WHITEFIELD'S SECOND VISIT TO NEW ENGLAND.
1744, 1745.
Mr. Whitefield commenced his third voyage to America in August,
1744. His health while crossing the Atlantic became worse,
rather than better, the voyage lasting eleven weeks. He had set
out in company with about one hundred and fifty ships, attended
by several men-of-war as convoys, which, however, they lost by
storms separating them on the way. It was more than six weeks,
owing generally to want of wind, before they reached any of the
western islands. When the wind again sprung up, one of the vessels,
which missed stays, drove upon the ship in which Whitefield was,
striking her mainsail into the bowsprit. The alarm was very great,
but no lives were lost. He had been singing a hymn on deck when
the concussion took place; this fact, together with that of the
concussion itself, was communicated to the convoy, and led to the
use of much violent and wicked language. But the good man was not
intimidated. He says, "I called my friends together, and broke
out into these words in prayer: 'God of the sea, and God of the
dry land, this is a night of rebuke and blasphemy. Show thyself,
O God, and take us under thine own immediate protection. Be thou
our convoy, and make a difference between those who fear thee, and
those that fear thee not.'" A difference was soon made. Next day a
heavy storm arose, which "battered and sent away our convoy, so
that we saw him no more all the voyage." Whitefield at first did
not at all regret the loss, but when two strange sails appeared
in the distance, and preparation was made for action by mounting
guns, slinging hammocks on the sides of the ships, and encircling
the masts with chains, he being, as he says, "naturally a coward,"
found it formidable to have no convoy. The vessels, however, proved
to be only a part of their own fleet. This was a pleasant discovery
to them, especially to Whitefield. "The captain, on clearing the
cabin, said, 'After all, this is the best fighting.' You may be sure
I concurred, praying that all our conflicts with spiritual enemies
might at last terminate in a thorough cleansing and an eternal
purification of the defiled _cabin_ of our hearts."
The tediousness of this voyage, in the feeble state of his health,
seems to have tried Whitefield's patience; so that when he arrived
in sight of the port of York, in the then territory of Maine, in
order to land a few hours sooner he went on board a fishing smack
then in the bay; but darkness coming on, she missed her course,
and was tossed about all night. Unfortunately, too, she had no
provisions, and he was so hungry that he says he "could have gnawed
the very boards." Besides he was suffering from "nervous colic." He
was greatly discouraged, until a man who was lying at his elbow in
the cabin began to talk of "one Mr. Whitefield, for whose arrival
the 'New Lights' in New England" were watching and praying. "This,"
he says, "made me take courage. I continued undiscovered; and in a
few hours, in answer, I trust, to _new-light_ prayers, we arrived
safe." This was on October 19, 1744. He was quite ill when he
landed; but was received by Dr. Sherburne, an eminent physician
at York, who was once a Deist, but had been converted under
Whitefield's ministry. This gentleman took him to his own house, and
after a few days he began to recover.
The Rev. Mr. Moody, of York, the aged and excellent, but eccentric
minister of whom we have already spoken, took the earliest suitable
opportunity of calling on the great evangelist, and said very
characteristically, "Sir, you are, first, welcome to America;
secondly, to New England; thirdly, to all faithful ministers in New
England; fourthly, to all the good people of New England; fifthly,
to all the good people of York; and sixthly and lastly, to me, dear
sir, less than the least of all." Prince's "Christian History" had
announced his arrival, and that his intention was "to pass on to
Georgia; and as he goes on, to meddle with no controversies, but
only to preach up the parts of vital piety and the pure truths of
the gospel, to all who are willing to hear them."
After giving Whitefield this hearty welcome, Moody urged him for a
sermon. The preacher hesitated, on account of his illness, but "good
old Mr. Moody" did not give him the benefit of his own favorite
maxim, "When you know not what to do, you must _not_ do you know
not what." Whitefield preached, and immediately went to Portsmouth,
where he preached the same evening, November 6, for Mr. Fitch, and
was to have preached again the next morning, but was too ill, and
deferred it till the afternoon. In the mean time, as he wrote, "My
pains returned; but what gave me most concern was, that notice had
been given of my being engaged to preach. I felt a divine life,
distinct from my animal life, which made me, as it were, laugh at
my pains, though every one thought I was taken with death. My dear
York physician was then about to administer a medicine. I on a
sudden cried out, 'Doctor, my pains are suspended; by the help of
God, I will go and preach, and then come home and die.' With some
difficulty I reached the pulpit. All looked quite surprised, as
though they saw one risen from the dead. I indeed was as pale as
death, and told them they must look upon me as a dying man, come to
bear my dying testimony to the truths I had formerly preached to
them. All seemed melted, and were drowned in tears. The cry after
me, when I left the pulpit, was like the cry of sincere mourners
when attending the funeral of a dear departed friend. Upon my
coming home, I was laid upon a bed on the ground, near the fire,
and I heard them say, 'He is gone.' But God was pleased to order it
otherwise. I gradually recovered."
In another account he himself says, "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. Expecting to launch into eternity, and to be
with my Master before the morning, I spoke with peculiar energy.
Such effects followed 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.... Soon after, a poor negro
woman would see me. She came, sat down upon the ground, and looked
earnestly in my face, and then said, 'Massa, you just go to heaven's
gate, but Jesus Christ said, Get you down, 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."
It was nearly three weeks before he was sufficiently recovered to
proceed to Boston. The day before he left Portsmouth Mr. Shurtleff
wrote, "The prejudices of most that set themselves against him
before his coming, seem to be in a great measure abated, and in
some, to be wholly removed; and there is no open opposition made
to him. I have frequent opportunities of being with him, and there
always appears in him such a concern for the advancement of the
Redeemer's kingdom and the good of souls, such a care to employ his
whole time to these purposes, such sweetness of disposition, and so
much of the temper of his great Lord and Master, that every time I
see him, I find my heart further drawn out towards him."
"Prince's Christian History," of December 15, says, "The Rev. Mr.
Whitefield was so far revived as to be able to take coach with his
consort, and set out from Portsmouth to Boston, Nov. 24; 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. Colman's, Dr. Sewall's,
Mr. Webb's, and Mr. Gee's, to crowded assemblies of people, and
to great and growing acceptance. At Dr. Colman'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 the venerable Mr. Cheever, of Chelsea, and administered
the holy supper there. The next day he preached for the Rev. Mr.
Emerson, of Malden. Yesterday he set out to preach for some towns to
the northward; proposes 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 congregations, in the
southern parts of the province.
"He comes with the same extraordinary 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
impressions by them, and of rejecting whatever is not agreeable to
them, as delusions. In opposition to Antinomianism, he preaches up
all kinds of relative and religious duties, though to be performed
in the strength of Christ; and, in short, the doctrines of the
church of England, and the first fathers of 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
satisfaction."
The administration of the Lord's supper by a priest of the church
of England in the Congregational church in Brattle-street, Boston,
gave great offence. Some said, the consent of the church was
neither given nor asked, and Dr. Colman was blamed for introducing
Whitefield by his own authority; to which Dr. Colman replied, that,
as it was customary for pastors to invite the assistance of other
ministers on such occasions, he thought it unnecessary to call for
a vote of the church; that he plainly intimated his intention in
his prayer after sermon, and then, on coming to the table, said,
"The Rev. Mr. Whitefield being providentially with us, I have asked
him to administer the ordinance;" and that by the countenances of
the people it seemed to be universally agreeable to them, which he
supposed to be all the consent which the case required.
Since Mr. Whitefield's former visit to New England, a considerable
change had taken place in not a few of the ministers and churches.
In 1740, he had inveighed strongly against many of the ministers,
some of them even by name, as, in his opinion, unconverted; and
after his departure, some preachers, who professed themselves to
be his followers, had created great confusion by carrying these
charges much farther than he would have approved. His second visit
was therefore anticipated by many with anxiety, lest it might cause
a new outbreak of enthusiasm and disorder. The General Association
of Connecticut, in June, 1745, advised that he be not invited to
preach in any of the churches. When he visited New Haven, he found
himself shut out of the pulpit of the First church by its minister
Mr. Noyes. A great crowd, however, assembled to hear him, from the
neighboring towns, as well as from New Haven, and he preached from a
platform erected in the street, before Mr. Pierpont's house on the
Green, to a congregation which neither of the meeting-houses could
have contained.
From Professor Kingsley's "Sketch of the History of Yale College,"
we learn that "President Clap issued a declaration, signed by
himself and three tutors, that is, Samuel Whittlesey, afterwards
minister of the First church in New Haven, Thomas Darling, for many
years chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas for the county of
New Haven, and John Whiting, in which some of the proceedings of Mr.
Whitefield were condemned. In consequence of the religious fervor
which had been excited, a much greater diversity of theological
opinions prevailed in Connecticut than at any previous period.
Violent controversies arose, churches were divided, and the
government, by interfering to prevent these evils, increased rather
than checked them. The college became an object of jealousy; and the
declaration of the rector and tutors, respecting the preaching of
Whitefield, offended some, without effectually conciliating others."
The opposition to Mr. Whitefield of which we have spoken, was
by no means all that he met with. Even before the Association
in Connecticut had taken action, several similar bodies in
Massachusetts had acted in a similar manner. The corporation of
Harvard college published a testimony against him, while that of
Yale represented that he intended to root out all the standing
ministers in our land, and to introduce foreigners in their stead.
The good man, notwithstanding all this opposition, and much more,
went on laboring for the salvation of souls, and God still honored
him with success.
While the impartiality to which we hold ourselves bound demanded
the statement just made, and while we are compelled to admit the
existence of evils attendant on these revivals, we also record some
of the facts connected with a convention of ministers, who assembled
in Boston in pursuance of a previous notice in the Boston Gazette of
May 30, 1743. We copy the original invitation.
"It is desired and proposed by a number of ministers, both in town
and country, that such of their brethren as are persuaded that
there has been of late a happy revival of religion through an
extraordinary divine influence, in many parts of this land, and are
concerned for the honor and progress of this remarkable work of
God, may have an interview at Boston, the day after the approaching
commencement, to consider whether they are not called to give an
open, conjunct testimony to an event so surprising and gracious; as
well as against those errors in doctrine, and disorders in practice,
which through the permitted agency of Satan have attended it, and
in any measure blemished its glory and hindered its advancement;
and also to consult as to the most likely method to be taken to
guard people against such delusions and mistakes as in such a season
they are in danger of falling into, and that this blessed work may
continue and flourish among us." Those who could not be present were
invited to send written attestations.
In accordance with this proposal, the convention met in Boston
on Thursday, July 7. The Rev. Dr. Sewall of Boston officiated as
Moderator, and the Rev. Messrs. Prince of Boston, and Hobby of
Reading, as Scribes. Ninety persons thus assembled, and letters
were read from twenty-eight who were absent. A committee was
appointed, consisting of the Rev. Dr. Sewall, the Rev. Messrs.
Wigglesworth, Prince, Adams, Cooper, Nathanael Rogers, Leonard,
and Hobby, to prepare a report. On the next morning this committee
presented a document, which, after full discussion, was signed by
all present; and the meeting was dissolved.
Our limits will not allow us to give the whole of the report to
which we have referred, but a few sentences will show its general
character:
"We, whose names are undersigned, think it our indispensable
duty--without judging or censuring such of our brethren as cannot
at present see things in the same light with us--in this open
and conjunct manner to declare, to the glory of sovereign grace,
our full persuasion, either from what we have seen ourselves, or
received upon credible testimony, that there has been a happy
and remarkable revival of religion in many parts of this land,
through an uncommon divine influence, after a long time of decay
and deadness, and a sensible and very awful withdrawal of the Holy
Spirit from his sanctuary among us.... The present work seems to
be remarkable and extraordinary, on account of the numbers wrought
upon. We never before saw so many brought under soul concern, and
with great distress making the inquiry, 'What must we do to be
saved?' And these persons were of all ages and character. With
regard to the suddenness and quick progress of it, many persons and
places were surprised with the gracious visit together, or near
about the same time, and the heavenly influence diffused itself
far and wide, like the light of the morning. Also [the work seems
to be remarkable] in respect to the degree of operations, both in a
way of terror, and in a way of consolation, attended in many with
unusual bodily effects. Not that all who are accounted the subjects
of the present work have had these extraordinary degrees of previous
distress and subsequent joy. But many, and we suppose the greater
number, have been wrought on in a more gentle and silent way, and
without any other appearances than are common and usual at other
times, when persons have been awakened to a solemn concern about
salvation, and have been thought to have passed out of a state of
nature into a state of grace. As to those whose inward concern has
occasioned extraordinary outward distresses, the most of them, when
we came to converse with them, were able to give what appeared to us
a rational account of what so affected their minds.... The instances
were very few in which we had reason to think these affections were
produced by visionary or sensible representations, or by any other
images than such as the Scripture itself presents to us. Of those
who were judged hopefully converted, and made a public profession of
religion, there have been fewer instances of scandal and apostasy
than might be expected.... There appears to be more experimental
godliness and lively Christianity than most of us can remember we
have ever seen before.... And now we desire to bow the knee in
thanksgiving to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
our eyes have seen and our ears heard such things. And while these
are our sentiments, we must necessarily be grieved at any accounts
sent abroad representing this work as all enthusiasm, delusion, and
disorder. Indeed, it is not to be denied, that in some places many
irregularities and extravagances have been permitted to accompany
it, which we would deeply bewail and lament before God, and look
upon ourselves obliged, for the honor of the Holy Spirit, and of
his operations on the souls of men, to bear a public and faithful
testimony against; though at the same time it is to be acknowledged,
with much thankfulness, that in other places where the work has
greatly flourished, there have been few if any of those disorders
and excesses. But who can wonder if, at such a time as this, Satan
should intermingle himself to hinder and blemish a work so directly
contrary to the interests of his own kingdom?... Finally, we exhort
the children of God to continue instant in prayer, that He, with
whom is the residue of the Spirit, would grant us fresh, more
plentiful, and extensive effusions, that so this wilderness, in
all the parts of it, may become a fruitful field; that the present
appearances may be an earnest of the glorious things promised in the
latter days, when she shall shine with the glory of the Lord arisen
upon her, so as to dazzle the eyes of beholders, confound and put
to shame all her enemies, rejoice the hearts of her solicitous and
now saddened friends, and have a strong influence and resplendency
throughout the earth. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus; come quickly."
This paper was signed by eighteen ministers in the county of
Suffolk, among whom were Colman, Sewall, Prince, Webb, Cooper,
Foxcroft, Checkly, Gee, Eliot, and Moorhead of Boston; twelve in
the county of Essex, nine in Middlesex, six in Worcester, ten in
Plymouth, one in Barnstable, three in Bristol, three in York, five
in New Hampshire, and one in Rhode Island. There were one hundred
and fourteen in all who gave attestations, either by signing their
names to the above document, or by sending written attestations.
Ninety-six of the one hundred and fourteen took their first degree
of Bachelor of Arts more than ten years previously; consequently
before the revival commenced. Twenty-six took their first degrees
above thirty years before. Attestations were received but from
twelve ministers in Connecticut, as the proposal did not reach them
in time.
We may add to this statement, as showing in some degree the extent
of this revival, that while in 1729 the number of members in the
Congregational and Presbyterian churches of this country may be
estimated at thirty-three thousand, the number of communicants in
1745 could not be less than seventy-five thousand. "The _special_
revivals of religion," says an able writer in the "American
Quarterly Register," vol. 4, 1832, "were probably the means of
adding from twenty thousand to thirty thousand members to the
churches." The same writer adds, "The genuine fruits of holiness
appeared, according to the acknowledgment of all parties, in
multitudes of those who professed religion. They were Christians,
who endured unto the end. This is the unanimous testimony of those
men who were the best able to judge. Great numbers who were
convinced of sin by Mr. Whitefield's preaching, gave ample evidence,
living and dying, of sincere and fervent love to the commands of
God. There is reason to believe that a _preparation_ had been made
for the descent of the Holy Spirit, many years before the revival
commenced. The fasts and public reformations, the prayers and tears
of good men, from 1700 to 1730, were not in vain."
One fact connected with the testimony against Whitefield, published
by the faculty of Harvard college, we quote, as showing that then,
as well as now, a difference of opinion existed as to written and
extempore sermons. They thought his extempore manner of preaching
"by no means proper," because extempore preachers are of necessity
less instructive, the greater part of the sermon being commonly "the
same kind of harangue which they have often used before, so that
this is a most lazy manner" of preaching; and because it exposes the
preacher to utter rash expressions, and even dangerous errors, as
Whitefield, they thought, had done in several instances, probably
from that cause. Assuredly he preferred extempore preaching to any
other; yet he never pretended to preach without previous study. His
sermons usually cost him as much previous labor as if they had been
written; so that, in his case at least, it was not "a lazy way" of
preaching. The errors which they said he had uttered, were a few
hasty expressions, which he had retracted as soon as he had been
reminded of them.
Itinerancy, which had also been objected against Whitefield as one
of his crimes, he strenuously defended as scriptural and right;
understanding an evangelist to be, what they said an itinerant was,
"One that hath no particular charge of his own, but goes about from
country to country, or from town to town in any country, and stands
ready to preach to any congregation that shall call him to it."
For the divine command, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature," he argued, "authorizes the ministers of
Christ, even to the end of the world, to preach the gospel in every
town and country, though not 'of their own head,' yet whenever and
wherever Providence should open a door, even though it should be
in a place 'where officers are already settled, and the gospel is
fully and faithfully preached.' This, I humbly apprehend, is every
gospel minister's indisputable privilege." He further asked, "Was
not the Reformation begun and carried on by itinerant preaching?" He
then quoted from "Baxter's Reformed Pastor," a plan which had been
adopted in some parts of England, for circular lectures by settled
ministers selected for the purpose, and with the consent of the
pastors.
In reference to Harvard college, Whitefield lived long enough
to take a Christian's revenge. In 1764, he solicited from his
friends donations of books for their library, which had recently
been destroyed by fire, and four years afterwards, while his old
opponent President Holyoke was yet in office, the following minute
was entered on their records: "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 of the corporation
be given to the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, for these instances of candor
and generosity."
It will be readily supposed, that notwithstanding all the opposition
which Whitefield met, there were yet many thousands always ready to
attend on his ministry. It was now the close of 1744, but the cold
of winter did not prevent vast crowds assembling at early services
long before daylight. Speaking of the opposition he met, "so that,"
says he, "for a while my situation was rendered uncomfortable,"
he adds, "But amidst all this smoke a blessed fire broke out. The
awakened souls were as eager as ever to hear the word. Having heard
that I expounded early in Scotland, they begged that I would do
the same in Boston. I complied, and opened a lecture 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."
The late Rev. Dr. Archibald Alexander tells us, that when he was
at Boston, in 1800, he found in the Old South church a lingering
relic of Whitefield's times, in a convert of his day, a lady between
eighty and ninety years of age, who belonged to a prayer-meeting
founded then, which had been kept up weekly until within a few
years. Of this, she was the only surviving member.
The "Evening Post," which seems to have been on the side of
those who opposed Whitefield, in its issue of March 11, 1745,
says, "Prince, Webb, Foxcroft, and Gee, are the directors of Mr.
Whitefield's public conduct, as he himself has lately declared at
Newbury." He had other powerful friends among the clergy, and still
more among the laity, who invited him by vote into some pulpits
where the pastors were "shy" of him.
On the 7th of February, we find him at Ipswich, where he spent
several days. Mr. Pickering, of the Second church, declined
admitting him into his pulpit, and assigned his reasons in a letter,
which was published. It contains the usual objections set forth in
the various "testimonies," and is remarkable only for one convenient
metaphor. The Bishop of London had published on "Lukewarmness and
Enthusiasm." Whitefield had said in reply, "All ought to be thankful
to that pilot who will teach them to steer a safe and middle
course;" and Pickering wittily asks, "But what if the pilot should
take the vane for the compass?"
Early in March we find him making an excursion into the east, as we
hear of him both at Berwick and Portland, in the then territory of
Maine. In the latter place, he not only made a powerful impression
on the people, but on their minister. In the outset a strong feeling
existed against his preaching in the pulpit of the First church. Mr.
Smith, the pastor, says in his "Journal," "The parish are like to be
in a flame on account of Mr. Whitefield's coming; the leading men
violently opposing." Under the date of May 19, after Whitefield's
departure, we find in the "Journal" a remarkable passage: "For
several Sabbaths, and the lecture, I have been all in a blaze; never
in such a flame, and what I would attend to is, that it was not only
involuntary, but actually determined against. I went to meeting
resolving to be calm and moderate, lest people should think it was
wildness and affectation to ape Mr. Whitefield; but God, I see,
makes use of me as he pleases, and I am only a machine in his hand."
About the middle of March, we find our evangelist at Exeter,
where he afterwards preached his last sermon. Here some of the
more zealous members of the church had withdrawn, and formed a
new church. Their conduct had been sanctioned by one council, and
censured by another, two years before this time. Whitefield preached
to them twice, though Mr. Odlin, the pastor of the church from
which they had withdrawn, "solemnly warned and charged him against
preaching in his parish." So says the "Evening Post," of March 25,
which further calls the people to whom he preached, "Separatists."
In this spring of 1745, the first expedition for the capture from
the French of the island of Cape Breton, near Nova Scotia, was set
on foot. Colonel Pepperell, a warm personal friend of Whitefield,
and the only native of New England who was created a Baronet of
Great Britain, was then at Boston, constantly attending Whitefield's
lectures. On the day before he accepted a commission to be general
in that expedition, he asked his opinion of the matter, and was
told, with the preacher's usual frankness, that he did not indeed
think that the scheme proposed for taking Louisburgh would be very
promising; and 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, if Providence really called him, he would find his
strength equal to the difficulties with which he would have to
contend.
About the same time, Mr. Sherburne, another of Whitefield's friends,
being appointed one of the commissioners, told him he must favor
the expedition, otherwise the pious people would be discouraged
from enlisting; not only did he say this, but he insisted that
the evangelist should give him a motto for his flag, for the
encouragement of his soldiers. Whitefield refused to do this, as
it would not be consistent with his character as a minister of the
gospel of peace. But as Sherburne would take no denial, he gave him,
_Nil desperandum, Christo Duce_--[Nothing to be despaired of, Christ
being leader.] In these circumstances a large number of men enlisted.
The soldiers and their officers now went farther, and before their
embarkation requested him to give them a sermon. He preached to
them from the text, "And every one that was in distress, and every
one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered
themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them." 1 Samuel
22:2. From this somewhat singular text, he discoursed on the
manner in which distressed sinners came to Jesus Christ, the Son
of David; and in his application, exhorted the soldiers to behave
like the soldiers of David, and the officers to act like David's
worthies; saying, that if they did so, there would be good news
from Cape Breton. After this he preached to the general himself,
who invited him to become one of his chaplains. Whitefield declined
this, saying, that though he should esteem this an honor, yet, as
he generally preached three times a day, to large congregations,
he could do more service by stirring up the people to pray, thus
strengthening the hearts and hands of the army. In this practice
he persevered during the whole siege of Louisburgh. "I believe,"
said 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 series
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 blessing bestowed upon the country through the
thanksgivings of many, redounded to the glory of God."
Some time before this, the people of Boston had proposed to build
for Whitefield "the largest place of worship ever seen in America,"
in which he should regularly preach; but, as usual, he feared this
plan would abridge his liberty of itinerating: he thanked them for
their offer, but decidedly declined to accept it. As his bodily
strength increased, he began to move southward, and went through
Rhode Island and Connecticut, preaching to thousands generally twice
a day. He says, "Though there was much smoke, yet every day I had
more and more convincing proof that a blessed gospel fire had been
kindled in the hearts both of ministers and people."
About this time occurred a fact which delightfully shows how the
enemies of this admirable man were often converted into friends.
A colored trumpeter belonging to the English army resolved to
interrupt him while delivering a sermon in the open air. For this
purpose he went to the field, carrying his trumpet with him,
intending to blow it with all his might about the middle of the
sermon. He took his station in front of the minister, and at no
great distance from him. The crowd became very great, and those who
were towards the extremity pressed forward, that they might hear
more distinctly, and caused such a pressure where the poor trumpeter
stood, that he found it impossible at the time when he intended to
blow his trumpet, to raise the arm which held it, by which means
he was kept within the sound of the gospel as effectually as if
he had been chained to the spot. In a short time his attention
was powerfully arrested, and he became so deeply affected by the
statements of the preacher, that he was seized with all the agonies
of despair, and was carried to a house in the neighborhood. After
the service, he was visited by Mr. Whitefield, who gave him suitable
counsels, and from that time the trumpeter became a greatly altered
man. So true is it in reference to the omnipotent and gracious Being,
"Hearts base as hell he can control,
And spread new powers throughout the whole."
While preaching at Boston, he was delighted to observe that the
sheriff, who had heretofore been the leader of the persecution
against him, now began to hear him preach; and his pleasure was
vastly increased, when he saw the crowds come around him to inquire
as to their highest interests.
Among these crowds was a somewhat remarkable gentleman of that city.
He was a man of ready wit and racy humor, who delighted in preaching
over a bottle to his ungodly companions. He went to hear Whitefield,
that he might be furnished with matter for a "tavern harangue." When
he had heard enough of the sermon for his purpose, he endeavored
to quit the church for the inn, but "found his endeavors to get
out fruitless, he was so pent up." While thus fixed, and waiting
for "fresh matter of ridicule," the truth took possession of his
heart. That night he went to Mr. Prince full of terror, and sought
an introduction to ask pardon of the preacher. Whitefield says of
him, "By the paleness, pensiveness, and horror of his countenance,
I guessed he was the man of whom I had been apprized. 'Sir, can you
forgive me?' he cried in a low, but plaintive voice. I smiled, and
said, 'Yes, sir, very readily.' 'Indeed,' he said, 'you cannot when
I tell you all.' I then asked him to sit down; and judging that he
had sufficiently felt the lash of the law, I preached the gospel
to him." This, with other remarkable conversions, gave increasing
energy and influence to his preaching in Boston. "My bodily
strength," he says, "is recovered, and my soul more than ever in
love with a crucified Jesus."
Another illustration may also be here given of the meekness and
gentleness which usually characterized our evangelist in his
intercourse with his brethren. In his later visits to New England,
it was Whitefield's usual practice to spend a few days with Dr.
Hopkins. On one of these occasions, after preaching for the doctor
on the Sabbath, the next day he proposed a ride into the country
for exercise. During the ride, Whitefield spoke with regret of the
views of their "good brother Edwards on the subject of the witness
of the Holy Spirit." "Ah," asked Dr. Hopkins, "and what is the
error?" Here Whitefield made a long pause; and Hopkins continued
the conversation: "Do you believe, Mr. Whitefield, that the witness
of the Spirit is a direct communication from God?" "I cannot say
that I do," was the reply. "Well, do you believe that Christians
have any other witness of the Spirit than that afforded by the
testimony of their own holy affections?" "I cannot say that I do,"
Mr. Whitefield again replied. "Do you believe it to be any thing
more or less," continued Hopkins, "than the Spirit producing in the
heart the gracious exercises of repentance, faith, etc.?" "No, that
is precisely my view of it," said Whitefield. "And that is precisely
the view of good father Edwards," pleasantly returned Dr. Hopkins.
Whitefield frankly acknowledged his error, and rejoiced that there
was no disagreement on the subject.