"EDINBURGH, _August 10, 1741_.
"REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,--I thank you for your kind and obliging
letter. I hope to come into the northern parts; but the precise
time I cannot tell.
"I find it best simply to preach the pure gospel, and not to
meddle at all with controversy. The present divisions are a sore
judgment to Scotland. This is my comfort, Jesus is king. I have
been with several of 'The Associate Presbytery,' but I see no
hopes of accommodation. O that the power of religion may revive!
Nothing but that can break down the partition wall of bigotry."
One of the noblemen with whom Whitefield became acquainted in
Edinburgh was Lord Rae, to whom he wrote as follows:--
"EDINBURGH, _August 11, 1741_.
"MY LORD,--I hope this will find your lordship safe at your
journey's end, rejoicing in God for giving His angels charge
concerning you in the way. The Lord of all lords has dealt most
lovingly with me since your departure hence. His power has been
frequently made known in the great congregation, and many come
to me daily, crying out, 'What shall I do to be saved?' I hope
we shall see the kingdom of God come with power. This is the
full desire of my soul. I am determined to seek after and know
nothing else. Besides this, all other things are but dung and
dross. O my Lord, why should we, who are pilgrims, mind earthly
things? Why should we, who are soldiers, entangle ourselves with
the things of this life? Heavenly-mindedness is the very life of
a Christian. It is all in all."
Another nobleman, who became one of Whitefield's friends, was the
Marquis of Lothian. The following is an extract from Whitefield's
letter to him:--
"EDINBURGH, _August 12, 1741_.
"MY LORD,--I am surprised to find your lordship so condescending
as to write to me. How bright does humility shine in great
personages! I pray God to give your lordship grace to determine
to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is the
only centre of true happiness. In Him alone, solid, lasting
joys are to be found. Having Jesus, I find, in Him I possess
all things. But whither am I going? Your lordship will excuse
me. I pray God to visit you with His great salvation. I thank
your lordship for your intended benefaction to the poor Georgia
orphans. I hope the glorious Emmanuel will accept it at your
hands."
Another letter, apparently to Howell Harris, who probably was
supplying Whitefield's pulpit at the Tabernacle, London, was as
follows:--
"EDINBURGH, _August 13, 1741_.
"MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,--'The Associate Presbytery' have been
hard upon me; but I find no freedom any longer than I continue
just as I am, and evangelize to all. I know not that I differ
from you in one thing.
"Glory be to God for what He has done in London! He is doing
great things here. I walk in the continual sunshine of His
countenance. Every day, fresh seals are given of my ministry.
This morning, God opened my mouth to speak to preachers of
the gospel. Be pleased to accept this summary account of my
proceedings. On Sunday morning, I preached to the orphans here;
and in the evening to as many people as the Sunday before.
Every day since, excepting Monday, I have preached, either in
the churches or field, twice a day; and, yesterday, I collected
upwards of £93 for the Georgia orphans. People are daily coming
under deep convictions, and fresh invitations are sent me to
preach at divers places round about. On Sunday, I purpose
to preach in the country, and also the greater part of the
following week, and shall return again about Friday to this
city. O my brother, exhort all to praise the Lord!"
In a letter to David Erskine, of Stirling, one of the sons of
Ebenezer Erskine, Whitefield seems to attribute the blame of the
bigoted proceedings of the Dunfermline conference to others than to
the two Erskine brothers:--
"EDINBURGH, _August 13, 1741_.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,--The treatment I met with from 'The Associate
Presbytery' was not altogether such as I expected. It grieved
me, as much as it did you. I could scarce refrain from bursting
into a flood of tears. I wish all were like-minded with your
honoured father and uncle. Matters then would not be carried on
with so high a hand. Such violent methods, such a narrow way of
acting, can never be the way to promote and enlarge the kingdom
of the blessed Jesus. It surely must be wrong to fix such bounds
to ourselves, as forbid even our hearing those who love the Lord
Jesus in sincerity, and have also been owned of Him. Christ
would not have done so. Supposing the scheme of government,
which 'The Associate Presbytery' contend for, to be scriptural,
yet forbearance and long-suffering ought to be exercised towards
such as differ from them. I am persuaded, there is no such form
of government, prescribed in the book of God, as excludes a
toleration of all other forms whatsoever. If the New Testament
outward tabernacle was to be built as punctual as the Old, as
punctual directions would have been given about the building
of it; whereas, it is only deduced by inference, and thus we
see Independents, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians bring the
same text to support their particular scheme; and, I believe,
Jesus Christ thereby would teach us to exercise forbearance to
each other. If the scheme of 'The Associate Presbytery' were to
take effect, they must, out of conscience, restrain and grieve,
if not persecute, many of God's children who could not come
into their measures; and I doubt not but their present violent
methods, together with the corruptions of the Assembly, will
cause many to turn Independents, and set up particular churches
of their own. This was the effect of Archbishop Laud acting with
so high a hand; and whether it be presbytery or episcopacy, if
managed in the same manner, it will be productive of the same
effects.
"Blessed be God! I have not so learned Christ. I preach the
simple gospel; and our glorious Jesus is pleased to attend
it with His power. O dear sir, I love and honour your pious
father. Remember me in the kindest manner to the good old man.
I pray God, his last days may not be employed too much in the
non-essentials of religion. My heart is knit to the family.
God willing, I am to preach at Falkirk on Tuesday evening, and
purpose to be at Stirling that night, and to preach twice there
the next day. If it was thought advisable, I would collect for
the Orphan House at Georgia in the afternoon."
In another letter, dated "Edinburgh, August 15, 1741," Whitefield
speaks of more than "three hundred in the city seeking after Jesus,"
and says: "Every morning I have a levee of wounded souls. At seven
in the morning, we have a lecture in the fields, attended not only
by the common people, but persons of great rank. I have reason
to think several of the latter sort are coming to Jesus. Little
children also are much wrought upon. Congregations consist of many
thousands. I preach twice daily, and expound in private houses at
night, and am employed in speaking to souls under distress great
part of the day."
On August 24, Whitefield tells James Habersham, his Orphan-house
superintendent, that, he had collected, in Scotland, nearly £200,
and had a prospect of collecting much more. He had "bought five
hundred yards of cloth for the dear orphans' winter wear;" but was
still hundreds of pounds in debt.
To Ralph Erskine, who had insinuated that Whitefield's wish to raise
money for his orphans had made him a temporizer, the following was
addressed:--
"EDINBURGH, _August 24, 1741_.
"REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,--I thank you for your kind letter. I
believe it proceeded from love; but, as yet, I cannot think
the Solemn League and Covenant is obligatory upon me. Indeed,
dear sir, you mistake if you think I temporize on account of
the orphans. Be it far from me. I abhor the very thought of it.
I proceed now, just as I have ever done since I entered the
ministry; and, so far from not setting a hedge about our Lord's
garden, if I were called to it, I should set a much closer hedge
than that which 'The Associate Presbytery' are planting. I
should enquire into people's experiences, before I admitted them
to the Lord's table. I should have church members meet in church
fellowship, and tell one another what God has done for their
souls. You seem to think I am not open to light. That I may give
you satisfaction, I am willing to confer with Mr. Wilson,[464]
at Perth, where I am to be on Thursday, September 3. On Tuesday
next, I purpose preaching at Dunfermline. I am engaged to sup at
your colleague's house, but intend to lie at yours."
[464] "The Associate Presbytery's" professor of Divinity. See p. 505.
Towards the end of August, Whitefield appears to have made a
preaching tour in the Scottish provinces.[465] In a letter
dated "Perth, September 3," 1741, he says: "For nine days past,
I have preached, twice every day, to very large and affected
auditories, in many towns and villages." At Dundee, "good was
done." At Crieff, he had "a most precious meeting." At Glasgow, he
"preached ten times.[466] The congregations were very large, as
were the contributions, and many were brought under the deepest
convictions."[467] After his return to Edinburgh, the following was
addressed to a friend in London:--
"EDINBURGH, _September 24, 1741_.
[465] The following was Whitefield's preaching plan, from
Monday, August 24, to Tuesday, September 8:--
August 24, morning and afternoon at Edinburgh; 25, forenoon
in Cannongate Church, and evening in the park; 26, Newbottle
twice; 27, Whitburn; 28, Torphichen and Linlithgow; 29, twice
at Falkirk; 30, Airth; 31, twice at Stirling; September 1,
Culross and Dunfermline; 2, twice at Kinross; 3, Perth; 4 to 6,
Dundee; 7, Kinglassie; and 8, Edinburgh. (Gillies' "Memoirs of
Whitefield.")
[466] Most, if not all, of Whitefield's sermons at Glasgow were
preached in the High Church yard; and at least eight of them
were "taken from his own mouth, and published at the earnest
desire of many of the hearers: namely, two sermons, delivered
on Friday, September 11, from Jer. xxxii. 16 (pp. 20), and Luke
xv. (pp. 20); two, on Saturday, September 12, from Luke iv. 18,
19 (pp. 28), and Acts ix. (pp. 40); two, on Sunday, September
13, from Jer. vi. 14 (pp. 24); Rom. xiv. 17 (pp. 35); one, on
Monday, September 14, from 2 Tim. iii. 12 (pp. 28); and one, on
Tuesday, September 15, from 1 Cor. i. 30 (pp. 39)."--_Notes and
Queries_, vol. v., 1858, p. 340.
[467] Whitefield's Works, vol. i., p. 319.
"On Sunday last, I preached here four times, twice in a church,
and twice in the fields; in the evening, I collected £20 for the
Royal Infirmary. On Monday morning, I visited the children in
the three hospitals; and preached, in the evening, in the park.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I preached at Kinglassie, Aberdour,
and Inverkeithing. On Thursday, I visited the prison; and,
in the evening, preached to the children of the city, with a
congregation of near twenty thousand, in the park."