalted hereafter ! as high as the highest heavens,
even to the right hand of God. There he shall sit, happy both
in soul and body, and judge angels ; high, out of the reach
of all sin and trouble, eternally secure from all danger of fall
ing. O sinners, did you but know how highly God intends
toexalt those who humble themselves and believe in Jesus,
.snrely you would humble yourselves, at least beg of God to
humble you ; for it is he that must strike the rock of your hearts,
and cause floods of contrite tears to flow therefrom. O that
God would give this sermon such a commission, as he once
gave to the rod of Moses ! I would strike you through and
through with the rod of his word, until each of you was brought
to cry out with the poor publican, " God be merciful to me a
sinner." What pleasant language would this be in the ears
of the Lord of Sabbaoth !
Are there no poor sinners among you ? What, are you all
pharisees ? Surely, you cannot bear the thoughts of returning
home not justified ; can you ? What if a fit of the apoplexy
should seize jrou, and your souls be hurried away before the
awful judge of quick and dead ? What will you do without
Christ's righteousness ? If you go out of the world not- jus
tified, you must remain so for ever. O that you would hum
ble yourselves ! then would the Lord exalt you ; it may be,
that, whilst I am speaking, the Lord might justify you freely
by his grace. I observed, that perhaps the publican had a
sense of his justification before he went from the, temple, and
knew that his pardon was sealed in heaven. And who knows
but you may be thus exalted before you go home, if you hum-
hie yourselves ? O what peace, love, and joy would you then
feel in your hearts ! You would have a heaven upon earth.
O that I could hear any of you say (as I once heard a poor
sinner, under my preaching, cry out) " He is come, he is come !"
How would you then, like him, extol a precious, a free-hearted
Christ ! How would you magnify him for being such a friend
to publicans and sinners ! Greater love can no man show,
than to lay down his life for a friend ; but Christ laid down
his life for his enemies, even for you, if you are enabled to
humble yourselves, as the publican did. Sinners, I know not
how to leave off talking with you ; I would fifl my mouth with
arguments, I would plead with you. Come, let us reason to-

Serm. 8.] the holy spirit convincing, &c. 389
gether ; though your sins be as scarlet, yet if you humble your
selves, they shall be as white as snow. One act of true faith
in Christ justifies you for ever and ever ; he has not promised
you what he cannot perform ; he is able to exalt you. For God
hath exalted, and given him a name above every name, that at
the name of Jesus every knee shall bow ; nay, God hath ex
alted him to be not only a Prince, but a Savior. May he be a
Savior to you ! and then I shall have reason to rejoice in the
day of judgment, that I have not preached in vain, nor labored
in vain.

SERMON VIII.

THE HOLT SPIRIT CONVINCING THE WORLD OP SIN, RIGHT
EOUSNESS, AND JUDGMENT.

John xvi. 8.
And -when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of right
eousness, and of judgment.
These words contain part of a gracious promise, which the
blessed Jesus was pleased to make to his weeping and sorrow
ful disciples. The time was now drawing near, in which the
Son of man was first to be lifted upon the cross, and after
wards to heaven. Kind, wondrous kind ! had this merciful
High priest been to his disciples, during the time of his taber
nacling amongst them. He had compassion on their infirmi
ties, answered for them when assaulted by their enemies, and
set them right when out of the way either in principle or prac
tice. He neither called or used them as servants, but as
friends ; and he revealed his secrets to them from time to time.
He opened their understandings, that they might understand
the scriptures ; explained to them the hidden mysteries of the
kingdom of God, when he spoke to others in parables. Nay,
he became the servant of them all, and even condescended to
wash their feet. The thoughts of parting with so dear and
loving a master as this, especially for a long season, must needs
affect them much. When on a certain occasion he intended
to be absent from them only for a night, we are told, he was
obliged to constrain them to leave him : no wonder then, that
when he now informed them he must entirely go away, and
that the pharisees in his absence would put them out of their
33«

390 the holy spirit convincing [SeYm. 8
synagogues, and excommunicate them ; yea, that the tiro*
should come, that whosoever killed them, would think they
did God service (a prophecy, one would imagine, in an especial
manner designed for the suffering ministers of this generation ;)
no wonder, 1 say, considering all this that we are told, ver. 6.
Sorrow had filled their hearts. " Because I have said these
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your hearts." The expres
sion is very emphatic ; their hearts were so full of concern,
that they were ready to burst. In order, therefore, to reconcile
them to this mournful dispensation, our dear and compassionate
Redeemer shows them the necessity he lay under to leave them.
" Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; it is expedient for you that
I go away." As though he had said, Think not my dear dis
ciples, that I leave you out of anger : no, it is for your sakes,
for your profit that I go away : for if I go not- away, if I die
not upon the cross for your sins, and rise again for your justi
fication, and ascend into heaven to make intercession, and plead
my merits before my Father's throne, the Comforter, the Holy
Ghost, will not, cannot come unto you ; but if I depart, I will
send him unto you. Andy that they might know what he was
to do, " When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment."
The person referred to in. the words of the text, is plainly the
Comforter, the Holy Ghost ; and the promise was first made to
our Lord's apostles. But though it was primarily made to
them, and was literally and remarkably fulfilled at the day of
pentecost, when the Holy Ghost came down as a mighty rush
ing wind, and also when three thousand were pricked to the
heart by Peter's preaching; yet, as the apostles were the repre
sentatives of the whole body of believers, we must infer, that
this promise must be looked upon as spoken to us and to our
children, and to as many as the Lord our God shall call.
My design from these words, is to show the manner in which
the Holy Ghost generally works upon the hearts of those, who,
through grace, are made vessels of" mercy, and translated from
the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of God's dear
Son. I say, generally : for as God is a sovereign agent, his sacred
Spirit bloweth not only on whom, but when and how itlisteth.
Therefore, far be it from me to confine the Almighty to-one way
of acting ; or to say, that all undergo an equal degree of convic
tion ; no, there is a holy variety m God's methods of calling
home his elect. But this we may affirm assuredly, that, wher
ever there is a work of true conviction and conversion wrought
upon a sinner's heart, the Holy Ghost, whether by a greater or
less degree of inward soul-trouble, does that which our Lord

Serm. 8.] the world of sin, tc. 391
Jesus told the disciples, in the words of the text, that he should
do when he came.
If any of you ridicule inward religion, or think there is no
such thing as our feeling or receiving the Holy Ghost, I fear
my preaching will be quite- foolishness to you, and that you
will understand me no- more than if I spoke to you in an un
known tongue. But as the promise in the text is made to the
world, and as I know it will be fulfilling till time shall be no
more, I shall proceed to explain the general way whereby the
Holy Ghost works upon every converted sinner's heart ; and I
hope that the Lord, even whilst I am speaking, will be pleased to
fulfill it in many of your hearts. "And when he is comerhe will
reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and. of judgment."
The word which we translate reprove, ought to be rendered
convince ; and in the original it implies a conviction by way
of argumentation, and coming with a power upon the mind-
equal to a demonstration. A great many scoffers of these last
days, will ask such as they term pretenders to the Spirit, how
they feel the Spirit, and how they know the Spirit? They might
as well ask, how they know, and how they feel the sun when it
shines upon the body? For with equal power and demonstration
does the Spirit of God work upon and convince the soul. And,.
First, It convinces of sin ; and generally of some enormous
sin, the worst perhaps the convicted person ever was guilty of.
Thus,- when our Lord was conversing with the woman of
Samaria, he convinced her first of her adultery : "Woman, go
call thy husband. The woman answered, and said, I have no
husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no
husband : for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou
now hast, is not thy husband ; in this saidst thou truly." With
this, there went such a powerful conviction of all her other
actual sins, that soon after, she " left her water pot, and went
her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, and see a
man that told me all things that ever I did : Is not this the
Christ ?" Thus our Lord also dealt with the pesecutor Saul :
he convinced him first of the horrid sin of persecution : " Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me !" Such a sense of all his other
sins, probably at the same time revived in his mind, that imme
diately he died ; that is, died to all his false confidences,, and
was thrown into such an agony of soul, that he continued three
days, and neither did eat nor drink. This is the method the
Spirit of God generally takes in dealing with sinners ; he first
convinces them of some heinous actual sin, and at the same
time brings all their other sins into remembrance, and as it
were, sets them in battle-array before them. " When he is come,
he will reprove the world of sin.."

392 the holy spirit convincing [Serm. 8.
And was it ever thus with you, my dear hearers ? (For I
must question you as I go along, because I intend, by the divine
help, to preach not only to your heads, but your hearts.) Did
the Spirit of God ever bring all your sins thus to remembrance,
and make you cry out to God, " thou writest bitter things
against me ?" Did your actual sins ever appear before you, as
though drawn in a map ? If not, you have great reason (unless
you were sanctified from the womb) to suspect that you are not
convicted, much more not converted, and that the promise of
the text was never yet fulfilled in your hearts.
Farther : When the Comforter comes into a sinner's heart,
though it generally convinces the sinner of his actual sin first,
yet it leads him to see and bewail his original sin, the fountain
from which all these polluted streams do flow.
Though every thing in the earth, air and water ; everything
both without arid within, concur to prove the truth of that as
sertion in the scripture, " in Adam we all have died ;" yet most
are so hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, that notwith
standing they may give an assent to the truth of the proposition
in their heads, yet they never felt it really in their hearts. Nay,
some in words professedly deny it, though their works too
plainly prove them to be degenerate sons of a degenerate father.
But when the Comforter, the Spirit of God, arrests a sinner,
and convinces him of sin, all carnal reasoning against original
corruption, every proud and high imagination, which exalteth
itself against that doctrine, is immediately thrown down ; and
he is made to cry out, " Who shall deliver me from the body of
this death ?" He now finds that concupiscence is sin ; and does
not so much bewail his actual sins, as the inward perverseness
of his heart, which he now finds not only to be an enemy to,
but also direct enmity against God.
And did the Comforter, my dear friends ever come with such
a convincing power as this into your hearts ? Were you ever
made to see and feel, that in your flesh dweileth no good thing ;
that you are conceived and born in sin ; that you are by na
ture children of wrath ; that God would be just if he damned
you, though you never committed an actual sin in your lives?
So often as you have been at church and sacrament, did you
ever feelingly confess, that there was no health in you ; that
the remembrance of your original and actual sins was grievous
unto you, and the burden of them intolerable ? If not, you have
been only offering to God vain oblations ; you never yet pray
ed in your lives ; the Comforter never yet came effectually into
your souls : consequently you are not in the faith properly so
called ; no, you are at present in a state of death and damnation.
Again, the Comforter, when he comes effectually to work

Serm. 8.} the world op sin, tc. . 393
upon a sinner, not only convinces him ofthe sin of his nature,
and the sin of his life, but also of the sin of his duties.
We all naturally are legalists, thinking to be justified by the
works of the law. When somewhat awakened by the terrors
of the Lord, we immediately, like the pharisees of old, go about
to establish our own righteousness, and think we shall find ac
ceptance with God, if we seek it with tears ;• finding ourselves
damned by nature and our actual sins, we then think to re
commend ourselves to God by our duties, and hope, by our
doings of one kind or another, to inherit eternal life. But,
whenever the Comforter comes into the heart, it convinces the
soul of these false rests, and makes the sinner to see that all his
righteousness is but as filthy rags : that his best works are but
so many splendid sins : and that, for the most pompous ser
vices he deserves a doom no better than of the unprofitable ser
vant, to be thrown into outer darkness, where is weeping, and
waiting, and gnashing of teeth.
And was this degree of conviction ever wrought in any of
your souls ? Did the Comforter ever come into your hearts,
so as to make you sick of your duties, as well as your sins?
Were you ever, with the great apostle of the Gentiles, made to
abhor your own righteousness which is by the law, and ac
knowledge that you deserve to be damned, though you should
give all your goods to feed the poor ? Were you made to feel, that
your very repentance needed to be repented of, and that every
thing in yourselves is but dung and dross ? And that all the
arguments you can fetch for mercy, must be out of the heart
and the pure unmerited love of God ? Were you ever made
to lie at the feet of sovereign grace, and to say, Lord, if thou
wilt, thou mayest save me ; if not, thou mayest justly damn me ;
I have nothing to plead, I can in no wise justify myself in thy
sight ; my best performances, I see will condemn me ; and all
I have to depend upon is thy free grace ? What say you ? Was
this ever, or is this now, the habitual language of your hearts ?
You have been frequently at the temple ; but did you ever
approach it in the temper of the poor publican ; and, after you
have done all, acknowledge that you have done nothing ; and
upon a feeling experimental sense of your own unworthiness
and sinfulness every way, smite upon your breasts, and say,
" God be merciful to us sinners ?" If you never were thus
minded, the Comforter never yet effectually came into your
Bouls ; you are out of Christ ; and if God should require your
souls in that condition, he would be no better to you than a
consuming fire.
But there is a fourth sin, of which the Comforter, when he
comes convinces the soul, and which alone (it is very remark-

394 the hol\ spirit convincing [Serm. 8.
able) our Lord mentions as though it was the only sin worth
mentioning ; for indeed it is the root of all other sins whatso
ever. It is the reigning as well as the damning sin of the world.
And what now do you imagine that sin may be 1 It is that
cursed sin, that root of all other evils, I mean the sin of unbelief
" Of sin because they beheve not on me."
But does the christian world or any of you that hear me this
day want the Holy Ghost to convince you of unbelief? Are
there any infidels here ? Yes, (O that I had not too great rea
son to think so) I fear most are such. Not indeed such infidels
as professedly deny the Lord that bought us (though I fear too
many even of such monsters are in every country ;) but I mean
such unbelievers, as have no more faith in Christ than the
devils themselves. Perhaps you may think you believe, be
cause you repeat the creed, or subscribe to a confession of
faith ; because you go to church or meeting, receive the
sacrament, and are taken into fiill communion. These are
blessed privileges ; but all this may be done, without our being
true believers. And I know not how to detect your false hy
pocritical faith better than by putting to you this question :
How long have you believed ? Would not most of you say,
as long as we can remember, we never did disbelieve. Then
this is a certain sign that you have no true faith at all : no, not
so much as a grain of mustard seed : for if you beheve now,
(unless you were sanctified from your infancy, which is the case
of some) you must know that there was a time in which you
did not beheve on the Lord Jesus Christ ; and the Holy Ghost,
if ever you received it, convinced you of this. Eternal Truth
has declared, " when he is come he will convince the world of
sin, because they believe not on me."
None of us beheve by nature ; but after the Holy Ghost has
convinced us of our natures, and the sin of our fives and duties,
in order to convince us of our utter inability to save ourselves,
and that we must be beholden to God, as for every thing else,
so for faith (without which it is impossible to please, or be saved
by Christ) he convinces us also that we have no faith. Dost
thou believe on the Son of God ? is the grand question which
the Holy Ghost now puts to the soul. At the same time he
works with such power and demonstrations, that the soul sees,
vad is obliged to confess, that it has no faith.
This is a thing little thought of by most who call themselves
believers. They dream they are christians because they Uve
in a christian country ; if they were bom Turks, they would
beheve on Mahomet ; for what is that which men commonly
call faith, but an outward consent to the established rehgion 1
But do not you thus deceive your own selves ; true faith is

Serm. 8.] the world of sin, tc. 395
quite another thing. Ask yourselves, therefore, whether or
not the Holy Ghost ever powerfully convinced you of the sin
of unbelief? You are perhaps so devout (you may imagine)
as to get a catalogue of sins, which you look over, and confess
in a formal manner, as often as you go to the holy sacrament.
But among all your sins, did you ever once confess and bewail
that damning sin of unbelief? Were you ever made to cry
out, Lord, give me faith ; Lord, give me to believe on thee ;
O that I had faith ! O that I could believe ! If you never were
thus distressed, at least if you never saw and felt, that you had
no faith, it is a certain sign that the Holy Ghost the Comforter,
never came into and worked savingly upon your souls.
But is it not odd, that the Holy Ghost should be called a
Comforter, when it is plain, by the experience of all God's chil
dren, that this work of conviction is usually attended with sore
inward conflicts, and a great deal of soul-trouble ? I answer,
the Holy Ghost may well be termed a Comforter, even in this
work ; because it is the only way to, and ends in, true solid
comfort. Blessed are they that are thus convicted by him ;
for they shall be comforted. Nay, not only so, but there is
present comfort, even in the midst of these convictions. The
soul secretly rejoices in the sight of its own misery, blesses God
for bringing it out of darkness into light, and looks forward
with a comfortable prospect of future deliverances, knowing,
that, " though sorrow may endure for a night, joy will come in
the morning."
Thus it is that the Holy Ghost convinces the soul of sin.
And, if so, how wretchedly are they mistaken, that blend tha
light of the Spirit with the light of conscience, as all those do,
who say, that Christ lighteth every man that cometh into the
world, and that light, if improved, will bring us to Jesus Christ?
If such doctrine be true, the promise in the text was needless :
our Lord's apostles had already that light ; the world hereafter
to be convinced, had that light ; and, if that was sufficient to
bring them to Christ, why was it expedient that Christ should
go away to heaven, to send down the Holy Ghost to do this for
them? Alas! all have not this Spirit: it is the special gift
of God, and, without this special gift, we can never come to
Christ. The light of conscience will accuse or convince us of any
common sin ; but the light of natural conscience never did,
never will, and never can convince us of unbelief. If it could,
how comes it to pass, that not one of the heathen, who improv
ed the light of nature in such an eminent degree, was ever
convinced of unbelief? No, natural conscience cannot effect
this ; it is the peculiar property of the Holy Ghost the Com-

396 the «oly spirit coN.v.iwciNa [Serm. 8.
forter. "When he is come, he will reprove (or convince) the
world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment."
We have heard how he convinces of sin. We come now to
show, Secondly, What is the righteousness, of which -the Comforter
convinces the world.
By the word righteousness, in some places of scripture, we
are to understand that common justice which we ought to
practice between man and man ; as when Paul is said to rea
son of temperance and righteousness before a trembling Felix.
But here (as in a multitude of other places in holy writ) we
are to understand by the word righteousness, the active and
passive obedience of the dear Lord Jesus ; even that perfect,
personal, all-sufficient righteousness, which he has wrought out
for that world which the Spirit is to convince. " Of righteous
ness, (says our Lord) because I go to the Father, and ye see
me no more." This is one argument that the Holy Spirit
makes use of to prove Christ's righteousness, because he is gone
to the Father, and we. see him no more. For had he not
wrought out a sufficient righteousness, the Father would have
sent him back, as not having done what he undertook ; and we
should have seen him again.
O the righteousness of Christ ! It so comforts my soul, that
I must be excused if I mention it in almost all ,my discourses.
I would not, if I could help it, have one sermon without it.
Whatever infidels may object, or Arminians sophistically argue
against an imputed righteousness ; yet whoever know them
selves and God, must acknowledge, that "Jesus Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness, (and perfect justification ia
the sight of God,) to every one that believeth," and that we are
to be made the righteousness of God in him. This, and this
only, a poor sinner can lay hold of, as a sure anchor of his
hope. Whatever other scheme of salvation men may lay, I
acknowledge I oan see no other foundation whereon to build
my hopes of salvation, but on the rock of Christ's personal
righteousness, imputed to 'my soul.
Many, I believe, have a rational conviction of, and agree
with me in this. But rational convictions, if rested in, avail
but little ; it must be a spiritual, experimental conviction of
the truth which is saving. And therefore our Lord says, when
the Holy Ghost comes in the day of his power, it convinces of
this righteousness, of the reality, completeness and sufficiency
of it, to save a poor sinner.
We have seen how the Holy Ghost convinces the sinner of
the sin of his nature, life, duties, and of the sin of unbelief;
and what then must the poor creature do,? He must inevita

Serm. 8. J the world op sin, tc 397
bly despair, if there be no hope but in himself. When there
fore the Spirit has hunted the sinner out of all his false rests
and hiding places, taken off the pitiful fig-leaves of his own
works, and driven him out of the trees of the garden, (his
outward reformations) and placed him naked before the bar of
a sovereign, holy, just, and sin-avenging God ; then, then it is,
when the soul, having the sentence of death within itself be
cause of unbelief, has a sweet display of Christ's righteousness
made to it by the holy Spirit of God. Here it is, that he begins
more immediately to act in the quality of a Comforter, and to
convince the soul so powerfully of the reality and all -sufficiency
of Christ's righteousness, that the soul is immediately set a
hungering and thirsting after it. Now the sinner begins to see,
.that though he has destroyed himself, yet in Christ is his hejp ;
that, though he has no righteousness of his own lo recommend
him, there is a fullness of grace, a fullness of truth, a fullness
of righteousness in the dear Lord Jesus, which, if once impu
ted to him, would make him happy for ever and ever..
None can tell, but those happy souls who have experienced
it, with what demonstration of the Spirit this conviction comes.
O how amiable, as well as all-sufficient, does the blessed Jesus
now appear ! With what new eyes does the soul now see the
Lord its righteousness ! Brethren, it is unutterable. If you
wero never thus convinced of Christ's righteousness* in your
own souls, though you may believe it doctrinally, it will avail
you nothing; if the Comforter never came savingly into your
souls, then you are comfortless indeed. But what will this
righteousness avail, if the soul has it not in possession ?
Thirdly, The next thing therefore the Comforter, when he
oomes, convinces the soul of, is judgment.
By the word judgment, I understand that well-grounded
peace, that settled judgment, which the soul forms of itself)
when it is enabled by the Spirit of God to lay hold on Christ's
righteousness, which I believe it always does, when convinced
in the manner before mentioned. " Of judgment, ("says our
Lord) because the prince of this world is judged." The soul;
being enabled to lay hold on Christ's perfect righteousness by
a lively faith, has a conviction wrought in it by the Holy Spirit,
that the " prince of this world is judged." The soul being now
justified by faitli, has peace with God, through our Lord Jesus
Christ, and can triumphantly say, it is Christ that justifies me,
who is he that condemns me ? The strong man armed is now
cast out ; my soul is in a true peace ; the prince of this world
will come and accuse, but he has now no share in me. The
blessed Spirit which I have received, and whereby I am ena
bled to apply Christ's righteousness to my poor soul, powerfully
34

398 THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVINCING [Serm. 8,
convinces me of this. Why should I fear 1 Or of what shall
I be afraid, since God's spirit witnesses with my spirit, that I
am a child of God ? The Lord is ascended up on high ; be
has led captivity captive ; he has received the Holy Ghost the
Comforter, that best of gifts for men : and that Comforter is
come into my heart : he is faithful that hath promised : I, even
I, am powerfully, rationally, spiritually convicted of sin, right
eousness, and judgment. By this I know the prince of this
world is judged.
Thus, I say. may we suppose that soul to triumph, in which
the promise of the text is happily fulfilled. And though, at (he
beginning of this discourse, I said, most had never experienced
any thing of this, and that therefore this preaching must bo
.foolishness to such ; yet I doubt not but there are some few-
happy souls, who, through grace, have been enabled to follow
me step by step ; and notwithstanding the Holy Ghost might
not directly work in the same order as I have described, and
perhaps they cannot exactly say the time when, yet they have
a well grounded confidence that the work is done, and that
they have really been convinced of sin, righteousness, and
judgment, in some way, or at some time or another.
And now what shall I say to you ? O thank God, thank the
Lord Jesus, thank the ever blessed Trinity, for this unspeaka
ble gift ? for you would never have been thus highly favored,
:had not he who first spoke darkness into light, loved you with
an everlasting love, and enlightened you by his Holy Spirit,
¦ and that too, not on account of any good thing foreseen in
you, bufcfor his own name's sake.
Be humble therefore, O believers be humble. Look at the
rock from whence you have been hewn. Extol free grace ;
admire electing love, which alone has made you to differ from
.the rest of your brethren. Has God brought you into light?
Walk as becometh the children of light. Provoke not tho
Holy Spirit to depart from you : for though he hath sealed you
to the day of redemption, and you know that the prince of this
world is judged ; yet if you backslide, grow lukewarm, or for
get your first love, the Lord will visit your offenses with the
rod of affliction, and your sin with spiritual scourges. Be not
therefore high-minded, but fear. Rejoice, but let it be with
trembling. As the elect of God, put on, not only humbleness
of mind, but bowels of compassion ; and pray, O pray for your
unconverted brethren ! Help me, help me now, O children of
God, and hold up my hands, as Aaron and Hur once held up
the hands of Moses. Pray whilst I am preaching, that the
Lord may enable me to say, This day is the promise in the
text fulfilled in some poor sinners' hearts. Cry mightily to

Serm. 8.] the worlO of sin, tc. 399
God, and, with the cords of a holy violence, pull down bless
ings on your neighbors' heads. Christ yet iives and reigns in
heaven. The residue of the Spirit is yet iu his hand, and a
plentiful effusion of it is promised in the latter days of the
church. And 0 that the Holy Ghost, the blessed Comforter,
would now come down, and convince those that are Christless
among you, " of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment !" O
that you were once made willing to be convinced !
But perhaps you had rather be filled with wine than with
the Spirit, and are daily chasing that Holy Ghost from your
souls. What shall I say for you to God ? '•' Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do." What shall I say from
God to you ? Why, " that God was in Christ reconciling the
world, unto himself :" therefore I beseech you, as in Christ's
stead, be ye reconciled to God. Do not go away contradicting
and blaspheming. I know Satan would have you begone.
Many of you may be uneasy, and are ready to cry out. " What
a weariness is this !" But I will not let you go : I have wres
tled with God for my hearers in private, and I must wrestle
with you here in public. Though of myself I can do nothing,
and you can no more by your own power come to_and believe
on Christ, than Lazarus could come forth from the grave ; yet
who knows but God may beget some of you again to a lively
hope by this foolishness of preaching, aud that you may be some
of that world, which the Comforter is to convince " of sin, of
righteousness, and of judgment !" Poor Christless souls ! do
you know what a condition you are in ? Why, you are lying in
the wicked one, the devil ; he rules in you, he walks and dwells
in you, unless you dwell in Christ, and the Comforter is come
into your hearts. And will you contentedly lie in that wicked
one, the devil ? What wages will he give you ? Eternal
death. O that you would come to Christ ! The free gift of
God through him is eternal life. He will accept of you even
now, if you will believe in him. The Comforter may yet
come into your hearts, even yours. All that are now his living
temples, were once lying in the wicked one as well as you.
This blessed gift, this Holy Ghost, the blessed Jesus received
even for the rebellious.
I see many of you affected : but are your passions only a
little wrought upon, or are your souls really touched with a
lively sense of the heinousness of your sins, your want of faith,
and the preciousness of the righteousness of Jesus Christ? If
so, I hope the Lord has been gracious, and that the Comforter
is coming into your hearts. O do not stifle these convictions !
Do not go away, and straightway forget what manner of doc
trine you have heard, and thereby show that thuse are only

400 the holy spirit convincing [Serm. 8.
common workings of a few transient convictions, floating upon
the surface of your hearts. Beg of God that you may be sin
cere (for he alone can make you so) and that you may indeed
desire the promise of the text to be fulfilled in your souls. Who
knows but the Lord may be gracious? Remember you have
no plea but sovereign mercy; but for your encouragement
also, remember it is the world, such as you are, to whom the
Comforter is to come, and whom he is to convince. Wait there
fore at Wisdom's gates. The bare probability of having a door
of mercy opened, is enough to keep you striving. Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, the chief of them. You
know not but he came to save you. Do not go and quarrel
with God's decrees, and say, if I am a reprobate, I shall be
damrted ; if I am elected, I shall be saved : and therefore I
will do nothing. What have you to do with God's decrees?
Secret things belong to him ; it is your business to give "all
diligence to make your calling and election sure." If there are
but few who find the way that leads to life, do you strive to be
some of them. You know not but yon may be in the number
of those few, and that your striving may be the means which
God intends to bless, to give you an entrance in. If you do
not act thus, you are not sincere ; and, if you do, who knows
but you may find mercy? For though after you have done all
that you can, God may justly cut you off, yet never was a sin
gle person damned who did all that he could. Though there
fore your hands are withered, stretch them out ; 1 hough you
are impotent, sick, and lame, come lie at the pool. Who knows
but by and by, the Lord Jesus may have compassion on you,
and send the Comforter to convince you of sin, righteousness,
and of judgment ? He is a. God full of compassion and long-
suffering, otherwise you and I had been long since lifting up
our eyes in torments. But still he is patient with us !
O Christless sinners, you are alive, and who knows but Cod
intends to bring you to repentance ? Could my prayers or
tears affect it, you should have volleys of the one, and floods
of the other. My heart is touched with a sense of your con
dition. May our merciful High Priest now send down the
Comforter and make you sensible of it also ! O the love of
Christ! It constrains me to befeech you to come to him:
what do you reject, if you reject Christ, the Lord of glory 1
Sinners, give the dear Redeemer a lodging in your souls, Do
not be Bethsheinites; give Christ your" hearts, your whole
hearts. Indeed he is worthy. He made you and not you your
selves. You are not your own ; give Christ then your bodies
and souls, which are his ! Is it not enough to melt you down,
to think that the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity,1

Serm. 8.] the world of sin, tc 401
should condescend to invite you by his ministers? How soon
can he frown you to hell ! And how know you but he may
this very instant, if you do not hear his voice ? Did any yet
harden their hearts against Christ, and prosper ? Come then,
do not send me sorrowful away ; do not let me have reason
to cry out, " O my leanness, my leanness !" Do not let me go
weeping into my closet, and say, " Lord they will not believe
my report ; Lord, I have called them, and they will not an
swer ; I am unto them as a very pleasant song, and as one that
plays upon a pleasant instrument ; but their hearts are running
after the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of
life." Would you be willing that I should give such an ac
count of you. or make such a prayer before God ? And yet I
must not only do so here, but appear in judgment against you
hereafter, unless you will come to Christ. Once more, there
fore, I entreat you to come. What objections have you to make ?
Behold, I stand here in the name of God, to answer all that
you can offer. But I know no one can come, unless the Father
draw him. I will therefore address me to my God, and inter
cede with him to send the Comforter into your hearts.
O blessed Jesus, who art a God whose compassions fail not,
and in whom all the promises are yea and amen ; thou that
sittest between the cherubims, show thyself amongst us. Let
us now see thy outgoings ! O let us now taste that thou art
gracious, and reveal thy almighty arm ! Get thyself the vic
tory in these poor sinners' hearts. Let not the word spoken
prove like water spilt upon the ground. Send down, send
down, O great High Priest, the Holy Spirit, to convince the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. So will we
give thanks and praise to thee O Father, thee O Son, and
thee O blessed Spirit ; to whom as three Persons, but one God,
be ascribed, by angels and archangels, by cherubim and
seraphim, and all the heavenly hosts, all possible power, might,
majesty, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen, Amen,
Amen. 34»

403 whe conversion of zaccheus. [Serm. 9,
SERMON IX.

the conversion of zaccheus.

Luke xix. 9, 10
And Jesus said unto him., This day is salvation come lo this house^
forasmuch as he also is the son of Abraham. For the son of may
is come lo seek and to save that which was lost.
Salvation, every where through the whole scripture, is-
said to be free gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Not only free, because God is a sovereign agent, and therefore
may withhold it from, or confer it on, whom he pleaseth ; but
free, because there is nothing to be found in man, that can any
way induce God to be merciful unto him. The righteousness
of Jesus Christ is the sole cause of our finding favor in God'a
sight. This righteousness, apprehended by faith, (which is
also the gift of God) makes it our own ; and this faith, if true,
will work by love.
These are parts of those glad tidings which are published in
the gospel ; and of the certainty of them, next to the express
word of God, the experience of all such as have been saved, is
the best, and as I take it, the most undoubted proof. That God
might teach us every way, he has been pleased to leave upon
record many instances of the power of bis grace exerted in the
salvation of several persons, that we hearing how he dealt with
them, might thence infer the manner we must expect to be dealt
with ourselves, and learn in what way we must look for salva
tion, if we truly desire to be made partakers of fhe inheritance
with the saints in hght.
The conversion of the person referred to in the text, I think
will be of no small service to us in this matter, if rightly im
proved. I would hope, most of you know who the person is,
to whom the Lord Jesus speaks ; it is the publican Zaccheus,
to whose liou.se the blessed Jesus said, salvation came, and
whom he pronounces a son of Abraham.
It is my design (God helping) to make some remarks upon
his conversion recorded at large in the preceding verses, and
then to enforce the latter part of the text, as an encouragement
to poor undone sinners to come to Jesus Christ. "For the Son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
The evangelist Luke introduces the account of this man's
conversion thus, ver. 1. " And Jesus entered and passed through

Berm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus.
Jericho." The holy Jesus made it his business to go about
doing good. As the sun in the firmament is continually spread
ing his benign, quickening, and cheering influences over the
natural ; so the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing under
his wings, and was daily and hourly diffusing his gracious in
fluences over the moral world. The prec-eding chapter ac
quaints us of a notable miracle wrought by the holy Jesus on
poor blind Bartimeus : aud in this, a greater presents itself to
our consideration. The evangelist would have us take par
ticular notice of it ; for he introduces it with the word behold :
"And behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, who was the
chief among the publicans, and he was rich."
Well might the evangelist usher in the relation of this man's
conversion with the word behold ! For. according to human
judgment, how many insurmountable obstacles lay in the way
of it ! Surely no one will say there was any fitness in Zaccheus
for salvation ; for we are told that he was a publican, and
therefore in all probability a notorious sinner. The publicans
were gatherers of the Roman taxes ; they were infamous for
their abominable extortion ; their very name therefore became
so odious, that we find the pharisees often reproached our Lord,
as very wicked, because he was a friend unto and sat down to
meat with them. Zaccheus then, being a publican, was no
doubt a sinner ; and, being chief among the publicans, conse
quently was chief among sinners. Nay, he was rich. And
one inspired apostle has told us, •' that not many mighty, not
many noble, are called." Another saith, "God has chosen the
poor of this world, rich in faith." And he who was the Maker
and the Redeemer of the apostles, assures us, "that it is easier
for a camel (or a cable rope) to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Let
not therefore the rich glory in the multitude of their riches.
But rich as he was, we are told, verse 3, that "he sought to
see Jesus." And that was a wonder indeed ! The common people
heard our Lord gladly, and the poor received the gospel. The
multitude, the very mob, the people that knew not the law, as
the proud high priests called them, used to follow him on foot
into the country, and sometimes stayed with him three days
together to hear him preach. But did the rich believe or at
tend on him? No. Our Lord preached up the doctrine of the
cross ; he preached too searching for them, and therefore they
counted him their enemy, persecuted aud spoke all manner of
evil against him falsely. Let not the ministers of Christ mar
vel, if they meet with the like treatment from the rich men of
this wicked and adulterous generation. I should think it no
scandal (supposing it true) to hear it affirmed, that none but

404 the conversion of zaccheus. [Serm. 9.
the poor attended my ministry. Their souls are as precions to
our Lord Jesus Christ, as the souls of the greatest men. They
were the poor that attended him in the days of his flesh. These
are they whom he hath chosen to be rich iu faith, and to be
the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Were the rich in this
world's goods generally to speak well of me, wo be unto me ;
I should think it a dreadful sign that I was only a wolf in
sheep's clothing, that I spoke peace, peace, when there was no
peace, and prophesied smoother things than the gospel would
allow of. Hear ye this, O ye rich. Let who will dare to do
it, God forbid that I should despise the poor ; in doing so, I
ehould reproach my Maker. The poor are dear to my soul :
I rejoice to see them ftyto the doctrine of Christ, like the doves
to their windows. I only pray that the poor who attend, may
be evangelized, and turned into the spirit of the gospel ; if so,
blessed are ye ; for yours is the kingdom of heaven."
But we must return to Zaccheus. He sought to see Jesus.
That is good news. I heartily wish I could say, it was out of
a good principle. But, without speaking contrary to that
charity which hopet.h and believeth all things for the best, we
may say, that the same principle drew him after Christ, which
now draws multitudes (to speak plainly, it may be multitudes
of you) to hear a particular preacher, even curiosity. For we
are told, that he came not to hear his doctrine, but to view his
person, or to use the words of the evangelist, " to see who he
was." Our Lord's fame was now spread abroad through all
Jerusalem, and all the country round about. Some said he
was a good man ; others, nay, but he deceiveth the people.
And therefore curiosity drew out this rich publican, "Zaccheus"
to see who this person was, of whom he had heard such vari
ous accounts. But it seems he could not conveniently get a
sight of him for the press, and because he was little of stature.
Aias ! how many are kept from seeing Christ in glory, by rea
son of the press. I mean, how many are ashamed of being
singularly good, and therefore follow a multitude to do evil, be
cause they have a press or throng of polite acquaintance!
And, for fear of being set at naught by those with whom they
used to sit at meat, they deny the Lord of glory, and are
ashamed to confess him before men. This base, this servile
fear of man, is the bane of true Christianity ; it brings a dread
ful snare upon the soul, and is the ruin often thousands. For
I am fully persuaded, numbers are rationally convicted of gos
pel truths : but, not being able to brook contempt, they will
not prosecute their convictions, nor reduce them to practice.
Happy those, who, in this respect, at least, like Zaccheus, re-
solve to overcome all impediments that he in their way to a

Serm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus. 405
eight of Christ : for finding he could not sec Christ because
ofthe press, and the litt.'eness of his natural stature, he did not
smite upon his breast, and depart, saying, " It is in vain to seek
after a sight of him any longer, I can never attain unto it."
No, finding he could not see Christ, if he continued in tho
midst of the press, "he ran before the multitude, and climbed
up into a sycamore tree, to see him ; for he was to pass that
way." There is no seeing Christ in glory, unless we run before the
multitude, and are willing to be in the number of those despised
few, who take the kingdom of God by violence. The broad
way, in which so many go, can never be that straight and
narrow way which leads to life. Our Lord's flock was, and
always will be, comparatively a little one. And unless we dare
to run before the multitude in a holy singularity, and can re
joice in being accounted fools for Christ's sake, we shall never
6ee Jesus with comfort, when he appears in glory. From
mentioning the sycamore tree, and considering the difficulty
with which Zaccheus must climb it, we may farther learn,
that those, who would see Christ, must undergo other difficul
ties and hardships, besides contempt. Zaccheus, without, doubt,
went through both. Did not many, think yon, laugh at him as
he ran along, and in the language of Michal, Saul's daughter,
cry out, how glorious did the rich Zaccheus look to-day, when,
forgetting the greatness of his station, he ran before a pitiful,
giddy mob, and climbed up a sycamore tree, to see an enthusi
astic preacher ! But Zaccheus cares not for all that ; his
curiosity was strong. If he could but see who Jesus was, he
did not value what scoffers said of him. Thus, and much more
will it be with all those who have an effectual desire to see
Jesus in heaven. They will go on from strength to strength,
break through every difficulty lying in their way. and care not
what men or devils say of or do unto them. May the Lord
make us all thus minded, for his dear Son's sake !
At length, after taking much pains, and going (as we may
well suppose) through much contempt, Zaccheus has climbed
the tree ; and there he sits, as he thinks, hid in the leaves of it,
and watching when he should see Jesus pass by; "for he was
to pass by that way."
But sing, 0 heavens, and rejoice, O earth ! Praise, magnify,
and adore sovereign, electing, free, preventing love; Jesus the
everlasting God, the Prince of peace, who saw Nathaniel under
the fig-tree, and Zaccheus from eternity, now sees him in the
sycamore tree, and calls him in time.
• Ver. 5. "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up,
aad saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and

406 the conversion of zaccheus. [Serm. 9>.
come down ; for this day I must abide at thy house." Amazing!
love ! Well might Luke usher in the account with it. It is
worthy of our Jiighest admiration. Wrhen Zaccheus thought
of no such thing, nay, thought that Christ Jesus did not know
him ; behold, Christ does what we never hear he did be-'
fore or after, I mean, invite himself to the house of Zaccheus,
saying, " Zaccheus, make haste and come down ; for this day
I must abide at thy house." Not pray let me abide, but I must
abide this day at thy house. He also calls him by name, as
though he was well acquainted with him : and indeed well he
might ; for his name was written in the book of life ; he was
one of those whom the Father had given him from all eternity :
therefore he must abide at his house that day. "For whom
he did predestinate, them he also called."
Here then, as through a glass, we may see the doctrine of
free grace evidently exemplified before us. Here was no fit
ness in Zaccheus. He was a publican, chief among the pub
licans : not only so, but rich, and came to see Christ only out
of curiosity : but sovereign grace triumphs over all. And if
we do God justice, and are effectually wrought upon, we must
acknowledge there was no more fitness in us than in Zaccheus j
and, had not Christ prevented us by his call, we had remained
dead in trespasses and sins, and alienated from the divine life,
even as others. "Jesus looked up, and saw him, and said unto
him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down ; for this day I
must abide at thy house."
With what different emotions of heart may we suppose Zac
cheus received this invitation? Think you not that he was
surprised to hear Jesus Christ call him by name, and not only
so, but invite himself to his house ? Surely, thinks Zaccheus,
I dream: it cannot be; how should he know me? I never
saw him before ; besides, I shall undergo much contempt, if I
receive him under my roof. Thus, I say, we may suppose
Zaccheus thought within himself. But what saith the scrip
ture ? " I will make a willing people in the day of my power."
With this outward call, there went an efficacious power from
God, which sweetly overruled his natural will ; and therefore,
verse 6. "He made haste, and came down, and received him
joyfully," not only into his house, but also into his heart.
Thus it is, that the great God brings home his children. He
calls them by name, by his word or providence : he speaks to
them also by his Spirit. Hereby they are enabled to open their
hearts, and are made willing to receive the King of glory. For
Zaccheus' sake, let us not entirely condemn people "that come
unto the word, out of no better principle than curiosity. Who
knows, but God may call them ? It is good to be where the

Serm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus. 407
Lord is passing by. May all who are now present out of this
principle, hear the voice of the Son of God speaking to their
souls, and so hear that they may live ! Not that men ought
therefore to take encouragement to come out of curiosity. For
perhaps a thousand more, at other times, came to see Christ out
of curiosity, as well as Zaccheus, who were not effectually
called by his grace. I only mention this for the encourage
ment of my own soul, and the consolation of God's children,
who are too apt to be angry with those who do not attend on
the word out of love to God : but let them alone. Brethren,
pray for them. How do you know but Jesus Christ may speak
to their hearts ? A few words from Christ applied by his Spirit,
will save their souls. " Zaccheus," says Christ, " make haste
and come down. And he made haste, and came down, and
received him joyfully."
I have observed in holy scripture, how particularly it Is
remarked, that persons rejoiced upon believing in Christ. Thus
the converted eunuch went on his way rejoicing; thus the
jailor rejoiced with his whole house ; thus Zaccheus received
Christ joyfully. And well may those rejoice who receive
Jesus Christ ; for with him they receive righteousness, sancti
fication, and eternal redemption. Many have brought up an
ill report upon our good land, and would fain persuade people
that religion will make them melancholy mad. So far from it,
that joy is one ingredient of the kingdom of God in the heart
of a believer ; " the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost." To rejoice in the Lord, is a gospel
duty. "Rejoice iu the Lord always, and again I say. rejoice."
And who can be so joyful, as those who know that their
pardon is sealed before they go hence and are no more seen?
The godly may, but I cannot see how any ungodly men can
rejoice : they cannot be truly cheerful. What if wicked men
may sometimes have laughter amongst them ? It is only the
laughter of fools ; in the midst of it there is heaviness : at the
best, it is but like the crackling of thorns under a pot ; it makes
a blaze, but soon goes out. But, as for the godly, it is not so
with them ; their joy is solid and lasting. As it is a joy that
a stranger intermeddleth not with, so it is a joy that no man
taketh from them, it is a joy iri God, a joy unspeakable and full
of glory.
It should seem that Zaccheus was under soul distress but a
httle while ; " perhaps," says Guthrie, in his book entitled, The
trial concerning a saving interest in Christ, " not above a quarter
of an hour." I add, perhaps not so long ; for as one observes,
sometimes the Lord Jesus delights to deliver speedily. God is
a sovereign agent, and works upon his children in their effee-

40$ the conversion of zaccheus. [Serm. 9.
tual calling, according to the counsel of his eternal will. It is
with the spiritual, as the natural birth. All women have not
the like pangs ; all christians have not the like degree of con
viction. But all agree in this, that all have Jesus Christ form
ed in their hearts : and those who have not so many trials at
first, may be visited with the greater conflicts hereafter ; though
they never come into bondage again, after they have once re
ceived the spirit of adoption. "We have not (says Paul)
received the spirit of bondage again unto fear." We know not
what Zaccheus underwent before he died. However, this one
thing I know, he now believed in Christ, and was justified, or
acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in God's sight, though
a publican, chief among the publicans, not many moments be
fore. And thus it. is with all, that, like Zaccheus, receive Jesus
Christ, by faiih into their hearts. The very moment they find
rest in him, they are freely justified from all things from which
they could not be justified by the law of Moses ; " for by graco
are we saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the
gift of God."
Say not within yourselves this isa licentious, Antinomian
doctrine ; for this faith, if true, will work by love, and be pro
ductive of the fruits of holiness. See an instance in this convert,
Zaccheus. No sooner had he received Jesus Christ by faith
into his heart, hut he evidences it by his works ; for ver. 8. we
are told " Zaccheus stood forth, and said unto the Lord, Behold,
Lord, the half of my goods I give unto the poor : and if I have
taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore
him fourfold."
Having believed on Jesus in his heart, he now makes con
fession of him with his mouth to salvation. Zaccheus stood
forth. He was not ashamed, but stood forth before his brother
publicans ; for true faith casts out all servile, sinful fear of men j
"And said, Behold, Lord," It is remarkable, how readily peo
ple in scripture have owned the divinity of Christ immediately,
upon their conversion. Thus the woman at Jacob's well : "Is
not this the Christ?" Thus the man born blind: "Lord, I
believe; and worshiped him." Thus Zaccheus: "Behold,
Lord." An incontestable proof this to me, that those who deny
our lord's divinity, never effectually felt his power. If they
had, they would not speak so lightly of him ; they would scorn
to deny his eternal power and Godhead. "Zaccheus stood
forth, and said,. Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to
the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false
.accusation, I restore him fourfold." Noble fruits of a true liv
ing faith in the Lord Jesus! Every word calls for our notice. Not
some small, pof. the tenth part, but the half, Of what ? Mj

Serm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus. 409
goods ; things that were valuable. My goods, his own, not
another's. I give. Not, I will give when I die, when I can
keep them no longer ; but, I give now, even now. Zaccheus
would- be his own executor. For whilst we have time we
should do good. But to whom would he give half of his goods ?
Not to the rich, not to those who were already clothed in pur
ple and fine linen, of whom he might be recompensed again ;
but to the poor, the maimed, the halt, the blind, from whom he
could expect no recompense till the resurrection of the dead.
-" I give to the poor." But knowing that he must be just, before
he could be charitable, and conscious to himself that in his
public administrations he had wronged many persons, he adds,
"And, if I have taken any thing from any man by false accu
sation, I restore him fourfold." Hear ye this, all ye that make
no conscience of cheating the king of his taxes, or of buying or
selling run goods. If ever God gives you true faith you will
never rest, till, like Zaccheus, you have made restitution to the
Utmost of your power. I suppose, before his conversion, he
thought it no harm to cheat thus, no more than you may do
now, and pleased himself frequently, to be sure, that he got
rich by doing so. But now be is grieved for it at his heart;
he confesses his injustice before men, and promises to make
ample restitution. Go, ye cheating publicans, learn of Zac
cheus, go away and do likewise ; if you do not make restitution
here, the Lord Jesus shall make you confess your sins before
men and angels, and condemn you for it, when he comes in the
glory of his Father to judgment hereafter.
After all this, with good reason might our Lord say unto
him, " This day is salvation come to this house ; forasmuch
as he is the son of Abraham ;" not so much by a natural eis by
a spiritual birth. He was made partaker of like precious faith
with Abraham. Like Abraham, he believed on the Lord, and
it was accounted to him for righteousness. His faith, like
Abraham's, worked by love ; and I doubt not, but he has beeu
long since sitting in Abraham's arbor.
And now are you not ashamed of yourselves, who speak
against the doctrines of grace, especially that doctrine of being
justified by faith alone, as though it would lead to licentious
ness? What can be more unjust than such a charge? Is
not the instance of Zaccheus a sufficient proof to the contrary?
Have I strained it to serve my own turn ? God forbid. To
the best ofmy knowledge I have spoken the truth in sincerity,
and the truth as it is in Jesus. I do affirm that we are saved
by grace, and that we are justified by faith alone : but I da
also affirm, that faith must be .evidenced by good works whero
ithere is.an opportunity of performing them.
35

410 the conversion of zaccheus. [Serm, 9,
What therefore has been said of Zaccheus, may serve as a
rule, whereby all may judge whether they have faith or not.
You say you have faith ; but how do you prove it? Did you
over hear the Lord Jesus call you by name ? Were you
ever made to obey that call ? Did you ever, like Zaccheus,
receive Jesus Christ joyfully into your hearts? Are you in
fluenced, by the faith you say you have, to stand up and con-
Jess the Lord Jesus before men ? Were you ever made willing
to own, and humble yourselves for, your past offenses ? Does
your faith work by love, so that you conscientiously lay up,
according as God has prospered you, for the support of the
poor? Do you give alms of all things that you possess?
Have you made due restitution to those 3-011 have wrong
ed ? If so, happy are ye ; salvation is come to your souls;
you are sons, yon are daughters of, you shall shortly be ever
lastingly blessed with faithful Abraham. But, if you are not
thus minded, do not deceive your own souls ; though you .may
talk of justification by faith, like angels, it will do yon no good ; it
will only increase your damnation. You hold the truth, but it
is in unrighteousness. Your faith being without works, is dead;
you have the devil, not Abraham, for your father. Unless- yon
have a faith of the heart, a faith working by love, with devils
and damned spirits shall you dwell for evermore.
But it is time now to enforce the latter part of the text. "For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was
lost." These words are spoken by our Savior, in answer to
some self-righteous pharisees, who instead of rejoicing with the
angels in heaven, at the conversion of such a sinner, murmur
ed, "that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a
sinner." To vindicate his conduct, he tells them, that this was
an act agreeable to the design of his coming ; " For the Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." He
might have said, the "Son of God." But O the wonderful con
descension of our Redeemer ! He delights to style himself the
Sou of man. He came not only to save, "but to seek and to save
that which was lost." He came to Jericho to seek and save
Zaccheus ; for otherwise Zaccheus would never have been
saved by him. But whence came he ? Even from heaven,
his dwelling place, to this lower earth, this vale of tears, " to
seek and save that which was lost ;" or all that feel themselves
lost, and are willing, like Zaccheus, to receive him into their
' hearts to save them ; with how great a salvation ? even from
the guilt, and also from the power of their sins ; to make them
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with himself, and partakers of that
glory which he enjoyed with the Father before the world be
gan. Thus will the Son of man save that which is lost

Serm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus. 411
He was made the Son of man, on purpose that he might save
them. He had no other end but this in leaving his Father's
throne, in obeying the moral law, and hanging upon the cross.
All 1hat was done and suffered, merely to satisfy, and procure
a righteousness for poor, lost undone sinners, and that too with
out respect of persons. " That which was lost." All of every
nation aud language, that feel, bewail, and are truly desirous
of being delivered from their lost state, did the Son of man
come down to seek and to save ; for he is mighty, not only so,
but willing, to save to the uttermost all that come to God through
him ; he will in no wise cast them out. For he is the same
to-day, as he was yesterday. He comes now to sinners, as well
as formerly ; and, I hope, hath sent me out this day to seek,
and, under him, to bring home some of you, the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.
What say you ? Shall I go home rejoicing, saying, that many
like sheep, have gone astray, but they have now believed on
Jesus Christ, and so returned home to the great Shepherd and
Bishop of their souls ? If the Lord would be pleased thus to
prosper my handy work, I care not how many legalists- and
self-righteous pharisees murmur against me, for offering salva
tion to the worst sinners. For I know the Son of man came
to seek aud to save them; and the Lord Jesus will now be a
guest to the worst publican, the vilest sinner that is among you,
if he does but believe on him. Make haste then, O sinners,
make haste, and come by faith to Christ. Then, this day, even
this hour, nay this moment, if you believe, Jesus Christ shall
come and make his eternal abode in your hearts. Which of
you is made willing to receive the King of glory? Which of
you obeys the call, as Zaccheus did? Alas! why do you
stand still ? How know you, whether Jesus Christ may ever
call you again ? Come then, poor, guilty sinners ; come away,
poor, lost, undone pubiicans ; make haste, I say, and come
away to Jesus Christ. The Lord condescends to invite him
self to come under the filthy roofs ofthe houses of your souls.
Do not be afraid of entertaining him; he will fill you with all
peace and joy iu believing. Do not be ashamed to run before
the multitude, and to have all manner of evil spoken against
you falsely for his sake. One sight of Christ will make amends
for all. Zaccheus was laughed at; and "all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution," But what of
that ? Zaccheus is now crowned in glory ; as you also shall
shortly be, if you believe on, and are reproached for Christ's
sake. Do not, therefore, put me off with frivolous excuses ;
there is no excuse that can be given for your not coming to
Christ. You are lost, undone, without him ; and if he is not

412 the conversion of zaccheus. [Serm. 9.
glorified in your salvation, he will be glorified in your destruc
tion ; if he does not come and make his abode in ydur hearts,
you must take up an eternal abode with the devil and his
angels. O that the Lord would be pleased to pass by some
of you at this time ! O that he may call you by his Spirit, and
make you a willing people in this day of his power ! For I.
know my calling will not do, unless he, by his efficacious
grace, compel you to come in. O that you once felt what it is
to receive Jesus Christ into your hearts ! You would soon,
like Zaccheus, give him every thing. You do not love Christ,
because you do not know him ; you do not come to him, be
cause you do not feel your want of him ; you are whole and
not broken-hearted ; you are not sick, at, least not sensible of
your sickness ; and, therefore, no wonder you do not apply to
Jesus Christ, that great, that almighty physician. You do not
feel yourselves lost, and therefore do not seek to be found in
Christ. O that God would wound you with the sword of his
Spirit, and cause his arrows of conviction to stick deep in
your hearts ! O that he would dart a ray of divine light into
your souls ! For if yon do not feel yourselves lost without
Christ, yon are of all men most miserable : your souls are dead;
you are not only an image of hell, but in some degree hell it
self: you carry hell about with you, and you know it not. O
that I could see some of you sensible of this, and hear you cry
out, "Lord, break this hard heart; Lord deliver me from the
body of this death ; draw me, Lord make me willing to come
after thee ; I am lost ; Lord, save me, or I perish !" Were this
your case, how soon would the Lord stretch forth his almighty
hand, and say, be of good cheer, it is I ; be not afraid ? What
a wonderful calm would then possess your troubled souls !
Your fellowship would then be with the Father and the Son.
Your life would be hid with Christ in God.
Some of you, 1 hope, have experienced this, and can say, I
was lost, but I am found ; I was dead, but am alive again.
The son of man came and sought me in the day of his power,
and saved my sinful soul. And do you repent that you came
to Christ ? Has he not been a good Master ? Is not his pre
sence sweet to your souls ? Has he not been faithful to his
promise ? And have you not found, that even in doing and
suffering for him, there is an exceeding present great reward?
I am persuaded you will answer, Yes. O then, ye saints, re
commend and talk of the love of Christ to others, and tell them,
what great things the Lord has done for you ! This may en
courage others to come unto him. And who knows but the
Lord may make you fishers of men? The story of Zaccheus
was left on rercrd for this purpose. No truly convicted soul

Serm. 9.] the conversion of zaccheus. 413
after such an instance of divine grace has been laid before,
him, need despair ot mercy. What if you are publicans?
Was not Zaccheus a publican? What if you are chief among
the publicans ? Was not Zaccheus likewise ? What if you
are rich ? Was not Zaccheus rich also ? And yet almighty
grace made him more than conqueror over all these hindrances.
All things are possible to Jesus Christ ; nothing is too hard for
him: he is the Lord almighty. Our mountains of sins must
all fall before this great Zerubabel. Oil him God the Father
has laid the iniquities of all that shall truly believe ; in his
own body he bare them on the tree. There, there, by faith,
O mourners in Sion. may you see your Savior hanging with
arms stretched out, and hear him, as it were, thus speaking to
your souls; "Behold how I have loved you! Behold my
hands and my feet I Look, look into my wounded side, and see
a heart flaming with love : love stronger than death. Come into
my arms. O sinners, come wash your spotted souls in my heart's
blood. See, here is a fountain opened for all sin and all un
cleanness ! See. O guilty souls, how the wrath of God is now
abiding upon you. Come, haste away, and hide yourselves in
the clefts of my wounds ; for I am wounded for your trans
gressions ; 1 am dying that you may live for evermore. Behold,
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so I am here
lifted up upon a tree. See how 1 have become a curse for you.
The chastisement of your peace is upon me. I am thus
scourged, thus wounded, thus crucified, that you by my stripes
may be healed. O look unto me all ye trembling sinners, even
to the ends of the earth ! Look unto me by faith, and you shall
be saved : for I came thus to be obedient even unto death, that
I might save that which was lost."
And what say you to this, 0 sinners ? Suppose you saw the
King of glory dying, and thus speaking to you ; would you
believe on him ? No, you would not, unless you believe on
him now. For though he is dead, he yet speaketh all this in
the scripture ; nay, in effect, says all this in the words of the
text, " The Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost." Do not therefore any longer crucify the
Lord of glory. Bring those rebels, your sins,"which will not
have him to reign over them, bring them out to him. Though
you cannot slay them yourselves, yet he will slay them for you.
The power of his death and resurrection is as great now as
formerly. Make haste, therefore, make haste, 0 ye publicans'
and sinners, and give the dear Lord Jesus your hearts, your
whole hearts. If you refuse to hearken to this call of the Lord,
remember your damnation will be just. 1 am free from the
blood of you all. You must acquit my Master and me at tha
35*

414 the power of [Serm. 10;
terrible day of judgment. O that you may know the thing*
that belong to your everlasting peace, before they are eternally
hid from your eyes ! Let all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity say, Amen.

SERMON X.

THE POWER OF CHRIST S RESURRECTION.

Philippians, iii. 10.
That I may know him, aud the power of his resurrection.
The apoftle, in the verses before the text, had been caution
ing the Philippians to beware ofthe concision, Judaizing teach
ers who endeavored to subvert them from the simplicity of the
gospel, by telling them they still ought to be subject to circum
cision and all the other ordinances of Moses. And that they
might not think he spoke out of prejudice, and condemned
their tenets because he himself was a stranger to the Jewish
dispensation, he acquaints them, that if any other man thought
he had whereof he might trust in the flesh, or seek to be justi
fied by the outward privileges of the Jews,, he had more ; for
he was circumcised the eighth day ; of the stock of Israel, (not
a proselyte, but a native Israelite ;) of the tribe of Benjamin,
(the tribe which adhered to Judah when the others revolted ;)
an Hebrew of the Hebrews, (a Jew, both of the father's and
mother's side ;) and as touching the law,, a pharisee, the strictest
sect among all Israel. To show that he was no Gallio in
religion, through his great, though misguided zeal, he had per
secuted the church of Christ ; and as touching the righteous
ness of the law (as far as the pharisees' exposition of it went)
was blameless, and had kept it from his youth. But, when it
pleased God, who separated him from his mother's womb, to
reveal his Son in him, What things were gain to me, (he
says) those privileges I boasted myself in, and sought to be
justified by, I counted loss for Christ. And that they might
not think he repented that'hc had done so, he tells them he
was now more confirmed than ever in his judgment. For,
gays he, " yea, doubtless, (the expression in the original rises
wifh a holy triumph) and 1 do count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." And
that they might not object that he said, and did not, he ac-

Serm. 10.] Christ's resurrection. 415
quaints them, that he had given proofs of the sincerity of these
professions, because for the sake of them, he had suffered the
loss of all his worldly things, and still was willing to do more ;
for, " I count them but dung (no more than offals thrown out
to dogs) so that I may win (or have a saving interest in) Christ,
and be found in him, (as the manslayer in the city of refuge)
not having my own righteousness, which is of the law," not
depending"on having Abraham for my father, or on any works
of righteousness which I have done, either to atone or serve
as a balance for my evil deeds, but on that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith,
a righteousness of God's appointing, and which will be impu
ted to tne, if I believe in Christ, " that I may know him, and
the power of his resurrection ;" that I may have an experi
mental knowledge of the efficacy of his resurrection, by feel
ing the influences of his Spirit on my soul. In which words
two things are implied.
First, That Jesus Christ did rise from the dead.
Secondly, That it highly concerns us to know the power of
his rising again.
Accordingly in the following discourse I shall endeavor to
show, First, That Christ is risen indeed from the dead ; and that
it was necessary for him so to do ; and,
Secondly, That it highly concerns us to know and experi
ence the power of his resurrection.
First, Christ is indeed risen.
That Jesus should rise from the dead was absolutely neces
sary. First, .On his own account. He had often appealed to this
as the last and most convincing proof be would give them that
he was the true Messiah. " There shall be no other sign given
you, than the sign of the prophet Jonas." ' And again, " De
stroy this temple of my body, and in three days I will build it
"up." Which words his enemies remembered, and urged it as
an argument, to induce Pilate to grant them a watch, to pre
vent his being stolen out of the grave. ""We know that de
ceiver said, whilst he was yet alive, after three days I will rise
again." So that had he not risen again, they might have justly
said, we know that this man was an impostor.
Secondly, It was necessary on our account. " He rose again,"
says the apostle, " for our justification ;" or that the debt we
owed to God for our sins, might be fully satisfied and discharged.
It had pleased the father (for ever adored be bis infinite love
and free grace) to wound his only Son for our transgressions,
and to arrest aud confine him in the prison of the grave, as

416 the power of [Serm. 10-.
our surety for the guilt we had contracted by setting at naught
his commandments. Now had Christ continued always in the
grave, we could have had no more assurance that our sina
were satisfied for, than any common debtor can have of his
creditor's being satisfied, while his surety is kept confined. But
he being released from the power of death, we are thereby as
sured, that with his sacrifice God is well pleased, that our atone
ment was finished on the cross, and that he had made a full,
perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the
Bins of the world.
Thirdly, It was necessary that our Lord Jesus should rise
again from the dead, to assure us of the certainty of the resur
rection of our own bodies.
The doctrine of the resurrection of the body was entirely
exploded and set at naught among the Gentiles, as appears
from the Athenians mocking at, and calling St. Paul a babbler
and setter forth of strange doctrines, when he preached to them
Jesus and the resurrection. And though it was believed by
most of the Jews, as is evideut from many par-sages of scrip
ture, yet not by all ; the whole sect of the sadducees denied it.
But the resurrection of Jesus Christ put it out of dispute. For
as he acted as our representative, if he our Head be risen, then
must we also, who are his members, rise with him. And as
in the first Adam we all died, even so in him our second Adam
we must all, in this sense, be made alive.
As it was necessary, upon there accounts, that our blessed
Lord should rise from the dead : so it is plain beyond contra
diction, that he did. Never was any matter of fact fetter at
tested ; never were more, precautions made use of to prevent
u. cheat. He was buried in a sepulchre, hewn out of a rock,
eo that it could not be said that they digged under, and con
veyed him away. It was a sepulchre also wherein never man
before was laid; so that if any body did rise from thence, it
must be the body of Jesus of Nazareth. Besides, the sepul
chre was sealed ; a great stone rolled over the mouth of it ; and
a band of soldiers (consisting not of friends, but of his professed
enemies) was set to guard it. And as ior his disciples coming
by night and stealing him away, it was altogether improbable:
for it was not long since, that they fad nirfbiraken him, and
they were the most backward in lelieving his resurrection.
And supposing it was true that ihcy came whilst the soldiers
slept ; yet the soldiers must be cast into n deep sleep indeed,
that the rolling away of so great a stone did not awake some
of them.
And our blessed Lord's afterwards sp rearing at sundry times,
and in divers manners, to his disciples, as when they assembled

Serm. 10.] Christ's resurrection. 417
together, when they were walking to Emmaus, when they were
fishing ; nay, and condescending to show them his hands and
feet, and his appearing to above five hundred brethren at once,
put the truth of his resurrection out of all dispute.
Indeed, there is one objection that may be made against what
has been said, that the books wherein these facts are recorded
were written by his disciples.
And who more proper persons than those who were eye wit
nesses of what they related, and ate and drank with him after
his resurrection ? But they were illiterate and ignorant men.
Yet were they as good witnesses of a plain matter of fact, as
the most learned masters in Israel. Nay, this rendered them
more proper witnesses. For being plain men, they were there
fore less to be suspected of telling or making a lie, particularly,
since they laid down their lives for a testimony of the truth of
it. We read indeed, of Jacob's telling a lie, though he was a
plain man, in order to get his father's blessing. Bat it was
never heard since the world began, than any man, much less
a whole set of men, died martyrs for the sake of an untruth,
when they themselves were to reap no advantage from it.
No, this single circumstance proves them to be Israelites in
deed, in whom was no guile. And the wonderful success God
gave to their ministry afterwards, when three thousand were
converted by one sermon ; and twelve poor fishermen, in a very
short time enabled to be more than conquerors over all the op
position men or devils could make, was as plain a demonstra
tion, that Christ was risen, according to their gospel, as that
a divine power, at the sound of a few rams' horns, caused the
wall of Jericho to fall down.
But why need we any farther witnesses ? Believe you the
resurrection of our blessed Lord ? I know that you believe
it, as your gathering together on this first day of the week in
the courts of the Lord's house abundantly testifies.
What concerns us most to be assured of, and which is the
Second thing I was to speak of, is, whether we have experi
mentally known the power of his resurrection ; that is, wheth
er or not we have received the Holy Ghost, and by his power
ful operations on our hearts, have been raised from the death
of sin, to a life of righteousness, and true holiness.
It was this, the great apostle was chiefly desirous to know :
the resurrection of Christ's body he was satisfied would avail
hira nothing, unless he experienced the power of it in raising
his dead soul.
For another, and that a chief end of our blessed Lord's ris
ing from the dead, was to enter heaven as our representative,
and to send down the Holy Ghost to apply that redemption he

418 the power of [Serm. 10.
had finished on the cross, to our hearts, by working an entire
change in them.
Without this, Christ would have died in vain. For it would
have doiie us no service to have had his outward righteousness
imputed to us, unless we had an inward inherent righteousness
wrought in us. Because, being altogether conceived and born
in sin, and consequently unfit to hold communion with an
infinitely pure and holy God, we cannot possibly be made meet
to see or enjoy him, till a thorough renovation has passed upon
ottr hearts.
Without this we leave out the Holy Ghost in the great work
of our redemption. But as we were made by the joint con
currence and consultation of the blessed Trinity ; and as we
were baptized in their name, so must all of them concur in our
salvation. As the Father made, and the Son redeemed, so
must the Holy Ghost sanctify and seal us, or otherwise we
have believed in Vain.
This then is what the apostle means by the power of Christ's
resurrection, and this is what we are as much concerned ex
perimentally to know, as that he rose at all.
Without this, though we may be moralists, though we may
be civilized, good naturcd people, yet we are no christians.
For he is no true christian, who is only one outwardly; nor
have we therefore a right to the christian name, because we
daily profess, to believe that Christ rose again the third day
from the dead. But he is a true christian who is one inwardly,
and (hen only can we he styled true believers, when we not
only profess to believe, but have felt the power cf our blessed
Lord's rising from the dead, by being quickened and raised by
his Spirit, when dead in trespasses and sins, to a thorough
newness both of heart and life.
The devils themselves cannot but believe the doctrine ofthe
resurrection, and tremble ; but yet they continue devils, be
cause the benefits of this resurrection have not been applied to
them, nor have they received a renovating power from it, to
change and put off their diabolical nature. And so, unless we
not only profess to know, but also feel that Christ is risen in
deed, by being born again from above, we shall be as far from
the kingdom of God as they : our faith will be as ineffectual
as the faith of devils.
Nothing has done more harm to the christian world — nothing
has rendered the cross of Christ of Jess eflect than a vain sup
position, that religion is something without us. Whereas we
should consider, that every thing that Christ did outwardly,
must be done over again iu our souls ; or otherwise, the be
lieving that such a divine Person was once on earth, who

Serm. 10.] Christ's resurrection. 419
triumphed over hell and the grave, will profit us no more
than believing there was once such a person as Alexander who
conquered the world.
As Christ was born of the virgin's womb, so must he be
spiritually formed in our hearts. As he died for sin, so must
we die to sin. And as he rose again from the dead, so must
we also rise to a divine life.
None but those who have followed him in this regeneration,
or new birth, shall sit on thrones as approvers of his sentence,
when he shall come in terrible majesty to judge the twelve
tribes of Israel.
It is true, as for the outward work of our redemption, it was
a transient act, and was certainly finished on the cross ; but
the application of that redemption to our hearts, is a work
that will continue always, even unto the end ofthe world.
So long as there is an elect man breathing on the earthy
who is naturally engendered of the offspring of the first Adam,
so long must Ihe quickening Spirit, which was purchased by
the resurrection of the second Adam, that Lord from heaven,
be breathing upon his soul.
For though we may exist by Christ, yet we cannot be said
to exist in him, till we are united to him by one spirit, and en
ter into a new state of things, as certainly as he entered into a
new state of things, after that he rose from the dead.
We may throng and crowd around Christ, and call him
Lord, Lord, when we come to worship before his footstool ;
but we have, not effectually touched him, till by a lively faith
in his resurrection, we perceive a divine virtue coming out of
him, to renew and purify our souls. ,
How greatly then do they err who rest in a bare historical
faith of our S ivior's resurrection, and look only for external
proofs to evidence it } Whereas, were we tho most learned
disputers of this world, and could speak ofthe certainty of this
fact with the tongues of men and angels, yet without this in
ward testimony of it in our hearts, though we might convince
others, yet we should never be saved by it ourselves.
For we are but dead men, wc are like so many carcasses,
wrapt up iu grave clothes, till that same Jesus who called
Lazarus from his tomb, and at whose own resurrection many
that slept arose, doth raise us also by his quickening Spirit from
our natural death, in which we have so long lain, to a holy
and heavenly life.
We might think ourselves happy, if we had seen the holy
Jesus after he was risen from the dead, and our hands had
handled that Lord of life. But more happy are they who
have not seen him, aud yet having felt the power of his resur-

420 the power of [Serm. 10.
rection, therefore believe in him. For many saw our divino
Master, who were not saved by him ; but whoever has thus
felt the power of his resurrection, has the earnest of his inher
itance in his heart ; he has passed from death to life, and shall
never fall into final condemnation.
I am very sensible that this is foolishness to the natural
man, as were many such like truths to our Lord's own disci
ples, when only weak in faith, before he rose again. But when
these natural men, like them, have fully felt the power of his
resurrection, they will then own that this doctrine is from God,
and say with the Samaritans, " Now we believe not because
of thy saying," for we ourselves have experienced it in our
hearts. And O that all unbelievers, all letter-learned masters of Is
rael, who now look upon the doctrine of the power of Christ's
resurrection, or our new birth, as an idle tale, and condemn the
preachers of it as enthusiasts and madmen, did but thus feel
the power of it in their souls, they would no longer ask, how
this thing could be? But they would be convinced of it as
much as Thomas was, when he saw the Lord's Christ ; and
like him, when Jesus bid him reach out his hands and thrust
them into his side, in a holy confusion they would cry out,
"My Lord, and my God !"
But how shall an unbeliever, how shall the formal christian
come thus to " know Christ, and the power of his resurrection?"
God, who cannot lie, has told us, " I am the resurrection and
the life, whosoever liveth and believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live." Again, says the apostle, " By faith we
are saved, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God."
This, this is the way, walk in it. Believe and you shall live
in Christ, and Christ in you ; you shall be one with Christ,
and Christ one with you. But without this, your outward
goodness and professions will avail you nothing.
But then, by this faith we are not to understand a dead spec
ulative faith, a faith in the head ; but a living principle
wrought, in the heart by the powerful operation of the Holy
Ghost, a faith that will enable us to overcome the world and
forsake all in affection for Jesus Christ. For thus speaks our
blessed Master, "Unless a man forsake all that he hath, lie
cannot be my disciple."
And so the apostle, in the words immediately following the
text, says, " being made conformable to his death ;" thereby im
plying that we cannot know the power of Christ's resurrection
unless we are made conformable to him in his death.
This we have shadowed out by the custom of baptizing by
immersion iu the primitive church, and (which is also recom-

Serm. 10.] Christ's resurrection. 421
mended by our own) their putting the infants under the water
signified their obligation to die unto sin ; as their taking them
out of the water, signified their rising again to newness of life.
To which the apostle plainly alludes, when he says, "we are
buried with him in baptism."
If we can reconcile light and darkness, heaven and hell,
then we may hope to know the power of Christ's resurrection
without dying to ourselves and the world. But till we can do
.this, we might as well expect that Christ will have concord
with Belial.
For there is such a contrariety between the spirit of this
world, and the spirit of Jesus Christ, that he who will be at
friendship with the one, must be at enmity with the other ;
'¦" We cannot serve -God and mammon."
This may, indeed, seem a hard saying ; and many, with
the young man in the gospel, may be tempted to go away sor
rowful : but wherefore should this offend them ? For what is
all that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh,
and the pride of life, but vanity and vexation of spirit?
God is love ; and therefore, could our own wills, or the world
have made us happy, he never would have sent his own dear
Son Jesus Christ to die and rise again, to deliver us from the
¦power of them. But because they only torment and cannot
satisfy, therefore God bids us renounce them.
Had any one persuaded profane Esau not to lose so glori
ous a privilege, merely for the sake of gratifying a present
corrupt inclination, when he saw him about to sell his birth
right for a little red pottage, would not one think that man to
have been Esau's friend ! And just thus stands the case be
tween God and us. By the death and resurrection of Jesilsv
Christ, we are new born to a heavenly inheritance amongst
all them which are sanctified ; but our own corrupt wdls
would tempt us to sell this glorious birthright for the vanities
Of the world, which, like Esau's red pottage, may please us
for a while, but will soon be taken away from us. God knows
this, and therefore rather bids us renounce them for a season,
than for the short enjoyment of them lose the privilege of that
glorious birthright, to which, by knowing the power of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are entitled.
0 the depth of the riches and excellency of Christianity !
Well might the great St. Paul count all things but dung and
dross for the excellency of the knowledge of it. Well might
he desire so ardently to know Jesus, and the power of nis
resurrection. For even on this side eternity it raises us above
the workl, .and makes us to sit in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. 36

422 the power of, s,c. [Serm. 10,
Well might that glorious company of worthies, recorded in
the holy scriptures, supported with a deep sense of their heav
enly calling, despise the pleasures and profits of this life, and
wander about in sheep skins, and goat skins, in dens and caves
of the earth, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.
Aud O that we were all like minded ! that we felt the power
of Christ's resurrection as they did ! How should we then
count all things as dung and dross for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord ! How should we then
recover our primitive dignity, trample the earth under our feet,
and with our souls be continually gasping after God.
And what hinders but we may be thus minded ? Is Jesus
Christ, our great High Priest, altered from what he was ? No,
he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. And though he
is exalted to the right hand of God, yet he is not. ashamed to call
us brethren. The power of his resurrection is as great now
as formerly, and the Hofy Spirit, which was assured to. us by
his resurrection, as ready and able to quicken us who are dead
in trespasses and sins, as any saint that ever lived. Let us but
cry, and that instantly, to him that is mighty and able to save ;
let us, in sincerity and truth, without secretly keeping back the
least part, renounce ourselves and the world ; then we shall
be christians indeed. And though the world may cast us out
and separate from our company, yet Jesus Christ will walk
with, and abide in us. And at the general resurrection of the
last day, when the voice of the archangel and trump of Cod
shall bid the sea and the graves give tip their dead, and all
nations shall appear before him, then will he confess us before
his Father and the holy angels, and we shall receive that invi
tation which he shall then pronounce to all who love and fear
him, " Come, ye blessed children of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world'"
Grant this, O Father, for thy dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ
our Lord ; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be power
and glory, for ever, Amen.

Serm. 11.] The indwelling of the spirit, *C. 423
SERMON XI.

THE indwelling OF the spirit, the common privilege
OF ALL BELIEVERS.

John, vii. 37, 38, 39,
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood, and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he cf the Spirit,
which they thai believe on. him should receive.
Nothing has rendered the cross of Christ of less effect;
nothing has been a greater stumbling block and rock of offense
to weak minds, than a supposition, now current among us, that
most of what is contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ, was
designed only for our Lord's first and immediate followers, and
consequently calculated but for one or two hundred years.
Accordingly, many now read the life, sufferings, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the same manner as Cassar's
Commentaries, or the conquests of Alexander are read: as
things rather intended to afford matter for speculation, than to
be acted over again in and by us.
As this is true of the doctrines of the gospel in general, so it
is of the operation of God's Spirit upon the hearts of believers
in particular; for we no sooner mention the necessity of our
receiving the Holy Ghost in these last days, as well as formerly,
but we are looked upon by some, as enthusiasts and mad men ;
and by others, represented as willfully deceiving the people,
and undermining the established constitution of fhe church.
Judge ye then, whether it is not high time for the true min
isters of Jesus Christ, who have been made partakers of this
heavenly gift, to lift up their voices like a trumpet ; and if they
would not have those souls perish, for which the Lord Jesus
has shed his precious blood, to declare with all boldness, that
the Holy Spirit is the common privilege and portion of all be
lievers in all ages ; and that we, as well as the first christians,
must receive the Holy Ghost, before we can truly be called the
children of God.
For this reason, (and also that I might answer the design
of our church in appointing the present festival*) I have cho
sen the words of the text. • Whitsuntide.

424 the indwelling of the spirit, [Serm. Il<
They were spoken by Jesus Christ, when he was at the
feast of Tabernacles. Our Lord attended on fhe temple-ser
vice in general, and the festivals of the Jewish church in par
ticular. The festival at which he was now present, was that
of the feast of Tabernacles, which the Jews observed, according
to God's appointment, in commemoration of their living in tents.
At the last day of his feast, it was customary for many pious
people to fetch water from a certain place, and bring it on their
heads, singing this anthem out of Isaiah, "And with joy shall
they draw water out of the wells of salvation." Our Lord
Jesus observing this, and it being his constant practice to spirit
ualize every thing he met with, crie,s out, " If any man thirst
let him come unto me (rather than unto that well) and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath spoken, (where
it is said, God will make water to spring out of a dry rock, and
such like) out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
And that we might know what our Savior meant by this Jiving
water, the evangelist immediately adds, " But this spake he of
the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive."
These last words I shall chiefly insist on in the ensuing dis
course. And,
First, I shall briefly show, what is meant by the word
Spirit. Secondly, That this Spirit is the common privilege of all
believers. Thirdly, I shall show the reason on which this doctrine is
founded. And,
Lastly, Conclude with a general exhortation to believe on
Jesus Christ, whereby alone we can receive this Spirit.
First, I am to show what is meant by the word Spirit.
By the Spirit, is evidently to be understood the Holy Ghost,
the third person in the ever-blessed Trinity, consubstantial and
co-eternal with the Father and the Son, proceeding from, yet
equal to them both. For, to use the words of our church in
this day's office, that which we believe of the glory ofthe Fa
ther, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
without any difference or inequality.
Thus, says St. John, in his first epistle, chap. v. verse 7.
"There are three that bear- record in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." And our
Lord, when he gave his apostles commission to go and teach
all nations, commanded them to baptize in the name of the
Holy Ghost, as well as of the Father and the Son. And St. Peter,
Acts v. 3. said to Ananias, " Why hath Satan filled thine heart
to he unto the Holy Ghost ?" and verse 4, he says, " Thou
hast not. lied unto men but unto God." From all which pas-

Serm. 11.] the privilege of all believers. 425
sages, it is plain, that the Holy Ghost is truly and properly
God, as well as the Father and the Son. This is an unspeak
able mystery, but a mystery of God's revealing, and, therefore
to be assented to with our whole hearts ; seeing God is not a
man that he should lie, nor the son of mau that he should de
ceive. 1 proceed,
Secondly, To prove, that the Holy Ghost is the common
privilege of all believers.
But, here I would not be understood to mean the receiving
the Holy Ghost, so as to enable us to work miracles, or show
outward signs and wonders. I allow our adversaries, that to
pretend to be inspired in this sense, is being wise above what
is written. Perhaps it cannot be proved, that God ever in
terposed in this extraordinary manner, but when some new
revelation was to be established, as at the first settling of the
Mosaic or gospel dispensation : and as for my owu part, I
cannot but suspect the spirit of those who insist upon a repe
tition of such miracles at this time. For the world being
now become nominally christian, (though God knows, little
of its power is left among us) there need not outward mira
cles, but only an inward co-operation of the Holy Spirit with
the word, to prove that Jesus is the Messiah which was to come
into the world.
Besides, if it were possible for thee, O man, to have faith, so
as to be able to remove mountains, or cast out devils ; nay,
couldst thou speak with the tongues of men and angels, yea,
and bid the sun stand still in the midst of heaven ; what would
all these gifts of the Spirit avail thee, without being made par
taker of his sanctifying graces ? Saul had the spirit of govern
ment for a while, so as to become another man, and yet proba
bly was a cast-away. And many, who cast out devils in
Christ's name, at the last will be disowned by him. If, therefore,
thou hast only the gifts, and art destitute of the graces of the
Holy Ghost, they will only serve to lead thee with so much the
more solemnity to hell.
Here then we join issue with our adversaries, and will readi
ly grant, that we are not in this sense to be inspired, as were
our Lord's first apostles. But unless -men have eyes which see
not and ears that hear not, how can they read the latter part
of the text, and not confess that the Holy Spirit in another
sense, is the common privilege of all believers, even to the end
ofthe world ? " This spake he of the Spirit, which they that
believe on him should receive." Observe, he does not say, they
that believe on him for one or two ages, but they that believe
on him in general, or, at all times, and in all places. So that,
unless we can prove, that St. John was under a delusion when
36*

436 ' the indwelling of the spirit, [Serm. 11.
he wrote these words, we must believe that even we also, shall
receive the Holy Ghost, if we believe on the Lord Jesus with
our whole hearts.
Again, our Lord, just before his bitter passion, when he was
about to offer up his soul an offering for the sins of the elect
world; when his heart was most enlarged, and he would un
doubtedly demand the most excellent gifts for his disciples,
prays, " That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee ; that they also maybe one in us, I in them, and
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one ;" that is,
that all his true followers might be united to him by his Holy
Spirit, by as real, vital, and mystical a union, as there was
between Jesus Christ and the Father. 1 say all his true fol
lowers ; for it is evident, from our Lord's own words, that he
had us, and all believers in view, when put he up this prayer ;
" Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word ;" so that, unless we treat our
Lord as the high priests did. and count him a blasphemer, we
must confess, that all who believe in Jesus Christ, through the
word, or ministration of his servants, are to be joined to Jesus
Christ, by being made partakers of the Holy Spirit.
A great noise has been made of late, about the word enthu
siast, and it has been cast upon the preachers of the gospel, as
a term of reproach ; but every christian, in the proper sense of
the word, must be an enthusiast ; that is, must be inspired of
God, or have God, by his Spirit, in- him. St. Peter tells us, we
have many great and precious promises, that we may be made
partakers ofthe divine nature ; our Lord prays, "-that we may
be one, as the Father and he are one ;" and our own church,
in conformity to these texts of scripture, in her excellent com
munion office, tells us that those who receive the sacrament
worthily, " Dwell in Christ, and Christ in them ; that they are
one with Christ, and Christ with them." And yet, christians
must have their names cast out as evil, and ministers in par
ticular, must be looked upon as deceivers of the people, for
affirming, that we must be really united to God, by receiving
the Holy Ghost. "Be astonished, O heavens, at this !"
Indeed, I will not say, all our letter-learned preachers deny
this doctrine in express words ; but they do however, in effect ;
for they talk professedly against inward feelings, and say we
may have God's Spirit without feeling it, which is, in reality,
to deny the thing itself. And had I a mind to hinder the pro
gress of the gospel, and to establish the kingdom of darkness, I
would go about telling people, they might have the Spirit of God
and yet not feel lt;- '
But to return. When our Lord was about to ascend to his

Serm. 11.] the privilege of all believers, 427
Father and our Father, to his God and our God, he gave his
apostles this commission, " Go and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost." And accordingly, by the authority of this com
mission, we do teach and baptize in this, and every age of the
church. And though we translate the words, " baptizing them
in the name ;" yet, as the name of God, in the Lord's prayer,
and several other places, signifies his nature, they might as well
be translated thus, " baptizing them into the nature of the Fa
ther, into the nature of the Son, and into the nature of the Holy
Ghost." Consequently if we are all to be baptized into the
nature of the Holy Ghost, before our baptism be effectual to
salvation, it is evident, that we all must actually receive the
Holy Ghost, ere we can say, we truly believe in Jesus Christ.
For no one can say, that Jesus is my Lord, but he that has thus
received the Holy Ghost.
Numbers of other texts might be quoted to make this doc
trine, if possible, still more plain ; but I am astonished, that any
who call themselves members ; much more, that many who are
preachers in the Church of England, should dare so much as
to open their lips against it. And yet, with grief I speak it,
God is my judge, persons ofthe established church seem more
generally to be ignorant of it than any dissenters whatsoever.
But my dear brethren, what have you been doing ? How
often have your hearts given your iips the lie ? How often
have you offered to God the sacrifice of fools, and had your
prayers turned into sin, if you approve of, and use our church
liturgy, and yet deny the Holy Spirit to be the portion of all
believers? In the daily absolution, the minister exhorts the
people to pray, that " God would grant them repentance, and
his Holy Spirit." In the collect for Christmas day, we beseech
God, " that he would daily renew us by his Holy Spirit." In
the last week's collect, we prayed "that we may evermore re
joice in the comforts of the Holy Ghost ;" and in the concluding
prayer, which we put up every day, we pray, not only that
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, but
that " the fellowsliip of the Holy Ghost" may be with us all
evermore. But farther, a solemn season to some, is now approaching :
I mean the Ember-days, at the end of which, all that are to be
ordained to the office of a deacon, are, in the sight of God,
and in the presence of the congregation, to declare, that they
trust they are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost, to take upon
them that administration ; and to those who are to be ordained
priests, the bishop is to repeat these solemn words : " Receive
thou the Holy Ghost, now committed unto thee by the imposition

428 the indwelling of the spirit, [Serm. 11,
of our hands." And yet, 0 that I had no reason to speak it,
many that use our good forms, and many who have witnessed
this good confession, yet dare to both talk and preach against
the necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost now ; and not only
so, but cry out against those who do insist upon it, as mad
men, enthusiasts, schismatics, and underminers of the establish
ed constitution.
But you are the schismatics, you are the bane of the Church
of England, who are always crying out, " the temple of the
Lord, the temple of the Lord :" and yet starve the people out
of our communion, by feeding them only with the dry husks
of dead morality, and not bringing out to them the fatted calf;
I mean, the doctrines ofthe operations of the blessed Spirit of
God. But here is the misfortune ; many of us are not led by,
and therefore, no wonder that we cannot talk feelingly of the
Holy Ghost ; we subscribe to our articles, and make them
serve for a key to get into church preferment, and then preach
contrary to those very articles to which we have subscribed.
Far be it from me, to charge all the clergy with this hateful
hypocrisy. No, blessed be God, there arc some left among us
who dare maintain the doctrines of the reformation, and preach
the truth as it is in Jesus. But I speak the truth in Christ, I
lie not ; the generality of the clergy are fallen from our arti
cles, and do not speak agreeably to them, or to the form of
sound words delivered in the scriptures. Wo be unto such
blind leaders of the blind ! How can you escape the damna
tion of hell ? It is not all your learning, (falsely so called) it
is not all your preferments can keep you from the just judg
ment of God. Yet a little while, and we shall all appear be
fore the tribunal of Christ ; there, there will I meet you; there
Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls, shall de
termine who are the false prophets, who are the wolves in
sheep's clothing ; those who say, that we must now receive
and feel the Holy Ghost, or those who exclaim against it, as
the doctrine of devils.
But I can say no more ; it is an unpleasant task to censure
any order of men, especially those who are in the ministry;
nor would any thing excuse it but necessity ; that necessity
which extorted from our Lord himself, so many woes against
the scribes and pharisees, the letter-learned rulers and teachers
of the Jewish church ; and surely, if I could bear to see people
perish for lack of knowledge, and yet be silent towards those
who keep from them the "key of true knowledge, the very
stones would cry out.
Would we restore the church to its primitive dignity, the
only way is to live and preach the doctrine of Christ, and the

Serm. 11.] the privilege of all believers. 459
articles to which we have subscribed ; then we shall find that
the number of dissenters will daily decrease, and the Church
of England become the joy of the whole earth.
I am, in the third place, to show the reasonableness of this
doctrine. I say the reasonableness of this doctrine ; for however it
may seem foolishness to the natural man, yet to those, who
have tasted of the good word of life, and have felt the power
of the world to come, it will appear to be founded on the high
est reason ; and is capable, to those who have eyes to see, even
of a demonstration. I say of demonstration, for it stands on
this self-evident truth, that we are fallen creatures, or, to use
the scriptural expression, " Have all died in Adam."
I know, indeed, it is now no uncommon thing among us, to
deny the doctrine of original sin, as well as the divinity of
Jesus Christ ; but it is incumbent on those who deny it, first to
disprove the authority of the holy scriptures. If thou canst
prove, thou unbeliever, that the book which we call the Bible,
does not contain the lively oracles of God ; if thou canst show,
that holy men of old did not write this book, as they were in
wardly moved by the Holy Ghost, then will we give up the
doctrine of original sin ; but unless thou canst do this, we must
insist upon it, that we are all conceived and born in sin ; if for
no other, yet for this one reason, because that God who cannot
lie, has told us so.
But what has light to do with darkness, or polite infidels with
the Bible ! Alas ! as they are strangers to the power, so they
are generally as great strangers to the word of God. And
therefore, if we will preach to them, we must preach to and
from the heart : for talking in the language of scripture to
them, is but like talking in an unknown tongue. Tell me,
then, 0 man, whoever thou art, that deniest the doctrine of
original sin, if thy conscience be not seared as with a hot iron ;
tell me, if thou dost not find thyself, by nature, to be a motley
mixture of brute and devil ? I know these terms will stir up
the whole pharisee in thy heart ! But let not Satan hurry thee
hence ; stop a little, and let us reason together ; dost thou not
find, that by nature thou art prone to pride ? otherwise where
fore art thou now offended ? Again, dost not thou find in thy
self the seeds of malice, revenge, and all uncharitableness ?
And what are these but the very tempers of the devil ? Again,
do we not all by nature follow, and suffer ourselves to be led
by our natural appetites, always looking downwards, never
looking upwards to that God, in whom we live, move and have
our being ? And what is this but the very nature of the beasts
that perish? Out of thy own heart, therefore, will I oblige thee to

430 THE INDWELLING of the spirit, [Serm. 11.
confess, what an inspired apOstle has long since told us, that
"the whole world (by nature) lies in the wicked one ;" we are
no better than those' Whom St. Jude calls brute beasts ; for we
have tempers in us all, by nature^ that prove to a demonstra
tion, that we are earthly, sensual, devilish.
And this will sef ve as another argument, to prove the reality
of the operations of the blessed Spirit on the hearts of believ-
erSj against those false professors, who deny there is any such
thing as influences of the Holy Spirit,'that may be felt. For
if they will grant that the devil worketh^ and so as to be felt in
the hearts of the children of disobedience, (which they must
grant, unless they will give an apostle the lie) where is the
wonder that the good Spirit should have the same power over
those who are truly obedient to the faith of Jesus Christ?
If it be true then, that we are all by nature, since the fall, a
mixture of brute and devil, it is evident, thai we all must re
ceive the Holy Ghost, ere we can dwell with and enjoy God.
When you read, how the prodigal, in the gospel, was redu
ced to so low a condition, as to eat husks with swine, and how
Nebuchadnezzar was turned out to graze with oxen ; I am con
fident, you pity their unhappy state. And when you hear how
Jesus Christ will say, at the last day, to all that are not born
again of God, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," do not your hearts
shrink within you, with a secret horror? And if creatures,
with only our degree of goodness, cannot bear even the
thoughts of dwelling with beasts or devils, to whose nature we
are so nearly allied, how do we imagine God. who is infinite
goodness and purity itself, can dwell with us, while we are
partakers of both their natures ? We might as well think to
reconcile heaven and hell.
When Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit, he fled and hid
himself from God. Why ? because he was naked ; he was
alienated from the life of God. the due punishment of his dis
obedience. Now we are all by nature naked and void of God,
as he was at that time, and consequently, until we are changed,
renewed, and clothed with a divine nature again, we must fly
from God also.
Hence, then, appears the reasonableness of our being obliged
to receive the Spirit of God. It is founded on the doctrine of
original sin ; and therefore, you will always find, that those
who talk against feeling the operations of the Holy Ghost, very
rarely, or slightly at least, mention our fall in Adam ;• no, they
refer St. Paul's account of the depravity of unbelievers, only
to those of old time. Whereas, it is obvious, on the contrary,
that we are all equally included under the guilt and conse-

Serm. 11.] the privilege of all believers. 431
quences of our first parents' sin, even as others ; and to use
the language of our own church article, "bring into the world
with us, a corruption, which renders us liable to God's wrath,
and eternal damnation."
Should I preach to you any other doctrine, I should wrong
my own soul ; I should be found a false witness towards God
and you ; and he that preaches any other doctrine, however
dignified and distinguished, shall bear his punishment, who
ever he be.
From this plain reason, then, appears the necessity, why we,
as well as the first apostles, in this sense, must receive the Spirit
of God.
For the great work of sanctification, or making us holy, is
particularly referred to the Holy Ghost ; therefore, our Lord
says, " Unless a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God."
Jesus Christ came down to save us, not only from the guilt,
but also from the power of sin. And however often we have
repeated our creed, and told God we believe in the Holy Ghost,
yet, if we have not believed in him, so as to be really united to
Jesus Christ by him, we have no more concord with Jesus
Christ than Belial himself.
And now, my brethren, what shall I say more? Tell me,
are not many of you offended at what has been said already?
Do not some of you think, though I mean well, yet I have car
ried the point a little too far ? Are not others ready to cry out.
if this be true, " who then can be saved?" Is not this driving
people into despair?
Yes, I ingenuously confess it is ; but into what despair? a
despair of mercy through Christ ? No, God forbid ; but a
despair of living with God, without receiving the Holy Ghost I
And I would to God, that not only all you that hear me this day,
but that the whole world was filled with this despair. Believe
me, I have been doing no more than you allow your bodily
physicians to do every day : if you have a wound, and are in
earnest about a cure, you bid the surgeon probe it to the very
bottom ; and shall not the physician of your souls be allowed
the same freedom ? What have I been doing but searching
your natural wounds, that I might convince you of your dan
ger, and put you upon applying to Jesus Christ for a remedy ?
Indeed I have dealt with you as gently as I could ; and now
I have wounded, I will attempt to heal you. For I was in the
Last place, to exhort you all to come to Jesus Christ by faith,
whereby you, even you also, shall receive the Holy Ghost.
For this spake he of the Spirit, which the?' th ~4 h»Kcne on him
should receive.

432 • the indwelling of the spirit, [Serm. 11,
This, this is what I long to come to. Hitherto I have been
preaching only the law ; but behold I bring you glad tidings
of great joy. If I have wounded you, be not afraid ; behold -I
now bring a remedy for all your wounds. Notwithstanding
you are sunk into the nature of the beast and devil, yet, if you
truly believe on Jesus Christ, you shall receive the quickening
Spirit promised in the text, and be restored to the glorious
liberties of the sons of God ; I say, if you believe on Jesus Christ.
" For by faith we are saved : not of works, lest any one should
boast." And however some men say, there is a fitness required
in the creature, and that we must have a righteousness of our
own, before we can lay hold on the righteousness of Christ-;
yet, if we believe the scripture, salvation is the free gift of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord ; and whoever believeth on him with
his whole heart, though his soul be as black as hell itself, shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Behold then, I stand up,
and cry out in this great day ofthe feast, " Let every one that
thirsteth come unto Jesus Christ and drink. He that believeth
on him, out of his belly shall flow (not only streams or rivulets,-
but whole) rivers of living water." This I speak of the Spirit,
which they that believe on Jesus shall certainly receive. For
Jesus Christ is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. He
is the way, the truth, the resurrection, and the life ; whosoever
believeth on him, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
There is no respect of persons with Jesus Christ; high and
low, rich and poor, one with another, may come to him with
an humble confidence, if they draw near by faith ; from him
we all receive grace upon grace ; for Jesus Christ is full of
grace and truth, and ready to save to the uttermost, all that by
a true faith turn unto him. Indeed, the poor generally receive
the gospel, and God has chosen the poor in this world, rich in
faith. But though not many mighty, not many noble are call
ed ; and though it be easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God, yet, even to you that are rich, do I now freely offer salva
tion, by Jesus Christ, if you will renounce yourselves, and
come to Jesus Christ as poor sinners ; I say, as poor sinners ;
for the poor in spirit are only so blessed as to have a right fo
the kingdom of God. And Jesus Christ calls none to him, but
those who thirst after his righteousness, and feel themselves
weary, and heavy laden with the burden of their sins. Jesus
Christ justifies the ungodly ; " he came not to call the right
ecus, but sinners to repentance."
Do not then say you are unworthy : for this is a faithful and
true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, " That Je
sus Christ came into the world to save sinners j'; and if you

Serm. 11.] the privilege of all believers. 433
are the chief of sinners, if you feel yourselves such, verily Je
sus Christ came into the world chiefly to save you. When
Joseph was called out of the prison house to Pharaoh's court,
we are told that he staid some time to prepare himself; but
do you come with all your prison clothes about you; come
poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked, as you are, and
God the Father shall receive you with open arms, as was the
returning prodigal. He shall cover your nakedness with the
best robe of his dear Son's righteousness, shall seal you with
the signet of his Spirit, and feed you with the fatted calf, even
with the comforts of the Holy Ghost. O, let there then be joy
in heaven over some of you, as believing ; let me not go back
to my Master, and say, Lord, they wih not believe my report.
Harden no longer your hearts, but open them wide, and let the
king of glory enter in ; believe me, I am willing to go to prison
or death for you ; but I am not willing to go to heaven with
out you. The love of Jesus Christ constrains me to lift up
my voice like a trumpet. My heart is now full ; out of the
abundance of the love whieh I have for your precious and
immortal souls, my mouth now speaketh ; and I could now not
only continue my discourse until midnight, but I could speak
until I could speak no more. And why should I despair of
any? No, I can despair of no one, when I consider Jesus
<jhrist has had mercy on such a wretch as I am ; however you
may think of yourselves, I know that by nature I am but half
a devil and half a beast. The free grace of Christ prevented
me ; he saw me in my blood, he passed by rne, and said unto
me, live ; and the same grace which was sufficient for me, is
sufficient for you also ; behold, the same blessed Spirit is ready
to breathe on all your dry bones, if you will believe on Jesus
Christ, whom God has sent ; indeed, you can never believe on,
or serve a better master, one that is more mighty, or more wil
ling to save ; I can say, the Lord Christ is gracious, his yoke
is easy, his burden exceeding light ; after you have served him
many years, like the servants under the law, was he willing to
discharge you, you would say, we love oiir Master, and will
not go from him. Come then, my guilty brethren, come and
believe on the Lord that bought you with his precious blood;
look up by faith, and see him whom you have pierced ; behold
him bleeding, panting, dying? Behold him with arms stretch
ed out to receive you all ; ory unto him, as the penitent thief
did, Lord, remember us now thou art in thy kingdom, and he
shall say to your souls, '¦' Shortly shall you be with me in pa
radise." For those whom Christ justifies, them he also glori
fies, even with that glory which he enjoyed with the Father,
before the world began. Do not say, " I hare bought a piece
37

434 THE ETERNITY" OF HELL TORMENTS. ' {Serm/l^.
of ground, and must needs go see it ; or I have bought a yoke
of oxen, and must needs go prove them ; or I have married a
wife," ' I am engaged in an eager pursuit after the lust of the
eye, and the' pride of life, and therefore cannot come. Do not
fear having your name cast out as evil, or being accounted a
fool for Christ's sake ; yet ti little while, and you shall shine like
the stars in 'tne firmament for ever. ' Only believe, and Jesus
Christ shalf be fo you wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
arid eternal redemption ; your "bodies shall be fashioned like
unto his glorious body," and" your souls be partakers of all the
fullness oF God.''
Which God, of his infinite mercy, grant, through Jesus
Christ ; to whom, with -thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost,
three persons and one God, be ascribed, as is most due, all
power, might, majesty, and dominion, now and for ever mofe.
Amen, Amen.

SERMON XII.

THE ETERNITY OB' HELL TORMENTS.

Matthew xxv. 46.
These shall go away into everlasting punishment.
The excellency of the gospel dispensation is greatly evi
denced by those sanctions of rewards and punishments, which
it offers to the choice of all its hearers, in order to engage them
to be obedient to its precepts. For it promises no less than
eternal happiness to the good, and denounces no slighter a pu
nishment than everlasting misery against the wicked : on the
one hand, " It is a savor of life unto life ;" on the other, "'A
savor of death unto death." And though one would imagine
the bare mentioning of the former would be sufficient to draw
men to their duty, yet ministers in all ages, have found it ne
cessary, frequently to remind their people of the latter, and to
set before them the terrors of the Lord, as so many powerful
dissuasives from sin.
But whence is it that men are so disingenuous? The reason
seems to be this : the premise of eternal happiness is so agree
able to the inclinations and wishes of mankind, that all who
call themselves christians, universally and willingly subscribe
fo the belief of it : but then there is something so shocking in
tfte consideration of eternal torments, and seemingly such an

S$rrn. 13.]' the eternity of hell .torments- 4$&'-
infinite disproportion between an endless duration of pain, and,
a' short life spent in pleasure, that men (some at feast of them)
can scarcely be brought to confess it as an article of their faith,
that an eternity of misery^awaits the wicked in a future state.
I shall, therefore, at this time, beg leave to insist on the proof
of this part of one of the articles of our creed ; and endeavor
to make good, what our blessed Lord has here threatened in
the words of the text, These,. (that. is the wicked) shall go
away into everlasting punishment.
Accordingly, without considering the. words as they stand in ,
relation to the context, I shall resolve all that I have to say, into ,
this one general proposition, That the torments reserved for
the wicked hereafter, are eternal.
But before I proceed to make this good,. I must inform you ,
that I take it for granted, all present do steadfastly believe they
have something within them, which we call a soul, and which
is capable of surviving the dissolution pf the body,, and of be-.
Ing miserable or happy to all eternity.
I take it for granted farther, that you believe a divine reve-.
lation ; that those books emphatically called the scriptures, were
written by the inspiration of God, and that the things therein,
contained, are founded upon eternal truth.
I take it for granted, that you believe that the Son of God .
came down to die for sinners ; and that there is but one Medi
ator between God and man, even the man Christ Jesus.
These things being granted, and they were necessary to be
premised, proceed we now to make good the one general pro
position asserted in the text, That the torments reserved for
the wicked hereof ter are eternal. These shall go away info
everlasting punishment. The
First argument I shall advance to prove that the torments
reserved for the wicked hereafter are eternal, (for I have taken
it. for granted, that, ypu believe those books, emphatically call
ed the scriptures, were written by the inspiration of God, and.
that the things contained therein are founded upon eternal
truth) is, that the word of God himself assures us, in line upon,
fine, that it will be so.
To quote all the texts that might be produced in proof of
this, would be endless. Let it suffice to instance only a few.
In the Old Testament, in the book of Daniel, chap. xii. verse
12. we are told that some " shall awake to everlasting life," and
|others to "everlasting contempt." In the book of Isaiah, it is
paid, that " the worm of those who have transgressed God's
law, and die impenitently, shall not die, nor their fire be quench
ed." And, in another place, the holy prophet, struck, no doubt,
with astonishment and horror at the prospect of the continuance

436 THE ETERNITY OF HELL TORMENTS. [SeMIl. 12.
of the torments of the damned, breaks out into this moving
expostulation, " Who can dwell with everlasting burnings ?"
The New Testament is still fuller as to this point, it being-
a revelation which brought this and such like particulars to a
clear light. The apostle Jude tells us of the profane despisers
of dignities in his days, that for them was " reserved the black
ness of darkness for ever." And in the Revelations it is written,
that " the smoke of the torments of the wicked ascendeth for
ever and ever." And if we believe the witness of men inspired,
the witness ofthe Son of God, who had the Spirit given him,
as Mediator, without measure, is still far greater : and in St.
Mark's gospel he repeats the solemn declaration three several
times, " It is better for thee to enter into hfe maimed ; (that is,
it is better to forego the gratification of thy lust, or incur the
displeasure of a friend, which may be as dear to thee as a
hand, or as useful as a foot,) than having two hands and feet,
(that is, for indulging the one, or disobeying God to oblige the
other) to be cast into hell, where the worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched."
And here again, in the words of the text, These (the wicked)
shall go atcay into everlasting punishment.
I know it has been objected by some who have denied the
eternity of hell torments, that the words everlasting, and ever
and ever, are often used in the Holy Scriptures, (especially the
Old Testament) when they signify not an endless duration, but
a limited term of time.
And this we readily grant. But then we reply, that when
the words are used with this limitation, they either manifestly
appear to be used so from the context ; or are put in opposition
to occasional types, which God gave his people on some special
occasions, as when it is said, " It shall be a perpetual or ever-
lasting»statute, or, a statute for ever ;" that is a standing type,
and not merely transient or occasional, as was the pillar of
cloud, the manna, and such like. Or, lastly, they have a re
lation to that covenant God made with his spiritual Israel:
which if understood in a spiritual sense, will be everlasting,
though the ceremonial dispensation be abolished.
Besides, it ought to be observed, that some of the passages
just now referred to, have neither of these words so much as
mentioned in them, and cannot possibly be interpreted so as to
denote only a limited term of years.
But let that be as it will, it is evident, even to a demonstra
tion, that the words of the text will not admit of such a re
strained signification, as appears from their being directly op
posed to the words immediately following, "That the righteous
shall go into life eternal." From which words, all are ready

Serm. 12.] the eternity of hell torments. 437
to grant, that the life promised to the righteous will be eternal.
And why the punishment threatened to the wicked should not
be understood to be eternal likewise, when the very same word
in the original, is used to express the duration of each, no
shadow of a reason can be given.
But, secondly, There cannot be one argument urged, why
God should reward his saints with everlasting happiness, which
will not equally prove that he ought to punish sinners with
eternal misery.
For, since we know nothing, (at least for certainty) how he
will deal with either, but by a divine revelation ; and since, as was
proved by the foregoing argument, he hath as positively threat
ened, eternally to punish the wicked, as to reward the good ;
it follows, that his truth will be as much impeached and called
in question, did he not inflict his punishments, as it would be
if he did not confer his rewards.
To this also it has been objected, that though God is obliged
by promise to give his rewards, yet his veracity could not be
called in question, supposing he should not execute his threat
enings, as he actually did not in the case of Nineveh ; which
God expressly declared by his prophet Jonah, " should be de
stroyed in forty days." Notwithstanding the sequel of the sto
ry informs us, that Nineveh was spared.
But in answer to this objection, we affirm, that God's threat
enings, as welt as promises, are without repentance ; and for
this reason, because they are both founded on the eternal laws
of right reason. Accordingly we always find, that where the
conditions were not performed, on the nonperformance of which
the threatenings were denounced, God always executed the
punishment threatened. The driving Adam out of .Eden, the
destruction of the old world by a deluge of water, and the
overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, are, and will be always
so many standing monuments of God's executing his threat
enings when denounced, though to our weak apprehensions,
the punishment may seem far to exceed the crime.
It is true, God did spare Nineveh, and that because the in
habitants did actually repent, and therefore performed the con
ditions upon which it was supposed, by the prophet's being
sent to warn them, the threatened punishment should be with
held. And so in respect to gospel threatenings. If men will so
far consult their own welfare as to comply with the gospel,
God certainly will not punish them, but on the contrary, confer
upon them his rewards. But to affirm that he will not punish,
and that eternally too, impenitent, obstinate sinners, according
as he hath threatened ; what is it, in effect, but to make God
3 7*

438 the eternity of hell torments. [Serm. 12.
like a man, that he should lie, or the son of man that he should
repent? But the absurdity of such an opinion will appear still more
evident from
The third argument I shall offer, to prove, that the tormenta
reserved for the wicked hereafter are eternal, from the nature
of the christian covenant.
And here I must again observe, that il was taken for granted
at the beginning of this discourse, that you believe the Son of
God came down to save sinners ; and that there is but one Me
diator between God and man, even the man Christ Jesus.
And here I take it for granted farther, (unless you believe
the absurd and unwarrantable doctrine of purgatory) that you
are fully persuaded, this life is the only time allotted by Al
mighty God for working out our salvation, and that after a few
years are passed over, there will remain no more sacrifice for
sin. And if this be granted (and who dares deny it ?) it follows,.
that if a wicked man dieth in his wickedness, and under the
wrath of God, he must continue in that state to all eternity.
For, since there is no possibility of his being delivered out of
such a condition, but by and through Christ ; and since, at the
hour of death, the time of Christ's mediation and intercession
for him is irrecoverably gone ; the same reason that may be
given, why God should punish a sinner that dieth under the
guilt of his sins for a single day, will equally hold good, why
he should continue to punish him for a year, an age, nay to all
eternity. But I hasten to the fourth and fast argument, to prove, that
the torments reserved for the wicked hereafter are eternal, be
cause the devil's punishment is to be so.
That, there is such a being whom we call the devil ; that he
was once an angel of light, but for his pride and rebellion
against God, was cast down from heaven, and is now permit
ted with the rest of the spiritual wickednesses, to walk to and
fro, seeking whom he may devour ; that there is a place of
torment reserved for them, or to use the apostle's words, " That
they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day ;" are truths all here present
were supposed to be convinced of, at the beginning of this dis
course, you believing the Holy Scriptures to be- written by tho
inspiration of God, wherein these truths are delivered.
But then, if we allow all this and think it no injustice in
God to punish those once glorious spirits for their rebellion ;
how can we think it unjust in him to punish wicked men for
their impenitence to all eternity ?

Serm. 12.] the eternity of hell torments. 439
You will say, perhaps, that they have sinned against greater
light, and therefore deserve a greater punishment. And so we
grant that the punishment of the fallen angels may be greater
as to degree, than that of wicked men ; but then we affirm,
it will be equal as to the eternal duration of it : for in that day, as
the lively oracles of God inform us, shall the Son of man say to
them on his left hand, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever
lasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Where we
find that impenitent sinners are to be cast into the same ever
lasting fire with the devil and 'his angels ; and that too very
justly. For though they may have sinned against greater light,
yet christians sin against greater mercy ; since Christ took not
hold of, did not die for, the fallen angels, but for men and our
salvation. So that if God spared not those excellent beings,
assure thyself, O obstinate sinner, whoever thou art, he will
by no means spare thee.
From what then has been said it plainly appears, that verily
the torments reserved for the wicked hereafter, are eternal.
And if so, brethren, how ought we to fly to Jesus Christ for
refuge; how holy ought we to be in all manner of conversation
and godliness, that wc may be accounted worthy to escape this
wrath to come !
But before I proceed to a practical exhortation, permit me to
draw an inference or two from what has been said.
And first, if the torments reserved for the wicked hereafter
are eternal, what shall we say of those, who make an open
profession in their creed to believe a life everlasting, a life of
misery as well as happiness, and yet dare to live in the actual
commission of those sins which will unavoidably, without re-
imntance, bring them into that place of torment ! Thou be-
ievest that the punishments of the impenitently wicked in an
other life, are eternal : thou doest well, the devils also believe
and tremble. But know, O vain man, unless this belief doth
influence thy practice, and makes thee bid adieu to thy sins,
every time thou repeatest thy creed, thou dost in effect say, I
believe I shall be undone for ever.
But, secondly, if the torments reserved for the wicked here
after are eternal, then let this serve as a caution to such per
sons, (and it is to be feared there' are some such) as go about
to dissuade others from the belief of such an important truth :
there being no surer way, in all probability, to encourage and
promote infidelity and profaneness, than the broaching or main
taining so unwarrantable a doctrine. For if the positive threats
of God concerning the eternity of helt torments, are already
found insufficient to deter men from sin, a higher pitch of wick
edness may we imagine they will quickly arrive at, when they

440 The eternity of hell torments. [Serm. 13,
are taught to entertain any hopes of a future recovery out of
them ; or what is still worse, that their souls are hereafter to
be annihilated, and become like the beasts that perish. But
wo unto such blind leaders of the blind. No wonder if they
both fall into the ditch. And let such corrupters of God's
word know, that I testify unto every man that heareth me this
day, " That if any one shall add unto, or take away from the
words that are written in the book of God, God shall take his
part out of the book of life, and shall add unto him all the
plagues that are in that book."
Thirdly and lastly, if the torments reserved for the wicked
hereafter are eternal, then this may serve as a reproof for those
who quarrel with God, and say it is inconsistent with his jus
tice, to punish a person to all eternity, only for enjoying the
pleasures of sin for a season. But such persons must be told,
that not their thinking or calling God unjust, will make him
so, no more than a condemned prisoner's saying the law or
judge is unjust, will render either duly chargeable with such
an imputation. But knowest thou, O worm, what blasphemy
thou art guilty of, in charging God with injustice ? " Shall
the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou
made me thus ?" Wilt thou presume to arraign the Almighty at
the bar of thy shallow reasoning? And call him unjust, for
punishing thee eternally, only because thou wishest it may not
be so? But hath God said it, and shall he not do it? He hath
said it : and let God be true, though every man be liar. "Shall
not the judge of all earth do right?" Assuredly he will. And
if sinners will not own his justice in his threatenings here,
they will be compelled ere long to own and feel them, when
tormented by him hereafter.
But to come to a more practical application of what has
been delivered.
You have heard, brethren, the eternity of hell torments
plainly proved, from the express declarations of Holy Scrip
tures, and the consequences naturally drawn from them. And
now there seems to need no great art of rhetoric to persuade
any understanding person to avoid and abhor those sins, which,
without repentance, will certainly plunge him into this eternal
gulf. The disproportion between the pleasure and the pain,
(if there be any pleasure in sin) is so infinitely great, that sup
posing it was only possible, though not certain, that the wick
ed would be everlastingly punished, no one that has the reason
of a man, for the enjoying a little momentary pleasure, would,
one might imagine, run fhe hazard of enduring eternal pain.
But since the torments of the damned are not only possible, but
Certain, (since God himself, who cannot lie, has told us so) for

Serm. 12.] the eternity of hell torments. 441
men, notwithstanding, to persist in their disobedience, and then
flatter themselves, that God will not make good his threaten
ings, is a most egregious instance of folly and presumption.
Dives himself supposed, that if one rose from the dead, his
brethren would amend their lives ; but christians, it seems, will
not repent, though the Son of God died and rose again, and
told them what they must expect, if they continue obstinate in
evil doing.
Woidd we now and then draw off our thoughts from sensi
ble objects, and by faith meditate a while on the miseries of
the damned, I doubt not but we should, as it were hear many
an unhappy soul venting his fruitless sorrows in some such
piteous moans as these.
" O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this
body of death !" O foolish mortal that I was, thus to bring
myself into these never ceasing tortures, for the transitory en
joyments of a few short lived pleasures, which scarcely afford
ed me any satisfaction, even when I most indulged myself in
them. Alas } are these the wages, these the effects of sin ?
Are all the grand deceiver's inviting promises come to this ?
0 damned apostate ! first to delude me with pretended promises
of happiness, and after several years drudgery in his service,
thus to involve me in eternal wo. O that I had never hearken
ed to his beguiling insinuations ! O that I had rejected his
very first suggestions with the utmost detestation and abhor
rence ! O that I had taken up my cross and followed Christ !
O that I had never ridiculed serious godliness ; and out of a
false politeness, condemned the truly pious as too severe, en
thusiastic, or superstitious ! For I then had been happy indeed,
happy beyond expression, happy to all eternity, yonder in
those blessed regions where they sit, clothed with unspeakable
glory, and chanting forth their seraphic hallelujahs to the Lamb
that sitteth upon the throne for ever. But alas ! these reflec
tions come to late : these wishes now are vain and fruitless.
I have not suffered, and therefore must not reign with them.
I have in effect denied the Lord that bought me~and therefore
justly am I now denied by him. But must I live for ever tor
mented in these flames ? Must this body of mine, which not
long since lay in state, was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day, must it be here eternally
confined, and made the mockery of insulting devils ? O eter
nity ! that thought fills me with despair : I must be miserable
for ever.
Come then, all ye self-deluding, self-deluded sinners, and
imagine yourselves for once in the place of that truly wretched
man, I have been here describing. Think, I beseech you by

142 ¦ the eternity of hell torments. ¦ [Sei'm.-!^,:
he mercies of God in Christ Jesus, think with yourselves, how.
"acking, how insupportable the never dying worm of a self-
;ondemniug conscience will hereafter be to you. Think how
impossible it will . be for you " to dwell with everlasting
burnings." Come, all ye, christians of a lukewarm Laodicean spirit, ye
Gallios in religion, who care a little, but not enough for the .
things of God ; O think, think with yourselves, how deplora
ble it will be to lose,, the enjoyments of heaven, and run into
endless torments, merely because you will be content to be ,
almost, and will not strive to be altogether christians. Con- ¦
sider, I beseech you, consider, how you will rave and curse .
that fatal stupidity which made you believe any thing less
than true faith in Jesus, productive of a life of strict piety,
self-denial, and mortification, can keep you from those tor
ments, the eternity of which I have been endeavoring to prove.
But. I can no more. These thoughts are too melancholy for.
me to dwell on, as well as for you to hear ; and God knows, .
as punishing is his strange work, so denouncing his threat
enings is mine ; but if the bare mentioning the torments of
the damned is so shocking, how terrible must the enduring of ,
them be !
And now are not some of you ready to cry out, " These are .
hard sayings, who can bear them ?"
But let not sincere christians be in the least terrified at what
has been delivered : no, for you is, reserved a crown, a king
dom,,. an eternal and exceeding weight of glory. Christ never .
said that the righteous, the believing, the upright, the sincere, ,
but the^ wicked, merciless, negatively good professors before,
described, shall go into everlasting punishment. For y°u who
love him in sincerity, a new and living way is laid open into the
' hply of hofies by the blood of Jesus Christ : and an abundant ,
entrance will be administered untq you, at the great day of ac
count into eternal life. Take heed, therefore, and. beware that,
there be nqt in any of. you a root of bitterness springing up of
unbelief : but on the contrary, steadfastly and heartily, rely on
the many precious promises reached out to you in the gospel,
knowing that he who hath promised is faithful, and therefore '
will perform.
But let no obstinately wicked professors dare to apply any
>f the divine promises to themselves : " for it is not meet to
lake the children's bread, and give it unto dogs ?" No, to such
he terrors of the Lord only belong. And as certainly as Christ
vill say to his true followers " Come, ye blessed children of my
father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the begin
ning of the world ;" so he will unalterably pronounce this dread-

Serm. 13.] the great duty, &c. 443
ful sentence against all that die in their sins, " Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, -prepared for the devil and his
angels." From which unhappy state, may God of his infinite mercy
deliver us all through Jesus Christ ; to whom, with thee 0
Father, and thee O Holy Ghost, three persons and one eternal
God, be ascribed, as is most due, all honor, power, might, ma
jesty, and dominion, now and for evermore.

SERMON XIII.

the great duty of family religion.
Joshua xxiv. 15.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
These words contain the holy resolution of pious Joshua,
who having, in a most moving affectionate discourse recount
ed to the Israelites what great things God had done- for them,
in the verse immediately preceding the text, comes to draw a
proper inference from what he had been delivering ; and ac
quaints them, in the most pressing terms, that since God had
been so exceeding gracious unto them, they could do no less,
than out of gratitude for such uncommon favors and mercies,
dedicate both themselves and families to his service. " Now,
therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth,
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other
side of the flood." And by the same engaging motive does
the prophet Samuel afterwards enforce their obedience to the
commandments of God, 1 Sam. xii. 24. " Only fear the Lord
and serve him in truth with all your heart ; for consider how
great things he hath done for you." But then, that they might
hot excuse themselves (as too many might be apt to do) by his
giving them a bad example, or think he was laying heavy bur
dens upon them, whilst he himself touched them not with one
of his fingers, he tells • them in the text, that whatever regard
they might pay to the dcictrine he had been preaching, yet he
(as all ministers ought to do) was resolved to live up to and
practice it himself: " Choose yOu therefore whom you will serve,
whether the gods which your fathers served, or the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house
we will serve the Lord."

444 the great duty [Serm. 13.
A resolution this, worthy of Joshua, and no less becoming, no
less necessary for every true, son of Joshua, that is intrusted
with the care and government of a family in our day ; and, if it
was ever seasonable for ministers to preach up, or people to put
in practice family religion, it was never more so than in the
present age ; since it is greatly to be feared, that out of those
many households that call themselves christians, there are but
few that serve God in their respective families as they ought.
It is true indeed, visit our churches and you may perhaps see
something of the form of godliness still subsisting among us ;
but even that is scarcely to be met with in private houses. So
that were the blessed angels to come, as in the patriarchal age,
and observe our spiritual economy at home, would they not be
tempted to say, as Abraham to Abimelech, "Surely the fear of
God is not in this place?" Gen. xx. 11.
How such a general neglect of family religion first began to
overspread the christian world, is difficult to determine. As for
the primitive christians, I am positive it was not so with them,
No, they had not so learned Christ, as falsely to imagine religion
Was to be confined solely to their assemblies for public worship;
but, on the contrary, behaved with such piety and exemplary
holiness in their private families, that St. Paul often styles their
house a church. Salute such a one, says he, and the church
which is in his house. And I believe we must for ever despair of
seeing a primitive spirit of piety revived in the world, till we are
so happy as to see a revival of primitive family religion ; and
persons unanimously resolving with good old Joshua, in the
words of the text, As for me and my house, we will serve tha
Lord. From which words, I shall beg leave to insist on these three
things. First, That it is the duty of every governor of a family to
take care, that not only he himself, but also that those com
mitted to his charge, serve the Lord.
Secondly, I shall endeavor to show after what manner a go
vernor and his household ought to serve the Lord. And,
Thirdly, I shall offer some motives, in order to excite all
governors, with their respective households, to serve the Lord
in the manner that shall be recommended.
And first, I am to show that it is the duty of every gover
nor of a family to take care, that not only he himself, but also
that those committed to his charge, should serve the Lord.
And this will appear, if we consider that every governor of
a family ought to look upon himself as obliged to act in three
capacities; as a prophet, to instruct; as a priest, to pray for
and with ; as a king, to goverp, direct and provide for them.

Serm. 13.] of family religion, 448
It is true indeed, the latter of these, their kingly office, they are
not so frequently deficient in, (nay, in this they are generally
too solicitous ;) but as for the two former, their priestly and
prophetic offices, like Gallio, they care for no such things. But
however indifferent some governors may be about it, they may
be assured, that God will require a due discharge of these offi
ces at their hands. For if, as the apostle argues, " he that does
not provide for his own house," in temporal things, " has denied
the faith and is worse than an infidel ;" to what greater degree
of apostacy must he have arrived, who takes no thought to
provide for the spiritual welfare of his family !
But farther, persons are generally very liberal oftheir invec
tives against the clergy, and think they justly blame the con
duct of that minister who does not take heed to and watch
over the flock, of which the Holy Ghost has made him over
seer ; but may not every governor of a family, be in a lower
degree liable to the same censure, who takes no thought for
those souls who are committed to his charge ? For every house
is as it were a little parish, every governor (as was before ob
served) a priest, every family a flock ; and if any of them perish
through the governor's neglect, their blood will God require at
his hands.
Were a minister to disregard teaching his people publicly,
and from house to house, and to excuse himself by saying, that
he had enough to do to work out his own salvation with fear
and trembling, without concerning himself with that of others ;
would you not be apt to think such a minister, to be like the
unjust judge, " One that neither feared God nor regarded man ?"
And yet odious as such a character would be, it is no worse
than that governor of a family deserves, who thinks himself
obliged only to save his own soul, without paying any. re
gard to the souls of his household. For (as was above hinted)
every house is as it were a parish, and every master is con
cerned to secure, as much as in him lies, the spiritual prosperity
of every one under his roof, as any minister whatever is obliged
to look to the spiritual welfare of every individual person under
his charge.
What precedents men who neglect their duty in this par
ticular, can plead for such omission, I cannot tell.. Doubt
less not the example of holy Job, who was so far from imagin
ing that he had no concern,, as governor of a family, with any
one's soul but his own, that the scripture acquaints us, " When
the days of his children's feasting were gone about, that Job
sent and sanctified them, and offered burnt offerings, according
to the number of them all ; for Job said, it may be that my sons
have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job

446 the great duty [Serm. 13
continually." Nor can they plead the practice of good old
Joshua, whom, in the text, we find as much concerned for his
household's welfare, as his own. Nor lastly, that of Cornelius,
who feared God, not only himself, but with all his house. And
were christians but of the same spirit of Job, Joshua, and the
Gentile centurion, they would act as Job, Joshua, and Corne
lius did.
But alas ! if this be the case, and all governors of families
ought not only to serve the Lord themselves, but likewise to see
that their respective households do so too ; what will then be
come of those who not only neglect serving God themselves
but also make it their business to ridicule and scoff at any of
their house that do ? Who are not content with "not entering
into the kingdom of heaven themselves ; but those also that
are willing to enter in, they hinder." Surely such men are
factors for the devil indeed. Surely their damnation slumbereth
not. For although God, in his good providence, may suffer
such stumbling-blocks to be put in his children's way, and suf
fer their greatest enemies to be those of their own households,
for a trial of their sincerity, and improvement of their faith ;
yet we cannot but pronounce a wo against those masters " by
whom such offenses come." For if those that only take care
of their own souls, can scarcely be saved, where will such
monstrous profane and wicked governors appear ?
But hoping there are but few of this unhappy stamp, pro
ceed we now to the
Second thing proposed : to show after what manner a go
vernor and his household ought to serve the Lord.
1. And the first thing I shall mention, is reading the word
of God. This is a duty incumbent on every private person.
" Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal
life," is a precept given by our blessed Lord indifferently to all,:
but much more so, ought every governor of a family to think
it. in a peculiar manner spoken to himself, because (as has been
already proved) he ought to look upon himself as a prophet,
and therefore, agreeably to such a character, bound to instruct
those under his charge in the knowledge of the word of God.
This we find was the order God gave to his peculiar people
Israel : for thus speaks his representative Moses, Deut. vi. 6, 7.
" These words, (that is the scripture words,) which I command
thee this day, shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, (that is, as it is generally explain-
*ed, servants as well as children,) and thou shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thy house." From whence we may infer,
;that the only reason, why so many neglect to read the words
of scripture diligently to their children, is because the worde

Sefm. 13.] OF FAMILY RELIGION. 447
of scripture are not in their hearts : for if they were, out of
the abundance of the heart their mouth would speak.
Besides, servants as well as children, are, for the generality,-
very ignorant, and mere novices in the laws of God. And
how shall they know, unless some one teach them ? And what
more proper to teach them by, than the lively oracles of God,
" which are able to make them wise unto salvation ?" And who
more proper to instruct them by these lively oracles, than pa
rents and masters, who (as hath been more than once observed)
are as much concerned to feed them with spiritual, as with
bodily bread, day by day.
But if these things be so, what a miserable condition are
those unhappy governors in, who are so far from feeding those
committed to their care with the sincere milk of the word, to
the intent they may grow thereby, that they neither search the
scriptures themselves, nor are careful to explain them to others ?
Such families must be in a happy way indeed to do their
master's will, who take such prodigious pains to know it !
Would not one imagine that they had turned converts to the
church of Rome ; that they thought ignorance to be the mo
ther of devotion ; and that those were to be condemned as
heretics who read their bibles ? And yet how few families are
there among us, who do not act after this unseemly manner !
" But shall I praise them in this ? I praise them not : Breth
ren, this thing ought not so to be."
2. Pass we on now to the second means whereby every
governor and his household ought to -serve the Lord, family
prayer. This is a duty though as much neglected, yet as absolutely
necessary as the former. Reading is a good preparative for
prayer, as prayer is an excellent means to render reading
effectual. And the reason why every governor of a family
should join both these exercises together, is plain, because a
governor of a family cannot perform his priestly office (which
we before observed he is in some degree invested with) with
out performing this duty of family prayer.
We find it therefore remarked, when mention is made of
Cain and Abel offering sacrifices, that they brought them.
But to whom did they bring them ? Why, in all probability
to their father Adam, who as priest of the family was to offer
sacrifice in their names. And so likewise ought every spirit
ual son of the second Adam, who is intrusted with the care of
a household to offer up the spiritual sacrifices of supplications
and thanksgivings, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, in
the presence and name of all who wait upon, or eat meat at
his table.

448 THE great duty [iSerm'. 13
Thus we read our blessed Lord behaved when he tabernacled
among us. For it is said often, that he prayed with his twelve
disciples, which was then his little family. And he himself
has promised a particular blessing to joint supplications.
" Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." And again, " If two or three
are agreed touching any thing they shall ask,- it shall be given
them." Add to this, that we are commanded by the apostle
to pray always, with all manner of supplication, which doubt
less includes family prayer. And holy Joshua, when he set
up the good resolution in the text, that he and his household,
would serve the Lord, certainly resolved to pray with his fami
ly, which is one of the best testimonies they could give of their
serving him.
Besides, there are no families but what have some common
blessings, of which they have been all partakers, to give thanks
for; some common crosses 'and afflictions, which they are to
pray against ; some common sins, which they are all to lament
and bewail. But how this can be done, without joining to
gether in one common act of humiliation, supplication, and
thanksgiving, is difficult to devise.
From all which considerations put together, it is evident,
that family prayer is a great and necessary duty ; and conse
quently, those governors that neglect it, are certainly without
excuse. And it is much to be feared, if they live without family
prayer, they live without God in the world.
And yet, such a hateful character as this is, it is to be
feared, that were God to send out an angel to destroy us, as
he did once to destroy the Egyptian first born, and withal give
him a commission, as then, to spare no houses but where they
saw the blood on the lintel, sprinkled on the door post, so now,
to let no families escape, but those that called upon him in
morning and evening prayer ; few would remain unhurt by
his avenging sword. Shall I term such families christians or
heathens : doubtless they deserve not the name of christians ;
and heathens will surely rise up in judgment against such pro
fane families of this generation ; for they had always their
household gods, whom they worshipped, and whose assistance
they frequently invoked. And a pretty pass those families
surely are arrived at, who must be sent to school to Pagans.
But will not the Lord be avenged on such profane households
as these ? Will he not pour out his fury upon those that call
not upon his name ?
3. But it is time for me to hasten to the third and last means
I shall recommend, whereby every governor ought with his
household to serve the Lord, catechising and instructingtheir

Serm. 13.] of family religion. 449
children and servants, and bringing them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord.
That this, as well as the two former, is a duty incumbent
on every governor of a house, appears from that famous en
comium or commendation God gives of Abraham : " I know.
that he will command his children and his household after
him, to keep the way ofthe Lord to do justice and judgment."
And indeed scarce any thing is more frequently pressed upon
us in the holy writ, than this duty of catechising. Thus, says
God, in a passage before cited, " Thou shalt teach these words
diligently to thy children." And parents are commanded in
the New Testament, "to train up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord." The holy Psalmist acquaints
us, that one great end why God did such great wonders for
his people, was, " to the intent that when they grew up, they
should show their children, or servants, the same." And in
Deuteronomy vi. at the 20th and following verses, God strictly
commands his people to instruct their children in the true na
ture of the ceremonial worship, when they should inquire
about it, as he supposed they would do, in time to come. And
if servants and children were to be instructed in the nature of
Jewish rites, much more ought they now to be initiated and
grounded iu the doctrines and first principles of the gospel of
Christ ; not only, because it is a revelation, which has brought
life and immortality to a fuller and clearer light, but also, be
cause many seducers are gone abroad into the world, who do
their utmost endeavor to destroy not only the superstructure,
but likewise to sap the very foundation of our most holy re
ligion. Would then the present generation have their posterity be
true lovers and honorers of God ; masters and parents must
take Solomon's good advice, and train up and catechise their
respective households in the way wherein they should go.
I am aware but of one objection, that can, with any show
of reason, be urged against what has been advanced ; which
is, that such a procedure as this will take up too much time,
and hinder families too long from their worldly business. But
it is much to be questioned, whether persons that start such
an objection, are not of the same hypocritical spirit as the trair
tor Judas, who bad indignation against devout Mary, for being
so profuse of her ointment, in anointing our blessed Lord, and
asked why it might not be sold for two hundred pence, and
given to the poor. For has God given us so much time to
work for ourselves, and shall we not allow some small pit
tance of it, morning and evening, to be devoted to his more
immediate worship and service? Have not people read, that
88*

450 the great duty [Serm. 13
it is God who gives men power to get wealth, and therefore
that the best way to prosper in the world, is to secure his fa
vor ? And has not our blessed Lord himself promised, that it
we seek first the .ringdom of God and his righteousness, %all
outward gifts shall be added unto us ?
Abraham, no doubt, was a man of as great business as such
objectors may be ; but yet he would find time to command his
household to serve the Lord. Nay, David was a king, and
consequently had a great deal of business upon his hands ;
yet notwithstanding,- he professes that he would walk in his
house with a perfect heart. And, to instance but one more,
holy Joshua was a person certainly engaged very much in
temporal affairs ; and yet he solemnly declares before all Is
rael, that as for him and his household, they would serve the
Lord. And did persons but redeem their time, as Abraham,;
David, or Joshua did, they would no longer complain, that
family duties kept them too long from the business ofthe world.
III. But my third and last general head, under which I was
to offer some motives, in order to excite all governors, with
then respective households, to serve the Lord in the manner
before recommended, I hope, will serve instead of a thousand
arguments,, to prove the weakness and folly of any such ob
jection. And the fij-st motive I shall mention is the duty of gratitude,.
which you that are governors of families owe to God. Your
lot, every one must confess, is cast in a fair ground ; provi
dence has given you a goodly heritage, above many of your
fellow creatures ; and therefore, out of a principle of gratitude,
you ought to endeavor, as much as in you lies, to make every
person of your respective households to call upon him as long.
as they live ; not to mention, that the authority, with which
God has invested you as parents and governors of families,, is
a talent committed to your trust, and which you are bound to
improve to your Master's honor.. In other things we find go
vernors and parents can exercise lordship over their children
and servants readily, and frequently enough can say to one,
Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; to
a third, Do this, and he doeth it. And shall this power be so
often employed in your own affairs, and never exerted in the
things of God ? Be astonished, O heavens, at this !
Thus did not faithful Abraham ; no, God says, that he knew
Abraham would "command his servants and children after
him." Thus did not Joshua ; no, he was resolved not only
to walk with God himself, but to improve his authority in
making all about him do so too;. As for me and my house
hold, we will serve the Lord. Let us go and do likewise.

Serm. 13.] of family religion. 451
But secondly, If gratitude to God will not, methinks love
and pity to your children should move you, with your re
spective families, to serve the Lord.
Most people express a great fondness for their children:
nay, so great, that very often their own lives are wrapped up
in those of their offspring. " Can a woman forget her suck
ing child, that 'she should not have compassion on the son of
her womb?" says God by his prophet Isaiah. He speaks of
it as a monstrous thing, and scarcely credible ; but the words
immediately following, affirm it to be possible ; yea, they may
forget ; and experience also assures us they may. Father and
mother may both forsake their children : for what greater de
gree of forgetfulness can they express towards them, than to
neglect the improvement of their better part, and not bring
them up in the knowledge and fear of God?
It is true indeed, parents seldom forget to provide for their
children's bodies, (though, it is to be feared, some men are so
far sunk beneath the beasts that perish, as to neglect even
that) but then how often do they forget, or rather, when do
they remember, to secure the salvation of their immortal
souls ? But is this their way of expressing their fondness for the
fruit of their bodies ? Is this the best testimony they can give
of their affection to the darling of their hearts ? Then was
Delilah fond of Samson, when she delivered him up into the
hands of the Philistines : then were those ruffians well affected
to Daniel, when they threw him into a den of lions.
But thirdly, If neither gratitude to God, nor love and pity
to your children, will prevail on you ; yet let a principle of
common honesty and justice move you to set up the holy
resolution in the text.
This is a principle whieh all men would be thought to act
upon. But certainly, if any may be truly censured for their
injustice, none can be more liable to such censure, than those
who think themselves injured if their servants withdraw them
selves from their bodily work, and yet they in return take no
care of their inestimable souls. For is it just that servants
should spend their time and strength in their masters' service,
and masters not at the same time give them what is just and
equal for their service !
It is true, some men may think they have done enough when
they give unto their servants food and raiment, and say, did
not I bargain with thee for so much a year ? But if they
give them no other reward than this, what do they less for
their very beasts ? But are not servants better than they ?
Doubtless they are ; and however masters may put off their
convictions for the present, they will find a time will come,

452 the great duty [Serm. 13.
when they shall know they ought to have given them some
spiritual as well as temporal wages ; and the cry of those that
have mowed dowi* their fields, will enter into the ears of the
Lord of Sabaoth.
But fourthly, If neither gratitude to God, pity to children,
nor a principle of common justice to servants, are sufficient
to balance all objections ; yet let that darling, that prevailing
motive of self-interest turn the scale, and engage you with your
respective households to serve the Lord.
This weighs greatly with you in other matters : be then
persuaded to let it have a due and full influence on you in
this : and if it has, if yon. have but faith as a grain of mustard
seed, how can you avoid believing, that promoting family
religion would be the best means to promote your own tempo
ral, as well as eternal welfare? For "godliness has the
promise of the life that now is, as well as that which is to
come." Besides, you all, doubtless, wish for honest servants, and
pious children ; and to have them prove otherwise, would be
as great a grief to you, as it was to Elisha to have a treache
rous Gehazi, or David to be troubled with a rebellious Absa
lom. But how can it be expected they should learn their
duty, except those set over them, take care to teach it to them ?
Is it not as reasonable to expect you should reap where you
had not sown, or gather where you had not strewed?
Did Christianity, indeed, give any countenance to children
and servants to disregard their parents and masters according
to the flesh, or represent their duty to them, as inconsistent
with their entire obedience to their Father and Master who is
in heaven, there might then be some pretense for neglecting to
instruct them in the principles of such a religion. But since
the precepts of this pure and undefiled religion, are all of them
holy, just, and good ; and the more they are taught their duty
to God, the better they will perform their duties to you ; me
thinks to neglect the improvement of their souls, out of a dread
of spending too much time in religious duties, is acting quite
contrary to your own interest as well as duty.
Fifthly and lastly, If neither gratitude to God, love to your
children, common justice to your servants, nor even that most
prevailing motive, self-interest, will excite ; yet let a considera
tion of the terrors of the Lord persuade you to put in practice
the pious resolution in the text. Remember, the time will
come, and that perhaps very shortly, when we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ ; where we must give a
solemn and strict account how we have had our conversation,
ia our respective families, in this world. How will you en-

Serm. 13.J of family religion. 453
dure to see your children and servants (who ought to be your
joy and crown of rejoicing in the day ofthe Lord Jesus Christ,)
coming out as so many swift witnesses against you ; cursing
the father that begot them, the womb that bare them, the paps
which they have sucked, and the day they ever entered into
your houses ? Think you not the damnation which men must
endure for their own sins will be sufficient, that they need
load themselves with the additional guilt of being accessary to
the damnation of others also ? 0 consider this, all ye that for
get to serve the Lord with your respective households, " lest he
pluck you away, and there be none to deliver you !"
But God forbid, brethren, that any such evil should befall
you. No, rather will I hope, that you have been in some
measure convinced, by what has been said, ofthe great impor
tance of family religion ; and therefore are ready to cry out, in
the words immediately following the text, " God forbid that we
should forsake the Lord ;" and again, verse 21. " nay, but we
will (with our several households) serve the Lord."
And that there may be always such a heart in you, let me
exhort all governors of families, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, often to reflect on the inestimable worth of their own
souls, and the infinite ransom, even, the precious blood of
Jesus Christ, which has been paid down for them. Remem
ber, that you are fallen creatures ; that you are by nature lost
and estranged from God : and that you can never be restored
to your primitive happiness, till by being born again of the
Holy Ghost, you arrive at your primitive state of purity, have
the image of God re-stamped upon your souls, and thereby
made meet to be partakers ofthe inheritance with the saints in
light. Do, I say, but seriously and frequently reflect on, and
act as persons that believe such important truths, and you will
no more neglect your family's spiritual welfare than your own.
No, the love of God, which will then be shed abroad in your
hearts, will constrain you to do your utmost to preserve them.
And the deep sense of God's free grace in Christ Jesus, (which
you will then have) in calling you, will excite you to do your
utmost to save others, especially those of your own household.
And though, after all your pious endeavors, some may continue
unreformed ; yet you will have this comfortable reflection to
make, that you did what you could to make your families reli
gious. And therefore may rest assured of setting down in the
kingdom of heaven, with Abraham, Joshua, and Cornelius,
and all the godly householders, who in their several genera
tions shone forth as so many lights in tiieir respective house.
holds upon earth. Amen.

464 the method of ouace. [Serm. 14
SERMON XIV.

THE METHOD OF GRACE.

Jeremiah vi. 14.
They have healed also the hurt ofthe daughter of my people slightl-L
saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace.
As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing,
than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers ; so
the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in
this world, is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal,
lukewarm, and unskillful guides. And yet, in all ages, we
find that there have been many wolves in sheep's clothing,
many that daubed with untempered mortar, that prophesied
smoother things than God did allow. As it was formerly, so
it is now, there are many that corrupt the word of God, and
deal deceitfully with it. It was so in a special manner in the
prophet Jeremiah's time ; and he, faithful to that God that
employed, him, did not fail, from time to time, to open his
mouth against them, and to bear a noble testimony to the
honor of that God, in whose name he from time to time spake.
If you will read his prophecy, you will find, that none spake
more against such ministers than Jeremiah : and here espe
cially, in the chapter out, of which the text is taken, he speaks
very severely against them ; he charges them with several
crimes, particularly, he charges them with covetousness : for,
says he in the 13th verse, " from the least of them even to the
greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness ; and
from the prophet even unto the priest, everyone dealeth false
ly." And then in the words of the text, in a more special
manner, he exemplifies how they had dealt falsely, how they
had behaved treacherously to poor souls, says he, they have
healed also the hurt of the daughter ofmy people slightly,
saying peace, peace, when there is no peace. The prophet,
in the name of God, had been denouncing war against the
people, he had been telling them, that their houses should be
left desolate, and the Lord" would certainly visit the land with.
war, "therefore," says he, in the 11th verse, "I am full ofthe
fury of the Lord : I am weary with holding in : I will pour it
out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young
men together. For even the husband with the wife shall be
taken, the aged with him that is full of days. And their houses

Serm. 14.] the method of grace. 455
shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives togeth
er : for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the
land, saith the Lord." The prophet gives a thundering mes
sage, that they might be terrified, and have some convictions
and inclinations to repent : but it seems that the false pro
phets, the false priests, went about stifling people's convictions,
and when they were hurt or a little terrified, they were for
daubing over the wound, telling them, that Jeremiah was but
an enthusiastic preacher ; that, there could be no such thing
as a war among them ; and bidding people " peace, peace, be
still," when the prophet told them there was no peace. The
words then refer primarily unto outward things ; but I verily
believe have also a further reference to the soul : and are to
be referred to those false teachers, who, when people were
under conviction of sin, when people were beginning to look
towards heaven, were for stifling their convictions, and telling
them they were good enough before. And indeed people gen
erally love to have it so : our hearts are exceedingly deceitful
and desperately wicked ; none but the eternal God knows how
treacherous they are. How many of us cry, peace, peace, to
our souls, when there is no peace. How many are there that
are now settfed upon their lees, that now think they are chris
tians, that now flatter themselves that they have an interest in
Jesus Christ ; whereas if we come to examine their experi-
3nces, we will find that their peace is but a peace of the devil's
making ; it is not a peace of God's giving ; it is not a peace
that passeth human understanding. It is matter therefore of
great importance, my dear hearers, to know whether we may
speak peace to our hearts. We are all desirous of peace, peace
is an unspeakable blessing. How can we live without peace ?
And therefore people, from time to time, must be taught how
far they must go, and what must be wrought in them, before
they can speak peace to their hearts. This is what I design
at present, that I may deliver my soul, that I may be free from
the blood of all those to whom I preach, that I may not fail
to declare the whole counsel of God. I shall from the words
of the text, endeavor to show you what you must undergo,
and what must be wrought in you, before ye can speak peace
to your hearts.
But before I come directly to this, give me leave to premise
a caution or two. And the first is, that I take it for granted
ye believe religion to be an inward thing ; ye beheve it to be
a work in the heart, a work wrought in the soul by the power
of the Spirit of God. If you do not believe this, ye do not
beheve your Bible. If ye do not believe this, though ye have got
your Bible in your hands, ye hate the Lord Jesus Christ in

456 the method of grace. [Serm. 14.
your heart : for religion is every where represented in scrip
ture, as the work of God in the heart; "the kingdom of God
is within us," says our Lord ; and, " he is not a christian that
is one outwardly, but he is a christian who is one inwardly."
If any of you place religion in outward things, I shall not per
haps please you this morning ; ye will understand me no
more when I speak of the work of God upon a poor sinner's
heart, than if I were talking in an unknown tongue. I would
further premise a caution, that I would by no means confine
God to one way of acting ; I would by no means say, that
all persons before they come to have a settled peace in their
hearts, are obliged to undergo the same degrees of conviction.
No ; God has various ways of bringing his children home ;
his sacred spirit bloweth when, and where, and how, it listeth.
But however, I will venture to affirm this, that before ever ye
can speak peace to your hearts, whether by shorter or longer
continuance of your convictions, whether in a more pungent
or in a more gentle way, ye must undergo what I shall hereaf
ter lay down in the following discourse.
First, Then, before ye can speak peace to your hearts, ye
must be made to see, made to feel, made to weep over, made
to bewail your actual transgressions against the law of God.
According to the covenant of works, the soul that sinneth it
shall die ; cursed is that man, be what he will, be who he will,
that continueth not in all things that are written in the book
of the law to do them. We are not only to do some things,
but we are to do all things, and we are to continue so to do ;
so that the least deviation from the moral law, according to
the covenant of works, whether in thought, word, or deed, de
serves eternal death at the hand of God. And if one evil
thought, if one evil word, if one evil action, deserves eternal
damnation ; how many hells, my friends, do every one of us
deserve, whose whole lives have been one continual rebellion
against God. Before ever therefore ye can speak peace to your
hearts, ye must be brought to see, brought to believe, what a
dreadful thing it is to depart from the living God. And now,
my dear friends, examine your hearts, for I hope ye come
hither with a design to have your souls made better : give me
leave to ask you, in the presence of God, whether ye know the
time, and if ye do not know exactly the time, do ye know
there was a time when God wrote bitter things against you,
when the arrows of the Almighty were within you ? Was
ever the remembrance of your sins grievous to you ? Was
the burden of your sins intolerable to your thoughts ? Did ye
ever see that God's wrath might justly fall upon you, upon ac
count of your actual transgressions against God ? Were ye

Serm. 14.] the method of grace. 457
ever in all your life sorry for your sins ? Could ye ever say,
my sins are gone over my head as a burden too heavy for me
to bear ? Did ye ever experience any such thing as this ? Did
ever any such thing as this pass between God and your soul ?
If not, for Jesus Christ's sake do not call yourselves christians ;
ye may speak -peace to your hearts, but there is no peace. May
the Lord awaken you, may the Lo-rd convert you, may the
Lord give you peace, if it be his will, before you go home.
But further, ye may be convinced of your actual sins, so as
rto be made to tremble, and yet ye may be strangers to Jesus
¦Christ, ye may have no true work of grace upon your heart.
:Before ever, therefore, ye can speak peace to your hearts, con
viction must go deeper ; ye must not only be convinced of your
actual transgressions against the law of God, but likewise of
fthe foundation of all your transgressions ; and what is that?
I mean original sin ; that original corruption each of us brings
into the wortd with us, which renders us liable to God's wrath
:and damnation. There are many poor souls that think them
selves fine reasoners, yet they pretend to say there is no such
thing as original sin ; they will charge God with injustice in
-imputing Adam's sin to us ; although we have got the mark
-ofthe beast, and of the devil upon us, yet they tell us, we are
not born in sin. Let them look abroad in the world, and see
-the disorders in it, and think if they can, if this is the paradise
-in which God did put man ? No, every thing in the world is
out of order. I have often thought, when I was abroad, that
if there were no other argument to prove original sin, but the
•rising of wolves and tigers against man, nay, the barking of
a dog against us, is a proof of original sin. Tigers and lions
,durst not rise against us, if it were not for Adam's first sin :
for when the. creatures rise up against us, it is as much as to
=say, ye have sinned against God, and we take up our master's
-quarrel. If we look inward, we will see enough of lusts, and
man's temper contrary to the temper of God ; there is pride,
.malice, and revenge in all our hearts, and this temper cannot
come from God; it comes from our first parent, Adam, who,
after he fell from God, fell out of God into the devil. How-
over, therefore, some people .may deny this, yet when convic
tion comes, all carnal reasonings are battered down immedi
ately, and the poor soul begins to feel and see the fountain
from which all the polluted streams do flow. When the sin-
,ner is first awakened, he begins to wonder how he came to be
so wicked : the Spirit of <3fod then strikes in, and shows that
he has no good thing in him by nature ; then he sees that he
is altogether gone out of the way; that he is altogether be
come abominable ; and the poor creature is made to lie down
39

456 the method of grace. [Serm. 14,
at the foot of the throne of God, and to acknowledge that God
would- be just to damn him, just to cut him off, though he
never had committed one actual sin in his life. Did ye ever
feel and experience this any of you, to justify God in your
damnation ; to own that ye are by nature children of wrath,
and that God may justly cut you off though ye never actually
had offended him in all your life. If ye were ever truly con
victed — if your hearts were ever truly cut — if self were truly
taken out of you, ye will be made to see and feel this. And
if ye have never felt the weight of original sin, do not call
yourselves christians. I am verily persuaded original sin is
the greatest burden of a true convert ; this even grieves th©
regenerate soul — the sanctified soul. The indwelling of sin
in the heart is the burden of a converted person ; it is the bur
den of a true christian; he continually cries out, O "Who
will deliver me from this body of death," this indwelling cor
ruption of my heart ; this is that which disturbs a poor soul
most. And, therefore, if ye never felt this inward corruption —
if ye never saw that God might justly curse you for it ; in
deed, my dear friends, ye may speak peace to your heart, but
I fear, nay, I know, there is no true peace.
Further, before we can speak peace to your hearts, ye must
not only be troubled for the sins of your life, the sins of your
nature, but likewise for the sins of your best duties and per
formances. When a. poor soul is somewhat awakened by the
terrors of the Lord, then the poor creature, being born under
the covenant of works flies directly to a covenant of works
again. And as Adam and Eve hid themselves among the
trees of the garden, and sewed fig-leaves together to covet
their nakedness ; so the poor sinner when awakened, flies to
his duties, and to his performances, to hide himself from God ;
and goes to patch up a righteousness of his own ; says he, ]
will be mighty good now ; I will reform, I will do all I can,
and then certainly Jesus Christ will have mercy on me. Bui
before ye can speak peace to your heart, ye must be brought
to see that God may justly damn you for the best prayer ye
ever put up in all your life ; ye must be brought to see all your
-duties, all your righteousness, as the prophet elegantly ex-
. presses it, put them altogether, are so far from recommending
iyou to God, are so far from being any motive and inducement
.to God to have mercy on your poor souls, that ye will see them
.to be filthy rags, a menstruous cloth ; that God hates them, and
.cannot away with them, if ye bring them to him in order to
: recommend you to bis favor. My dear friends, what is there
:in our performances to recommend us unto God ; our persons
are in an unsanctified state by nature, we deserve to be damned

Serm. 14.] the method of grace; 439'
ten thousand times over; and what must our performances be?
We can do no good thing by nature ; " they that are in the
flesh cannot please God." Ye may do things materially good,
but ye cannot do a thing formally and rightly good ; because
nature cannot act above itself. It is impossible that a man
that is unconverted can act for the glory of God ; he cannot
do any thing in faith, for " whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
After we are renewed, yet we are renewed but in part ; in
dwelling sin continues in us ; there is a mixture of corruption
in every one of our duties ; so that after we are converted, were
Jesus Christ only to accept us according to our works, our
works would damn us ; for we cannot put up a prayer but it is
far from that perfection which the moral law requireth. I do
not know what ye may think ; but I can say that I cannot pray-
but I sin ; I cannot preach to you or any others but I sin ; I
can do nothing without sin : and, as one expresseth it, my
repentance wants to be repented of, and my tears to be washed
in the precious blood of my dear Redeemer ; our best duties
are as so many splendid sins. Before ye can speak peace to
your hearts, ye must not only be sick of your original and
actual sins ; but ye must be made sick of your righteousness,
of all your duties and performances. There must be a deep
conviction before ye can be brought out 'of your self-righteous
ness ; it is the last idol that is taken out of our heart, the pride
of our heart will not let us submit to the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. But if ye never felt that ye had no righteousness of
your own ; if ye never felt the deficiency of your own righte
ousness ye can never come to Jesus Christ. There are a great
many now that may say, well, we believe all this ; but there
is a great difference betwixt talking and feeling. Did ye ever
feel the want of a dear Redeemer ? Did ye ever feel the want
of Jesus Christ upon the account of the deficiency of your
own righteousness ? And can ye now say from your heart
" Lord, thou mayest justly damn me for the best duties that
ever I did perform ;" if ye are not thus brought out of self, ye
may speak peace to yourselves, but yet there is no peace.
But then before ye can speak peace to your souls there is
one particular sin ye must be greatly troubled for ; and yet I
fear there are few of you think what it is ; it is the reigning,
the damning sin ofthe christian world ; and yet the christian
world seldom or never think of it ; and pray what is that?
It is what most of you think ye are not guilty of, and that is
the sin of unbelief; before we can speak peace to your heart,
ye must be troubled for the unbelief of your heart ; but can it
be supposed that any of you are unbelievers here in this
churchyard, that are born in Scotland, in a reformed country

460 the method of grace. [Serm. 14.
that go to church every Sabbath ? Can anjr of you that re
ceive the sacrament once a year ? (O that it were administered
oftener.) Can it be supposed that you that had tokens for the
sacrament ; that you that, keep up family prayer, that any of
you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ? I appeal to your
own hearts, if ye would not think me uncharitable,if I doubted
whether any of you believed in Christ ; and yet I fear, upon
examination, we should find that most of you have not so
much faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the devil himself. I
am persuaded the devil believes more of the Bible than most
of us do ; he believes the divinity of Jesus Christ, that is more
than many that call themselves christians do ; nay, he believes
and trembles, and that is more than thousands among us do.
My friends, we mistake an historical faith for a true faith
wrought in the heart by the Spirit of God. Ye fancy ye be
lieve, because ye believe there is such a book as we call the
Bible, because ye go to church ; all this ye may do, and have
no true faith in Christ. Merely to believe there was once
such a person as Christ, merely to believe there is such a book
called the Bible, will do you no good, more than to believe
there was such a man as Cesar or Alexander the Great. The
Bible is a sacred depository : what thanks have we to give to
God for these lively oracles ! But yet we may have these, and
not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. My dear friends, there
must be a principle wrought in the heart by the Spirit of the
living God. Did I ask you how long it is since ye believed in
Jesus Christ, I suppose most of you would tell me, ye believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ, as long as ever ye remember ; ye
never did disbelieve ; then ye could not give me a better proof
that ye never yet believed in Jesus Christ, unless ye were
sanctified early from the womb; for they that believe in
Christ, know there was a time when they did not believe in
Jesus Christ. You say you love God with all your heart,
soul, and strength ; if I were to ask you, how long it is since
ye loved God, ye would say, as long as ye can remember ; ye
never hated God ; ye know no time when there was enmity
in your heart against God ; then unless ye were sanctified
very early, ye never loved God in your life. My dear friends,
I am more particular in this, because it is a most deceitful
delusion, whereby so many people are carried away, that they
believe already. Therefore it is remarkable of Mr. Marshall
giving account of his experiences, he had been working for
hfe, he had ranged all his sins under the ten commandments
and then coming to a minister, asked him the reason why he
could not get peace ; the minister looked to the catalogue,
'Away, says he, I do not find one word of tliesin of unbelief

Serm. 14.] the method of grace, 461
in all your catalogue." It is the peculiar work of the Spirit
of God to convince us of our unbelief, that we have got no
faith. Says Jesus Christ, " I will send the Comforter ; and
when he is come, he will reprove the world of the sin of un
belief." Of sin, says Christ, "because they believe not on
me." Now, my dear friends, did God ever show you that ye
had no faith ? Were you ever made to bewail a hard heart
of unbelief? Was it ever the language of your heart, Lord,
give me faith ? Lord, enable me to lay hold on thee ? Lord,
enable me to call thee my Lord and my God ? Did Jesus
Christ ever convince you in this manner ? Did he ever con
vince you of your inability to close with Christ, and make you
cry out to God to give you faith ? If not, do not speak peace
to your heart ; may the Lord awaken you, and give you true
solid peace before yTou go hence and be no more !
Once more then, before ye' can speak peace to your heart,
ye must not only be convinced of your actual and original
sin, the sin of your own righteousness, the sin of unbelief ; but
ye must be enabled to lay hold upon the perfect righteousness,
the all-sufficient righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ ; ye
must lay hold by faith on the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
and then ye shall have peace. "Come," says Jesus, "unto
me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." This speaks encouragement to all that are weary
and heavy laden ; but the promise of rest is made to them
only upon their coming, and believing, and taking him to be
their God and their all. Before we can ever have peace with
God, Ave must be justified by. faith, through our Lord Jesus
Christ ; we must be enabled to apply Christ to our heart : we.
must have Christ brought home to our soul, so that his
righteousness may be made our righteousness, so that his
merits may be imputed to our souls. My dear friends, were
ye ever married to Jesus Christ? Did Jesus Christ ever give
himself to you ? Did ye ever close with Christ by a lively
faith, so as to feel Christ in your heart, so as to hear him
speaking peace to your souls ? Did peace ever flow in upon
your heart like a river? Did ye ever feel that peace that
Christ spoke to his disciples ? I pray God he may come, and
speak peace to you. These things ye must experience. 1
am now talking of the invisible realities of another world, of
inward religion, of the work of God upon a poor sinner's
heart ; I am now talking of a matter of great importance ; my
dear hearers, ye are all concerned in it ; your souls are con
cerned in it ; your eternal salvation is concerned in it. You
may all be at peace, but perhaps the devil has lulled you
asleep into a carnal lethargy and security, and will endeavor
39*

462 the method of grace. [Serm. 14.
to keep you there, till he get you to hell, and there ye will be
awakened ; but it will be dreadful to be awakened, and find
yourselves so fearfully mistaken, when the great gulf is fixed,
when ye will be calling to all eternity for a drop of water to
cool your tongue, and shall not obtain it.
Give me leave then to address myself to several sorts of
persons ; and O may God, of his infinite mercy, bless the
application. Some of you perhaps can say, through grace
we can go along with you ; blessed be God we have been
convinced of our actual sins ; we have been convinced of
original sin ; we have been convinced of self-righteousness ;
we have felt the bitterness of unbelief and, through grace, we
have closed with Jesus Christ ; we can speak peace to our
hearts, because God hath spoken peace to us. Can ye say so?.'
Then I will salute you as the angels did the women the first
day ofthe week ; All hail, fear not" ye, my dear brethren ; ye
are happy souls ; ye may lie down and be at peace indeed,
for God has given you peace ; ye may be content under all
the dispensations of providence; for nothing- can happen to
you now, but what shall be the effect of God's love to your
soul r ye need not fear what fightings may be without, seeing
there is peace within. Have ye closed with Christ ? Is God.
your friend ? Is Christ your friend ? Then look up with com
fort ; all is yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's ;
every thing shall work together for your good ; the very hamr
of your head are numbered ; lie that toucheth you, toucheih
the apple of God's eye. But then, my dear- friends, beware of
resting on your first conversion: ye that are young believers
in Christ, ye should be looking out for fresh discoveries of the
Lord. Jesus Christ every moment : ye must not build upon-
your past experiences ; ye must not build upon a work within
ym, but always come out of yourselves to the righteousness
of Jesus Christ without you : ye must be always coming as
poor sinners to draw water out of the wells of salvation ; ye
must be forgetting the things that are behind, and be con
tinually pressing forward to the things that are before. My
dear friends, ye must keep up a tender, close walk with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Many of us lose our peace by cur un-
tender walk. Something or other gets in betwixt Christ and
us, and we fall into darkness ; something or other steals our
lieart from God, and this grieves the Holy Ghost, and the
Holy Ghost leaves us to ourselves. Let me, therefore, exhort
you that have peace with God, to take care that ye do not
lose this peace. It is true, if ye are once in Christ, ye cannot
finally fall from God ; " there is no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus ;" but if ye cannot fall finally, ye may fall

Serm. 14.] the method of grace. 463
foully, and may go with broken bones all your days. Take
care of backsliding for Jesus Christ's sake. Do not grieve the
Holy Ghost ; ye may never recover your comfort while ye
live. O take care of going a gadding and wandering from
God, after ye have closed with Jesus Christ. My dear friends,
I have paid dear for backsliding. Our hearts are so cursedly
wicked, that if ye take not care, if ye do not keep up a con
stant watch, your wicked hearts will deceive you, and draw
you aside. It will be sad to be under the scourge of a cor
recting father ; witness the visitation of Job, David, and other
saints in scripture. Let me, therefore, exhort you that have
peace to keep a close walk with Christ. I am grieved with
the loose walk of those that are christians, that have had dis
coveries of Jesus Christ ; there is so little difference betwixt
them and other people, that I can scarce know whieh is the
true christian. Christians are afraid to speak for God ; they
run down with the stream ; if they come into worldly com
pany, they will talk of the world, as if they were in their ele
ment. This ye would not do when ye had the first disco
veries of Christ's love ; ye could talk then of Christ's love for
ever, when the candle of the Lord shone upon your soul. The
time has been when ye had something to say for your dear
Lord ; but now ye can go into company, and hear others
speaking about the world bold enough, and ye are afraid of
being laughed atr if ye speak for Jesus Christ. A great many
people have grown conformists now in the wTorst sense of the
word ; they will cry out against the ceremonies of the church.
as they may justly do ; but then ye are might)'- fond of cere
monies in your behavior ; ye will conform to the world, which
is a great deal worse ; many will stay till the devil bring up
new fashions. Take care then not to be conformed to the
world. What have christians to do with the world? Chris-
tians should be singularly good, bold for their Lord, that all
that are with you may take notice that ye have been with,
Jesus. I would exhort you to come to a settlement in Jesus-
Christ, so as to have a continual abiding of God in your
heart. We go a building on our faith of adherence, and lose
our comfort ; but we should be growing up to a faith of as
surance, to know that we are God's, and so walk in the com
fort of the Holy Ghost and be edified. Jesus Christ is now
much wounded in the house of his friends. Excuse me in
being particular; for, my friends, it grieves me more that
Jesus Christ should be wounded by his friends than by his ene
mies. We cannot expect any thing else from deists ; but for
such as have felt his power to fall away, for them not to walk
agreeably to the vocation wherewith they are called, by these

464 the method of grace. [Serm. 14
means we bring our Lord's religion into contempt ; to be a
by-word among the heathen. For Christ's sake, if ye know
Christ, keep close by him ; if God hath spoken peace, 0 keep
that peace, by looking up to Jesus Christ every moment. Such
as have peace with God, if ye are under trials, fear not, all
things shall work for your good ; if ye are under temptations,
fear not ; if he has spoken peace to your heart, all these things
shall be for your good.
But what shall I say to you that have not peace with God ;
and these are perhaps the majority of this congregation ; it
makes me weep to hear of it. Most of you, if you examine your
heart, must confess that God never yet spoke peace to you ;
ye are children of the devil if Christ is not in you ; if God has
not spoken peace to your heart, poor soul, what a cursed con
dition are you in ? I would not be in your case for ten thou
sand thousand worlds ! Why ? Ye are just hanging over
hell. What peace can ye have when Gcd is your enemy,
when the wrath of God is abiding upon your poor soul ?
Awake then, ye that are sleeping in a false peace ; awake, ye
careless professors, ye hypocrites that go to church, receive
the sacrament, read your Bibles, and never felt the power of
God upon your heart : ye that are formal professors, ye that
are baptized heathens, awake, awake, and do not rest, on a
false bottom. Blame me not for addressing myself to you ;
indeed it is out of love to your soul. I see ye are lingering in
your Sodom, and wanting to stay there : but 1 come to you as
the angel did to Lot, to take you by the hand. Come away,
my dear brethren, fly, fly, fly for your lives to Jesus Christ ; fly-
to a bleeding Gcd, fly to a throne of grace ; and teg of Gcd
to break your heart ; beg of God to convince you of yrour
actual sins ; beg of God to convince you of your original sin ;
beg of God to convince you of your self-righteousness ; beg of
God to give you faith, and to enable you to close with Jesus
Christ. O you that are secure, I must be a son of thunder to
you ; and O that God may awaken you, though it be with
thunder. It is out of love indeed that I speak to you. I know,
by sad experience, what it is to be lulled asleep with a false
peace. Long was I lulled asleep ; long did I think myself a
christian, when I knew nothing of the Lord Jesus Christ. I
went perhaps further than many of you do ; I used to fast
twice a week ; I used to pray sometimes nine times a day ; I
used to receive the sacrament constantly every Lord's day ;
and yet I knew nothing of Jesus Christ in my heart. I knew
pot I must be a new creature. I knew nothing of inward
religion in my soul. And perhaps many of you may be de
ceived, as I a poor creature was ; and therefore it was out of

Serm. 14.] the method of grace. 465
love to you indeed that I spake to you. O, if ye do not take
care a form of religion will destroy your soul : ye will rest in it,
and will not come to Jesus Christ at all : Whereas these things
are only the means, and not the end of religion ; Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to all that believe.
O then awake, ye that are fettered in your lees ; awake ye
church professors ; awake, ye that have got a name to live,
that are rich and think that ye want nothing, not considering
that ye are poor and blind, and naked ; I counsel you to come
and buy of Jesus Christ gold, white raiment and eye salve.
But I hope there are some that are a little wounded. I hope
God does not intend to let me preach in vain. I hope God
will reach some of your precious souls, and awaken some of
you out of your carnal security. I hope there are some that
are willing to come to Christ, and beginning to think that they
have been building upon a false foundation. Perhaps the
devil may strike in, and may bid you despair of mercy : but
fear not : what I have been speaking to you, is only out of
love to you, is only to awaken you, and let yon see your dan
ger. If any of you are willing to be reconciled to God, God
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is willing to be reconciled to
you. O then, though ye have no peace as yet, come away to
Jesus Christ ; he is our peace ; he is our peace-maker : he has
made peace betwixt God and offending man. Would you
have peace with God ? Away then to God, through Jesus
Christ, who has purchased peace. The Lord Jesus hath shed
his heart's blood for this ; he died for this ; he ascended into
the highest heavens, and is now interceding at the right hand
of God. Perhaps ye think there will be no peace for you. Why
so? Because ye are sinners ; because ye have crucified Christ,
ye have put him to open shame, ye have trampled under foot
the blood of the Son of God. What of all this ? yet there is
peace for you. Pray what did Jesus Christ say to his disciples,
when he came to them the first day of the week? The first
word he said was " Peace be unto you. He showed them his
hands and his feet and said, Peace be unto you." It is ay
much as if he had said, fear not, my disciples ; see my hands and
my feet, how they have been pierced for your sake ; therefore
fear not. How did Christ speak to his disciples. Go tell my
brethren, and tell broken-hearted Peter in particular, that
Christ is risen, that he has ascended unto his father and your
father, to his God and your God. And after Christ rose from
the dead, he came preaching peace with an olive-branch of
peace in his mouth, as Noah's dove, " My peace I leave with
you." Who were they ? They were the enemies of Christ as
well as we ; they were deniers of Christ once as well as we

466" TiiE Method of grace.' [Serm. 14*
Perhaps some of you have backslidden and lost your peace,
and ye think ye deserve no peace ; and no more ye do : but
then God will heal your backslidings, he will love you freely.-
As for you that are wounded, if you are made willing to come
to Christ, come away. Perhaps some of you want to dress'
yourselves in your duties, that are but rotten rags. No, ye had
better come naked, as you are ; for ye must throw aside your
rags, and come in your blood. Some of you may say, we
would come but we have a hard heart : but ye will never get
it soft till you come to Christ ; he will take away the heart of
stone, and give you a heart of flesh ; he will speak peace to
your soul : though ye have betrayed him, yet he will be your
peace. Shall I prevail upon any of you this morning to come
to Jesus Christ ! There is a great multitude of souls here ;
how shortly must ye all die, and go to judgment ; even before
night, or to-morrow's night, some of you may be buried in this
churchyard. And how will ye do if ye be not at peace with
God ! if the Lord Jesus Christ has not spoken peace to your
heart. If God speak not peace to you here, ye will be damned
for ever. I must not flatter you ; my dear friends, I will deal
sincerely with your souls. Some of you may think I carry
things too far : but indeed when ye come to judgment, ye will
find this true, either to your eternal damnation or comfort,
May God influence your hearts to come to him ! I am not
willing to go away without persuading you. I cannot be per
suaded but God may make use of me as a means of persuading
some of you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. O did you but
feel the peace which they have that love the Lord Jesus Christ.
" Great peace have they," says the Psalmist, " that love thy law,
nothing shall offend them." But there is no peace to the wick
ed. I know what it is to live a life of sin. I was obliged to
sin to stifle conviction. And I am sure this is the way many
of you take ; if ye get into company, ye drive off conviction.
But ye had better go to the bottom at once ; it must be done,
your wound must be searched, or ye must be damned. If it
were a matter of indifference, I would not speak one word
about it : but ye will be damned without Christ-; he is the way,
he is the truth, and the life. I cannot think you should go to
hell without Christ. How can ye dwell with everlasting burn
ings ? How can ye abide the thought of living with the devil
for ever ? Is it not better to have some soul trouble here, than
to be sent to hell by Jesus Christ hereafter ? What is hell but
to be absent from Christ? If there were no other hell, that
would be hell enough. It will be hell to be tormented with
the devil for ever. Get acquaintance with God then, and be at
peace. I beseech you as a poor worthless ambassador of Jesus

Serm. 14.] the method of grace. 467
Christ, that ye would be reconciled to him. My business this
morning, the first, day of the week, is to tell you that Christ is
willing to be reconciled to you. Will any of you be reconciled
to Jesus Christ ? Then, he will forgive you all your sins ; he
will blot out all your transgressions. But if ye will go on
and rebel against Christ, and stab him daily ; if ye will go on
and abuse Jesus Christ, the wrath of God, ye must expect, will
fall upon you. God will not be mocked ; that which a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. And if ye will not be at peace
with God, God will not be at peace with you. Who can stand
before God when he is angry. It is a dreadful thing to fall
into the hands of an angry God. When the people came to
apprehend Christ, they fell to the ground when Jesus said, I am
he : and if they could not bear the sight of Christ when cloth
ed with the rags of mortality, how will they bear the sight of
him, when he is on his Father's throne ? Methinks I see the
poor wretches dragged out of their graves by the devil, methinks
I see them trembling, calling out to the hills and rocks to
cover them. But the devil will say, come, I will take you
away ; and then they will stand trembling before the judg
ment seat of Christ. They shall appear before him to see him
once, and hear him pronounce that irrevocable sentence.
" Depart from me, ye cursed." Methinks I hear the poor crea
ture saying, Lord, if we must be damned, let some angel pro
nounce the sentence. No, the God of love, Jesus Christ, will
pronounce it. Will ye not believe this ? Do not think I am
talking at random, but agreeably to the scriptures of truth. If
ye do then show yourselves men, this morning go away with
full resolution, in the strength of God, to cleave to Christ. And
may ye have no rest in your soul till ye rest in Jesus Christ. I
could still go on, for it is sweet to talk of Christ. Do ye not
long for the time when ye shall have new bodies, when they
shall be immortal, and made like Christ's glorious body, and
then they will talk of Jesus Christ for evermore. But it is time
perhaps for you to go and prepare for your respective worship,
and I would not hinder any of you. My design is to bring
poor sinners to Jesus Christ. 0 that God may bring some of
you to himself. May the Lord Jesus now dismiss you with
his blessing ; and may the dear Redeemer convince you that
are unawakened, and turn the Avicked from the evil of their way.
And may the love of God that passeth all understanding fill
your hearts. Grant this, 0 Father, for Christ's sake, to whom,
with thee and the blessed Spirit, be all honor and glory, now
and for ever more. Amen.

468 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 1,5,
SERMON XV,

THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS.

Matthew xxv. 13.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which
the Son of man cometh.
The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, informs us,
that " it is appointed for all men once to die ; after that is the
judgment." And I think, if any consideration be sufficient to
awaken a sleeping, drowsy world, it must be this, that there
will be a day wherein these heavens shall be wrapped up like
a scroll, this element melt with fervent heat, the earth and all
things therein be burnt up, and every soul, of every nation and
language, summoned to appear before the dread tribunal ofthe
righteous Judge of quick and dead, to receive rewards and
punishments, according to the deeds done in their bodies. The
great apostle just mentioned, when brought before Felix, could
think of no better means to convert that sinful man, than to rea
son of temperance, righteousness, and more especially of a
judgment to come. The first might in some measure affect,
but I am persuaded, it was the last consideration, a judgment
to come, that made him tremble : and so bad as the world is
now grown, yet few have their consciences so far seared, as to
deny that there will be a reckoning hereafter. The promiscuous
dispensations of providence in this life, wherein we see good
men afflicted, destitute, tormented, and the wicked permitted
triumphantly to ride over their heads, has been always looked
upon as an indisputable argument, by the generality of men,
that there will be a day in which God will judge the world in
righteousness, and administer equity unto his people. Some
indeed are so bold as to deny it, while they are engaged in the
pursuit of the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ; but follow
them to their death-beds, ask them, when their souls are ready to
launch into eternity, what they then think of a judgment to come,
and they will tell you they dare not give their consciences,
the he any longer. They feel a fearful looking for of judg
ment, and fiery indignation in their hearts. Since then these
things are so, does it not highly concern each of us, my breth
ren, before we come on a bed of sickness, seriously to examine
how the account stands between God and our souls, and how
it will fare with us in that day ? As for the openly profane,

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 469
the drunkard, the whoremonger, the adulterer, and such like,
there is no doubt of what will become of them ; without repent
ance, they shall never enter into the kingdom of God and his
Christ. No: their damnation slumbereth not : a burning fiery
Tophet, kindled by the fury of God's eternal wrath, is prepared
for their reception, wherein they must suffer the vengeance of
eternal fire. Nor is there the least doubt of the state of true
believers. For though they are despised and rejected of natu
ral men, yet being born again of God, they are heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ. They have the earnest of the
promised inheritance in their hearts, and are assured, that a
new and living way is made open for them, into' the holy of
holies, by the blood of Jesus Christ, into which an abundant
.entrance shall be administered to them at the great day of ac
count. The only question is, what will become of the almost
-christian, one that is content to go, as he thinks, iu a middle
way to heaven, without being profane on the one hand, or, as
he falsely imagines, righteous overmuch on the other? Many
there are in every congregation, and consequently some here
.present, of this stamp. And what is worst of all, it is more
easy to convince the most notorious publicans and sinners of
their being out of a state of salvation, than any of these. Not
withstanding, if Jesus Christ may be your Judge, they shall as
certainly be rejected and disowned by him at the last day, ai
though they lived in open defiance of all his laws.
For what says our Lord in the parable of which the words
of the text are a conclusion, and which I intend to make the
subject of my present discourse. " Then," at the day of judg-
.mentj which he had been discoursing of in the foregoing, and
prosecutes in this chapter, " shall the kingdom of heaven,"
the state of professors in the gospel church, " be likened unto
ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom." In whieh words, is a manifest allusion to a
custom prevailing in our Lord's time among the Jews at mar
riage solemnities, which were generally at night, and at which
it was custom?.:-*' for the persons of the bride-chamber to go out
in procession, with many lights, to meet the bridegroom.
By the bridegroom, you are here to understand Jesus Christ.
The church, that is, true believers, are his spouse ; he is united
to them by one spirit, even in this life ; but the solemnizing of
these sacred nuptials is reserved till the day of judgment, when
he shall come to take them home to himself, and present them
before men and angels as his purchase to his Father, without
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. By the ten virgins we are
to understand the professors of Christianity in general. Are afl
called virgins, because all are called to be saints ? Whoever
40

470 the wise and foolish virgins, [SeniL- IS,
names the name of Christ is obliged by that very profession to
depart from all iniquity. But the pure and chaste in heart, are
the only persons that will be so blessed as to see God. As
Christ was born of a virgin, so he can dwell in none but virgin
souls, made pure and holy by the cohabitation of his Holy Spirit.
What says the apostle ? " All are not Israelites that are of
Israel," all are not christians that are called after the name of
Christ. No, says our Lord, in the 2d verse, " Five of those
virgins were wise," -true believers, "and five were foolish,"
formal hypocrites. But why are five said to be wise, and the
other five foolish ? Hear what our Lord says in the following
verses : " They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no
oil with them ; but the wise took oil in their vessels with their
lamps." They that were foolish took their lamps of an out
ward profession. They would go to church, say over several
manuals of prayers, come perhaps even into a field to hear
sermon, give at a collection, and receive the sacrament con
stantly, nay, oftener than once a month. But then here lay the
mistake ; they had no oil in their lamps, no principle of grace,
no living faith in their hearts, without which, though we should
give all our goods to feed the poor, and our bodies to be burn
ed, it would profit us nothing. In short, they were exact, nay,
perhaps superstitious bigots as to the form, but all the while they
were strangers to, and, in effect, denied the power of godliness in
their hearts. They would go to church, but at the same time
think it no harm to go to a ball or an assembly, notwithstanding
they promised at their baptism, to renounce the pomps and vani
ties of this wicked world, They were so exceedingly fearful of
being righteous over much, that they would even persecute
those that were truly devout, if they attempted to go a step far
ther tfian themselves. In one word, they never effectually felt
the power of the world to come. They thought they might
be christians without so much inward feeling, and therefore,
notwithstanding their high pretensions, had only a name to live.
And now, sirs, let me pause a while, and, in the name of
God, whom I endeavor to serve in the gospel of his dear Son,
give me leave to ask one question. Whilst I have been draw
ing, though in miniature, the character of these foolish virgins,
have not many of your consciences made the application, and
with a small, still, though articulate voice, said, thou marl, thou
woman art one of those foolish virgins, for thy sentiments and
practice agree thereto ? Stifle not, but rather encourage these
^convictions ; and, who knows but that Lord who is rich in
mercy to all that call upon him faithfully, may so work on you,
even now by this foolishness of preaching, as to make you
wise virgins !

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 471
What they were you shall know immediately : " But the
wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." Observe, the
wise, the true believers, had their lamps as well as the foolish
virgins ; for Christianity does not require us to cast off all out
ward forms ; we may use forms and yet not be formal. For
instance, it is possible to worship God in a set form of prayer,
and yet worship him in spirit and in truth. And therefore,
brethren, let us not judge one another : the wise virgins had
their lamps ; herein then did not lie the difference between them
and the foolish, that one worshipped God with a form, and the
other did not. No : as the pharisee and publican went up to
the temple to pray, so these wise and foolish virgins might go
to the same place* of worship, and sit under the same ministry ;
but then the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps :
they kept up the form, but did not rest in it : their words in
prayer were the language, of their hearts, and they were no
strangers to inward feelings ; they had savingly tasted the good
word of life, and felt, or had experimental knowledge of the
power of the world to come ; they were not afraid of searching
doctrines, nor affronted when ministers told them they by na
ture deserved to be damned : they were not self-righteous, but
were willing that Jesus Christ should have all the glory of their
salvation ; they were convinced that the merits of Jesus Christ
were to be apprehended only by faith ; but yet were they as
carefuf to maintain good works, as though they were to be
justified by them. In short, their obedience flowed from love
and gratitude, and was cheerful, constant, uniform, universal,
like that obedience which the holy angels pay our Father in
heaven. Here then let me exhort you to pause again ; and if any of
you can faithfully apply these characters to your hearts, give
God the glory, and take the comfort to your own souls ; you
are not false but true believers. Jesus Christ has been made
of God to you wisdom, even that wisdom, whereby you shall
be made wise unto salvation. God sees a difference between
you and foolish virgins, if natural men will not. You need
not be uneasy, though one chance and fate in this life may
happen to you both. I say, one chance and fate ; for verse 5,
" while the bridegroom tarried," in the space of time whicli
passeth between our Lord's ascension and his coming again to
judgment, " they all slumbered and slept." The wise as well
as foolish died, for dust we are, and to dust we must return.
It is no reflection at all upon the divine goodness, that believers,
as well as hypocrites, must pass through the valley of the sha
dow of death ; for Christ has taken away the sting of death,
eo that we need fear no evil. It is to them a passage to ever

472 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 15
lasting life. Death is only terrible to those who have no hope,
because they live without faith, and therefore without God in
the world. Whoever there are amongst you, that have receiv
ed the first fruits of the Spirit, I am persuaded are ready to
cry out, we would not live here always ; we long to be dissolv
ed, that we may be with Jesus Christ ; and though worms
must destroy our bodies as well as others, yet we are content,
being assured that our Redeemer liveth, that he will stand at
the latter days upon the earth, and that in our flesh we shall
see God.
But it is not so with hypocrites and unbelievers beyond the
grave ; for what says our Lord ? " And at midnight ;" ob
serve, at midnight, when all was hushed and quiet, and no one
dreaming of any such thing, " a cry was made ;" the voice of
the archangel and the trump of God was heard sounding this
general alarm ; to things in heaven, to things in earth, and to
things in the waters under the earth, behold ! mark how this'
awful summons is ushered in with the word, behold, to en
gage our attention ? " Behold the bridegroom cometh !" even
Jesus Christ, the desire of nations, the bridegroom of his spouse,
the church. Because he tarried for a while to exercise the
faith of saints, and give sinners space to repent, scoffers were
apt to cry out, "Where is the promise of his coming? But
the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as these men ac
count slackness." For behold, he that was to come, now
cometh, and will not tarry any longer ; He cometh to be glori
fied in his saints, and to take vengeance on them that know
not God, and have not obeyed his gospel ; He cometh not as
a poor despised Galilean ; not to be laid in a stinking manger;
not to be despised and rejected of men ; not to be blindfolded,
spit upon, and buffeted ; not to be nailed to an accursed tree ;
he cometh not as the Son of man, but as he really was, the
eternal Son of the eternal God ; He cometh riding on the wings
of the wind, in the glory of the Father and his holy angels,
and to be had in everlasting reverence of all that shall be
round about him. Go ye forth to meet him ; arise ye dead,
ye foolish as well as wise virgins, arise and come to judgment.
Multitudes, no doubt, that hear this awakening cry. would re-
jooe, if the rocks might fall on, and the hills cover them from
the presence of the Lamb. What would they give, if as they
lived as beasts, they might now die like the beasts that perish?
How would they rejoice, if those same excuses, which they
made on this side eternity, for not attending on holy ordi
nances, would serve to keep them from appearing before the
heavenly bridegroom ! But as Adam, notwithstanding his
fig-leaves, and the trees of the garden, could not hide himself.

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 473
from God, when arrested with an Adam, where art thou 7
So now the decree is gone forth, and the trump of God has
given its last sound ; all tongues, people, nations, and lan
guages, both wise and foolish virgins, must come into his pre
sence, and bow beneath his footstool ; even Pontius Pilate,
Annas and Caiaphas ; even the proud persecuting high priests
mid pharisees of this generation, must appear before him. For
says our Lord, then (when the cry was made, behold the bride
groom cometh !) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye^ the
graves were opened, the sea gave up its dead, and all those
virgins, both wise and foolish, arose and trimmed their lamps,"
or endeavored to put themselves in a proper posture to meet
the bridegroom.
But how may we imagine the foolish virgins were surprised
when, notwithstanding their high thoughts and proud imagi
nations of their security, they now find themselves wholly naked,
and void of that inward holiness and purity of heart, without
which no man living at that day shall comfortably meet, the
Lord. I doubt not but many of these foolish virgins, while in
this world, were clothed in purple and fine linen, fared sump
tuously eveiy day, and disdained to set with the wise virgins,
some of whom might be as poor as Lazarus, even the dogs o/
their flock. These were looked upon by them as enthusiasts
and madmen, as persons that were righteous overmuch and who
intended to turn the world upside down : but now death hath
opened their eyes, and convinced them to their eternal sorrow,
that he is not a true christian, who is only one outwardly.
Now they find (though alas ! too late) they, and not the
wise virgins had been beside themselves. Now their proud
hearts are made to stoop, their lofty looks are brought low ;
and as Dives entreated that Lazarus might dip the tip of his
finger in water, and be sent to cool his tongue, so these fool
ish virgins, these formal hypocrites, are obliged to turn beg
gars to those whom they once despised. " Give us of your
oil," O ! impart to us a little of that grace and holy spirit,
for the insisting on which we fools accounted your lives
madness ; for, aias ! our lamps are gone out : we had only
the form of godliness ; we were whited sepulchres ; we were
heart hypocrites ; we contented ourselves with desiring to be
good ; and though confident of salvation while we lived, yet
our hope is entirely gone, now God has entirely taken away
our souls ; give us therefore, O ! give us, though we once de
spised you, give us of your oil, for our lamps, of an outward
profession, and transient convictions, are quite gone out. "Com
fort ye, comfort ye, my people saith the Lord." My brethren
iti Christ, hear what the foolish say to the wise virgins, aud
40*

474 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 15.
learn in patience to possess your souls. If you are true follow
ers of the lovely Jesus, I am persuaded you have your names
cast out, and all manner of evil spoken falsely against you for
his name's sake. For no one ever did, or will live godly in
Christ Jesus, without suffering persecution ; nay, I doubt not
but your chief foes are those of your own household. Tell me,
do not your carnal relations and friends vex your tender souls
day by day, in bidding you spare yourselves, and take heed
lest you go too far ; and as you pass along to come and hear
the word of God, havejou not heard many a pharisee cry out,
here comes another troop of his followers ! Brethren, be not
surprised ; Christ's servants were always the world's fools ;
you know it hated him before it hated you. Rejoice and be
exceeding glad. Yet a little while, and behold the bridegroom
cometh ; then shall you hear these formal scoffing pharisees
saying unto you, " Give us of your oil for our lamps are gone
out." When you are reviled, revile not again ; when you
suffer, threaten not ; commit your souls into the hands of him
that judgeth righteously ; for behold the day cometh, when the
children of God shall speak for themselves.
The wise virgins, in the parable, no doubt endured the same
cruel mockings as you may do ; but as the lamb before the
shearers is dumb, so in this life opened they not their mouths ;
but now we find they can give their enemies an answer. " Not
so ; lest there be not enough for us and ycu. but go ye rather to
thera. that sell, and buy for yourselves." These words are not
to be understood as though they were fpoken in an insulting
manner ; for true charity teaches us to use the worst of sinners,
and our most bitter enemies, with the meekness and gentleness
of Christ. Though Dives was in hell, yet Abraham does not
riay, Thou villain ; but only, son, remember ; and I am per
suaded, had it been in the power of these wise virgins, as, God
knows, I would willingly deal with my most inveterate ene
mies, not only give them of their oil, but also exalt them to
the right hand of God. It was not then for want of love, but
the fear of wanting a sufficiency for themselves, that made
them return this answer, " Not so, lest there be not enough
for us and you ;" for they that have most grace, have none to
spare ; none but self-righteous, foolish virgins think tbey are
good enough, or have already attained. Those who are truly
wise are always most distrustful of themselves, pressing forward
to the things that are before, and think it well if, after they
have done all, they can make their calling and election sure.
" Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you ; but go yo
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." These words
indeed seem to be spoken ina triumphant, but certainly thej

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 475
were uttered in the most compassionate manner. " Go ye to
them that sell, and buy for yourselves :" Unhappy virgins 1
you accounted our lives folly. Whilst with you in the body
now often have you condemned us for our zeal in running to
hear the word of God, and looked on us as enthusiasts, for affirm
ing, that we must be led and walk by the Spirit, and feel the
epirit.ofGod witnessing with our spirits, that we are his chil
dren ? Now you would be glad to be partakers of this privilege,
but it is not ours to give. You contented yourselves with
seeking, when you should have been striving to enter in at the
straight gate ; and now go to them that sell, " and buy for
yourselves." And what say you to this, ye foolish formal professors ? for
I doubt not but curiosity and novelty have brought many such,
even to t'.iis despised place to hear a sermon. Can you hear
this reply, and yet not tremble ? Why yet a little while, and
thus it shall be done to you. Rejoice and bolster yourselves
up in your duties and forms ; endeavor to cover your naked
ness with the fig-leaves of an outward profession, and legal
righteousness, and despise the true servants of Christ as much
as you please, yet know that all your hopes will fail you when
God brings you into judgment. For not he who commendeth
himself is justified, but he whom the Lord commendeth.
But to ret urn ; wo do not hear of any reply the foolish virgins
made: in, their consciences condemned them; like the per
son without a wedding garment, they are struck dumb, and
are now tilled with anxious thoughts how they shall buy oil,
that they may li ft np their heads before the bridegroom. "But
whilst they went to buy," the bridegroom, the lord Jesus, the
king, the husband of his spouse the church, cometh, attended
with thousandd and twenty times ten thousands of saints and
angels, publicly to count up his jewels ; and they that were
ready, the wm virgins who had oil in their lamps, and were
sealed by his Spirit to the day of redemption, having on the-
wedding garment, of an imputed righteousness, and a new
nature, went in to the marriage.
Who can express trie transports these wise virgins felt, when
they were thus admitted, iu holy triumph, into the presence
and full enjoyment of him, whom their souls hungered and
thirsted after. No doubt they bad tasted of his love, and by
faith had often fed on hirn in their hearts,, when sitting down
to commemorate his List supper here on earth ; but how full
may we think their hearts and tongues were of his praises,
when they see themselves seated together to eat bread in his
heavenly kingdom. And what was best of all, the door was
¦hut, and shut them in to enjoy the ever blessed God, the com-

476 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 15.
pany of angels, and the spirit of just men made perfect, for ever.
I say without interruption ; for in this life, their eyes often
gushed out with water, because men kept not God's law ; and
they could never come to appear before the Lord, or to he.ar
his word, but Satan and his emissaries would come also to dis
turb them : but now the door is shut, now there is a perfect
communion of saints, which they in vain longed for in this
lower world ; now tares no longer grow up with the wheat ;
no hypocrite, or unbeliever, can screen himself among them.
Now " the wicked cease from troubling," and now their weary
souls enjoy rest.
Once more, O believers, let me exhort you in patience to
possess your souls. God has sealed you to be his, and has
secured you, as surely as he did Noah when he locked him in
the ark. But though heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ,
and neither men nor devils can pluck you out of your heavenly
Father's hands, yet you must be tossed about with manifold
temptations ; however, lift up your heads, the day of your
perfect, complete redemption draws nigh. Behold the bride
groom cometh to take you to himself ; then you shall be ever
with the Lord.
But I even tremble to tell you, O nominal christians ! that
the door shall be shut, I mean the door of mercy, never to be
opened to give you admission, though ye should continue
knocking to all eternity. For thus speaks our Lord, " After
wards," after those that were ready went in and the door was
shut ; after they had, to their sorrow, found that no oil was to
be bought, nor grace procured, "came also the other virgins ;"
and as Esau, alter Jacob bed got the Lies-sing, cried with an
exceeding" bitter cry, " Bless me, even me also, O my father ;" so
they came saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." Observe the
importunity of these foolish virgins, implied in these words
Lord, Lord. Whilst in the bedy, I suppose they only read,
did not pray over their prayers. If you now tell them, they
should pray without ceasing, they should pray from their hearts,
and feel the want of what they prayed for; they would answer,
they could not tell what you mean by inward feelings ; that
God did not require us to be always on our knees ; but if a man
did justly, and loved mercy, and did as the church forms re
quired him, it was as much as the Lord required at his hands.
I fear, sirs, too many among us are of this mind : nay,}
fear there are many so polite, so void of the love of God as to
think it too great a piece of self-denial, to rise early to offer up
a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ. If any such, by the good providence of
God, are brought hither this morning, I beseech you to consider

Serm'. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins'. 477
your ways, and remember, if you are not awakened out of
your spiritual lethargy, and live a life of prayer here, you shall
but in vain cry out with the foolish virgins, "Lord, Lord, open
to us," hereafter. Observe farther, the impudence, as well as
importunity of these other virgins ; Lord, Lord, say they, as
thought they were intimately acquainted with the holy Jesus.
Like numbers among us, who because they go to church,
repeat their creeds, and receive the blessed sacrament, think
they have a right to call Jesus their Savior, and dare call God
their Father, when they put up the Lord's prayer. But Jesus is
not your Savior. The devil, not God is your father, unless your
hearts are purified by faith, and you are born again from
above. It is not merely being baptized by water, but being
born again ofthe Holy Ghost, that must qualify you for salva
tion ; and it will do you no service at the great, day, to say
unto Christ, Lord, my name is in the register of such and such
a parish. I am persuaded the foolish virgins could say this and
more. But what answer did the blessed Jesus make ? He an
swered and said, " Verily, I say unto you." He puts the word
verily to assure them he was in earnest. " I say unto you," I who
am truth itself, I whom you have owned in words, but in
works denied, "verily I say unto you I know you not." These
words must not be understood literally ; for whatever Arians
and Socinians may say to the contrary, yet we affirm that Jesus
Christ is God, God blessed for ever, and therefore knoweth all
things. He saw Nathaniel, when under the fig-tree. He sees
and is now looking down from heaven, his dwelling place,
upon us, to see how we behave in these fields. Brethren, I
know nothing of the thoughts and intents of your hearts, in
coming hither ; but Jesus knows who come like new-born
babes, desirous to be fed with the sincere milk of the word ;
and he knows who come to hear what the babbler says, and
to run away with part of a broken sentence, that they may
have whereof they may ridicule or accuse him. This expres
sion then, / know you not, must not be understood literally ;
no, it implies a knowledge of approbation, as though Christ had
said, " you call me Lord, Lord, but you have not done the
things that T have said ;" you desire me to open the dpor, but
how can you come in hither, not having on a weddinggarment?
Alas, you are naked ! Where is my outward righteousness
imputed to you ? Where is my inherent righteousness wrought
in you ? Where is my divine image stamped upon your souls ?
How dare you call me Lord, Lord, when you have not
received the Holy Ghost, whereby I seal all that are truly
mine? " Verily, I know you not ; depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

478 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm, 15.
And now, " he that hath ears to hear, let him hear" what
manner of persons these were, whom Jesus Christ dismissed
with this answer. Remember, I entreat you, they are not
fornicators, swearers, sabbath breakers, or prodigals. No, in
all probability, they were, touching the outward observances
of the moral law, blameless ; they were constant as fo the
form of religion ; and if they did no good yet no one could
say they did any harm. The only thing for which they were
condemned, and eternally banished from the presence of the
Lord (for so much is implied in " I know you not,") was this,
they had no oil in their lamps, no principle of a true living
faith and holiness in their hearts. And if persons may go to
church, receive the sacrament, lead honest moral lives, and
yet be sent to hell at the last day, as they certainly will be if
they advance no farther, where wilt thou, O drunkard?
Where wilt thou, O swearer? Where wilt thou, O sabbath
breaker? Where wilt thou that deniest divine revelation,
and even the form of godliness ? Where will you and such
like sinners appear ? I know very well. You must appear
before the dreadful tribunal of Jesus Christ. However you
may, like Felix, put off the prosecution of your convictions,
yet you, as well as others, must arise after death and appear
in judgment ; you will then find, to your eternal sorrow, that
your damnation slumbers not : sin has blinded your hearts,
and hardened your foreheads now, but yet a little while, and
our Lord will ease him of his adversaries. Methinks, by faith,
I see the heavens opened, and the holy Jesus coming with his
face brighter than ten thousand suns, darting fury upon you
from his eyes ! Methinks I see you rising from your graves,
trembling, astonished, crying out, who can abide this day of
his coining !
And now what inference shall I draw from what has been
said ? Our Lord, in the text, has drawn one for me : " Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein
the Son of man cometh."
Watch, that is, be on your guard, and keep your graces in
continual exercise ; for, as when we are commanded to watch
unto prayer, it signifies that we should continue instant in
that duty ; so when we are required to watch in general, it
means that we should put on the whole armor of God, and
live every day as though it were our last.
And O that the Lord may now enable me to lift up my
voice like a trumpet ! for had I a thousand tongues, or could
I speak so loud that the whole world might hear me, I could
not sound a more useful alarm than that which is contained
iu the text. Watch, therefore, my brethren, I beseech you by

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 479
the mercies of God in Christ Jesus, watch ; be on your guard
" Awake, ye that sleep in the dust ; for ye know neither the
day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Perhaps
to-day, perhaps this midnight the cry may be made : for in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the trump is to sound,
However, supposing the final day of judgment may yet be a
great way off, the day of death is certainly near at hand. For
what is our life ? It is but a vapor, soon passeth away, and
we are gone. Blessed be God, we are all here well ; but who
out of this great multitude, dare say; I shall go home to my
house in safety ? Who knows but whilst I am speaking God
may commission his ministering spirits to call some of you
away by a sudden stroke, to give an account with what atten
tion you have heard this sermon.
You know, my brethren, some such instances we have
lately had. And what angel or spirit, has assured us, that
some of you shall not be the next ? Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the So?i of man
will come. And it is chiefly for this reason, that God has hid
the day of our deaths from us. For since I know not but I
may die to-morrow, why, O my soul, wilt thou not watch
to-day? Since I know not but I may die next moment, why
wilt thou not prepare for dying this ?
Many such reflections as these, my brethren, crowd in on
my mind. At present, blessed be the Lord, who delights to
magnify his strength in a poor worm's weakness, I am at a
stand, not so much about, what I shall say, as what I shall
leave unsaid. My belly, like Elihu's, is as it were full of new
wines ; out. of the abundance of my heart, my mouth speaketh.
A sense of the infinite majesty of that God in whose name I
preach, and before whom I as well as you must appear, to
give an account ; and the uncertainty there is whether I shall
rive another day, to speak to you any more, are considera
tions, which furnish me with so much matter, that I scarcely
linow where to begin, or end my application. However, for
method's sake, by the divine assistance, I will branch it into
three particulars.
And first, I would remind you that are notoriously ungodly,
of what our Lord says in the text : for, though I have said
your damnation slumbers not, whilst you continue in an im
penitent state ; yet that was only to set you on your watch,
to convince you of your danger, and excite you to cry out,
" What shall we do to be saved?" I appeal to all that hear
me, whether I have said the door of mercy should be shut
against you, if you believe on Jesus Christ : no, if you are the
chief of sinners ; if you are murderers of fathers, or ot

480 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 15^
mothers ; if you are emphatically the dung and offscouring
of all things ; yet if you believe on Jesus Christ, and cry unto
hiin with the same faith as the expiring thief, " Lord, remem
ber me, now thou art in thy kingdom ;" I will pawn my
eternal salvation on it, that he will shortly translate you to
his heavenly paradise. Wonder not z.i my speaking with so
much assurance, for I know " it is a faithful and true saying,
and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the
world to save (all truly affected and believing) sinners." Nay,
eo great is his love, that I am persuaded, were it necessary, he
would come again into the world, and die a second time for
them on the cross. But, blessed be -God, when our Lord
bowed down his head, and gave up the ghost, our redemption
was finished. It is not our sin, but our want of a lively faith
in his blood, that will prove our condemnation. If you draw
near to him by faith, though you are the worst of sinners, yet
he will not say unto yon, " Verily I know 3rou not." No, a
door of mercy shall be opened to you. Look then, by an -eye
of faith, to that God man, whom ye have pierced. Behold
him bleeding, panting, dying on the cross, with arms stretched
out ready to embrace you all. Hark ! how he groans ! See
how all nature is in agony! The rocks rend, the graves
open ; the sun withdraws its light, ashamed as it were to sea
the God of nature suffer ; and all this to usher in man's grea*
redemption. Nay the holy Jesus, in the bitter agonies and
pangs of death, prays for his very murderers. " Father, for
give them for they know not what they do." If then you
have crucified the Son of God afresh, and .put him to an open
shame, yet do not despair, only believe, and even this shall be
forgiven. You have read, at least you have heard, no doubt,
how three thousand were converted at Peter's preaching one
sermon, after our Lord's ascension, and many ofthe crucifiers
of the Lord of glory undoubtedly were among them ; and why
should you despair ? For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
to-day, and for ever. The Holy Ghost shall be sent down on
you, as well as on them, if you do but believe; for Christ
ascended up on high to receive this gift even for the vilest of
men. Come then all ye that are weary and heavy laden, with
a sense of your sins, lay hold on Christ by faith, and he will
give you rest ; for salvation is the free gift of -God to all them
that believe. And though you may think this too good news
to be true, yet 1 speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, this is the
gospel, this is the glad tidings which we are commissioned to
preach to every one. Be not faithless then, but believing.
Let not the devil lead you captive at his will any lpnger ; for
all the wages he gives his servants is death, death often in-

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 481
this life, death everlasting in the next : but the free gift of God
is eternal life to all that believe in Jesus Christ. Pharisees
are and will be offended at my coming here, and offering you
salvation on such cheap terms : but the more they bid me hold
my peace, the more will I cry out and proclaim to convicted
sinners, that Jesus, David's son according to the flesh, but
David's Lord as he was God, will have mercy on all that by
a living faith truly turn to him. If this is to be vile, I pray
God, 1 may be more vile. If they will not let me preach
Christ crucified ; and offer salvation to sinners, in a church,
I will preach him in the lanes, streets, highways and hedges ;
and nothing pleases me better, than to think I am now in one
of the devil's strongest holds. Surely the Lord has not sent
me and all you hither for nothing ; no, blessed be God, " the
fiefds are white, ready unto harvest," and many souls I
hope will be gathered into his heavenly garner. It is true, it
.is the midnight of the church, especially the poor Church of
England ; but God has lately sent forth his servants to cry,
" Behold the bridegroom cometh." I beseech you, 0 sinners,
hearken unto the voice ! Let me espouse you by faith to my
dear master ; and henceforward watch and pray, that you may
be ready to go forth to meet him.
Secondly, I would apply to those that are not openly profane,
but by depending on a formal round of duties, deceive your
souls, and are foolish virgins.
But I must speak to your conviction, rather than comfort.
My dear brethren, you have heard how far the foolish virgins
went, and yet were answered with " Verily I know you not."
The reason is, because none but such as have a living faith in
Jesus Christ, and are truly born again, can possibly enter into
the kingdom of heaven. You may perhaps live honest and
outwardly moral lives, but if you depend on that morality, or
join your works with your faith, in order to justify you before
God, you have no lot or share in Christ's redemption. For
what is this but to deny the Lord that has bought you ? What
is this but making yourselves your own Saviors ? Taking
the crown from Christ, and putting it on your own heads?
The crime of the devil, some have supposed, consisted in this,
that he would not bow to Jes.us Christ, when the Father com
manded all the angels to worship him ; and what do you less ?
You will not own and submit to his righteousness ; and though
you pretend to worship him with your lips, yet your hearts are
far from him : besides you in effect", deny the operations of his
bfessed Spirit, you mistake common for effectual grace ; you
hope to be saved because you have good desires, and a few-
short convictions ; and what is this, but to give God, his word,
41

482 the wise and foolish virgins. [Serm. 15,
and all the saints, the lie ? A Jew, a Turk, has equally as
good grounds whereon to build the hopes of his salvation.
Need 1 not then to cry out to you, ye foolish virgins, watch
Beg of God to convince you of your self-righteousness, and
the secret unbelief of your hearts ; or otherwise when the
cry shall be made, " Behold the bridegroom cometh," you will
find yourselves utterly unprepared to go forth to meet him.
You may cry "Loid, Lord ; but the answer will be, " Verily I
know you not."
Thirdly, I would speak a word or two by way of exhorta-:
tion to those who are wise virgins and are assured they have
on a wedding garment. That there are many such among
you, who by grace have renounced your own righteousness,
and know that the righteousness of the Lord Jesus is imputed
to you, I make no doubt. God has his secret ones in the worst
of times ; and I am persuaded he has not let so loud a gospel-
cry be made among his people, as of late has been heard, for
nothing. No, I am confident the Holy Ghost has been given
to many at the preaching of faith, and has powerfully fallen
on many, whilst they have been hearing the word. You are
now then no longer foolish, but wise virgins ; notwithstanding,
I beseech you also to suffer the word of exhortation ; for wise
virgins are too apt, while the bridegroom tarries, to slumber and
sleep. Watch therefore, watch and pray, at this time especial
ly ; for perhaps a time of suffering is at hand. The ark of the
Lord begins already to be driven into the wilderness. Be ye
therefore on your watch, and still persevere in following your
Lord, even without the camp, bearing his reproach ; the cry
that has been lately made, has awakened the devil and his ser
vants ; ttiey begin to rage horribly ; and well they may ; for I
hope their kingdom is in danger. Watch therefore, for if we
are not always on our guard, a time of trial mayr overtake us
unawares ; and instead of owning, like Peter we may be tempt
ed to deny our master. Set death and eternity often before
you. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, and
consider how little a while it will be, ere he comes to judgment;
and then our reproach shall be wiped away : the accusers of
us and our brethren shall be cast down, and we all shall be
lodged in heaven for ever, with our dear Lord.
Lastly, What I say to you, I say to all. Watch. High and
low, rich and poor, young and old, one with another, of what
ever sect or denomination, for I regard not that, I beseech you,
by the mercies of Jesus, to be on your guard. Fly to Jesus
ChrisJ that heavenly bridegroom. Behold he desires to take
you to himself, miserable, poor, blind and naked as you are ;
he is willing to clothe you with his everlasting righteousnesy

Serm. 15.] the wise and foolish virgins. 48$
and make you partakers of that glory, which he enjoyed
with the father before the world began. Do not turn a deaf
ear to me ; do not reject the message on account of the mean
ness of the messenger. I am a child ; but the Lord has chosen
me, that the gfory might be all his own. Had he sent to invite
you by a learned rabbi, you might have supposed that the man
had done something ; but now God has sent a child, that the
excellency of the power may be seen not to be of man, but of
God. Let the learned pharisees then despise my youth* I
care not how vile I appear in the sight of such men : I glory
in it. And I am persuaded, if any of you should be married
to Christ by this preaching; you will have no reason to repent,
when you come to heaven, that God sent a child to cry, " Be
hold the bridegroom cometh ?" O my brethren, the thought
of being instrumental in bringing one of you to glory, fills me
with fresh zeal. Once more, I entreat you, Watch, and pray ;
for the Lord Jesus will receive all that call on him faithfully.
Let that cry, " Behold the bridegroom cometh," be continually
sounding in your ears ; and begin now to live, as though you
were assured, this night you were to go forth to meet him.
May the Lord give you all a hearing ear, an obedient heart,
and so closely unite you to himself by one spirit, that when he
shall come in terrible majesty, to judge mankind, you may be
found having on a wedding garment, and ready to go in with
him to the marriage.
Grant this, O Father, for thy dear Son's sake, Christ Jesus
our Lord. Amen ! and Amen !

484 christ the believer's refuge. [Serm. 16.
[The reader will notice that the Sermons which precede, were pub
lished by Whitefieid himself. Those which folfow are transcripts
of his extempore discourses taken in short-hand.]
SERMON XVI.

Psalm xlvi. 1—6.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in troublf; there
fore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and the moun
tains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof
roar, and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling
thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make
glad the city of God, the holy place.of the tabernacles of the Most
High : God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved ; God
shall help her, and that right early.
There was a tradition among the ancient Jews, that the
manna whicli came down from heaven, though it was a little
grain like coriander seed, yet suited every taste ; as milk unto
babes, and strong meat to grown persons. Whether this sup
position be founded on fact or not, the observation will hold
good in a great measure respecting the sayings of David ; for
if we have eyes to see, and ears to hear, if God has been pleas
ed to take away the veil from our hearts, we shall find, by
happy experience, that, let our circumstances be what they will,
the book of Psalms may serve as a spiritual magazine, out of
which we may draw spiritual weapons in the time of the hot
test fight, especially those that are under trouble, "when the
hand of the Lord is gone" seemingly "forth against them;"
when unbelief is apt to make them say, all these things are
against me! if we can have the presence of mind to turn to
the book of Psalms, we may find something there suitable to
our case, a word to refresh us in pursuing our spiritual enemy.
This is true of the 46th Psalm in particular, part of which I
have just now read to you, and which I pray the blessed Spirit
of God to apply to every one of our hearts. It is uncertain at
what time, or upon what occasion, David wrote it ; probably
under some sharp affliction, which made him eloquent ; or
when the affliction was over, when his heart was swimming
with gratitude and love, and when, out of the fullness of it,
his pen was made the pen of a ready writer. It was a favor-

Serm. 16.] christ the believer's refuge. 485
ite Psalm with Luther ; for whenever Melancthon, who was
of a melancholy turn, or any other of his friends, told him
some sad news, he used to say, come, come, let us sing the 46th
Psalm; and when he had sung that, his heart was quiet.
May every true mourner here, and afflicted person, experience
the same ! I know not, when I read it, which to admire most,
the piety, or the poetry ; the matter, or the manner ; and I
believe I may venture to defy all the critics on earth to show
me any composition of Pindar, or Horace, that any way comes
up to the diction of this Psalm considered only as human : he
that hath an ear to hear, let him hear, God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble. Stop here, my
friends, let us pause a while, and before we go further, may the
Lord help us to draw some comfort from this very first verse .
for observe, it is not said, God is my refuge, David says so in
another Psafm, but he says here, God is our refuge : he speaks
in the plural number, implying that this Psalm was of no pri
vate interpretation, but was intended for the comfort and encou
ragement of all believers, till time shall be no more. Observe
the climax, God is our refuge, is one degree ; God is our
strength, another; God is our help, and not only so, but is a
present help, yea, is a very present help, and at a time when
we want it most, in the time of trouble. It is here supposed,
that all God's people will have their troubles ; " man is born
to trouble, as the sparks fly upward ;" and if we are born to
trouble as men, we are much more so as christians. We for
get ourselves and the station in which God has placed us, when
we so much as begin to dream of having much respite from
trouble while we are here below. The decree is gone forth
like the laws of the Medes and Persians, it alters not ; through
tribulation, through much tribulation, we must all go. ; but
blessed be God we are to be carried through it ; and blessed be
God, glory is to be the end of it : may God give us to know
this by happy experience ! In the world, says our blessed
Lord, ye shall have tribulation, tribulation and trouble of dif
ferent kinds ; and in another place, if any man will come
after me, says he, let him take up his cross daily, and follow
me ; so that the day, when we take up no cross, we may say
as Titus did, when he reflected that he had done no good that
day, I have tost a day ! But then, what shall we do, my dear
hearers, when trouble comes, when one trouble comes after
another, and afflictions seem to pursue us. wherever we go,
seem to arise up out of the ground, meet us as we are walking
along? Why, blessed be God, if we have an interest in
Christ ; mind that, if we have an interest in Christ, God is
our help, God is our asylum, our city of refuge, a place ap-
41*

486 christ the believer's refuge. [Serm. 16.
pointed by God himself, to which the pursued saints may fly
by faith, and be safe. The wicked have no notion of this ;
when they are in trouble, what is their refuge ? Let a soul be
under spiritual trouble, and cry out, " what shall I do to be
saved?" Let him go to a carnal minister, an unconverted
wretch that knows nothing about the matter, he shall be told,
ho ! go, and play an innocent game at cards, and divert your
self ; that is to say, the devil must be your refuge. Worldly
people have worldly refuges ; and Cain would seem as if he
was in earnest when he said, my punishment is greater than
I can bear. What does he do ? He goes and diverts himself
by building a city, and goes and amuses himself by building.
The devil, my brethren, will give you leave to amuse your
selves ; you may have your choice of diversions, only take care
to be diverted from God, and the devil is sure of you ; but the
believer has something better : faith sweeps away the refuge
of lies, and the believer turns- to his God,, and says, O my
God, thou, shalt be my refuge. The devil pursues me, my
false friends have designs against ine, my own wicked heart
itself molests me, my foes are those of my men house ; but do-
thou, O God, be my refuge, I will fly there ; by these it may
be said, God is our refuge. The question is, what shall I do
to make him my refuge ? How shall I be helped to do so ?
You bid me fly ; you say, I must fly there, but where shall I
get wings ? How shall I be supported ? Here is a blessed
word, God shall not only be our refuge, but God shall be our
strength also. Strength ! what is strength ? Why, my bre
thren, to make every day of trouble so easy to us by his power,
as to carry us through it. God has said, and will stand to it,
as thy day is, so shall thy strength be. Afflictions even at a
distance will appear very formidable, when viewed by unbe
lief. Our fears say, O my God, if I come to be tried this or
that way, how shall I bear it? But we do not know what we
can bear till the trial comes, and we do not know what strength
God can give us, or what a strong God he will be, till he is
pleased to put us into a furnace of affliction ; and therefore it
is said, not only that God is our refuge and our strength, but
that God is our help also. Wiiat help ? Why,, my dear
friends, help to support us under the trouble ; help so as to
comfort us as long as the trouble lasts ; and blessed be God,
that the help will never leave us, till we are helped quite over
and quite through it. But what kind of help is it ? O blessed
be God, he is a very present help. We may have a helper,
but tie may be afar off ; I may be sick, I may want a physi
cian, and may be obliged to send miles for one ; he might be a
help if he were -here, but what shall I do now he is at a dis-

Serm. 16.] christ the believer's refuge, 487
tance. This cannot be said of God, he is not only a help, but
he is a present help : ftthe gates of the New Jerusalem are-
open night and day." We need not be afraid to cry unto God ;
we cannot say of our God as Elijah does of Baal, " perhaps
he is asleep, or talking, or gone a journey :" it is not so with
our God, he is a present help ; he is likewise a sufficient help,
that is, a very present help ; and that too in the time of trou
ble. It is but to send a short letter, I mean a short prayer,
upon the wings of faith and love, and God, my brethren, will
come down and help us.. Now to this David affixes his pro-
batum est ; David proves it by his own experience, and there
fore if God is our refuge, therefore if God is our strength, if
God is our help, if God is a present help, if God is a very
present help, and that too in a time of trouble, what then?
therefore xoill we not fear. Therefore, is an inference, and it
is a very natural one ; a conclusion naturally drawn from the
foregoing premises ; for Paul says, " if God be for us, who can
be against us ?" There is not a greater enemy to faith than
servile fear and unbelief. My brethren, the devil has an
advantage over us when he has brought us into a state of
fear ; indeed, in one sense, we should always fear, I mean
with a filial fear ; " blessed is the man," in this sense, " that
feareth always :" but, my brethren, have we strong faith in a
God of refuge? This forbids us to fear. Says Nehemiahr
" shall such a man as I flee ?" and the christian may say,
shall" a believer in Jesus Christ fear ? shall I fear that my God
will leave me ? shall I fear that my God will not succor me ?
No, says David, we will not fear ; how so ? Why, though
the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the moun
tains shake with the swelling thereof. Where is Horace,
where is Pindar, now ? Let them come here and throw their
psalms down before the sweet singer of Israel. There is not
such a bold piece of imagery in any human composition in the
world. Can any thing appear more great, more considerable
than this ? Imagine how it was with us some years ago, when
an enthusiastic fool threatened us with a third earthquake •.
imagine how it was with us when God sent us the same year
two dreadful earthquakes ; had the earth been at that time not
only shook, but removed : had the fountains of the sea beer*
permitted to break in upon us, and carry all the mountains of
England before it, what a dreadful tremor must we all una
voidably have been in ? David supposes that this may be the
case, and I believe at the great day it will be something like it :
the earth and all things therein, are to be burnt up ; and,,, my

488 christ the believer's refuge. [Serm. 16,
brethren, what shall we do then if God is not our refuge, if
God is not our strength ?
We may apply it to civil commotions. David had lately
been beset with the Philistines, and other enemies, that threat
ened to deprive him of his fife ; and there are certain times
when we shall be left alone. This also, my brethren, may be
applied to creature comforts. Sometimes the earth seems to be
removed. What then ? Why all the friends we take delight in,
our most familiar, friends our soul friends, friends by nature,
and friends by grace, may be removed from us by the stroke
of death ; we know not how soon that stroke may come ; it
may come at an hour we thought not of; the mountains
themselves, all the things that seem to surround and promise
us a lasting scene of comfort, they themselves may soon be
removed out of our sight ; what then shall we do 1 They
may be carried into the midst of the sea. What is that ? Our
friends may be laid in the silent grave, and " the places that
knew them may know them no more." It is easy talking, but
it is not so easy to bear up under these things : but faith, my
brethren teaches us to say, though all friends are gone, blessed
be God, God is not gone. A noble lady's daughter, who was
only four years old, said to her mother, when she was weep
ing for the death of one of her children, " Dear mamma, is God
Almighty dead, that you cry so long after my sister ?" No, he
is not dead, neither does he sleep. But here the imagery grows
bolder, the painting stronger, and the resemblance more striking:
though the waters thereof roar and be troubled., though the
mountains shake with the swelling thereof. What, will not
this make us i~arful ? Will not this shake us off our bottom,
our foundation, and take up the roots ? No, no, even then
the believer need not fear; why, God is in the midst of her.
Do you not remember God spoke to Moses out of the bush ?
Did he stand at a distance, and call to him at a distance from the
bush ? No, the voice came out of the bush, Moses ! Moses I
as Mr. Ainsworth, who was a spiritual critic, says.
Learn from hence, that in all our afflictions God is afflict
ed : he is in ihe midst of the bush ; and oh ! it is a sweet time
with the soul when God speaks to him out of the bush, when
he is under affliction, and talks to him all the while. Though
It was threatened by the fire which surrounded it, with imme
diate and total desolation : yet the bush burned and vias not
consumed. I do not know whether I told you, but I believe I
told them at Tottenham-court, and perhaps here, that every
christian has a coat of arms, and I will give it you out of
Christ's heraldry, that is tho burning bush ; every christian is
burned, but not consumed. But how is it .ne saint is held up 1

Serm. 16.] christ the believer's refuge. 489
Whence does he get his strength ; or how is this strength,
this supporting, comforting strength, conveyed to the heart ?
Read a little further, you shall find David say, There is a river,
mind that, there is a river, the streams whereof make glad
the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most
High. Need I tell you, that probably here is an allusion to
the situation of Jerusalem, and the waters of Shiloah, that flow
ed gently through the city of Jerusalem, which the people found
sweet and refreshing in the time of its being besieged. So the
rivers run through most of the cities in Holland, and bring
their commodities even to the doors of the inhabitants. Pray,
what do you think this river is ? Why, I believe it means the
covenant of grace. O that is a river, the springs of which first
burst out in Paradise, when God said, " the seed of the woman
shall bruise the serpent's head :" then God made this river visit
the habitation of man, as the first opening of his everlasting
covenant. No sooner had the devil betrayed man, and thought he was
sure to get him into the pit, even when he was laughing at
man's misery, and thinking he was revenged of God for driv
ing him out of heaven ; at that very time did the great God
open this river, and make it flow down in that blessed stream to
mankind, implied in those words, it shall bruise thy head. O
this is a stream which, I pray, may this night make glad this
part of the city of God. If by the river*we understand the
covenant of grace, then, my brethren, the promises of God are
the streams that flow from it. There is no promise in the
Bible made to an unbeliever, but to a believer ; all the promises
of God are his, and no one knows, but the poor believer that
experiences it, how glad it makes his heart. God only speaks
one single word, or applies one single promise,,,; for if when
one's heart is overwhelmed with sorrow, we find relief by un
folding ourselves to a faithful, disinterested friend ; if a word
of comfort sometimes gives us such support from a minister of
Christ, 0 ! my friends, what support must a promise from God
applied to the soul give ? And this made a good woman say,
" I have oft had a blessed meal on the promises, when I have
had no bread to make a meal for my body."
But by the river we may likewise understand, the Spirit of
the living God. If you remember, Jesus Christ declared at
the great day of the feast, " if any man believe on me, out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water : this," saith the be
loved disciple, "spake he ofthe Spirit, which they that believe
on him should receive." My brethren, the divine influences
are not only a conduit, but a deep river, a river of broad
waters. Here is room for the babes to walk, and for the man

490 christ the believer's refuge. [Serm. 16.
of God to bathe and swim in from time to time ; and supposing
that the river means the Spirit of God, as I believe really it
does, why then the streams that flow from this river are the
means of grace, the ordinances of God, which God makes use
of as channels, whereby to convey his blessed Spirit to the soul.
Nay, by the river we may understand, God himself, who is
the believer's river, the Three-one, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. This river is in the midst ofthe city, not at the court-
end of the town only, or one corner, or end, but quite through,
in a variety of streams, so that high and low may come' to it.
for supply ; and not only be supported, but have their hearts
made glad daily thereby. God help us to drink afresh of this
river. If this be the case, well may David triumph and say,
"glorious things are spoken ofthe city of God ;" are spoken of
her, in the feminine gender. The church is spoken of in that
sense, because Eve, the first woman, was the mother of all
believers ; we may apply this to a single saint, as well as to
a community under trouble, she shall not be moved. Not
moved ? Pray, would you have them stupid ? Do you love
when you strike a child, to see it hardened and regardless ?
Do you not hke the child should smart under it and cry, and
when it is a little penitent, you almost wish yoii had not struck
it at all. God expects, when he strikes, that we should be
moved ; and there is hot a greater sign in a reprobate heart of
a soul given over hf God; than to have affliction upon afflic
tion, and yet come like a fool brayed in a mortar, unmoved
and hardened. My brethren, this is the worst sign of a man
or woman being given over by God. Jesus was moved, when
he was under the rod ; he cries, " father ! if it be possible let
this cup pass from me !" He was moved so as to shed tears,
tears of blood, falling to the ground. Wo, wo, wo be to us,
if when God knocks at the door by some shocking domestic or
foreign trial, we do not say, my God ! my God ! wherefore
dost thou strike ? When we are sick, we allow physicians to
feel our pulse, whether it be high or languid ; and when we
are sick, and tried with affliction, it is time to feel our pulse, to
see if we were not going into a high fever, and do not want
some salutary purge. It is expected therefore that we should
be moved ; we may speak, but not in a murmuring way. Job
was moved, and God knows when we are under the rod ; we
are all moved more than we ought to be in a wrong way ; but
when it is said here, she shall not be moved, it implies not to
tally removed ; " perplexed," says the apostle, " but not in des
pair: persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but not de
stroyed:" therefore removal means destruction ; when the earth
it moved, the mountains shake, and the waters roar, where

5erm. 16.] christ the believer's refuge. 491
can we flee ? what can we see but destruction all around us ?
But, my brethren, since there is a river, the streams whereof
make glad the city of God, since God is our refuge, since
God is oar strength, since God is our help, since God is a
present help, since God is a very present help in time of
trouble, since God is in the midst of her, since God causes
the streams to make her glad, blessed be God, we shall not, my
brethren, be totally moved, nay, though death itself does remove
our bodies, though the king of terrors, that grisly king, should
come armed with all his shafts, yet, " in the midst of death
we are in life," even then we shall not be moved, even though
the body is removed in sleep, the soul is gone where it shall be
sorrowful no more. One would have imagined that David had
said enough, but pray observe how he goes on, he repeats it
again, for when we are in an unbelieving frame, we have need
of line upon line, words upon words ; God shall help her ;
ah ! but when ? when ? when will he help her ? when will he
help her ? Whv, right early : Godmhall help her, and that
right early. Why, sometimes we knock for a friend, but he
will not get up early iu the morning, but God shall help us,
and that rigid early in the morning. Ah ! but, say you, I
have been under trouble a long while ; why, God's morning
is not come : you said right early ; yes, but you are not yet
prepared for it, you must wait till the precious right moment
comes, and you may be assured of it. God never gives you
one doubt more than you want, or even defers help one mo
ment longer than it ought to be.
Now my dear hearers, if these things are so, who dares call
the christian a madman ? If these things are so, who would
but be a believer ? who would not be a faithful follower of the
Son of God ? My brethren, did you ever hear any of the devil's
children compose an ode, that the devil is our refuge ; the God
of this world, whom we have served so heartily we have found
to be a present help in time of trouble ? Ah ! a present help
to help us after the devil : or did you ever hear, since the
creation, of one single man that dared to say that all the forty-
sixth psalm was founded on a lie ? No, it is founded on mat
ters of fact, and therefore believer, believer, I wish you joy,
although it is a tautology. I pray God, that from this time forth
till we die, you and I, when under trouble, may say with Lu
ther, come let us sing the forty-sixth psalm.
As for you that are wicked, what shall I say to you ? Are
you in high spirits to-night ? Has curiosity brought you here
to hear what the babbler has to say on a funeral occasion ?
Well, I am glad to see you here, though I have scarce strength
tp speak for the violence of the heat, yet I pray God to magnify

492 CHRIST THE BELIEVER^S REFUGE. [Serm. 16,
his strength in my weakness ; and may the God of all mercy
overrule curiosity for good to you. I intend to speak about his
death to the surviving friends ; but my dear hearers, the grand
intention of having the funeral sermon to-night, is to teach the
living how to die. Give me leave to tell you, that however
brisk you may be now, there will be a time come when you
will want God to be your help. Some pulpit may ere long be
hung in mourning for you : the black, the dreary appendages
of death may ere long be brought to your home ; and if you
move in a high sphere,, some such escutcheon as this, some
achievement may be placed at your door, and wo, wo, wo
be to those who in an hour of death cannot say, God is my
refuge. You may form schemes as you please ; after you have
been driven out of one fool's paradise, you may retreat into
another ; you may say, now I will sing a requiem to my heart,
and now I shall have some pleasant seasons ; but if God loves
you he will knock off your hands from that, you shall have
thorns even in roses, and it will embitter your comforts. O
what will you do when the elements shall melt with fervent
heat; when this earth, with all its fine furniture, shall be burnt
up ; when the archangel shall cry, time shall be no more ?
Whither, then, ye wicked ones, ye unconverted ones, will ye
flee for refuge ? O. says one, I will fly to the mountains. 0
silly fool, O silly fool, fly to the mountains, that are themselves
to be burnt up and moved. O, says you, I will flee to the sea.
O you fool, that will be boiling like a pot. O then I will flee
to the elements. They will be melting with fervent heat. I
can scarce bear this hot day. and how can you bear a hot ele
ment ? There is no fan there, not a drop of water to cool your
tongue. Will you fly to the moon ? That will be turned into
blood. Will you stand by one of the stars ? They will fall
away. I know but one place you can go to, that is to the
devil ; God keep you from that ! Happy they that draw this
inference; since every thing else will be a refuge of lies. God
help me from this moment, God help me to make God my re
fuge ! Here you can never fail ; your expectations here can
never be raised too high ; but if you stop short of this, as the
Lord liveth, in whose name I speak, you will only be a sport
for devils ; a day of judgment will be no day of refuge to you ;
you will only he summoned like a criminal that has" been cast
already, to the bar to receive the dreadful sentence, " Depart
ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels." There is no river to make glad the inhabitants of
hell ; no streams to cool them in that scorching element. Were
those who are in hell to have such an offer of mercy as you
have, how would their chains rattle ! how would they coma

:Serm. 16.] christ the believer^s refuge. 493
with the flames of hell about their ears ! how would they re
joice even there, if a minister was to tell them, come, come,
after you have been here millions and millions of years, there
shall come a river here, to make you glad. But the day is
over ; God help us to take warning ; and oh ! with what gra
titude should we approach him to-night, for bearing with, and
for forbearing us so long ; let each say to-night, why am I out of
hell ? How came I not to be damned, when I have made every
thing else my God, my refuge, for so many years ? May good
ness lead every unconverted soul to repentance, and may love
-constrain us to obedience : fly, fly, God help thee to fly, sinner.
Hark ! hear the word of the Lord, see the world consumed,
the avenger of blood, this grim death, is just at thy heels, and
¦if thou dost not at this moment take refuge in God, to-night,
before to-morrow, you may be damned for ever ; the arms of
Jesus yet lie open, his loving heart yet streams with love, and
bids a hearty welcome to every poor soul that is seeking hap
piness in God. May God grant that every unconverted soul
may be of the happy number.
But my brethren, the most heavy task of this night yet" lies
¦unperformed ; indeed, if my friendship for the deceased did not
.lead me to it, I should pray to be excused, my body is so weak,
¦ my nerves so unstrung, and the heat beats too intensely on this
tottering frame, for me to give such a vent to my affections, as
.1 am sure I should give if I were in vigorous health. You
may easily see, though I have not made that application, with
what design I have chosen this Psalm ; you may easily see by
¦ the turn, (I hope no unnatural one,) that has been given to the
text as we have passed along, that I have had in my view a
mournful widow here before me. Did I think, when this black
.furniture was taken from the pulpit, when two branches were
lopt off within about a year, one after another, both lopt off
from on earth, I hope and believe to be planted for ever in
heaven, little did I think that the ax was in a few months to
be laid to the root of the father ; little did I think that this pul
pit was then to be hung in mourning for the dear, the gene
rous, the valuable, the universally benevolent, Mr. Beckman ;
a benefactor to every body, a benefactor to the Tabernacle ¦ he
has largely contributed both to the Chapel arid Tabernacle,
and, my dear hearers, now his works follow him, for he is gone
beyond the grave.
Such a singular circumstance, I believe, rarely happens, that
-though I was last night at near eleven o'clock dead almost with
heat, I thought if death was the consequence, I would go to the
grave and have the last look at my dear departed friend :
lo see a new vault opened.; to see a place of which ho has
42

494 christ the believer's refuge. ' [Serm. 16,
been, in a great measure, fhe founder ; to see a place which he
was enlarging at the very time he died ; to see a new vault
there first inhabited by the father, and two only sons, and all
put there in the space of two years' time ; oh ! it was almost
too much for me, it weighed me down, it kept me in my bed
all this day ; and now I have risen, God grant it may be to
give a seasonable word to your souls. Oh ¦ my friends, put
yourselves in the state of a surviving widow, and then see who
is secure from cutting providences. The very children when
they are young are a trial ; but the young man for whom a hand
some fortune awaited ; for a tender loving father to have his
son taken away ; for the widow to have her husband taken
away soon after ; indeed, dear madam, you had need read the
forty-sixth Psalm ; you may well say, " call me no more Nao
mi," that signifies pleasant, " but call me Marah, for the Lord
hath dealt bitterly with me." These are strokes that are not
always given to the greatest saints. Such sudden strokes, such
blow upon blow ; oh ! if God is not a strength and refuge, how
can the believer support under it ? But blessed be the living
God, I am a witness God has been your strength ; I am witness
that God has been your refuge ; you have found, I know you
have, already, that there is a river, a river in which you have
swam now for some years, the streams whereof make glad
your waiting hearts. Surely I shall never forget the moment
in which I visited your deceased husband, when the hiccoughs
came and death was supposed to be really come, to see the
disconsolate widow flying out of the room unable to bear the
sight of a departing husband. I know that God was then
your refuge, and God will continue to be your refuge. You
are now God's peculiar care, and as a proof that you will make
God your refuge, you have chosen to make your first appear
ance in the house of God, in the Tabernacle, where I hope
God delights to dwell, and where you met with God, and
which I hope you will never leave till God removes you hence.
Whatever trials await you, remember you are now become
God's peculiar care. You had before a husband to plead for
you ; he is gone, but your pleader is not dead, he lives and
will plead your cause ; may you find him better to you than,
ten thousand husbands ; may he make up the awful chasm
that death has made, and may the Lord God be your refuge
in time, and your portion to ail eternity ; and then you will
have a blessed change. You are properly a Naomi : I would
humbly hope that your daughter-in-law, which so lately met
with a stroke of the same nature, will prove a Ruth to you,
and though young and having a fortune, she may be tempted
to take a walk in the world, yet J hope she will say, " wher«

Serm. 16.] christ the believer's refuge. 495"
thou goest, I will go : where thou lodgest, I will lodge : thy
people shall be my people, and thy God my God : where
thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried ; the Lord do
so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."
It is to your honor, madam, and I think it right to speak of it,
you had the smiles of your departed father-in-law ; you had
behaved with deference and love ; he was very fond of you.
God make you a comfort to your surviving mother, who has
adopted you, and may the Lord Jesus Christ enable you to take
God to be your portion.
As for you that are the relations of the deceased, there is one
of you that has been honorably called to the service of the-
ministry : you, sir, was sent for by an endearing uncle ; you
have been a stranger in a strange land : the Palatines will bless
your ministry ; God has, I hope, blessed it, and provided you a
place to preach in. May God grant that the church may be
filled with his presence and his glory ; and you, madam, be
made the instrument of sending the news to heaven for your
husband, that, this and that man was born of God there. As
for you, the other friends of the deceased, may God grant that
when you die, and when you are buried, th/j people may follow
you with tears as they did dear Mr. Beckmau last night. I was
told by one this morning, that walked along with the funeral,
that it was delightful to hear what the people said when the
coffin passed by ; they blessed the person contained therein ;
oh ! he was a father to the poor. The poor have indeed lost
a. friend ; and I believe there has not been a man, a tradesman
in London, for these many years, that has been more lamented
than the dear man who now, I hope is at rest. You will know
how mindful he has been of you, and that soon after the de
cease of his disconsolate widow, his substance will be divided
among some of yon. Give me leave to tell, and entreat you,
by the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, to be kind to the hon
ored widow. Do not say, Mr. Beckman my uncle is dead,
come pluck up, let us plague her now she is living, we shall
have all when she is dead. The plague of God will follow
you if you do : if you valued your dear uncle, do all you can
to make her life easy ; pay her that respect which you would
pay the deceased, were he now living ; this will show your
love is genuine, and not counterfeit, and do not lay up wrath
against the day of wrath. Follow the example of your dear
deceased uncle ; the gentleman was visible in him as well as
the christian ; he would be in his warehouse early in the morn
ing, that he might come soon to his country house, and there
employ himself in his friendly life, and open the door to the
disciples of Jesus. It is time to draw to an end, but I will

496 soul prosperity. [Serin. If.
speak a word to the servants of the family, who have lost a
good and a dear master. May the Lord Jesus Christ be your
master for ever, that you; may be the Lord's servants, however
you may be disposed of in this world ; that you may meet your
master, your mistress, and all the family in the kingdom of the
living God, then we shall have a whole eternity.to reflect upon
the goodness of a gracious God. O may God help us to sing
the forty-sixth Psalm ; may we find him to be our strength and
our refuge, a very present help in the time of trouble : may
the river of the living God make glad your hearts, and may
you be with God to all eternity, through the Lord Jesus.
Amen and Amen.

SERMON XVIL

SOUL PROSPERITY.

3 John ii.
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper, and be in
health, even as thy soul prosper elh.
What a horrid blunder has one of the famous, or rather
infamous, deistical writers made, when he says, that the gospel
cannot be of God, because there is no such thing as friendship
mentioned in it. Surely if he ever read the gospel, having-
eyes he saw not, having ears he heard not : but I believe the
chief reason is, his heart being waxen gross, he could not un
derstand ; for this is so far from being the case, that the world
never yet saw such a specimen of steady and disinterested
friendship, as was displayed in the life, example, and conduct
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
John, the writer of this epistle, had the honor of leaning
on his bosom, and of being called, by way of emphasis, the
disciple whom Jesus loved ; and that very disciple, (which is
very remarkable concerning him,) though he was one of those
whom the Lord himself named Sons of Thunder, (Mark iv.
17.) and was so suddenly, as Bishop Hall observes, turned into
a son of lightning, that he would have called down fire from
heaven to consume his master's enemies : consequently, though
he was of a natural fiery temper, yet the change in his heart
was so remarkable, that if a judgment may be formed by his
writings, he seems as full of love, if not fuller, than any of his

Serm. 17.] soul prosperity. 497
fellow apostles. He learned pity and benevolence of the Father
of mercies ; and, to show how christian friendship is to be
cultivated, he not only wrote letters to churches in general,
even to those he never saw in the flesh, but private letters to
particular saints, friends to whom he was attached, and
wealthy, rich friends, whom God had, by his Spirit, raised up
to be helpers of the distressed. Happy would it be for us, if
we could all learn that simplicity of heart which is displayed
in these particular words : happy if we could learn this one
rule, never to write a letter without something of Jesus Christ
in it ; for, as Mr. Henry observes, if we are to answer for idle
words, much more for idle letters ; and if God has given us
our pens, especially if he has given us the pen of a ready
writer, it will be happy if we can improve our literary corres
pondence for his glory and one another's good.. But what an
unfashionable style, if compared to our modern ones, is that of
the apostle to Gaius. The superscription, from the elder to the
well beloved Gaius whom I love in the truth ; there is fine
language for you ! Many who call themselves Christ's disci
ples, would be ashamed to write so now. I send this, and
that, and the other ; I send my compliments. Observe what
he styles himself, not as the pope ; but he styles himself the
elder. A judicious expositor is of opinion, that all the other
apostles were dead, and only poor John left behind. I re
member a remark of his, " the taller we grow, the lower we
shall stoop." The apostle puts himself upon a level with the
common elders of a church, that he might not seem to take
upon himself authority, not to rule as a lion, but with a rod
of love ; the elder to the icell beloved Gaius, whom I love in
the truth. This Gaius seems to be in our modern language,
what we call a gentleman, particularly remarkable for his
hospitality. Gaius mine host ; and this Gaius was well be
loved ; not only beloved, but well beloved ; that is, one whom
I greatly esteem and am fond of; but then be shows likewise
upon what this fondness is founded ; whom Hove in the truth.
There are a great many people in writing say, dear sir, or
good sir, and subscribe your humble servant, sir ; and not
one word of truth either in the beginning or end ; but John
and Gaius's love was in truth, not, only in words, but in deed
and in truth ; as if he had said, my heart goes along with
my hand while I am writing, and it gives me pleasure in
such a correspondence as this, or whom I love for the truth's
sake, that is, whom I love for being particularly attached to
.the truth ; and then our friendship has a proper foundation,
when the love of God and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, is the
basis and bond of it. One would think this was enough now ¦
42*

498 soul prosperity. [Serm. 17.
the epistles originally were not divided into verses as now,
that people may the better find out particular places, though
perhaps not altogether so properly as they might. The apos
tle's saying beloved is not needless tautology, but proves the
strength of his affection ; I wish that thou mayest prosper,
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. Gaius it
seems at this time felt a weak constitution, or a bad habit of
body : this may show, that the most useful persons, the
choicest favorites of heaven, must not expect to be without
the common infirmities of the human frame \ so far from this
that it is often found that a thousand useful christians have
weakly constitutions.
That great and sweet singer of Israel, Dr. Watts, I remem
ber about two and thirty years ago, told me that he had no
sleep for three months, but what was procured by the most
exquisite art of the most eminent physicians ; and my dear
hearers, none but those that have such habits of body can
sympathize with those that are under them. When we are
in high spirits we think people might do if they would, but
when brought down ourselves we cannot : but notwithstanding
his body was in this condition, his soul prospered so eminently,
so very eminently, that the apostle could not think it a greater
mercy, or the church a greater blessing, than that this bodily
health might be as vigorous, as the health of his soul. I remem
ber the great Colonel Gardiner, who had the honor of being
killed in his country's cause, closes one of his last, letters to me,.
with wishing I might enjoy a thriving soul in a healthy body ;
but this is peculiar to the followers of Jesus, they find the soul
prospers most when the body is worst ; and observe, he wishes
him a prospering body above all things, that he might have
joy and health with a prosperous soul ; for if we have a good
heart, and good health at the same time, and our hearts are
alive to God, we go on with a fresh gale. I observe, that the
soul of man in general must be made a partaker of a divine
life, before it cap be said to prosper at all. The words of our
text are particularly applicable to a renewed heart, to one that
is really alive to God. When a tree is dead Ave do not so much
as expect leaves from it, nor to see any beauty at all in a plant
or flower that we know is absolutely- dead ; and therefore the
foundation ofthe apostle's wish lies here, that the soul of Gains,
and consequently the souls of all true believers, have life com
municated to them from the Spirit of the living God. Such
a life may God of his infinite mercy impart to each of us ! and
I think if I am not mistaken, and I believe I may venture to
say that I am not, that where the divine life is implanted by the
Spirit of the living God, that life admits of decrease and

Serm. 17.] soul prosperity. 499
increase, admits of dreadful decays, and also of some blessed
fevivings. The rays ofthe divine hfe being once implanted, it
will grow up to eternal life ; the new creation is just like the
old when God said " let there be light, and there was light,"
which never ceased since the universe was made, and the
favorite creature man was born. Upon a survey of his own
works, God pronounced every thing good, and entered into
his rest ; so it will be with all those who are made partakers
of the divine nature. " The water that I shall give him, shall
be a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
My brethren, from our first coming into the world, till our
passing out of it to the spirits of just men made perfect, all the
Lord's children have found, some more, and others less, that
they have had dreadful as well as blessed times, and all has
been overruled to bring them nearer to God : but I believe, I
am sure, I speak to some this night, that if it was put to their
choice, had rather know that their soul prospered, than to
have ten thousand pounds left them ; and it is supposed that
we may not only know it ourselves, but that others may know
it, that their profiting, as Paul says, may appear to all.
Because John says, I wish above all things, that thy body
may be in health, as thy soul prospers. O may all that con
verse with us see it in us ! We may frequently sit under the
gospel, but if we do not take a great deal of care, however
orthodox we are, we shall fall into practical Antinomianism,.
and be contended that we were converted twenty or thirty
years ago, and learn, as some Autinomians, to live by faith.
Thank God, say some, we met with God so many months ago,.
but are not at all solicitous whether they meet with him any
more ; and there is not a single individual here that is savingly
acquainted with Jesus Christ, but wishes his soul prospered
more than his body.
The great question is, how shall I know that my soul pros
pers ? I have been told that there is such a thing as knowing
this, and that I can be conscious of it myself, aud others too. It
may not be misspending an hour, to lay "down some marks,
whereby we may know whether our souls prosper or no. If
there be any of you of an Antinomian turn of mind, (I do not
know there are any,) I do not know but you will be of the
same mind of the man that came to me in Leadenhall twenty-
five years ago. Sir, says he, you preached upon the marks of
the birth. Maries, says I, yes, sir. O thank God, says he, I
am above marks, I do not mind marks at all : and you may be
assured persons are upon the brink of Antinomianism, that say
away with your legal preaching. I wonder they do not say,
as they go along the streets, away with your dials, away with

500 soul prosperity. [Serm. 17.
your dials, we do not want marks, we know what o'clock it is
without any. If the marks upon the soul of a believer are
like the sun-dial, there are marks to prove that we are upon
the right foundation ; if the sun does not shine on the sun-dial,
there is no knowing what o'clock it is : but fet it shine, and in
stantaneously you know the time ofthe day : this is not known
when it is cloudy ; and who dare to say but that a child of
God, for the want of the Sun of Righteousness shining upon
his heart, may write bitter things against himself. A good
man may have the vapors, as one Mr. Brown had, that wrote
a book of good hymns, who was so vaporish that no body
could make him believe he had a soul at all. Let the sun
shine, the believer can see whether the sun is in the meridian
at the .sixth, ninth, or twelfth hour. O that there might be
great searching of heart. I have been looking up to God for
direction ; I hope the preaching of this may be to awaken
some, to call back some backsliders, to awaken some sinners
that do not care whether their souls prosper or no. I do not
mean the Tabernacle comers, or the Foundry comers, or the
Church, or Dissenters, but 1 speak to all of you, of whatever
denomination you are; God of his infinite mercy give you his
Spirit. You that are believers, come, let us have that common
name among us all ; if we have it we go off well. If you
want to know whether your souls prosper, that is, whether they
are healthy, (you know .what a person means when he wishes
your body to prosper,) let me ask you how it is between you
and God, with respect to secret prayer ? Good Mr. Bunyan
says, if we are prayerless, we are Christless. None of God's
people, says he, come into the world still-born. Good Mr.
Burkitt, (whose commentary has gone through five or six and
twenty editions; and yet I think if he was now alive, and to
preach once or twice a day, they would cry, away with his
commentary, and preaching and all,) speaks to the same pur
pose. Come into the world still-born ! what language is that
in a preacher's mouth? But it will do for those that like to
use marks and signs. " I will pour out. a Spirit of grace and
supplication,1' says the Lord ; and I will venture to say, if the
Spirit of grace resides in the heart, the Spirit of supplication
will not be wanting. Persons under their first love dare not
go without God ; they go to God, not as the formalist does,
nor for fear of going to hell, or being damned. It is a mercy
any thing drives to prayer ; and a person under the spirit of
bondage, that lias just been brought to the liberty ofthe sons
of God, goes freely to his heavenly father under the disco
veries and constraints of divine love. Come I will appeal to
yourselves ; did not you, like a dear fond mother, if the child,

Serm. 17.] soul prosperity. 501
the beloved chifd, made but the least noise in the world, O,
says the mother, the dear child cries, I must go and hush it :
so time was, when many hearkened to the call of God, and
could no more keep from the presence of God in secret,
than a fond mother from the presence of her dear child. Now
if your souls prosper, this connection between you and God
will be kept up ; I do not say that you will always have the
same fervor as when you first set out ; I do not say you will
always be carried up into the third heavens : the animal
spirits possibly will not admit of such solace ; but you should
inquire with yourselves, whether you would be easy to be out
of God's company? Steal from behind your counter, and go
and converse with God. Sir Thomas Abney, who was obser
vable for keeping up constant prayer in his family, being asked
how he kept up prayer that night he was sworn in Lord May
or ? Very well, says he, I invited the company into my room,
and entertained them, and when the time came, I told them, I
must leave them a little, while I went and prayed with my
family, and returned again. God grant we may have many
such Lord Mayors. If our souls prosper, the same principle
will reign in us, and make us conscientiously attend on the
means of grace. It is a most dreadful mark of an enthusias
tic turn of mind, when persons think they are so high in
grace, that they thank God they have no need of ordinances.
Our being the children of God is so far from being the cause
of our wanting no ordinances, that, properly speaking, the
ordinances are intended for the nourishing of the children of
God ; not only for the awakening the soul at first, but for the
feeding of the soul afterwards. If the same nourishment the
child receives before, feeds it after it is born ; and as the man
na never failed, but the children of Israel partook of it daily
while in the wilderness, till they came to Canaan, so we shall
want our daily bread, we shall want the God of grace and
mercy to convey his divine life into our hearts, till we get into
the heavenly Canaan. There faith will be turned into vision,
and then we shall not want ordinances ; and let people say what
they will, if our souls prosper we shall be glad of ordinances,
we shall love the place where God dwells; we shall not say,
such a one preaches and I will not go, but if we are among
them we shall be glad of a good plain country dish, as well
as a fine garnished dessert ; and if our souls prosper, we shall
be fond of the messengers as well as the message ; we shall
admire as much to hear a good ram's horn, such as blowed
down the walls of Jericho, as a fine silver trumpet. So in all
the ordinances of the Lord, and that of the Lord's supper for
example ; if the soul does not attend thereon, it is an evidence

502 soul prosperity. [Serm. 17.
that it does not prosper. It is a wonder if that soul has not
done something to make it afraid to meet God at his taWe.
" Adam where art thou ?" says the eternal Logos to his fallen
creature ; and every time we miss, whether we think of it or
no, the Redeemer puts it down ; but if our souls prosper, how
shall we run to the table of the Lord, and be glad to come
often to the commemoration of his death.
I will venture to affirm farther, that if your souls prosper,
you will grow downwards. What is that ? Why you will
grow in the knowledge of yourselves. I heard, when I was
at Lisbon, that some people there began at the top of the house
first. It is odd kind of preaching that will do for the Papists,
resting merely in externals. The knowledge of ourselves is
the first thing God implants. Lord, let me know myself, was a
prayer that one of the Fathers put up for sixteen years toge
ther ; and if you have high thoughts of yourselves, you may
know you are light-headed, you forget what poor silly crea
tures you are. As our souls prosper, we shall be more and
more sensible, not only of the outside, but of the inside ; we
first battle with the outward man, but as we advance in the
divine life, we have nearer views of the chambers of imagery
that are in our hearts ; and one day after another we shall find
more and more abomination there, and consequently we shall
see more of the glory of Jesus Christ, the wonders of that Im
manuel, who daily delivers us from this body of sin and death ;
and I mention this, because there is nothing more common,
especially' with young christians. I used formerly to have at
least a hundred, or two hundred in a day, who would come
and say, O dear, I am so and so, I met with God ; ah ! that is
quite well : a week after they would come and say. O sir, it is
all a delusion, there was nothing in it ; what is the matter ?
O, never was such a wretch as t am, I never thought I had
such a wicked heart. Oh ! God cannot love me ; now, sir, all
my fervor, and all that I felt is gone ; and what then ? Does
,a tree never grow but when it grows upward ? Some trees, I
fancy grow downward ; and the deeper you grow in the know
ledge of yourself, the deeper you grow in the knowledge of
God and his grace, that discovers the corruptions of your
hearts. Do not you find that aged men look back upon some
former states. I know some people cannot look back to see
how many sins they have been guilty of, but if grace helps us
to a sight of our inherent corruptions, it will make us weary of
it, and lead us to the blood of Christ to cleanse us from it ; con
sequently, if your souls prosper, the more you will fall in love
with the glorious Redeemer, and with his righteousness. I
never knew a person in my life that diligently used the word,

Serm. 17.] soul prosperity. 503
and other means, but as they improved in grace, saw more and
more ofthe necessity of depending upon a better righteousness
than their own. Generally, when we first set out, we have bet
ter hearts than heads ; but if wc grow in the divine life, our
heads will grow as well as our hearts, and the Spirit of God
leads out of abominable self, and causes us to flee more and
more to that glorious and complete righteousness that Jesus
Christ wrought out.
The more your souls prosper, the more you will see of the
freeness and distinguishing nature of God's grace, that all is
of grace. We are all naturally free-willers, and generally
young ones say, O we have found the Messiah, of whom
Moses and the prophets spoke ; which is right, except that
word we have found ; for the believer a little after learns, that
the Messiah had found him. I mention this, because we
ought not to make persons offenders for a word ; we should
bear with young christians, and not knock a young child's
brains out because he cannot speak in blank verse.
Let it not be forgotten also, that the more your souls pros
per, the more you will rise above the world. You cannot
think that I mean you should be negligent about the things
of this life. Nothing tries my temper more, than to see any
about me idle ; an idle person tempts the devil to tempt him.
In the state of paradise, Adam and Eve were to dress the gar
den, and not to be idle there ; after the fall, they were to till
the ground ; but if any body says that the Methodists think to
be idle, they injure them. We tell people to rise and be at
their work early and late, that they may redeem time to attend
the word. If all that speak against the Methodists were as
diligent, it would be better for their wives and families. What,
do you think a true Methodist will be idle ? No, he will be
busy with his hands, he knows lime is precious, and therefore
he will work hard that he may have to give to them that need,
and at the same time he will live above the world ; and you
know the earth is under your feet, so is the world. When he
goes to sleep, he will say, I care not whether I awake more. I
can look back, and tell you of hundreds and hundreds that
once seemed alive to God, and have been drawn away with a
little filthy, nasty dirt. How many places are there empty
here, that have been filled with persons that once were zealous
in their attendance ? As a person the other day, to whose
having a place it was objected, that he was a Methodist ; no,
says he, I have not been a Methodist these two years. I do
not, for my part, wish people joy when they get money ; only
take care it does not get into, and put your eyes out ; if your
money increases, let your zeal for good works increase. Per

504 soul prosperity. {Serm. 17.
haps some stranger will say, I thought you was against good
works. I tell you the truth, I am against good works ; do not
run away before I have finished my sentence ; we are against
good works being put in the room of Christ, as the ground of
our acceptance ; but we look upon it, if we have a right faith,
our faith will work by love. Ever since I was a boy, I remem
ber to have heard a story of a poor indigent beggar, who asked
a clergyman to give him alms, which being refused, he said,
will you please, sir, to give me your blessing ; says he, God
bless you ; O, replied the beggar, you would not give me that
if it was worth any thing. There are many who will talk
very friendly to you, but if they suppose you are come for any
thing, they will run away as from a pick-pocket ; whereas, if
our souls prospered, we should " count it more blessed to give
than to receive." When we rise from our beds, this would be
our question to ourselves, what can I do for God to-day?
What can I do for the poor ? Have I two, or five, or ten
talents ? God help me to do for the poor as much as if I
knew I was to live only this day.
In a word, if your souls prosper, my dear hearers, you will
grow in love. There are some good souls, but very narrow
souls; they are so afraid of loving people that differ from
them, that it makes me uneasy to see it. Party spirit creeps
in among christians, and whereas it was formerly said, see
how these christians love one another ! now it may be saicL
see how .-these christians hate one another ! I declare from
the bottom of my heart, that I am more and more convinced
that the principles I have preached are the word of God. Pray
what do you do at Change ; is there such a thing as a Presby
terian, or Independent, or Church-walk there ? Is there any
chambers there for the Presbyterians, and Independents, and
Churchmen to deal in ? People may boast of their wildfire
zeal for God, till they cannot bear the sight of a person that
differs from them. The apostle commends Gaius for his
catholic love, for his love to strangers. That was a glorious
saying of a good woman in Scotland, Come in, says she, ye
blessed of the Lord ; I have a house that will hold a hun
dred, and a heart that will hold ten thousand. God give us
such a heart ; he that dweileth in love, dweileth in God. I
could mention twenty marks, and so go on wirerdrawing till
nine or ten o'clock ; but it is best to deal with our souls as
with our bodies, to ext but little at a time. It is so with preach
ing ; though 1 do not proceed any farther in my discourse,
God bless what has been said.
But is there a child of God here that can go away without
a drooping heart ? I do not speak that you may think me

Serm. 17.] soul prosperity. 505
humble ; I love sincerity, inward and outward, and hate guile.
When I think what God has done for me, h rv often he has
pruned me, and dug about me, and when I think how little I
have done for God, it makes me weep if possible, tears of
blood ; it makes me cry, O my leanness, my leanness, as I
expressed myself with my friend to-day. This makes me
long, if my strength of body would permit, to begin to be in
earnest for my Lord. What say you, my dear friends, have
all of you the same temper ? Have you made the progress you
ought to have done ? O London ! London ! highly favored
London ! what would some people give for thy privileges ?
What would the people I was called to preach to but this day
se'ennight? A good, a right honorable lady, about three and
twenty miles off, has brought the gospel there. The people
¦that I preached to, longed and thirsted after the same mes
sage ; they said, they thought they never heard the truth
before. You have the manna poured out round the camp,
and I am afraid you are calling it light bread ; at least, I am
afraid you have had a bad digestion. Consider of it, and for
Jesus Christ's sake tremble for fear God should remove his
candlestick from among you. Laborers are sick ; those that
did once labor are almost worn out, and others only bring
themselves into a narrow sphere, and so confine their useful
ness. There are few that like to go out into the fields : broken
heads and dead cats are no more the ornaments of a Metho
dist, but silk scarves. Those honorable badges are now no
more ; the languor has got from the ministers to the people,
and if you do not take care, we shall all fall dead together.
The Lord Jesus rouse us — the Son of God rouse us all. Ye
should show the world the way, and ye that have been Metho
dists of many years standing, show the young ones that have
not the cross to bear as we once had, what ancient Metho
dism was.
As for you who are quite negligent about the prosperity of
your souls ; who only mind your bodies ; who are more
afraid of a pimple in your faces, than the rottenness of your
hearts ; that will say, O give me a good bottle and a fowl,
and keep the prosperity of your souls to yourselves. You had
better take care what you say, for fear God should take you
at your word. I know some tradesmen and farmers, and one
had a wife, perhaps with a fortune too, who prayed they
might be excused ; they never came to the supper, and God
sent them to hell for it too. This may be your case. I was
told to-day of a young woman that was very well on Sunday,
when she left her friends, when she came home was racked
with pain — had an inflamation in her bowels, and is now a
43

506 soul dejection. {Serm. 18,
breathless corpse. Another that I heard of,- a Christless
preacher, that always minded his body, when he was near
death, said to his wife, " I see hell opened for me — I see the
damned tormented— I see such a one in hell that I debauched."
In the midst of his agony he said, " I am coming to thee — I
am coming — I must be damned — God will damn my soul,"
and died. Take care of jesting with God : there is room
enough in hell, and if you, neglect the prosperity of your souls,
what will become of you ? What will you give for a grain
of hope when God requires your souls ? Awake thou that
steepest ! Hark ! hark ! hark ! hear the word of the Lord,
the living God. Help me, O ye children of , God : I am come
with a warrant from Jesus of Nazareth to-night. Ye ministers
of Christ that are here, help me with your prayers. Ye ser
vants of the living God, help me with your prayers, 0 with
what success did I preach in Moorfields when I had ten
thousand of God's people praying for me. Pray to God to
strengthen my body : do not be afraid I shall hurt myself to
night : I do not care what hurt I may do to myself if God
may bless it : I can preach but little, but may God bless that
little. I weep and cry, and humble myself before my God
daily, for being laid aside : I would not give others the trouble
if I could preach myself. You have had the first of me, and
you will have the last of me. The angels of God waited for
your conversion, and are now ready to take care of the soul
when it leaves the rotten carcass. The worst creature under
heaven, that has not a penny in the world, may be welcome
unto God. However it has been with us in times past, may
our souls prosper in time to come ; which God grant of his
infinite mercy. Amen.

SERMON XVIII.

SOUL DEJECTION.

Psalm xliii. 5,
Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and why art thou disquieted
within me ? Hope in God : for I shall yet praise him, who is the
' health ofmy countenance, and my God.
I have often told you in my plain way of speaking, that
grace is very frequently grafted on a crab-stock ; that the
Lord Jesus picks out persons of the most peevish, churlish

Serm. 18.] soul dejection. 507
disposition, and imparts to them the iargest measure of grace,
but for want of a better natural temper, a great deaf of grace
does not shine so bright in them, as a small degree in those
that are constitutionally good natured. You will hear them
always complaining something or other is the matter. What a
pity it is we cannot all agree in one thing, to leave off chiding
others to chide our own selves, till we can find nothing in
ourselves to chide for ; this we shall find will be a good way
to grow in the divine life, when, by constant application to the
Lamb of God, we get a mastery over those things which
hitherto have had the mastery over us. But are these the
only people that complain ? Are people of a melancholy dis
position only subject to a disquietude of heart ? I will venture
to affirm, that the greatest, the dearest children of God, have
their complaining, and their dreary hours. Those who have
been favored with large measures of grace, even those that
have been wrapped up as it were, to the third heavens, bask
ing on the mount, in the sunshine of redeeming grace, and in
raptures' of love crying out, It is good for us lo be here ; even
these must go down to Gethsemane ; and if they would not
be scorched with a strong burning fever from the sun of pros
perity, shall find clouds from time to time overshadowing
them, not to burn, but to keep them low. It is on this ac
count, that you see good men in different frames at different
times ; our Lord himself was so ; he rejoiced sometimes in
spirit, but at other times you find him, especially near the last,
crying out, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death ;
tarry you here and ic-atch. And I am going to tell you of
one to-night, who had the honor of being called the man after
God's own heart ; and who, though an Old Testament saint,
was greatly blessed with a New Testament spirit, and had
the honor of composing Psalms, which in all past ages of the
church have been, and in future ones will be, a rich magazine
and store-house of spiritual experience, from which the chil
dren of God may draw spiritual armor for fighting the good
fight of faith, until God shall call them to life eternal : may
this be your happy lot. What frame was this good man in,
when he composed this forty-second Psalm ? The Psalm itself
can best tell. It seems composed when he was either perse
cuted by Saul, or driven from his own court by his fondling,
beloved son, Absalom : then David appeared truly great. I
honor him when I see him yonder, attending a few sheep ; but
I admire the young stripling, when 1 see him come out with
his sling and stone, and aiming it at the head of Goliath, the
enemy of God ; or, when exalted and filling the seat of justice ;
but to me he never appears greater, than when he is bowed

508 soul dejection. [Serm.- 18.
down in low circumstances, beset on every side, struggling
between sense and faith ; and as the sun, after an eclipse,
breaking forth with greater luster to all the spectators. In this
view we must consider this great, this good man, David, when
he cries out, Why art thou cast down, O my soul 7 and why
art thou disquieted within me 7 Hope thou in God.
Supposing you understand the words as a question, Why
art thou cast down, O my soul, though thou art in such cir
cumstances ? Pray now what is the cause of thy being so
dejected ? The word implies, that he was sinking under the
weight of his present burden, like a person stooping under a
load that lies upon his shoulders ; and the consequence of this
pressure without, was disquietude, uneasiness, and anxiety
within ; for say what you will to the contrary, there is such
a connection between soul and body, that when one is disor
dered, the other must sympathize with its ever loving friend.
Or, you may understand it as chiding himself, Why art
thou cast down, O my soul, ichy art thou disquieted within
me, how foolish it is to be thus drooping and dejected ; how
improper for one favored of God with so many providences,
and special particular privileges, for such a one as thou art,
thus to stoop, and be made subject to every temptation ; why
dost thou give thy enemies such room to find fault with thy
religion on account of thy gloomy looks, and the disquietude
of thy heart ? A yoke which thou wilt find to be lined with
love, and God will keep it from galling thy shoulders. You
see he speaks not to others, but to himself ; would to God we
did thus learn that charity begins at home. Then he goes to
God with his case, O my God, says he, my soul is cast down
within me. 0 that we could learn, when in these moods, to
go more to God, and less to- man, we should find more relief,
and religion would be less dishonored. But see how faith
triumphs in the midst of all ; no sooner does unbelief lift up
its head, but faith immediately puts it down. A never-failing
maxim is here proposed, hope thou in God, trust in God, be
lieve in God ; for I am sure, and all of you that know Jesus
Christ are persuaded of it too, that all our troubles arise from
our unbelief. O unbelief, injurious bar to comfort, force of
tormenting fear ! on the contrary, faith bears every thing.
Put thy trust in God, as in the old translation ; hope in God,
as in the new, I shall now praise him. The devii tells me
my trouble is so great, I shall never lift up my head again ;
but unbelief and "the devil are liars ; I shall yet praise him ;
my God will carry me through all ; I shall yet praise him,
even for casting me down ; 1 shall praise him even for that
which is the cause of all my disquietude ; he will be the

Serm. 18.] soul dejection. 509
health of my countenance ; though my afflictions have now
made my body low, suck up my spirits and hurt my animal
frame, he will be the health of my countenance ; 1 shall by
and by see him again, and be favored with those transforming
views, which my God has favored me with in times past :
he is the health of my countenance, and my God : though the
devil tempts me, and my evil neighbors say, where is now
thy God 7 Dost thou think thou art a child of God, and thy
father suffers thee to be cast down ? I tell thee, 0 Satan, that
God who I have been so vilely tempted as to believe has for
saken me, will come over the mountains ofmy guilt, will for
give my backslidings against himself, my unbelief shall not
make his promises" of none eflect ; 1 shall praise him even
while I live, I shall praise him before I die, I shall praise him
for ever iu heaven, where he will be after death, the health of
my countenance, and my God ; thus faith will get the better
in a saint. David was sometimes left to say, in effect, all
things are against me ; yet, still in most of the Psalms, in this,
the text, the 113th, and many of the rest, he triumphs in God;
and he composed but very few without praising at the end,
though he complains at the beginning. God help us thus
to do !
But it is time to leave off speaking, particularly of David,
and to turn to you to whom these words, I pray God, may
prove salutary and useful. I have had a great struggle in
my mind this afternoon what I should preach from; I have
been praying and looking up to God, and could not preach
for my life on any other text, which has often been the case
before, and whenever it was, some poor soul has been com
forted and raised up ; and among such a mixed multitude,
there are some, no doubt, come to this poor despised place,
cast down and disquieted within ; I shall endeavor to inquire
what you are cast down for, and then I shall propose a great
cure for you, namely, trust in God ; and I pray that what
was David's comfort may be yours. Why should we not ex
pect an answer, when we pray that God before you go home
may make you, whether you will or no, leave your burdens
behind you ? And God keep you from taking them up as you
go home.
Probably, there may be some of you that are real believers ;-
perhaps I ought to ask your pardon : where am I preaching?
In the Tabernacle, the most despised place in London ; so
scandalous a place, that many of the children of God would ¦
rather go elsewhere ! God help us to keep up our scandal !
But yet I believe there are many king's daughters here ; many
of you whom God enabled in this place first to say, My Lordt'
43*

510 soul dejection. [Serm. 18.
and my God. When you put your fingers, as it were, on the
print of Christ's nails, and put your hands into his side, and
were no longer faithless, but believing, you thought you
should never be cast down any more, but now you have found
yourselves mistaken ; and I shall endeavor, in the prosecution
of this text, to speak to all that are cast down whether before
or after conversion, and then to such that were never cast
down at all ; and if you was never cast down before, God cast
you down now.
What are persons cast down for? What are some of you
disquieted within for? I have reason to believe, from the
notes put up at both ends of the town, that there are many of
you that have arrows of conviction stuck fast in your souls. I
have taken in near two hundred at the other end ofthe town,
within a fortnight ; if this be the case, that God is thus at
work, let the devil roarr and we will go on in the name ofthe
Lord. And what are you cast down for ? Some poor soul'
will say, with a sense of sin, the guilt of it, the enmity of it, the
very aggravated circumstances that attend it, appear and set'
themselves as in battle array before me : once I thought I had
no sin, at least I thought that sin was not so exceeding sinful ;.
but I now find it such a burden that I could almost say with
Cain, " it is greater than I can bear." And perhaps some «f
you are so cast down, as in your haste to say as Colonel
Gardiner, that great man of God told me himself had said
when under conviction, "I believe God cannot be just, unless
he damns my wicked soul." Is this thy case ? Art thou -
wicked, art thou so cast down, so disquieted, that thou canst
not rest night nor day ? Shall I send thee away without any
comfort ? Shall I send thee away as the legal preachers do ?'
As a minister some time ago did, when a man told him how
wicked he had been ; O, says he, if you are so wicked, you
are damned to be sure, I shall not trouble myself with you.
When a poor negro was taken up for thieving, another went
to him and said, you are so bad I must turn my back to you ;
that is the law, but the gospel is turn thy face to God ; think not
that God is dealing with thee as an absolute God, a God out
of Christ. I would have nothing to do, says Luther, with an
absolute God : as such he is a consuming fire. Trust God
in Christ, throw thyself upon him, throw thyself on the Son
of God; cry with thy brother, and now thou art in that
temper, thou wilt not be ashamed to call the thief thy brother ;
Say with him, " Lord, remember me when thou art in thy
kingdom ;" thou shalt yet praise him, thou shalt yet have the
forgiveness of thy sins ; thy pardon shall not only be sealed in
heaven, but thou shalt have it in thy heart : these are only the

Serm. 18.] soul dejection. 511
pangs ofthe new birth, the first stragglings of the soul immerg-
ing- into the divine life ; he shall yet be the health of thy
countenance : these poor cheeks, though bedewed with tears,
shall by and by have a fine blush, when a pardoning God
comes with his love ; it shall even make a change in thy coun
tenance, for as a heavy heart makes a man's countenance sad,
so a cheerful heart makes the countenance pleasant : thou shalt
know him to be thy God, thou shalt say, my Lord, and my
God. Lord Jesus, grant this may be the happy moment. Was
Jesus here, was the Redeemer now in this metropolis, I am sure
he would go about the streets, he would be a field preacher, he
would go out into the highways and hedges, he would invite,
he would run after them ; Lord Jesus, take the veil from our
hearts, and let us see to-night thy loving heart as the Son of
God ! Trust in God, you will say, it is very easy for you to
say so, but I cannot trust in God ; can't you; who told you
that ? That is the work of God ; you are not far from the
kingdom of God. Who convinced thee of thy inability to
believe ; do you think the devil did ? No, it was the Spirit of
God procured by the blood of the Lamb,, that was to come to
convince the world of sin. If thou canst not trust as thou
wouldst, say, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief:" stretch out thy
poor hand. I am thinking of Sunday last, when I was giving
the sacrament, I observed there was one blind communicant
that could not see, but he thrust out his hand ; I observed-
several lame persons, but there were enough to give it to them ;
I saw also a poor barrow woman, and I took particular care to
give the cup to her ; so I put it up to the mouth of the poor
blind man : if that is the case, what love muot there be in God-
to the poor soul !
But, methinks, I hear some poor soul say, that is not my
case, I am not cast down for that, but I am cast down because
after that I knew God to be my God, after I knew Jesus to be
my King, and after I had mounted upon my high places, the
devil and my unbelieving heart threw me down again ; would'
you not have me cast down ? Would you not have me dis
quieted ? A person of an Antinomian spirit would say, do not
fell me of your frames, I have learned to live by faith, I do not
care whether Christ manifests himself to me or no, I have the
word and the promise, I am content with a promise now ; so
these poor creatures go on without any frame, bee i' ire they will
not live in it : from such Antinomianism,. good God deliver me.
How! how! how ! not cast down at an absent God, nor dis
quieted when God withdraws ? Where are you gone ? You
are gone far from your father's house ; if nothing else will do,
may your father whip you home again. But tender hearts-

512 soul dejection. [Serm. 18.
when they reflect how it was once, are cast down ; David
says, " My tears have been my meat day and night, for I had
gone with a multitude to the house of God." Here he looks
back upon his former enjoyments, his spiritual prosperity, (as
Job looks back upon his temporal,) and says, Why art thou
cast down, O my soul 7 it is because I do not meet God in his
ordinances as I used to do ; poor deserted, panting soul ! poor
disquieted soul ! he must be the health of thy countenance, he
will yet be thy God. Who was it sought Jesus sorrowing?
What would you have thought of the virgin Mary if she had
said, I do not care whether I see my son or not ; she sought
him, and found him in the temple. God grant every poor
deserted soul may find him to-night ; I mean, in the temple of
his heart. And in the case of Mary, she says, "They have
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid
him :" if they had not taken away her Lord, Mary would have
been rich : so you may say your corruptions, your backslid
ings, and ingratitude, have taken away your Lord. Lord
grant thou mayest find him to-night. He that said, Mary, can
call thee to-night, and can make thee say, my dear Lord, I
come to-night ; he can call thee by thy name.
But, say you, I am cast down because I am wearied with
temptation : not only my God is departed from me, but an evil
spirit is come upon me to torment me ; 1 am haunted with
this and that evil suggestion, that I am a terror to myself.
Come, come, hear what David saith in the beginning of the
Psalm, " As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God." What say you to that? If you
have a mind to see the beauty of this verse, read Mr. Hervey's
Theron and Aspasio, which will live when its despisers are
dead ; and those that have endeavored to disparage him will
be obliged to own, that he was one of the greatest luminaries
we ever had, and one that has laid down the doctrines of the
gospel, in a maimer to charm and allure the great and noble.
Well, is it thy case that unbelief assails thee, go where thou
wilt ? Well, still trust in God, thou shalt yet praise him for
the health of his countenance : he will command his loving
kindness in the day, and his song shall be with thee in the
night. Though it be night, there is some moon, blessed be
God, or some stars ; and if there is a fog that you cannot see,
God can quiet his people in the dark, he will make the enemy
flee ; fear him not, God will comfort thee, if thou trust in
him. But, say you, I am cast down and disquieted within me ; why ?
Because I have one affliction after another, no sooner is one
trial gone, but another succeeds ; now I think I shall have a

Serm. 18.] soul dejection. 513
little rest, the tormenter will not come nigh me to-day, but no
sooner has the christian so said, but another storm comes, and
the clouds return after the rain ; then we think we must be cast
down, and that we ought to be disquieted ; this was David's case ;
what does he say ? " All thy waves and thy billows are gone
over me." I believe he found after that, there were more waves
to come than he had yet felt : why? says a poor distressed soul,
because I have been so long in Christ, and have those cursed
corruptions yet within. I have thought to have been rid of
them all long ago ; I thought I had no corruptions left thirty-
three years ago, and that the Canaanites were all rooted
out of the land, that Pharaoh and his host were all drowned
in the Red Sea ; but if I find the old man is strong in me, I
look upon myself to be less than the least of all saints, God
knows ; and you that walk near God, and have made greater
advances in the divine life, if you are honest must say, O this
body of sin and death, if I shut this old man out the fore door,
he comes in at the back door. Come, come, come soul, trust
in God, he will give power to the saint, he will give strength,
and in due time deliver thee : go to God, tell him of them ;
beg thy Redeemer to take his whip into his hand, either of
small or large cords, and use it rather than your corruptions'
should get head again.
Time would fail to mention all that are cast down on these
accounts, but I must mention one more ; perhaps some of you
may be cast down with fear not of death only, but of judg
ment. I believe there are thousands of people die a thousand
times, for fear of dying once. Drs. Mather and Pemberton, of
New England, were always afraid of dying, but when they
came to die, one or both of them said to some that were inti
mate with them, is this all, I can bear tins very well : and I
have generally found that a poor soul, that cannot act that
faith on God it once did, or in old age when the body grows
infirm, as they used to do, yet they go off rejoicing in God, as
a good soul that was buried at the Chapel the other day said,
/ am going over Jordan. Therefore, 0 poor soul, leave this
to God, he will take care of thy dying hour. If any of you
are poor here, and I was to promise to give you a coffin and a
shroud you would be easy ; now can you trust the word of a
man, and not that of God ? Well, the Lord help you to trust
in him ; " having loved his own, he loves them unto the end ;"
he is a faithful, unchangeable friend, that sticketh closer than
a brother. Who would not be a christian, who would but be a be
liever, my brethren ? See the preciousness of a believer's
feith : the quacks will say, here buy this packet, which is

514 soul dejectton. [Serm. 18i
good for all diseases, and is really worth nothing: but this
will never fail the soul. Now I wish I could make you all
angry ; I am a sad mischief maker ; but I will assure you, I
do not want to make you angry with one another : some peo
ple that profess to have grace in their hearts, seem resolved to
set all God's people at variance ; they are like Samson's foxes
with fire-brands in their tails, setting fire to all about them.
Are any of you come from the Foundry, or any other place
to-night ? I do not care where you come from, I pray God you
may all quarrel to-night ; I want' you to fall out with your
own hearts ; if we were employed as we ought to be, we
should have less time to talk about the vain things that are
the subjects of conversation. God grant your crosses may be
left at the cross of the Lamb of God this night.
And if there be any of you here, (as no doubt there are
many,) that are crying what nonsense he is preaching to
night, I should not wonder if they were to mimic me when
they go home ; if they should say, I thank God, I was never
cast down ; you take God's name in vain ; you thank God
you was never cast down : the very answer you have given
makes me cast down for you ; why so ? Why, as the. Lord
liveth, I speak out of compassion, there is but one step between
thee and death. Do you not know the sessions began at the
Old Bailey to-day ? If there were any capitally convicted,
what would you think to see them playing at cards, or go on
rattling, and drinking, and swearing? Would not you your
selves cry, and if it were a child of your o-wn, would it not
break your heart ? But yet thou art that wretch ;' I must weep
for thee, my brother sinner ; we had both one father and mo
ther, Adam and Eve ; this was our sad original.
Dear christians, pray for me to-night. I remember once I
was preaching in Scotland, and saw ten thousand affected in a
moment, some with joy, others crying I cannot believe ; others,
God has given me faith ; some fainting in their friends' arms :
seeing two stout creatures upon a tomb stone, hardened indeed,
I cried out, you rebels come down, and down they fell directly,
and cried before they went away, What shall ice do to be
saved 7 Have any of you appirentices, whom you have
brought from time to time to the Tabernacle, but now will not
let them come, because you think they grow worse and worse,
and you will be tempted to leave off praying for them? Do not
do that ; who knows but this may be the happy time. Child
ren of godly parents, apprentices of godly people, servants of
people who fear the Lord, that hear gospel preachers, that are
on the watch for every infirmity, that go to their fellow ser
vants and say, these saints love good eating and drinking ;¦¦

jSerm. 18.] soul dejection. '515
¦they are only gospel gossips. Is this the case with any of you?
If it is, you are in a deplorable condition, under the gospel and
not convinced thereby. 0 may God bring down you rebels to
night ; may this be the happy hour you may be cast down and
disquieted within you. What can I say more ? I would
speak till I burst ; I would speak till I could say no more ; O
poor souls that hast never yet been cast down. I will tell you.
if you die without being cast down, however you may die, and
have no pangs in your death, and your carnal relations may
thank God that you died like lambs, but no sooner will your
souls be out of your bodies, but God will cast you down to
hell ; you will be lifting up your eyes in yonder place of tor
ment ; you will be disquieted, but there will be nobody there
to say, hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him. O my
God, when I think of this, I could go to the very gates of hell
to preach. I thought the other day, 0 if I had my health, I
would stand on the top of every hackney coach, and preach
Christ to those poor creatures. Unconverted old people, un
converted young people, will you have no compassion on your
own souls ? If you will damn yourselves, remember 1 am
free from the blood of you all. O if it be thy blessed will,
Lord most holy, O God most mighty, take the hearts of these
sinners into thy hand. Methinks I see the heavens opened,
the Judge sitting on his throne, the sea boiling like a pot, and
the Lord Jesus coming to judge the world : well, if you are
damned, it shall not be for want of calling after. O come,
come, God help you to come, whilst Jesus is standing ready to
receive you. 0 fly to the Savior this night for refuge ; remem
ber if you die in an unconverted state you must be damned
for ever.
O that I could but persuade one poor soul to fly to Jesus
Christ ; make him your refuge ; and then however you may
be cast down, hope in God. and you shall yet praise him.
God help those that have believed, to hope more and more in
his salvation, till faith be turned into vision, and hope into
fruition. Even so, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen.

516 the gospel, [Serm. 19.
SERMON XIX.

the gospel, a dying saint's triumph.— -a funeral
SERMON,

Mark xvi. 15, 16.
And he said unto them., Go ye into all the world, and preach the gos
pel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.
I am persuaded I need not inform this auditory, that when
ambassadors are sent to a prince, or when judges go their re
spective circuits, it is always customary for them to show their
credentials, to open and read their commissions, by which they
act in his majesty's name. The same is absolutely necessary
for those who are ambassadors of the Son of God, as they would
be faithfiil to their Lord, since they are to sit with him on the
throne, when he shall come the second time to judge both evil
angels and men. If any should ask me, where is tfieir com
mission ? it has been just now read unto you. Here it is in my
hand, it is written with the king's own hand, by the finger of
the ever blessed God, and sealed with the signet of his eternal
Spirit, with his broad seal annexed to it. The commission is
short, but very extensive ; and it is remarkable, it was given
out just before the Redeemer went to heaven ; he reserved it
in infinite wisdom for his last blessing, to appoint and employ
vicegerents to carry on his work on earth. He that hath an
ear to hear let him hear, what the Son of God says to a com
pany of poor fishermen. There was not one scholar among
them all. What does he say ; Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. Let us pause a while, and
before we go further let us see what mercy, what love, and yet
withal, what equal majesty are blended in this expression or
commission. Go ye, ye poor fishermen, ye that are what let
ter-learned doctors will look upon as illiterate men ; Go ye,
that have hitherto been dreaming of temporal preferments,
quarreling " who should sit on my right hand and on my left
hand in my kingdom :" Go ye, not stay till the people come to
you, but imitate the conduct of your Master ; Go ye, remem
bering that the devil will not permit souls to be fond of hearing
you. Go therefore. Where ? Into all the world. There is
a commission for you ; there was never such a commission on
the earth: there never was any like this,; Go into all the

sSerm. 19.] a dying saint's triumph. 517
jtcorld, that is, into the Gentile as well as the Jewish world.
Hitherto my gospel has been confined to the Jews ; I once told
you, you must not go to the Gentiles ; I once told a poor wo
man that came to me, "it is not meet to take the children's
bread and give it unto dogs :" but the partition wall being now-
broke down, the veil of the temple being now rent in twain, he
gave them a universal commission ; Go ye therefore into all
the world ; how I what, go into other ministers' parishes ? For
¦there was not a district then but what was settled with shep
herds, such as they were ; yes, yes, Go into all the world :
and though I will not pretend to say, that this enjoins minis
ters to go into every part of the world ; yet I insist upon it,
and by the grace of God, if I were to die for it I will say, that
¦no power on earth has power to restrain ministers from preach
ing where a company of people are willing to hear ; and if
ministers were of a right temper, they would say as a minister
did at Oxford, that used to visit the prisoners there. I remem
ber I once went to ask him whether I might go and visit some
of his parish ; whether he was offended at our going to visit
the prisoners ? No, no, says he, I am glad I have any such
young curates as you. And if ministers were of such a tem
per now, the devil would fly before us. As good Mr. Philip
Henry said to the minister of Broad Oaks, from whence he
was ejected, but preached afterwards in a barn, and meeting
.the minister after the sermon was over ; Sir, says Mr. Henry,
/ have been making bold to throw a handful of seed into
your ground. Thauk you, sir, says he, God bless it, there is
work enough for us both. We may talk of what we will,
search into the bottom, it is not for want of light, but of more
zeal and love to the Son of God : if we were as warm, and full
of the love of God. as we ought to be, these petty excuses we
arge to save our bones, would not be so much as mentioned ;
We should go out, and leave these carcasses to the grace of
God. I do not see how we can act as priests of the Church
of England without doing it. Be so kind as to read the Or
dination Service as soon as you go home ; for the office of
ordination and consecration of bishops, priests, and deacons, is
left out of most the common prayer books, so that people are
as ignorant of it as if it was not. The office of a priest is
this : he is not to confine himself to his place, no ; what then ?
Why he is to go forth, and seek after the children of God
that are dispersed in this naughty world ; these are the very
words that the bishop speaks to us when we are ordained ; but
if we are confined to one particular place, and are to be shut
up in one corner, pray how do we seek the children of God
that are dispersed in this naughty world ? Parishes and set-
44

518 the gospel,, [Serm. $9,
tied ministers there must be, but we are not, I insist on it, to
be hindered from preaching Christ any where, because he bids
us go into all the world ; here is our license. I acknowledge
the Chapel is licensed ; here is my license, and. wherever I go
I will produce my license. Where ? Why out of the 16th
of Mark ; Go ye and preach the gospel to all the world :
there is the license, and the Spirit of Christ helping us to
preach by that license will make all the devil's children cow
ards before us. We have tried them these thirty years, would
to God we set about it now ; if I had strength I would set
about it to-morrow ; I only grieve that my body will not hold
out for field preaching, else Kennington Common should be my
pulpit, for any place is consecrated where Christ is present.
Well, what must we go forth to do ? Go ye into all the world
and preach ; preach ! what is that ? Why the original word
for preach is to speak out, as a crier does that cries goods that
are lost, proclaim it. And Isaiah would be reckoned a dread
ful enthusiast if now alive. How does he preach ? He
preaches in the king's chapels with such language and elo
quence as would carry all before it ; and yet how does he
preach ? " Ho, every one that thirsteth." O, he lifts up his
voice like a trmnpet. And the word preach signifies to pro
claim ; to cry aloud, and spare not. How do you like one
that cries your lost goods if he only whispers ? Would you
choose to employ a man that you could not hear two yards ?
O, say you, I shall never find my goods : and if persons havev
what qualifications they may, if they cannot be heard at all,
they need not preach at all. I know a prebend in the cathe
dral of York, who spoke so very low nobody heard him ; some
body said, they never heard such a moving sermon in alf their
lives in that cathedral, for it made ail the people move out, be
cause they could not hear. The matter ofthe ministry ofthe
gospef is of infinite importance : unless, my brethren, we could
be heard, what do we preach for ? It implies earnestness in
the preaching and the preacher. You expect a person, like
one that is crying your goods, to be in earnest ; and if we
preach, and make the king's proclamation, we should be in
;camest. It is said, " Christ opened his mouth and taught."
Now a modern critic would laugh at that ; open his mouth,
say they, how could he speak without opening his mouth ?
Would it not be better to say, he taught them? No, no, there
is no idle word in God's book. It is said, the Lord Jesus
opened his mouth : what for ? Why to get in breath that he
might speak loud to the people, when the heavens were his
sounding board : then did he open his mouth, and taught them
in earnest, powerfully ; and therefore the people made this

Serm. 19.] a dying saint's triumph. 519
observation when he had done speaking, " that he spoke as
one having authority, and not as the scribes." There is no1
dispensation from preaching, but sickness or want of abilities,
to those that are ordained to preach ; and therefore it was a
proverb in the primitive church, that it becomes a bishop to
die preaching. Bishop Jewell, that blessed minister of the
Church of England, gave that answer to a person that met his
lordship walking on foot in the dirt, going to preach to a few
people. Why does your lordship, weak as you are, expose
yourself thus ? Says he, it becomes a bishop to die preach
ing. Lord send all the world that have bishops such jewels as
he was ! Pray what are they to preach ? Not themselves.
What are they to preach ? Why, they are to preach not mo
rality ; not morality ! come, do not be frightened, any of you
that are afraid of good works, do not be frightened this morn
ing : I say not morality; that is, morality is not to be the grand
point of their preaching ; they are not to preach as a heathen
philosopher would. A late bishop of Lincoln, who has not
been dead a long while, said to his chaplain, You are not a
minister of Cicero, or any of the heathen philosophers ; you
are not to entertain your people with dry morality, but remem
ber you are a minister of Christ ; you are, therefore, to preach
the gospel ; and if you will not preach the gospel in the
church, you must not be angry for the poor -people's going out
into the fields where they hear the gospel ; that is to be your
grand theme, Go into all the icorld and preach the gospel.
Now the gospel signifies good news, glad tidings. Behold I
bring you, said the angel, glad tidings of great joy. Mean
and conteriiptible as the office of a preacher may bethought now,
the angels were glad of the commission to preach this gospel :
and Dr. Goodwin, that learned, pious soul, says in his familiar
way, and that is the best way of writing, God had but one
son, and he made a minister of him : and I add, he made an
intinerant minister of him too. Well, and some say, you must
not preach the law : you cannot preach the gospel without
preaching the law: for you shall find by and -by, we are to
preach something that the people must be saved by ; it is im
possible to tell them how they are to be saved, unless we tell
them what they are to be saved from. The way the Spirit of
God takes, is like that we take in preparing the ground. Do
you think any farmer would have a crop of corn next year
unless they plough now ? You may as well expect a crop of
corn on unploughed ground, as a crop of grace untill a soul is
convinced of its being undone without a Savior. That is the
reason we have so many mushroom converts, so many persons
that are always happy ! happy ! happy ! and never were mis-

520 the cospel, [Serm. Iff.
erable : why ? Because their stony ground is not ploughed up ;
they have not a conviction of the law : they are stony ground
hearers : " they hear the word with joy, and in a time of temp
tation, (which will soon come after a seeming or real conver
sion,) they fall away." They serve Christ as the young man
served the Jews that, laid hold of him, who, when he found he
was like to become a prisoner for following Christ, left his
garments : and so some people leave their profession. That
makes me so cautious now, which I was not thirty years ago,
of pronouncing people converts so soon. I love now to wait
a little, and see if people bring forth fruit ; for there are so
many blossoms which March winds you know blow away,
that I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought
forth. It will do converts no harm to keep them a little back :
it will never do a sincere soul any harm.
We are to preach the gospel : to whom ? To every creature :
here is the commission, every creature. I suppose the apos
tles were not to see every creature ; they did not go into all
nations : they had particular districts : but wherever they did
go they preached. Did you ever hear that Paul, or any of the
apostles sent away a congregation without a sermon ? No, no ;
when turned out of the temple they preached in the highways,
hedges, streets, and lanes of the city ; they went to the water
side ; there Lydia was catched. My brethren, we have a
commission here from Christ ; and not only a commission, but
we have a command to preach to every creature : all that are
willing to hear. " He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear ;"
and if some shall say, they will not come if we do preach,
would to God we tried them, " where the carcass is there will
the eagles be gathered together." We are to preach glad
tidings of salvation ; to tell a poor-benighted world lying in the
wicked one the devil, their state and condition ; Ave are to tell
them, " God is love ;" to tell them, that God loves them better
than they do themselves. We must, preach the law, but not
leave the people there. We must tell them how Moses brings
them to the borders of Canaan, and then tell them of a glorious
Joshua that will carry them over Jordan ; first to show them
their wants ; and then point out to them a Jesus that can
supply, and more than supply all their wants. This we are
to tell every creature : and it is for this that people stone gospel
preachers. I do not think the prisoners would be angry with
us if we were to tell them, the king commissions us to declare
to them that they might come out of their prison, that their
chains may be knocked off. If you was to go to one of them
and say, Here you have your chains ; and he was to say, I
have no chains on at all, you would think that man's brain

Serm. 19.] a dying saint's triumph. 521
was turned : and so is every man's who does not see himself
to be in the chains of sin and deceit. We are " to preach
liberty to the captives, to proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord ; sound the jubilee trumpet, and tell them the year of
release is come :" that Jesus can make them happy.
But, pray, if we are to preach, what are the creatures to do
that see the need of this salvation ? I will tell you ; they are
to believe. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
but he that believeth not shall be damned. The grand topics
Christ's ministers are to preach, are " repentance towards God,
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." The men of the world
fancy they have believed already, and some of them lift up
their heads and say, Thank God, we have believed ever since
we were born ; and in one sense many people believe, but in
what sense ? Just as the devil believes ; they believe, and stifl
continue devils in their carnal state ; that is, they assent to
the gospel, they assent to it as a thing that is credible. This
is our school definition of faith ; and I believe there are thou
sands that call themselves christians, that do not believe a
thousandth part of what the devil does. The devil believes
more than an Arian, for he does not believe Christ, to be God ;
the devil says, " I know whom thou art, the Holy One of
God." The devil will rise up in judgment against him. He
believes more than a Socinian, who believes Jesus Christ to be
no more than an extraordinary man ; and he believes more
of Jesus Christ than thousands of professors do, who are
neither Arians or Socinians. There are a thousand things in
this book (The Bible,) that many people, if you come to close
quarters with them, will say they do not believe, though they
are ashamed to own it. The furthest that they go, is to assent
to the creed, to the Lord's prayer, and Ten Commandments ;
and if they can say these in their mother tongue and have
been baptized by the priest, and confirmed by the bishop, and
go to church once a week, and now and then on holidays,
they think they are not only believers but strong believers. I
am not against going to church, nor against fhe creed, the
Lord's prayer and the commandments ; I love and honor
them, and I pray God we may always have them; and I
would not have our liturgy or articles departed from, for ten
thousand worlds. Many would have them altered, because
there are some faults in them ; but if our modern people were
to alter them, they would make them worse than they are,
But believing is something more ; it is coming to Jesus Christ,
receiving Jesus ; rolling ourselves on Jesus ; it is a trusting in
the Lord Jesus. I do not know any one single thing more
variously expressed in the scriptures than believing. Why ?
44*

522 the gospel, [Serm. 19:
Because it is the marrow of the gospel. Without faith we
cannot be justified, either in our persons or performances ;
and therefore the Holy Ghost has variously expressed it, to
let us see the importance of the point. It is expressed by a
coming, trusting, receiving, and relying, (all which amounts
to the same thing) under a felt conviction that we are lost,
undone, condemned without him ; for, as a good old puritan
observes, Christ is beholden to none of us for our hearts ; we
never should come to Jesus Christ, the sinner's last shift, till
we feel we cannot do without him.
We are like the woman with the bloody issue ; she spent a
great deal of money upon physicians ; if she had the sum of
one half guinea more, till that was gone, she never would
have come to Christ ; but having spent all, and then hearing
that Jesus was to come that way, a sense of her need, a feeling-
sense of her impotence, and insufficiency of all other applica
tions, made her come to Christ ; saying in heart, " If I could
but touch the hem of his garment, I should be whole ; Jesus,
the son of David, would have mercy on me ;" or words to
that purpose. She did not go about and say, pray lend me a
common prayer book ; it was not in print then. Where must
she borrow one ; her heart, touched by God, was the best com
mon prayer ; and a few words uttered from a sense of her
weakness and misery, was more rhetoric, was more music in
the ears of God, than an extempore prayer by a gifted man,
admiring himself for an hour and a half. As a person told
me but yesterday, of a poor outlandish papist that was con
demned to die, held out for a long while ; he would not speak
to a protestant minister, but a night or two before he suffered,
comes out to him, and says, Me now see the necessity of a
greater absolution than a priest can give me ; and then, in
his broken language, cries out, Dear Lord Jesus, show thy
charity, to thy poor sinner ! There is language ! there is
rhetoric for you ! and we ourselves like such language. You
do not like fawning people that come into your room, and by
their very manner of coming, prove they are not sincere ; but
a poor creature that comes to pour out two or three words,
you see is honest, you will not say to such a one, why do you
come to me, and not speak blank verse ? Why do you come
to me and not speak fine language ? No ; sincerity is the
thing ; sincerity is all in all. When we are once convinced
of our need and helplessness, and of Jesus being a Redeemer,
that is mighty and willing to save, a poor soul then throws
himself upon this Jesus, receives this Jesus, ventures upon
tills Jesus, believes the word, and by thus venturing on the
promise, receives from Jesus the thing promised. " Faith

Serm. 19.] a dying saint's triumph. 523
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." But
then, where there is true faith, that will, my dear hearers, be
attended with- what? Why, with salvation. He that be
lieveth, and is baptized, saith our Lord, shall be saved :
saved from what ? Why,, from every thing that he wants to
be saved from, and receives every thing God can give to ¦com
plete- his whole salvation. What is it a poor sinner wants to
be saved from? O, sin, sin,. the guilt of sin. The first con
viction brings the creature to God by force : there are very
few that are drawn by love entirely : and I seldom find any
of those that have been drawn by love, but have had dreadful
conflicts afterwards : for either before or after conversion, our
hearts must be ploughed up, or we shall never be prepared for
the kingdom of heaven.
Ye shall be saved from the painful guilt of sin : what is
that? Why, the common prayer book will tell you, in the
communion office ; " the remembrance of our sins is grievous
unto us, and the burden of them is intolerable." There is
Methodistical language. Cranmer, Latimer, or Hooper, were,
my brethren, what ? Why, they were Methodist preachers ;
and they used to preach in Paul's-Cross, a pulpit, said to be
made in the shape of a- .cross, near St. Paul's church ; and a
salary given for the very purpose, I believe to this day. No
matter where we preach, so that sinners feel Christ's power in
delivering them from this, which certainly implies a conscious
ness of pardon. I do not think the poor creature that was
respited the other day, would have believed it, had he not seen
the king's warrant just before the others were carried out.
Why, say they, here is his majesty's pardon ; he takes and re
ceives it with joy, and is now freed from the gallows. And if
persons can give this credence to an earthly king, why cannot
a believer have a sense of the pardon of his sins from God ? It
a person's reading this to me, telling me the king has pardoned
me, has such an effect, why may not God's word-, backed by
his Spirit, be brought home with such power on my heart, that
I may be assured God has pardoned me, as well as a criminal
that his king has saved? If this is gospel, away with it, say
some, who think we are not to be justified till we come to judg
ment. 0 blessed creatures ! this is modern divinity ! our re
formers knew nothing about it. We are to Iw declared, if you
please, justified, in the day of Jesus Christ, who will pronounce
"'t before all mankind. But, my brethren, we arc to he married
to Jesus Christ in this world, and the marriage is to be declared
ia another : and I will insist upon it, though I will not pretend
to say that all that have not full assurance arc not clirisiinns,
yet I will say that assurance is nccessa/yfor the well being of

824 the gospel, [Serm. 19.
a christian ; the comfortable being, though not for his very
existence : and . I will venture to say, that a soul was never
brought to Christ, but what had some ground of assurance of
pardon ; though, for want of knowing better, he put it by, and
did not know the gift of God when it came. But my brethren,
we shall be saved from all our sins. Here is glad tidings
of great joy now come. Satan may hear that ; and any of
you hear that are coming into the Chapel as you pass along.
I am glad to see poor creatures come, that I may tell them,
God is love. Believers, you shall be saved from all your sins,
every one of them ; they shall aU be blotted out. Generally,
when persons are convinced, the devil preaches despair ; some
great sin lies upon them ; and says the poor sinner, I shall be
saved from all but that ; had I not been guilty of such a crime,
I might have hope, but I am guilty of such a sin, which is so
awful, with such dreadful aggravations, I am afraid I shall
never be pardoned. But, my dear souls, Christ is love ; and
when he loves to forgive, he forgives like a God ; "I will blot
out your iniquities, transgressions, and sins." " Come now,"
saith the Lord, "let us reason together: though your sins are
as scarlet, yet shall they be as white as snow." I am so far from
being unwilling to save or pardon, that the angels, every time
the gospel is preached, are ready to tune their harps, and long
to sing an anthem to some poor sinner's conversion.
They shall be saved from the power of sin. Do you not
remember that when Joshua was going on with his conquests,
there were some kings in a cave ; and when he returned,
he ordered them to bring the kings out for God's people to tread
upon them. When I read that passage, I used to think these
kings were like our corruptions hid in the cave of our hearts,
and the sftine of unbelief rolled to keep them in : but when
we receive Christ by faith, and have pardon in him, our great
Joshua takes away the stone, and says, bring out these kings,
these corruptions, that have reigned occr my people, and by
faith let them Iread- on ihe necks of litem. Our great Master,
when he gave the command in the text, says, "these signs shall
follow them that believe in my name, they shall cast out devils,
they shall speak wilh new tongues, they shall take up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them."
These were things peculiar, in one sense, to the apostles ; but
in the power of faith, and as brought home to every believer,
he casts out devilish lusts ; and if "they had drank any deadly
thing, as God knows we have, they may do by them as Paul
did by the viper, through the power of faith cast them off, and
by this means prove that Christ is God.
This is, my dear hearers, a present salvation. The wicked-

Serm. 19!] a dying saint's triumph. 55k5
est wretch in the world will cry, I hope to be saved, though
they have no notion of being saved but after their death ; as a
woman in Virginia, told me once, when I said she must be
born again ; I believe you, sir, but that must be after I am
dead. And by people's living as they do, one would suppose
that they think they are not to be saved till they die, because
they live so. But as I have told you, I tell you again, Christ's
salvation is a great salvation ; and all that Christ does for his
people on earth, is but an earnest of good things to come, an
anticipation of what he is to do for them in heaven. Our
Lord says the kingdom of God is within you ; the kingdom is
come nigh unto you. You must not only believe on Christ,
but believe in him : we are not only to be baptized in the name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but we are to be baptized
into the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; this is
the baptism ofthe Spirit, and this is that salvation which God
grant we may all partake of.
We are to be saved, my brethren, from what ? Why, from
the fear of death. " He came to deliver them, who, through
fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
What, are there no children of God but those that have full
assurance ? You never heard me say so ; yet I am apt to
speak a little fast, but at the same time I would choose not to
speak so fast as to speak contrary to the word of God. There
are a great many good souls, that at times may doubt the real
ity of this work upon their souls : a relaxed habit of body, a
nervous disorder, you may say what you please, will make a
weak child of God doubt of what God has done in them, and
that hurts the mind as it has such a close connection with the
body ; but then a believer is low : God's people are low per
sons : as the greatest geniuses are most liable to lowness of
spirit, for the scabbard is not strong enough for the sword, and
persons that talk much must wear out in time ; but this I affirm,
it is our privilege to live above the fear of death. We do not
live up to our dignity till every day we are waiting for the
coming of our Lord from heaven ; and I am persuaded of this,
though I believe there may be some exceptions, that the reason
why we do not live more above the fears of death is, because
we keep in so much with these polluted earthly things. You
may have the best eyes in the world, and only put your hands
before them, you will find the sun hid from you ; and so you
may have a iarge fire, but throw some earth upon the fire that
is in your parlor, or drawing rooms, and you will find the fire
damped. And how can people have much of God or heaven,
when they have so much of the earth in their hearts ? It is our
privilege to live above the fear of death, though we are not to

526 the gospel, [Serm. 19'
be saved from dying ; aud I am sure a believer would not be
saved from dying for a million of worlds ; it would be death to
him not to die ; but a soul touched with the love of God, even
in sickness, in the midst of a burning fever, in the midst of a
fire that will burn a thousand bodies up, convulsed with tor
tures and pains in every limb ; a believer is enabled sometimes
to say, O my God, O tny God, thou art love ; I am ready to
come to thee in the midst of all. Blessed be God, I need not
go far for example ; yonder, under the gallery, lies the remains,
the carcass of a clear saint, who was for twenty-five days toge
ther,, burned with a fever, enough to scorch any creature up ;
jet, one filled with love and power divine, blessed the Lord
Jesus ; though she cried out, if I was not supported, the agony
of my body would make me impatient ; yet never said a mur
muring word, but in the midst of all cried out to those about
her, God is love ! O my joys ! O the comforts that I feel !
and in her very last moments cried out, I am coming ; dear
Lord, I am coming ; and so sweetly slept in Jesus. If this
is enthusiasm, God give us a good share of it when we come
to die I These are dying and yet living witnesses that God
is love? She was in raptures when Mr. Shepherd went to
visit her : she desires me to tell you, that God is love : desired
me to tell you in the chapel pulpit, that she was called" about
four years ago. I think Mr. Lee was the instrument of her
conversion. Now her body is to be put to bed at noon ; but
her soul is crying, O the joys ! the joys ! the joys ! of being
saved by a blessed Emmanuel ! Now will any one dare to
deny this evidence ?• Do you see worldly people work them
selves up into that frame when they die ? Visit them when
they are near death : ah dear ! they are in the vapors ; they
are so afraid of dying, that the doctor will not suffer us to come
near them ; no, not common clergymen, for fear we should
damp their spirits : till they find they are just gone, and then
they give us leave to say the farewell prayer to them : but
they that are born from above, that are made new creatures in
Christ, feel something that smiles upon them in death. She
told them, she believed God would let her go over Jordan dry
shod ; that was her expression. If this is salvation on earth,
what must it be in heaven ? If in the midst of the tortures of
a burning fever, a raptured soul can cry, O the joys ! O the
comforts ! Lord I am coming ! I am coming ! what must
that be when inclosed in a Redeemer's arms? In order to which,
the glorious angels stand at the top of the ladder to take a poor
wearied pilgrim home. Lord, give us not only such a frame
when we are dying, but while we are living ; for if it is comfort
able to die in such a frame, why not to live in it ? to live in

rSerm. 19.] • a dying saint's triumph. 527
heaven on earth. O, say you, I thank God I walk by faith ;
I have the promise. Well, thank God you have the promise ;
but with the promise, learn to walk by that " faith, which is
the evidence of things not seen," which brings God down,
brings heaven near, and gives the soul a heart-felt experience,
that God is love. Here is a salvation worthy of a God ! Here
is a salvation worthy of the Mediator's blood I For this he
groaned — for this he bled — for this he died — for this he arose
—for this he ascended — for this he sent the Holy Ghost — and
for this purpose he now sends him into the hearts of his peo
ple. My brethren, what say you to this ? I hope it is enough
to make you cry out, Lord, let my latter end be like hers.
This may comfort you that are mourners about her corpse —
this may comfort a fond husband, whose beloved is now taken
away by a stroke. What a mercy is it sir, that you was in
strumental to bring her under the word? She was once averse
to coming here : what, leave 'my parish church ! said she !
what, go to a conventicle, to a Tabernacle of Methodists ! He
advised her again and again to come : at last, one day as they
were going to St. Giles's, she says, "well, come put up your
walking-stick, if it falls towards St. Giles's I will go there ; if
to the Chapel, I will go there." The stick fell towards the
Chapel, she came, and was converted to God. O, with what
joy must her husband meet her again in the kingdom of hea
ven ! and O happy day, in which she was encouraged to seek
after God. Last week, another was buried in the like circum
stances ; and, blessed be God, in yonder burying-ground are
Che remains of many precious souls, that in the day of judg
ment will let the world know whether this Chapel was built
for God or not.
0 what an awful word is that in the latter clause of the text,
he that believeth not shall be damned. Pause, — I will give
you time to think a little; if you would have Christ as good
as his word of promise, remember he will be as good as his
word of threatening. You hear the necessity of preaching
the gospel, because upon believing or non-believing, our salva
tion or damnation will turn. What, will you laugh at the
minister that cries out, Lord help you to come ; come, come,
do you thjnk that we have nothing else to say, and are at a
loss for words, when we cry come, come, come, to fill up our
sermons ? No, it is part of our commission ; it is one great
part. And, my fellow sinners, we are come to tell you, that
our Master has a two-edged sword, as well as a golden scepter ;
and if you will not come under the sound of the word, and do
not feel the converting power of it, you must feel the confound
ing weight of it. I repeat it again to you, he that believeth not

528 the gospel, &c .-[Serm. 19.
shall be damned : the very word is terrible, God grant you
may never know how terrible it is. You are condemned
already ; he that believeth not is so, John iii. 18. why ? '^Be
cause he hath not believed on the name of the Son of God."
It is not his being a whoremongei or adulterer that will damn
him, but his unbelief is the damning sin ; for this he will be
condemned ; for ever banished from the presence of the ever
blessed God : and how will you rave, how will you tear, and
how will you wring your hands, when you see your relations,
your friends, those whom you despised, and were glad they
were dead out of your way, " see them in Abraham's bosom,
and yourselves lifting up your eyes in torment !" O my dear
hearers, do let me plead, let me entreat you ; if that would do,
I would down on my knees ; if that would do, I would come
down from the pulpit, I would hang on your necks," I would
not let you go, I would offer myself to he trodden under your
feet. I have known what it is to be trodden under the foot of
men thirty years ago, and I am of the same temper still : use
me as you will, I am a poor sinner ; and if I was to be killed
a thousand ways, I suffer no more than my reward, as an un
profitable servant of ,God : but do not trample the dear Jesus
under foot ; what has he done to you ? Was it any harm to
leave his father's bosom, come down and die, and plead for
sinners ? See him yonder hang on the tree ! behold him with
his arm stretched out ! see him all of a bloody gore, and in his
last agony preaching love ! Would you give him a fresh stab ?
Are there any of you here that think the sword did not pierce
him enough ; that they did not drive the briars and thorns into
his head deep enough ? And will you give him the other
blow, the other thorns ? And will you pierce him afresh, and
go away without believing he is love? I. cannot help it ; I
am free from the blood of you all. Oh that you may not damn
your own souls ! Do not be murderers ; nor like Esau, sell
your birth-right for a mess of pottage. God convince you ;
God convert you ;' God help those that have believed to be
lieve more ; that they may experience more and more this
salvation, till faith is turned into vision, and hope into fruition ;
till we have all, with yonder saint, and all that have gone before
us, experienced complete salvation in the kingdom. of .heaven ;
even so, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen.

Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 529
SERMON XX,

JACOB'S LADDER.  A FAREWELL SERMON.

Genesis xxviii. 12 — 15.
And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and the top
of it reached to heaven : and behold, the angels of God ascending
and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and
said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of
I-aac : the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy
seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth ; and thou
, shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north
and lo the south : and in thee, and in thy seed shall all the families
.ofthe earth be blessed. And behold, I am with ikee, and will keep
. thee in all places, whither thou goest, and loill bring thee again into
this land : for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I
have spoken to thee of.
The wise man observes, that " in the multitude of dreams
there is many vanities," being often the effects of a peculiar
disorder of body, or owing to some disturbance of the mind.
They whose nervous system has been long relaxed, who have
had severe domestic trials, or have been greatly affected by
extraordinary occurrences, know this to be true by their own
experience ; but however this may be, there have been, and
possibly may be still, dreams that have no manner of depen
dence on the indisposition of the body, or other natural cause,
but seem to bring a divine sanction with them, and make
peculiar impressions on the party, though this was more fre
quent before the canon of scripture was closed, than now.
-God spoke to his people in a dream, in a vision of the night ;
witness the subject of our present meditation, a dream of the
patriarch Jacob's, when going forth as a poor pilgrim with a staff
in his hand, from his father's house, deprived of his mother's
company and instruction, persecuted by an elder brother,
without attendants or necessaries, only leaning on an invisible
power. I need not inform you in how extraordinary a way he
obtained the blessing, which provoked his brother to such a
degree, as determined him to be the death of Jacob, as soon as
ever his aged father dropped : to what a height did this wicked
man's envy rise when he said, "the days of mourning for my
father will soon come," and what then ? Why, though I have
some compassion for the old man, and therefore will not lay
violent hands upon my brother while my father is alive, yet I
am resolved to kill him before my father is cold in his grave.
45

530 ixcob's ladder. [Serm. 20,
This is the very spirit of Cain, who talked to his brother, and
then slew him : this coming to the earsof his mother, she tells
the good old patriarch her husband, who, loving peace and
quietness, takes the good advice of the weaker vessel, and
orders Jacob to go to his mother's brother, Laban, and stay a
little while out of Esau's sight, (perhaps out of sight out of
mind) and by and "by probably, said he, thou mayest come to
thy father and mother again in peace and safety. Jacob, though
sure of the blessing in the end, by his father's confirmation of
it, yet prudently makes use of proper means ; therefore he obey
ed his parents : and wo, wo, be to those who think a parent's
blessing not worth their asking for ! Having had his mother's
blessing as well as his father's, without saying, I will try it
out with my brother, I will let him know that I am not afraid
of him, he views it as the call of God, and like an honest,
simple pilgrim, went out from Beersheba towards Haran. Was
it not a little unkind in his parents not to furnish him with
some necessaries and conveniences ? When the servant was
sent to fetch a wife for Isaac, he had a great deal of attendance,
why should not Jacob have it now ; his father might have sent
him away with great parade : but I am apt to believe this did
not suit Jacob's real, pilgrim spirit ; he was a plain man, and
dwelt in tents, when, perhaps, he might, have dwelt under
¦• cedar roofs ; he chose a pilgrim's life, and prudence directed
him to go thus in a private manner, to prevent increasing
, Esau's envy, and giving the fatal blow.
Methinks, I see the young pilgrim weeping when he took
his leave of his father and mother ; he went on foot, and they
: that are acquainted with the geography of the place, say thai
the first day of his journey he walked not less than forty
English miles ; what exercise must he have had all that, way ;
no wonder, therefore, that by the time the sun was going down,
poor Jacob felt himself very weary, for we are told, ver. 11.
that "he lighted on a certain place, and tarried there all
. night because the sun was set." There is a particular empha
sis to be put on this term, a certain place ; he saw the sun
going down, he was a stranger in a strange land. You that
¦ are born in England can have very little idea of it, but persons
that travel in the American woods can form a more proper
idea, for you may there travel a hundred and a thousand
miles, and go through one continued tract of tall green trees,
hke the tall cedars of Lebanon ; and the gentlemen of America,
.from one end lo the other, are of such hospitable temper, as I
-have not only been told, but have found among them upwards
of thirty. years, that they would not let public houses be licens
ed, that they might have an opportunity of entertaining Eng-

Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 531
lish friends ; may God, of his infinite mercy, grant this union
may never be dissolved.
Well, Jacob arrived at a certain place, and perhaps he saw a
good tree that would serve him for a canopy ; however, this
we are told, he tarried there all night because the sun was set,
and he took of the stones of that place and put them for his
pillow, and laid down in that place to sleep ; hard lodgings
for him who was used to lie otherwise at home. I do not hear
him say, I wish I was back to my mother again, I wish I had
not set out ; but upon the hard ground and hard pillow he lies
down. I believe never poor man slept sweeter in his life, for
it is certainly sweet sleep when God is near us ; he did not
know but his brother might follow and kill him while he was
asleep, or that the wild beasts might devour him. In America,
when they sleep in the woods, and I expect to have some such
sleeping-times in them before a twelve-month is over, we are
obliged to make a fire to keep the wild beasts from us. I have
often said then, and I hope I shall never forget it, when I rise
in the morning, this fire in the woods that keeps the wild
beasts from hurting us, is like the fire of God's love that keeps
the devil from hurting us : thus weary and solitary he falls
asleep, and sweetly dreams, and behold. I do not remember
many passages of scripture where the word behold is repeated
so many times in so short a space, as in the passage before us,
doubtless the Lord would have us particularly take notice of
it, even us upon whom the ends of the world have come ?
Behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top reached to
heaven ; and behold, the angels of God ascending and
descending upon it ; aud behold the Lord stood above it ; so
here are three beholds in a very few lines. Was there any
thing very extraordinary in that ? Perhaps the deists would
say, your patriarch was tired, and dreamed among other things,
of a ladder ; yes, he did, but this dream was of God, and how
kind was he to meet him at the end of the first day's journey,
to strengthen and animate him to go forward in this lonesome
pilgrimage !
This ladder is reckoned by some to denote the providence
of God : it was let down as it were from heaven, particularly
at this time to poor Jacob, that he might know that however
he was become a pilgrim, and left his all, all for God's glory,
that God would take care for his comfort, and give his angel
charge over him to keep him in all his ways, which was
denoted by the angels ascending and descending upon the lad
der. Some think that particular saints and countries, have
particular guardian angels, and therefore that the angels that
ascended were those that had the particular charge of that

532 Jacob's ladder. [Serm-. 20,
place, so far as Jacob had come ; that the angels that descended"
were another set of angels, sent down from heaven to guard
him in his future journey ; perhaps this is more a fancy than
the word of God. However, I very much like the observation of
good Mr. Burkitt "Why should we dispute whether every .
individual believer has a particular angel, when there is not
one believer but has guards of angels to attend him," which
are a great deal better than a great many servants, that prove
our plagues, and instead of waiting upon us, make us wait
upon them.
But, my dear hearers, I do not know one spiritual commen
tator but agrees that this ladder was a type ofthe lord Jesus
Christ ; and that as Jacob was now banished from his father's
house, and while sleeping upon a hard, cold stone, God was
pleased not only to give him a blessed sight of Jesus Christ,
in whom Jacob believed.
A ladder you know is something by which we climb from
one place to another ; hence, in condescension of our weak
capacities, God ordered a ladder to be let down, to show us
that Christ is the way to heaven : " I am the way, the truth,
and the life ;" " I am the door," says he ; " neither is there sal
vation in any other, for there is no other name given under
heaven whereby we must be saved." The deists, who own a
God but deny his Son, dare go to a God out of Christ ; but
Jacob is here taught better ; how soon does God reveal the
gospel unto him ; here is a ladder, by which God preaches to
us ; if you have a mind to climb from earth to heaven, you
must get up by the Son of God ; no one ever pointed out a
proper way to heaven for us but himself. When Adam and .
Eve fell from God, a flaming sword turned every way to keep
them from the tree of life ; but Jesus alone is a new and living
way, not only to the Holy of Holies below, but into the immedi
ate presence of God ; and that we might know that he was a
proper Savior, the top of it reached to heaven. If it had stop
ped short Jacob might have said, ah ! the ladder is within a
little way of heaven, but does not quite reach it ; if I climb up
to the top I shall not get there after all. But the top reached
to heaven, to point out the divinity and exaltation of the Son
of God. Such a Savior became us who was God, God over all,
blessed for ever more ; and therefore the Arian scheme is most
uncomfortable and destructive. To talk of Christ as a Savior
that is not God, is no Christ at all. I would turn deist to-morrow
if I did not know that Christ was God ; " but cursed is the man
that builds his faith upon an arm of flesh." If Christ is God,
the Arians and Socinians, by their own principles, are undone
for ever ; but Jesus Christ is very God, and very man, begotten

Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 533
(and not made) of the Father ; God, of his infinite mercy,
write Irs divinity deep in our hearts !
The bottom of the ladder reached to the earth ; this points
out to us the humiliation of the blessed Lord : for us men, he
came down from heaven ; we pray to and for a descending God.
All the sufferings which our Lord voluntarily exposed himself
to, were that he might become a ladder for you and I to climb
up to heaven by. Come down from the cross say they, and
we will believe thee ; if he had, what would have become of
us ? Did they believe on him when he was dead, buried, and
risen -again ? No. Some people say, if Christ was here, we
should love him ; just as much as they did when he came down
before. If he had come down from the cross, they would have
hung him up again. O that you and I might make his cross
a step to glory !
As the top of the ladder pointed out his exaltation, the bot
tom of his humiliation, the two sides of the ladder being joined
together, point out the union of the Deity and manhood in the
person of Christ ; and that as this ladder had steps to it, so
blessed be God, Jesus Christ has found out a way whereby we
may go, step after step, to glory. The first step is the righteous
ness of Christ, the active and passive obedience of the Redeemer ;
no setting one foot upon this ladder without coming out of
ourselves, and relying wholly upon a better righteousness than
our own. Again, all the other steps are the graces of the blessed
Spirit ; therefore, you need not be afraid of our destroying
inward holiness, by preaching the doctrine of the imputation
of Christ's righteousness, that one is the foundation, the other
the superstructure ; to talk ofmy having the righteousness of
Christ imputed to my soul, without my having the holiness of
Christ imparted to it, and bringing forth the fruits ofthe Spirit
as an evidence of it, is only deceiving ourselves. I would never
preach upon imputed righteousness, without speaking of inward
holiness, for if you do not take a great deal of care, you will una
wares, under a pretense of exalting Christ, run into Antinomian
ism, depths that Calvin never went into ; probably, you will
imbitter others' spirits that do not agree with you, and at the
same time hurt the fruits of the Spirit. May God give you
clear heads, and at the same time warm hearts.
On the ladder Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and
descending ; what is that for ? To show that they are minis
tering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shafl be heirs
of salvation ; therefore we find them attending upon Christ.
We do not hear much of them after the canon of scripture was
closed, but as soon as Christ was born, the angels sang : till
then we never hear of their singing below, as far as I can
45*

534 Jacob's ladder. [Serm, 20".
judge, since the creation ;, then the sons of God shouted for
joy ; but when Eve reached out her hand to pluck the fatal
apple, and gave to Adam, earth groaned, and the angels hung,
as it were, their harps upon the willows • but when Christ the
second Adam, was born, the angels sang at midnight, " Glory
to God in the highest." I pray to God we may all die singing
that anthem, and sing to all eternity. After his temptations,
they came and ministered to him. After his resurrection two
appeared again, one at the head, another at the foot of his se-
pulcher, to let those that looked into the sepulcher know, that
they would not oiily wait upon the head but the foot : and the
angels are glad to wait upon the meanest of the children of
God. When our Lord departed, a cloud received him out of
their sight, which probably was a cloud of angels. Having
led his disciples out of the city, he blessed them, and then away
he went to heaven. May that blessing rest upon you and your
children ! This intimates that God makes use of angels to
attend his people, especially when they are departing into
eternity : perhaps, part of our entertainment in heaven will be,
to hear the angels declare how many millions of times they
have assisted and helped us. Our Lord says, angels do there
behold the face of the Father of his little ones ; and therefore I
love to talk to the lambs of fhe flock, and why should I not
talk to them whom angels think it their honor to guard ; and
if it was not for this, how would any children escape the dan
gers' they are exposed to in their tender age? It is owing to
the particular providence of God, that anyone child is brought
to manhood ; therefore I cannot help admiring that part ofthe
Litany, in which we pray, that God would take care not only
of the grown people, but of children also. God take care of
yours both in body and soul.
But what gave the greatest comfort to Jacob was, that the
Lord was on the top of the ladder, which I do not know wheth
er it would have been so, if Jacob had not seen God there.
It comforts me, I assure you, to think, that whenever God shall
call for me, I shall be carried by angels into Abraham's bosom ;
and I have often thought that whenever the time comes, that
blessed, long longed for moment comes, as soon as ever they
have called upon me, my first question will be to them, where
is my dear master? Where is Jesus? Where is the dear Emman
uel, who has loved me with an everlasting love, and has called
me by his grace, and has sent you to fetch me home to see his
face? But I believe you, and I shall have no occasion to ask
where he is, for he will come to meet us — he will stand at the
top of his ladder to take his pilgrims in ;'so God was at the
top of the ladder ; pray, mind that. He appears not sitting,

Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 535
as he is often represented in heaven, but standing ; as much
as to say, here, here, Jacob, thy brother wants to kill thee ; here
thou art come out without a servant, art lying upon a hard bed,
but here I am ready in order to preserve thee ;- 1 stand above, and
I see thy weariness — I see the fatigue and hardships thou hast yet
to undergo, though thou dost not see it thyself; thou hast thrown
thyself upon my providence and protection, and I will give
thee the word of a God that I will stand by thee. The Lord
stood above : if he had said nothing, that would, have been.
enough to have shown his readiness to help.
But God speaks, behold : well might this word be ushered in
with the word behold : a ladder set on the earth, and behold
the angels of God ascending and descending on it ; and above
all, behold God speaking from it ! What doth he say ? I am
the Lord God of Abraham thy father. 0 ! happy they that
can say, the Lord God of my father ; happy you that have fa
thers and' mothers in heaven. I remember, about twenty-five
years ago, as I was traveling from Bristol, I met with a man on
the road, and being desirous to know whether he was serious
or not, I began to put in -a word for Christ ; (and God forbid I
should travel with any body a quarter of an hour without
speaking of Christ to them) he told me what a wicked crea
ture he had been : but, sir, says he, in the midst of my wick
edness, people used to tell me, you have a good many prayers
on file for you ; your godly father and mother have prayed
very often for you ; and it was the pleasure of God he was
wrought upon, and brought to Christ. Lay in a good stock
for your children ; get a good many prayers in for them ; they
maybe answered when you are dead and gone. I am the God
of Abraham thy father, not thy grand father ; to put him in
mind what an honor God would put upon him, to make him as
it were, the father of the church. " Though you have many
instructors," says Paul, " you have but one Father :" and the
God of Isaac ; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed. Amazing ! amazing ! You know very
well when persons buy or come to an estate, they usually take
possession of it by some ceremony, such as receiving or taking
up a piece of dirt, or twig, in their hand, as a sign of their
title. Now says God, poor Jacob, thou dost little think that
this very spot of ground that thou liest on to-night, cold and
stiff, I intend to give to thee, and thy posterity, for an inherit
ance. 0 my brethren, live all to God, and God will give all
to you. Who would have thought of this ; probably Jacob
did not. It is as if God took pleasure in seeing his dear chil
dren lie on such hard ground ; if he had been on a feather bed,
he might not have had such a visit : thou shalt have now a

536 Jacob's ladder. [Serm. 20.
. God to lean upon ; to thee will I give it, and to thy seed,
which shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread
abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to
the south : and iu thee, and in thy seed, shall all the families
of the earth be blessed. Thus did heaven balance the loss of
the comforts of his father's house, by the discovery of his and
his offspring's prosperity, by an interest in the promised seed.
My particular circumstances call me to observe, and I be
lieve that God has done it on purpose to encourage me, that
faith, resting on the promise, is easily resigned to the loss of
present, good, whereas worldly hearts consider prosperity as a
portion ; they do not care if the devil takes them hereafter, so
they have it now ; and that makes carnal people wonder how
we can give up things in this world, for the sake of those not
yet born ; but it is to glorify God, and lay a foundation for
others' happiness. Here God gives Jacob to know, that here
after his seed should spread on the. east, west, north, 'and south,
his branches should multiply, and at last from his loins should
Jesus Christ come ; what for ? In whom all the families of
the earth should be blessed. God Almighty grant we may be
blessed in him.
Then if Jacob should say in his heart, hast thou' no promise
for me ? here another behold comes in ; Behold I am with
thee, and will keep thee in all jdaces whither thou goest.
What a word is this ! Thou hast nobody with thee, nothing
but a staff, (he could not carry much upon his back, like a
poor soldier with a knapsack behind, and a little bread in his
pocket) well, saith God, I do not despise thee because thou art
destitute, but I love thee the better for it ; thy brother Esau
longs to kill thee, but if Esau stabs thee, he shall stab thy
God first ; I will not only be with thee now, but I will watch
(-very step thou takest, I will be with thee in all places whi
ther thou goest : as much as to say, Jacob, thou art a pilgrim,
thy life is to be a moving life ; I do not intend thou shalt settle
and keep in one place ; thy life is to be a life of changes ; thou
art to move from place to place, but I will be with thee in all
places whither thou goest, and thereby it shall be known that
I am Jacob's God, and also by my bringing thee again into
this land. He not only assures him of a successful journey,
whither he was now going, but promises to bring him hack
once more to see his dear father and mother, and relations
again : I will bring thee back to this land ; and to confirm his
faith and hope, the great God adds, I will not leave thee till
I have done that I have spoken to thee of; that is, all the
good he hath just now promised. Some people promise, but
they cannot do it to-day, and they will not do it to-morrow.

Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 537
I have known the world, and have wrung the changes of it
ever since I have been here ; but, blessed be God, an un
changeable Christ, having loved his own, he loved them to the
end : I will not leave you till I have performed all things I
have promised you. May this promise come upon you and
your children, and all that God shall call.
Thus spake the great Jehovah to poor Jacob, just setting
out to a strange land, knowing not whither he went ; but
now God speaks not only to Jacob, but he speaks to you ;
and, blessed be the living God, he speaks to me also, less than
the least of all ; and as my design is (though I cannot tell but
this may be the last opportunity) to speak something to you
about my departure ; yet, brethren, my grand design in preach
ing to you is, to recommend the Lord Jesus Christ to your
souls ; and, before I go, to make a particular, personal appli
cation. Give me leave, therefore, to ask you, (it may be the
last time I may ask many of you,) whether you have ever set
your foot upon this blessed ladder, the Son of God ? I ask
you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, iu the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, did yon ever set your foot, I say,-
upon this ladder ? That is, did you ever believe on Jesus
Christ, and come to him as poor lost sinners, relying upon no-
other righteousness than that of the Son of God ? Perhaps, if
you was to speak, some of you would say, away with your
ladder ; and what will you do then ? Why, say you, I will
climb to heaven without it ; what ladder will you climb upon?
0, I think to-go to heaven because I have been baptized ; that
ladder will break under you ; what, a ladder, made of water,
what are you dreaming of? No ; 0,1 think I shall go to heaven
because I have done nobody any harm ; what, a ladder made
of negative goodness ? No ; I think tp go, you will say, by
good works ; a ladder made of good works, that has not Christ
for its bottom, what is that? I think, say you, to go to heaven
by my prayers and fastings ; all these are good in their place :
but, my brethren, do not think to climb to heaven by these
ropes of sand. If you never before set your foot on Christ,
this blessed ladder, God grant this may be the happy time.
I have been praying before most of you were up, I believe,
that God would give me a parting blessing. I remember, soon
after I left England last, that a dear christian friend told me
that there was one woman, who came only out of curiosity,
that dated her conversion from hearing my last sermon ; and,
I bless God, I never once left England, but some poor soul has
dated their conversion from my last sermon. When I put on
my surplice, to come out to read the second service, I thought
it was just like a person being decently dressed to go out to

S38 Jacob's ladder. [Serm. 20".
be executed ; I. would rather, was it the will of God if should
be so, than to feel what I do in parting from you, then death
would put an end to all ; but I am to be executed again and
again, and nothing will support me under the torture, but the
consideration of God's blessing me to some poor souls. Do
pray for me, ye children of God, that God would give us a
parting blessing. God help you, young people, to put your
foot, on this ladder ; do not climb up wrong : the devil has a
ladder, but it reaches down to hell ; all the devil's children go
down, not up ; the bottom of the devil's ladder reaches to the
depth's ofthe damned, the top of it reaches to the earth • and
when death comes, then up comes the devil's ladder to let ypu
down ; for God's sake come away from the devil's ladder;
climb, climb, dear young men. O it delighted me on Friday
night at the Tabernacle, when we had a melting parting
sacrament ; and it delighted me this morning to see so many
young men at the table ; God add to the blessed number !
Young women put your feel upon this ladder ; God lets one
ladder down from heaven, and the devil brings another up
from hell. O, say you, I would climb up God's ladder, I think
it is right, but I shall be laughed at ; do you expect to go to
heaven without being laughed at ? The Lord Jesus Christ
help you to climb to heaven ; come, climb till you get out of
hearing of their laughter. O trust not to your own righteous
ness, your vows, and good resolutions.
Some of you, blessed be God, have climbed up this ladder,-
at least are climbing ; well, I wish you joy, God be praised for
setting your feet on this ladder, God he praised for letting down
this ladder. I have only one word to say to you, for Jesus
Christ's sake, and your own too, climb a little faster ; take care
the world does not get hold of your heels. ¦ It is a shame the
children of God do not climb faster ; you may say what you
please, but the lukewarmness of God's people is more provok
ing to him than all the sins ofthe nation. We cry out against
the sins of the land ; would to God we did cry out more of the
sins of the saints ; " I will spew you out of my mouth, because
you are lukewarm," says Christ ; and if any of you say you
cannot climb because you are lame-footed, look to Jesus Christ,
my dear friends, and your afflictions shall make you climb ;
and if any of you are coming down the ladder again, the Lord
Jesus Christ bless the foolishness of preaching to help you up
again. O, say you, I am giddy, I shall fall : here, I will give
you a rope, so God lets down a promise : climb, climb, then, till
you get higher, into a better climate, and God shall put his
hand out by and by when you get to the top of the ladder tc

,Serm. 20.] Jacob's ladder. 539
receive you to himself. Blessed be the living God, I hope and
believe I shall meet many of you by and by.
And now, my brethren, it is time for me to preach my own
funeral sermon ; and I Would humbly hope that, as a poor
sinner, I may put in my claim for what God promised Jacob ;
and 1 do put in, with full assurance of faith, that God will be
with me. I am now going, for the thirteenth time, to cross the
Atlantic. When I came from America last, I took my leave
of all the continent, from the one end of the provinces to the
other, except some places which we had not then taken ; I took
my leave for life, without the least design of returning there
again, my health was so bad; and the prospect of getting the
Orphan-house into other hands, made me say when I first came
over, I have no other river to go over than the river Jordan.
I thought then of retiring, for I did not choose to appear when
my nerves were so relaxed that I could not serve God as I wish
to do ; but as it hath pleased God to restore my health much,
and he has so ordered it by his providence, that I intend to
give up the Orphan-house, and all the land adjoining, for a
public college. I wished to have had a public sanction, but
his grace the late archbishop of Canterbury put a stop to it ;
they would give me a charter, which was "all I desired, but
they insisted upon, at least his grace and another did, that I
should confine it wholly to the Church of England, and that
no extempore prayer should be used in a public way in that
house, though dissenters, and all sorts of people, had contri
buted to it. I would sooner cut my head off than betray my
trust, by confining it to a narrow bottom ; I always meant it
should be kept upon a broad bottom, for people of all denomi
nations, that their children might be brought, up in the fear of
God ; by this means the Orphan-house reverted into my bands ;
I have once more, as my health was restored, determined to
pursue the plan I had fixed on ; and through the tender mer
cies of God, Georgia, (which about thirty-two years ago was a
total desolate place ; and when the land, as it was given me by
the House of Commons, would have been entirely deserted,
and the colony have quite ceased, had it not been for the mo
ney I have laid out for the Orphan-house, to keep the poor
people together,) is arising to an amazing height, by the schemes
now going on, and public buildings are erecting.
I had news last week of the great prosperity of the negroes ;
and I hope by the twenty-fifth of March, which is the day, the
anniversary day, I laid the firs-t brick, in the year 1739 ; I say
I hope by that time all things will be finished, and a blessed
provision will be made for orohans and poor students that will

540 Jacob's ladder. [Serm. 20.
be brought up there ; it will be a blessed source of provision
for the children of God in another part of the world. This
is the grand design I am going upon ; this is my visible cause ;
but I never yet went to them, but God has been pleased to bless
my ministration among them ; and therefore after I have fin
ished the Orphan-house affair, I intend to go along the conti
nent by land, (which will keep me all the winter and spring,)
and when I come to the end of it, which will be New England
and Canada, then I hope to return again to this place ; for let
people say what they will, I have not so much as a single
thought of settling abroad on this side eternity ; I shall set out
like a poor pilgrim, at my own expense, trusting upon God to
take care of me, and to bear my charges ; and I call God to
witness, and I must be a cursed devil and hypocrite, to stand
here in the pulpit and provoke God to strike me dead for
lying, I never had the love of the world, nor never felt it one
quarter of an hour in my heart, since I was twenty years old.
I might have been rich ; but though the Chapel is built, and I
have a comfortable room to lie in, I assure you I built it at my
own expense ; it cost nobody but myself any thing. I have a
watch coat made me, and in that I shall lie every night on the
ground, and may Jacob's God bless me. I will not say much
of myself, but when I have been preaching, 1 have read and
thought much of those words with pleasure, " Surely this is
the house of God." " And I will bring thee again to this
land." Whether that will be my experience or not, blessed be
God, I have a better land in view : and, my dear brethren, I
do not look upon myself at home till 1 land in my Father's
kingdom ; and if I am to die in the way, if I am to die in the
ship, it comforts me that I know I am as clear as the snn, that
[ go by the will of God ; and though people may say, will you
leave the world ? Will you leave the Chapel ? 0, I am as
tonished that we cannot leave every thing for Christ ; my
greatest trial is to part with those who are as.dear to me as my
own soul ; and however others may forget me, yet I cannot for
get them ; and now may Jacob's God be with you ; O keep
close to God, my dear London friends ; I do not bid you keep
close to Chapel, you have done so always : I shall endeavor to
keep up the word of God among you in my absence ; I shall
have the same persons that managed for me when I was out
last, and they sent me word again and again, by letter, that it
was remarkable, that the Tottenham-court people were always
present when ordinances were there.
You see that I went upon a fair bottom ; I might have had
a thousand a year out of this place if I had chose it ; when I

Serm. 21.] god, a believer's glory. 541
am gone to heaven you will see what I have on earth ;* I do
not like to speak now, because it may be thought boasting ; but
I am sure there are numbers of people here, if they knew
what I have, would love me as much as they now hate me.
When we come before the great Judge of quiek and dead,
while I stand before him, God grant you may not part with
me then, it will be worse than to go into the fire, to be among
the devil and his angels ; God forbid it ! God forbid it ! God
forbid it ! O remember that my last words were, come, come
to Christ; the Lord help you to come to Christ; come to
Christ, come to Jacob's God ; God give you faith like Jacob's
faith. You that have been kind to me, that have helped me when
I was sick, some of whom are here that have been very kind to
me ; may God reward you, my friends, and God forgive my
enemies ; God of his infinite mercy bless you all ; you will
be amply provided for, I believe, here ; may God spread the
• gospel every where : and may God never leave you, nor for
sake you. Even so, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen.

SERMON XXL

GOD, A BELIEVER'S GLORY.

Isaiah lx. 19.
And thy God thy Glory.
I lately had occasion to speak on the verse immediately
following that of our text ; but when I am reading God's
word, I often find it is like being in a tempted garden, when we
pluck a Httle fruit, and find it good, we are apt to look after and
pluck a little more, only with this difference, the fruit we gather-
below often hurts the body at the same time that it pleases the
appetite, but when we walk in God's garden — when we gather
fruit of the Redeemer's plants, the more we eat the more we
are delighted, and the freer we are, the more welcome ; if any
chapter in the Bible deserves this character and description of
«n evangelical Eden, this does.
* The greatest part of the substance this man of God left behind him, whirah
«wm not much, was bequeathed tp him by deceased friends,
46

642 GOD, A BE-L1>E-VEB?S GLORY. fSeEHl. -21,
It is very remarkable, and I haye often told you of it, that
all the apostles preach first the law, and then the gospel, which
finds man in a state. of death, points out to him how he is to
get life, and then sweetly conducts him to it. Great and glo
rious things are spoken of the church of God in this chap
ter ; and it struck me very much this evening, ever since I
came into the pulpit, that the great God speaks of the church
in a singular number. How can that be, v/hen the church is
composed of so many millions, gathered out of all nations, lan
guages, and tongues ? How is it, that God says thy Maker,
and not your Maker, that he speaks of the church as though
it consisted of only one individual person ? The reason of it
is this, and is very obvious, that though the church is composed
of many members, they have but one head, and they are united
by the bond of one spirit, by whom they have the same vital
union of the soul with God ; and therefore it teaches christians
not to say of one another, J am of Paul, I am of Apollos, or
Cephas, but to behave and live so, that the world may know
that we all belong to one common Christ. God revive, con
tinue, and increase this true christian love among us ! Of this
church, thus collectively considered, united under one head, the
blessed evangelical prophet thus speaks : " Violence shall no
more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy
borders, but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates,
(where the magistrates assemble, and the people go in and out,)
praise." From this text a great many good and great men
have gathered what they call the millenium, that Jesus Christ
is to come and reign a thousand years on earth ; but I must
acknowledge that I have always rejected a great many good
men's positive opinion about the season when this state com
mences, and I would warn you all against fixing any time ;
for what signifies whether Christ comes to reign a thousand
years, or when he comes, since you and I are to die very
soon ; and therefore instead of puzzling our heads about it,
God grant we may so live that we may reign with him for
ever ; and it seems to me, that whatsoever is said of this state
on earth, that the millenium is to be understood in a spiritual
sense, as an emblem of a glorious, eternal, beatific state in the
kingdom of heaven. " The sun shali no more be thy light by
day, Uor for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee, but
the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light ;" and in order
to prepare us for that light, and show us the nature of it, while
we speak of it may it come with light and power to our souls.
He adds in our text, and thy God shall be thy glory. This is
spoken to all believers in general, but it is spoken to all fearful
believers in particular ; and I do not know that I can possibly

Serm. 21.] god^ a believer's glory. 543
close my poor feeble ministrations among you here, better thai*
with these words ; though, God willing, I intend, if he shall
strengthen me this week, to give you a parting word next
Wednesday morning ; and O that what has been my comfort
this day in the meditation on this passage, may be yours and
mine to all eternity. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear
what the evangelic prophet saith, Thy God thy glory.
The Holy Ghost seems, as it were, particularly fond of this
expression : when God published the ten commandments upon
mount Sinai, he prefaced it thus, i" am the Lord, and not con
tent with that, he adds, thy God : and the frequency of it, I
suppose made Luther say, that the gospel deals much in pro
nouns, in which consists a believer's comfort ; but if there
were no other argument than this, it would cut up that destruc
tive principle by the very root which pretends to tell us that
there is no such thing as appropriation in the Bible ; that
our faith is only to be a rational assent to the word of God,
without a particular application of that word made to our
souls : this is as contrary to the gospel, and to the experience
of every real saint, as light is contrary to darkness, and heaven
to hell. My brethren, I appeal to any of you, what good would
it do you, if you had ten thousand notes wrote in large cha
racters by the finest hand that can write in London ; suppose
you have them, as many men have, and as it is a very conve
nient way, that they were put into your pockets, made on the
inside of your coat ; suppose you should say, my coat is but
toned, I have all these here next my heart : when I come to
look at them, I find there is not one note payable to me, they
are all forged, or payable to somebody else, and therefore are
good for nothing to me. All the promises of the gospel, all
that is said of God and Christ, is ours. The great question
therefore is, whether the God we profess to beheve in is our
God : not only, whether he is so in general — that the devils
may say; but whether he is our God in paiticular. The de
vils can say, O God ; but the devils cannot say, my God : thai
is a privilege peculiar to God's chosen people, who really be
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ : and therefore, my brethren, a
deist cannot say my God, my Christ, because he does not be
lieve on that medium by which God becomes our God. That
was a noble saying of Luther, / will have nothing to do with
an absolute God ; that is, I will have nothing to do with a
God out of Christ. Now this is a deist's glory. Lord Boling
broke values himself upon it ; I am astonished at that man's
infidelity and cowardice. I do not like those men that leave
their writings to be published after their death : I love to se?
men bold in their writings : I like an honest man that will put

544 god, a believer s glory. [Serm. 2L
out his writings while alive, that he may see What men can say
against him, and then answer them ; but it is mere cowardice
to leave it to- the world to answer for it, to set us a caviling after
they are in the grave : says he, I will have nothing to do with
the God of Moses ; and I suppose the principles of that deist,
made one pretty near to him ask, as soon as the breath was
out of his body, where do you think he is gone ? Another
replies, where do you think, but to hell. God grant that may
not be the portion of any. here !
The question then is, how God is our God.; thy God. My
brethren, our all depends upon it ; what signifies saying, this
is mine, and that is mine, if you cannot say, God is mine.
The best thing that God has left in the New Testament, is
himself; " I will be their God," that is one of the legacies ;
and " a new heart also will I give them," that is another ; " I
will put my laws in their mind, and write them in their
hearts," that is another : but all that is good for nothing, com
paratively speaking, unless God has said at the same time, for
they are all inseparable, " I will be their God and they shall
be my people." Now how shall I know that God is my God ?
I am afraid, some people think there is no knowing ; well
then, if you think so, you set up a worship, and go and erect
<an altar, and instead of receiving God in the sacrament as
yours, go and worship an unknown God. I am so far from
believing that we cannot know that God is ours, that I am
fully persuaded of it, and would speak it with humility, and I
would not choose to leave you with a lie in my mouth, that I
have known it for about thirty-five years, as clear as the sun
is in the meridian, that God is my God. And how shall I
know it, my brethren ? I would ask you this question, didst
thou ever feel the want of God to be thy God ? Nobody knows
God to be their God that did not feel him to be his God in
Christ : out of Christ, God is a consuming fire. I know there
are a great variety of ways in people's conversions, but still,
my brethren, we must all feel our misery, we must all feel our
distance from1 God, all feel that we are estranged from God,
that we bring into the world with us a nature that is not
agreeable to the law of God, nor possibly can be ; we cannot
be said to believe that God is our God, till we are brought to
be reconciled to him through his Son. Can I say a person is
my friend, till I am reconciled to him ? And therefore the
gospel only is the ministration of reconciliation. Paul says,
" We beseech you as ambassadors of Christ, that you would
be reconciled unto God ;" this is to be the grand topic of our
preaching ; we are to beseech them, and God himself turns
beggar to his own creatures to be reconciled to him : now this

Serm. 21.] god, a believer's glory. 545
reconciliation is brought about by a poor sinner's being
brought to Jesus Christ ; and when once he sees his enmity
and hatred to God, feeling the misery of departing from him,
and being conscious that he is obnoxious to eternal wrath, flies
to Jesus as to a place of refuge, and expects only a reconcilia
tion through the blood of the Lamb ; without this, neither you
nor I can say, God is my God : " there is no peace saith my
God, to the wicked." The ministers of Christ must take care
they do not preach an unknown God, and we must take care
we do not pretend to live upon an unknown God, a God that
is not appropriated and brought home to our souls by the effi
cacy of the Spirit. But, my brethren, we cannot say, God is
our God, unless we are in Jesus Christ. Can you say, such
a one is your father, unless you can give proof of it ? You
may be bastards, there are many bastards laid at Christ's door.
Now, God cannot be my God, at least I cannot know him to
be so, unless he is pleased to send into my heart the spirit of
adoption, and to admit me to enjoy familiarity with Christ.
My brethren, I told you the other night that the grand con
troversy God has with England, is for the slight put on the
Holy Ghost. As soon as a person begins to talk of the work
of the Holy Ghost, they cry, you are a Methodist ; as soon as
you speak about the divine influences of the Holy Ghost, O !
say they, you are an enthusiast. May the Lord keep these
methodistical enthusiasts amongst us to the latest posterity.
Ignatius, supposed to have been one of the children that Jesus
took up in his arms, in his first epistle, (pray read it) wrote
soon after St. John's death, and we value nothing so authentic
as what was wrote in the three first centuries, bears a noble
testimony of this truth. When I was performing my first ex
ercises at Oxford, I used to take delight to walk and read it,
and could not help noting and putting down from time to
time several remarkable passages. In the superscription of
all his epistles, I remember, he styles himself Theophoros, i. e.
Bearer of God," and believed that those he wrote to, were so
too. Somebody went and told Trajan, that one Ignatius was
an enthusiast, that he carried God about him : being brought
before the emperor, who, though in other respects a good
prince, was a cruel enemy to the christians ; but many a good
prince does bad things by the influence of wicked counsellors,
like our king Henry V., who was brought in to persecute the
poor Lollards, for assembling in St. Giles' fields to hear the
pure gospel, by false accusation of being rebels against him.
Before such a prince was Ignatius brought ; says Trajan, who
* Deum ferens ; inspired, divine, holy.

546 god, a believer's glory. [Serm. 21.
is this that calls himself a bearer of God ? Says Ignatius, I
am he, for which he quotes this passage, I will dwell in them,,
and will walk in them, and they shall be my sons and
daughters, says the Lord Almighty. The emperor was so
enraged, that, in order to cure him of his enthusiasm, he
ordered him to be devoured by lions ; at which Ignatius
laughed for joy. 0 ! says he, am I going to be devoured ?
And when his friends came about him, he almost danced for
gladness ; when they carried him to execution, he smiled, and
turning about, said, now I begin to be a martyr of Jesus
Christ ! I have heard that the lions have leaped from the
martyrs, but when they come to me, I will encourage them to
fall on me with all their violence. God give you such enthu
siasm in a trying hour ! This is to have God for our God ;
" he that believeth hath the witness in himself," as it is written
in this blessed word of God, and I hope it will be the last book
that I shall read. Farewell father, farewell mother, farewell
sun, moon, and stars ! was the language of one of the Scotch
martyrs in king Charles' time,, and it is amazing to me that
even^ Mr. Hume (I believe) a professed deist, in his history of
England, mentions this as a grand exit, and also that seraphic
soul Mr. Hervey, now with God, that the last words of the
martyr were,. Farewell thou precious Bible, thou blessed book
of God, This is my rock, this is my foundation ; it is now
about thirty-five years since I began to read the Bible upon my
pillow, I love to read this book, but the book is nothing but
an account ofthe promises which it contains, and almost every
word from the beginning to the end of it, speaks of a spiritual
dispensation, and the Holy Ghost, that unites our souls to God,
and helps a believer to say my Lord and my God ! If you con
tent yourselves with that, the devil will let you talk of doc
trines enough. 0 you shall turn from Arminianism to Cal
vinism. 0 you shall be orthodox enough, if you will be con
tent to live without Christ's living in you. Now when you
have the Spirit, then you may say, God is mine. O this is
very fine, say some, every body pretends to the Spirit ; and
then you may go on as a bishop once told a nobleman — My
lord, these Methodists say they do all by the Spirit, so if the
devit bids them murder any body, they will say the Spirit bid
them do it ; and that very bishop died, how ? Why horrid !
the last words he spoke were these, The battle is fought, the
battle is fought, the battle is fought, but the victory is lost
for ever. God grant you and I may not die with such words
as these. I hope you and I shall die, and say, The battle is
fetught, the battle is fought, the battle is fought, I have
fought the good fight, and the victory is gained for ever.

Serm. 2L] god, a believer's glory. 547
Thus died Mr. Ralph Erskine — his last words were, Victory,
victory, victory ! and they that can call God their God, shall
by and by cry, victory, victory ! and that for ever. God grant
that we may all be of that happy number.
If we can call God our God, we shall endeavor by the Holy
Ghost to be like God, we shall have his divine image stamped
upon our souls,. and endeavor to be followers of that God who
is our Father: and this brings in the other part ofthe text, thy
God thy glory. What is that ? The greatest honor that a
poor believer thinks he can have on, earth, is to boast that
God is his God. When it was proposed to David, that if he
killed an hundred Philistines, he should have the king's:
daughter for his wife, and a very sorry wife- she was, no great
gain turned out to him : says he, "do you think it is a small.
thing to be the son-in-law to a king ?" A poor stripling as I
am here, come with my shepherd's crook ; what ! to be mar
ried to a king's daughter ; do you think that a small thing ?
And if David thought it no small thing to be allied to a king
by his daughter, what a great thing must it be to be allied to
the Lord by one Spirit ? I am afraid there are some people that
were once poor that are now rich, that think it a great thing,
that wish, O that my family had a coat of arms ; some people
would give a thousand pounds, I believe, for one. Coats of
arms are very proper to make distinction in life ; a great
many people wear coats of arms that their ancestors obtained
honorably, but they are a disgrace to them as they wear them
on their coaches. But this is our glory, whether we walk or
ride, whatever our pedigree may be in life, this is our honor,.
that our God may be our glory. " O what manner of love is
this," saith one, " that the lord doth bestow on us, that we
should be called the sons of God !" born not of the will of man,
born not of flesh, but born from above. O God grant that:
this may be your glory and mine !
My brethren, if God is our God and our glory, I will tell
you what we shall prove it by : whether we eat or drink, or
whatever we do, we should do all to the glory of God. Re
hgion, as I have often told you, turns our whole life into one
continued sacrifice of love to God. As a needle, when once
touched by a loadstone; turns to a particular pole, so the
heart that is touched by the love of God, turns to his God
again. I shall have occasion to take notice of it by and by,
when I am aboard a ship : for as soon as I get on board I gen
erally place myself in one particular place under the compass
that hangs over my head, I often look at it by night and by
day ; when I rise, the needle turns to one point, when I go to'
bed, I find it turns to the same point : and often, while I haver

548 god, a believer's glory. [Serm. 21.
been looking at it, my heart has been turned to God, saying,
Lord Jesus, as that needle touched by the loadstone, turns to
one point, 0 may my heart, touched by the magnet of God's
love, turn to him ! A great many people thin^, they never
worship God but when at church ; and a great many are
very demure on Lord's days, though many begin to leave that
off. I know of no place upon the face of the earth where
the Sabbath is kept as it is in Boston ; if a single person was
to walk in Boston streets in time of worship, he would be taken
up ; it is not trusted to poor insignificant men, but the justices
go out in time of worship, they walk with a white wand, and
if they catch any person walking in the streets, they put them
under a black rod. O ! the great mischiefs the poor pious
people have suffered lately through the town's being disturbed
by the soldiers ! When the drums were beating before the
house of Dr. Sawell, one of the holiest men that ever was,
when he was sick and dying, on the Sabbath day, by his
meeting, where the noise of a single person was never heard
before, and he begged that for Christ's sake they would not
beat the drum ; they damned and said, that they would beat
to make him worse ; this is not acting for the glory of God ;
but when a soul is turned to God, every day is a Sabbath, every
meal is a spiritual refreshment, and every sentence he speaks,
should be a sermon ; and whether he stays abroad or at home,
whether he is on the exchange, or locked up in a closet, he can
say, 0 God, thou art my God !
Now, my dear friends, can you, dare you say, that your God
is your glory, and do you aim at glorifying the Lord your God :
if your God is your glory, then say, " O God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified to me, and I am crucified to the
world." What say you to that now ? Do not talk of God's
being your glory, if you do not love his cross. If God is our
glory, we shall glory not only in doing, but in suffering for him ;
we shall glory in tribulation, and count, ourselves most highly
honored when we are called to suffer most for his great name's
sake. I might enlarge, but you may easily judge by my poor
feeble voice this last week, that neither my strength of voice,
or body, will permit me to be long to-night, and yet I will ven
ture to give you your last parting salutation ; and though I
have been dissuaded from getting up to preach this night, yet
I thought as my God was my glory, I should glory in preach
ing till I died. O that God may be all our glory ! All our
own glory fades away, and there is nothing will be valuable at
the' great day, but this, Thou art my God, and thou art my
glory. It was a glorious turn that good Mr. Shepherd of Brad-

Sefm. 21.] god, a believer s glory. 549'
ford mentions in one of his sermons, where he represents Jesus
Christ as cOming to judgment, seated upon his throne, in a
sermon preached before some ministers. Christ calls one
minister to him, pray what brought you into the church ? O,
says he, Lord, there was a living in the family, and I was pre
sented to it because it was a family living : stand thou by, says
Christ. A second comes : what didst thou enter the church
for ? 0 Lord, says he, I had a fine elocution, I had good parts,
and I went into the church to show my oratory and my parts :
stand thou by, thou hast thy reward. A third was called : and
what brought you into the church? Lord, says he, thou know
est all things, thou knowest that I am a poor creature, vile and
miserable, and unworthy, and helpless, but I appeal to thee my
glory, thou sittest upon the throne, that thy glory and the good
of souls brought me there. Christ immediately says, make room,
men ; make room, angels, and bring up that soul to sit near me
on my throne. Thus shall it be done to all that make God
their glory here below. Glorify God on earth, and he will
glorify you in heaven. " Come, ye blessed of my Father, re
ceive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world," shall be your portion : and if so, Lord God Almighty
make us content to be vilified whilst here, make us content to
be despised while below, make us content to have evil things-
spoken of us all for Christ's sake, yet a little while ; and
Christ will roll away the stone : and the more we are honored
by his grace to suffer, the more we shall be honored in the
kingdom of heaven. O that thought ! O that blessed thought !
0 that soul transporting thought ! it is enough to make us leap
into a fiery furnace ; in this spirit, in this temper, may God put
every one of us.
If there be any of you that have not yet called God your
God, may God help you to do so to-night. When I was rea
soning within myself, whether I should eome up, or whether it
was my duty or not ; I could not help thinking, who knows
but God will bless a poor feeble worm to-night. I remember,
a dear friend sent me word after I was gone to Georgia, " Your
last sermon at the Tabernacle was blessed to a particular per
son ;" I heard from that person to-day, and wlio knows but
some may come to-night, and say, I will go and hear what the
babbler has to say ; who knows but curiosity may be overruled
for good ? Who knows but those that have served the lust of
the flesh and the pride of life, for their god, may now take the
Lord to be their God ? O ! if I could but see this, I think I
could drop down dead for you.
My dear christians, will you not help me to-night, you that
go and call God your God ? Go and beg of God for me, pray

550 god, a believer's glOry. [Serm. 21.
to heaven for me, do pray for those that are in the gall of bitter-
ness/that have no God, no Christ to go to, and if they were to
die to-night, would be damned for ever. O poor sinner, where
is your glory then ; where is your purple and fine linen then ;
your purple robes will be turned into purple fire, and instead
of calling God your God, will be damned with the devil. 0
think of your danger ! O earth, earth, earth, hear the word
ofthe Lord ! If you never have been awakened before, may
the arrows of God, steeped in the blood of Jesus Christ, reach
your hearts now ! Think how you live at enmity with God,
think of your danger every day and every hour, your danger
of dropping into hell; think how your friends in glory will leave
you, and may this consideration, under the influence of the
Holy Ghost, excite you to choose God for your God ! Though
the sun is going down, though the shadow of the evening is
coming on, God is willing, O man, God is willing, O woman,
to be a sinner's God, he has found out a way whereby he can
De reconciled to you. I remember when I saw a nobfeman
condemned to1 be flanged, the lord high steward told him, that
however he was obliged to pass sentence on him, and did not
know that justice would be satisfied but by the execution of
the law in this world, yet there might be a way whereby jus
tice might be satisfied and mercy take place in another : when
I heard his lordship speak, I wished that he had not only said,
there might be a way, but that he had found out the way
wherein God could be just, and yet a poor murderer coming to
Jesus Christ should be pardoned.
You that can call God yours, God help you from this mo
ment to glorify him more and more : and if God be your God
and your glory, I am persuaded, if the love of God abounds
in your hearts, you will be willing on every occasion to do
every thing to promote his honor and glory, and therefore you
will be willing at all times to assist and help as far as lies in
your power to keep up places of worship, to promote his glory
in the salvation and conversion of sinners ; and I mention this
because there is to be a collection this night ; I would have
chosen, if possible, to have evaded this point, but as this Ta
bernacle has been repaired, and as the expense is pretty large,
and as I would choose to leave every thing unincumbered, I
told my friends, I would undertake to make a collection, that
every thing might be left quite clear : remember, it is not for
rne, but for yourselves. I told you on Wednesday how mat
ters were ; I am now going a thirteenth time over the water,
on my own expense, and you shall know at the great day,
what little, very little assistance I have had from those who
owed, under God, their souls to my being here : but this is for

"Serm. 21.] god, a believer's glory. 551
,the place where you are to meet, and where I hope God will
meet you, when I am tossing on the water, when I am in a
foreign clime. I think I can say, thy glory, O God, calls me
away, and as I am going towards sixty years of age, I shall
make what despatch I ean, and I hope, if I am spared to come
back, that 1 shall hear that some of you are gone to heaven,
or are nearer heaven than you were. I find there is 701. ar
rears ; I hope you will not run away, if you can say God is
my glory, you will not push one upon another, as though you
would lose yourselves in the crowd, and say no body sees me;
but does not God Almighty see you ? I hope you will be ready
to communicate, and when I am gone, that God will be with
you : as many of you will not hear me on Wednesday morn
ing. O may this be your prayer, O for Jesus Christ's sake, in
whose name I preach, in whose strength I desire to come up,
and for whose honor I desire to be spent, O do put up a word
for me ; it will not cost you much time, it will not keep you a
moment from your business ; O Lord Jesus Christ, thou art
his God ! and, Lord Jesus Christ, let him be thy glory ! If I
die in the waters, I shall go by water to heaven ; if I land at
the Orphan-house, I hope it will be a means to settle a founda
tion for ten thousand persons to be instructed ; and if I go by
the continent, as I intend to do, I hope God will enable me to
preach Christ ; and if I return again, my life will be devoted
to your service. You will excuse me, I cannot say much more,
affection works, and I could heartily wish, and I beg it as a
favor, when I come to leave you, that you will excuse me from
a particular parting with you ; take my pubhc farewell ; I will
pray for you when in a cabin, I will pray for you when storms
and tempests are about me ; and this shall be my prayer for
the dear people of the Tabernacle, for the dear people of the
Chapel, for the dear people of London ; O God, be thou their
God ! and grant, that their God may be their glory. Even so,
Lord Jesus ! Amen.

552 the burning bush. [Serm. 22.
SERMON XXII.

THE BURNING BUSH.

Exodus, iii. 2, 3.
And he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire, and the bush was
not consumed; and Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this
great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
It is a common saying, and common sayings are generally
founded on matter of fact, that it is always darkest just before
break of day ; and I am persuaded, that if we do justice to our
own experience, as well as consider God's dealings with his
people in preceding ages, we shall find that man's extremity has
been usually made God's opportunity, and that when the enemy
has broke in like afiood, the spirit and providence of God has
lifted up a standard against him : and I believe at the same
time, that however we may dream of a continued scene of
prosperity in church or state, either in respect to our bodies,
souls, or temporal affairs, we shall find this life to be chequered,
that the clouds return after the rain, and the most prosperous
state attended with such cloudy days, as may make even the
people of God sometimes cry, all men are liars, and God has
forgotten to be gracious.
The chapter in which is our text, is an instance of this.
What a glorious day of the Son of man was that when Joseph
sent for his father to Egypt ; and the good old patriarch, after
he had thought his son had been dead many years, agreeably
surprised by a message from him to come to him, with all his
family, and are by him comfortably settled in Goshen ; where
the good old patriarch, after many a stormy day, died in peace,
and was highly honored at his funeral by Pharaoh and his
servants, and attended to the sepulcher of his fathers in Canaan
by all his sons. After which, Joseph continued to live in splen
dor, lord of all the land of Egypt ; and his brethren, doubtless,
in the height of prosperity : but how sadly did the scene
change at Pharaoh's death, soon after which, another king
arose that knew not Joseph, verifying the observation, " new
lords, new laws," by whom the descendants of Jacob, instead
of reigning in Goshen, were made bond slaves ; many, many
long years, employed in making bricks, and in all probability,
had what we call their Bibles taken from them, by being forced
to conform to the idolatry of Egypt, and so were in a worn

fSerm. 22.] the burning bush. 553
state than the unhappy negroes in America are at this day. No
doubt, numbers of them either wondered that ever they had
been prospered at all, or that God had forgotten them now ;
but what a mercy it is that a thousand years in God's sight
are but as one day, and therefore when God's time is come,
the set time he has appointed, he will defeat all the opposition
of men and devils — he will come down and deliver his people,
and in such a manner, that the enemy shall know, as well as
friends, it is the Lord's doings. A deliverer is born and bred
in Pharaoh's court, a Moses is brought up in all the learning
of the Egyptians, for Pharaoh intended him for a high and ex
alted post : but when offers of the highest preferment are made
to him, he did not catch at them as some folks now do, who are
very good and humble till something occurs to take them from
God. Young as he was, he refused the highest dignity, and
spurned at it with a holy contempt ; aud chooses rather to suf
fer affliction with the people of God, than enjoy all the gran
deur and pleasures of, perhaps, one of the greatest courts on
earth. Forty years continued he in a state of obscurity, in which
time he acquired such a competent degree, and variety of know
ledge, as qualified him for .every thing God intended him for :
the occasion of this was his kind attempt to compose a differ
ence between two of his brethren, one of whom accused him
of murder, on which he that was to be king in Jeshurun, is
forced to fly into a strange land ; there he submits to the hum
ble office of servant, marries, and lives in a, state of subjection for
forty years, as was said before. At length when he was eighty
years old, dreaming of no such thing, behold God calls, and
commands him to go and deliver his people : as he himself
informs us, who is the author of this book, ver. 1. " Now
Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, priest of Mi-
dian." He might have said, what, such a scholar as I keep a
parcel of sheep ! such a learned man as I am, employed in
such menial service ! some proud hearts would break first, but
you never knew a truly great man but would stoop ; some that
are called great men, swell till they burst ; like sturdy oaks,
they think they can stand every wind, till some dreadful storm
comes and blows them up by the roots, while the humble reed
bends and rises again. Moses was one of the latter, he keeps
the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, and leads them to the
mountain of God, even to Horeb. This shows how persons
ought to methodize their time : but however the name of a
Methodist is despised, they will never be bad servants and mas
ters ; you would be only weathercocks, unless you took care to
•rder things in proper seasons : the devotion and business of a
47

:S54 the burning bush. [Serm. -22,
Methodist go hand in hand ; I will assure you Moses was a
Methodist, a very fine one, a very strong one too ; he kept his
flock, but that did not hinder his going to Horeb, he took them
to the desert, and being thus employed in his lawful business,
God met him. Some say, we encourage people in idleness ; 1
deny it ; we say, people ought to be industrious ; and I defy
any one to say, a person is called by God that is negligent in
his calling. " The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
flame of fire out of the bush :" some think this angel was Ga
briel, but roost agree, and I believe with the greatest probability,
that it was Jesus Christ, the angel of the everlasting covenant ;
and an expositor tells you, that the eternal Logos, longing to
become man, often visited this earth in that form, as an evi
dence of his eoming by and by, and dying a cursed death for
man. The manner of this angel's appearing is taken particu
lar notice of ; it was to Moses when nobody was with him. I
do not hear he had so much as a boy, or one companion ; and
J mention this, because I believe we have often found that we
are never less alone than when with God ; we often want this
and that companion, but happy they that can say, Lord, thy
company is enough. Moses was startled at the sight and I do
not know that he is to be discommended for it, it was not to
gratify ,a bare curiosity, but seeing a bush burning, it engaged
his attention, and made him think that there was something
uncommon ; the bush burned with fire and yet was not con
sumed ; this startled him, as it was intended to do : for where
God designs to speak, he will first gain attention from the per
son spoken to-; Moses therefore says, I will now turn aside
and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned ; he did
not know but the bush might take fire by some accident ; he
saw no fire come from above, he saw no fire around the bush,
yet that did not so much startle him, as to see, though it did
burn, it was not consumed, or in the least diminished ; it was
a strange sight, but it was, my brethren, a glorious one ; a
sight which, I pray God, you and I may behold with faith and
.comfort this evening ; for, my dear hearers, this bush, and the
account of it, was given for our instruction ; and I will ven
ture to say, could Moses arise from the dead, he would not be
angry with me for telling you this is of no private interpreta
tion, but is intended as a standing lesson, as a significant em
blem of the church, and every individual child of God, till
time itself shall be no more. I would therefore observe to you,
that this bush,
In the first place, is typical of the church of God in all ages ;
(the bush' was burning ; why might it not be a tall cedar ; why
might it>not be some large or some glorious tree ; why should

Sefnl. 22.] the burning bush. 555*'
the great God choose a bush, a little bush of briers and thorns) ¦
above any other thing ? But because the church of Christ
generally consists of poor, mean, despicable creatures ; though
it is all glorious within, yet it is all despicable without. It is'
observable, that when the church came to prosper when Con
stantine smiled on it, it was soon hugged to death ; and that
great poet Milton observes, that when. that emperor gave mi
nisters rich vestments, high honors, great livings, and golden
pulpits, there was a voice heard from heaven, saying this day
there is a poison come into the church ; and I have sometimes
said in discourse, I do not doubt but if any one made an expe
riment, and left 100,000 or 200,000?. only among the Metho
dists, there would be hundreds and thousands that- would not
be reckoned Methodists now, that would turn Methodists pre
sently, that would buy a hymn book because a part of the1
legacy would pay for the hymn book, and would wish to have
a living into the bargain ; but though " not many mighty men,
not many noble are called," yet some are ; if any of you are
rich here and are christians, thank God for it,- you ought to be-
doubly thankful for it ; God's people are but like a little bram
ble bush. I remember an eminent minister said once, when I
heard him preach upon Christmas day, Christ personalis very
rich, but Christ mystical is very poor ; and Jesus Christ does
this on purpose to confound the world. When he comes to
judgment, millions that have their thousands now, will be
damned and burnt to all eternity, and Christ's church will be
rich to all eternity, that is now like a bramble all on fire.
The bush burned, what is that for ? It showed that Christ's
church while in this world, will be a bush burning with fiery
trials and afflictions of various kinds ; this was a lively emblem
of the state of religion, and liberty of Israel at that time : they
were busy in making brick, and there were consequently burn
ings continually ; as though the Lord had said, this bush is
burning with fire, so my people are burning with slavery. Ah,
but say you, that was only the case of the Israelites when they
were under Pharaoh ; pray is not that the case of the church in
all ages ? Yes, it has been ; read your Bibles, and you may
instantly see that it is little else than an historical account of a
burning bush ; and though there might be some periods
wherein the church had rest, yet these periods have been of a
short date ; and if God's people have walked in the comforts
ofthe Holy Ghost, it is only like a calm that precedes an earth
quake. If you remember, before the last earthquake, it was a
fine morning, and who when they arose in the morning, would
have thought the earth should shake under them before night ;•

556 the burning bush. [Serm. 22?
and so with the church when they are in a calm, and all seems
safe there, then comes a storm. God prepare us for it.
But this is not only the case with the church of Christ col--
lected,but also it is so with individual believers, especially those
that God intends to make great use of as prophets in his church.
I know very well that it is said, that now the case is altered ;
modern commentators, therefore, and our great Dr. Young,
calls them downy doctors : they tell us, now we have a christian
king and governor, and are under the toleration act, we shall
have no persecution ; and blessed be God, we have had none
since this family has been on the throne : may God continue
it till time shall be no more. Yet my dear hearers, we shall
find, if God's word is true, whether we are born under a des
potic power, or free government, that they that will live godly
in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.
You have heard of that saying, Wonder not at the fiery
trial wherewith you are to be tried ; And God said, i" have
chosen thee^which is applicable to every believer, in the fur
nace of affliction. Now the furnace is a hot place, and they
that are tried in the furnace must be burned surely. Now
what must the christian burn with ? With tribulation and
persecution. I heard a person not long ago say, I have no
enemies. Bishop Latimer came to a house one day, and the
man of the house said, he had not met with a cross in all his
life ; give me my horse, says the good bishop, I am sure God is
not here where no cross is. But suppose we are not persecuted
by "the world, is there one christian but is persecuted by his
friends ? if there is an Isaac in the family, I warrant there is
an Ishmael to mock at him. Wo is me, says David, that I
must dwell with Mesheck, and in Kedar : and in one's own
family, one's own brothers and sisters, one's own dependents,
though they wait for our death, and perhaps, long to have us
gone, that they may run away with our substance, to have
these persons mock at us, and if they dare not speak out, yet
let us see they hate the God we worship ; if this be thy case,
why, God knows, poor soul thou art a burning bush : but if
we have no such things as mocking, yet if we are surrounded
with afflictions, domestic trials, the loss of dear and near
friends, the bad conduct of our children, the dreadful miscon
duct of those that are dependent upon us ; O there is many a
parent here that is a burning bush ; burning with what ?
With family afflictions : some do not care what becomes of
their children ; O, I thank God, I have left my boy so much,
and my daughter a coach, perhaps ; ah ! well your son and
daughter may ride in that coach post to the devil : but the
godly man says, I want an eternal inheritance for my son ; I

Serm. 22.] the burning bush. 557
want God's blessing for him ; this is the poor man's prayer,
while the poor deluded youth mocks him : or, supposing this
is not the case, a person may burn with inward temptation ;
you have heard of the fiery darts of the devil, and were you to
feel them, I believe you would find them fiery darts indeed !
and you have great reason to suspect your experience, your
having any interest in the love of the Son of God at all, if you
never found the fiery darts of the devil. 0, says one, I never
felt the devil ; I am sure thou mayest feel him now ; thou art
father's own child; thou art speaking the very language of
the devil, and he is teaching thee to deny thy own father ;
therefore graceless child of the devil, if you never felt the devil's
fiery darts, it is because the devil is sure of thee ; he has lulled
thee into a damnable slumber ; may the God of love wake
thee before real damnation comes ! " The fiery darts of Satan
are poisoned, and wherever they stick they fill the persons
with tormenting pain like fire ; this I mention, because
there are some poor souls perhaps here to-night, whom the
devil tells, thou hast committed the unpardonable sin ; you
are afraid to come to sacrament, you are afraid to go to prayer,
because at these seasons the devil disturbs thee most, and
tempts you to leave these seasons ; and some go on thus
burning a great while. My brethren, the time would fail, and
I should draw this discourse to too great a length, and hinder
you from your families, if I were to mention but a few more
of those thousands that the believer burns with, the triais with
out, and what is still worse, his trials within. Why, says one,
it is very strange you talk thus to-night. I am sorry it is
strange to any of you ; sure you are not much acquainted
with your Bibles, and less with your hearts, if you know not
this. Why, sure, say some, you make God a tyrant ; no, but
having made ourselves devils incarnate, we are now in a state
of preparation, and these various trials are intended, by the
great God, to train us up for heaven ; and therefore, that you
may not think I am drawing a picture without any life, give
me leave to observe, that it is particularly remarkable, that
though the bush burned, it was not consumed : it was this
that struck Moses, he looked to see why the bush was not
consumed. But the burning I have been here painting forth
to you is not a consuming, but a purifying fire. Is not that
enough to answer the shade that has been already drawn? It
is true the bush burns, the christian is persecuted, the christian
is oppressed, the christian is burned with inward trials, he is
perplexed at times, he is cast down, but, blessed be God, he is
not destroyed, he is not in despair. Who is he, that says he is
in such an estate that nothing disturbs him? Vain man ! ha
47*

5§8 the BURNura bush. [Serm. 22.
discovers an ignorance of Christ ; are you greater than the
apostle Paul? Some people think that the apostles had no
trials ; so they think perhaps of some ministers, that they are
always on the mount, while, perhaps, they have been in the
burning to get that sermon for them. We that are to speak
for others, must expect to be tempted in all things like to our
brethren, or we should be only poor preachers, and never reach
men's hearts. But whether ministers or people burn, the great
God, the angel of the everlasting covenant, spoke to Moses out
of the bush ; he did not stand at a distance from the bush, he did
not speak to him so much as one yard or foot from the bush,
but he spoke to him out ofthe bush ; he said, Moses, Moses,
my people shall burn in this bush to the end of time, but be not
afraid, I will succor them; when they burn, I will burn too.
There is a scripture vastly strong to this purpose, in which it
is not said, the good will of him that was in the bush, but the
goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. Amazing! I thought
God dwelt in heaven ; but as a poor woman who was once in
darkness fourteen years, before she was brought out of it, said,
God: has two homes, one in heaven, the other in the lowest
heart. He dwells in the bush, and I am sure if he did not, the
devil and their own cursed hearts would burn the bush to
ashes. How is it that it is not consumed ? Why, it is because
God has declared it shall not be consumed ; he has made an
everlasting convenant, and I pity those that are not acquainted
withan interest in God's covenant ; and it would be better that
people would pity them, than dispute with them. I really
believe a disputing devil is one of the worst devils that can be
brought into God's church, for he comes with his gown and
book in. his hand, and I should always suspect the devil when
ire comes in his gown and band and this is the cause they
agree and disagree. Some, who it is to be hoped are God's
children, if you tell them that God has loved them with an
everlasting love, they are afraid to receive it, and especially
if you mention the word election, or that hard word predestina
tion, they will be quite frightened; but talk to them in another
way, their dear hearts will rejoice. God has said, "iis. the
waters of Noah shall cease for ever, so he will not forget the co
venant of his peace : nothing shall pluck them outof his hand."
Ah ! say some, the apostle has said, "that neither things pres
ent, nor things to come, shall separate us from the love of
Ohrist ;" but he has not said an evil heart shall not : I fancy
that is one ofthe present things. The bush is not consumed,
because if the devii is in the bush, God is in the bush too ; if
the devil acts one way, the Lord, the Spirit, acts another to
balance it, and the Spirit of God is engaged to train up the souls

Serm. 22.] the burning bush. 559
of his people ; and God has determined the bush shall not be
consumed ; his Spirit stands near believers to support and guide
and make them more than conquerors : all that are given to
Jesus Christ shall come, he will not lose one of them ; this is food
for the children of God ; a bad mind will turn every thing to
poison ; and if it were not for this, that God had promised to
keep them, my soul within these thirty years would have sunk
a thousand times over. Come then, O suffering saints, to you
the word of this salvation is sent. I do not know who of
you are the followers of the Lamb ; may the Spirit of the liv
ing God point, them out ; may every one be enabled to say, I
am the man. O, says one, I have been watching and very
attentive to-night, but you have not mentioned my burnings ;
what do you think ofmy burning lusts? What do you think
of my burning corruptions ? What do you think of my burn
ing pride ? 0, perhaps some of you will say, thank God, I
have no pride at all; like the bishop of Cambray,as mentioned
by Dr. Watts, who said, he had received many sins from his
father Adam, but, thank God, he had no pride. Alas ! alas!
we are all as proud as the devil. Pray what do you think of
passion, that burns not only themselves, but all around them?
What do you think of enmity? What do you think of
jealousy ; is not this something that burns the bush ? And
there are some people that pride themselves,, they have not so-
much ofthe beast about them, they never get drunk, scorn to*
commit murder, and at the same time are full of enmity, of
envy, malice, and pride, as the devil. The Lord God help
such to see their condition.
Happy is it, Christ can dwell in the bush when we cannot
dwell ourselves there ; there are few christians can live toge
ther, very few relations can live together under one roof; we
ean take that from other people that we cannot bear from our
own flesh and blood : and/f God did not bear with us more
than we bear with one another, we should all have been
destroyed every day. Does the devil make you say, that you
will give up all ; I will go to the Tabernacle no more ; I will
lay on my couch and take my ease. Oh ! if this is the case
of any to-night, thus tempted by Satan, may God rescue their
souls. O poor, dear soul, you never will have such sweet
words from God as when you are in the bush ; our suffering
times will be our best times. I know I had more comfort in
Moorfields, on Kennington common, and especially when the
rotten eggs, the cats and dogs were thrown upon me, and my
gown was filled with clods of dirt that I could scarce move
it ; I have had more comfort in this burning bush than when
I have been at ease. I remember when I was preaching at

560 the burning bush. [Serm. 22.
Exeter, a stone came and made my forehead bleed ; I found
at that very time the word came with double power to a
laborer that was gazing at me, who was wounded at the same
time by another stone ; I felt for the lad more than for myself,
went to a friend, and the lad came to me, " Sir," says he, " the
man gave me a wound, but Jesus healed me ; I never had my
bonds broke till I had my head broke." I appeal to you
whether you were not better when it was colder than now,
because your nerves were braced up ; you have a day like a
dog day, now you are weak, and are obliged to fan yourselves :
thus it is prosperity lulls the soul, and I fear christians are
spoiled by it.
Whatever your trials are, let this be your prayer, Lord,
though the bush is burning, let it not be consumed. I think
that is too low, let it be thus : Lord, when the bush is burn
ing, let it not burn lower as the fire does, but let me burn
higher and higher : I thank thee, my God, for trouble ; I
thank thee, my God, for putting me into these afflictions one
after another ; I thought I could sing a requiem to myself,
that I should have a httle rest, but trouble came from that
very quarter where I might reasonably expect the greatest
comfort : I thank thee for knocking my hands off from the
creature ; Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Thus you will
go on blessing God to all eternity : by and by the bush shall
be translated to the paradise of God ; no burning bush in
heaven, except the fire of love, wonder, and gratitude ; no
trials there :: troubles are limited to this earth ; above, our
enemies cannot reach us.
Perhaps some of you here are saying, burning bush, a bush
burnt and not consumed ! I do not know what to make of this
nonsense. Come, come, go on, I am used to it, andi guess
what are the thoughts of your heart. I pray God, that every
one of you here may be afraid of comfort, lest they should be
tossed about by the devil. What is it I have said? How have
I talked in such an unintelligible manner ? Why, say you,
what do you mean by a burning bush ? Why, thou art the
very man. How so ? Why, you are burning with the devil
in your hearts ; you are burning with foppery, with nonsense,
with the lust of the flesh, with the lust of the eye, and the
pride of life ; and if you do not get out of this state, as Lot
said to his sons-in-law, ere long you shall be burning in hell,
and not consumed : the same angel of the covenant who spake
to Moses out of the bush, he shall ere long descend, surrounded
with millions of the heavenly host, and sentence you to ever
lasting burnings. O you frighten me ! Did you think I did
EOt intend to frighten you? Would to God I might frighten

Serm. 23.] the lord our light. 561
you enough ! I believe it will be no harm for you to be
frightened out of hell, to be frightened out of an unconverted
state. O go and tell your companions that the madman said,
that wicked men are as fire-brands of hell. God pluck you
as brands out of that burning. Blessed be God, that there is
yet a day of grace. Oh ! that this might prove the accepted
time. Oh ! that this might prove the day of salvation. Oh !
angel of the everlasting covenant, come down ; thou blessed,
dear comforter, have mercy, mercy, mercy upon the uncon
verted, upon our unconverted friends, upon the unconverted
part of this auditory ; speak, and it shall be done ; command,
O Lord, and it shall come to pass : turn the burning bushes
of the devil into burning bushes of the Son of God. Who
knows but God may hear our prayer — who knows but God
may hear this cry, / have seen, I have seen the afflictions of
my people : the cry of the children of Israel is come up to
me, and I am come down to deliver them. God grant this
may be .his word to you under all your trouble ; God grant he
may be your comforter. The Lord awaken you that are dead
in sin, and though on the precipice of hell, God keep you from
tumbling in : and you that are God's burning bushes, God
help you to stand to keep this coat of arms, to say when you
go home, blessed be God, the bush is burning but not con
sumed. Amen ! Even so, Lord Jesus. Amen.

SERMON XXIII.

THE LORD OUR LIGHT.

Isaiah lx. 19, 20.
Ihe sun shaU be no more thy light by day ; neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto thee; Imt the Lord shall be unto thee
an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no-
more go down ; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourn
ing shall be ended.
Upon reading these words, I cannot help thinking of what
the royal Psalmist said, " Glorious things are spoken of thee,
0 city of God. Selah." I am afraid, my dear hearers, that
even believers themselves, who have tasted of the grace of
God, reflect not and meditate as they -xight, on the glorious

562 the lord our light. [Serm. 23.
and amazing felicity they are called by the Spirit of God to
experience in this life. We content ourselves too much with
our hopes, and if we attain to a good hope through grace, we
are ready to think we have arrived at the last step of the gos^
pel ladder, and have nothing more to do but to rest in that
hope, without ever attaining to an abiding, full assurance of
faith. If we would examine the scriptures, and not choose to
bring them down to us, but beg of God to raise our hearts up
to them, we shall find the befiever is made partaker of the
grace of life, as well as an heir of it ; the one is on earth, the
other in heaven, and one is only a prelibation of the other.
This blessed prophet Isaiah, speaking of the privileges of the
children of God, saith, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard;
neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the
things that God hath prepared (and that even here below) for
tfio&e that love him." God grant we may be of that happy
number ! Hence, like an evangelist, the prophet draws aside
the veil, and as one inspired by the Spirit of God, and filled
with the rays of divine light, gives us a transporting view of
the gospel state, and the gfory which the church militant
enjoys below, before its triumphant state above.
The text, probably,- refers to the great change that should
be made in the affairs of the Jews after their captivity, how
wonderfully God would appear for them, after their harps had
been long hanging on the willows, and they could make no
other answer to their insulting foes than this mournful one,-
" How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ?" The
gospel is, doubtless, glad tidings of great joy ; and however
the people of God might be encouraged to hope that the time
would come, when they should tread on the necks of their ene
mies,- the prophet teaches them to look further, and lets them
know that their happiness was not to consist in any external,
created good, but in a larger possession of the graces and com
forts of the Holy Ghost. So that this chapter speaks not only
of a temporal deliverance and rest, which they should enjoy
after their trouble, but a spiritual rest, which by faith, they
should enter into here, as the earnest and pledge of the rest
and enjoyment of the better world hereafter. As we know no
more of heaven than is discovered by the eye of faith, for even
St. Paul acknowledges, that the things he saw were unuttera-
jle, if is observabie that heaven in scripture is described to us
more by what it is not, than by what it is. So in the words
of the text, Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy
moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine everlasting
light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Here
are three negatives, and but one positive, namely, the Lord

Serm. 23.] the lord our light. 563
shall be thy everlasting light, which is a beautiful allusion to
the sun, that should teach us to spiritualize natural things ; and
if we feared God, and lived as near to him as we ought, there
is no object of our bodily eyes but might improve our spiritual
sight. You cannot suppose the prophet meant a time should
come, when the sun should not literally go down, that there
should not be night and day as now. God indeed permitted a
man once to say, sun, stand thou still, and it was done : but,
perhaps, there never will be any such thing again, till the sun
is removed from its station, and the moon forsake her orbit, and
be turned into blood. The word must therefore be understood
in a figurative sense ; and then comparing spiritual things with
spiritual, it must certainly import, that Jesus Christ, the Sun
of Righteousness, shall be what the sun is to the visible world,
that is, the light and life of alf his people ; I say, all the people
of God. You see now, the sun shines on us all : I never
heard that the sun said, Lord, I will not shine on the Presbyteri
ans, I will not shine on the Independents, I will not shine on
the people called Methodists, those great enthusiasts ; the sun
never said yet, I will not shine on the Papists, the sun shines
on all, which shows that Jesus Christ's love is open to all that
are made willing by the Holy Ghost to accept of him ; and
therefore it is said, " the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with
healing in his wings." If you were all up this morning be
fore the sun arose at five o'clock, how beautiful was his first
appearance ! how pleasant to behold the flowers opening to the
rising sun ! I appeal to you yourselves, when you were look
ing out at the window, or walking about, or opening your shop,
if in a spiritual frame, whether you did not say, arise thou Sun
if Righteousness with healing under thy wings, on me. All
mat the natural sun is to the world, Jesus Christ is, and more,
to his people ; without the sun we should have no- corn, or
fruit of any kind : what a dark place would the world be with
out the sun, and how dark would the world be without Jesus
Christ ; and as the sun does really communicate its rays to the
earth, the plants and all this tower creation, so the Son of God
does really communicate his life and power to every new cre
ated soul, otherwise Christ is but a painted sun ; and is Christ
nothing but a painted Christ to us, while we receive heat and
benefit by the Holy Ghost, on account of the virtue of his
blood? Sometimes the sun shines brighter than at other
times, and does not always appear alike ; clouds intervene and
interrupt its rays : so it is between a renewed soul and the Lord
Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness. O my brethren, I believe
you know it by fatal experience : hold but your hand now,
when the sun shines in its meridian, between, it and you, and

564 the lord our light. '[Serm. 23.
if by the breadth of that you can keep the sun from you, ah !
how very little earth will keep off thy heart from Jesus Christ.
It was a very excellent saying of one of the ancients, that God
never leaves a person till he first leaves him. Some people
think God does so of his sovereignty, but I am apt to think
when the sun shines, we shall find some peopfe have taken up
with something short of the Sun of Righteousness. I believe
there are times, when the poor believer thinks his sun will
quite go down, and rise no more ; he loses his relish, his fast*
and evidence of divine things ; not only are the rays inter
cepted for a while, but doubts and fears, a dreadful cloud of
them, come on. Though I hold with a full assurance of faith,
yet I am of opinion that it is not always in a like exercise ;
and therefore pray that doubting people will not take hold of
that, and say, blessed be God, I am in a doubting state, and I
am content. The Lord deliver you from a mind to stay in
prison, and prevent the devil from locking the door upon you,
and keeping you there as long as he can. The Lord help you
to come : come, come, and break out of prison, that you may
know how pleasant it is to behold the sun, and praise his
name. Sometimes, instead ofthe sun, there is Only moon light, which
shows the difference a believer feels in his soul, both in relation
to grace and comfort. Both sun and moon give light, but O
how far superior is the one to the other ; the moon gives a
very faint, uncertain light, waxes and wanes, and at best is
almost nothing when compared with the light, and the blessed
reviving heat of the sun. Hence, my brethren, this world
sometimes is a world of mourners. It is said, that the days of
our mourning shall be ended ; for if the text refers to the future
state, as no doubt it does, it means that the days of believers here
below are very often mournful, trying and afflicting, though they
end in joy, as our Lord intimates in his opening his gospel sermon
almost with these very words, Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted. Some, perhaps, may think it is
an odd kind of btessing ; and though worldly people are fond
of the fifth of Matthew, and wonder that Methodists and gos
pel ministers do not preach oftener on that chapter, I believe,
when you come to preach and open that word; they will not
hke that chapter any more than any other, because they are for
a joyful Christ, and not for any mourning at all. Do you
know God in Christ ? :Let me tell you the more you are ac
quainted with him, the more your souls will be kept in a
mourning state. A mournfuf state ! — "0, say you, people will
mourn before they are ^converted. Ah, that they will, — I do
not love to bear of conversions without any secret mourning ;

Serm. 23.] the lord our light. 565
I seldom see such souls established. I have heard of a person
who was in company once with fourteen ministers of the gos
pel, some of whom were eminent servants of Christ, and yet
not one of them could tell the time God first manifested himself
to their soul. Zaccheus's was a very quick conversion, perhaps
not a quarter of an hour's conviction ; this I mention, that we
may not condemn one another. We do not love the pope, be
cause we love to be popes ourselves, and set up our own expe
rience as a standard to others. Those that had such a con
version as the jailor, or the Jews, (O, say you, we do not like
to hear you talk of shaking over hell ; we love to hear of con
version by the love of God ; while others that were so shaken,
as Mr. Bolton and other eminent men were,) may say, you are
not christians, because you had not the like terrible experience.
You may as well say to your neighbor, you have not had a
child, for you were not in labor all night. The question is,
whether a real child is born, not how long was the preceding
pain, but whether it was productive of a new birth, and
whether Christ has been formed in your hearts ; it is the birth
proves the reality of the thing.
Some allow that there is mourning before, but no mourning
after conversion ; pray who says so ? None but an Antinomi
an, a rank Antinomian : and when you hear a person say, that
after conversion you will have no mourning, you may be as
sured that person is at best walking by moon light ; he does
not walk by the sun ; he has some doctrine in his head, but
very little grace, I am afraid, in his heart. How ! how ! my
brethren, not mourn after we are converted ; why, till then
there is no true mourning at all. The damned in hell are
mourning now, they put on their mourning as soon as they get
there. How am I tormented in this flame, says Dives ; and
Cain, my punishment is greater than I can bear. How many
worldly people break their hearts for the loss of the world ;
they cannot keep their usual equipage, nor do as they would ;'
and come not to worship on Sunday, because they cannot ap
pear so fine as formerly they did. This is a sorrow of the
world that worketh death ; but there is a blessed, a more evan
gelical mourning, which is the habitual, blessed state and frame
of a converted soul. How strong the expression, They shall
look on him whom they have pierced, and shall mourn. How
shall they mourn ? As one mourneth for a first born, an only
child. Have you ever been called to bury a child ? Is there
any tender mother here ? Were you merry directly after the
child* was dead ? No, perhaps till this very day, you continu
ally call to remembrance your little one and shed a tear ; every
thing relating to it causes the repetition of your sorrow. When
48

566 the lord our light. [Serm. 23,
a poor believer is acquainted with Jesus Christ, he mourns for
having crucified the Son of God, and you will mourn for the
same sin after conversion as before. Surely, say some, I mourn
for the sins I committed before my conversion. I do not know
whether you do or no, but I know you should. O, says Da
vid, Remember not against me the sins of my youth, in a
Psalm which was written when he was an old man ; and Paul
says, "I was a blasphemer and injurious, and therefore not
worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church
of God ;" and this after he had been wrapped up to the third
heaven. See Mary rushing into the house, washing her Lord's
feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair. I do not
suppose she was dressed as our ladies are now ; they did not
make such apes of themselves : but her hair was very fine in
an honest way : though she breaks the alabaster box of oint-
menj; given her, perhaps by some poor silly creature that would
die by her frowns, and live upon her smiles, see her at the feet
of her Savior, and Jesus Christ answers for her, some having
thought she was profuse, that having had much forgiven, she
loved much. The more the love of God is manifested, the
more it will melt the soul down. I appeal to you, christians,
whether the sweetest times you ever enjoyed were not those
when you were much melted at the sight of a crucified Savior ;
when you could say, Lord, thou forgavest me, I feel it, I know
it, but I cannot forgive myself; this will always be the effect
of an ingenuous mind ; and a person that is really converted
will thus mourn ; and if you do not know this, you may be as
sured you know nothing savingly of Jesus Christ. You may
go and hear this and that warning, and you are right to gather
honey from every flower, but you have not got within the in
ner court, but are yet without. God give you to see your fof-
ly herein.
A true believer will mourn over his corruptions. I wonder
what they can think, who suppose they have no corruptions.
I remember a poor creature of Rhode Island, who looked the
most like the old Puritans I ever saw, when I was talking with
him, and said, some people say there are some men that have
no sin ; he said, if you send such a man to me, I will pay his
charges, even from England and back again. I have often
learned something from the difference of glasses : you look into
the common glasses, and see yourselves there so fine, and ad
mire your person, dress, <fcc, but when you view yourselves
through a microscope, how many worms are discovered in that
fine skin of yours, enough to make you ashamed of the ver
min and filth that is seated there : so it is in faith, that glass
would show you so much corruption cleaving to every action

Serm. 23.] the lord our light. 567
of your lives, that would make you sin sick, and mourn that
you have known God so long, and are like him so littte. What
says Paul ? Who shall deliver me from the body of this death 7
Notwithstanding he knew that " there is no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus," yet cries out, " 0 wretched man
that I am !" I should have thought, O happy man that thou
art ! formerly a persecutor, and now a preacher ; a man that
has been honored so much above every man in planting
churches, which is the highest honor a man can have under
heaven ; here is a man that hath been wrapped up to the third
heaven, — what of him? "O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from this body of sin and death ?" Do you
think that it was only a little qualm of conscience ? No, it
was the habitual temper of his heart. Some people are much
humbled by fits and starts, but Paul felt this daily. Many
things that we are not concerned about, Paul looked upon as
such as made his heart ache, because he thought he could not
live near enough to God. He not only watched to do good,
but he watched how he did that good ; and nature was so
mixed with it, that he said, I cannot do as I would do, I would
have served God like, an angel, but I find myself to be a poor
sinner after all ; and if we are like-minded with Paul, we shall
mourn over our corruptions, Ave shall mourn over our hidden
sins that none know but God and ourselves. It is a very dan
gerous thing to trust gospel gossips, who, being strangers to
themselves, hear with wonder and contempt, and often betray ;
however, a judicious friend, into whose bosom we can pour out
our souls, and tell our corruptions as well as our comforts, is a
very great privilege. When our corruptions do not drive us
from Christ, but drive us to him, it is the greatest blessing to
commune with Christ on this side heaven : and, my brethren,
if your hearts are right with God, you will see such things as
nobody else could think of. A good woman, who was charm
ed with Dr. Manton, said, " O, sir, you have made an excellent
sermon to-day ; I wish I had your heart." " Do you say so,"
said he, " good woman, you had better not wish for it, for if
you had it, you would wish for your own again." The best
of men see themselves in the worst light.
How many thousand things are there that make you mourn
here below ! who can tell the tears that godly parents shed for
ungodly children ! O you young folks, you do not know what
plague your children may be to you ! O they are pretty things
while young, like rattlesnakes and alligators, which I have seen
when little, but put them in your bosom and you will find that
they are dangerous. How many are there in the world that
would wish, if it were lawful, that God had written them

568 the lord our light. [Serm. 23".
childless ; there is many a poor creature that makes his
father's heart ache. I once asked a godly widow, '-' madam,
how is your son ?" she turned aside with tears, and said, " sir,
he is no son to me now." What in the world can come up to
that ! Here, says one, I have bred up my children, I cannot
charge myself with educating them wrong, though few pa
rents can say that, for many parents lead them into the paths
of death, and so are murderers of their own children, and by
their manner of education help to damn them for ever ; but if
you can say, I have done all I could, and yet, O my God, my
children are worse than any other people's ; this is a dreadful
state indeed ; and the more you mourn, the more they laugh
at you ; O these are my godly parents. They increase their
trouble, like Dr. Horneck's son, who said, there is not a post
in my father's house but stinks of piety. I once saw a man
that was awakened at the Orphan-house, fall down and throw
himself on one of their beds, crying out, " O, sir, what will
become of my poor grey-headed father, who knows nothing
of this birth !" It is a difficulty with some to linow how to
behave towards unconverted relations ; if you do not go to
them, they will say you are precise ; if you do, and are faith
ful, they will soon show you they have enough of your com
pany ; this sends a godly person home mourning ; and then
there comes a thought, shall I speak to them any more, or let
them go to the devil. This is not like parting from your friends
by death, but burying them alive : when dead, we know we
must submit, but to part from friends, those we loved, and
thought to have lived with till we came to heaven, is mourn
ful indeed.
Moreover, the poor state of the church makes many a min
ister and close walker with God to weep over the desolations
of the sanctuary, and to mourn for those that will not mourn
for themselves : thus our Lord wept over Jerusalem, O Jeru
salem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy child
ren, as a hen gather eth her chickens,-hnt it is over with thee
now : the decree is gone forth, and Jerusalem shall suffer.
Brethren, the time will fail, and therefore I leave it to you to
supply more cases ; for if I was to preach till to-morrow morn
ing, I doubt not but a thousand here would say, there are many
things you have not mentioned yet. You know the state of
your own hearts, and the many particular trials in your ewn
case ; and you may also know, though your trial seems over,
it is only changed. But let it be observed, the days of your
mourning shall be ended ; mind it is but days, though some
times made very sad ones indeed, by the neglect and ingrati
tude of those who have made the people of God serve them

Serm. 23.] the lord our light. 569
with rigor, as though all the world was made for them, as well
as their incapacity to help themselves, by poverty, pain, sore
sicknesses, and of long continuance. This has been, and is
the lot of many a child of God : blessed be sovereign mercy,
it is but a few days. An end shall arrive, and that end shall
be happy, when death, the believer's friend, shall come with
an angel's face, to dismiss them from aff their sin and sorrow.
When I was at Bristol, I could not help remembering good
Mr. Middleton, who used, you know, to have the gout very-
much, and in that closet were kept his crutches : now, thought
I, he needs them no more ; the days of his mourning are ended,
and so shall ours be by and by too, when we shall no longer
want our spiritual crutches or armos, but shall say to the hel
met of hope, the shield of faith, I have no more need of thee ;
and the all-prevailing weapon of prayer be changed into songs
of endless praise ; when God himself shall be our everlasting
light, a sun that never shall go down more, but shall beam
forth his infinite and eternal love in a beatific state for ever.
The prospect of this made one of the fathers cry out, O glory !
how great ! how great ! what art thou ? A friend asked him
what he saw. He answered, I see the glory of the only be
gotten Son of God. And if a sight of Christ on earth is so
great, as could make good Mr. Wardrobe, an excellent Scotch
minister, say, after he was given over, starting up in the arms
of an excellent friend who told it me, in a rapture of joy,
crowns ! crowns ! crowns of glory shall adorn this head of
mine ere long ! and stretching up, added, palms ! palms ! palms
shall ere long fill these hands of mine ! and so sweetly fell
asleep in Jesus. What a pleasing, awful trial is that for an
affectionate friend ! So our dear sister, who is to be buried to
morrow night at Tottenham-court, talked with her friends for
an hour or two, and took leave of her husband and children,
and said, now come, ye heavenly chariots ! We will thank
God then for all our losses, crosses, and disappointments ; and
I believe those things which we mourn for most, and puts us
most to the trial, will give us most comfort when we come to
die. God shall be our everlasting light, as well as the days of
our mourning shall be ended.
Take care, do not be secure, do not think the day of your
mourning to be ended yet : you may put off mourning for
your friends, but may have fresh cause of mourning for your
souls ; while you remember that holy mourning is consistent
with holy walking, following the Lord in all his ways. You
have often heard me speak of one of our ministers, who was
not one of your fine velvet mouths, that said once in the pulpit,
as sure as vou see the sun shine on my breast, which at that
48*

570 the lord ouu Liuiir. [Serm. 23,
time it did, so "sure does the Spirit of God dwell in the souls
of true believers. How often has he told you, / am for hav
ing you have godly sorrow ; I wish your- hearts were full of
it, because it will end in everlasting joy. Comfort one an
other, my brethren, with these things, the day of your mourning
shall soon be ended for ever.
But what am I to say ? I apprehend I shall grow forgetful
to-night. I have spoken so much to saints, I am afraid I shall
have little time to speak to sinners ; I mean, I have taken so
much time up in speaking to you that know God,, that I have
little to speak to you that know him not. How different your
state, poor hearts ! poor hearts ! My soul mourns for you ; my
blood, whilst I am speaking, is ready to curdle in my veins.
The seraphic Mr. Hervey, when he did me the honor to so
journ under my roof, said, " My dear friend, it is an awful,
thing when we see an unconverted man die, and his eyes.
closed, to think, that that poor soul will never see one gleam
of comfort or life more ; to have a sight of God, of Christ, and
the heavenly angels and saints : but to see what the rich man
saw, a God they want ; to see Lazarus, whom he would not
permit to be seen at his door, now taken particular notice of in
heaven ; and to see himself now a beggar in hell." The
Lord help you to think ! O think how soon your sun will go
down, and even your bodies will feel damnation, not only in
respect to pain, but loss.
Bishop Usher's opinion was, and I heartily concur in if,
that those who value themselves most on their beauty and
dress, and do not love God on earth, will be most deformed in
hell, and. their bodies suffer proportionally there. There is no
dressing in hell, nothing but fire and brimstone there, and the
wrath of God always awaiting on thee, O sinner, whoever
thou art, man or woman. It was a fine saying of Maclane,
who was executed some years ago, when the cap was pulling
over his eyes, must I never see the light of yon sun any more ;
Lord Jesus Christ, thou Sun of Righteousness arise with
healing under thy wings on my departing soul! May the
Lord Jesus Christ do that for us all ! When you are damned,
the days of your mourning will be but at their beginning ;
there is no end of your mourning in hell. There is but orifc
song, if it may be called so, in hell, to wit, that of Divet;
which will be always repeating, "How am I tormented in this
flame !" Consider this ye that forget God : and O that God
may bless you to-night with godly sorrow. Believers, pray for
them. Lord help you, sinners, to pray for your vile selves.
Some may think what do you cry for ? Why, I cry for you.
Perhaps you will say as a wicked one did to a poor woman

Serm. 24.] self inquiry, &c. 571
in Scotland, when thousands were awakened there ; seeing
her weep, he said what do you weep for ? For this people,
ays she ; weep for yourself, says he ; she replied, I do ; but
vhat is my soul to all these poor souls ! O that ministers may
lever rise up in judgment against you ? O may Moses, in
'.he hand of the Spirit, make you mourn ! may the love of
3-od make you cry ! may you not go home to-night without
an arrow steeped in the blood of Christ. It was wonderful
what a good woman, awaking, thought she saw written over
her head, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word- of the Lord ¦.
May every faithful soul be made to hear it ; to awake, arise
from their sleep in sin. The sun is going down, and death
may put an end to all to-night : the Lord help you to come
though it is the eleventh hour. O that you would fly, fly this
night to Christ, lest God destroy you for ever. Jesus stands
ready with open arms to receive you whom he has first pricked
to the heart, and made you cry out, " What shall I do to be
saved !" He will then make you believe in his name, that you
may be saved. God grant this may be the case of all here to-
nig-ht. Amen.

SERMON XXIV-

SELF INQUIRY CONCERNING THE WORK OP GOD.

Numbers xxiii. 23.
According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What
hath God wrought 7
When I read you, my dear hearers, these words ; when I
consider what occasion, and by whom they were originally
spoken, I cannot help thinking of that triumphant expression
of the royal Psalmist, " Why do the heathen rage ?" When
Pontius Pilate and the Jews conspire to destroy the cause of
God, "he that sitteth in heaven laughs them to scorn ;" the
Lord not only has them in derision, but overrules even their
malice and violence (no thanks to them) to promote that very
cause they attempted to destroy ; so that it is a very wrong
maxim,, and argues great ignorance in us, to imagine that God

572' self inquiry concerning [Serm. 24.
never brings about his designs by ihe means and instrumen
tality of wicked men. This is the Papist's objection against
the reformation : great pains have been taken to blacken the
reformers, and to make it be believed that a reformation could
not be good that was begun byr people of bad character, and a
king of an immoral life. But so far is this from eclipsing, that
it illustrates the wisdom and goodness of divine providence, in
obliging the wicked to do what they never designed, and
overruling their counsels for the fulfilling of God's holy, wise,
and sovereign decree. This observation naturally arises from
the words of our text, which were spoken by, as far as I can
judge, one of the vilest men upon the earth : you doubtless
know his name, Balaam, who, though florid in his expres
sions, and high in profession of intercourse with God, and puts
on a fine face of religion, was but a rotten hearted hypocrite,
for he divined for money, made a trade of religion; and so
loved the wages of unrighteousness, as to have wished to curse
even those whom God had blessed. I need not inform you,
that this was the eiid for which Balak sent for him ; and no
wonder he was so willing to go, when he knew he was to be
well paid for his journey. Achilles, the Grecian hero, is said
to be capable of being wounded only in the heel, but bad
priests, ministers, and people, have a great deal more danger
ous part to be wounded in, that is the palm of the hand ; if
you can keep that secure from being wounded with gold,
never fear : the devil cannot have his end. Balak promised
him great preferment, if he would but come and curse the
people of God. A prophet, or soothsayer, is one that pretends
to have intercourse with God or the devil, and Balak did not
care by which of them it was, so that he could but get the
Israelites cursed. Balaam catches at the golden bait, pretends
to ask counsel of God ; and what seems strange, God bids
him go and yet sends an angel to meet him in the way, who
stands ready to slay him for going. Does it not seem very
strange, that God should bid a man go, and then slay him for
going; but people that read this passage, should carefully
mind the particulars of it. God said, if the men come and
call thee, go ; but he did not wait for that, but saddles his ass
and goes ; this is called by St. Peter the madness of the pro
phet : witness his rising early in the morning, not waiting for
the call of the princes, which showed how eager he was to be
gone : and though this solution should not be allowed, God
was justly angry for his going with an ill design, that is, mali
ciously to curse a people whom he knew God resolved should
be blessed, and that for the sake of the wages of unrighteous-

Serm. 24.] the work of god. 573
ness.* The king and his nobles wait upon him, in hopes this
soothsayer will answer their purpose ; but after all he can do
nothing without God's leave : however, no cost is spared to
obtain the end ; so true is it, that the devil's children are ten
thousand times more expensive in persecuting the people of
God, than God's people are in promoting his glory. This
soothsaying priest pretends to go. to God, which is permitted,
but forced to speak what God would have him ; once and
again his mouth is stopped, or rather his curses are stopped
and turned into a blessing. Balak, enraged at his repeated
disappointment, bids him neither to curse or bless them at all ;
and thinking, perhaps, that the sight of the people affected
him, carries him to a place where he would see but a small
part of them ; he goes, and there God made him confirm the
blessing instead of the curse, more abundantly than before.
Oratory is beautiful, though out of the mouth of the worst of
men : " Surely, (said he,) there is no enchantment against
Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. Behold,
the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as
a young lion ; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
and drink the blood of the slain ;" having said just before,
According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
what hath God wrought !
What words are here out of the mouth of a wicked man !
and yet I hope it will do no hurt to choose them as a proper
subject for an evening meditation. Let us leave this profane
diviner, and- the king his employer, vexed that they could not
get their end of the people of God; let us snatch the words
out of the vile prophet's mouth, and see if we can serve him
as David did Goliath, take his sword and cut off his head.
Some people run to extremes, and because some have abused
religion, therefore they think there is no religion at all. Per
haps it is for this reason, that so many offenses are permitted
to happen in the churches, that one of the twelve should be a
traitor, and that the devil should come with his Bible under
his arm to tempt us to disbelieve or abuse it, by which God
stirs up the people of God to watch, fight, and pray.
How should we take the words of our text ? By way of
interrogation, or admiration ? As speaking in a prophetic
strain how God had wrought, and did then work and would
afterwards work for the prosperity of his faithful Jacob and
his posterity, the Israel of God.
* It is no unusual thing in holy writ, for heaven to resent and punish even
those actions that it has permitted. Witness Deut. i. 20 — 35, compared with
Numb. xiii. 2 — Hos. xiii. 11, compared with 1 Sam. viii. 7, chap. xv. 23, chap.
xvi. 1— Psalms lxxxi. 11, 12, &c. &c.

574 self inquiry concerning [Serm. 24.
Suppose we take them in the way of question, which, per
haps, is most agreeable to the context, and it may be most
serviceable to ' you and to me ; and in order that I may not
run into too great a field to-night, I will confine myself to
what Balaam confines himself, from this time it shall be said
of Jacob and Israel, (in a way of inquiry,) what hath God
xorought 7
If we look around the world and survey the works of crea
tion, " the heavens declare God's glory ; and the firmament
showeth thy handy work." If we look further my brethren,
down upon these bodies of ours, if we consider the curious
form of them, we may cry, what hath God wrought ! Surely
I am fearfully and wonderfully made ; and when we consi
der that we are made up of four elements ; when we consider
to what casualties we are exposed, how wonderfully these
bodies have been kept up, when thousands have dropped into
the grave before, us, we may well say, what hath God wrought!
But I rather choose to confine myself to that better part : and
I am persuaded, we shall never go to heaven unless God works
powerfully on our souls. Supposing you and I now were to
forget all created beings ; supposing we were to forget our
neighbors to-night, and to hear only for ourselves, as the
shades of evening are coming on, and as we are going shortly
to rest, may be to rise no more in this lower world, what if
we should steal a little time from our shop, a little time from
our worldly business, as we know not but we may be called
to judgment to-morrow, and ask and say, O my soul, what
hath God wrought in thy heart ? I am glad to hear you are
so inquisitive.
Observe, what hath God wrought ! Now whatever is done
in us, is all done by God : it is all done by an almighty power,
and it is all the effect of infinite wisdom. Supposing then you
and I are new creatures, hath God, 0 my soul, wrought in
thee a deep, a penitent, an humbling sense of thy transgressions
against his holy law ? This is a most important question ;
this is the very beginning of religion ; this is the very first
letter of the christian's alphabet, the first line in his book ; with
this Christ himself began to teach fallen man. Adam, where
art thou 7 was the first question that the Son of God put to his
fallen creatures ; what condition art thou in ? How art thou
fallen, thou son of the morning ! and when he came to the
woman, he took the same way, he preached, and ministers
should preach conviction first ; what is this, saith God, thou
hast done 7 To break thy husband, and bring all thy posterity
unto ruin ? And it seems to me that there was a conscious
ness in this ; and I wonder sometimes, the deists have not ran

Serm. 24.] the work of god. 575
so far as to do it in jest. I do not know that I ever heard of a
female ctiild's name called Eve ; probably, we are ashamed to
call a child by that name, because of the guilt of our mother
Eve, that brought us all into sin. Now hath God wrought in
vou ? Hath he given this conviction to you ; not a little flight
now and then, or a qualm of thy conscience ; the devil and
natural conscience may do this ; but when it is wrought in thy
heart by the Spirit of God, it goes to the bottom, the arrow
sticks fast, and a poor soul sometimes endeavors to pray, en
deavors to pull it out, but in vain." Hath God wrought this in
thy soul? When God works this change in the soul, the devil
is always busy in tempting the poor convicted sinner to de
spond if not despair. Ignorant formalists, who are some of
the worst people under heaven, when a person is under con
viction, think the devil is in them, whereas the devil is in
themselves ; for the devil hoodwinks people, and he endeavors
to persuade them, that there is no harm done to God by sin
ning against him. It is God wounds the soul, and it is he that
heals it. Has he wrought in thee not only a deep and hum
bling sense of the outward acts of sin, but an humbling sense
of the inward corruptions of thy heart ? Has he led thee be
yond the streams, through the powerful operations of his Spi
rit, to the fountain head ? When he has done so, then are we
christians indeed ; and this cannot be the work of the devil,
who never did, nor do I know whether he can, show a person
the inward corruptions of his heart ; it must be the Spirit of
God. The devil may frighten a person, as to outward things,
but I very much question whether it is in the power or will of
the devil to show a person that he is totally depraved, that the
whole fountain is corrupt ; this cannot be, because this would
make the devil omnipotent, of equal power with the Hofy
Ghost, who alone shows thee the guilt and corruption of thy
heart. This I have found to be the fact, from thirty years'
observation and experience of thousands and thousands with
whom I have spoken about their hearts. So it was, I remem
ber, when I went first to Georgia, when I was about twenty-
five years old. I had them day after day, week after week,
and night after night, saying, What shall I do to be saved 7
0 my wicked heart, my deceitful heart, from morning to night.
Hath God wrought this in any of you ? Are you complain
ing of your wicked heart and corrupt nature ? Have you
found out that your hearts are cages of unclean birds, only a
lodging for vain thoughts to dwell in ? O my friends, my dear
hearers, O may you turn the question into a note of admira
tion, and say, what hath God wrought ! He has not only
convinced me of my outward sins, but powerfully convinced

576 self inquiry concerning [Serm. 24.
me of the corruptions of my heart. Do ask yourselves this
question, has God wrought in me a view ofthe spirituality of his
holy law ? Till this is done, you are as fast in the devil's arms
as he can clasp you. Of all the children the devil has in the
world, I believe he mostly loves his pharisaical children. I
was walking with one of them some time ago, and somebody
very innocently asked me where the pharisees lived, O, said I,
they live every where. Some people think that they only lived
in the times of the apostles. Do you know, vipers and toads
have the most eggs and most numerous progeny ? If you was
to see the eggs of a toad through a microscope, you would
wonder at the innumerable multitude ; and the pharisees are
an increasing generation of vipers, which hatch and spread all
over the world. If you want to know what a pharisee is, he
is one who pretends to endeavor, and talks about keeping the
law of God, and does not know its spirituality; they are some
of them very great men in their own opinion, and always made
the greatest figure in the church : one of them, a gentleman's
son, because he had not broke the letter ofthe law, thought he
was right and without sin. O, says he, if I have nothing else
to do but to keep the commandments, I am safe ; I have ho
nored my father and mother ; I never stole. What need he
steal that had so good an estate ? I never committed adultery.
No, no, he loved his character too well : but our Lord opens
to him the law, this one thing thou lackest, go sell all thou
hast : he loved his money more than his God. Christ brought
him back to the first commandment, though he catechized him
first in the fifth. So Paul was a pharisee ; he says, "I was
alive without the law once ; I was, touching the law, blame
less." How can that be, can a man be without the law, and
yet, touching the law, blameless ? Says he, I was without the
law ; that is, I was not brought to see the spirituality of it ; I
thought myself a very good man, no man could say of Paul,
black is his eye ; but, saith he, when God brought the com
mandment with power upon my soul, then I saw my specks,
and do now. Pray mind and say the commandments, if you
go to church you see them, and if you go to meeting I hope
you have not forgot them ; " thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor ; thou shalt not covet ;" from repeating
the last commandment, we are taught that God's law is spi
ritual. " I should not have known sin," as the apostle said,
" if the law had not said, thou shalt not covet." Now has God
wrought in you these things ? Hast thou really seen his law,
that it is spiritual ? Have you been made to see that the law
of God requires perfect, sinless obedience? Have you been
made to see that you are under the curse, because you have

iSerm 24.] the work oF god. - 577
sinned, by the inward teaching of the blessed Spirit of God ?"
For then be assured, as sure as thou art in this place, God has
wrought this in thy soul, and thou mayest turn the question
to admiration, and say, what has God wrought! Has he
wrought in thee a sense of unbelief, that thou canst no more
believe than thou canst create a world ? I mention this, be
cause I have told you often, and I am in the same mind ; yet
there are very few books that talk about unbelief; there is a
long catalogue of sins, but not one word about unbelief. Why?
O because these good folks, that have written communion
books, take it for granted, all folks that go to church are be
lievers ; I take it there are more unbelievers in the church than
. out of it. Why, say- you, do not they assent to the gospel ? So
does the devil.' Do not they assent to all the articles of the
christian faith ? So does the devil ; the devil is a stronger be
liever than an Arian ; the devil is a stronger believer than a
Socinian ; he believes Christ is God, for he has felt his power
by his damning him to hell : " we know thee who thou art, the
Holy one of God."
But remember Christ says, when he is gone, the Spirit of God
-shall come to reprove the world ; in the margin it is convince, and
not a transient conviction, but a conviction that fastens, that
brings salvation with it ; if conviction brings its pwn evidence,
surely faith must bring its own evidence along with, it too ; now
he shall convince the world, saith our Lord, of sin. What sin?
The sin of unbelief, because they believe not in me. It is men
tioned by Mr. Hervey, by Mr. Marshall himself, and also by
somebody else, that when complaining to a minister that he
^ould get no ease to his soul, and having told the minister he
confessed his sins every day, he put them all down, (a man
must have a good memory that can do that) the minister said
to him, I think your catalogue is worth nothing at all, the
grand sin is not mentioned. What is that sir? said he. The
sin of unbelief : a sin the poor creature thought he had never
been guilty of. Has God wrought in thee a sense of thy un
belief? What blessed times have I seen in New, as well as
Old England and Scotland, when thousands were awakened
at Edinburgh, at Glasgow, and many other places, when I have
seen them taken out of the congregation by scores, and asked
what is the matter ? what do you want ? I can't believe ! I
can't believe ! I can't believe ! We think we can believe when
we will, but the Spirit alone can convince us we have no faith ;
the Spirit alone can convince us of our want of faith, and can
alone impart it to the poor awakened sinner ; consequently,
you may ask yourselves whether God has wrought in you, not
only a sense of your misery, but also a sense of your remedy ;
49

578 SELF INQUIRY CONCERNING {SeT-m. -24.
set you upon hungering and thirsting, such a hungering and
thirsting as has never been satisfied but by an application of
the blood of Christ imputed to you. I .do not want to dispute
upon the scriptures with any body. There are a great many
good men who have been prejudiced by Antinomian principles
and practices, and because some people have run to a danger
ous extreme, and have not thought proper to make use of the
word imputed at all. The best truth may be spoiled by bad
books ; but for my part, I am more than ever convinced, that
the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, is a doctrine of the
gospel ; and that as Adam's sin is imputed to me, so the righ
teousness of Christ must be imputed also. I stand not only as
a pardoned sinner, but as a justified sinner. I stand before
God justified, and so do all whom Jesus Christ has purchased
Now has God wrought this in thee, 0 man ; in thee, O woman '!
I am not going to ask, whether it was wrought in thee by
hearing a sermon, or reading a book ; God may make use of a
minister or of a book : and I do not like to have people get above
ministers and books, saying, we do not want these. God draws
with the cords of a man, and generally draws us with cords by
men such as ourselves. Canst thou say, there is a book, there
is a minister, in reading or hearing which, Christ's blood was
applied, and the Spirit of God witnessed with my spirit that 1
was one of his children ? Now this is all God's working, in
deed it is ; the devil cannot do this ; it is out of his power ; he
may attempt to persuade them that he has done it, when h«
has not, and cannot. The magicians turned their rods into
serpents, but the rod of Jehovah swallowed them all up. Has
the Lord God wrought a change of heart in thee, and a change
of life as a consequence of that ? I mention this, but I would
have every body that stands up for Christ's imputed righteous
ness, especially as some good people are apt to speak of it and
carry it very high, to be careful in the same discourse to speak
as highly of obedience too, to Christ's commandments. I do
not like only to mention the word promises, and when people
tell me they hang upon the promises, I always ask them how
do you hang upon them ? Have you the thing promised ? The
promise is, that the promiser should come to my soul ; the pro
mise is, what, my brethren ? The promise is, for this and that
good thing ; have I obtained it ? How would you do if you
were to take false bank notes — if you were to take false bills?
The people generally ask, is the man that has given me this note
worth any thing ? If you have a bad note, you go to the notary
and note it ; you say I was to have had this note paid ten, twen
ty ,\thirty days after sight, or upon sight ; where is the notaiy ?
They note it and protest. Let us be careful then to see that

b

b

Serm. 24.] the work of god. 519
God pays his notes, as we are that man does. Hast thou the
thing promised ? The thing promised is, all peace, and all joy
— the thing promised is a new heart — the thing promised is a
new nature ; and therefore David goes to God for the thing
promised, and says, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a right spirit Within me. Now is this the case of thy
heart ? The devil can never make a new creature. I am sure
nothing but an almighty power can take away the heart of
stone, and give a heaft of flesh. Has God wrought this in
thee? If he has, though it has not come to such a height as
thou would wish, yet be thankful for what he has done, and
say, what has God wrought in 'me ! Attend to the word ; I
do not mean lazily ; there is not a thing upon the face of the
earth that I abhor so much as idleness or idle people ; I am so
far from having a love to peopte that are lazy, that if I had the
dealing with a number that are called christians, they should
go to bed sooner, and get up sooner. There is one thing that
will make people rise sooner in the morning in London, and
that is, for merchants to agree to have the 'Change opened at
six, and that will make people as much alive in the morning
as the markets are after people have been traveling all night to
prepare for them.
Has God wrought in you a spirit of zeal and love ? Has he
wrought in you a love to his name, a zeal for his cause ? Has
he wrought in thy heart a deadness to the world, that you can
live above it from morning to night, having your conversation
in heaven ? Has he wrought in thee a love to his people, not
people that are Calvinists only — not people that hofd univer
sal redemption only — O be careful of that — O what nonsense
is that, for people to hold universal redemption, and yet not
love all mankind — what nonsense is it to hold election, and
not as the elect of God, to put on bowels of mercy, kindness,
humbleness of 'mind, meekness, and long suffering ; as the
woman said, I have a house that will hold a hundred, a heart
ten thousand. Has he wrought in thee a love to thy enemies,
so that thou dost not only love them that love thee, but them
that hate thee? What say you ? Must I put a snake in my
bosom ? No, no. I may hate the conduct, and at the same
time pray to God for them. Enmity is an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth. Love as Archbishop Cranmer did, that it
became a proverb concerning him, that if any man would
make him his friend, he must do him an injury. Has he
wrought in thee a desire to go to heaven ? Has he wrought
in thee such a love to Jesus, that you prefer him to the heaven
he dwells in ? We count heaven a fine place, and we may
say, I am glad to see the departed saints and angels, but that

580 SELF INQUIRY CONCERNING- [SertH. 24.
will be nothing unless I see the Lamb in the midst of the
throne. Has God wrought in thee a desire to promote his
glory, to be upon the stretch for God, to deny thyself, to take
up the cross daily and follow him ; if God has wrought this in
thee, and I verily believe from my soul he has wrought it in
some degree in many of you, O you may well say, what has
God wrought ! especially if you consider the manner, and the
time in which he wrought it ; if you consider the instruments
he made use of, when, and by which he wrought it ; and if
you consider the inestimable price that was paid for it, and the
Spirit taking possession of your hearts. One part of our
entertainment in heaven will be, to count the steps of the lad
der, by which God brought us there ; one will say, God
wrought it in me when I was young ; another, when I had
gray hairs. Mary Magdalen will say, God wrought it in me
when I was a sinner : the expiring criminal will say, God
wrought it in me just as I was turned off, — I was a brand pluck
ed out of the burning. The anthem, as good Mr. Erskine
observes, will be in heaven, what has God wrought ! Curi
osity led me to hear the preacher, and God touched my heart ;
there was a young fellow called emphatically wicked Will of
Plymouth, who came, as he said, to pick a hole in the preach
er's coat, and the Holy Ghost picked a hole in his heart. What
has God wrought, to work it in you, and not in your father ;
you, and not your children ; work it in you, and not a fellow-
servant ; work it in one brother and not in another; all these
things will make us cry, what has God wrought ! Well, I do
not want you to rest in this, by no means ; I do not like to hear
people talk and speak against inward frames and inward
works, nor do I like to hear people legal ; let every thing have
its proper place. It is about thirty-three years ago, or very
near, when a man came to me, after I had preached upon
marks and evidences, at Whitechapel, I think it was, and said,
lam come to tell you, that I do not choose any marks at all;
then, said I, you must be content with the marks of the devil,
for you must have the one or the other.
Now, my brethren, if God has wrought this in us, what
shall I say ? Why, I pray the Lord Jesus Christ that your life
and mine may be a life of praise. I would have you not only
dwell upon particular words of God set home upon your
hearts, but his various providences, the numerous trials he has
brought you through. O think how often you have been
kept, think how often you would have run away from God if
he had not stopped you ; what has God wrought, by delivering
me from blasphemous thoughts ; what has God wrought, in
snatching me out of the jaws of ruin ; even after conversion,

Serm. 24.] the work of god. 581
when I was damning my own soul, his grace arrested me.
Have we brought ourselves into trials, how has he made these
very trials work for good ; made our scolding husbands and
wives, persecuting fathers, friends and relations, that you have
thought would devour you, made the bulls of Bashan instru
ments of bringing you nearer to God; and eternity will be too
short to cry perpetually, what hath God wrought !
And if God hath not wrought this in any of you that are
here, which perhaps may be the case, though I cannot think
what should bring any body here if they had not a desire of
the salvation of their souls ; if God hath not wrought it in you
yet, O that this may be the time ; O that God may give us
some parting blessing ; that some poor creatures that have
nothing but. the devil's work in them, yet, may now seek after
the blessed work of the Holy Ghost, if we may ask what
God has wrought, let me ask you what the devil hath wrought
in you. 0 thou unconverted soul, sin has made thee a beast,
made thy body, which ought to be the temple of the living
God, a cage of every unclean bird ; what hath Satan wrought
in thee ? but made thee a nest of vile stinking swine ; and
what will he give thee ? Hell, hell, hell. The wages the
devil gives, no man can live by ; the wages of sin is death :
and here I come to bring you good news, glad tidings of great
joy. O that God may now counter-work the devil, and take
thee into his own workmanship, create thee anew in Christ
Jesus, give thee to feel a little of his Spirit's work on thy heart,
and make thee, a child of the devil, a child of God ! Say not,
it cannot be ; say not, it shall not be ; say not, it is too late ;
say not, it is for others but not for me ; my brethren, God help
you to cry, and to try to-night, if thou canst turn the text into
a prayer, Lord God, I have felt the devil work in me, now, good
God, let me know what it is for thee to work in me ; make me
a new creature, create a new spirit within me, that I may
join with thy dear people in singing, what hath God wrought !
O remember, if this is not the case with you, you must have a
dreadful different ditty in hell ; the note there will be, what
hath the devil wrought ! what hath he wrought ! how am I
come to this place of torment! I sold my birth-right for a
mess of pottage ! Heaven or hell is set before you to-night ;
Jesus grant, that the terrors of the Lord may awaken you to
night, and that you may not rest till you have comfort and
support from God.
You that have this work begun in you, look still for better
things to come, even after death, when our bodies are made
like Christ's glorious body, and our souls filled with the full
ness of God, we shall then cry, Churchmen and Dissenters,
49*

582 neglect of christ [Serm. 25.
Methodists and Foundry-men, and the Lock too, we shall all
then join without any bickerings, saying, what has God
wrought !
I could enlarge, but I am afraid I have been too long al
ready ; yet, as I think the providence of God calls me, and I
shall give a particular account ofmy call to-morrow evening
at the other end ofthe town, I' think if I should keep you a
few minutes longer, it might be excused. I begin to feel al
ready it must be executed in a few days ; I feel already that I
shall soon part from you, and O that God may awaken many
of your poor unawakened souls : my heart bleeds for you : 0
may the oil of the blessed Spirit soften every hard unconverted
heart, that we may go away praising and blessing God that
we shall at last meet, whether we go by land or by water,
before the throne, where we shall ascribe glory and honor, and
power, to him for ever more. Amen.

SERMON XXV.

NEGLECT OF CHRIST THE KILLING SIN.

John v. 40.
And ye will not come to me that ye may have life.
The great apostle of the Gentiles, after he had set before
the Hebrews, the great cloud of witnesses of Old Testament
believers, exhorts them to look higher, even to Jesus the com
mon Savior, and that not transiently, but earnestly and con
stantly, in bis mediatorial character of humiliation, as endur
ing unheard of, unparalleled contradiction of sinners against
himself; lest, says he, ye be weary, and faint in your minds.
If we had not such an example set before us, and brought to
us by the Holy Ghost in a suffering hour, we should never
hold out to the end. This was not the contradiction of the
openly profane and scandalous, those that were without, so
much as from those that were within the pale of the church,
even those to whom were committed the lively oracles of God,
who had not only the very Bible in their own" hands, but were
set apart to explain it to others. That the words of our text
were spoken to them, appears from the preceding verse, in
which he bids them search the scriptures ; as a person digs

Serm. 25.] the killing sin. 583
for a mine, or searches for some hidden treasure. The word
Bible, or book, which I have in my hand, is well applied to the
holy scriptures, because it is the book of God, written by him,
that is, by his order, and by those who were inspired by him
for that end ; and yet, of all writings in the world, these are
most neglected ! God has condescended to become an author,
and yet people will not read his writings. There are very few
that ever gave this book of God, the grand charter of salva
tion, one fair reading through : though we profess to have
assented to the truth of scripture, as our Lord said, in them we
think we have eternal life, yet most read them as they would
a proclamation, a romance, a play, or novels, that help only to
bring them to the devil, but choose not to read God's book
which is to be our guide to glory ; they are they, says Christ,
which testify of me. Lord God- convert and change our heart.
However, this was spoken in reference to the Old Testa
ment, and certainly shows us that Christ is the treasure hid in
that field ; yet as there are equal proofs of the divinity of the
New Testament, the word Holy Scriptures include both, espe
cially as Christ is the antitype of all the types, the Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end of all divine revelation :
would to God he was your Alpha and Omega too ! Now, saith
Christ, you pretend to reverence the scriptures ; you that are
set apart as persons learned in the scriptures, ye scribes, ye
lawyers, such as were mentioned in the gospel to-day. I
fancy some people think, that when we read of lawyers, in the-
scriptures, that we mean such lawyers as ours who deal only
in the civil and common law, but they were those that opened
and explained the law to the people ; these were the persons
who thought and professed, that in them they had eternal life,
that they testify of Christ the great Prophet that was promised
in the scriptures to come into the world : yet saith our divine
master, to these very professors, these masters in Israel, ye will
not come to me that ye may have life : though I am now prer
sent with you, though I am now come to explain the scrip
tures, and fulfill them, and now come to proclaim to you that
life, that eternal life, which the scriptures declare were to be
published and proclaimed by me, yet ye will not come unto rne
that ye may have life.
By eternal life we are to understand, all the blessings of a
converted state, particularly the pardon of sins, not only before
conversion but after. It is impossible but there should be sin
every day and every hour in every professing person. My
dear hearers, as I shall not have an opportunity for some time
to speak to you, I do not choose, especially when I am about
to take my leave of you, to speak any thing that is severe ; bu4

§84 NEGLECT OF CHRIST [Serm. 25.
I assure you, without attempting to offend, with a broken heart
I assure you, that this was the treatment Jesus Christ met with
of old, and God knows, this is the treatment Jesus Christ meets
with now ; ye will not come to me that ye may have eternal
life- If I am not mistaken, and I think I am not, the words sup
pose, that they and we are all dead in sin, for if we are not, I
do not know why we need come to have life ; and I mention
this, because for want of believing and knowing this, some
that pretend to know Christ and to preach him, forget to lay
the proper foundation, original sin ; and that there is no ability
or inclination in the heart of natural man, so much as to
do any thing spiritual ; he is stupid and dead. But if we have
eyes to see, if we have ears to hear, and if our hearts are not
waxed hard, doubtless it would appear as clear to us as the sun
shining in its meridian brightness, that man was dead till God
breathed into him the breath of life, and then he became a liv
ing soul. I know some people believe that the words mean
this, that God breathed into man, and he became a natural liv»
ing soul, like other animals, but then they do not consider
what a life God did breathe into the soul ; he breathed into it
the life of God, a spiritual life was breathed into the soul ; it is
expressed in the strongest, but at the same time in the most
concise terms that is possible ;¦ none but God, none but a man
inspired by God, could say so much in so few words ; it shows
great skill in men to say so much in a little ; what uninspired
man ever wrote as Moses did ? Now Moses when he penned
the scriptures said, God .made man after his own image, and
you know ten thousand volumes could not have said more
than that. How long do you think it was that man continued
in his original purity? I do not know that I ever yet heard,
that any one thought he continued in his blessed state so long
as from Saturday to Saturday. Mr. Boston, who, perhaps, is
one of the best writers that ever Scotland produced, says, that
there is an allusion in one of the Psalm's to man's sudden fall,
Man being born in honour continued not, i. e. but a night be
fore he fell. O much good may it do those that boast of their
free-will, that think they can stand by a power of their own,
when father Adam, who had no corruption, did not stand a
week, perhaps not two days ; and how can we pretend to
stand, let us have what grace we will, when that grace has so
much corruption to oppose it ? If Jesus Christ did not take
care to secure our standing, we should fall to our ruin. Adam
fell, and being our federal head, we fell in him. Why, says a
deist, and too many professors also, pray what business had
God Almighty to make our fall or our standing depend on

Sefm:25:J, the killing sin.- 585
another ? You will not object to this, you Church of England
men, will you ? Then why have you god-fathers and god
mothers to promise for you ? Why have we members of par
liament to be the heads of the people, and what the parliament
does, the people do ; you have constituted them your heads
and representatives, you must stand and fall by them ; so if
you are bound for a person you must stand and fall with him,
must not you ? I remember one of the ministers that preach
ed the morning exercises, when most, if not all the churches
in this city, were filled with gospel preachers, till on Bartholo
mew-day, near two thousand five hundred of them in the
whole were turned out, and the other ministers that did not
preach the gospel continued till the plague came, and then ran
away, and left the pulpits to those that were turned out, who
were willing to go into them, though they expected the plague
would seize them in preaching Christ there ; one of those mi
nisters says, suppose God had chose all that were to be created,
and to proceed from the loins of Adam, had been present, and
that he should have said to them, I have been seven days em
ployed in preparing the whole creation ; I have made a garden,
and will have one chose by you to dwell in it, as my vicegerent,
and your representative here below, here is Adam, the father of
you all, whom I have blessed with a partner, and that is bone of
his bone, and flesh of his flesh, a creature like himself ; all that
I desire of your head and representative is, that he abstains
from yonder tree, of every other tree in the garden he may
freely eat except that ; this I ordain as a test of his obedience, -
to see whether it is fulfilled, and you shall all stand or fall by
this ; who shall be the man ? Would they not all say, our first
parent to be sure. O there is not a single man but would
have chosen Adam to be their representative, they would
rather stand and fall by him than by any body else ; now pray
why should we quarrel with him for acting in the manner we
ourselves should have done, had we been in his situation?
God, saith the apostle, included all under sin. What is sin
but a breach, that, is, a transgression ofthe law ; the wages of
sin is death ; every transgression of the law incurs damnation.
Have we eaten of the forbidden fruit ? We must die, we are
legally dead; and there is not a little child in the world that
is not. It is enough to make the parents pray night and day
for their children ; there is not a child born but, to use the
words of our pwn church, brings in with it corruption, which
renders it liable to the wrath of God for ever. Then, say some,
it is true what I have heard say of you, that there are little
children in hell a span long. I never had such a thought in
my life ; I never "believed that any infants, black or whitej

586 neglect of christ [Serm. 25*'
were damned in hell. I think a poor child though it is bom
in a state of original sin, and I have often thought that is the
reason why little children are seized with such terrible dis
orders as often carry them out ef the world, with ten times
more agony than parents feel ; a great proof of man's ofle'nce.
We see a poor little infant soon after it is born,- in two or three
months taken with fits,- lie screaming and struggling, while
the distressed parents are breaking their hearts, and wishing,
though they love it, dearly, that God would take it out of its
pain. Is not this a strong proof that man is fallen from God?
else who can tell what God designs hereby : however, I verily
believe that by his grace he fits them for heaven. We have
broken God's la-w, and are liable to eternal condemnation ; we
are therefore legally dead5, every one of us without distinction ;
we are all upon a level, from the greatest king in the world,
who has it in his power to write death or life upon the poor
condemned malefactors ; bring him to the bar of God's holy
law, and it will tell him there, thou art the malefactor in the
sight of God, thou thyself, and thus God is glorified. It is not
greatness of station, nor external differences, that make a dif
ference in the internal state of the soul. A nobleman may
come with his star and garter to the king's bar, and be tried
by his peers at Westminster-hall, and may be attended from
the Tower by some of the king's officers, but whether a noble
man be tried at Westminster-hall, or a criminal in rags at the
Old Bailey, the law must be executed upon both. This is our
state towards God ; we have lived in trespasses and sins ; are
legally dead now ; is that all ? Dr. Taylor, of Norwich, says,
that all the loss we have had by the fall is, that our misery is
temporary. Alas ! alas ! when Arminians talk of the fall, you
will find very fewof them have courage enough to stab thenv
selves. Conscience makes them cowards ; they have lost all
by Adam's fall.- What death have we suffered, not only le
gally, but spiritually dead ; what do I mean by that ? Why,
that we are deprived of that life of God in which we origi
nally stood. Have you ever seen any body die ? I have.
Have you ever seen one of your friends die ? Have you ever
stole into the room, and looked but once at the dear object of
your love, the partner of your life ? But wait till the next
day, and especially in the summer season, and see how
changed ! The last object I saw, put me in mind of the fall I
saw nature in. O what a change ! the glory is departed !
But besides this legal death, there is a spiritual death, and
the consequence of that is eternal death ; if I die in that state
I must die for ever ; that is, I must be a creature living eter
nally banished from God : if I be annihilated when I die,

•Serm. 25.] the killing six. 58?
then, indeed, temporal death is all ; but it is not so, I am to
live in another world ; the wisest man upon earth tells us
that there is a future state ; and therefore by legal and spiritual
death, I am liable to death eternal. I have the longer insisted
on tliis because it is impossible to know, or to value that life
that Jesus Christ came into the world to impart to us and pro
cure for us, without considering the nature of the death he
delivers us from.
Now let us' attend to what our Lord says: — Ye will not
come to rne that ye may have Ufe. In the tenth chapter he
says, / am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly. Now what life is that ? To
be sure, the life which a malefactor wants, who is tried by a
jury; why, he wants to have the chain taken off; what do
you and I want ? for we may want to eternity if we plead
oar innocence ; there is not one of us but must plead guilty
before God ; well, what must I do ? Why, if ever I have life,
I must be acquitted ; something must pronounce me not
guilty; my conscience says, guilty; why, then Jesus Christ
came that we might have a legal life, .that we might be ac
quitted from all that condemnation which we are under by
our breaking his law ; so far the remedy answers to the dis
ease ; but the remedy would not be extensive enough if that
was all ; therefore, it was an excellent, answer a poor woman
-made at the Old Bailey, which I heard twenty years ago : she
was brought sick to the bar to receive a pardon ; the jpdge
said, Woman, his majesty has given you a pardon. My lord,
says she, I thank his majesty for a pardon, and you for pro
nouncing it, but that is not all I want ; what my poor soul
wants is, a pardon from Jesus Christ ; what, signifies a pardon
from a judge, if I have a disease in mc that will kill me ?
whether I am pardoned or not, I must have my disease cured,
that the pardon may do me good. I thought it a strange plea
of a man, a captain of a ship, that I heard tried some years
ago for. throwing a poor negro overboard ; he asked the
surgeon, do you think that the child will die ? Sir, said he, it
will not live above an hour ; then, says he, you may let it
down now. O, says the judge, you have murdered the child.
I must have a pardon from my God, or I am damned ; and if
I have lost the' divine image, which was the original dignity
of man, I shall never get to glory without the restoration of
that image. I have lost by my sin. Spiritual life in the
heart, is that which comes from Jesus Christ, and this is the
life of God in the soul of man ; it is not a metaphorical but a
real thing, a resurrection to life by the power of Christ, who is
the resurrection and the life, so there is a connection between

588 -neglect of christ [Serm. 25.
a legal and a spiritual life ; the type and antitype answers as
face answers to face in water : thus -as all in Adam have died,
so all in Jesus Christ, the second Adam, are made alive. We
are apt to think that such a one, and such a one, were sound
christians and are gone to heaven, but there is a great deal of
false charity in the world ; without this life we are all undone.
Now, my brethren, if this is the case, how must I have my
life in glory ! How must a dead creature be a christian ? How
must a sinner that is spiritually dead have divine life ? and
how must a creature, every moment liable to death eternal, be
made eternally alive ? Can any body answer that question ?
Will reason tell me ? No ; will philosophy help me ? No ; for
if the world by wisdom knew not God, surely, the world by
wisdom knows not how to turn to God ; therefore, you will
find the greatest scholars the greatest fools, proudest deists,
and most scornful atheists ; for knowledge puffeth up ; and if
bare knowledge makes a christian, the devil must be very good,
he is the most knowing, and yet the most wicked. The only
way to get this life restored is, to come to Jesus Christ ; ye
will not come unto me, saith our text, that ye may have life ;
implying, that without coming to him they cannot have life :
there is no other name given under heaven whereby we can
be saved, but that of Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth,
and the life. I am the resurrection and the life, saith the
Lord. In order to have this life, we must come to Christ for
it. I hope you do not think coming to Christ, means coming
to see his person ; that can never be ; for our Lord talks of
coming to him when he himself was the preacher, and they
were all about him; though so many round him, yet there
was but one that touched him. A great many people say, if
Christ was here, how would I caress him ! I would let him
in ! when, perhaps, at the same time, turn out one of his
members. Would you like to see Jesus Christ with a parcel
of boys and girls running before him, a parcel of poor fisher
men with him, and Mary Magdalen, -with a mob of poor people
and publicans following him ? We have the same spirit the
people had then ; we should hoot at him and despise him, as
the pharisees did. A great many people think coming to
Christ is to come to the sacrament ; you know very well Hove
that privilege ; and one of the greatest afflictions I have is,
that my health will not permit me to attend all the ordinances ;
but thousands come to -ordinances that have no view of the
God of ordinances in them ; therefore you -will -find, that in
all our public places it' is as much the fashion to go to public
worship about eleven o'clock, as any where else; • They are
not up time enough -to -their matins; they go and . say, we

¦''Serm. 25.] the tolling sin. 589
^thank God, who has brought, us to the beginning of this day,
and that when perhaps the clock strikes twelve, and they just
up ; thus people go to church as to a play, to see and be seen,
and as soon as they go out of church, they ask where they are
to go next, and what party ? Thousands go to church, or
to meeting, and sacrament, and do not come to Christ, come
and like this preaching ; and numbers who are called fools for
following us, eat the fragments that are left, that hear preachi
ng, eat fhe fish and the loaves, and are only feasting upon
shadows, and not upon Christ : this would make us extremely
careful to examine whether we ever came to Christ or no. A
great moral preacher says of our preaching, when all their
; stock is out, then they cry come, come, come, and that is the
' burden of their song, say they ; and I hope that will be the
¦ burden of our song till Christ says, Come ye blessed of my
Father. What would you have us say ? 0, say you, bid a
man do and live, so we will ; and in the same sense Christ in
the gospel says, thou art dead ; what shall I do, says the man,
to inherit eternal life ? Thou knowest our Lord said to him,
keep the law. Our Lord always spoke to the people in their
own language ; that is, thou shalt love the Lord.thy God with
all thy heart ; he began with morality at the right place .; we
begin at the fifth commandment. The great morality, says
Dr. Young, is beginning with the love of God. Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself : thou hast answered right, says
he, do this, and thou shalt live. Whoever loves the Lord
God as he ought to do, with all his soul and strength, shall
certainly live ; but our Lord takes pains to convince him of
his ignorance and folly ; says he, who is my neighbor 7 As
to the love of God, he had no thought of that Thus we de
ceive our own souls, till Jesus Christ opens our eyes. What
must we come to Christ for ? To be acquitted ; come to his
blood to be pardoned ; you must believe on him, not only with
a bare speculative belief, that the devil has, and all the damned
in hell, but to have his blood applied and brought home to the
sou,, we must come to him as the author and finisher of our
faith. Did not you just now say, I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the Lord and giver of life ; and the form of baptism is in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; it means, baptize
them into the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and
I remember about three or four and thirty years ago, a friend
mentioned that word in private conversation to me ; we trans
late it, we believe in God, said he ; we should translate it, we
believe it in God, for we never, do till God has put his faith in
us ; then we have in our souls a new life in Christ, then we
live a life of faith ; the life I now live is by faith in the Son
50

590 neglect ,of christ [Serm. '25,.
' #f God. Hive, yet not I, but CJirist liveth in me. In order
to this I must come to Jesus Christ, and believe on him for
life eternal, the earnest of which eternal hfe I must have in
my heart before I can be assured I do believe on him. O, my
dear hearers, do we think of this ; this is no new doctrine ; I
set out, blessed be£Jod, with -this doctrine. The second ser
mon I ever made, the second sermon I ever preached, was on
these words, He that is in Christ is a new creature : I was
then about twenty years and a half old. The next sermon I
preached was upon, Ye are justified ; the next sermon, Ye are
glorified ; which shows, that though I am near fifty-five years
old, yet, I thank my God, I am so far from changing my prin
ciples, which I am sure I was taught by God's word and
Spirit, that I am more and more confirmed, that if I was to
die this moment, I hope I should have strength and courage
given me to say, I am more convinced of the efficacy and the
power of those truths which I preached when I was twenty
years old, than when I first preached them.
Now, my dear hearers, what could enter into the heart of
any person in the world, to reject such a salvation as this ?
Can you think that when a king saith to a prisoner, let him go,
he will refuse it ? there are some persons that refuse Christ. I
remember when, by the bounty of the people here, we begged
for the poor, one man went to the turnpike and said, this is Dr.
Whitefield's bread and be damned. Human nature, what is
it without Christ, the bread of life ! we will not come to him
that we may have life, though we may have it for asking ; no,
not for life eternal, as a free gift: we will not come to Christ
and accept it at his hand ; we will not : it is not said, we shall
not, but we will not. Pray why will not people come to
Christ to have life ? Because they .do not think that they are
dead, and do not want it ; remember when you say, you are
rich and increased in goods, that you know not, saith Christ,
that ye are poor and miserable, and blind and naked. We
do not see ourselves fallen creatures, we do not kpow that. God
give thee to know and feel, that there is no name given under
heaven whereby we can be saved, but Jesus Christ. What,
sai'th one, must I have inward feeling? What would the po
lite world do without feeling ? Do you think they would go
to the play-house and places of public diversion without feel
ing ? If I can feel other things that do not concern religion,
how can I come to God till I feel a need of him. We do not
choose to come to Christ, because we do not choose to have
him as a free gift ; we do not like to come to him as poor and
needy. I remember I heard an excellent minister of Christ in
Scotland, one Mr. Wallis, of Dundee, preaching upon these

Serm. 25.] the killing sin. 591
words, Behold I stand at the door and knock, says he.
Christ comes knocking at the door to come into your houses,
but you will not come down to accept of his mercy. When
fhe prodigal said, I will arise and go to my father, and will
say unto him, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight,
and am no more worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one
of thy hired servants : now you think that it was very hum
ble in him, he who was a son of the head of the house, to be
wilting to be a servant. 'Tis true he says, I will go to my
father's house, but at the same time, he says, I will work for
my living, he shall not maintain me for nothing ; but when he
comes to his father, he is quite brought down ; he says, I have
sinned against heaven and in thy sight ; the joyful father
clasps him in his withered arms, and takes the poor ragged
wanderer home. The lawyers and other Jews thought "they
were righteous, and therefore they would not come to Jesus
Christ. Our Lord spoke of the pharisees, who trusted in them
selves that they were righteous, and would not come to him
that they might have life ; and if we trust in ourselves, neither
shall we. Our Lord says, I receive not honor from men. How
can you come to him, that receive honor one of another 7 Ho
nor to whom honor is due. To such as are in power, whether
in church or state, respect is due to their outward situation. I
am for no leveling principles at all ; but, my brethren, at the
same time, there is a fault, that we love to be applauded. There
is no going to heaven, saith Mr. Gurnal, without wearing a
fool's cap and a fool's coat, and there is no going to heaven
without being accounted fools : you see many professors follow
the world, they have not courage enough to live in holy non
conformity to the world ; and many people are frightened from
Christ, because they would not. be counted Methodists ; the fear
of men has damned thousands. You will not come to him,
because you cannot trust God, and then we love the world
more than Christ. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. If I had the management of the peo
ple, their shops would be open three or four hours before they
are now. I do not want to hinder men's business ; those that
have most money and most power if they acted as they ought
to do, woufd be the greatest slaves to their fellow creatures.
When I talk of loving the world, I mean an inordinate love.
I may live in the world and not live upon it ; my heart may
be towards God ; the love of the world is to be renounced,
and therefore they will not come to Jesus Christ they think till
they are going out of the world. If you are one of those who
hate Christ, why you are the man that will not come to him.
Why, say you, does any body hate Christ ? Pray hold your

592 neglect of Christ [Serm. 25^
tongue, for fear of discovering your ignorance! O, say you,
God forbid I should hate him. But, my dear soul, learn from
this time forward, that every one of us by nature hates Jesus
Christ : we sent this message to him ; we will not have this
man to reign over us, we hate him because he is despised ; we
hate him because of the appearance of the people that are his
followers ; we hate him because of the narrowness of the way
we are to pass into him, because we must pant with our lusts ;
we hate him because we must be non-conformists-: I hate that
rag of the whore of Babylon, O that form of prayer, O all that
stuff, I thank God I was born a dissenter, I love to be a puri
tan, I do not love rites and ceremonies, no not in the church,
and yet, perhaps, are more conformed to the world than num
bers of the church, and have nothing but rites and ceremonies
about their houses and families. What do we more than
others ? A churchman should prove himself a churchman,
by having his articles, and keeping up the practice of religion;
and a dissenter should prove himself one, not by dissenting
from the church, but from the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the
eye, and the pride of life, and then we shall agree very well
together, though one went to a place called a church, and an
other to a place called a meeting. Would to God every soul
now present would put this question to himself, am I come to
Christ, or am I not? There is a great number of persons
here ; you have heard of Providence calling me abroad ; no
doubt curiosity brings many of you here, to hear what the poor
babbler says. I tell you what I will say to you, that without
you have an interest in the Son of God, you must be damned.
Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith ; whether
your religion reaches any further than the church door ; whe
ther you are- the inward court worshipers : conscience, con
science, conscience, thou faithful monitor, God help thee to
give a proper verdict. When I had the honor of opening Lady
Huntingdon's chapel, as I turned about, I observed over my
head were these words, Earth, earth, earth, hear the word
of the Lord; O that every earthly soul may hear God's word
this day. Do not be angry with me ; I am now upon the de
cline of life, going toward threescore ; surely now I may claim
leave to speak to you freely : after next Sunday, perhaps, you
may never hear me any more, though I do not intend to live
abroad, but return if it please God, in a proper time ; but long
before that thou mayst be in hell or heaven. As the Lord
lives, in whose name I speak, if you will not come to Christ to
have life, you must come to his bar to hear him pronounce you
damned to all eternity. If you come to him that you may
have life, Come, ye blessed, will be the sentence there, but if

Serm. 25.] the killing sin. 593
you refuse now, Depart, ye cursed, will be your sentence then
from the Lord, for in a little while he that shall come will
come, and will not tarry. Hark ! hark ! don't you hear him,
don't you hear him, don't you hear him yonder ? Hark ! me
thinks I hear him, what does he say ? See yonder, don't you
see, good people, that yonder sun is darkened, and the moon
turned into btood ? O, who can abide the day of his coming 7
0, to think of his coming, may the sinner say, when I know
his coming is only to damn my soul ! How do the murderers
dread the assizes, but pardoned sinners, pardoned criminals,
are glad when they hear the high sheriff coming : O, say they,
I long to go to the bar, because I am going there only to plead the
king's pardon. Happy, happy, happy you, that have come to
this Jesus Christ, that you might have life, that you might
walk becoming him in your life and conversation. O. Christ
will come, and come to you as his children ; but God grant
this life may be displayed in you and me more and more ! If
we are helped to know that Christ came that we might have
life, and might have it more abundantly, O, pray that others
may come ; bring your children to Christ. I was pleased one
day after I had been preaching on Moses lifting up the ser
pent in the wilderness, I think it was in New England, I was
taken up into a room to repose myself ; there was a mantle-
piece, representing the children brought in the arms of their
parents to look at the brazen serpent. O may God help you
to bring your children and your relations to view Christ. O
Lord help my mother, my father, my child, my servant, to
come to Jesus Christ, that they may have life. The Lord
help you to come, come young people. O I was charmed this
morning, and every morning I give the sacrament, to see so
many young men there crowding to the table ; may the Spirit
of God keep you near to Jesus Christ ; and you young women,
may God draw you nearer unto Christ. I remember when God
touched my heart, and sent me down to see my friends in the
country, I prayed God to bless me to those to whom I was
called to dance and to play at cards, and, blessed be God, he
blessed me to them all before I was twenty years of age, and
after that he sent me to a prison, and I there preached to a
murderer, and some others, and, blessed be God, they came to
Jesus Christ, and one of them went off most triumphantly. A
poor creature, fourscore years of age, who has made it a prac
tice to go and read to poor people, and to the prisoners, said,
" Sir, I begun late, but by the help of God, I now work the
harder for Jesus Christ." May he incline you to come, O
young women and young men. There was a good woman
who died some time agos whose last word I think was, I now
50*

594 the good shepherd. [Serm. 26.
go to my God. Will you come and go too, you old gray-headed
sinners, that have one foot in the grave ? God help you to go ;
God remove every obstacle ; God grant that every mountain
may be brought low, and a highway made into your hearts for
Jesus Christ. Do not be angry with me ; in a week or two I
shall be tossing on the ocean, while you are hearing God's
word here ; while I am amidst storms and tempests, you will
be upon the earth. Paul could stand the whipping, but it is
not a whipping, but weeping, that breaks my heart ; my great
est trial is, what if this sermon should help to sink these peo
ple deeper in the pit, that makes my blood run cold. O that
my sermon may never rise in judgment against you, my poor
dear souls. I believe you find it hard when any of you are
forced to be witnesses against your own children, your own
friends ; and whoever deals with the word with disinterested
spirit, must do it ; the only way to prevent it is, to come to
Christ ; and if you cannot come, if you are sensible of it, God
be praised; he will come to you if you cannot come to Christ;
he will come and make, you willing in the day of his power ;
that this may be the happy case, God grant to us, all, for his
name's sake. Amen.

SERMON XXVL

THE GOOD SHEPHERD. — A FAREWELL SERMON.

John x. 27, 28.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : And
I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any pluck them out of my hand.
It is a common, and, I believe, generally speaking, my dear
hearers, a true saying, that bad manners beget good laws.
Whether this will hold good in every particular, in respect to
the affairs of this world, I am persuaded the observation is
very pertinent in respect to the things of another ; I mean bad
manners, bad treatment, bad words, have been overruled by
the sovereign grace of God, to produce and to be the cause of
the best sermons that were ever delivered from the mouth of
the God-man, Christ Jesus.
One would have imagined, that as he came clothed with

Serm. 26.] the good shepherd. 593
divine efficiency, as he came with divine credentials, as he
spake as never man spake, that no one would have been able
to have resisted the wisdom with which he spake ; one would
imagine they would have been so struck with the demonstra
tion of the Spirit, that with one consent they would all own,
that he was " that prophet that was to be raised up like unto
Moses." But you seldom find our Lord preaching a sermon,
but something or other that he said was caviled at ; nay, their
enmity frequently broke through all good manners ; they often,
therefore, interrupted him whilst he was preaching, which
shows the enmity of their hearts, long before God permitted it
to be in their power to shed his innocent blood. If we look
no further than this chapter, where he represents himself as a
good shepherd, one that laid down his life for his sheep ; we
see the best return he had) was to be looked upon as possessed
or distracted ; for we are told that there was a division there
fore again among the Jews for these sayings, and many of
them said, he hath a devil and is mad, why hear ye hiin 7 If
the master of the house was served so, pray what are the ser
vants to expect ? Others, a little more sober-minded, said, these
are not the woids of him that hath a devil ; the devil never
used to preach or act in this way. Can a devil open the eyes
of the blind 7 So he had some friends among this rabble.
This did not discourage our Lord ; he goes on in his work ; and
we shall never, never go on with the work of God, till, like our
master, we are willing to go through good and through evil
report : and let the devil see we are not so complaisant as to
stop one moment for his barking at us as we go along.
We are told, that our Lord was at Jerusalem- at the feast of
the dedication, and it was winter. The feast of dedication
held, I think, seven or eight days, for the commemoration of
the restoration of the temple and altar, after its profanation by
Antiochus. Now this was certainly a mere human institution,
and had no divine image, no divine superscription upon it ; and
yet I do not find that our blessed Lord and master preached
against it ; I do not find that he spent his time about this : his
heart was too big with superior things ; and I believe when we*
like him are filled with the Holy Ghost, we shall not entertain
our audiences with disputes about rites and ceremonies, but
shall treat upon the essentials of the gospel, and then rites and
' ceremonies will appear with more indifference. Our Lord does
not say, that he would not go up to the feast, for on the con
trary, he did go there, not so much to keep the feast, as to have
an opportunity to spread the gospel-net, and that should be
our method, not to follow disputing ; and it is the glory of the
Methodists, "that we have been in existence forty years, and 5

596 the good shepherd. [Serm. 26,
thank God, there has not been one single pamphlet written by
any of our preachers about the non-essentials of religion.
Our Lord always made the best of every opportunity ; and
we are told, " he walked in the temple in Solomon's porch."
One would have thought the scribes and pharisees would have
put him in one of their stalls, and have complimented him
with desiring him to preach. No, they let him walk in Solo
mon's porch ; some think he walked by himself, nobody choos
ing to keep company with him. Methinks, I see him walking
and looking at the temple, and foreseeing within himself how
soon it would be destroyed ; he walked pensive to see the dread
ful calamities that would come upon the land, for not knowing
the day of its visitation ; and it was to let the world see that
he was not afraid to appear in public ; he walked, as much as
to say, have any of you any thing to say to me ? And he put
himself in their way, that if they had any thing to ask him,
he was ready to resolve them ; and show them that though
they had treated him so ill, yet he was ready to preach salva
tion to them.
In the twenty-fourth verse we are told, " Then came the
Jews round about him, and said unto him, how long dost thou
make us to doubt ?" They came round about him when they
saw him walking in Solomon's porch. Now, say they, we will
have him, now we will attack him. And now was fulfilled
that passage in the Psalms, "they compassed me about like bees"
to sting me, or rather like wasps. Now, saj they, we will get
him in the middle of us, and see what sort of a man he is ; we
will see whether we cannot concmer him ; they came to him
and they say, " how long dost thou make us to doubt ?" Now
this seems a plausible question : how long dost thou make us
to doubt 7 Pray how long, sir, do you intend to keep us in
suspense ? Some think the words will bear this interpretation ;
pray, sir, how long do yon intend thus to steal away our hearts ?
They would represent him to be a designing man, like Absa
lom, to get the people on his side, and then set up himself for
the Messiah ; thus carnal minds always interpret good men's
actions. But the meaning seems to be this, they were doubt
ing concerning Christ ; doubting christians may think it is
God's fault that they doubt, but God knows it is all their own.
" How long dost thou make us to doubt ?" I wish you would
speak a little plainer, sir, and not let us have any more of your
parables : pray let us know who you are, let us have it from
your own mouth ; if thou be the Christ, tell us plainly ; and I
do not doubt but they put on a very sanctified face and looked
very demure ; if thou be the Christ tell us plainly, intending
to catch him ; if he does not say he is the Christ, we will say

Serm. 26.] the good shepherd. 597
he is ashamed of his own cause ; if he does tell us plainly that
he is the Christ, then we will impeach him to the governor ;
we will go and tell the governor that this man says" he is the
Messiah ; now we know of no Messiah but what is to jostle
Caesar out of his throne. The devil always wants to make
it believed that God's people (who are the most loyal people in
the world,) are rebels to the government under which they live ;
if thou be the Christ tell us plainly. Our Lord does not let
them wait long for an answer ; honesty can soon speak : " I
told you and ye believed not : the works that I do in my Fa
ther's name, they bear witness of me." Had our Lord said, I
am the Messiah, they would have taken him up ; he knew that,
and therefore he joined the wisdom of the serpent, with the
innocence of the dove : says he, I appeal to my works and doc
trine, and if you will not infer from them that I am the Mes
siah, I have no further argument. " But, (he adds,) ye believe
not, because ye are not of my sheep." He complains twice :
for their unbelief was the greatest grief of heart to Christ ;
then he goes on in the words of our text, My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give
unto them, eternal life, and they shall never perish ; neither
shall any pluck them out of my hand. My sheep hear my
voice ; you think to puzzle, you think to chagrin me with this kind
of conduct, but" you are mistaken ; you do not believe on me,
because you are not of my sheep. The great Mr. Stodart of
New England, (and no place under heaven produces greater
divines than New England,) preached once from these words,
but ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep ; a very
strange text to preach upon to convince a congregation, yet
God so blessed it, that two or three hundred souls were awa
kened by that sermon. God grant such success to attend the
labors of all his faithful ministers.
My sheep hear m,y voice and they follow me. It is very
remarkable, there are but two sorts of people mentioned in
scripture ; it does not say the Baptists and Independents, nor
the Methodists and Presbyterians ; no, Jesus Christ divides
the whole world into but two classes, sheep and goats. The
Lord give us to see this morning to which of these classes we
belong. But it is observable, believers are always compared to some
thing that is good and profitable, and unbelievers are always
described by "something that is bad, and good for little or
nothing. If you ask me why Christ's people are called sheep, as God
shall enable me, I will give you a short, and I hope it will be
to you an answer of peace. Sheep, you know, generally love

598 the good shepherd. [Serm. 2&-
to be together ; we say a flock of sheep ; we do not say a herd
of sheep ; sheep are little creatures, and Christ's people may be-
called sheep, because they are little in the eyes of the world,
and they are yet less in their own eyes. O some people think
if the great men were on our side, if we had king, lords, and
commons on our side — I mean if they were all true believers
— O if we had all the kings upon the earth on our side ! Sup
pose you had? Alas ! alas ! do you think the church would
go on the better ? Why, if it was fashionable to be a Metho
dist at courts — if it was fashionable to be a Methodist abroad,
they would go with a Bible or a hymn book instead of a novel ;
but religion never thrives under too much sunshine. " Not
many mighty, net many noble are called, but God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the
things which are mighty." Dr. Watts says, here and there I
see a king, and here and there a great man in heaven, but their
number is but small.
Sheep are looked upon to be the most harmless and quiet
creatures that God has made. O may God of his infinite
mercy, give us to know that we are his sheep, by our having
this blessed temper infused into our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
Learn of me, saith our blessed Lord ; what to do, to work-
miracles ? No. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart. A very good man, now living, said once, if there is
any one particular temper I desire more than another, it is the
grace of meekness, quietly to bear bad treatment, to forget and
forgive ; and at the same time that I am sensible I am injured,
not to be overcome of evil, but to have grace given me to over
come evil with good. .To the honor of Moses it is declared,
that he was the meekest man upon earth. Meekness is neces
sary for people in power ; a man that is passionate is danger
ous ; every governor should have a warm temper, but a man
of an unrelenting, unforgiving temper, is no more fit foir go
vernment than Phaeton to drive the chariot of the sun ; he only
sets the world on fire.
You all know, that sheep of all creatures in the world, are
the most apt to stray and be lost. Christ's people may justly,
in that respect, be compared to sheep ; therefore, in the intro
duction to our morning service, we say, We have erred and
strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. Turn out a horse or
a dog, and they will find the way home, but a sheep wanders
about ; he bleats here and there ; as much as to say, dear
stranger, show me my home again. Thus Christ's sheep are
too apt to wander from the fold ; having their eye off th*
great shepherd, they go into this field, and that field, over this

:Serm. 26.] the good shepherd. 599
hedge and that, and often return home with the loss of their
wool. But at the same time, sheep are the most useful creatures
in the world ; they manure the land, and thereby prepare it
for the seed ; they clothe our bodies with wool, and there is
not the least part of a sheep but is useful to man. O my
brethren, God grant that you and I may, in this respect an
swer the character of sheep. The world says, because we
preach faith we deny good works ; this is the usual objection
against the doctrine of imputed righteousness, but it is slan
der, an imputed slander. It was a maxim in the time of the
.first reformers, that though the Arminians preached up good
works, yon must, go to the Calvinists for them. Christ's sheep
study to be useful, and to clothe all they can : we should la
bor with our hands, that we may have to give to all those that
need. Believers consider Christ's property in them : he says, my
sheep. 0 blessed be God for that little, dear, great word my.
We are his by eternal election : the sheep which thou hast
given me, says Christ. They were given by God the Father
to Christ Jesus, in the covenant made between the Father and
the Son from all eternity. They that are not led to see this,
I wish them better heads ; though I believe numbers that are
against it have better hearts ; the Lord help us to bear with
one another where there is an honest heart.
He calls them my sheep ; they are his by purchase. O sin
ner, sinner, you have come this morning to hear a poor crea
ture take his last farewell ; but I want you to forget the crea
ture that is preaching ; I want to lead you farther than the
Tabernacle. Where do you want to lead us? Why, to
Mount Calvary, there to see at what expense of blood Christ
purchased those whom he calls his own ; he redeemed them
with his own blood, so that they are not only his by eternal
.election, but also by actual redemption in time ; and they were
given to him by the Father, upon condition that he should re
deem them by his heart's blood. It was a bard bargain, but
Christ was willing to strike the bargain, that you and I might
not be damned for ever.
They are his, because they are enabled in a day of God's
power voluntarily to give themselves up unto him. Christ
says of these sheep especially, that they hear his voice, and
that they follow him. Will you be so good as to mind that?
Here is an allusion to a shepherd : in some places in scripture
the shepherd is represented as going after the sheep ; (2 Sam.
vii. 8.; Ps. lxxviii. 71.) that is our way in England ; but in the
•eastern nations the shepherds generally went before ; they

600, the good shepherd. [Serm. 26.
held up their crook, and they had a particular call that the
sheep understood. Now says Christ, My sheep hear my
voice. This is my beloved Son, saith God, hear ye him. And
again, the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, ana.
live. Now the question is, what do we understand by hear
ing Christ's voice ?
First, we hear Moses' voice ; we hear the voice of the law ;
there is no going to Mount Zion but by the way of Mount Si
nai ; that is the right straight road. I know some say they
do not know when they were converted : those are, I believe,
very few : generally, nay, I may say almost always, God deals
otherwise. Some are, indeed, called sooner by the Lord than
¦others, but before they are made to see the glory of God, they
must hear the voice of the law ; so you must hear the voice
of the law before you will ever be savingly called unto God.
You never throw off your cloak in a storm, but you hug it the
closer ; so the law makes a man hug close his corruptions,
(Rom. viii. 7 — 9,) but when the gospel of the Son of God
shines into their souls then they .throw off the corruptions
which they have hugged so closely : they hear his voice say
ing, Son, daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins, which are
many, are all forgiven thee. They hear his voice ; that be
speaks the habitual temper of their minds : the wicked hear
the voice of the devil, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the
eye, and the pride of life ; and Christ's sheep themselves at
tended to them before conversion ; but when called afterwards
by God, they hear the voice of a Redeemer's blood speaking
peace unto them — they hear -the voice of his word and of his
Spirit. The consequence of hearing his voice, and the -proof that
we do hear his voice, will be to follow him. Jesus said unto
his disciples, If any 'man will com-e after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross and follow me. And it is said
of the saints in glory, that they followed the Lamb whitherso
ever he went. Wherever the shepherd turns his crook, and
the sheep hear his voice, they follow him ; they often tread
one upon another, and hurt one another, they are in such
haste in their way to heaven. Following Christ, means fol
lowing him through life — following him in every word and
gesture — following him out of one clime into another. Bid
tne come to thee upon the water, said Peter : and if we are
commanded to go over the water for Christ, God, of his infi
nite mercy, follow us ! We must first be sure that the Great
Shepherd points his crook for us. But this is the character oi
a true servant of Christ, that he endeavors to follow Christ in
thought, word, and work.

Serm. 26.1 the good shepherd. 601
Now, my brethren, before we go farther, as this is the last
opportunity I shall have of speaking to you for some months
if we live ; (some of you I suppose, do not choose in general
to rise so soon as you have this morning ; now I hope the
world did not get into your hearts before you left your beds ;)
now you are here, do let me entreat you to inquire whether
you belong to Christ's sheep or no. Man, woman, sinner, put
thy hand to thy heart and answer me, didst thou ever hear
Christ's voice so as to follow him, to give up thyself without
reserve to him ? I verily do believe from my inmost soul,
and that is my comfort now I am about to take my leave of
you, that I am preaching to a vast body, a multitude of dear,
precious souls, who if it was proper for you to speak, would
¦say, thanks be unto God, that we can follow Jesus in the
character of sheep, though we are ashamed to think how
often we wander from thee, and what little fruit we bring unto
thee. If that is the language of your hearts, I wish you joy ;
welcome, welcome, dear soul, to Christ. O blessed be God
for his rich grace, his distinguishing, sovereign, electing love,
by which he has distinguished you and me. And if he has
been pleased to let you hear his voice, through the ministra
tion of a poor, miserable sinner ; a poor, but happy pilgrim,
may the Lord Jesus Christ have all the glory.
If you belong to Jesus Christ, he is speaking of you ; for,
says he, / know my sheep. I know them ; what does that
mean ? Why, he knows their number, he knows their names.,
he knows every one for whom he died ; and if there was to
be one missing for whom Christ died, God the Father would
send him down again from heaven to fetch him. " Of all,
(saith he,) that thou hast given me, have I lost none." Christ
knows his sheep ; he not only knows their number, but the
words speak the peculiar knowledge and notice he takes of
them ; he takes as much care of them, as if there was but one
single sheep in the world. To the hypocrite he saith, " Verily
Iknow you not ;" but he knows his saints, he is acquainted
with all their sorrows, trials, and temptations ; he bottles up
all their tears, he knows their inward corruptions, he knows
all their wanderings, and he takes care to fetch them back
again. I remember I heard good Dr. Marryant, who was a
good market-language preacher, once say at Pimier's-hall, (I
hope that pulpit will always be filled with such preachers,)
God has got a great dog to fetch his sheep back. Do not
you know that when the sheep wander, the shepherd sends
his dog after them to fetch them back again? So when
Christ's sheep wander, he lets the devil go after them, and
suffers him to bark at them, who, instead of driving them
61

602 the good shepherd. [Serm. 2j5,
farther off, is made a means to bring them back again to
Christ's fold.
There is a precious word I would have you take notice of,
i" know them ; that may comfort you under all your trials.
We spmetimes think that Christ does not hear our prayers,
that he does not know us ; we are ready to suspect that he
has forgotten to be gracious ; but what a mercy it is that he
does know us. We' accuse one another, we turn devils to one
another, are accusers of the brethren, and what will support
two of God's people when judged by one another, but this,
Lord, thou knowest my integrity, thou knowest how matters
are with me !
But, my brethren, here is something better, here is good
news for you ¦; what is that ? say you ; why, I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
pluck them out of my hand. O that the words may come to
your hearts with as much warmth and power as they did to
mine thirty-five years ago. I never prayed against any cor
ruption I had in my life, so much as I did against going into
holy orders, so soon as my friends were for having me go ;
and Bishop Benson was pleased to honor me with peculiar
friendship, so as to offer me preferment, or do any thing for me
My friends wanted me to mount the church betimes ; they
wanted me to knock my head against the pulpit too young ;
but how some young men stand up here and there and preach,
I do not know ; but. God knows how deep a concern entering
into the ministry and preaching was to me ; I have prayed a
thousand times till the sweat has dropped from my face like
rain, that God of his infinite mercy, would not let me enter
the church before he called me to, and thrust me forth in his
work. I remember once in Gloucester, (I know the room, I
look up at the window when I am there and walk along the
streets ; I know the window, the bedside, and the floor upon
which I have lain prostrate ;) I said, Lord, I cannot go, I shall
be puffed up with pride, and fall into the condemnation ofthe
devil ; Lord do not let me go yet ; I pleaded to be at Oxford two
or three years more ; I intended to make a hundred and fifty
sermons, and thought I would set up with a good stock in trade ;
but I remember praying, wrestling, and striving with God ; I
said I am undone, I am unfit to preach in thy great name,
send me not, pray, Lord, send me not yet. I wrote to all my
friends in town and country, to pray against the bishop's solici
tation, but they insisted I should go into orders before I was
twenty-two. After all their solicitation these words came into
my mind, nothing shall pluck you out ofmy hand. O may
the words be blessed to you my dear friends., that I am parting

Serm. 26.] the- good shepherd. 603
with, as they were to me when they came warm upon my
heart ; then, and not tiff then, I said, Lord, I will go, send me
when thou wilt. I remember when I was in a place called
Dover-Island, near Georgia, we put in with bad winds ; I had
a hundred and fifty in the family to maintain, and not a sin
gle farthing to do it with, in the dearest part of the king's
dominions ; I remember, I told a minister of Christ now in
heaven, I had these words once, sir, nothing shall pluck you
out ofmy hand. O, says he, take comfort from them, you may
be sure God will be as good as his word, if he never tells you
so again. And our Lord knew his poor sheep would be always
doubting they should never reach heaven, therefore, says he,
I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
Here are in our text three blessed declarations, and promises :
First. I know them.
Second. They shall never perish : though they often think
they shall perish by the hand of their lusts and corruptions ;
though they think they shall perish by the deceitfulness of their
hearts ; but Christ says, they shall never perish ; I have
brought, them out of the world to myself, and do you think I
will let them go to hell after that. I give to them eternal life ;
pray. mind that : not I will, but I do. Some talk of being jus
tified at the day of judgment ; that is nonsense ; if we are not
justified here, we shall not be justified there. He gives them
eternal life, that is, the earnest, the pledge, and assurance of
it ; the indwelling of the Spirit of God here, is the earnest of
glory hereafter.
Third. Neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. He
holds them in his hand, that is, he holds them by his power,
none shall pluck them thence ; there is always something
plucking at Christ's sheep, the devil, the lusts of the flesh, the
lusts of the eye, and the pride of life, all try to pluck them
out of Christ's hand. O my brethren, they need not pluck us,
for we help all three to pluck ourselves out of the hand of
Jesus ; but none shall pluck them out of my hand, says Christ,
I give to them eternal life. I am going to heaven to prepare
a place for them, and there they shall be. O my brethren, if it
was not for keeping you too long, and too much exhausting
my own spirits, I could call upon you to leap for joy ; there is
not a more blessed text to support the final perseverance of the
saints ; and I am astonished any poor soul, and good people I
hope too, can fight against the doctrine of the perseverance of
the saints. What if a person say they should persevere in
wickedness ? Ah ! that is an abuse of the doctrine ; what, be
cause some people spoil good food, are we never to eat it?
But, my brethren, upon this text I can leave my cares, all my

604 the good shepherd. [Serm. 26.
friends, all Christ's sheep to the protection of Christ Jesus's
never failing love.
I thought this morning, when I came here riding from the
other end of the town, it was to me like coming to be executed
publicly ; and when the carriage turned just at the end of the
walk, and I saw you running here, O thinks I, it is like a per
son now coming to the place where he is to be executed : when
I went up to put on my gown, I thought it was like dressing
myself to be made a public spectacle to shed my blood for
Christ ; and I take all heaven and earth to witness, and God
and the holy angels to witness, that though I had preferment
enough offered me, that though the bishop took me in his
arms, and offered me two parishes when I was but twenty-two
years old, and always took me to his table ; though I had pre
ferment enough offered me when I was ordained, thou, 0
God, knowest, that when the bishop put his hand upon my
head, I looked for no other preferment than publicly to suffer
for the Lamb of God : in this spirit I came out, in this spirit I
came up to this metropolis. I was thinking when I read of
Jacob's going over the brook with a staff, that I would not say
so much, but I came up without a friend ; I went to Oxford
without a friend ; I had not a servant ; I had not any one to
introduce me ; but God, by his Holy Spirit, was pleased to
raise me up to preach for his great name's sake : through his
Divine Spirit I continue to this day, and feel my affections are
as strong as ever towards the work, and the people of the liv
ing God. The congregations at both ends of the town are dear
to me. God has honored me to build this and the other place ;
and, blessed be his name, as he called me to Georgia at first,
and I left all London affairs to God's care, when I had most
of the churches in London open for me, and had twelve or
fourteen constables to keep the doors, that people might not
crowd too much ; I had offers of hundreds then to settle in
London, yet I gave it up for God, to go into a foreign clime ;
and I hope with that same single intention I am going now.
When I came from America last, I thought I had no other
river to pass over but the river Jordan ; I remember I told you
so ; and as the Orphan-house was then to be given, I thought,
out of my hands, I intended to retire into some little corner,
and pray when I could not preach, my spirits were so low, and
my nerves and animal frame so weak, but God, of his infinite
mercy, has renewed my strength, and is pleased to raise my
spirits, so that I find my heart is willing to go here or there,
wherever God shall call.
The Orphan-house being turned into a college is a matter
of great consequence. You that have not been in America

Serm. 26.] the good shepherd. 605
cannot tell, but I heartily wish, (I am neither a prophet, nor
the son of a prophet,) and I hope none of us will ever be driven
to America for an asylum, where God's people were driven from
this land a hundred years ago. Clouds are growing thick, and
if a spirit of moderation does not prevail among governors and
governed, what but confusion must happen to persons who
strive with one another, and are making sport for the devil, by
destroying one another ? May the great and gracious God avert
every impending storm ; and by diffusing a spirit of modera
tion and of a sound mind, and by keeping his people close to
himself, avert those storms, those terrible judgments, that we
have reason to expect from our repeated provocations. I am
going now to settle the Orphan-house upon a proper basis ; I
go now in the fall, that I may be in Georgia in the winter,
which is fine weather there. The twenty-fifth of March is the
anniversary of the day on which I laid the first brick of the
Orphan-house ; by that time 1 hope, all the buildings will be
finished, and the plantation settled; and then I hope to go
and preach along the continent to New England, and from
thence I intend, if God permit me, to return to my dear Lon
don and English friends again.
I have blessed news from the Orphan-house ; one writes to
me word, would to God you could send a thousand such as you
have sent, Mr. Dixon and his wife, that have been old servants
there ; Mr. Wright, Mr. Crayne, and Mr. Wright's brother, and
those that have been employed with them to carry on the work
of the Lord ; and I cannot think but God intends to lay a founda
tion for a blessed seminary for Christ. Lord Jesus, hear our
prayers upon that account.
Now I must come to the hardest part I have to act. I was
afraid when I came out from home, that I could not bear the
shock, but I hope the Lord Jesus Christ will help me to bear it,
and help you to give me up to the blessed God, let him do with
me what he will. This is the thirteenth time of my crossing
the mighty waters ; it is a little difficult at this time of life ;
and though my spirits are improved in some degree, yet weak
ness is the best of my strength ; but I delight in the cause, and
God fills me with a peace that is unutterable, which nobody
knows, and a stranger intermeddles not with ; into his hands
I commend my spirit ; and I beg that this may be the language
of your hearts, Lord keep him, let nothing pluck him out of
thy hands. I expect many a trial while I am on board; Satan
always meets me there ; but that God who has kept me, I be
lieve will keep me. I thank, God, I have the honor of leaving
every thing quite well and easy at both ends of the town ; and
my dear hearers, my prayers to God shall be, that nothing shall
51*

606 the good shepherd. [Serm. 26
pluck you out of Christ's hands. Witness against me, if I ever
set up a party for myself; did ever any minister, or could any
minister in the world say, that I ever spoke against any one
going to any dear minister ? I thank God, that he has enabled
me to be always strengthening the hands of all, though some
have afterwards been ashamed to own me. I declare to you,
that I believe that God will be with me, and will strengthen
me ; and I beheve it is in answer to your prayers, that God is
pleased to revive my spirits ; may the Lord help you to pray
on.. If I am drowned in the waves, I will say, Lord, fake care
of my London, take care of my English friends, let nothing
pluck them out of thy hands.
And as Christ has given us eternal life, O my brethren, some
of you, I doubt not, will be gone to him before my return ; but
my dear brethren, my dear hearers, never mind that; we shall
part, but it will be to meet again for ever. I dare not meet you
now, I cannot bear your coming to me to part from me, it cuts
me to the heart and quite overcomes me ; but by and by all
parting will be over, and all tears shall be wiped away from
our eyes. God grant that none that weep now at my parting
may weep at our meeting at the day of judgment ; and if you
never were among Christ's sheep before, may Christ Jesus bring
you now. O come, come, see what it is to have eternal life ;
do not refuse it ; haste sinner, haste away : may the great, the
good shepherd, draw your souls. O ! if you never. heard his^
voice before, God grant you may hear it now ; that I may have
this comfort when I am gone that I had last, that some souls
were awakened at the parting sermon. O that it may be a
farewell sermon to you ; that it may be a means of your taking
a farewell of the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the
eye, and the pride of life. O come, come, come, to the Lord
Jesus Christ ; to him I leave you.
And you, dear sheep, that are already in his hands, O may
God keep you from wandering ; God keep you near Christ's
feet ; I do not care what shepherds keep you, so as you are kept
near the great shepherd and bishop of our souls. The Lord
God keep you, lift up the light of his countenance upon you,
and give you peace. Amen.

Serm. 27.] a faithful minister's, ae. 607
SERMON XXVIL

a faithful minister's5 parting BLESSING. — A farewell-
sermon.

Revelations xxii. 21.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
It is very remarkable that the Old Testament ends with the
word curse ; whereby we are taught that the law made nothing
perfect : but blessed-be God, the New Testament ends other
wise, even a precious blessing, that glorious grace put into the
heart, and dropped by the pen ofthe disciple whom Jesus loved.
My brethren, as the providence of God calls us now to bid
each other a long farewell, can I part from you better than in
enlarging a little upon this short but glorious prayer1; can I
wish you, or you me, better in time and eternity, than that the
words of our text may be fulfilled in our hearts : the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. In opening
which, First, It will be proper to explain what we are to understand
by the word grace.
Secondly, What by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
its being with us all ; and then to observe upon the word
Amen : showing you why it is that every one of us may wish
that, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be with us all.
Perhaps there is not a word in the book of God that has a
greater variety of interpretations put upon it than this httle,
this great word grace. I do not intend to fatigue you, or waste
the time by giving you all. It will be enough in general to
observe, that the word grace signifies favor, or may imply the
general kindness that God bears to the world ; but it signifies
that here, which I pray God we may all experience, I mean
the grace, the special grace of the blessed God communicated
to his people ; not only his favor displayed to us outwardly,
but the work of the blessed Spirit imparted and conveyed
inwardly and most powerfully to our souls, and this is what
our church in the catechism calls special grace ; for though
Jesus Christ in one respect is the Savior of all, and we are to
offer Jesus Christ universally to all, yet he is said in a special
manner to be the Savior of them that believe ; so that the
word grace is a very complex word) and. takes in all that the

608 a faithful minister's [Serm. 27,
blessed Spirit of God does for a poor sinner, from the moment
he first draws his breath, and 'brings him to Jesus Christ, till
he is pleased to call him by death ; and as it is begun in grace,
it will be swallowed up in an endless eternity of glory here
after. This is called the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why so ? Because it is purchased for us by the Lord Jesus
Christ : the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth, in
the most emphatical manner, came by Jesus Christ the son of
God. If it was not for the purchase of a Mediator's blood, —
if it was not that Jesus Christ had bought us with a price, even
with the price of his own blood, you and I should never have
had, and could never have had the grace of God manifested at
all to our souls. The covenant of works being broken, our
first parents stood convicted before God : they were criminals,
though they did not care to own it ; condemned before God,
and in themselves, so that like their children they made ex
cuses for their sin. Man by nature had but one neck, and if
God had pleased to have done it, he might justly have cut it
off at one blow : but no sooner had man incurred the curse of
the law, but behold a Mediator is provided under the charac
ter ofthe seed of the woman, which should bruise the serpent's
head ; implying what the Redeemer was first, to do without,
and afterwards to do in the hearts of all his people : well there
fore are we taught in our church collects to end all our prayers
with the words, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Moreover, brethren, this grace may be called the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is not only purchased by him,
but it is conveyed' into our hearts through Christ. The fede
ral head of his glorious body, is a head of influence to those
for whom he shed his blood : thus his disciple said, he was
full of grace and truth, and out of his fullness we, all that are
true believers, receive grace for grace ; grace upon grace, says
Mr. Blackwall, in his sacred classics : grace for grace, that is,
says Luther, every grace that is in Christ Jesus, will be by his
blessed Spirit transcribed into every believer's heart, even as
the warm wax receives the impress of the seal upon it ; as
there is line upon line upon the seal left upon the wax, so in a
degree, though we come greatly short of what the law requires,
the grace that is in Jesus Christ is, in a measure, implanted in
our souls ; but the Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be God, has our
stock in his hands. God trusted man once, but never will
more ; he set Adam up, gave him a blessed stock, placed him
in a paradise of love, and he soon became a bankrupt, some
think in twenty-four hours, however, all agree it was in six or
seven days, and that he never had but one sabbath ; but now.
blessed be God, we are under a better dispensation, our stock

Serm. 27.] parting blessing. 609
is put into Christ's hands, he knows how to keep it, and us
too; so this grace may be said to be the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, secured by his blood, and conveyed, to our souls
by his being the head of his church and people.
This grace has a variety of epithets put to it, and I question
whether there is any kind of grace but what the Lord Jesus
Christ exercises towards his people some way or other, every
hour, every moment of the day.
First. His restraining grace. Why, if it was not for this,
God's people would be as weak and wicked as other folks are.
Remember what David said when Abigail came to him; he was
going to kill a neighbor for affronting him, forgetting that he
was a Psalmist, and was only acting as a creature. Blessed
be God, says he, that has sent thee to meet and keep me. My
brethren, we may talk what we please, and build upon our
own stock ; we are just like little children that will walk by
themselves. Well, says the father, walk alone then, they tum
ble down, get a broken brow, and then are glad to take hold
of the father ; thus Jesus Christ is always acting in a restrain
ing way to his people ; if it was not so, by the blindness of
their understandings, the corruptions of their hearts and affec
tions, together with the perverseness of their will, alas ! alas !
there is not a child of God that would not run away every day,
if Christ did not restrain him !
Secondly. There is convicting grace, which from the Lord
Jesus Christ acts every day and hour. Oh ! it is a blessed
thing to be under the Redeemer's convicting grace ! a man
may speak to the ear, but it is the Spirit of God alone can
speak to the heart. I am not speaking of convicting grace
that wounds before conversion, and gives us a sense of our sin
and misery: no, I mean convicting grace that follows the
believer from time to time. If a heathen Socrates could say,
that he had always a monitor with him to check him when
he did amiss and direct him when he went right, surely the
christian may say, blessed be God for it, that, he has a Jesus
that kindly shows him when he goes astray, and by his grace
puts him into the way of righteousness, that his feet may not
slip ; this is what, the shepherd does to his sheep when they
have wandered. What does the shepherd do, but sends some
little cur, his dog, after them, to bring them to the fold again?
What does Jesus Christ do in temptations, trials and afflic
tions ? He fetches his people home, and convinces them that
they have done amiss.
Then, thirdly, There is the converting grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Oh ! what poor unhappy creatures are they,
that think they can turn to God when they please, to which

610 a faithful minister's [Serm. 27v
abominable principle it is owing, that they leave it till they
cannot turn in their beds. Satan tells them that it is too late,
their consciences are filled with horror, and they go off in a
whirlwind. May this be the case of none here ! That is a
most excellent prayer in our communion office, Turn us, O
good Lord, and we shall be turned : we can no more turn
our hearts than we can turn the world upside down ; it is the
Redeemer, by his Spirit, must take away the heart of stone,
and by the influence ofthe Holy Spirit give us a heart of flesh.
I might as well attempt to reach the heavens with my hand ;
I might as well go to some church-yard and command the dead
to rise ; I might as well shake my handkerchief and bid the
streams divide, and they give way, as to expect a soul to turn
to God without the grace of a Mediator. Come, my dear hear
ers, I am of a good man's opinion, that prayed he might be
converted every day. In the divine life, not to go forwards is to
go backwards ; and it is one great part of the work of the Spirit
of God- to convert the soul from something that is wrong to
something that is right, every day, hour, and moment of the
believer's life, so that in short his life is one continued act of
converting grace. There is not a day but there is something
wrong ; there is something we want to have taken away ; we
want to get rid of the old man, and to get more of the new
man, and so the Spirit of God works every day. O ! my
brethren, God give us more of this converting grace !
Then there is establishing grace. David prays, Create in
me a new heart, and renew a right spirit within me; in the
margin, it is constant spirit ; and you hear of some that are
rooted and grounded in the love of God, and the apostle prays,
that they may always abound in the work of the Lord. Again,.
it. is good to have the heart established with grace. There is
a good many people have some religion in them, but they are
not established ; hence they are mere weather-cocks, turned
about by every wind of doctrine ; and you may as soon mea
sure the moon for a suit of clothes, as some people that are
always changing ; this is for want of more grace, more of the
Spirit of God ; and as children grow that are stronger and
riper, so as people grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the
Lord Jesus Christ, they will be more settled, more confirmed.
On first setting out they prattle, but they will be more manly,
more firm, more steady. Young christians are like little rivu
lets that make a large noise, and have shallow water ; old
christians are like deep water that makes little noise, carries a
good load, and gives not way.
What think you, my brethren, ofthe Redeemer's comforting
grace? O ! what can you do without it? In the multitude

,-Serm. 27.] parting blessing. 611
of my thoughts within me, says the Psalmist, thy comforts
have refreshed my soul. I believe you will all find what
Lord Bolingbroke, in spite of all his fine learning, and deistical
principles, found when under affliction. He" sent a letter
which I saw and heard read to me, at least that part of it in
which he says, Now lam under this affliction I find my phi
losophy fails me. With all our philosophy and striving, it is
too hard to work ourselves into a passive state. Alas ! it is
commendable to strive, but we shall never be content, we shall
never be cheerful under sufferings, but through the assistance
of the Redeemer. Even now, in respect of parting from one
another, what can comfort friends when separated, but the
Spirit of God. Paul when going away from Jerusalem, said,
What mean ye to weep ani break my heart? He also says,
lam ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem,
for the name of the Lord Jesus, which he could not have said,
had he not felt the comforting, grace of Jesus Christ. Our
Lord, when going away, says, I will send the Comforter ; I
will not leave you comfortless and helpless, I will come again:
the Lord helps the believer from time to time. We can easily,
my brethren, talk when not under the rod ourselves ; there is
not a physicia.n or apothecary in London but can give good
advice, but when they are sick themselves, poor souls ! they
are just like their patients, and many times are more impatient
than those they used to preach patience to ; so it is with the
greatest christian ; we are all men of like passions ; there is
not one of us when under the rod, if left to ourselves, but
would curse God, and Ephraim like, be as a bullock unaccus
tomed to the yoke; and there are many here, I do not doubt,
that have said to the Redeemer, What dost thou? or, perhaps,
with Jonah, We do well to be angry ; if the Lord does but
take away his goard from us, if he is pleased to baulk us in
regard to the creatures, how uncomfortable are we ? and
there are so many afflictions and trials, that if it was not for
-the Lord Jesus Christ's comfortings, no flesh could bear them.
In a word, what think you, my brethren, ofthe quickening
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Remember David says,
Quicken me according to thy word ; quicken m,e in thy
way ; quicken me in thy righteousness. God's people want
quickening everyday ; this is trimming our lamps, girding up
>the loins of our minds, stirring up the gift of God that is in us.
It is just with a soul as it is with the plants and trees ; how
would it be with them if the Lord did not command quicken
ing life to them after the winter ? The believer has his frosty
and winter days, and wo be to them that think they have al
ways a summer ; the believer at times can say. The winter

612 a faithful minister's [Serm. 27.
is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on
the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the
voice of the turtle is heard in our land, the fig-tree putteth
forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes
give a good smell, Cant. ii. 12. What is all this but God's
quickening grace, restoring the believer to his blessed joy.
Oh ! my brethren, I have not time te show you in how many
ways the Redeemer's grace is displayed ; but wherever this
grace is, what reason have you that are partakers of it, and I,
to pray that it may be with us all ; the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, says John here, be with you all: it is not said
all ministers, it is not said all of this or that particular people,
but with all believers. O ! my friends remember what Mr.
Henry said, he desired to be a Catholic, but not a Roman Ca
tholic. I have often thought since I went to see the water
works, that it was an emblem of Christ ; there is a great re
servoir of water from which this great city is supplied ; but
how is it supplied from that reservoir ? Why by hundreds
and hundreds of pipes : but where does this water go, does it
go only to the dissenters or to the church people, only to this
or that people? No, the pipes convey the water to all ; and I
remember when I saw it, it put me in mind of the great reser
voir of grace, that living water that is in Christ Jesus, and the
pipes are the ordinances by which his grace is conveyed to all
believing souls. God grant we may be of that happy number.
O what a mercy it is that Christ has said I will be with you
always even to the end of the world, Matt, xxviii. 20. ; and
therefore we must look upon this prayer to be efficacious now, as
it was the moment the words dropped from the apostle's pen.
I believe the most minute philosophers, and those that have
the greatest skill in astronomy, cannot perceive there has been
any abatement in the heat of the sun since God first com
manded it to rule the day; then surely, if my God can make a
sun that for so many thousands of years shall irradiate, en
lighten, and warm the world, without losing any of its light
and heat, so does the Sun of Righteousness, the Son of God,
arise upon the children of God with healing under his wings;
he raises, warms, nourishes, and comforts his people, and we
have the gospel on the ends ofthe earth, as well as those who
had the honor of conversing with him in the days of his flesh.
I mention this in answer to all those who have wrote against
the Methodists, and represented them as fanatics ; there is no
other way of talking against the divine influence, but by al
lowing it was so formerly, but that it is not so now ; they say
the primitive christians had it, but it is not to be so with us
now as it was formerly. O my brethren, what fools these

Serm. 27.] parting blessing. 613
great men are wnen they talk about things they know nothing
of ; give them a polyglot, give them a lexicon, give them a geo
graphical text, or the chronological part of the scripture, they
have something to say ; but when they come to talk of the
Spirit of God, they see the word Spirit, and they read the
word grace, but while they read it their hearts cry, because
their knowledge puffs them up, surely if it was so, we great
men that have been in the university should have it, God
would give it us ; and because they find it not in themselves,
their abominable pride will not own it may be in any. Pray
what was Peter, James, and John ; I do not. mean to speak
disrespectfully of them; they were as weak, as blind, as obsti
nate, and worldly-minded as others, till Jesus Christ changed
their hearts ; and that same grace that changed their hearts,
¦changes now the hearts of God's people ; and blessed be God,
that same grace is with all his people.
It is so in his ordinances. Here is the difference between a
formalist and a christian ; the formalist goes to ordinances,
¦but then he does not feel the God of ordinances, and that is
the reason most formal people do not care to go to church very
often. Who cares to go to the house of a person he does not
love ? They will only just knock at the door, and ask if such
a person is at home, and are very glad to hear the servants
say their master or mistress is not at home ; the visit is paid ;
so it is with many people who go to church and meeting ; and
I do not doubt but there are many Methodists, hundreds and
hundreds, that have been at the ordinances, who never felt
tbe God of ordinances converting them to this day.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with his people in
prayer. Who can pray without grace ? They may laugh at
it that will, but God give you and I a spirit of prayer ; let them
laugh as they please ; what profit will it be to us to read this
book without the grace of God. What a horrid blunder has
the bishop of G  r been guilty of? What do you think his
lordship says, in order to expose the fanaticism of the Metho
dists ? Why, says he, they say they cannot understand the
scriptures without the Spirit of God. Can any man understand
the scriptures without the spirit of God helps him? Jesus Christ
must open our understandings to understand the scriptures,
and the Spirit of God must take of ithe things of Christ and
show them unto us ; as we are taught to pray, O Lord, thou
hast caused thy holy scriptures to be written, Spc. as in the
second Sunday in Advent ; and here the bishop pretends to
tell us there is no need of it ; here our collect and bishop dis
agree very much. So with respect to all ordinances it is the
same. What signifies my preaching and your hearing if the
fi2

614 a faithful minister's :[Serm. 27,
Spirit of God does not enlighten ? Formal ministers can steal
a sermon, and add a little out of their own heads, but a mi
nister of the gospel cannot preach to purpose without the as
sistance of the Spirit of God, no more than a ship can sail
without wind. As for a carnal man he may take his sermon
in his pocket, and you will find his sermons always the same;
but spiritual preachers are seldom so ; sometimes they are in
darkness, so as to speak to those that are in darkness ; some
times they are tempted, so as to speak to those that are tempt
ed ; sometimes. they have a full gale, and go before the wind, '
and this is all by the assistance of the Spirit of God, and with
out this a man may preach like an angel, and do no good at
all. So in respect of hearing the word of God, I declare I
would not preach again, if I did not think that God would ac
company the word by his Spirit. What are we but sounding
brass and_ tinkling cymbals 7 If the word is preached in the
strength ofthe Spirit, it will be attended with convictions, and
conversions, and the grace of God will be both with preacher
and hearer.
The grace of God is with his people in his Providence.
O ! says Bishop Hall, a little aid is not enough for me. My
going on the water puts me in mind of what I have seen many
times : if the sailors perceive a storm coming, they do not
choose to speak to the passengers for fear of frightening them,
they will go quietly on deck, and give orders for proper care to
be taken.; and if a sailor can tell of storms approaching by
the clouds, why cannot God's people tell why God does so
and so with them ? The people of God eye him in his Pro
vidence ; the very hairs of their heads are all numbered, and
the grace of God is with them in the common business of life.
Some people think that the Methodists preach so and so to
make them neglect their business, and we preach at unsea
sonable times : we would not preach at this time, but that we
are going to part from one another. No, we preach that the
grace of God may attend them in their counting-houses, and
wo be to those persons that do not take the grace of God with
them into their counting-houses, and in their common busi
ness. O what blessed times would it be if every one made the
grace of God their employ, that when the Lord comes he may
,say, Lord, here I am waiting for thee.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with his people
when sick and when dying. O my dear souls, what shall we
do when death comes ? What a mercy it is that we have a
, good master to carry us through that time ! As a poor con
verted negro that saw a believer who was dying in comfort.
said, ' Master, don't fear, Jesus Christ will carry you sate

Sefrn. 27.]' parting blessing. 6l§>
through the dark valley of the shadow of death. But the
time would fail, if I was to show you in how many respects
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ helps us ; but what I have
said will show, that we need all join in a hearty Amen ; Amen,
I pray God it may be so, so it is, so may it be ! May be what?
Why, that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, convicting, re
straining, converting, establishing, and comforting grace,
may be with us in his ordinances, in his providences, in sick
ness, and when dying : then, blessed be God, we shall carry it
with us after time. And now, my dear hearers, by the help of
my God, in whose strength I desire once more to go upon the
waters. I shall pray wherever I am, that this grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ may be with you all.
To whom shall I speak first by way of improvement ? Are
there any of you here unconverted ? No doubt too many.
Are there any of you here this morning come out of curiosity
to hear what the babbler has to say ? Many, perhaps, are glad
it is my last sermon, and that London is to be rid of such a
monster. I do not doubt but it has been a pleasant paragraph
for many to read ; but whoever there are of you that are un
converted, or whatever you may think, sure you cannot be
angry for my wishing that the grace of God may be with you.
0 that it may be with every tin converted soul. O pray for
me, my dear friends, that the Lord may bless me to some un
converted soul. What wilt thou do if the grace of God is not
with thee ? What wilt thou do with the favor of man if thou
hast not the grace of God ? You will find, my brethren, it
will not do, you cannot do without the grace of God when you
come to die. There was a nobleman that kept a deistical
chaplain, and his lady a christian one ; when he was dying,
he says to his chaplain, I liked you very well when I was in
health, but it is my lady's chaplain I must have when I am
sick. Do you know that you are nothing but devils incar
nate ? Do you know that every moment you are liable to
eternal pains ? The Lord help thee to awake, O sinner,
awake, awake, thou stupid soul, and if the grace of God was
never with thee before, God grant it may be now. Do not
say I part with you in an ill humor ; do not say that a mad
man left you with a curse. Blessed be God that when first I
entered into the field, (and blessed be God that honored me
with being a field-preacher,) I proclaimed the grace of God to
the worst of sinners, and I proclaim it now to the viiest sinner
under heaven ; could I speak so loud as that the whole world
might hear me, I would declare that the grace of God is free
for all poor souls that are willing to accept of it by Christ.
God make you all willing this day.

616 A FAITHFUL MINISTER'S [Serm. 27i
There are many of you, I doubt not, but have this grace,
and I believe there are many of you that can say that this
poor despised place was that which God honored first with
giving it you : but whether you were converted here or else
where, if you have the grace of God, the Lord grant you more
grace ; grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied unto you, all.
My brethren, they that have Christ never have enough of him ;
you want more grace every day, and hour, and moment. ]
see for my part, more of my want of grace than I did ten 01
twenty years ago ; may be that is because I do not grow in
grace : but those that grow in grace will grow every day more
sensible of their want of grace, they will feel their weakness
more and more every day. Some who are called christians
are a most foul-mouthed people ; they abuse their neighbors,
but real believers abuse themselves most, and call themselves,
i. e. what is in themselves, the worst of neighbors. O my
brethren, may the Lord Jesus Christ's grace be with you
more and more,, that you may be transformed into the divine
likeness, and pass from glory to glory by the Spirit of the
Lord. May God grant that this grace may be with you all,
particularly those young men that have given up their souls
to Christ. It delights my soul when I go round the commu
nion table, to see how many young souls have given them
selves to Christ : the Lord grant that you may not return
again to folly. O young men, flee youthful lusts ; O young
women, the Lord Jesus Christ grant that grace may be with
you all, that you may study the beauties of the mind, shine in
the beauties of holiness, and be wise to everlasting salvation.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all
that are in the marriage state. It needs much grace to bear
with heavy trials, much grace to deal with servants, children,
and under disappointments in trade ; to walk with God with a
pure heart. Some people think it clever to have wives and
children, but they want a thousand times more grace than they
had when they were single ; you have need of much grace to
honor God in your houses ; much grace to teach you to be
prophets ; much grace to teach you to be kings in the family ;
to know when to be pleased ; to know when to be silent ; to
know when to be angry ; but the greatest grace is to be angry
when called to it, to be angry without sin. O ! may the grace of
God be with you all in your closets, every time you pray, every
time you come to an ordinance. O ! may the grace of God be
with you all when you frequent this despised place ! blessed be
God, some may say, that ever it was built ; though as soon as
it was built I was called away. As soon also as the chapel was
built I was then called away, and so am now ; and when I

Serm. 27.] parting blessing. 617
came out of my chamber, I could hardly support it. I would
as lief go to an execution, if my way was not very clear ;
what is dying ? that is but for a moment. O may the grace
of God be with all that preach the gospel here. Blessed be
God his grace has been with them ; do not let the world say,
he is gone, and all the people are gone now : do not weaken
fhe hands of those that shall labor here : I should not men
tion such a word if I was not going away. The Lord Jesus
Christ grant that you may keep steady, and honor the preach
ers more and more : there will be good Mr. Adams, blessed be
God, from time to time, with Mr. Berridge, and so there will
be a blessed change ; may the Spirit of God be with them, and
you, more and more ! and O my dear friends, if the Lord God
has vouchsafed to own these labors to any of you, do remem
ber me in a particular manner, when gone ; for though my
body has been weak, yet I thank God that he has enabled me
to speak when called to it.
And so I must go, whether well or ill ; pray, that if it should
please God to spare me, that I may speak more effectually to you,
when I come back again ; pray, that the grace of the Lord Je
sus Christ may be with me in a restraining, comforting, sup
porting, and transforming way, that it may be with me when I
am sick, and when I die. O my brethren, I see I want the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, in every one of these respects,
every moment. O may the Lord God bless you all that have
been kind to me, and forgive every thing that I have done
amiss. I am ashamed of myself, so much of the man comes
up with me, though I humbly hope, and dare to say, that at
the bottom my heart is upright towards God ; I would em
ploy it to his praise, but there is so much sin mixed with all I
do, that was not the blood of Christ constantly applied to my
soul, and the grace of God continually manifested to me, I
could not preach any more. You may see a thousand things
wrong in me, but I see ten thousand more. O may the grace
of God be with you all. Now, dear friends, farewell ! dear
Tabernacle, farewell ! if I never preach here any more ; O
that we may meet in a better tabernacle, when these taberna
cles are taken down, when these bodies shall drop, when
we shall be forever with the Lord. I have done, I cannot bear
it ; the Lord bless you, the Lord God cause his face to shine
upon you. I cannot say more. I dare not. The Grace of
our Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.

52*

A
SHORT ADDRESS TO
PERSONS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS*
OCCASIONED ET THE
ALARM OF AN INTENDED INVASION.

Men, Brethren, and Fathers.
Though so many alarming warnings, pathetic exhortations,
and suitable directions, have already been given, both from the
press and pulpit, by way of preparatives to our late public day
of humiliation ; yet should one, who is less than the least of
all his brethren, now that solemnity is over, presume to trouble
his dear countrymen with a short address, by way of supple
ment to what hath already been offered, it is to be hoped none
will be so unkind as to look upon it altogether as superfluous
and needless, much less, be so ungenerous as to censure it as
proceeding from the pride and naughtiness of his heart. But
should this be the case, I shall make no other apology (as I
think there needs no other) than that which David, the young
est of the sons of Jesse, made long ago upon a like occasion,
Is there not a cause ?
An insulting, enraged, and perfidious enemy is now advan
cing nearer and nearer to the British borders. Not content
with invading and ravaging our rightful sovereign king George's
dominions in America, our popish adversaries have now the
ambition to attempt, at least to threaten, an invasion of England
itself; hoping, no doubt, thereby not only to throw us into
confusion at home, but also to divert us from more effectually
defeating their malicious designs abroad. That such a design
(however chimerical it may seem) is now actually on foot, the
royal proclamation lately issued forth renders indisputable.
Which proclamation, as it plainly bespeaks his majesty's pater
nal care, doth at the same time loudly call upon all his faithful
and loving subjects, not only to stand upon their guard, but
also to exert their utmost efforts, in dependence on Divine oro

A SHORT ADDRESS, &C. 61S*1
taction to prevent and render abortive such an unjust and dar
ing enterprise.
Blessed be God, as a professing, though sinful people, we
have lately taken one effectual step towards- bringing about
such a salutary end.
In obedience to a call from the throne; we have been hum
bling ourselves in the most public and solemn manner before-
the most high God. And it is to be hoped, that the many
tears that were that day shed, and, the thousands and thou
sands of prayers that, were then offered up, have long since
been regarded by, and entered into the ears of the Lord of
Sabaoth. Infidels may perhaps laugh and make themselves ¦
merry with such an insinuation: but serious people, (and to
such in a more peculiar manner is this address directed,) will
account it no way enthusiastic to affirm that- solemn humilia
tions, whether performed by public communities in general, or
individuals in particular, have always -met with such a Divine
acceptance, as to obtain at least a reprieve from, if not a total
removal of, the threatened evil. The deferring of an impend
ing judgment only upon the hypocritical, but public humilia
tion of a wicked Ahab ; the mature and providential deliver
ance of the Jewish people from the cruel plot of an ambitious
Haman, which queen Esther, Mordecai, and the other distressed
Jews sought so earnestly for by public fasting and prayer ; and
what is yet more, the total and entire suspension of the des
truction, of Nineveh, that exceeding great city, though so per
emptorily denounced, upon the fasting, praying and repenting
of the king, nobles- and commons, at the preaching of Jonah.
These, I say, not to mention many more that might be adduced
from sacred story, are most pregnant, and, at the same time,
very encouraging proofs, that those that humble themselves
shall, in God's due time, be exalted ; and that, therefore, as a
nation, we may boldly infer, that the righteous Lord, who de
lights to show himself strong in behalf of those who are of an
upright heart, will favor, plead and vindicate our righteous
cause. I am very sensible that artful insinuations have been indus
triously published, in order to lay all the blame of this war
upon us ; but bold assertions and solid proofs are two different
thino-s. For it is plain, beyond all contradiction, that the
French, fond of rivaling us both at home and abroad, have
most unjustly invaded his majesty's dominions in America y
and have also not only by the most vile artifices and lies, been.
endeavoring to draw the Six Nations of Indians from our inter
est ; but in short, almost all their proceedings ever since the late
treaty of Aix la Chapellerhave been little eLse than preparations

620 A SHORT ADDRESS
for, or a tacit declaration of war. But He that sitteth in hea
ven, as we may humbly hope, laughs them to scorn ; and, as
he once defeated the counsel of Ahithophel, and came down to
confound the language of those aspiring projectors, who would
fain have built a tower, the top of which should reach even to
heaven ; so we trust (whatever dark providences may intervene)
that he will in the end frustrate the devices of our adversary's
most subtle politicians, and speak confusion to all their projects,
who, by aiming at universal monarchy, are more than attempt
ing to erect a second Babel.
I have heard, or read somewhere of a Turkish general, who,
being called to engage with a christian army that had broken
through the most solemn ties, stood up at the head of his
troops, and then drawing out the treaty which they had broken
out of his bosom, and holding it up in the air, thus addressed
the throne of heaven : " O Almighty Being, if thou art, as they
say thou art, these christians' God, thou lovest what is right,
and hatest perfidy; look down, therefore, and behold this
treaty which they have broken, and as thou canst not favor
what is wrong, render their arms, 0 God, successless, and
make mine victorious." He ended ; immediately the sword
was drawn. The two parties vigorously engaged, and the
perfidious christians were beaten off the field. Thus may our
Protestant generals, or at least their chaplains, deal with our
enemy's forces, in respect to the treaty of Aix la Chapelle.
They, not we, have broken it. They, not we, have been the
aggressors : and therefore, notwithstanding we are looked upon
as heretics, and they fight under the banner of one who styles
himself His Most Christian Majesty ; a righteous God, we
trust, in answer to prayer, will humble France, and make the
British arms, both by sea and land, more "than conquerors
through his love. It is true, (and God knows, with grief of
heart I speak it,) praying is become too unfashionable amongst
our people in general, and among our military men in particu
lar ; but wherein either the piety, and consequently true policy,
of such a procedure consists, I believe will be very difficult tr
determine. If we have recourse to Mr. Rollin's Ancient His
tory, I believe we shall find that neither Darius, Cyrus, Alex
ander, or indeed scarce any ofthe Egyptian, Grecian, Persian,
or Roman generals, ever undertook any hazardous enterprise,
without making some public acknowledgment of a deity. And
if we consult that history of histories, that too much neglected
book, (as Sir Richard Steele expresses himself,) emphatically
called the Scriptures, we may always remark that those heroic
worthies, who by faith subdued kingdoms, and put to flight
the armies of the aliens, were men of prayer, as well as men

TO PERSONS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS. 621
of valor. And if our researches descend forwards down tb our
own annals, we shall soon be satisfied, that the British arms
were never more formidable, than when our soldiers went
forth in the strength of die Lord, and with a Bible in the one
hand, aud a sword in the other, cheerfully fought under his
banner, who hath condescended to style himself a Man of War.
Such an appellation as this, methinks, may sufficiently jus
tify the lawfulness of bearing arms, and drawing the sword in
defense of our civil and religious liberties. For if' God himself
is pleased to style himself a Man of War, surely in a just and
righteous cause, (such as the British war at present is,) we may
as lawfully draw our swords, in order to, defend ourselves
against our common and public enemy, as a civil magisttate
may sit on a bench, and condemu a pubhc robber to death.
Our excellent reformers, sensible of this, in the thirty-second
article of our ehurch, after having declared "that the laws of the
realm may punish christian men with death for heinous
offenses;" immediately subjoins, "that it is lawful for christian
men, at the commandment of the magistrate, to wear weapons
and serve in wars." Aud therefore, what Bishop Saunderson
says of study, may be likewise said of fighting : " Fighting
without prayer, is atheism; and prayer without fighting is
presumption." And I would be the more particular on this
point, because through a fatal scrupulosity against bearing
arms, even in a defensive war, his majesty hath been, and is
not yet out of danger of losing that large, extensive, and that
lately most flourishing province of Pennsylvania, the very cen
ter and garden of nil North America. But whilst I see such
very scrupulous persons grasping at every degree of worldly
power, and by all the arts of worldly policy, laboring to mo
nopolize and retain in their own hands all parts both of the
legislative and executive branches of civil government ; to
speak in the mildest terms, we may honestly atiirm. that they
certainly act a most inconsistent, and if not prevented here at
home, to thousands of their neighbors, I fear a fatal part. For,
say what we will to the contrary, if we search to the bottom
of things, we may soon be convinced, that civil magistracy and
defensive war must stand or fall together. Both are built upon
die same basis ; and there cannot be so much as one single
argument urged to establish the one, which doth not at the
same time corroborate and confirm the other.
Far be it from me, "who profess myself a disciple and minis
ter of die Prince of Peace, to sound a trumpet for war : but
when the trumpet is already sounded by a perfidious enemy,
and our king, our country, our civil and religious liberties are
all, as it were, lying at stake, did we not at such a season lend

622 A SHORT ADDRESS
our purses, our tongues, our arms, as well as our prayers, ra
defense of them, should we not justly incur that curse which
an inspired Deborah, when under the immediate influence of
the Holy Spirit, once uttered, " Curse ye, Meroz, curse ye bit
terly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help
of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty !?'
Known unto God, and God alone, are all our hearts: Daily
repeated experience convinceth us, that the greatest talkers are
not always the greatest doers. How therefore any of us may
behave when put to the trial, the trial itself can only prove.
But, for my own part, whatever my future conduct may be,
(and I know it will be downright cowardly, if left to myself,)
yet, upon the maturest deliberation, I am at present so fully
convinced of the justice of the British cause, that supposing it
should be said of me, as it is of Zuinglius, cecidit in prceleo ;
he fell in battle. I hope, if whilst the silver cords of life are
loosing, I shall be attended by any who may be bewailing mine,
as the friends of Zuinglius did his misfortune, I should like
him to cry out, Ecquid hoc infortnnii 7 Is this a misfortune ?
And not only so, but also with my expiring breath add, as he
did, O faustum infortunium ! O happy misfortune ! For,
surely, it is far more preferable to die, though by a popish
sword, and be carried from the din and noise of war by angels
into Abraham's bosom, than to be suffered to survive only to
drag on a wearisome life, and to be a mournful spectator, and
daily bewailer of one's country's ruin.
Awful and tremendous are the judgments that have lately
been abroad. Twice hath the earth, on which this great me
tropolis stands, unable, as it were, any longer to sustain the
weight of its inhabitant's sins, been made to tremble and totter
under us.- Since. that, how amazingly hath the shock been
extended ! Africa, (nor hath America itself been exempted,)
hath in a most destructive manner felt its dire effects. And what
dreadful consumption it hath made in various parts of Spain,
and, in a more especial manner, at Lisbon, the metropolis of
Portugal, is beyond conception, and beyond the power of the
most masterly pen to describe. It is to be questioned, whether
the like hath ever been heard of since the deluge. Surely no
thing was wanting to figure out and realize to that distressed
people the horror of the last day, but the sound of the trump,
and the actual appearance of the great Judge of quick and
dead. But awful and tremendous as such phenomena of na
ture may be, yet, if we consider the consequences of things,
were even the like judgment (which may God avert) to befall
us, it would be but a small one, in comparison of our hearing
that a French army, accompanied with a popish pretender, and

TO PERSONS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS. 623
¦thousands of Romish priests, was suffered to invade, subdue,
and destroy the bodies and substance, and, as the necessary
consequences of both these, to blind, deceive, and tyrannize
over the souls and consciences of the people belonging to this
happy isle.
God forbid, that I should give flattering titles to any ; for in
so doing, I should provoke him to take "away my soul. But
surely we must have eyes that see not, and ears that hear not,
as well as hearts that do not understand, if we do not know,
and see, and feel, that in respect to our civil and religious liber
ties, we are undoubtedly the freest people under heaven. And
I dare appeal to the most ungrateful and malicious malcon
tent, to produce any era in the British annals, wherein we
have enjoyed such a continued series of civil and religious
liberty, as we have been favored with for these twenty-eight
years last past, under the mild and gentle administration of our
dread and rightful sovereign king George. Surely he hath
been a nursing father to people of all denominations ; and
however he may be denied it, yet he may, without a compli
ment, justly claim from the present, as well as future ages, the
deserved title of George the Great. But notwithstanding this,
such is the degeneracy of human nature, it must necessarily be
expected, that in a nation grown wanton with liberty like ours,
there is a great multitude of unhappy persons, who being men
of lax principles, loose lives, and broken fortunes, may, and
will be so abandoned, as to break through all restraints of gra
titude, loyalty, and religion, and, like Cataline and his wicked
confederates, be fond of joining in any change of government,
whereby they may entertain the most distant prospect of bet
tering their fortunes, and gratifying their ambition, though it
be at the expense of their country's blood. This hath been.
and no doubt still continues to be, the fate of all civil govern
ments in the world, and consequently is no more than what we
may expect, in times of tumult and danger, will be acted over
again in our own land by men of such corrupt minds. But,
that any serious and judicious, much less religious and devout
person, should be so stupid to all principles of self-interest, and
so dead even to all maxims of common sense, as to prefer a
French to an English government ; or a popish pretender,
born, nursed, and bred up in all the arbitrary and destructive
principles of the court and church of Rome, to the present
Protestant succession settled in the illustrious line of Hanover,
must be imputed to nothing else but an awful infatuation.
Hear ye, (if there be any into whose hands this address may
fall, that are desirous of such a change,) not to dwell entirely
upon the many innumerable, civil, or temporal losses we should

624 A SHORT ADDRESS
sustain. Hear ye, I say, the mild and gentle language of one
of his most christian majesty's late declarations concerning
religion. " Being informed, that there have sprung up, and still are
springing up daily, in our realm, a great number of .preachers,
whose sole business is to stir up the people to rebellion, and to
dissuade them from the practice of the Roman Catholic and
apostolic religion:; we do command that all preachers who shall
call assemblies, preach in them, or discharge any other func
tion, be put to death ; the punishment appointed by the decla
ration in July, 1686, for the minister of the pretended reformed
religion, which we would not, for the future have any one
esteem a mere threatening, which will not be put in execution.
We do likewise forbid our subjects -to receive the said ministers
or preachers, to conceal, aid, or assist them, or have, directly or
indirectly, any intercourse or correspondence with them. We
farther enjoin, on all those who shall know any of the said
preachers, to inform against them to the officers of the respec
tive places ; the whole under pain, in case of trespass, of being
condemned to the galleys for life, if men ; and if women, of
being shorn, and shut up the remainder of their days in such
places as our judges shall think expedient ; and whether they
be men or women, under pain of confiscation."
After perusing this, read, read, I beseech you, the shocking
accounts of the horrid butcheries and cruel murders, commit
ted on the bodies of many of our fellow subjects in America,
by the hands of savage Indians, instigated thereto by more
than savage popish priests.* And if this be the beginning,
what may we suppose the end will be, should a French power,
or popish pretender, be permitted to subdue either us or them.
Speak, Smithfield, speak, and by thy dumb, but very persua
sive oratory, declare to all that pass by and over thee, how
many English Protestant martyrs thou hast seen burnt to death
in the reign of a cruel popish queen, to whom the present pre
tender to the British throne, at least claims a kind of adistant
kindred !
Speak, Ireland, speak, and tell if thou canst, how thousands,
and tens of thousands of innocent uoprovoking Protestants
were massacred in cold blood, by the hands of cruel Papists,
within thy borders, about a -century ago. Nay, speak, Paris,
speak, (for though popish, on this occasion -wo will admit thy
evidence,) and say, how many thousands of Protestants were
once slaughtered, on purpose, as it were, to be served up as a
bloody dessert, to grace the solemnity of a marriage feast. But
• See a pamphlet entitled, " Aibrief view of Hie conduct oi Pennsylvania.
for the year 1755."

TO PERSONS OP ALL DENOMINATIONS. 625
why go we back to such distant eras? Speak, Languedoc,
speak and tell, if thou canst, how many Protestant ministers
have been lately executed ; how many more of their hearers
have been dragooned and sent to the gallies ; and how many
hundreds are now, in consequence of the above mentioned
edict, lying in prisons, and fast bound in misery and iron, for
no other crime than that unpardonable one in the Romish
church ; I mean, hearing and preaching the pure gospel of the
meek and lowly Jesus.
And think you, my dear countrymen, that Rome, glutted as
it were with Protestant blood, will now rest satisfied, and say,
"I have enough?" No, on the contrary, having, through the
good hand of God upon us, been kept so long fasting, we may
reasonably suppose, that the popish priests have only grown
more voracious, and, (like so many hungry and ravenous
wolves pursuing the harmless and innocent flocks of sheep)
with double eagerness will pursue after, seize upon, and devour
their wished for Protestant prey ; and, attended with their
bloody red-coats, those Gallic instruments of reformation, who
know they must either fight or die, will necessarily breathe out
nothing but threatening and slaughter, and carry along with
them desolation and destruction in all its various shapes and
tortures, go where they will.
But I humbly hope, vile as we are, a gracious, long-suffer
ing and merciful God will not suffer us to fall into their blood
thirsty and cruel hands. He hath formerly most remarkably
interposed in England's favor ; and why should we in the least
doubt but that he will again reveal his Omnipotent arm, and
make our extremity to be his opportunity, to help and defend
us against such threatening and unjust invaders ? Invincible
as the Spanish armada was supposed to be, and all powerful
as the pope, under whose broad seal they acted, might boast
he was in heaven or hell, it is plain he had no power over the
water. For thou didst blow, O Lord, with thy wind, and the
enemy were scattered. And is not this God the same now as
he was yesterday ? And will he not continue the same for ever ?
Of whom then should the inhabitants of Great Britain be
afraid ? Blessed be God, if we look to second causes, we have
a glorious fleet, brave admirals, a well disciplined army, expe
rienced officers, and, if occasion should require, thousands and
thousands of hearty volunteers, with a royal hero, who hath
once been made happily instrumental to save his country from
impending ruin, if not majesty itself prepared to head them.
And if by fasting from as well as for sin, and by flying, through
a living faith, to the merits of a dying, rising, ascending, aad
interceding Mediator we can but make God our friend, wo
53

626 whitefield's letter to wesley.
need not fear what France, and Rome, and hell, with all its
united force, can do unto, or plot against us. The way of duty
js the way of safety. And if we are but found in the due use
of proper means, we may confidently leave the issue and event
of things with God. Be that event what it will., (and I trust
it will be a prosperous one,) we have a divine authority to say
unto the righteous, it shall be well with them. God's own
people, amidst all the wars and rumors of wars, may rest se
cure ; for they not only dwell under the shadow of the Most
High, but have his own royal word for it, that all things shall
work together for their good. And not only so, but they may
also be fully assured that all the malicious efforts and designs
of meii and devils shall bo so far from obstructing, that, on the
contrary, through the sure, though secret hand of an ever
watchful, overruling, and omnipotent Providence, they shall at
present, (howbeit they think not so) be made" not only to sub
serve the present further enlargement ,of his interests, who, in
spite of all the strivings of the potsherds of the earth, will hold
fhe balance of universal monarchy in his own hands ; but at
last shall terminate in the full and complete establishment and
perfection of " that blessed kingdom, whose law is truth, whose
king is love, and whose duration is eternity." Fiat ! Fiat !

A LETTER FROM THE REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD
TO THE REV. JOHN WESLEY.

Bethesda, Georgia, Dec. 24, 1740,
Reverend, and very Dear Brother.
God only knows what unspeakable sorrow of heart I have
felt on your account, since I left England last. Whether it be
my infirmity or not, I frankly confess, that Jonah could not go
with more reluctance against Nineveh, than I now take pen
in hand to write against you. Were nature to speak, I had
rather die than do it ; and yet, if I am faithful to God and to
my own and others' souls, I must not stand neuter any longer.
I am very apprehensive that our common adversaries will re
joice to see us differing among ourselves. But what can I say ?
The children of God are in danger of falling into error. Nay,
numbers have been misled, whom God has been pleased to
work upon by my ministry, and a greater number are still call
ing aloud upon me to show my opinion. I must then show,

whitefield's letter TO WESLEY. 621
that I know no man after the flesh ; and that I have no respect
to persons, any farther than is consistent with my duty to my
Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
This letter no doubt will lose me many friends. And for
this cause, perhaps, God has laid this difficult task upon me,
even to see whether I am willing to forsake all for him, or not.
From such considerations as these, I think it my duty to bear
an humble testimony, and earnestly plead for the truths which,
I am convinced, are clearly revealed in the word of God. In
the defense whereof I must use great plainness of speech, and
treat my dearest friends upon earth with the greatest simplicity,
faithfulness, and freedom, leaving the consequences of all to God.
For some time before, and especially since my last depart
ure from England, both in public and private, by preaching
and printing, you have been propagating the doctrine of Uni
versal Redemption. And when I remember how Paul re
proved Peter for his dissimulation, I fear I have been sinfully
silent too long. Oh ! then, be not angry with me, dear and
honored sir, if now I deliver my soul, by telling you, that I
think, in this, you greatly err.
It is not my design to enter into a long debate on God's de
crees. I refer you to Dr. Edward's Veritas Redux, which,
I think, is unanswerable, except in a certain point, concerning
a middle sort between elect and reprobate, which he himself in
effect afterwards condemns.
I shall only make a few remarks upon your sermon, entitled
Free, Grace. And before I enter upon the discourse itself,
give me leave to take a little notice of what, in your preface,
you term an indispensable obligation to make it public to all
the world.. I must own, that I always thought you were quite
mistaken upon that head. The case (you know) stands thus:
when you were at Bristol, I think you received a letter from a
private hand, charging you with not preaching the gospel, be
cause you did not preach up election. Upon this you drew a
lot. The answer was — preach and print. I have often ques
tioned, as I do now, whether, in so doing, you did not tempt
the Lord. A due exercise of religious prudence, without a lot,
would have directed you in that matter. Besides I never heard
that you inquired of God, whether or not election was a gospel
doctrine. But I fear, taking it for granted it was not, you only
inquired whether you should be silent, or preach and print
against it? However this be, the lot came out — preach and
print; accordingly, you preached and printed against election.
At my desire, you suppressed the publishing the sermon while
I was in England ! but soon sent it into the world after my de
parture. Oh, that you had kept it in ! However, if that ser-

628 whitefield's letter to weslet.
mon was printed in answer to a lot, I am apt to thinks one' rea
son why God should suffer you to be deceived was, that hereby
a special obligation might be laid upon me faithfully to declare
the scripture doctrine of election, that thus the Lord might give
me a fresh opportunity of seeing what was in my heart, and
whether I would be true to his cause or not ;- as you could not
but grant, he did once before, by giving you such another lot
at Deal. The morning I sailed from Deal to Gibraltar, you
arrived from Georgia. Instead of giving me an opportunity to
converse with you, though the ship was not far off the shore,
you drew a lot, and immediately set forward to London. You
left a letter behind you, in which were words to this effect —
" When I saw God by the wind which was carrying you out,
brought me in, I asked counsel of God. His answer you have
enclosed." This was a piece of paper, in which was written
these words — " Let him return to London."
When I received this, I was somewhat surprised. Here was a
good man telling me he had cast a lot, and God would have me
return to London. On the other hand, I knew my call was to
Georgia, and that I had taken leave of London, and could not
justly go from the soldiers who were committed to my charge.
I betook myself with a friend to prayer. That passage in the
first book of Kings, chap, xiii., where we are told — " That the
prophet was slain by a lion, that was tempted to go back con
trary to God's express order, upon another prophet's telling him
God would have him do so :" — this passage, I say, was power
fully impressed upon my soul. I wrote you word that I could
not return to London. We sailed immediately. Some months
after, I received a letter from you at Georgia, wherein you
wrote words to this effect — '-'Though God never before gave
me a wrong lot, yet perhaps he suffered me to have such a lot
at that time, to try what was in your heart." I should never
have published this private transaction to the world, did not
the glory of God call me to it. It is plain you had a wrong
lot given you here ; and justly, because you tempted God in
drawing one. And thus I believe it is in the present case.
And if so, let not the children of God, who are mine and your
intimate friends, and advocates for Universal Redemption,
think that doctrine true, because you preached it up in com
pliance with a lot given out from God.
This, I think, may serve as an answer to that part of the
preface to your printed sermon, wherein you say — " Nothing
but the strongest conviction, not only that what is here ad
vanced is the truth as it is in Jesus, but also that I am indis
pensably obliged to declare this truth to all the world."
That you believe what you have wrote to be truth, and that

whitefield's letter TO WESLEY. 629
you honestly aimed at God's glory in writing, I do not in the
least doubt. But then, honored sir, I cannot but think you
have been much mistaken in imagining that your tempting
God, by casting a lot in the manner you did, could lay you
under an indispensable obligation to any action, much less to
publish your sermon against the doctrine of predestination to life.
I must next observe, that as you have been unhappy in print
ing at all, upon such an imaginary warrant, so you have been
as unhappy in the choice of your text. Honored sir, how could
it enter into your heart to choose a text to disprove the doctrine
of election, out of the eighth of Romans ; where this doctrine
is so plainly asserted, that, once talking with' a quaker upon
this subject, he had no other way of evading the force of the
apostle's assertion, than by saying — "I believe Paul was in the
wrong." And another friend lately, who was once highly pre
judiced against election, ingenuously confessed, that he used to
think St. Paul himself was mistaken, or that he was not truly
translated. Indeed, honored sir, it is plain beyond all contradiction, that
St. Paul, through the whole eighth of Romans, is speaking of
the privileges of those only who are really in Christ. And let
any unprejudiced person read what goes before, and what fol
lows your text, and he must confess the word all only signifies
those that are in Christ ; and the latter part of the text plainly
proves what, I find, clear Mr. Wesley will by no means grant ;
I mean, the final perseverance of the children of God — " He
that spared not his own Son, but freely gave him for us all,
(i. e. all saints,) how shall he not, with him also freely give us
all things?" Grace, in particular, to enable us to persevere,
and every thing else necessary to carry us home to our Father's
heavenly kingdom.
Had any one a mind to prove the doctrine of election, as
well as of final perseverance, he could hardly wish for a text
more fit to his purpose than that which you have chosen to
disprove it. One that does not know you, would suspect that
you yourself were sensible of this : for after the first paragraph,
I scarcely know whether you have mentioned it so much as
once through your whole sermon.
But your discourse, in my opinion, is as little to the purpose
as your text ; and, instead of warping, does but more and more
confirm me in the belief of the doctrine of God's eternal election.
I shall not mention how illogically you have proceeded.
Had you written clearly, you should first, honored sir, have
proved your proposition ; " That God's grace is free to all ;"
and then, by way of inference, exclaimed against what you
eall the horrible decree. But you knew people (because Armi-
53*

630 whitefield's LETTER TO WESLEY.
niamsm, of late, has so much abounded amongst us) were gene
rally prejudiced against the doctrine of reprobation ; and there
fore thought, if you kept up their dislike of that, you could over
throw the doctrine of election entirely.. For,,without doubt, the
doctrine of election and reprobation must stand or fall together.
But, passing by this, as also your equivocal definition of the
word Grace, and your false definition of the word Free ; and
that I may be as short as possible, I frankly acknowledge, I be
lieve the doctrine of reprobation, that God intends to give sav
ing grace, through Jesus Christ, only to a certain number ; and
that the rest of mankind, after the fall of Adam, being justly
left of God to continue in sin, will at last suffer that eternal
death which is its proper wages.
This is the established doctrine of scripture ; and acknow
ledged as such in the 17th Article of the Church of England,
as Bishop Burnet himself confesses — yet dear Mr. Wesley ab
solutely denies it.
But the most important objections which you have urged
against this doctrine, as reasons why you reject it, being se
riously considered, and faithfully tried by the word of God, will
appear to be of no force at all. Let the matter be humbly and
calmly reviewed, as to the following heads.
First, You say, "If this be so, (i. e. if there be an election)
then is all preaching vain; it is needless to them that are electa
ed ; for they, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly
be saved. Therefore the end of preaching, to save souls, is
void with regard to them. As it is useless to them that are not
elected, for they cannot possibly be saved ; they, whether with
preaching or without, will infallibly be damned. The end of
preaching is therefore void with regard to them likewise. So
that, in either case, our preaching is vain, and your hearing
also vain." Page 10, paragraph 9.
Oh, dear sir, what kind of reasoning, or rather sophistry, is
this ! Hath not God, who hath appointed salvation for a cer
tain number, appointed also the preaching of the word, as a
means to bring them to it? Does any one hold election in any
other sense ? And if so, how is preaching needless to them that
are elected, when the gospel is designed by God himself to be
the power of God unto their eternal salvation ? And since we
know not who are elect, and who reprobate, we are to preach
promiscuously to all ; for the word may be useful, even to the
non-elect, in restraining them from much wickedness and sin.
However, it is enough to excite to the utmost diligence in
preaching and hearing, when we consider that, by these means,
some, even as many as the Lord hath ordained to eternal life,
shall certainly be quickened, and enabled to believe. And who

whitefield's LETTER TO WESLEY. 631
that attends, especially with reverence and care, can tell but
he may be found of that happy numbei ?
Secondly, You say, "that it (viz. the doctrine of election and
reprobation) directly tends to destroy that holiness which is
the end of all the ordinances of God. For, (says the dear mis
taken Mr. Wesley.) it wholly takes away those first motives to
follow after it, so- frequently proposed in scripture. The hope
of future reward, and fear of punishment ; the hope of heaven,
and fear of hell," &c. Page 11.
I thought one that carries perfection to such an exalted pitch
as dear Mr. Wesley does, would know that a true lover of the
Lord Jesus Christ would strive to be holy for the sake of being
holy, and work for Christ out of love and gratitude, without
any regard to the rewards of heaven, or fear of hell. You re
member, dear sir, what Scougall says — " Love's a more power
ful motive, that does them move." But passing by this, and
granting that rewards and punishments (as they certainly are)
may be motives from which a christian may be honestly stirred
up to- act for God, how does the doctrine of election destroy
these motives? Do not the elect know, that the more good
works they do, the greater will be their reward? And is not
that encouragement enough to set them upon, and cause them
to persevere in working, for Jesus Christ ? And how does the
doctrine of election destroy holiness ? Who ever preached any
other election than what the apostle preached, when he said —
" Chosen through sanctification of the Spirit ?" Nay, is not
holiness made a mark of our election by all that preach it?
And how, then, can the doctrine of election destroy holiness?
The instance which you bring to illustrate your assertion,-
indeed, dear sir, is quite impertinent. For you say " If a sick
man knows that he must unavoidably die or unavoidably re
cover, though he knows not which, it is not reasonable to take
any physic at all." Page 11. Dear sirr what absurd reason
ing is here ! Was you ever sick in your life ? If so, did not
the bare probability or possibility of your recovering, though
/ou knew it was unalterably fixed that you must live or die,
encourage you to take physic ? For how did you know but
that very physic might be the means God intended to recover
you by ? Just thus it is as to the doctrine of election. " I know
that it is unalterably fixed," may one say, "that I must be
damned or saved. But since I know not which for a certainty,
why should I not strive, though at present in a state of nature,
since I know not but this striving may be the means God has
intended to bless, in order to bring me into a state of grace ?"
Dear sir, consider these things. Make an impartial applica
tion : and then judge what little reason you had to conclude-

632the 10th paragraph, page 12, in these words — "So directly
does this doctrine tend to shut the very gate of holiness in
general, to hinder unholy men from ever approaching thereto,
or striving to enter in thereat !"
"As directly," (paragraph 11,) say you, "does the doctrine
tend to destroy several particular branches of holiness, such as
meekness, love, <fcc." I shall say little, dear sir, in answer to
this paragraph. Dear Mr. Wesley, perhaps, has been disputing
with some warm, narrow-spirited men that held election, and
then infers, that their warmth and narrowness of spirit was
owing to their principles. But does not dear Mr. Wesley know
many dear children of God, who are predestinarians, and yet
are meek, lowly, pitiful, courteous, tender-hearted, of a catholic
spirit, and kind, and hope to see the most vile and profligate of
men converted? And why? Because they know God saved
them by an act of his electing love, and they know not but he
may have elected those who now seem to be the most aban
doned. But dear sir, we must not judge of the truth of princi
ples in general, nor of this of election in particular, entirely from
the practice of some that profess to hold them, if so, I am sure
much might be said against your own. For I appeal to your
own heart, whether or not you have not felt in yourself, or ob
served in others, a narrow-spiritedness, and some disunion of
soul, towards those that hold particular redemption ? If so,
then, according to your own rule, Universal Redemption is
wrong, because it destroys several branches of holiness, such as
meekness, love, &c. But not to insist upon this, I beg you
would observe, that your inference is entirely set aside by the
force of the apostle's argument, and the language which he
expressly uses. For, Col. iii. 12, 13, he says, Put on, therefore,
(as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercy, kind
ness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbear
ing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any ; even as Christ forgave you, so also
do ye. Here we see that the apostle exhorts them to put on
bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
long-suffering, &c, upon this consideration, namely, because
they were elect of God. And all who have experimentally felt
this doctrine in their hearts, feel that these graces are the genu
ine effects of their being elected of God.
But, perhaps, dear Mr. Wesley may be mistaken in this point,
and call that passion, which is only zeal for God's truths. You
know, dear sir, the apostle exhorts us to "contend earnestly for
the faith once delivered to the saints ;" and therefore you must
not condemn all that appear zealous for the doctrine of election,
as narrow-spirited or persecutors, because they think it their

-WHITEFIELD'S LETTER TO WESLEY. 633
duty to oppose you. I am sure I love you in the bowels of
Jesus Christ, and think I could lay down my life for your sake ;
but yet, dear sir, I cannot help strenuously opposing your errors
upon this important subject, because I think you warmly, though
not designedly, oppose the truth as it is in Jesus. May the Lord
remove the scales of prejudice from off the eyes of your mind,
and give you a zeal according to true christian knowledge !
Thirdly, Says your sermon, page 13th, paragraph 12 — " This
doctrine tends to destroy the comforts of religion, the happi
ness of Christianity, &c."
But how does Mr. Wesley know this, who never believed
election ? I believe, they who have experienced it, will agree
With our 17th Article, " That the godly consideration of pre
destination, and election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant,
unspeakable comfort, to godly persons, and such as feel in them
selves the working of the spirit of Christ, mortifying the works
ofthe flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing their minds
to high and heavenly things, as well because it does greatly
establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation, to be
enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle
their love towards God, <fec." This plainly shows that our
godly reformers did not think election destroyed holiness, or
the comforts of religion. As for my own part this doctrine is
my daily support. I should utterly sink under a dread of my
impending trials, were I not firmly persuaded that God has
chosen me in Christ from before the foundation of the world ;
and that now being effectually called, he will suffer none to
pluck me out of his almighty hand.
You proceed thus — " This is evident as to all those who be
lieve themselves to be reprobate, or only suspect or fear it ; all
the great and precions promises are lost to them ; they afford
them no ray of comfort."
In answer to this, let me observe, that none living, especially
none who are desirous of salvation, can know that they are
not of the number of God's elect. None but the unconverted
can have any just reason so much as to fear it. And would
dear Mr. Wesley give comfort, or dare you apply the precious
promises of the gospel, being children's bread, to men in a natu
ral state, while they continue so ? God forbid ! What if the
doctrine of election and reprobation does put some upon doubt
ing ? So does that of regeneration. But is not this doubting
a good means to put them upon searching and striving, and
that striving a good means to make their calling and election
sure ? This is one reason, among many others, why I admire
the doctrine of election, and am convinced that it should have
a place in gospel ministrations, and should be insisted on witr*

634
faithfulness and care. It has a natural tendency to rouse the'
soul out of its carnal security, and therefore many carnal
men cry out against it ; whereas universal redemption is a
notion sadly adapted to keep the soul in its lethargic, sleepy
condition ; and therefore so many natural men admire and ap
plaud it.
Your 13th, 14th, and 15th paragraphs, come next to be con
sidered. " The witness of the. Spirit, (you say, paragraph 14,
page 14,) experience shows to be much obstructed by this doc
trine." But, dear sir, whose experience ? Not your own : for
in your journal, from your embarking for Georgia to your re
turn to London, page the last, you seem to acknowledge that
you have it not, and therefore you are no competent judge in
this matter. You must mean, then, the experience of others.
For you say in the same paragraph — "Even in those, who
have tasted of that good gift, who yet have soon lost it again,
(I suppose you mean lost the sense of it again,) and fallen back
into doubts, and fears, and darkness, even horrible darkness,
that might be felt," &c. Now as to the darkness of desertion,
was not this the case of Jesus Christ himself, after he had re
ceived an unanswerable unction of the Holy Ghost ? Was not
his soul exceeding sorrowful even unto death, in the garden ?
And was he not surrounded with a horrible darkness, even, " a
darkness that might be felt," when on the cross he cried out,
My God ! my God ! why hast thou forsaken me 7 And that
all his followers are liable to the same, is it not evident from _
scripture ? For says the apostle, " He was tempted in all things
like unto his brethren, that he might be able to succor those
that are tempted." And is not their liableness thereunto well
consistent with that conformity to him in suffering, which his
members are to bear? Why then should persons falling into
darkness, after they have received the witness of the Spirit, be
any argument against the doctrine of election ? " Yes, (you
say) many, very many of those that hold it not, in all parts of
the earth, have enjoyed the uninterrupted witness of the Spirit,
the continual light of God's countenance, from the moment
wherein they first believed, for many months or years, to this
very day." But how does Mr. Wesley know this ? Has he
consulted the experience of many, very many, in all parts of the
earth ? .Or, could he be sure of what he hath advanced with
out sufficient grounds, would it follow, that their being kept in
this light is owing to their not believing the doctrine of elec
tion? No; this, according to the sentiments of our church,
" greatly confirms and establishes a true christian's faith of eter
nal salvation through Christ ;" and is an anchor of hope, both
sure and steadfast, when he walks in darkness and sees no

WHITEFIELD'S LETTER TO WESLEY. 636
$ight, as certainly he may, even after he hath received the wit
ness of the Spirit, whatever you or others may unadvisedly
assert to the contrary. Then to have respect to God's ever
lasting covenant, and to throw himself upon the free distin
guishing love of that God who changeth not, will make him
lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble
knees. But without the belief of the doctrine of election, and
the immutability of the free love of God, I cannot see how it
is possible that any should have a comfortable assurance of
eternal salvation. What could it signify to a man whose con
science is thorouglily awakened, and who is warned in good
earnest to seek deliverance from the wrath to come, though he
should be assured that all his past sins are forgiven, and that
he is now a child of God ; if, notwithstanding this, he may
hereafter become a child of the devil, and be cast into hell at
last? Could such an assurance yield any solid lasting com
fort, to a person convinced of the corruption and treachery of
his own heart, and of the malice, subtlety, and power of Satan ?
No ! That which alone deserves the name of a full assurance
pf faith, is such an assurance as emboldens the believer, under
the sense of his interest in distinguishing love, to give the chal
lenge to all his adversaries, whether men or devils, and that
with regard to all their future as well as present attempts to
destroy; saying with the apostle, "Who shall lay any thing
to the charge of God's elect ? It is God that justifies me. It
is Christ that died ; yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for me.
Who shall separate me from the love of Christ ? Shall tribu
lation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword ? Nay, in all these things I am more than con
queror, through him that loved me. For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow
ers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, noi
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord."
This, dear sir, is the triumphant language of every soul that
has attained a full assurance of faith. And this assurance can
only arise from a belief of God's electing, everlasting love.
That many have an assurance that they are in Christ to-day,
but take no thought for, or are not assured they shall be in him
to-morrow, nay, to all eternity, is rather their imperfection and
unhappiness than their privilege. I pray God to bring all such
to a sense of his eternaf love, that they may no longer build
upon their own faithfulness, but on the unchangeableness of
that God whose gifts and callings are without repentance. For
Jhose whom God has once justified, he also will glorify. I ob-

636 whitefielU's letter to wesley.
served before, dear sir, it is not always a safe rule ,to judge of
the truth of principles from people's practice. And therefore,
supposing all that held universal redemption in your way of
explaining it, after they received faith, enjoyed the continual,
uninterrupted light of God's countenance, it does not follow,
that this is a fruit of their principle ; for that, I am sure, has a
natural tendency to keep the soul in darkness for ever; because
the creature thereby is taught, that his being kept in a state of
salvation is owing to his own free will. And what a sandy
foundation is that for a poor creature to build his bopes of per
severance upon ! Every relapse into sin, every surprise by
temptation, must throw him "into doubts and fears, into hor
rible darkness, even darkness that may be felt." Hence it is,
that the letters which have been lately sent me by those who
hold universal redemption, are dead and lifeless, dry and in
consistent, in comparison of those I receive from persons on the
contrary side. Those who settle in the universal scheme,
though they might begin in the spirit, whatever they may say
to the contrary, are ending in the flesh, and building up a
righteousness founded on their own free-will : whilst the others
triumph in hopes of the glory of <5od, and build upon God's
never-failing promise and unchangeable love, even when his
sensible presence is withdrawn from them. But I would not
judge of the truth of election by the experience of any particu
lar persons : if I did, (O bear with me in this foolishness of
boasting!) I think I myself might glory in election. For these
five or six years, I have received the witness of God's Spirit.
Since that, blessed be God, I have not doubted a quarter of an
hour of having a saving interest in Jesus Christ. But with
grief and humble shame I do acknowledge, I have fallen into
sin often since that. Though I do not, dare not allow of any
one transgression, yet hitherto I have not been (nor do I expect
that while I am in this present world I ever shall be) able to
live one day perfectly free from all defects and sin. And since
the scriptures declare, that there is net a just man upon earth,
no, not among those of the highest attainments in grace, that
doeth good, and sinneth not ; we are sure that this will be ,the
case of all the children of God. The universal experience and
acknowledgment of this, among the godly in every age, is abun
dantly sufficient to confute the error of those who hold it in an
absolute sense, " that after a man is born again, he cannot com
mit sin ; especially since the Holy Ghost condemns the persons
who say they have no sin, as deceiving themselves, as being
destitute ofthe truth, and making God a liar," 1 John i. 8-10.
I have been also in heaviness through manifold temptations,
and expect to be often so before I die. Thus were the apostles

whitefield's LETTER TO WESLEY. 637
and primitive christians themselves. Thus was Luther, that
man of God, who, as far as I can find, did not. peremptorily at
least, hold election ; and the great John Arndt was in the ut
most perplexity a quarter of an hour before he died ; and yet
he was no predestinarian. And if I must speak freely, I believe
your fighting so strenuously against the doctrine of election,
and pleading so vehemently for a sinless perfection, are among
the reasons or culpable causes, why you are kept out of the
liberties of the gospel, and that full assurance of faith which
they enjoy, who have experimentally tasted and daily feed up
on God's electing, everlasting love.
But, perhaps, you may say, that Luther and Arndt were no
christians, at least very weak ones. I know you think meanly
of Abraham, though he was eminently called the friend of
God; and I believe also of David, the man after God's own
heart. No wonder, therefore, that, in a letter you sent me not
long since, you should tell me, " That no baptist or presbyterian
writer whom you have read, knew any thing of the hberties of
Christ." What ! neither Bunyan, Henry, Flavel, Halyburton, nor
any of the New England and Scotch Divines! See, dear sir,
what narrow-spiritedness and want of charity arise from your
principles ! and then do not cry out against election any more,
on account of its being " destructive of meekness and love !"
Fourthly, I shall now proceed to another head. Again, says
the dear Mr. Wesley, page 15, paragraph 16. " How uncom
fortable a thought is this, that thousands and millions of men
without any preceding offense or fault of theirs, were un
changeably doomed to everlasting burnings !"
But whoever asserted, that thousands and millions of men,
without any preceding offense or fault of theirs, were un
changeably doomed to everlasting burnings ? Do not they
who believe God's dooming men to everlasting burnings, also be
lieve that God looked upon them as men fallen in Adam? And
that that decree which ordained the punishment first regarded
the crime by which it was deserved ? How then are they
doomed without any preceding fault ? Surely Mr. Wesley will
own God's justice in imputing Adam's sin to his posterity ; and
also that, after Adam fell', and his posterity in him, God might
justly have passed them all by, without sending his own Son
to be our Savior for any one. Unless you heartily agree to
both these points, you do not believe original sin aright. If
you do own them, then you must acknowledge the doctrine of
election and reprobation to be highly just and reasonable ; for,
if God might justly impute Adam's sin to all, and afterwards
have passed by all, then he might justly pass by some. Turn
on the right hand, or on the left, you are reduced to an inex
54

638 whitefield's letter to wesley.
tricable dilemma. And, if you would be consistent, you must
either give up the doctrine of the imputation of Adam's sin, ©r
receive the amiable doctrine of election, -with a holy and
righteous reprobation, as its .consequent ; for whether -you can
believe it or no, the word of God abides faithful. The election
has obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Your 17th paragraph, I pass over. What has been said on
paragraphs 9th and 10th, with little alteration, will answer it.
I shall only -say, it is the doctrine of election -that mostly presses
me to abound in good works. I am made willing to suffer all
things for the elect's sake. , This makes me preach with com
fort, because I know salvation does not depend on man's free
will, but the Lord makes them willing in the day of his power;
and can make use of me to bring some of his elect home, when
and where he pleases. But, /
Fifthly, You say, paragraph 18, page 17 — " This doctrine
has a direet, manifest tendency, to overthrow the whole chris
tian religion. For, (say you,) supposing that eternal, unchange
able decree, one part of mankind must be saved, though the
christian revelation were not in being."
But, dear sir, how does that follow, since it is only by the
christian revelation that we are acquainted with God's design
of saving his church by the death of his Son ? Yea, it is set
tled in the everlasting covenant, that this salvation shall be ap
plied to the elect through the knowledge and faith of him ; as
the- prophet says, By his knowledge shall my righteous ser
vant justify many, Isa. liii. 11. How, then, has the doctrine
of "election a direct tendency to overthrow the whole christian
revelation ? Who ever thought, that God's declaration to Noah,
that seed time and harvest should never cease, could afford an
.argument for fhe neglect of ploughing or sowing ? or that the
unchangeable purpose of God, that harvest should not fai-L
rendered the heat of the sun, or the influence of the heavenly
bodies, unnecessary to produce it ? No more does God's abso
lute purpose of saving his chosen, preclude the necessity of the
gospel revelation, or the use of any of the means through which
he has determined the decree shall take effect. Nor will the
right understanding, or the reverent belief of God's decree, eveT
billow or suffer a christian, in any case, to separate the means
from the end, or the end from the means. And since we are
taught by the revelation itself, that this was intended and given
by God as a means of bringing home his elect, we therefore re
ceive it with joy, prize it highly, using it in faith ; and endeavor
to spread it through all the world, in the full assurance that
wherever God sends it, sooner or later, it shall be savingly use
ful to all the elect within its call. How, then, in holding tha

WEtlTEFIELD's LETTER TO WESLEY. 639'
doctrine, do we join with modern unbelievers in making the
Christian Revelation unnecessary? No, dear sir, you mistake.
Infidels of all kinds are on your side of the question. Deists,
Arians, Socinians, arraign God's sovereignty, and stand up for
universal redemption. I pray God, dear Mr. Wesley's sermon,
as it has grieved the hearts of many of God's chiidren, may
not also strengthen the hands of many of his most avowed ene
mies ! Here I could almost lie down and weep ! O, tell it not
in Gath ! Publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest the
daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice, lest the sons of unbe
lief should triumph!
Farther, you say, page 18th, paragraph 19th — " This doctrine
makes revelation contradict itself." For instance, say you,
" The asserters of this doctrine interpret the text of the scrip
tures, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated, as implying
that God, in a literal sense, hated Esau and all the reprobates
from eternity !" And when considered as fallen in Adam, were
they not objects of his hatred? And might not God, of his
own good pleasure, love or show mercy to Jacob and the elect,
and yet at the same time do the reprobate no wrong? But
you say, " God is love." And cannot God be love, unless
he shows the same mercy to all ?
Again, says dear Mr. Wesley, " They infer from that text,
I will have mercy on ivhom I will have mercy, that God is love
only to some men, viz. the elect, and that he has mercy for
those only ; flatly contrary to which is the whole tenor of the
scripture, as is that express declaration in particular, The Lord
is loving to every man, and his mercy is over all his works."
And so it is, but not his saving mercy. God is loving to every
man, he sends his rain upon the evii and upon the good. But
you say, God is no respecter of persons. No ! for every one,
whether Jew or gentile, that believeth on Jesus, and worketh
righteousness, is accepted of him. But he that believeth not
shall be damned. For God is no respecter of persons, i. e.
upon the account of any outward condition or circumstance in
hfe whatever. Nor does the doctrine of election in the least
suppose him to be so ; but as the sovereign Lord of all, who is
debtor to none, he has a right to do what he will with his own,
and dispense his favors to what object he sees fit, merely at his
pleasure. And his supreme right herein is clearly and strongly
asserted in those passages of scripture, where he says, I will have
mercy, on whom I will have mercy, and have compassion on
wliom I will have compassion, Rom. ix. 15. Exodus, xxxiii. 19.
Farther, in page 19th, you represent us as inferring from the
text — " The children not being yet born, neither having done
good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election,

640 whitefield's LETTER TO WESLEY,
might stand, not of works, but him that calleth ; it was said unto
her, (unto Rebecca,) " The elder shall serve the younger ;" that
our predestination to life no way depends on the fore-knowledge
of God. But who infers this, dear sir ? For if fore-knowledge
signifies approbation, as it does in several parts of scripture, then
we confess that predestination and election do depend on God's
fore-knowledge. But if by God's fore-knowledge you understand
God's fore-seeing some good works done by his creature, as the
foundation or reason of choosing them, and therefore electing
them ; then we say that, in this sense, predestination does not
any way depend on God's fore-knowledge. But I referred you,
at the beginning of this letter, to Dr. Edward's Veritas Redux,
which I recommended to you in a late letter, with Eiisha Cole
on God's sovereignty. Be pleased to read those ; and also the
excellent sermons of Mr. Cooper, of Boston, in New England,
which I also sent you, and I doubt not but you will see all
your objections answered. Though I would observe, that af
ter all our reading on both sides the question, we shall never
in this life be able to search out God's decrees to perfection.
No ; we must humbly adore what we cannot comprehend ; and,
with the great apostle, at the end of our inquires, cry out, Oh !
ihe depth, &c. Or with our Lord, when he was admiring
God's sovereignty, " Even so Father, for so it seemeth good in
thy sight."
However, it may not be amiss to take notice, that if those
texts, " God willeth that none should perish — I have no plea
sure in him that dieth," and such like, be taken in their strictest
sense, then no one will be damned.
But here is the distinction : God taketh no pleasure in the
death of sinners, so as to delight simply in their death ; but he
delights to magnify his justice, by inflicting the punishment
which their iniquities have deserved ; as a righteous judge, who
takes no pleasure in condemning a criminal, may yet justly com
mand him to be executed, that law and justice may be satisfied,
even though it be in his power to procure him a reprieve.
I would hint farther, that you unjustly charge the doctrine
of reprobation with blasphemy ; whereas the doctrine of uni
versal redemption, as you set it forth, is really the highest re
proach upon the dignity of the Son of God, and the merit of
his blood. Consider, therefore, whether it be not blasphemy
rather, to say, as you do, (page 20,) " Christ not only died for
those that are saved, but also for those that perish." The text
you have misapplied to gloss over this, see explained by Ridge-
ly, Edwards, Henry ; and I purposely omit answering your
texts myself, that you may be brought to read such treatises,
which, under God, would show you your error. You cannot

WHITEFIELD'S LETTER TO WESLEY. 641
make good this assertion, " That Christ died for them that per
ish," without hoiding, (as Peter Boehler, one of the Moravian
brethren, in order to make out universal redemption, lately
frankly confessed in a letter,) " That all the damned souls would
hereafter be brought out of hell." I cannot think Mr. Wesley
is thus minded. And yet, without this can be proved, univer
sal redemption, taken in a literal sense, falls entirely to the
ground. For how can all be universally redeemed, if all are
not finally saved ?
Dear sir, for Jesus Christ's sake, consider how you dishonor
God by denying election. You plainly make salvation depend,
not on God's free grace, but on man's free will. And it is
more than probable, Jesus Christ would not have had the sat
isfaction of seeing the fruit of his death in the eternal salvation
of one soul. Our preaching would then be vain, and all invi
tations for people to believe in him, would also be in vain.
But blessed be God, our Lord knew for whom he died.
There was an eternal compact between the Father and Son.
A certain number was then given him, as the purchase and
reward of his obedience and death. For these he prayed, (John
xvii.) and not for the world. For these and these only, he is
now interceding, and with their salvation he will be fully
satisfied. I purposely omit making any further particular remarks on
the several last pages of your sermon. Indeed, had not your
name, dear sir, been prefixed to the sermon, I could not have
been so uncharitable as to think you were the author of such
sophistry. Yon beg the question, in saying that God has de
clared, (notwithstanding you own, I suppose, some will be
damned,) that he would save all, i. e. every individual person.
You take it for granted (for solid proof you have none) that
God is unjust, if he passes by any ; and then you exclaim
against the horrible decree. And yet, as I before hinted, in
holding the doctrine of original sin, you profess to believe
that he might justly have passed by all.
Dear, dear sir ! 0 be not offended ! For Christ's sake, be
not rash ! Give yourself to reading. Study the covenant of
grace. Down with your carnal reasoning. Be a little child.
And then, instead of pawning your salvation, as you have done
in a late hymn book, if the doctrine of universal redemption
be not true ; instead of talking of sinless perfection, as you
have done in the preface to that hymn book, and making man's
salvation depend on his own free will, as you have in this ser
mon ; you will compose a hymn in praise of sovereign, distin
guishing love. You will caution believers against striving tc
work a perfection out of their own hearts ; and print another
54*

642 AN INQUIRY, ftC.
sermon the reverse of this, and entitle it, Free grace indeed.
Free, because not free to all ; but free, because God may with
hold or give it to whom and when he pleases.
Till you do this, I must doubt whether or not you know
yourself. In the mean while, I cannot but blame you for cen
suring the clergy of our church for not keeping to their Arti
cles, when you yourself, by your principles, positively deny the
9th, 10th, and 17th. Dear sir, these things'-ought not so to be.
God knows my heart, as I told you before, so I declare again,
nothing but a single regard to the honor of Christ has forced
this letter from me. I love and honor you for his sake ; and,
when I come to judgment, will thank you, before men and
angels, for what you have, under God, done for my soul.
There, I am persuaded, I" shall see dear Mr. Wesley, con
vinced of election and everlasting love. And it often fills me
with pleasure, to think how I shall behold you casting your
crown down at the feet of the Lamb ; and, as it were, filled
with a holy blushing for opposing the Divine Sovereignty in
the manner you have done.
But I hope the Lord will show you this before you go hence.
0 how do I long for that day ! If the Lord should be pleased
to make use of this letter for that purpose, it would abundantly
rejoice the heart of, dear and honored sir,
Your affectionate, though unworthy,
Brother and servant in Christ,
GEORGE WHITEFIELD,

AN INQUIRY
INTO THE FIRST AND CHIEF REASON WHY THE GENERALITY
OF CHRISTIANS FALL SO FAR SHORT OF THE HOLINESS AND
DEVOTION OF CHRISTIANITY.
[Extracted from Mr. Whitefield's Tracts.]
Since christian devotion is nothing less than a life wholly
devoted to God, and persons who are free from the necessities of
labor and employments are to consider themselves as devoted
to God in a higher degree, it may now reasonably be inquired
how it comes to pass that the lives even of the moral and better
sort of people are in general so directly contrary to the princi
ples of Christianity. I answer, because the generality of those
who call themselves christians are destitute of a true, living

AN INQUIRY, & . 642?
feith in Jesus Christ ; for want of which they never effectually
intended to please God in all the actions of life, as the happiest
and best thing in the world.
To be partaker of such a faith is every where represented in
scripture as a fundamental and necessary part of true piety.
For without a living faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
our persons cannot be justified, and consequently none of our
performances acceptable in the sight of God. It is this faith
that enables us to overcome the world, and to devote ourselves,
without reserve, to promote the glory of Him who has loved
and given himself for us. And therefore it is purely for want
of such a faith, that you see such a mixture of sin and folly
even in the lives of the better sort of people. It is for want of
this faith, that you see clergymen given to pride, and covetous
ness, and worldly enjoyments. It is for want of such a faith,
that you see women, who profess devotion, yet living in all the
folly and vanity of dress, wasting their time in idleness and
pleasures, and in all such instances of state and equipage as
their estate will reach. Let but a woman feel her heart full of
this faith, and she will no more desire to shine at balls and as
semblies, or to make a figure among those that are most finely
dressed, than she will desire to dance upon a rope to please
spectators ; for she will then know that the one is as far from
the true nature, wisdom and excellency of the christian spirit,
as is the other.
Let a clergyman be but thus pious, and he will converse as
if he had been brought up by an apostle ; he will no more think
and talk of noble preferment, than of noble eating, or a glorious
ehariot. He will no more complain of the frowns of the world,
or a small cure, or the want of a patron, than he will com
plain of the want of a laced coat, or of a running horse. Let
him but have such a faith in and love for God as will con
strain him to make it his business to study to please God in all
his actions, as the happiest and best thing in the world, and
then he will know that there is nothing noble in clergymen,
but burning zeal for the salvation of souls, nor any thing poor
in his profession, but idleness and a worldly spirit.
Further : Let a tradesman but have such a faith, and it will
make him a saint in his shop ; his every day business will be a
course of wise and reasonable actions, made holy to God by
flowing from faith, proceeding from love, and by being done in
obedience to his will and pleasure. He will therefore not
chiefly consider what arts, or methods, or application, will
soonest make him greater and richer than his brethren, that
he may remove from a shop to a life of state and pleasure ; but
he will chiefly consider what arts, what methods and what as>-

644 AN INQUIRY, &C.
plication can make worldly business most conducive to God's
glory, and his neighbor's good ; and consequently make a life
of trade to be a life of holiness, devotion and undissembled piety.
It was this faith that made the primitive christians such
eminent instances of religion, and that made the godly fellow
ship of the saints in all ages, and all the glorious army of con
fessors and martyrs. And if we will stop and ask ourselves,
Why are we not as pious as the primitive christians and saints
of old were : our hearts must tell us, that it is because we never
yet perhaps earnestly sought after, and consequently were never
really made partakers of, that precious faith whereby they were
constrained to intend to please God in all their actions, as the
best and happiest thing in the world.
Here then let us judge ourselves sincerely ; let us not vainly
content ourselves with the common disorders of our lives, the
vanity of our expenses, the folly of our diversions, the pride of
our habits, the idleness of our lives, and the wasting of our
time, fancying that these are only such imperfections as we
necessarily fall into, through the unavoidable weakness and
frailty of our nature ; but let us be assured, that these habitual
disorders of our common life are so many demonstrable proofs
that we never yet truly accepted of the Lord Jesus and his
righteousness by a living faith, and never really intended, as a
proof and evidence of such a faith, to please God in all the ac
tions of our life, as the best thing in the world.
Though this be a matter we can easily pass over at present,
whilst the health of our bodies, the passions of our minds, the
noise and hurry and pleasures and business of the world lead
us on with " eyes that see not, and ears that hear not," yet, at
death, it will set itself before us in a dreadful magnitude ; it will
haunt us like a dismal ghost, and our consciences will never
let us take our eyes from it, unless they are seared as with a
red hot iron, and God shall have given us over to a reprobate
mind. Penitens was a busy, notable tradesman, and very prosper
ous in his dealings ; but died in the thirty-fifth year of his age.
A little before his death, when the doctors had given him
over, some of his neighbors came one evening to see him ; at
which time he spake thus to them :
" I see (says he) my friends, the tender concern you have for
me, by the grief that appears in your countenances, and I
know the thoughts that you now have of me. You think how
melancholy a case it is to see so young a man, and in such
flourishing business, delivered up to death. And perhaps, had
I visited any of you in my condition, I should have had
the same thoughts of you. But now, my friends, my thoughts

An inquiry, &c: 645
are no more like your thoughts, than my condition is like yours.
It is no trouble to me now to think that I am to die young, or
before I have raised an estate. These things are sunk into such
mere nothings, that I have no name little enough to call them
by. For in a few days, or hours, I am to leave this carcass to
be buried in the earth, and to find myself either for ever happy
in the favor of God, or eternally separated from all light and
peace; can any words sufficiently express the littleness of
every thing else ?
"Is there any dream like the dream of life, which amuses
us with the neglect and disregard of these things? Is there
any folly like the folly of our manly state, which is too wise
and busy to be at leisure for these reflections ?
" When we consider death as a misery, we generally think
of it as a miserable separation from the enjoyments of this life.
We seldom mourn over an old man that dies rich, but we la
ment the young, that are taken away in the progress of their
fortunes. You yourselves look upon me with pity, not that
you think I am going unprepared to meet the Judge of quick
and dead, but that I am to leave a prosperous trade in the
flower of my life.
" This is the wisdom of our manly thoughts. And yet what
folly of the silliest children is so great as this? For what is
there miserable or dreadful in death, but the consequences of
it ? When a man is dead, what does any thing signify to him,
but the state he is then in ?
" Our poor friend Lepidus, you know, died as he was dress
ing himself for a feast ; do you think it is now part of his
trouble that he did not live till that entertainment was over ?
Feasts, and business, and pleasures, and enjoyments, seem
great things to us, whilst we think of nothing else ; but as soon
as we add death to them, they all sink into littleness not to be
expressed ; and the soul that is separated from the body no
more laments the loss of business, than the losing of a feast.
" If I am now going to the joys of God, could there be any
reason to grieve that this happened to me before I was forty
years of age? Can it be a sad thing to go to heaven, before
I have made a few more bargains, or stood a little longer be
hind a counter ?
" And if I am to go among lost spirits, could there be any
reason to be content, that this did not happen to me till I was
old and full of riches ?
"If good angels were ready to receive my soul, could it be
any grief to me that I was dying on a poor bed in a garret ?
" And if God has delivered me up to evil spirits, to be dragged
by them to places of torment, could it be any comfort to me,

646 Xn inquiry, &c.
that they found me upon a bed of state ? When you are a*
near death as I am, you will know, that all the different states-
of life, whether of youth or age, riches or poverty, greatness or
meanness, signify no more to you than whether you die in a
poor or stately apartment.
" The greatness of the things which follow death, makes all
that goes before it sink into nothing.
" Now that judgment is the next thing which I look for, and
everlasting happiness or misery has come so near to me, all
the enjoyments and prosperities of life seem as vain and insig
nificant, and to have no more to do with my happiness, than
the clothes that I wore when I was a little child.
" What a strange thing ! that a little health, or the poor
business of a shop, sho'.ild keep us so senseless of these great
things that are coming so fast upon u<: !
"Just as you came into my chamber, I was thinking with my
self, what numbers of souls there are in the world in my con
dition at this very time, surprised with a summons to. the other
world ; some taken from their shops and farms, others from
their sports and pleasures ;• these at suits of law, those at gam
ing-tables ; some on the road, others at their own fire-sides ;
and all seized at an hour when they thought nothing of it ;
frightened at the approach of death, confounded at the vanity
of all their labors, designs, and projects, astonished at the folly
of their past lives, and not knowing which way to turn their
thoughts to find any comfort ; their consciences flying in their
faces, bringing all their sins to remembrance, tormenting them
with the deepest convictions of their own folly, presenting them
with the sight of the angry Judge, and the worm that never
dies, the fire that is never quenched, the gates of hell, the power
of darkness, and the bitter 'pains of eternal death.
" O my friends, bless God that you are not of this number ;
and take this along with you, that there is nothing but a real
faith in the Lord Jesus, and a life of true piety, or a death of
great stupidity, that can keep off these apprehensions.
"Had I now a thousand worlds, I would give them all for
one moment's scriptural assurance that I had really received
the Lord Jesus by a living faith into my heart, and for one
more year's continuance in life, that I might evidence the sin
cerity of that faith, by presenting unto God one year of such
devotion and good works as I am persuaded I have hitherto
never done.
" Perhaps, when you consider that I have lived free from
scandal and debauchery, and in the communion of the church,
you wonder to see me so full of remorse and self-condemnation
at the approach of death.

AN INQUIRY, &C. 647
"But, alas ! what a poor thing is it to have lived only free
from murder, theft and adultery, which is all that I can say of
myself. Was not the slothful servant, that is condemned in
ihe gospel, thus negatively good ? And did not the Savior of
mankind tell the young man. who led a more blameless and
moral life than I have done, that yet one thing he lacked ?
" But the thing that now surprises me above all wonders is
this, that till of late I never was convinced of that reigning,
soul-destroying sin of unbelief; and that I was out of a state
of salvation, notwithstanding my negative goodness, my seem
ingly strict morality, and attendance on public worship and
.the holy sacrament. It never entered into my head or heart,
that the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone could recommend
.me to the favor of a sin-avenging God, and that I must be
born again of God, and have Christ formed in my heart, be
fore I could have any well-guarded assurance that I was a
christian indeed, or have any solid foundation whereon I might
build the superstructure of a truly holy and pious life.
"Alas ! I thought I had faith in Christ, because I was born
in a christian country, and said in my creed, that 'I believed
on Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord.' I thought I was
certainly regenerate and born again, and was a real christian,
because I was baptized when I was young, and received the
holy sacrament in my adult age. But, alas ! little did I con
sider that faith is something more than the world generally
thinks of; a work of the heart and not merely of the head, and
that I must know and feel that there is no other name given
under heaven, whereby I can be saved, but that of Jesus Christ.
"It is true, indeed, you have frequently seen me at church
.and the sacrament ; but, alas ! you little think what remorse of
conscience I now feef for so frequently saying, 'the remem
brance of our sins is grievous unto us, and the burden of them
is intolerable,' when I never experienced the meaning of them
in all my life. You have also seen me join with the minister
when he said, ' we do not approach thy table trusting on our
own righteousness ;' but all this while I was utterly ignorant
of God's righteousness, which is by faith in Christ Jesus, and
was going about to establish a righteousness of my own. It
is true, indeed, I have kept the fasts and feasts of the church,
.and have called Christ Lord, Lord ; but little did I think that
no one could call Christ truly Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
i have attended upon ordinations, and heard the bishop ask the
candidates, ' whether they were called by the Holy Ghost ;' 1
have seriously attended to the minister, when he exhorted us
:to pray for true repentance, and iGod's Holy Spirit ; but, alas !
I never inquired whether I myself had received the Holy Ghost,

648 AN INQUIRY, &C.
to sanctify and purify my heart, ane1 work a true evangelical
repentance on my soul. I have prayed in the litany that I
might bring forth fruits of the Spirit, but, alas ! my whole life
has been nothing but a dead life, a round of duties, and model
of performances, without any living faith for their foundation.
I have professed myself a member of the Church of England ;
I have cried out, ' The temple of the Lord, the temple of the
Lord,' and in my zeal have exclaimed against Dissenters ; but
little did I think that I was ignorant all this while of most of
her essential articles, and that my practice, as well as the want
of real experience of a work of regeneration and true conver
sion, when I was using her offices, and reading her homilies,
gave my conscience the lie.
" O my friends, a form of godliness without the power, and
dead morality not founded on a living faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, is such a dreadful delusion, so contrary to the lively ora
cles of God, that did not I know, (though alas how late !) that
the righteousness of Jesus Christ was revealed in them, and
that there was mercy to be found with God, if we venture by a
real faith on that righteousness, though at the eleventh hour,
I must now sink into total despair."
Penitens was here going on, but had his mouth stopped by
a convulsion, which never suffered him to speak any more. He
lay convulsed about twelve hours, and then gave up the ghost.
Now if every reader would imagine this Penitens to have
been some particular acquaintance or refation of his, and fancy
that he saw and heard all which is here described ; that he
stood by his bed-side when his poor friend lay in such distress
and agony, lamenting the want of a living faith in Jesus Christ,
as the cause of a dead, lifeless, indevout life ; besides this, should
he consider how often he himself might have been surprised in
the same formal, dead state, and made an example to the rest
of the world ; this double reflection, both upon the distress of
his friend, and that goodness of God which ought to have led
him to repentance, would, in all likelihood, set him upon seek
ing and earnestly praying for such a faith, of which Penitens
felt himself void, and constrain him to let the Lord have no rest,
till he should be pleased to apply the righteousness of his dear
Son to his sin-sick soul, and enable him henceforward to study,
out of love, to glorify him in all the actions of his future life,
as the best and happiest thing in the world.
This therefore being so .useful a meditation, I shall here leave
the reader, I hope, seriously engaged in it.
THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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