"If these things be so, and the sin of profane swearing is so
exceeding sinful, what shall we say to the unhappy men, who
think it not only allowable, but fashionable and polite, to
take the name of God in vain; who imagine that swearing makes
them look big among their companions; and really think it a
piece of honour to abound in it? Alas! little do they think
that such behaviour argues the greatest degeneracy of mind and
foolhardiness. This is what they presume not to do in other
cases of less danger. They dare not revile a general at the head
of his army. And is the Almighty God, the great Jehovah, the
everlasting King, who can consume them with the breath of His
nostrils, and frown them into hell in an instant; is He, I say,
the only contemptible being that may be provoked without fear,
and offended without punishment? No. Though God bear long, He
will not bear always. The time will come when God will vindicate
His injured honour, when He will lay bare His almighty arm,
and make those wretches feel the eternal smart of His justice,
whose power and name they have so often vilified and blasphemed.
Alas! what will become of their bravery then? Will they then
wantonly sport with the name of their Maker, and call upon the
King of all the earth to damn them any more in jest? Their note
will then be changed. Indeed, they shall call, but it will be
for 'the rocks to fall on them, and the hills to cover them,
from the wrath of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the
Lamb for ever.' Time was when they prayed for damnation both
for themselves and others; and now they will find their prayers
answered. 'They delighted in cursing, therefore shall it happen
unto them; they loved not blessing, therefore shall it be far
from them; they clothed themselves with cursing like as with a
garment, and it shall come into their bowels like water, and
like oil into their bones'" (p. 16).
8. "Intercession every Christian's Duty: A Sermon preached at the
Parish Church of Great St. Helen, on Tuesday, December 27, 1737.
Published at the particular request of the hearers." (8vo, 26 pp.)
Text, "Brethren, pray for us."
Whitefield was induced to _write_ this sermon by the remarkable
blessings he derived from the intercessory meetings he commenced in
the month of October; and he now _preached_ it on the day before
that on which he left London for Savannah. It contains one sentiment
too startling to be omitted:--
"To stir you up," cried the young, impassioned preacher,
"to stir you up yet further to this godlike exercise of
intercession, consider that, in all probability, it is the
frequent employment even of the glorified saints. Though they
are delivered from the burden of the flesh, and restored to the
glorious liberty of the sons of God, yet, as their happiness
cannot be perfectly consummated till the resurrection of the
last day, when all their brethren will be glorified with them,
we cannot but think they are often importunate in beseeching our
heavenly Father shortly to accomplish the number of His elect,
and to hasten His kingdom. And shall not we, who are on earth,
be often exercised in this Divine employ with the glorious
company of 'the spirits of just men made perfect'?" (p. 18.)
The reader will deal with this opinion as he thinks proper; space
will only permit the following further extract from this first
farewell sermon of the great preacher:--
"You, amongst whom I have now been preaching, in all
probability, will see me no more. I am going from you (I trust
under the conduct of God's most Holy Spirit), knowing not what
shall befall me. I need, therefore, your most importunate
intercessions, that nothing may move me from my duty, and that
I may not count even my life dear unto myself, so that I may
finish my course with joy, and the ministry I have received
of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Whilst I have been here, to the best of my knowledge, I have not
failed to declare unto you the whole will of God; and, though my
preaching may have been a 'savour of death unto death' to some,
yet I trust it has been also a 'savour of life unto life' to
others. The many unmerited kindnesses I have received from you
will not suffer me to forget you. Whilst the winds and storms
are blowing over me, unto the Lord will I make my supplication
for you. In a little while, 'we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ,' where I must give a strict account of
the doctrine I have preached, and you of your improvement under
it. Oh, may I never be called as a witness against any of those
for whose salvation I have sincerely, though too faintly, longed
and laboured! It is true, I have been censured by some, as
acting from sinister and selfish views; but it is a small matter
with me to be judged by man's judgment. I hope my eye is single,
but I beseech you, brethren, pray that it may be more so, and
that I may increase in the knowledge and love of God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. And now, brethren, what shall I say more?
I beseech you, as my last request, 'Obey them that have the rule
over you in the Lord;' and be always ready to attend on their
ministry, as it is your bounden duty. Think not that I desire
to have myself exalted at the expense of another's character;
but rather think this, Not to have any man's person too much in
admiration, but esteem all your ministers highly in love, as
they justly deserve, for their work's sake" (p. 25).
Thus ended Whitefield's ministry in London, in the year 1737. The
biographer of James Hutton says, "Whitefield was young and modest,
but an earnest preacher. He said little, however, of justification
through the Saviour, but forcibly insisted on the necessity of
being born again. In this way, he arrested the attention of many,
particularly of the young, and led them to seek the salvation of
their souls. Age 22 They fasted, they wept, and they strove; but how
salvation was to be effected they knew not."[109]
[109] Memoirs of James Hutton, p. 13.
This is a somewhat startling statement, and yet there is truth in
it. It is an undeniable fact, that, in the nine sermons already
mentioned, there is scarcely a single trace of the doctrine of
justification _by faith only_. This is one of the great doctrines
of the Word of God. It was pre-eminently one of the doctrines of
Luther and of the Reformation. In 1739, it was the doctrine that
created the Methodism that now exists; but, evidently, it was not
as yet a doctrine Whitefield preached. After all that has been
said, it is difficult to account for this; but, at the same time,
it is impossible to deny it. Whitefield learnt the doctrine soon
afterwards; and, to the end of life, faithfully proclaimed it.
Another point deserves attention. Except, perhaps, the once uttered
opinion that sin cannot be destroyed previous to the hour of death,
there is not the least allusion, in any of the nine sermons,
from which extracts have been given, to _any_ of the _Calvinian_
doctrines with respect to which Whitefield afterwards differed from
his friend Wesley. These were dogmas which he had yet to learn. He
found them not in the school of the Oxford Methodists, but among the
Presbyterians and Independents of America.
The quotations from his sermons may seem numerous, and, to some
readers, may be tedious; but, if it be a fact, as it unquestionably
is, that Whitefield is famous _chiefly as a preacher_, it is
important to be able to form an idea of the style and spirit of his
preaching in this the first year of his marvellously popular and
powerful ministry. It is hoped that, in this respect, the foregoing
extracts will be found useful. His voice, his intonation, and his
pulpit action cannot be put in type; but the reader may easily
ascertain what were his leading sentiments, and what the fidelity,
zeal, simplicity, and earnestness that marked his preaching.
One more fact must be noticed. James Hutton, the great Moravian, was
Whitefield's publisher, but nearly all the sermons already mentioned
issued from the press of the most distinguished and learned printer
of the age, William Bowyer.
In 1733, John Wesley published "A Collection of Forms of Prayer for
Every Day in the Week." In 1737, James Hutton, without Wesley's
name, and perhaps without Wesley's sanction, printed a third edition
of this manual of devotion, and advertised it as "recommended by
the Rev. George Whitefield, B.A., of Pembroke College, Oxford." The
reason why Hutton's edition is now named is because it contains
Wesley's preface, which Wesley himself omitted in the edition of
his collected works in 1772, and which it is believed has, with
one exception,[110] strangely enough, never been printed since.
The preface is a remarkable production, and, as an exposition of
the principles of Wesley, Whitefield, and their friends, it is
sufficiently important to be transcribed without abridgment. It is
as follows:--
"The following Collection of Prayers is designed only for those
who, by the mercy of God, have, first, leisure and resolution to
set apart at least half an hour twice a day for their private
addresses to Him; and, secondly, a sincere reverence for, if not
some acquaintance with, the ancient Christian Church. He who has
not the former qualifications will take offence at the length;
he who has not the latter, at the matter of them.
[110] Dr. Osborn says, "An edition, miscalled the sixth, and
printed by Hawes, London, 1775, contained the _Preface_." I have
not seen this.--L. T.
"The intention of the collector was, first, to have forms of
prayer for every day in the week, each of which contained
something of deprecation, petition, thanksgiving, and
intercession. Secondly, to have such forms for those days
which the Christian Church has ever judged peculiarly proper
for religious rejoicing, as contained little of deprecation,
but were explicit and large in acts of love and thanksgiving.
Thirdly, to have such for those days which, from the age of
the apostles, have been set apart for religious mourning, as
contained little of thanksgiving, but were full and express
in acts of contrition and humiliation. Fourthly, to have
intercessions every day for all those whom our own Church
directs us to remember in our prayers. Fifthly, to comprise in
the course of petitions for the week the whole scheme of our
Christian duty.
"Whoever follows the direction of our excellent Church, in the
interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, by keeping close to that
sense of them which the Catholic Fathers and Ancient Bishops
have delivered to succeeding generations, will easily see that
the whole system of Christian duty is reducible to these five
heads.
"First, the renouncing ourselves. 'If any man will come after
me, let him renounce himself, and follow me.' This implies,
first, a thorough conviction that we are not our own; that we
are not the proprietors of ourselves, or anything we enjoy;
that we have no right to dispose of our goods, bodies, souls,
or any of the actions or passions of them.' Secondly, a solemn
resolution to act suitably to this conviction; not to live
to ourselves, nor to pursue our own desires; not to please
ourselves, nor to suffer our own will to be any principle of
action to us.
"Secondly, such a renunciation of ourselves naturally leads us
to the devoting of ourselves to God; as this implies, first, a
thorough conviction that we are God's; that He is the proprietor
of all we are, and all we have; and that not only by right of
creation, but of purchase, for He died for all; and therefore
died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live
unto themselves, but unto Him that died for them. Secondly, a
solemn resolution to act suitably to this conviction; to live
unto God; to 'render unto God the things which are God's,' even
all we are, and all we have; to glorify Him in our bodies, and
in our spirits, with all the powers, and all the strength of
each; and to make His will our sole principle of action.
"Thirdly, self-denial is the immediate consequence of this.
For whosoever has determined to live no longer to the desires
of men, but to the will of God, will soon find that he cannot
be true to his purpose, without denying himself, and taking up
his cross daily. He will daily feel some desire which his one
principle of action, the will of God, does not require him to
indulge. In this, therefore, he must either deny himself, or
so far deny the faith. He will daily meet with some means of
drawing nearer to God which are unpleasing to flesh and blood.
In these, therefore, he must either take up his cross, or so far
renounce his Master.
"Fourthly, by a constant exercise of self-denial, the true
follower of Christ continually advances in mortification. He is
more and more dead to the world, and the things of the world,
till at length he can say, with that perfect disciple of his
Lord,[111] 'I desire nothing more but God;' or with St. Paul, 'I
am crucified unto the world; I am dead with Christ; I live not,
but Christ liveth in me.'
[111] Marquis de Renty.
"Fifthly, Christ liveth in me. This is the fulfilling of the
law, the last stage of Christian holiness. This maketh the man
of God perfect. He, being dead to the world, is alive to God.
The man, the desire of whose soul is unto His name; who has
given Him his whole heart; who delights in Him, and in nothing
else but what tends to Him; who, for His sake, burns with love
to all mankind; who neither thinks, speaks, nor acts, but to
fulfil His will, is on the last round of the ladder to heaven.
Grace hath had its full work upon his soul. The next step he
takes is into glory.
"May the God of glory give unto us who have not already attained
this, neither are already perfect, to do this one thing,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, to press toward this mark
for the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus!
"May He so enlighten our eyes that we may reckon all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our
Lord; and so stablish our hearts that we may rejoice to suffer
the loss of all things, and count them but dung, that we may win
Christ!"
In such a frame of mind and heart, young Whitefield went to Georgia.
No wonder that he prospered. Half a dozen men, animated with the
spirit breathing through the foregoing preface, would at any time
move a nation, stir its churches, and reform its morals. Such men
are the gift of God, and are infinitely more valuable than all the
gold in the Church's coffers. Never did the world need them more
than it needs them now. To have them we must ask for them. "The
harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His
harvest."
_FIRST VISIT TO AMERICA._
1738.
When Wesley embarked for Georgia, on October 14, 1735, he took
with him five hundred and fifty copies of a treatise on the Lord's
Supper, and a few other books, "the gift of several Christian
friends, for the use of the settlers" in that colony.[112] When
Whitefield embarked in 1738, he had a cargo sufficient to excite a
smile, and the collection of which must have cost him considerable
thought and labour.
[112] _Evening Post_, October 14, 1735.
Besides the £1000 which he collected for the Charity Schools in
London, he also begged, privately among his friends, £306 3s. "for
the poor of Georgia." It will be seen that this was a large amount,
when it is remembered that money then was four times the value
of money now. His subscription list is notable. Excepting half a
guinea from Stroud, five shillings from Stonehouse, a guinea and
a half from Oxford, and £6 19s. sent by "the Rev. Mr. Thompson,
of Cornwall,"[113] the whole of this amount was given by friends
in Gloucester, Bath, Bristol, and London. Gloucester contributed
upwards of £44, its donors including the Bishop, £20; the Dean,
£1 1s.; six clergymen, upwards of £5; Robert Raikes, the reputed
founder of Sunday-schools, half a guinea; Lady Selwyn, five guineas;
Mr. Harris, jun., Whitefield's correspondent, a guinea; and "Madame
Granville," half a guinea.
[113] The Vicar of St. Gennys, a warm friend of the Oxford
Methodists.
Bath gave £172 9s. 6d. Of this amount Lady Cox contributed £50; her
sister, Mrs. Bridget Bethel, £100; and the celebrated Doctor Cheyne
a guinea.
London supplied upwards of £40; Bristol, the lowest of the four
cities, £38 10s. 6d., towards which the Dean of Bristol gave three
guineas, and three clergymen, Messrs. Smith, Taylor, and Probert,
four guineas.
Whitefield's items of disbursement are curious. First of all, there
is £50 paid to the trustees of Georgia, "towards building a church
at Frederica." Then there are divers payments for books, pamphlets,
and tracts, including Flavel's Husbandry, Jenk's Devotion, Norris on
Prudence, Wesley's Forms of Prayer, Law's Call and Perfection, the
Bishop of the Isle of Man's Catechism, Reeve's Apology, 100 sermons
entitled "The Christian Soldier," by Thomas Broughton, the Oxford
Methodist, 150 Common Prayer Books, 25 copies of Watts's Songs, 130
Small Chapmen's books, 50 of Bellamy's Christian Schoolmaster, 50
Spelling Books, 6 Nelson's Festivals, 74 Organist Pocket Companions,
200 Country Parson's Advice, Arndt's True Christianity, etc., etc.
The clothing, haberdashery, and other kindred items are far too
numerous to be detailed, but include the following: stockings for
men, women, boys, and girls, at from ten to fifteen shillings per
dozen; shoes for ditto, at from one shilling and eightpence to three
shillings and sixpence per pair; caps for boys, about sixpence each;
three dozen hats for £2 2s. 6d.; six dozen women's caps, £2 8s. 6d.;
twenty-four striped flannel waistcoats, £2 6s.; twenty-six pairs
of canvas breeches, £1 8s.; to which must be added, payments for
"Holland tapes," "Manchester tapes," "beggars' tapes," "thread,"
"cotton laces," "yard-wide cottons," "handkerchiefs," and "twelve
dozens of shirt buttons."