HIS LAST LABORS IN GREAT BRITAIN--COLLEGE AT TREVECCA--EARL OF
BUCHAN--TUNBRIDGE WELLS.
1767-1769.
Whitefield had abandoned the idea of a charter for a college at
present, but he was yet ardently desirous of a public academy being
added to his orphan-house, similar to what existed at Philadelphia
before a college charter was granted. He thought that if this
could be done, a better day might arrive, when a charter on broad
principles might be obtained. He developed his whole plan in a
letter to Governor Wright. Feeling too the uncertainty of life, he
wrote to his friend Mr. Keen, "None but God knows what a concern is
upon me now, in respect of Bethesda. As another voyage, perhaps, may
be the issue and the result of all at last, I would beg you and my
dear Mr. H---- to let me have all my papers and letters, that I may
revise and dispose of them in a proper manner. This can do no hurt,
come life or come death."
October 28th, 1767, Whitefield preached at the London Tabernacle
before the society for promoting religious knowledge among the poor,
usually called, The Book Society. This society had been organized
seventeen years before this period, and included in it such men as
Watts, Doddridge, and Gifford. He gave way to all the zeal of his
heart while he discussed the petition, "Thy kingdom come." Luke
11:2. The congregation was immense, many had to go away unable
to obtain admittance. It was believed that a larger number of
dissenting ministers were present than ever before heard a sermon
from an Episcopal minister, and the collection reached more than
five hundred dollars, or above four times the usual amount, besides
eighty new annual subscribers. After the service, he dined with a
very large party, including the ministers, where harmony reigned,
and much respect was shown him.
It may be readily supposed, that with advancing years and increasing
experience, some changes might have taken place both in the style
and manner of Whitefield's preaching. The Rev. Cornelius Winter, who
had become somewhat closely associated with him, says, "He dealt
more in the explanatory and doctrinal mode on the Sabbath morning
than at any other time, and sometimes made a little, but by no means
an improper show of learning. His afternoon sermon was more general
and exhortatory. In the evening, he drew his bow at a venture;
vindicated the doctrines of grace, fenced them with articles and
homilies, referred to the martyr's seal, and exemplified the power
of divine grace by quotations from the venerable Foxe. Sinners were
then closely plied, numbers of whom, from curiosity, coming to
hear for a minute or two, were often compelled to hear the whole
sermon. How many in the judgment-day will rise to prove that they
heard to the salvation of the soul. Upon the members of society,
the practice of Christianity was then usually inculcated, not
without some pertinent anecdote of a character worthy to be held
up for an example, and in whose conduct the hints recommended were
exemplified. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,
he preached at six in the morning; and never, perhaps, did he
preach greater sermons than at this hour." This, with the frequent
administration of the Lord's supper to hundreds of communicants, was
his usual plan for several years; but now he became more colloquial
in his style, with but little action; he gave pertinent expositions
of the Scriptures, with striking remarks, all comprehended within an
hour. Winter adds, "The peculiar talents he possessed, subservient
to great usefulness, can be but faintly conceived from his sermons
in print; though, as formerly, God has made the reading of them
useful, and I have no doubt that in future they will have their use."
But even yet our evangelist had to engage in war. The opposition
of the universities in Oxford and Cambridge to the principles and
practices introduced by Whitefield, Wesley, and their companions,
grew and strengthened, till an event occurred at Oxford singularly
remarkable in its history for opposition to evangelical religion,
which for many years continued to excite very extraordinary
interest. The London "St. James' Chronicle," of Thursday, March 17,
1763, contained the following "extract of a letter from Oxford:"
"On Friday last, six students, belonging to Edmund Hall, were
expelled the university, after a hearing of several hours before
Mr. Vice-Chancellor and some of the heads of houses, for holding
methodistical tenets, and taking upon them to pray, read, and
expound the Scriptures, and singing hymns in a private house.
The ---- of the ---- [The Principal of the Edmund Hall, Rev. Dr.
Dixon] defended their doctrines from the Thirty-nine Articles of
the established church, and spoke in the highest terms of the piety
and exemplariness of their lives; but his motion was overruled,
and sentence pronounced against them. Dr. ----, [Dixon,] one of
the heads of houses present, observed, that as these six gentlemen
were expelled for having too much religion, it would be very proper
to inquire into the conduct of some who had too little; and Mr.
---- [Dr. Nowell] was heard to tell their chief accuser, that the
university was much obliged to him for his good work."
To detail the events which followed this extraordinary act, and to
describe the excitement thus created, form no part of the design of
our volume. We have referred to the fact because Mr. Whitefield and
his friend Sir Richard Hill took part in the controversy. Referring
to Dr. Nowell's assertion to Mr. Higson, their "chief accuser," and
who was also their tutor, that the university was obliged to him,
Whitefield says to the Vice-Chancellor, "What thanks, reverend sir,
he may meet with from the whole university I know not; but one thing
I know, namely, that he will receive no thanks for that day's work
from the innumerable company of angels, the general assembly of the
first-born which are written in heaven, or from God the Judge of
all, in that day when Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant shall
come in his own glory, in the glory of the Father and his holy
angels, and gather his elect from all the four corners of the world.
"It is true, indeed, one article of impeachment was, that 'some of
them were of _trades_ before they entered into the university.'
But what evil or crime worthy of expulsion can there be in that?
To be called from any, though the meanest mechanical employment,
to the study of the liberal arts, where a natural genius hath been
given, was never yet looked upon as a reproach to, or diminution of
any great and public character whatsoever. Profane history affords
us a variety of examples of the greatest heroes, who have been
fetched even from the plough to command armies, and who performed
the greatest exploits for their country's good. And if we examine
_sacred_ history, we shall find that even David, after he was
anointed king, looked back with sweet complacency to the rock from
whence he was hewn, and is not ashamed to leave it upon record, that
God took him away from the sheepfolds, as he was following the ewes
great with young; and, as though he loved to repeat it, he took
him, he says, 'that he might feed Jacob his people, and Israel his
inheritance.'
"But why speak I of David, when Jesus of Nazareth, David's Lord and
David's King, had for his reputed father a carpenter? and in all
probability, as it was a common proverb among the Jews, that 'he
who did not teach his son a trade, taught him to be a thief,' he
worked at the trade of a carpenter himself. For this, indeed, he was
reproached and maligned: 'Is not this,' said they, 'the carpenter's
son?' Nay, 'Is not this the carpenter?' But who were these
maligners? The greatest enemies to the power of godliness which
the world ever saw, the scribes and Pharisees, that 'generation of
vipers,' as John the Baptist calls them, who, upon every occasion,
were spitting out their venom, and shooting their arrows, even
bitter words, against that Son of man, even that Son of God who,
to display his sovereignty, and confound the wisdom of the worldly
wise, chose poor fishermen to be his apostles; and whose chief of
the apostles, though brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, both before
and after his call to the apostleship, labored with his own hands,
and worked at the trade of a tent-maker."
It is pleasant to know that the young men thus expelled became
useful in the church of Christ. One of them, indeed, Erasmus
Middleton, who had been sustained at Oxford by Mr. Fuller, a
dissenter and banker in London, was ordained in Ireland by the
bishop of Down, and having married a lady of the ducal family of
Gordon, in Scotland, was curate successively to the Rev. Messrs.
Romaine and Cadogan in London, and finally rector of Turvey, in
Bedfordshire, where he was the immediate predecessor of the sainted
Legh Richmond.
Many delightful evidences yet exist that as Whitefield drew nearer
the end of his career on earth, his holy zeal increased, rather
than lessened. We have lying before us three of his letters, not
included either in the collection of his printed correspondence, or
in the lives which have been published. The first was addressed to a
gentleman at Wisbeach, and appears to have been written from London.
It is dated Sept. 25, 1766.
"DEAR SIR--As your letter breathes the spirit of a sincere
follower of the Lamb of God, I am sorry that it hath lain by
so long unanswered; but bodily weakness, and a multiplicity of
correspondents, both from abroad and at home, must be pleaded
as excuses. 'Blessed be God, our salvation is nearer than when
we believed.' It should seem that you have now served three
apprenticeships in Christ's school, and yet I suppose the language
of your heart is, 'I love my Master, and will not go from him;' and
Oh, what a mercy, that whom Jesus loves, he loves to the end! Do you
not begin to long to see him more than ever? Do you not groan in
this tabernacle, being burdened? Courage, courage; he that cometh
will come, and will not tarry. Oh that patience may have its perfect
work! Many in this metropolis seem to be on the wing for God; the
shout of a king is yet heard in the Methodist camp. Had I wings, I
would gladly fly from pole to pole; but they are clipped by thirty
years' feeble labors. Twice or thrice a week I am permitted to
ascend my gospel throne. The love of Christ, I am persuaded, will
constrain you to pray that the last glimmering of an expiring taper
may be blessed to the guiding of many wandering souls to the Lamb of
God."
The second letter was written from the same city, February 12, in
the following year, and was addressed to Captain Scott, a military
officer then "quartered at Leicester." This gentleman, in early
life, had been much devoted to the gayeties of fashionable society;
long after he had entered the army, he was converted to God, under
the ministry of the Rev. W. Romaine; and a few weeks before Mr.
Whitefield addressed to him this letter, he had begun to preach the
grand message of reconciliation. He afterwards left the army, was
ordained as a Congregational minister, and labored for many years in
almost innumerable places in city and country, with abundant success.
"What, not answer so modest a request, namely, to snatch a few
moments to send dear Captain Scott a few lines? God forbid. I must
again welcome him into the field of battle. I must again entreat
him to keep his rank as captain, and not suffer any persuasions to
influence him to descend to the low degree of a common soldier. If
God will choose a red-coat preacher, who shall say unto him, 'What
doest thou?'
"Prevent thy foes, nor wait their charge;
But call the lingering battle on;
But strongly grasp thy seven-fold targe,
And bear the world and Satan down.
"Strong in the Lord's almighty power,
And armed in panoply divine,
Firm mayest thou stand in danger's hour,
And prove the strength of Jesus thine.
"The helmet of salvation take,
The Lord the Spirit's conquering sword;
Speak from the word, in lightning speak;
Cry out, and thunder from the Lord.
"Through friends and foes pursue thy way,
Be mindful of a dying God;
Finish thy course, and win the day,
Though called to seal the truth with blood.
"Gladly would I come, and in my poor way endeavor to strengthen your
hands; but alas, I am fit for nothing, but, as an invalid, to be
put into some garrison, and now and then put my hand to some old
gun. Blessed be the Captain of our salvation for drafting out some
young champions to reconnoitre and attack the enemy. You will beat
the march in every letter, and bid the common soldiers not halt, but
go forwards. Good Lady Huntingdon wishes you much prosperity. Pray
write to her at Brighthelmstone, [now Brighton,] Sussex. She will
most gladly answer you; and I assure you, her Ladyship's letters
are always weighty. Hoping one day or another to see your face in
the flesh, and more than hoping to see you crowned with glory in
the kingdom of heaven, I must hasten to subscribe myself, my dear
captain, yours in our all-glorious Captain-general,
"G. WHITEFIELD."
The last letter we shall introduce in this connection was addressed
by Whitefield to the Honorable and Rev. Walter Shirley, of Ireland,
a near relative of the Countess of Huntingdon, who breathed, as a
minister of Christ, much of the spirit of his great Master. It was
dated, Bath, Dec. 8, 1767:
"REV. AND VERY DEAR SIR--How glad was I to hear by the London
Shunamite, [Mrs. Herritage,] that you and your lady were well;
that God had given you a son; that you reflected on your preaching
at Tottenham Court chapel with pleasure; that you had gotten a
curate; and, to complete all, that you intended to visit England
next spring. This news rejoiced me before I left town, and was most
grateful to our good Lady Huntingdon, whom I have the honor of
waiting upon at this time in Bath. She hath been sick, nigh unto
death, but through mercy is now somewhat recovered, though as
yet unable to write much. This her ladyship much regrets on your
account; and therefore enjoins me to inform you, that your letter
did not reach her hands till many weeks after the proper time; that
ever since she has been visited with lingering sickness, but begs
you will not linger in coming over to our Macedonia to help us. The
thought of it seems to refresh her heaven-born soul. Blessed be God,
her ladyship still takes the lead.
"She is now doing honor to the remains of the Earl of Buchan, who
sweetly slept in Jesus last week. All hath been awful, and more
than awful. On Saturday evening, before the corpse was taken from
Buchan house, a word of exhortation was given, and a hymn sung
in the room where the corpse lay. The young Earl stood with his
hands on the head of the coffin, the Countess Dowager of Buchan
on his right hand, Lady Ann Agnes, and Lady Isabella Erskine on
his left, and their brother the Hon. Thomas Erskine next to their
mother, with Miss O----, Miss W----, Miss G----; on one side
all the domestics, with a few friends on the other. The word of
exhortation was received with great solemnity, and most wept under
the parting prayer. At ten, the corpse was removed to good Lady
Huntingdon's chapel, where it was deposited within a place railed in
for that purpose, covered with black baize, and the usual funeral
concomitants, except escutcheons.
"On Sunday morning, all attended in mourning at early sacrament.
They were seated by themselves, at the feet of the corpse, and with
their head servants, received first, and a particular address was
made to them. Immediately after receiving, these verses were sung
for them:
"'Our lives, our blood, we here present,
If for thy truth they may be spent:
Fulfil thy glorious counsel, Lord;
Thy will be done, thy name adored.
"'Give them thy strength, O God of power,
Then let men rave or devils roar,
Thy faithful witnesses they'll be;
'Tis fixed, they can do all through thee!'
"Then they received this blessing: 'The Lord bless you, and keep
you; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you; the
Lord cause his face to shine upon you, and give you peace;' and so
returned to their places.
"Sacrament ended, and a blessed sacrament it was, the noble mourners
returned to the good Countess of Huntingdon's house, which was lent
them for the day. At eleven, public worship began. The bereaved
relatives sat in order within, and the domestics round the outside
of the rail. The chapel was more than crowded. Near three hundred
tickets, signed by the present earl, were given out to the nobility
and gentry, to be admitted. All was hushed and solemn. Proper hymns
were sung, and I preached on the words, 'Blessed are the dead that
die in the Lord.' Attention sat on every countenance, and deep
and almost universal impressions were made. The like scene, and
if possible more solemn, was exhibited in the evening, and I was
enabled to preach a second time, and a like power attended the word
as in the morning. Ever since, there hath been public service and
preaching twice a day. This is to be continued till Friday morning,
then all is to be removed to Bristol, in order to be shipped off to
Scotland. The inscription on the coffin runs thus: 'His life was
honorable--his death blessed--he sought earnestly peace with God--he
found it, with unspeakable joy, alone in the merits of Jesus Christ,
witnessed by the Holy Spirit to his soul--he yet speaketh. Go and do
likewise.'
"I have often wished for you here. Congregations are very large,
attentive, and deeply impressed. Great numbers of all ranks crowd
to see and hear; and I trust many will also feel. Surely the death
of this noble earl, thus improved, will prove the life of many.
He behaved like the patriarch Jacob, when by faith, leaning upon
his staff, he blessed his children. The earl added, 'Yea, and they
shall be blessed.' He laid his hands on, and blessed his children,
assuring them of his personal interest in Jesus. He had great
foretastes of heaven. 'Had I strength of body,' cried he, 'I would
not be ashamed, before men and angels, to tell what the Lord Jesus
hath done for my soul. Come, Holy Ghost--come, Holy Ghost; happy,
happy, happy!' and then sweetly slept in Jesus. All surviving
relatives still feel the influence. They sit round the corpse,
attended by their domestics and supporters, twice a day. Good Lady
S---- gets fresh spirits. The present noble earl, I believe, hath
got the blessing indeed, and seems, upon the best evidence, to
determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified. He
hath behaved in the most delicate manner to the Countess, and other
noble survivors."
The summer of 1768 brought to Whitefield a series of changes.
For the last time he now visited Edinburgh, where he found his
congregations as large, and his Christian friends as affectionate
as ever. Soon after his return to London, Mrs. Whitefield was
seized with inflammatory fever, and died, as we have already seen,
on the 9th of August. His own health too was more than declining.
He writes, "I have been in hopes of my own departure. Through hard
writing, and frequent preaching, I have burst a vein. The flux is
in a great measure stopped; but rest and quietness are strictly
enjoined."
"Rest and quietness!" With Whitefield such things were impossible as
long as he could move or speak. His fire must burn till its whole
material was expended; his heart overflowed, and he must labor till
his body sank under exhaustion. No persecution could appall him, no
sickness could long keep him from his beloved engagements. He would
preach till he died, being fully assured that his "labor was not in
vain in the Lord."
Neither Whitefield nor any of his friends could ever be the
advocates of an unlearned ministry. Many of the men engaged under
his direction, and preaching in what was already called "Lady
Huntingdon's connection," needed, as they well knew, a better
education than they possessed. Hence her ladyship obtained a lease
of an old structure, supposed to have been part of an ancient
castle erected in the reign of Henry the Second. The date over the
entrance, now almost effaced, is 1176. It was called Trevecca House,
was situated in the parish of Talgarth, in South Wales, and was for
some time the residence of Howel Harris. This building was opened
as a college for religious and literary instruction, and the chapel
dedicated to the preaching of the everlasting gospel, Aug. 24, 1768,
the anniversary of the Bartholomew act, and of the birth of her
ladyship. Mr. Whitefield preached from Exod. 24:24: "In all places
where I record my name, I will come unto thee and bless thee;"
and on the following Sabbath he addressed a congregation of some
thousands, who assembled in the court before the college. His text
on that occasion was, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ." When speaking of the dedication of the
college, Mr. Whitefield says, "What we have seen and felt at the
college is unspeakable."
After her ladyship's death the institution was removed to Cheshunt,
about thirteen miles north of London, where it still flourishes
under the presidency of the Rev. Dr. W. H. Stowell.
In the early part of 1769, Mr. Whitefield was for some weeks
seriously ill, but towards the close of March, he was able to
write, "Through infinite mercy I have been able to preach four
days successively." During his illness he received many offers of
assistance from his brethren in the ministry, but from none more
cordially than from the Honorable and Rev. Mr. Shirley. Writing to
him, April 1, Whitefield says:
"How much am I obliged to you for your two kind letters, and more
especially for the repeated offers of your ministerial assistance.
They will be most gratefully accepted, and, I humbly hope, be
remarkably succeeded by Him who hath promised to be with us always,
even unto the end of the world. Blessed be His name, we have been
favored with most delightful passover feasts. The shout of the
King of kings is still heard in the midst of our Methodist camps;
and the shout of, Grace, grace! resounds from many quarters. Our
almighty Jesus knows how to build his temple in troublous times. His
work prospers in the hands of the elect countess, who is gone to
Bath, much recovered from her late indisposition. Worthy Lady Fanny
Shirley proposes soon to follow, in order to reside there. Some more
coronets, I hear, are likely to be laid at the Redeemer's feet. They
glitter gloriously when set in and surrounded by a _crown of thorns_.
"'Subjects of the Lord, be bold;
esus will his kingdom hold;
Wheels encircling wheels must run,
Each in course to bring it on.'"
That the friendship of Dr. Franklin towards Mr. Whitefield was
sincere, cannot be doubted; there is, however, somewhat painful
in the thought, that even in this connection Franklin could not
conceal his scepticism. In 1769 both these eminent men were in
London, and every one knows that the state of our country was very
trying. Franklin thus wrote to Whitefield: "I am under continued
apprehensions that we may have bad news from America. The sending
soldiers to Boston always appeared to me a dangerous step; they
could do no good, they might occasion mischief. When I consider
the warm resentment of a people who think themselves injured and
oppressed, and the common insolence of the soldiery, who are taught
to consider that people as in rebellion, I cannot but fear the
consequences of bringing them together. It seems like setting up
a smith's forge in a magazine of gunpowder. I _see_ with you that
our affairs are not well managed by our rulers here below; I wish I
could _believe_ with you, that they are well attended to by those
above: I rather suspect, from certain circumstances, that though
the general government of the universe is well administered, our
particular little affairs are perhaps below notice, and left to take
the chance of human prudence or imprudence, as either may happen to
be uppermost. It is, however, an uncomfortable thought, and I leave
it."
It would have been strange indeed if Whitefield had allowed a
letter closing in this manner to pass without a remark; hence we
are prepared to find that, in his own handwriting, at the foot
of the autograph letter, he wrote, "_Uncomfortable_ indeed! and,
blessed be God, _unscriptural_; for we are fully assured that 'the
Lord reigneth,' and are directed to cast _all_ our own care on him,
because he careth for us." Could Dr. Franklin have seen the splendid
results of that management which he thought indicated the absence of
a particular providence--could he have beheld the vast Republic, the
abode of liberty, commerce, literature, and religion, which in less
than a century has grown out of the insurgent colonies--he would
surely have exclaimed, in the language of the prophet, "Verily there
is a God in the earth!"
In July, Whitefield was called by Lady Huntingdon to visit Tunbridge
Wells, a popular watering place in Kent, some twenty or thirty miles
from London, to dedicate a new and beautiful house to the service
of God. The congregation was far too large to be accommodated within
the walls; he therefore preached out of doors from a mount in the
court before the house. His text was, "This is none other but the
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Gen. 28:17. This
sermon is said to have been one of his most eloquent and thrilling
efforts; the lofty energy of his tones, the utter forgetfulness
of himself in the all-absorbing interest of his subject, the very
impersonation of the truths which he uttered as he stretched forth
his hand, "Look yonder; what is that I see? It is my agonizing Lord!
Hark, hark! do you not hear? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word
of the Lord!" thrilled the vast congregation, riveting the eye,
piercing the conscience, and holding strong men breathless before
the resistless might of his inspired eloquence. After the service
he delivered an exhortation, and on the next day again preached and
administered the Lord's supper.
He now began to prepare for his _seventh_, and as it proved, his
_last_ voyage to America, especially to visit his beloved orphans
and friends in Georgia. The only thing which seems to have grieved
him, was the pain of parting for a time from his London friends.
This was nothing new, but his feelings were even less reconciled to
the event than formerly. "Oh," he says, "these partings! without
a divine support they would be intolerable. Talk not of taking
_personal_ leave; you know my _make_. Paul could stand a whipping,
but not a weeping farewell."
The text of his last sermon was John 10:27, 28: "My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand." The sermon was printed, and that very
incorrectly; but a few sentences will show that it was strikingly
characteristic: "These words, it will be recollected, were uttered
by Christ at the feast of dedication. This festival was of bare
human invention, and yet I do not find that our Lord preached
against it. And I believe that when we see things as we ought, we
shall not entertain our auditories about rites and ceremonies,
but about the grand thing. It is the glory of Methodists, that
while they have been preaching forty years, there has not been,
that I know of, one single pamphlet published by them about the
non-essentials of religion.... The Lord divides the world into
sheep and goats. O sinners, you are come to hear a poor creature
take his last farewell; but I want you to forget the creature and
his preaching. I want to lead you further than the Tabernacle--even
to mount Calvary, to see with what expense of blood Jesus Christ
purchased 'his own.' Now, before I go any further, will you be so
good, before the world gets into your hearts, to inquire whether
you belong to Christ or not. Surely the world did not get into
your hearts before you rose from your beds. Many of you were up
sooner than usual. [The sermon was preached at seven o'clock in the
morning.] I hope the world does not get into your hearts before
nine. Man, woman, sinner, put thy hand upon thy heart, and say,
Didst thou ever hear Christ's voice so as to follow him?... I once
heard Dr. Marryatt, who was not ashamed of 'market language,' say
at Pinner's Hall, 'God has a great dog to fetch his sheep back
when they wander.' He sends the devil after them, to bark at them;
but instead of barking them further off, he barks them back to the
fold.... 'None shall pluck them out of my hand.' This implies that
there is always somebody plucking at Christ's sheep. The lust of the
flesh is plucking; the pride of life is plucking; and the devil is
continually plucking at them; 'but nothing shall pluck them out of
my hand;' I have bought them, and am gone to heaven to 'prepare a
place for them.'"
Of this sermon, as taken in shorthand and printed, Whitefield
received a copy while at Deal, and was much dissatisfied with it. He
says, "This morning I received a surreptitious copy of my Tabernacle
farewell sermon, taken, as the shorthand writer professes,
verbatim as I spoke it. But surely he is mistaken. The whole is so
injudiciously paragraphed, and so wretchedly unconnected, that I
owe no thanks to the misguided, though it may be well-meant zeal of
the writer and publisher, be they who they will." Had Whitefield
known that the lad of seventeen who had thus taken down his sermon,
would hereafter become a devoted and useful minister of Christ, the
secretary of the London Missionary Society, the originator of the
London Religious Tract Society, and for many years the editor of the
London Evangelical Magazine, and the author of "Village Sermons,"
which have circulated by hundreds of thousands of volumes in both
hemispheres, how would his heart have warmed towards him. Let us
copy from the journal of George Burder, as given in his life by his
son, the Rev. Dr. H. F. Burder, a short passage:
"August, 1769. About this time I heard Mr. Whitefield preach
several sermons, particularly his two last in London; that at
Tottenham Court chapel on Sabbath morning, and that at the
Tabernacle on Wednesday morning at seven o'clock. I remember a
thought which passed my mind, I think, as I was going to hear his
last sermon--'Which would I rather be, Garrick or Whitefield?' I
thought each, in point of oratory, admirable in his way. I doubt not
conscience told me which was best. I wrote Mr. Whitefield's sermons
in shorthand, though standing in a crowd. The latter I copied out,
and by the request of a friend it was printed in about a week. I
remember sitting up part of a night to write it out, and at the same
time I observed the comet which then appeared. The sermon was very
incorrect, and Mr. Whitefield being detained at Deal before he left
England, saw it, and complained of it."
Before we entirely separate from the Tabernacle, we wish to record
some other interesting facts associated with it, especially relating
to Thomas Wilson, Esq., for many years the treasurer of Hoxton,
afterwards Highbury, college, who gave the ground on which the
latter building stands, devoted his fortune to the extension of the
cause of Christ, and in addition to many other noble acts, erected
five large houses of worship in the British metropolis, capable of
seating eight thousand persons. The father of this gentleman was for
many years a devoted deacon of a Congregational church, but entered
into full sympathy with the labors of Whitefield, attending the
Tabernacle on Lord's-day evenings. "To this circumstance, perhaps,
may be traced much of his own zeal for the glory of God, and no
inconsiderable portion of that public spirit which afterwards
distinguished his son Thomas, who well remembered being carried
in his nurse's arms, in company with his parents, to the scene of
Whitefield's ministry, and listening with such interest as one so
young was likely to feel, to a preacher of surpassing eloquence
and power." The Rev. Dr. Morison, one of his biographers, adds:
"Thus did he imbibe in early life a strong prepossession for
animated public address, which he never lost in after-years, and
which he never failed to urge upon all youthful candidates for the
sacred office. As might have been expected, the Tabernacle became
his Sabbath home, where he was wont to listen to men of fervent
eloquence, and of purely evangelical sentiment. He entered, while
very young, into communion with the church in that place, and
afforded a pleasing example of early and consistent dedication to
the service of Christ."
Having finished the service of the Tabernacle which we just now
described, Whitefield went immediately to Gravesend, twenty miles
from London, to set sail, embarking in the Friendship, Captain
Ball, for Charleston. His companions on the voyage were Messrs.
Winter and Smith, both of them young ministers of lively zeal; and
the former especially, was distinguished in after-life by great
success in his labors for Christ and his church. Whitefield wrote,
"I am comfortable on every side--a civil captain and passengers;
all willing to attend on divine worship, and to hear of religious
things."
But delay was the lot of our evangelist and his friends. They
arrived in the Downs, and had to stay there about a month waiting
for a fair wind. While here, he was delighted with a most unexpected
visit from Dr. Gibbons of London, and the Rev. Mr. Bradbury of
Ramsgate, who had met at Deal to ordain a young minister. He says,
"Wednesday, Sept. 13, I went on shore, and attended an ordination
solemnity at the dissenting meeting. Several ministers officiated.
Several important questions were asked and answered before, and
a solemn charge given after imposition of hands. But the prayer
put up in the very act of laying on of hands, by Dr. Gibbons, was
so affecting, and the looks and behavior of those that joined so
serious and solemn, that I hardly know when I was more struck under
any one's ministration. The ordination being over, at the desire
of the ministers and other gentlemen, I went and dined with them:
our conversation was edifying; and being informed that many were
desirous to hear me preach, I willingly complied; and I trust some
seed was sown the same evening at Deal, which, by God's heavenly
blessing, will spring up to life eternal. The people of Deal seemed
very civil, and some came to me who had not forgotten my preaching
to them, and their deceased friends and parents, thirty-two years
ago."
Whitefield tells a somewhat amusing anecdote of Dr. Gibbons, on one
of his visits on board. The worthy doctor was unused to the sea,
and became sea-sick, so that he was obliged to lie down for some
time in the state-cabin. "There," says our evangelist, "he learned
more experimentally to pray for those who do business in the great
waters." While yet in the Downs, Whitefield preached not only on
board, but at Ramsgate and elsewhere. On September 25, in company
with many other ships, they sailed, but soon were again compelled
to cast anchor over against New Romney and Dungenness. At length,
however, they cleared the channel, and after a long and dangerous
voyage arrived safe at Charleston, S. C. Happily, Whitefield's
health had become greatly renovated, so that he felt better than
after any voyage he had made for many years. In his memorandum he
wrote:
"November, 1769. For the last week we were beating about our port,
within sight of it, and continued for two days in Five-fathom hole,
just over the bar. A dangerous situation, as the wind blew hard, and
our ship, like a young Christian, for want of more ballast, would
not obey the helm. But through infinite mercy, on November 30, a
pilot-boat came and took us safe ashore to Charleston, having been
on board almost thirteen weeks. Friends received me most cordially.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his mercies. Oh, to
begin to be a Christian and minister of Jesus!" On the very day of
his landing, Whitefield preached at Charleston, and learned from his
friend Mr. Wright that all was well at Bethesda.