I am grieved that so many things have occurred among them which
have been quite unjustifiable. I suppose they have also produced
the same sentiments in the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, to my
certain knowledge, received Count Zinzendorf with open arms, and
wrote of his being chosen the Moravian Bishop, as what was done
‘_plaudente toto cœlesti choro_.’ I shall always be ready to
weigh whatever can be said against Mr. Whitefield; and, though
I must have actual demonstration before I can admit him to be
a dishonest man, and though I shall never be able to think all
he has written, and all I have heard from him to be nonsense;
yet, I am not so zealously attached to him as to be disposed
to celebrate him as one of the greatest men of the age, or to
think that he is the pillar which bears up the whole interest of
religion among us.
“I had heard before of the offence which had been taken at
two of my pupils in the west, for the respect they shewed to
Mr. Whitefield: and yet they are both persons of eminent piety.
He whose name is chiefly in question, I mean Mr. Darracott, is
one of the most devout and extraordinary men I ever sent out,
and a person who has, within these few years, been highly useful
to numbers of his hearers. Mr. Fawcett labours at Taunton; and
his zeal, so far as I can judge, is inspired both with love and
prudence. Yet, I hear those men are reproached because they have
treated Mr. Whitefield respectfully; and that one of them, after
having had a correspondence with him for many years, admitted
him into his pulpit.
“I own, I am very thoughtful where these things will end. In
the meantime, I am as silent as I can be. I commit the matter to
God in prayer. I am sure I see no danger that any of my pupils
will prove Methodists. I wish many of them may not run into the
contrary extreme.”[79]
These are long, almost tedious, extracts; but they are of great
importance as plainly shewing that, at the beginning of his career,
the Independents looked upon Whitefield with as much suspicion as many
of the clergy of the Church of England and many of the Presbyterian
ministers of Scotland did. It was a heinous sin against all the
proprieties of their Church, that Doddridge and two of his ordained
pupils had countenanced the preaching of this young, popular, powerful,
and successful evangelist.
We again return to Whitefield’s wanderings. In the _Scots’ Magazine_,
for 1743, under the heading of “Marriages and Births,” the following
announcement was made: “October, 1743. At his house in Hoxton, the
wife of Mr. George Whitefield, of a son.” This event seems to have
occurred during Whitefield’s “short excursion” to Northampton and
its neighbourhood. Hence, under date of October 5th, he writes: “The
last evening of my short excursion, I preached from a balcony, to many
thousands, who stood in the street as comfortable as at noonday. Upon
retiring to my lodgings, news was brought me, that God had given me
a son. This hastened me up to London, where I now am, and from whence,
after I have baptized my little one, I purpose to set out again on my
Master’s public business.” Ten days after writing this, the untiring
Whitefield was at Avon, in Wiltshire, and did not return to his wife
and infant son until seven weeks afterwards. Perhaps, this was not
an example of either connubial or paternal behaviour to be commended;
but let it pass. The following extracts from his letters will furnish
an idea of his labours, in the west of England, during the next _two_
months:――
“COLLUMPTON, _October 25, 1743_.
“I wrote to you on the 15th instant at Avon. In the morning, I
walked to Tytherton, and preached. After sermon, I baptized four
boys, each about three months old. The ordinance was so solemn
and awful, that Mrs. Gotley[80] (who is a Quaker) had a mind
immediately to partake of it. When I go to Wiltshire, I believe
I shall baptize her and her children, with some adult persons
who have tasted of redeeming love. About one o’clock I preached
at Clack, in the street. I then rode to Brinkworth and preached
there, and, afterwards, administered the holy sacrament to about
two hundred and fifty communicants. Some strangers, from Bath,
went home filled with our Redeemer’s presence. I have also
preached at Chippenham. We had a wonderful time in Wiltshire.
“I hope I managed all things right about the affair of the
Hampton rioters. They have compelled us to appeal unto Cæsar.
Evidences shall be examined in the country, in time enough to
send the examinations to town.
“On Saturday last (October 22nd), when I came to Wellington, the
Rev. Mr. Darracott[81] persuaded me to stay there, because the
country people had come from all quarters several times to hear
me, and had been disappointed. I consented, and preached in his
meeting-house, in the evening, to a large auditory. The Rev. Mr.
Fawcett,[82] formerly pupil to Dr. Doddridge, came there, and
stayed all night. The blessed Jesus gave us much freedom in
conversation. I hope both will be instruments, under God, in
promoting a good work in these parts.
“Sunday morning, I preached again in the meeting-house; and, in
the evening, to seven thousand in the field.[83]
“On Monday, at ten in the morning, and at two in the afternoon,
I preached, at Collumpton, with much freedom and power; was
kindly received, met some reputable Dissenters, and am now
setting out for Exeter.”
Whitefield seems to have made Exeter his head-quarters for nearly a
fortnight. Hence the following letters:――
“EXETER, _October 28, 1743_.
“I have a strong conviction that our Lord intends doing
something in the west. Since my arrival here, letters of
invitation have come from many parts. The common people begin
to feel. I preached this afternoon on Southernay Green. Even
some of the polite were much affected. I believe I shall think
it my duty to stay in these parts for some time.”
“EXETER, _November 6, 1743_.
“On Monday last” (October 31st), “I went to Axminster, and
preached to about two thousand without; and afterwards exhorted
within the house where I lay. The next day, I preached to a
greater number of people; and, at night, gave an exhortation,
and met the Society. Our Lord vouchsafed us a gracious blessing.
“On Wednesday, I went to Ottery; but, just as I named my text,
the bells rang. Upon this, I adjourned to a field, whither the
people ran in droves. As I stepped into the inn, before I went
to the field, a clergyman came, who asked me by what authority
I preached, and said it was a riot, and that the meeting
was illegal. I answered him, as I thought pertinently, and
afterwards went and shewed him my authority, by preaching on
these words, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.’ In the evening, I returned to Exeter, where
some hundreds were waiting to hear me expound. The Lord makes
this place very comfortable to me. Prejudices fall off daily,
and people begin not only to discern, but to feel, the doctrines
of the gospel.
“Postscript.――Ten at night. It would have pleased you to be here
this evening. I question whether near a third part of Exeter
were not attending on the word preached. All was solemn and
awful, and the Lord gave me much assistance from His Holy Spirit.
Help me to praise Him.”
From Exeter, Whitefield proceeded to Bideford, where he wrote as
follows:――
“BIDEFORD, _November 11, 1743_.
“The Rev. Mr. Thompson, Rector of St. Gennys, Cornwall, is here.
God willing, I will go with him to-morrow. There is also another
clergyman about eighty years of age, but not above one year
old in the school of Christ.[84] He lately preached three times
and rode forty miles the same day. The Dissenting minister and
his wife were very hearty; and, perhaps, here is one of the
most settled female Christian Societies in the kingdom. I cannot
well describe with what power the word was attended. Yesterday,
in the afternoon and evening, it was just like as at Edinburgh.
The old clergyman was much broken. A young Oxonian, who came
with him, and many others, were most deeply affected. I suppose,
there were upwards of two thousand, in the evening, in the
meeting-house. Dear Mr. Hervey,[85] one of our first Methodists
at Oxford, and who was lately a curate here, had laid the
blessed foundation.
“So far from thinking of nestling at London, I am more and more
convinced that I should go from place to place; and I therefore
question if I shall see London for some time.
“Postscript.――Seven at night. To-day has been as yesterday, and
much more abundant. I am here, as in Scotland and New England.
Here is work enough for three months. The weather is very
favourable; range, therefore, I must and will.”
On Saturday, November 12, Whitefield accompanied Mr. Thompson to his
rectory at St. Gennys, Cornwall, where he seems to have remained a
fortnight. Hence the following:――
“ST. GENNYS, _November 25, 1743_.
“I am glad that the Lord inclined my heart to come hither. He
has been with us of a truth. How did His stately steps appear
in the sanctuary last Lord’s-day! Many, many prayers were put
up, by the worthy rector and others, for an outpouring of God’s
blessed Spirit. They were answered. Arrows of conviction fled so
thick and so fast, and such a universal weeping prevailed from
one end of the congregation to the other, that good Mr. Thompson
could not help going from seat to seat, to encourage and comfort
the wounded souls. The Oxonian’s father was almost struck dumb;
and the young Oxonian’s crest was so lowered, that I believe he
will never venture to preach an unknown Christ, or to deal in
the false commerce of unfelt truths.
“I could enlarge, but I must away to Bideford, just to give
Satan another stroke, and bid my Christian friends farewell; and
then return the way I came, namely, through Exeter, Wellington,
and Bristol, to the great metropolis.”
Whitefield arrived in London at the beginning of December, and wrote
the following hitherto unpublished letter to “Mr. Howell Harris, at
Trevecca, near the Hay, South Wales, Breconshire.”
“LONDON, _December 6, 1743_.
“MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,――I thank you for your kind letters and
kind present. Our Saviour will plentifully reward you for all
favours conferred on me and mine.
“I rejoice exceedingly that the word runs and is glorified
in Wales. I hope to rejoice together with you at the next
Association. Great things have been doing in the west. I believe
Mr. Thompson, of Cornwall, will come with me into Wales. I have
thoughts of removing my little family to Abergavenny in a short
time; and to leave that house for you and yours to live in, till
I come from abroad again, if you will be pleased to accept of it.
“I can easily forgive our dear brother Beaumont;[86] but,
I think, he and his wife have dealt very unsimply in respect
to their marriage. I pray our Lord Jesus Christ to bless them
exceedingly, and to prevent all ill consequences that may arise,
to the people of God, from such a procedure.
“I intend being here but a few days; and I have many things to
say to you when we see each other face to face. Oh, my brother,
my dear, very dear brother Harris, Jesus is better and better to
me every day. I have had close attacks, but strong consolations.
I would write much, would time and business permit; but I must
bid you adieu. My tender, tender love to all. My dear wife and
Mr. Grace send their most cordial respects. The Lord Jesus be
with your dear soul, and give you to pray for, my dear, dear,
dear brother,
“Yours most affectionately in Christ Jesus,
“GEORGE WHITEFIELD.”
“P.S.――Mr. Mason, the bookseller, is dead; also Mr. Dubert’s
wife. About seven of our friends have lately died in the Lord.
Courage, my dear man,――courage; we shall go ere long. Yet a
little while, and He that cometh will come, and will not tarry.”
In less than a fortnight, Whitefield was again on the wing. On Friday,
December 16, he rode to a place “five miles beyond Reading.” The
next day, he got to Clack. “It rained and snowed much for about seven
miles,” says he, “and the way was dangerous; but the blessed Jesus kept
us in safety.” On Sunday morning, he preached, and administered the
sacrament to the Wiltshire Societies, at Tytherton;[87] and, in the
evening, he preached at Brinkworth. He writes: “They were good times.
I have a cold, but our Lord warms my heart. To-morrow (December 19)
I must away to Gloucester. Oh, follow, follow with your prayers.”
Whitefield was now on his way to a new sphere of labour. All readers of
Methodist history are well acquainted with the disgraceful and terrible
riots which took place at Walsal, Wednesbury, Darlaston, and West
Bromwich, in 1743. In the former part of the year, both the Wesleys had
preached here, at the peril of their lives. As recently as October 20,
John Wesley had been all but murdered by the godless ruffians of the
neighbourhood; and now, at the end of December, Whitefield came.[88]
The following extract is taken from a pamphlet, entitled, “Some Papers,
giving an Account of the Rise and Progress of Methodism at Wednesbury,
in Staffordshire, and in other Parishes adjacent; as likewise of
the late Riot in those parts.” Printed by J. Roberts, London. 1744.
(8vo. 30 pp.)
“Mr. Whitefield was at Birmingham, where there is a Society,
about Christmas last; and you may suppose great numbers would,
out of curiosity, flock to hear a man who had been so much
talked of. He was also invited to Wednesbury, where he preached
in the streets for several days. He was invited to Birmingham
by a Dissenter. His stay was not above a week or ten days,
and, towards the last, his auditors were not so numerous, and
the behaviour of some of them not over civil. I do not find
the number of the Methodist converts to be near so numerous
as was at first apprehended; and those few of them, who were
of the communion of the Church of England, are, in general,
very regular in their behaviour, and in their attendance at
church. The Dissenters constitute the greater number, and are
their greatest admirers, particularly of Mr. Whitefield. About
Wednesbury, some of their converts have been raised into strange
and unaccountable ecstasies; but I cannot find there have been
any of the like instances at Birmingham.”
Such was the testimony of an unfriendly writer. Whitefield’s own
account is as follows:――
“_December 31, 1743._
“What do you think? Since my last, I have stolen a whole day
to dispatch some private business; however, in the evening, I
expounded, at Birmingham, to a great room full of people, who
would rush into my lodgings, whether I would or not.
“On Sunday morning (Christmas Day), at eight, I preached, in
the street, to about a thousand, with much freedom. I then went
to church and received the sacrament, and afterwards preached
to several thousands in the street. As no minister would preach
in a house at Wednesbury,[89] where a weekly lecture used to
be kept up, I was earnestly entreated to go; and, after my
afternoon’s preaching at Birmingham, I went and preached there,
at six in the evening, to many hundreds in the street. The word
came with power, and only one or two made a noise. We afterwards
had a precious meeting in private.
“On Monday morning, about eight, I preached to a large company
in a field. By eleven, I returned to Birmingham, and preached
to many thousands, on a common near the town. The soldiers were
exercising; but the officers, hearing that I was come to preach,
dismissed them, and promised that no disturbance should be made.
All was quiet, and a blessed time we had. In the afternoon,
at three, I preached again to about the same company, with the
same success. Then I rode to Wednesbury, and preached there, and
afterwards exhorted. About one, I went to bed exceeding happy.
“In the morning, I broke up some fallow-ground at a place called
Mare Green, about two miles from Wednesbury. Much mobbing had
been there against Mr. Wesley’s friends. A few began to insult
me. Several clods were thrown, one of which fell on my head,
and another struck my fingers, while I was in prayer. A sweet
gospel spirit was given to me. I preached again at Birmingham,
to larger auditories than before, about eleven in the morning and
three in the afternoon. In the evening, I expounded twice in a
large room; once to the rich, and once to the poor; and went to
rest happier than the night before.[90]
“In the morning (Wednesday, Dec. 28), I took my leave of the
Birmingham people, who wept much, and shewed great concern at
my departure. I then went to Kidderminster, where I was kindly
received by Mr. Williams, with whom I have corresponded for
near two years. Many friends were at his house. I was greatly
refreshed to find what a sweet savour of good remained to
this day, from Mr. Baxter’s doctrine, works, and discipline.
I preached, about three in the afternoon, to a large auditory,
near the church. Some unkind men, though they promised not to
do so, rang the bells; but our Saviour enabled me to preach
with power. In the evening and next morning, I preached in the
meeting-house.
“I then (Thursday) went with Mr. Williams to Bromsgrove, and
was kindly received by one Mr. K――――y, a good man, and several
others, among whom were two or three Baptist ministers, and
one Independent. In the afternoon, I preached in a field. Some
rude people kicked a football, and sounded a horn; but the Lord
enabled me to preach with boldness. About six, I preached in the
Baptist meeting-house; left Kidderminster at eight, and reached
Worcester at ten. Mr. Williams and another friend accompanied us.
“The next day, I reached Gloucester, very thankful, and
rejoicing greatly in Christ for giving me such a delightful and
happy Christmas.”
This is a notable letter. Whitefield was now on the ground where Wesley
and his friends had been nearly murdered; but all the inconvenience
suffered by Whitefield was a little noise at Wednesbury, the throwing
of a few clods at Mare Green, the ringing of the church bells at
Kidderminster, and a game at football and the sounding of a horn at
Bromsgrove. Compared with Wesley, the lines fell to Whitefield in
pleasant places.
The observant reader will also notice Whitefield’s enormous labours.
In four days, in mid-winter, he held nineteen services, twelve of his
sermons being preached in the open air, and three in Dissenting chapels.
The opportunity of thus serving his great Master was Whitefield’s idea
of spending “a delightful and happy Christmas!” No wonder that his
Master blessed him, and filled him so full of joy at midnight hours.
But little more remains to be said respecting Whitefield’s career in
1743. In common with his friend Wesley, he was again and again fiercely
assailed by the public press. He was pilloried in the famous Dunciad of
Alexander Pope, as follows:――
“So swells each windpipe; ass intones to ass,
Harmonic twang! of leather, horn, and brass;
Such as from lab’ring lungs th’ Enthusiast blows,
High Sound, attemper’d to the vocal nose!
Or such as bellow from the deep Divine;
There, Webster! peal’d thy voice, and, Whitefield! thine.”
Pope was a poet; another assailant, the author of “The Progress of
Methodism in Bristol, or, the Methodists Unmasked, 1743” (18mo. 72 pp.),
was a _poetaster_, and unworthy of being further noticed; but, possibly,
his ribald verses, in which he malignantly attacked Whitefield, as well
as Wesley, were quite as goading as Pope’s more polished lines.
Whitefield began the year 1744 in his native city, Gloucester. He
then went to Watford in Wales, and, as moderator of the Calvinistic
Methodists, presided, on January 3rd, at one of their associations, or
conferences. Among the subjects considered at this meeting, the Hampton
riot seems to have been the principal. Whitefield writes:――
“After mature deliberation, we determined to prosecute the
affair to the utmost, and to set apart January 24 (the first
day of the term) for a day of fasting and prayer, and to make
collections for that purpose. The cause is the Lord’s, and much
depends on our getting the victory. I believe we shall.”
The work in Wales was in great prosperity. In a letter, written soon
after the assembling of this conference, Howell Harris says:――
“The labours of all our associates are more or less blessed.
The Lord countenances the lay-preachers much; but He is more
abundantly with the ordained ministers. The believers are
generally strong and full of spiritual warmth and life. They
do, indeed, adorn the gospel. The congregations are exceedingly
large wherever we preach. Some of the greatest opposers are not
only silenced, but constrained to own that the Lord is among us
of a truth. In many places, the people meet at five o’clock in
the morning to adore and worship the Lord together; and, in some
places, meetings are resumed in the evenings, and kept up all
night in prayer and praise.”[91]
It is a strange fact, that, notwithstanding the falsely reputed wealth
of Whitefield’s wife, and his own enormous popularity, his income was
insufficient for the maintenance of his family in London. Hence, during
his visit to Wales, he made arrangements for the removal of his wife
and child to Abergavenny;[92] and, on his return to London, wrote, as
follows, to a friend at Gloucester:――
“LONDON, _January 18, 1744_.
“This afternoon, I received your kind letter; and I thank you
a thousand times for your great generosity in lending me some
furniture, having little of my own. I know who will repay you.
Next week, God willing, my dear wife and little one will come
to Gloucester, for I find it beyond my circumstances to maintain
them here. I leave London this day sennight. My brother will
receive a letter about my wife’s coming. She and the little
one are brave and well. But why talk I of wife and little one?
Let all be absorbed in the thoughts of the love, sufferings,
free and full salvation, of the infinitely great and glorious
Emmanuel.”
Three weeks after this, Whitefield’s “little one” was dead. The letter
containing an account of his bereavement is so characteristic, and so
unfolds Whitefield’s weaknesses as well as virtues, that it must be
inserted without abridgment.
“GLOUCESTER, _February 9, 1744_.
“Who knows what a day may bring forth? Last night, I was called
to sacrifice my Isaac; I mean, to bury my only child and son,
about four months old.
“Many things had occurred to make me believe he was, not only
to be continued to me, but, to be a preacher of the everlasting
gospel. Pleased with the thought, and being ambitious of having
a son of my own so divinely employed, Satan was permitted
to give me some wrong impressions, whereby, as I now find, I
misapplied several texts of Scripture. Upon these grounds, I
made no scruple of declaring ‘that I should have a son, and that
his name was to be John.’ I mentioned the very time of his birth,
and fondly hoped that he was to be great in the sight of the
Lord.
“Everything happened according to the predictions, and my wife
having had several narrow escapes while pregnant, especially
by her falling from a high horse, and my driving her into a
deep ditch in a one-horse chaise a little before the time of
her lying-in, and from which we received little or no hurt,
confirmed me in my expectation, that God would grant me my
heart’s desire.
“I would observe to you, that the child was even born in a room
which the master of the house had prepared as a prison for his
wife, on account of her coming to hear me. With joy would she
often look upon the bars and staples and chains, which were
fixed in order to keep her in. About a week after his birth,
I publicly baptized him in the Tabernacle, and, in the company
of thousands, solemnly gave him up to that God, who gave him to
me. A hymn, too fondly composed by an aged widow, as suitable
to the occasion, was sung, and all went away big with hopes of
the child’s being hereafter to be employed in the work of God;
but how soon have all their fond, and, as the event has proved,
their ill-grounded expectations been blasted, as well as mine!
“House-keeping being expensive in London, I thought it best to
send both parent and child to Abergavenny, where my wife had
a little house, the furniture of which, as I thought of soon
embarking for Georgia, I had partly sold, and partly given away.
In their journey thither, they stopped at Gloucester, at the
Bell Inn, which my brother now keeps, and in which I was born.
There, my beloved was cut off with a stroke. Upon my coming here,
without knowing what had happened, I enquired concerning the
welfare of parent and child; and, by the answer, found that the
flower was cut down.