"BRISTOL, _November 30, 1741_.
"I rejoice that your soul is thirsting for holiness. God grant
it may never cease till you experience the full and glorious
liberty of His children! I see plainly how Satan loves to
drive to extremes. Since there is no such thing as having the
in-being of sin destroyed, he would not have people press
after a delivery from the power of it. This also is owing to
the corruption of our hearts. The old man doth not love to be
crucified and slain; but I hope the language of your heart and
mine is this--
'Reign in me, Lord, Thy foes control,
That would refuse Thy sway;
Diffuse Thy image through my soul,
And bring the perfect day.
Scatter the last remains of sin,
And seal me Thine abode;
O set me purified within,
A temple meet for God.
My root of holiness Thou art,
For faith hath made Thee mine;
With all Thy fulness, fill my heart,
Till I am wholly Thine.'
"No wonder, when we come to be thus minded, if carnal ministers,
and carnal professors of all kinds, cry out against us. Nay,
even some who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, having
slumbered and slept, and mixed too much with the world, even
such frequently fight against their privileges, and rest in an
infant state of piety. But, I believe, the Lord will rouse them,
and let the world know what the blood of Jesus can and will
do. Blessed be His name! we have a growing church at Bristol.
Yesterday, and several other times, the Lord has filled many,
as with new wine. Sometimes, I scarce have known whether I have
been in or out of the body; but, I find, the more I receive of
grace, the more I desire to lie as a poor, very poor sinner,
at the feet of Christ. Several have just now been with me, who
have, this last week, drunk deep of Divine love. They are now
full of the comforts of the Holy Ghost. Let us, my dear brother,
live a life of great nearness to Jesus; and labour day by day to
perfect holiness in the fear of God. There is a glorious rest to
be entered into even here. May the Lord make us partakers of it!"
These are notable extracts. Their tone and language are remarkably
different from the tone and language of Whitefield's previous
correspondence. Strangely enough, though fresh from Calvinistic
Scotland, he was evidently veering round to something like Wesley's
doctrine of Christian perfection. In 1740, the two Wesleys had
published a volume of "Hymns and Sacred Poems," with a preface, in
which Wesley propounded his views of Christian holiness in language
the strongest he ever used. Indeed, in after life, he himself
modified several of the expressions in this remarkable preface, and
honestly admitted that some of them were far too strong. The hymns,
and especially the preface, when first published, greatly disturbed
Whitefield's serenity, and, no doubt, partly led to the temporary
estrangement between him and Wesley, which had then occurred.
But, notwithstanding this, in the foregoing letter, Whitefield
breathes out the desires of his soul, in three of the most forcibly
worded verses in Wesley's book. It is true, he slightly alters the
phraseology, and likewise injures it; but there is no material
alteration of sentiment. The verses, as the Wesleys published them,
were as follows:--
"Reign in me, Lord, Thy foes control,
Who would not own Thy sway;
Diffuse Thy image through my soul;
Shine to the perfect day.
Scatter the last remains of sin,
And seal me Thine abode;
O make me glorious all within,
A temple built by God.
My inward holiness Thou art,
For faith hath made Thee mine:
With all Thy fulness fill my heart,
Till all I am is Thine!"
Such was part of Wesley's hymn on "Christ our Sanctification.
Stronger language, on the subject, he never used; and, yet, this was
now the language of his friend Whitefield. If the views of the two
were not perfectly identical, there certainly was a near approach,
on the part of Whitefield, to the doctrine Wesley taught. Why was
this? There can be little doubt, that, it was greatly owing to the
brotherly influence of Howell Harris. To a large extent, Whitefield
had been made the tool of excited partisans, both in London and
in Bristol. The men were violently opposed to Wesley, but were
too small to even think of conquering him, without Whitefield's
aid. Whitefield was naturally unsuspicious, and, he was also fond
of being regarded and consulted as a leader. Wesley's opponents
knew all this, and used their opportunity for annoying him. Bitter
complaints were made to Whitefield, respecting the doctrines that
he taught. Whitefield, whose heart was always better than his head,
became confused, and he was induced to strongly condemn some of
Wesley's doctrines, without really understanding what they were.
Estrangement followed; and, for the last six months, the two old
friends had been divided. During Whitefield's visit to Scotland,
Howell Harris seems to have acted as his curate, in London; where he
also had an important interview with the Wesley brothers. Hence the
following, addressed to Whitefield:--
"_October, 1741._
"DEAR BROTHER WHITEFIELD,--I believe that jealousies will not be
entirely eradicated until correspondence with those who indulge
a party-spirit, and are not like little children, ceases. I have
seen, more than ever, since I came home, what carnal professors
are.[498] The Lord has helped me to bear my testimony against
sin, and to declare that all those who labour for deliverance
from the dominion of sin, self, and unbelief, shall be set
free; they shall so behold the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ, as to be changed into His image, from glory to
glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. iii. 18; Rom. vi.
14, viii. 2; 2 Peter i. 4; and 2 Cor. v. 15). When I mentioned
this liberty from the power of sin, I was abused as one holding
sinless perfection; and, I find, they have troubled you with
this information. I have always stated, that the body of sin
remains in believers, but that the power of it is destroyed. By
dwelling on sanctification, we shall find self and carnal reason
in arms against us; just the same as the pride of the Pharisees
is against us, when we preach justification by faith. These
opposers would be glad to influence you. They were in hopes
to set brother Cennick and myself by the ears, but the Lord
disappointed them.
[498] He had a serious encounter with Joseph Humphreys and
Thomas Bissicks, about the time he thus wrote to Whitefield.
Wesley, in reference to this dispute, observes, "H. Harris kept
them at bay till about one o'clock in the morning. I then left
them and Capt. T---- together. About three, they left off just
where they began." (Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 321.)
"Now, as to brother Wesley. The Lord gave me, on a certain day,
such earnestness to pray for him, and such faith that he would
be led into all truth, that all my prejudices were removed, and
I felt I could speak to him in love. Still, I had no thoughts
of so doing, until he invited me to visit him. Then I opened my
heart to him, and told him how the Lord taught me every truth.
He allowed everything, and said, that we, through grace, shall
not fall away. I saw room to hope, that the Lord would bring us
together in truth.[499] As to free-will, he utterly denied it.
He does really mean what he says. He did so openly, in Charles
Square. 'God,' said he, 'is willing to save you all, if you
will. What I mean by saying _if you will_, is, not if you have a
faint wish to go to heaven, but, if you will submit to Christ,
in all His offices, for salvation--if you are willing He should
save you from sin, as well as hell; else you cannot be saved.'
[499] Probably this interview with Wesley was the same as that
of which Wesley gives an account, in his Journal, under the
date of October, 1741. He writes: "Howell Harris came to me.
He said, as to the decree of reprobation, he renounced and
utterly abhorred it. And as to the not falling from grace, 1. He
believed that it ought not to be mentioned to the unjustified,
or to any that were slack or careless, much less that lived in
sin. 2. He did himself believe it was possible for one to fall
away, who had been 'enlightened' with some knowledge of God, who
had 'tasted of the heavenly gift, and had been made partaker of
the Holy Ghost;' and wished we could all agree to keep close, in
the controverted points, to the very words of Holy Writ. 3. That
he accounted no man so justified as not to fall, till he had a
thorough, abiding hatred of all sin, and a continual hunger and
thirst after all righteousness. Blessed be thou of the Lord,
thou man of peace! Still follow after peace and holiness."
(Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 320.) See Letter, by Charles
Wesley, endorsed "September 28, 1741, p. 482.
"Brother Charles Wesley came to town last Saturday night, and
we providentially met. He owned he had no free-will until four
years ago; that it was God who chose him first; and not he
God: and that he is kept faithful by the faithfulness of God.
He spoke tenderly of you, and seemed to be quite loving and
teachable."[500]
[500] "Life and Times of Howell Harris," by Morgan, p. 93.
Harris's letter seems to have touched Whitefield, and to have filled
his heart with a gush of warm affection, which found utterance in
the following letter, which he, immediately, wrote to Wesley:--
"ABERDEEN, _October, 1741_.
"REVEREND AND DEAR BROTHER,--I have for a long time expected
that you would have sent me an answer to my last; but, I
suppose, you are afraid to correspond with me, because I
revealed your secret about the '_lot_.'" (See p. 469.) "Though
much may be said for my doing it, yet I am sorry now that any
such thing dropped from my pen, and I humbly ask pardon. I find
I love you as much as ever; and pray God, if it be His blessed
will, that we may be all united together.
"For some days, it has been upon my mind to write to you, and
this morning I received a letter from brother Harris, telling
me how he had conversed with you and your dear brother. May
God remove all obstacles that now prevent our union! Though I
hold particular election, yet I offer Jesus freely to every
individual soul. You may carry sanctification to what degrees
you will, only I cannot agree that the in-being of sin is to be
destroyed in this life.
"Oh, my dear brother, the Lord has been much with me in
Scotland. I every morning feel fellowship with Christ, and He is
pleased to give me peace and joy in believing.
"In about three weeks, I hope to be at Bristol. May all
disputings cease, and each of us talk of nothing but Jesus, and
Him crucified! This is my resolution. The Lord be with your
spirit!
"I am, without dissimulation, ever yours,
"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."
When Whitefield arrived in Bristol, Wesley was recovering from a
severe and dangerous fever; and, though neither of them mentions
the fact, there can be little doubt, that the old friends met, and
conversed together, as Whitefield proposed they should. As noticed
in foregoing pages, Whitefield, to some extent, misunderstood and
mis-stated Wesley's doctrine of Christian holiness; and as it is
probable that explanations were given during the interview at
Bristol, there is now no difficulty in understanding the alteration
of tone and language in Whitefield's letters already quoted. Though
in a mystic way still clinging to what he calls the "in-being of
sin" in all believers, Whitefield was now, in reality, seeking the
sanctification which Wesley taught.
On December 4, Whitefield arrived in London, from which he had been
absent the last four months. Three days afterwards, he wrote as
follows to James Habersham:--
"LONDON, _December 7, 1741_.
"MY DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER,--I came hither last Friday, and
received a packet of letters from Bethesda. When I read brother
Grant's account of the circumstances of the family, I remembered
what the Lord pressed upon my soul on shipboard: 'The bridegroom
shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast in those
days.' However, be not discouraged. Professor Francke's students
were once obliged to sell their clothes to buy candles.
"The work of God advances here greatly. We have a large Society,
consisting of several hundreds; and a noble place to meet in.
I have called it a _Tabernacle_, because, perhaps, we may be
called to move our tents.
"In Wiltshire, and at Kingswood, there are many good souls,
and two new houses built. In Wales, the door is opened wider
than ever. The work is very extraordinary in Scotland. I hear,
daily, accounts of its continuance and increase.
"God is pleased to let me feel more of His power than ever.
O that His whole mind were in me! I hunger and thirst after
righteousness. Blessed be God! there is a promise that such
shall be filled.
"The Lords see through Mr. Garden's enmity, and will have
nothing to do with my Appeal; so that a hook is put into the
leviathan's jaws.
"Ever, ever yours in Christ,
"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."
Such was Whitefield's letter _to_ America. _From_ America, he
received one equally inspiriting. The Rev. Thomas Prince wrote to
him as follows:--
"BOSTON, _December 6, 1741_.
"REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,--Since my last, our exalted Saviour has
been riding forth in His magnificence and glory, through divers
parts of our land, in so triumphant a manner as hath never
been seen or heard among us, or among any other people, since
the days of the apostles. He is daily making His most resolute
opposers to fall down under Him. Almost every week, we hear of
new and surprising conquests. Some, who were like incarnate
devils, are thrown, at once, into such extreme distress as
no pen can possibly describe and, in two or three days, are
turned into saints, full of divine adoration, and love, and joy
unspeakable, and full of glory. Amazing works of this kind are
now going on at Taunton, Middleborough, Bridgewater, Abington,
York, Ipswich, Rowley, Cape Anne, Rittery, and Berwick. On a
day of fasting and prayer at Portsmouth, the Spirit of God came
down, and seized the people by scores and hundreds; and, in
three days, there were a thousand in that town in deep distress
about their souls."[501]
[501] "Some Remarks on a Pamphlet, entitled 'The State of Religion
in New England.'" 1742. p. 29.
After spending a few days in London, Whitefield started out to join
his newly wedded wife at Abergavenny. On his way, he spent about a
week at Gloucester, where he wrote the two following letters, the
first to Lord Rae in Scotland, and the second to his lay-curate,
John Cennick, in London.
"GLOUCESTER, _December 19, 1741_.
"MY LORD,--In England, as well as in Scotland, the Redeemer is
riding on from conquering to conquer. I have lately been at
Bristol and London, and have had the pleasure of seeing the
Church walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. I have preached
here twice every day, for some days past. I am athirst for
holiness. I see such beauty and transcendent excellencies in
Christ, that I long to have His whole mind and image stamped
upon my soul. Nothing can satisfy me but the highest degrees
of sanctification and inward holiness. Here, I believe, I am
laudably ambitious. My Saviour wills my sanctification. My
Saviour would have me filled with all the fulness of God."
* * * * *
"GLOUCESTER, _December 22, 1741_.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,--Last Thursday evening, the Lord brought me
hither. I preached immediately to our friends in a large barn,
and had my Master's presence. On Friday and Saturday, I preached
again twice. On Sunday, God opened a door for my preaching in
St. John's, one of the parish churches. The late incumbent had
been my grand opposer. He being dead, and the new minister not
having taken possession, the power of the pulpit was in the
churchwardens' hands. God inclined them to let me preach there
on Sunday morning and yesterday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon,
after I had preached twice at Gloucester, I preached at Mr.
F----'s, six miles off; and again, at night, at Stroud. The
people seem 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 unspeakable comfort, and uninterrupted
joy. There seems to be a new awakening, and a revival of the
work of God. To-morrow morning, I purpose to set out for
Abergavenny."
Thus, after a long interval, was Whitefield allowed to occupy two
of the pulpits of the Established Church. In four days, he had been
to Abergavenny, and had come back to Bristol; where he wrote the
following racy letter to a gentleman in London:--
"BRISTOL, _December 28, 1741_.
"DEAR MR. M----, Both my wife and I received your letters. I
send this to thank you for them. I came from Abergavenny on
Saturday night. My dear wife was pretty well; I expect her here
on Friday.
"We shall bring no more goods to London than we shall use; but
I know not what to say about coming to your house, for, I am
told, you and your wife are dilatory, and that you do not rise
sometimes till nine or ten in the morning. This will never do
for me; and, I am persuaded, such conduct tends much to the
dishonour of God, and to the prejudice of your own precious
soul. Sometimes I have looked upon you with grief. You have
busied yourself about the outward affairs of religion with
respect to others, and, all the while, I fear, neglected the
improvement of your own heart. I fear your present business will
not answer; and, I am sure, you will have no solid comfort,
till you look less abroad and more at home. Somebody said, you
were like the Athenians, who desired to hear some new thing.
I thought the observation was too just. You are jealous about
principles, which is right; but, all the while, your own
practice is not sufficiently watched over. I have heard you
spend much time in coffee houses, and from your own house. I
hope these things are not so. You will not be offended with me
for this plain dealing. You know I love you; and, I am sure,
this letter proceeds from love. The eyes of the world are now
in an especial manner upon you. Labour, therefore, my dear
brother, to get an abiding presence of God in your heart. Be
willing to be searched. Pray that you may feel the full power
of the Redeemer's blood. Be not slothful in business. Go to bed
seasonably, and rise early. Redeem your precious time. Pick up
all the fragments of it, that not one moment may be lost. Be
much in secret prayer. Converse less with man, and more with
God. Accept this advice, given in great love."
Another letter, of the same date, must have insertion. It is a
striking fact, that, though all of them distinct, there were, at
the same time, remarkable religious movements in America, England,
Scotland, and Wales. The labours and successes of Howell Harris,
in the last-mentioned country, have been already noticed. About
half a score clergymen of the Established Church had practically
identified themselves with him, and had become itinerant preachers.
Among these, were the Rev. Daniel Rowlands, the Rev. William
Williams, the Rev. Peter Williams, and the Rev. Howell Davies. A
considerable body of lay-preachers, also, had sprung into existence;
and the Methodist congregations and Societies of the principality
were daily increasing in number and importance.[502] To these Welsh
evangelists, in one of their assemblies, Whitefield addressed the
following:--
"BRISTOL, _December 28, 1741_.
[502] "History of the Calvinistic Methodists in Wales," p. 8.
"MY DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST,--Though obliged to be absent in
body, I write this to assure you of my being present in spirit.
I wish you much of the presence of our glorious Head. I doubt
not but you will find Him faithful to His promise, and, as you
meet together in His name, He certainly will be in the midst
of you. The affairs you meet about are affairs of the utmost
importance. You ought to watch close, and to be instant in
prayer; for you need much of the wisdom which cometh from above.
"One great matter is rightly to know to what particular office,
and to what particular part, Jesus Christ has called each of
you. For, I take it for granted, none of you will presume
to run before you are called, or have evidences of your own
conversion. Different persons have different gifts and graces.
Some are called to awaken; others to establish and build up.
Some have popular gifts fit for large auditories; others move
best in a more contracted sphere, and may be exceeding useful
in the private Societies. Those who are called to act in a
public manner, I think, ought to give themselves wholly to the
work, and go out without purse or scrip. Their Master will
bear their charges. Others, who can only visit privately, may
mind their secular employ, and give their leisure time to the
service of the Church. Some of you are ministers of the Church
of England; but, if you are faithful, I cannot think you will
continue in it long. However, do not go out till you are cast
out; and, when cast out for Jesus Christ's sake, be not afraid
to preach in the fields. And whilst you remain in, O let not the
children of God starve for want of the sacrament, though they
may belong to another parish. The canon which forbids giving it
to _strangers_ was only to prevent persons coming unprepared,
without the minister's knowledge. It is regarded by none of the
clergy; and nothing but the enmity of the old serpent excites
them to mention it to any of you. For my own part, I should
think it an honour to be put into the spiritual court, and to
be excommunicated, for giving the children of God the sacrament
at my church, when they cannot have it elsewhere. The Spirit of
Christ and of glory, I am sure, would rest upon my soul.
"As for those who are not ordained, I cannot say much, only pray
that each may take his proper place. If Brother Lewis could come
over and help us, it would be well. The Church here wants more
labourers. It is proper, somebody should be always in Wiltshire
and Kingswood. I wish also you could meet monthly; if not all
together, yet in little bodies, as you lie nearest to each
other. I am about to settle a monthly meeting in Bristol and
London, where correspondents' letters are to be read, and prayer
made accordingly. If you had monthly meetings, each exhorter or
labourer might communicate his success; an abstract might be
sent to England; and we, in return, would send you an abstract
of our affairs. Unity would thereby be promoted, love increased,
and our hands strengthened.
"All this may be done without a formal separation from the
Established Church, which I cannot think God calls for as yet;
only, I think, if a brother or sister has a mind to communicate
among the Dissenters, and has freedom to receive in the Church
too, they ought to be left at their liberty.
"Thus, my dear brethren, I have given you what occurred to my
mind. I am ashamed whilst I am writing, knowing my insufficiency
to advise. But you will accept in love, from one who desires
to be the servant of all. It may be, hereafter, God may bring
me to you, and we may enjoy sweet fellowship together. In the
meanwhile, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace.
I entreat your most earnest prayer in behalf of, dear brethren,
your most affectionate, though most unworthy, brother and
servant,
"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."[503]
[503] _Evangelical Magazine_, 1826, p. 469.
There is much in this important letter which deserves attention;
but the intelligent reader can easily form his own opinions on the
topics it embraces.
As usual, Whitefield was greatly occupied with his Orphan-house
affairs. His scheme, as he himself originally propounded it, was
benevolently comprehensive.
"An orphan house," he wrote in 1739, "is much wanted at
Savannah; for there are many orphans, who, now being obliged to
live in the families about town, lose all the advantages they
receive at school.
"Besides, it will be a great encouragement to people to go
to the colony, when they are assured their children will be
provided for after their decease; and it will be an unspeakable
comfort to parents already there, who fear nothing so much as
having their children left destitute when they are dead.
"Further, if the Indians, who live near the town, can be
persuaded to send their children, it seems to be the only
probable means to bring about their conversion.
"It may be further considered, that the children, to be
maintained in the Orphan House, are to be bred up to manual
labour from their very infancy; and that the persons to be
employed in their education, it is to be hoped, have the glory
of God at heart, and desire no other gratuity than food and
raiment.
"Part also of the Orphan House is to be set apart for an
infirmary, where sick servants and poor people, who now are
in great danger of perishing for want of necessaries, are
to be taken in and provided for; which must be a great ease
and assistance, not only to the servants, but to masters and
mistresses of families, who cannot afford to have physicians, or
to furnish sick servants with things convenient."[504]
[504] Preface to "Account of Money received and expended for the
Poor of Georgia."
All must admit the benevolent character of Whitefield's project. The
difficulties he had to encounter were enormous. Again and again, he
was in danger of being arrested for the debts that he had incurred
in the erection of his large building. Providence, however, provided
for his necessities; and now his Orphanage was opened, and his
plans were being carried out. He had many friends; but he also had
some enemies. Among the latter was a Mr. Nesbit, who had recently
returned to England from Carolina, where he had lived thirty years.
In three letters, published in the _Scots' Magazine_ for 1741, Mr.
Nesbit alleged, that "the extraordinary expense, in building the
Orphan House, might have been saved, by appropriating one or more of
the empty houses in Savannah," where Whitefield "might have had his
choice of hundreds." Mr. Nesbit continues: "The colony of Georgia
has been dwindling away for two or three years past, by reason of
the oppressions the people have suffered. Of the thousands sent
over by the Trustees, only a few families remain, and they are
waiting an opportunity to get out of the arbitrary government of
the place. Savannah is now two-thirds desolate; and, except the few
people in that town, there is scarce an inhabitant within sixty
or seventy miles of the Orphan House. Of what use can an hospital
be in a desert and abandoned country? or how can such a house be
maintained in that situation, exposed to Spaniards, Indians, and
runaway negroes?" Another of Mr. Nesbit's complaints was that
Whitefield had "paid £3 for each cow and calf, whereas the price in
Carolina was only thirty shillings;" and that the keeping of his
live stock was costing twice as much as it ought to cost. "Thousands
of pounds," says the censor, "have been expended on the Orphan
House, and it is not above half finished. Mr. Whitefield has paid
twice as much for his boards, planks, and scantlings, as he should
have done."
It is not unlikely that simple-minded Whitefield was cheated by
the worldly-wise colonists with whom he had business transactions;
but that he did his best cannot reasonably be doubted. Nesbit's
letters were published while Whitefield was in Scotland, and was
making collections for the Orphanage. Whitefield wrote two replies,
one dated September 26, and the other October 3, 1741; and both
were published in the _Scots' Magazine_. A brief extract from the
second must suffice. In answer to the allegation that the expense of
building might have been saved by using empty houses in Savannah,
Whitefield writes:--
"I tried this experiment while the Orphan House was building.
I gave Mr. Douglas £35 a year for his house, the largest in
Savannah. I had the use of the parsonage, the Germans' house,
and another house besides; all of which, put together, were
scarcely sufficient; and, if I had had to pay rent for them all,
they would have cost upwards of £50, if not £60, per annum.
Judge you, then, whether it was not better to build one large,
convenient house, than to be at such an annual expenditure for
rent, and to undergo the inconvenience of living in separate
houses.
"I fear you have been misinformed that, excepting a few people
in Savannah, there is scarce an inhabitant within sixty or
seventy miles of the Orphan House; for, within four or five
miles, there are Mr. Fallowfield's plantation, Mr. Parker's
plantation (both magistrates of Savannah), Colonel Stevens's
plantation, Mr. Mercer's plantation, with some others a little
farther distant; besides three hundred Saltzburghers not above
forty miles distant from us."