Chapter L: Tyerman (12)

Doubtless there is truth in Johnson's opinion, that, one reason why Whitefield had such crowds to hear him was because it was a perfect novelty to have a clergyman of the Church of England preaching, in gown and cassock, in the open air. It was a further novelty to see such a clergyman standing up to preach without reading the appointed liturgy of the Church, and using extemporaneous prayers in lieu of it. It is also probable that Whitefield created considerable sensation by employing language such as the clergy in their churches were not wont to use. All this may be conceded; and it might likewise be allowed, that, to a large extent, Dr. Trapp and the editor of the _Weekly Miscellany_ defeated their own purposes, and that, by their virulent attempts to dishonour Whitefield, they helped to make him more popular. On the other hand, however, it must be borne in mind that opinions like those of Doddridge and Watts were widely entertained both by Churchmen and Dissenters, and that such a fact was not likely to contribute to the largeness of Whitefield's congregations. The reasons above assigned, for Whitefield's popularity, may be perfectly correct, but they are not complete; for to them must be added the following: (1) Whatever his faults might be, Whitefield was a natural orator of the highest order. (2) The truths which distinguished his preaching were truths exactly adapted to the wants and yearnings of human nature,--such as meet the necessities of human beings of all classes, in all lands, and belonging to all ages. (3) Speaking generally, these truths, until recently, had been forgotten, and were not preached in the churches and chapels of England. (4) Whitefield preached them with a fervour which shewed that he believed them. (5) Above all, in answer to the long-continued prayers of the Religious Societies, and by the sovereign grace of God, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, was now moving the masses of the people, and making them anxious concerning their personal salvation; and, further, He was connecting with Whitefield's ministry a "power from on high," like that which distinguished the Apostles' ministry at Pentecost, and making it the means of turning men "from sin to holiness, and from the power of Satan unto God." Let the reader ponder such facts as these, and, perhaps, his wonder will cease at the tens of thousands who tramped from London to Kennington Common to hear the unpolished and imperfect sermons of this youthful Methodist, whose years had not yet reached twenty-five.

While Whitefield was preaching to his large congregations on Kennington Common and in Moorfields, Wesley was similarly employed at Bristol and Kingswood. It is a curious fact that, though Whitefield was forbidden to preach in Newgate Prison, Bristol, Wesley was admitted. Another notable incident must be mentioned. In Bristol and its neighbourhood, Wesley was daily witnessing the most remarkable conversions,--conversions accompanied by those mysterious convulsions that have perplexed all his biographers. In London, Whitefield had prodigious congregations, and his oratorical powers were far greater than those of his friend Wesley; but where were his conversions? His congregations were often powerfully affected; and, on May 12th, he speaks of "many" coming to him, and telling him "what God had done for their souls by his preaching in the fields;" but this, in substance, is all that he himself records. Perhaps this difference in ministerial results may be accounted for by the fact, that nearly the whole of the conversions under Wesley's ministry took place in the meetings of the Religious Societies, where united prayer was always joined to scriptural exposition. On the other hand, during this month of May, Whitefield devoted himself almost exclusively to the work of preaching to vast crowds in the open air, where private spiritual enquiries and united prayers for penitents were impracticable. Besides, at the first, Whitefield strongly objected to such conversions as his friend Wesley was witnessing; and plainly told him that, though he doubted not that God was in the work, yet he equally believed the devil was interposing. He wrote:--

"Were I to give so much encouragement to those convulsions as
you have given, how many would cry out every night? I think it
is tempting God to require such signs."[217]

[217] _Methodist Magazine_, 1849, p. 165.

Whitefield, however, was not without conversions; and two notable instances must be mentioned here.

Wesley, a few months before he died, said, "Joseph Humphreys was the first lay preacher that assisted me in England, in the year 1738."[218] Who was Joseph Humphreys? The following particulars are gleaned from a pamphlet of forty-four pages, published in 1742, and entitled, "An Account of Joseph Humphreys' Experience of the Work of Grace upon his Heart. Bristol: printed by Felix Farley."

[218] Wesley's Works, vol. iv., p. 473. I incline to think this date
is not correct.--L. T.

Joseph Humphreys was born at Burford, in Oxfordshire, October 28, 1720, where his father, for nearly thirty years, was the minister of a Dissenting congregation. Joseph was educated at a grammar school at Fairford, in Gloucestershire. His father died in 1733; and being, says Joseph, "uncommonly zealous in his day both for faith and holiness, he was almost universally despised both by Church-people and Dissenters." After his father's death, Joseph was sent to a school in London, "where young men were trained for the ministry." At this early period of his life, he had determined to be a minister, and says, "I used to write sermons of my own composing, thundering exceedingly against all _unrepenting_ sinners." "The pupils every evening took their turns in prayer;" and Joseph thought himself "highly blessed in having his lot cast with such pious, serious _young men_." He was soon shocked, however, by the fact "that these same young men indulged in light and foolish talking and jesting, playing at draughts, fives, blindman's buff, hunt the shoe, and such-like ludicrous games, quite unbecoming such as professed godliness." By degrees, Joseph grew to be as light-hearted as the rest, and, without confessing it, became an infidel. After indulging in a frightful excess of wickedness, he again began to be religious; and writes:--

"I was for joining the Papists, Church-people, and Dissenters of
all denominations in _one_; I was for reconciling the Arians,
Socinians, Arminians, and Calvinists altogether; I would have
had them lay aside all disputable points, and harmonize in those
things wherein they were all agreed. I liked those men who were
for reducing the _Christian Articles_ to a _few_; and if any one
called the Pope _Antichrist_, I thought he was very ignorant and
uncharitable."

In the year 1737, Joseph became a member of the Independent Church, in London, presided over by the Rev. Dr. Guyse; but was still unconverted. Notwithstanding this, however, on June 18, 1738, he began to preach. Six months afterwards, Whitefield returned to England, and Humphreys writes:--

"About this time there was great talk of Mr. Whitefield; and,
accordingly, on May 2, 1739, I went to hear him on Kennington
Common. I liked him, because he so affectionately invited poor
guilty sinners to come to Jesus Christ by faith. I afterwards
heard him several times. I felt the power of the Lord to be with
him; and was much affected to see the seriousness and tears of
many in the congregations. The flocking of the multitudes to
hear the word made me think and say, 'It was never so seen in
Israel.' One evening, as I was coming home from hearing him, I
wept exceedingly, thinking what a hearty, pious minister he was
(though educated at such a wicked place as Oxford) in comparison
of what any of us at our academy were like to be. I earnestly
sought his acquaintance; and, accordingly, one evening I supped
with him and Mr. Howell Harris, and several more brethren, at a
public-house on Blackheath, just after his preaching to a most
numerous congregation. The _public-house_ seemed to be turned
into a _church_; and to me it was like heaven upon earth. One
Sabbath-day, I think it was June 3, as we were singing a hymn at
the academy, I had such a taste of the dying love of Christ as
I never had before. My heart was quite melted, and my eyes were
a fountain of tears. When I came forth, one of the pupils asked
me what was the matter with me? I told him I was _happy_. When
another enquired the same, I signified that I _felt_ more than I
could express."

Humphreys was still a student in the Dissenting Academy (which had been removed to Deptford), and, though he was not nineteen years of age, yet, being intended for the ministry, he began, in the month of the ensuing August, to preach in "a large dancing room." He had crowded congregations, and soon formed a Religious Society consisting of a hundred and forty members. He writes:--

"I insisted chiefly upon a sinner's justification before God,
through the Redeemer's merits; and shewed the nature, necessity,
and blessedness of it. For this, I was soon violently opposed.
I became the butt of the common people; I was _singular_ in the
school; was threatened by my tutor; dropped by most of my old
friends; deemed _beside myself_ by some; and at last, December
25, 1739, was expelled the academy, for no other crime but this."

For about a year, Humphreys found a refuge in the academy of Mr. J. Eames, in Moorfields; and, while pursuing his studies, ministered to the Religious Societies of Deptford, Greenwich, and Ratcliffe. The clergy preached against him; and two pamphlets were published, which, says he, "were not worth reading, much less answering."

"The rude mob," he writes, "treated both _me_ and the _people_
most roughly; haling us about, throwing us upon the ground,
beating us, and pelting us with stones or brickbats, rotten
eggs, apples, dung, and fireworks. Officers sent their men
to _press_ me. I was hooted at along the streets; spit upon;
called names; threatened, reviled, and belied; hated of all,
and counted the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all
things. I was frequently in danger, not only of having my eyes,
but also my brains, beat out by the large flints that were
continually thrown upon the roof of the barn where I preached."

Often while young Humphreys was preaching, numbers of his hearers were thrown into convulsions similar to those which occurred under Wesley's ministry at Bristol. Humphreys writes:--

"Their bodies were strangely agitated; their bones would
sometimes seem to be out of joint; their breasts would heave
prodigiously; some would bite, tear, and beat themselves, and
do mischief to others also, unless they were forcibly held
down; and some would roar hideously, crying out that the devil
was coming to fetch them, or to torment them. That it was no
_feigned_ thing, at least in _most_ of them, is most certain.
That it was occasioned in some by _sympathy_, I will not deny;
but I do really believe that in others it was occasioned by a
_discovery_ of their _undone condition_; and was followed by
_true conversion_ to the Lord. I own that the cases of some who
were _thus affected_ was so unaccountable, to this day, I am at
a stand to determine _how_ or _what_ it was. For what I know,
they might be _torn by the devil_. God might suffer Satan to be
let loose upon them for a season; generally, however, it was so
_awful_, that the beholders durst not make game of it. I only
relate matters of fact; and do not pretend to say that all were
_renewed_ or _converted_ who were _thus_ affected, for I believe
no such thing, but the contrary. Neither could I ever look upon
these things as _signs_ from heaven for the establishment or
confirmation of any particular doctrine. I rather think the case
was often this: the word of God would come with a convincing
light and power into the consciences of sinners, whereby they
were _so far_ awakened, as to be seized with dreadful terrors.
The rebellion of their natures would be raised; the peace of the
strong man armed would be disturbed; hell within would begin to
roar; the devil, that before, being unmolested, lay quiet in
their hearts, would now be stirred up, and be most outrageously
angry, because of this convincing light and power of the word.
Hence, I believe, proceeded some of these agonies of body. And
all this might be, and perhaps frequently was, without any real
change of heart; for I depend upon no such things as proofs of
a person's conversion to God. Rather let this be made manifest
by the fruits of righteousness, in all gracious tempers and
conversation, with perseverance therein unto the end.

"September 1, 1740. I began to preach at the Foundery in London,
to Mr. Wesley's congregation, and many a powerful opportunity
there was. In the _private society_ also we had many _sweet
meetings_. At this time, I had a very great intimacy with the
Rev. Mr. John Wesley. We were together almost continually night
and day. There were many things very exemplary in him--worthy,
indeed, of every minister's and every Christian's imitation.
But, on account of some important doctrines of grace wherein we
differed, I was obliged, on April 25, 1741, to separate from him.

Space forbids further details respecting Joseph Humphreys. Suffice it to say that, in the month of May, 1741, he joined himself to Whitefield, and acted as one of his itinerant preachers. Such he was in the twenty-first year of his age. In the pamphlet, from which these facts are taken, he declares himself a Dissenter. In some respects, he was a remarkable man; and the reader will meet with him again. The following is Wesley's summary of his life:--

"1790. September 9. I read over the experience of Joseph
Humphreys, the first lay teacher that assisted me in England,
in the year 1738. From his own mouth, I learn that he was
perfected in love, and so continued for at least a twelvemonth.
Afterwards, he turned Calvinist, and joined Mr. Whitefield,
and published an invective against my brother and me in the
newspaper. In a while, he renounced Mr. Whitefield, and was
ordained a Presbyterian minister. At last he received Episcopal
ordination. He then scoffed at inward religion, and when
reminded of his own experience, replied, 'That was one of the
foolish things which I wrote in the time of my madness.'"

At the risk of wearying the reader, another of Whitefield's converts, belonging to this period, must be introduced.

Joseph Periam was the son of respectable parents, who appear to have resided at Bethnal Green. Joseph had been articled to an attorney, and intended to devote himself to the legal profession. He read Whitefield's sermon on the New Birth, and was converted. The change in him was so great, that his father and friends thought him mad. The "symptoms" or proofs of his madness were three. 1. He had fasted for a fortnight. 2. He had prayed loud enough to be heard all over a house four storeys high. 3. He had sold his clothes and given the money to the poor. The first of these allegations was probably a fact exaggerated. The second, in all likelihood, was perfectly correct. The third also was literally true; for, says Whitefield,--

"Joseph ingenuously confessed to me, that, under his first
awakenings, he was one day reading the story of the young man
whom our Lord commanded to sell all he had, and to give to the
poor, and, thinking it must be taken in the literal sense, out
of love, to Jesus Christ, he sold his clothes, and gave the
money to the poor."

For such reasons, Joseph Periam was put into the general receptacle of all London lunatics--Bethlehem Hospital; an old edifice founded in 1547, and standing in St. George's Fields, Lambeth. The institution was a disgrace to all connected with it. The miserable inmates were treated most brutally. Their terrible affliction was turned into pecuniary profit, and the hospital received about £400 a year, in the form of fees, collected by exhibiting the poor maniacs, chiefly naked, and uniformly chained to the walls of their respective dungeons. The practice of entertaining the outside public by thus shewing the inside patients of this infernal prison house was not abolished until the year 1770; and, even then, the abolition was unaccompanied by any other improvement of the usage of the unhappy sufferers.[219] If men were not mad when they entered, there was enough to make them mad before they left.

[219] "Pictoral Handbook of London."

Joseph Periam became the occupant of No. 50 in this dismal dungeon, miscalled an hospital. "His room," says Whitefield, "was a cold place, without windows, and had a damp cellar under it." On entering, Joseph's first refection was a dose of physic. Whitefield writes:--

'Being sensible that he wanted no physic, Joseph was unwilling
at first to take it; upon which four or five men took hold of
him, cursed him most heartily, put a key into his mouth, threw
him upon the bed, and said, 'You are one of Whitefield's gang,'
and so drenched him."

Poor Periam wrote to Whitefield as follows:--

"BETHLEHEM HOSPITAL, NO. 50.

"DEAR SIR,--I have read your sermon on the New Birth, and hope
I shall always have a due sense of my dear Redeemer's goodness
to me. May Almighty God bless and preserve you, and prosper your
ministerial function! I wish, sir, I could have some explanatory
notes upon the New Testament, to enlighten the darkness of my
understanding, to make me capable of becoming a good soldier of
Jesus Christ; but, above all, I should like to see you.

"I am, dear Sir, yours affectionately with my whole heart,
"JOSEPH PERIAM."

Whitefield writes:--

"According to his request, I paid him a visit, and found him in
perfect health both in body and mind."

On the 5th of May, 1739, in the midst of his marvellous services on Kennington Common, Whitefield received another letter from Periam, stating that he was "surrounded with nothing but profaneness and wickedness;" that he had to go into his "cell at seven or eight o'clock at night, and was not let out till six or seven in the morning;" and that, being "debarred the use of candles, and consequently books, all that time, except what was spent in prayer and meditation, was lost; and though these exercises were good, yet by constant repetition, and for want of change, they were deadened." He also asked whether his objections to being thus "imprisoned were inconsistent or wicked, and whether he might not, without offence to God, make use of endeavours to be discharged?" He likewise wished to know whether, being discharged, he might, "without offence to the gospel of Jesus Christ, follow the business of an attorney?" And, finally, the poor fellow asked, "If I cannot be discharged by proper application, how can I best spend my time to the glory of God and my own and my brethren's welfare?"

To this lengthened letter, Whitefield sent the following reply:--

"_May 7, 1739._

"DEAR SIR,--The way to salvation is by Jesus Christ, who is the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. The way to Christ is by faith.
'Whosoever liveth and _believeth_ in me,' says our Lord, 'though
he were dead, yet shall he live.' But this faith, if it is
saving faith, will _work_ by love. Come, then, to Jesus Christ
as a poor sinner, and He will make you a rich saint. This, I
think, serves as an answer to your first query.

"It is, no doubt, your duty, whilst you are in the house, to
submit to the rules of it; but, then, you may use all lawful
means to get yourself out. I have just now been with your
sister, and will see what can be done further. _Watch and pray._

"As for the business of an attorney, I think it unlawful for a
Christian; at least, exceeding dangerous. Avoid it, therefore,
and glorify God in some other station.

"I am, dear Sir, your affectionate friend and servant,
"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."

On May 9, Periam wrote again to Whitefield as follows:--

"My father was with me last night, when I shewed him your
letter. I told him, I utterly renounced the business, of an
attorney. He then asked me what profession I chose; which I
submitted to him, on condition it might prove agreeable to the
will of God. He was pleased to say, he thought me not mad, but
very well in my senses, and would take me out, if Doctor Monro
and the committee were of his opinion. Then he varied again, and
thought it convenient for me to stay the summer, and to take
physic twice a week, fearing a relapse. I told him, as a father,
he should be obeyed; but when, at parting, he mentioned my
leaving religion, I was somewhat stirred in my spirit, and told
him nothing should prevail upon me to leave Jesus Christ.

"This is the substance of what passed between us. Upon the whole
matter, sir, God gives me perfect resignation, and, I trust,
when He shall see fit, will discharge me. I find His love daily
more and more shed abroad in my heart. All things will work
together for my good. If opportunity will let you, I should be
glad to see you before you set out for America. May Almighty
God, in His infinite goodness, prosper, guide, and protect
you through this transitory life, and hereafter receive you
triumphantly into the heavenly Jerusalem, there to converse
with, and see the ever-blessed Jesus!"

Your loving and sincere friend,
"JOSEPH PERIAM."

"Upon reading this," says Whitefield, "I was sensibly touched
with a fellow-feeling of his misery; and, at my request, Mr.
Seward and two more friends waited upon the committee. But,
alas! they esteemed my friends as much mad as the young man,
and frankly told them, both I and my followers were insane.
My friend Seward urged the examples of the young persons, who
called the prophet, that was sent to anoint Jehu king, a mad
fellow; of our Lord, whom His own relations, and the scribes and
Pharisees, took to be mad; and of Festus's opinion of St. Paul.
He further urged, that, when young people were under their first
awakenings, they were usually tempted by the devil to run into
some extremes. In the midst of the conference, the committee
mentioned Periam's going to Georgia, and said, if I would take
him with me, they would engage that his father should give leave
to have him released. A day or two after, Mr. Seward waited
upon his father, who gave his son an excellent character, and
consented to his going abroad. After this, he waited upon the
doctor, who pronounced him well; and, on May 19th, he waited
again upon the committee, who behaved very civilly, and gave the
young man a discharge. He is now with me, and I hope he will be
an instrument of doing good. The hardships he has endured at
Bethlehem will, I hope, prepare him for what he must undergo
abroad."

Thus was Joseph Periam put into an execrable madhouse; and thus was he taken out. It is not necessary to trace his subsequent career; and this apparently long digression will be pardoned, when it is remembered that, at the time, Periam's case caused great excitement, and that it occupied a prominent position in a hostile pamphlet, of ninety-six pages, entitled "The Life of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, by an Impartial Hand."

It is time to return to Whitefield in London. In the midst of his unequalled popularity, he wrote to his friend Harris, of Gloucester, as follows:--

"LONDON, _May 10, 1739_.

"DEAR MR. HARRIS,--The hour for my imprisonment is not yet come.
I am not fit as yet to be so highly honoured. God only knows the
treachery of my heart; but, amidst all my late success, I have
scarce felt one self-complacent thought. I speak this to the
honour of God's free grace.

"In about three weeks, God willing, we embark for Pennsylvania.
The trustees have granted to me land, and everything upon my own
terms. The officers and general are exceeding kind to my friend
Habersham, upon my account, so that all things succeed beyond my
expectations.

"Ever, ever yours,
"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."

Whitefield's expectation of sailing so soon was not realized. On May 21, he left London, and reached Hertford, between eight and nine o'clock at night. His fame had gone before him, and, late as was the hour, he preached, on a common near the town, to four or five thousand hearers. Next morning, he preached in the same place, to nearly as large a congregation; then he breakfasted with a Dissenting minister; and then proceeded to Olney, where he arrived about ten p.m. Being denied the use of the church pulpit, he, on the day following, "preached in a field, near the town, to about two thousand people." At five in the evening, he reached Northampton, and "was most courteously received by Doctor Doddrige," the famous Dissenting minister; and, "at seven, according to appointment, preached, on a common, to about three thousand hearers." On Thursday, May 24, he "preached again in the same place, at about eight in the morning, but to a much larger audience." He then hastened back to Olney, and, in the midst of an incessant rain, preached "upon an eminence in the street." At seven in the evening, he got to Bedford, and says, "I found the town fully alarmed. About eight, I preached from the stairs of a windmill (the pulpit of my dear brother and fellow-labourer, Mr. Rogers),[220] to about three thousand people. Friday, May 25, preached at seven in the morning to rather a larger congregation than before. Reached Hitchin about one o'clock; and, at two, got upon a table in the market-place, near the church; but some were pleased to ring the bells in order to disturb us. Upon this, we removed into the fields; but, the sun beating intensely on my head, I became exceedingly sick, and was obliged, in a short time, to break off. I lay down for about two hours, and then came and preached near the same place, and God was with us. It was surprising to see how the hearts of the people were knit to me. I could have continued longer with them; but, being under an engagement to go to St. Albans, I hastened thither, but could not preach on account of my coming in so late. Great numbers had been there expecting me; and it grieved me to think how little I could do for Christ." The people of St. Albans, however, were not wholly disappointed; for, at seven next morning, he preached, in a field, to about fifteen hundred people; and then "got safe to London by two in the afternoon." In the evening of the same day, his congregation on Kennington Common numbered "about fifteen thousand."

[220] The Rev. Jacob Rogers had been curate of St. Paul's, Bedford.
Whitefield says, "he has lately been thrust out of the synagogues
for speaking of justification by faith, and the new birth, and has
commenced a field-preacher. Once he was shut in prison for a short
time; but thousands flock to hear him, and God blesses him more and
more. I believe we are the first professed ministers of the Church
of England, who, without cause, are excluded from every pulpit."
A year afterwards, Mr. Rogers joined Ingham, in Yorkshire; and,
finally, became a Moravian. (See "The Oxford Methodists," pp. 115,
116, and 122.)

Thus did Whitefield spend the six days between Sunday, May 20, and Sunday, May 27. The toil of travelling was not a trifle; but, besides this, a dozen sermons were delivered, and all in the open air. Whitefield writes:--

"Blessed be God! this has been a week of fat things: many
sinners convicted; and many saints much comforted, and
established in their most holy faith. I find there are some
thousands of secret ones yet living amongst us, who have not
bowed the knee to Baal; and this public way of acting brings
them out. It much comforts me, wherever I go, to see so many of
God's children, of all communions, come and wish me good luck in
the name of the Lord. I perceive the people would be everywhere
willing to hear, if the ministers were ready to teach them the
truth as it is in Jesus. Lord, do Thou spirit up more of my dear
friends and fellow-labourers to go out into the highways and
hedges, to compel poor sinners to come in! Amen!"

The _Weekly Miscellany_--the recognized newspaper of the Church of England--could not allow even this brief country excursion to pass unnoticed. On June 2, it had a short article to the following effect:--

"On Tuesday last week, Mr. Whitefield called at Hitchin, on
his way to Bedford, and, at the desire of several Dissenters,
was prevailed on to return there on Friday last, at which time
several hundred Dissenters of that parish, and the neighbouring
Dissenters, attended him; but, being denied the use of the
church, he mounted a table in the market-place, on which the
bells were set a-ringing. He afterwards returned to the place of
execution, and, according to his usual method, sung a psalm, and
began to harangue his auditors from, 'We would see Jesus;' but,
being overcharged----, he was obliged to break off abruptly."

There can be no doubt, that, not only at Hitchin, but throughout the whole of this week's tour, the Dissenters were Whitefield's chief auditors; but the sneer at the end of the extract just given, was a foul and filthy falsehood, altogether unworthy of the Church of England's chief newspaper.

Being returned to London, Whitefield resumed his field-preaching with as much zest as ever. On Sunday morning, May 27, he preached, for nearly two hours, "to about twenty thousand at Moorfields." During the day, he "went twice to public worship, and received the blessed sacrament." In the evening, at Kennington Common, he addressed a congregation of thirty thousand.

The following are extracts from his Journal:--

"Monday, May 28. Preached, after earnest and frequent
invitation, at Hackney, in a field belonging to Mr. Rudge,
to about ten thousand hearers. I insisted much upon the
reasonableness of the doctrine of the new birth, and the
necessity of our receiving the Holy Ghost, in His sanctifying
gifts and graces, as well now as formerly; and I could not help
exposing the impiety of those letter-learned teachers, who say,
we are not now to receive the Holy Ghost, and who count the
doctrine of the new birth, enthusiasm. Out of your own mouths
will I condemn you, you wicked blind guides. Did you not, at
the time of ordination, tell the bishop, that you were inwardly
moved by the Holy Ghost, to take upon you the administration of
the Church? Surely, at that time, you acted the crime of Ananias
and Sapphira over again. You lied, not unto man, but, unto God."

Thus did Whitefield openly attack the clergy of his own Church; for the Journal containing this was immediately published, and, before the end of the year 1739, passed through three editions. No wonder that there were clerical replies of an angry sort. It was unwise, for so young a man, to make such assaults; and, in many instances, the castigations he received were not unmerited. His business was not to annoy and irritate the clergy; but to preach forgotten truths, and to convert sinners.

"Tuesday, May 29. Went to public service at Westminster Abbey.
Afterwards despatched business for my orphans, and preached, at
Kennington, to a most devout auditory, with much sweetness and
power.

"Wednesday, May 30. Waited upon the Bishop of Bristol,[221]
(who treated me with the utmost civility,) and received his
lordship's benefaction for Georgia. At the request of many, I
preached, in the evening, at Newington Common, to about fifteen
thousand people. The word came with power; and, seeing a great
multitude, I thought proper to collect for the Orphan House; and
£16 9s. 4d. were gathered on that occasion.

[221] Bishop Butler, the celebrated author of "The Analogy of
Religion, natural and revealed, to the Constitution and Course
of Nature." The bishop's "benefaction for Georgia" was five
guineas.

"Thursday, May 31. I preached at Kennington, to my usual
congregation; and three of my brethren in the ministry were
pleased to accompany me, which filled the people with exceeding
great joy.

"Friday, June 1. Dined at Old Ford, and gave a short exhortation
to a few people in a field. In the evening, preached at a
place called Mayfair, near Hyde Park Corner. The congregation,
I believe, consisted of near eighty thousand people. It was,
by far, the largest I ever preached to yet. In the time of my
prayer, there was a little noise; but they kept a deep silence
during my whole discourse. A high and very commodious scaffold
was erected for me to stand upon; and God strengthened me to
speak so loud, that most could hear, and so powerfully, that
most, I believe, could feel. All love, all glory be to God
through Christ!

"Saturday, June 2. Sent another Quaker to be baptized by Mr.
Stonehouse. Collected, by private contributions, nearly £50
for the orphans. In the evening, preached at Hackney to about
ten thousand; and £20 12s. 4d. were gathered for the same
objects.

"Sunday, June 3. Preached at Moorfields to a larger congregation
than ever, and collected £29 17s. 9d. for the Orphan House.
Went twice to public worship, and received the sacrament.
Preached in the evening at Kennington Common, to the most
numerous audience I ever yet saw in that place, and collected
£34 5s."[222]

[222] Charles Wesley, who seems to have been present, designates the
congregation "an innumerable multitude." _The Craftsman_, of June 9,
says, On Sunday night, Mr. Whitefield preached his farewell sermon
at Kennington Common, and collected £34 5s. for the Orphan House in
Georgia. The total sum collected by him for several charities is as
follows:--For the Orphan House, £966; for the poor in general, £150;
for erecting a church for the Saltzburghers, £77; total, £1193.

This, for the present, was Whitefield's farewell sermon on Kennington Common. During the last five weeks, he had preached twenty-one times in this open-air cathedral; the crowds who had flocked to hear him were marvellous; upon the whole there had been no disturbances worth mentioning; God had abundantly blessed the young preachers' labours; and the services throughout had astonished, not only Whitefield, but likewise Whitefield's friends and enemies. The scene, when, on June 3, he took his leave of this memorable spot, was profoundly affecting. He writes:--

"When I mentioned my departure from them, the people were melted
into tears. Thousands of ejaculations and fervent prayers were
poured out to God on my behalf, which gave me abundant reason to
be thankful to my dear Master. O what marvellous great kindness
has God shewn me in this great city! Indeed, I have seen the
kingdom of God come with power."

At this point, Whitefield concluded his "Journal from his Arrival at London to his Departure from thence on his way to Georgia." This, as already stated, was immediately published. All the important facts in it have been narrated. Many juvenile reflections on passing occurrences, and imprudent remarks respecting himself, have been omitted. They were perfectly artless, and in an _unpublished_ journal would have been innocent. It is difficult to determine whether Whitefield did right or wrong by giving his Journals to the public. No doubt, they were read with the utmost avidity by his friends; and it can hardly be questioned that they were, in many instances, the means of arousing slumbering piety. They are also of essential service to Whitefield's biographers, and no adequate life of the great preacher can be written without a liberal use of them. On the other hand, however, they created enormous prejudices against the Methodists in general, and, as will soon be seen, brought upon Whitefield in particular an amount of personal abuse almost without parallel.

Before leaving the subject, it must be added that Whitefield's two Journals of his "Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia," extending from December 28, 1737, to May 7, 1738, were printed by his injudicious friends, without his knowledge, in 1738. During the year 1739, three other Journals were published by himself. 1. The "Journal from his Arrival at Savannah to his Return to London." (8vo. 38 pp.) 2. His "Journal from his Arrival at London to his Departure from thence on his Way to Georgia." (8vo. 115 pp.) In both instances the printer was James Hutton, the Moravian. The title of the last mentioned, however, is not correct, for (through no fault of his) Whitefield did not embark for Georgia until ten weeks after he preached his farewell sermon on Kennington Common. Hence, 3. During the same year, appeared the following: "A Continuation of the Reverend Mr. Whitefield's Journal during the Time he was detained in England by the Embargo." (8vo. 40 pp.) This extended from June 4 to August 3, 1739; and from it and from other sources of information the following facts are gleaned.

It has been already stated that Dr. Trapp's "fourth and last Sermon against Mr. Whitefield and the Methodists," was preached on Sunday, May 20. Soon after this, Whitefield published the following: "A Preservative against unsettled Notions, and want of Principles, in regard to Righteousness and Christian Perfection. An explanatory Sermon on that mistaken text, 'Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself over-wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?' Being a more particular Answer to Dr. Trapp's four Sermons upon the same text than have yet been published. By George Whitefield, A.B., of Pembroke College, Oxford. London: printed for G. Whitefield, in the year 1739." (12mo. 33 pp.)

In all respects, this was an unwise publication. Prefixed to it is a somewhat egotistic and ostentatious address, "To all the true members of Christ's holy Church," in which Whitefield says:--

"As the whole of this great nation seems now more than ever
in danger of being hurried into one or other of these equally
pernicious extremes--irreligion or fanaticism--I thought myself
more than ordinarily obliged to rouse your, perhaps, drowsy
vigilance, by warning you of the nearness of your peril. Take
the friendly caution I give you in good part, and endeavour to
profit by it. Be mindless of me, and attend wholly to the saving
truths I here deliver to you from the mouth of God Himself. Of
this only be persuaded, that they are uttered by one who has
your eternal salvation as much at heart as his own."

The chief faults, however, of this sermonic pamphlet are its pious, but personal abuse of Dr. Trapp. The minister of the four churches of St. Leonard's, St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, Christ Church, and Harlington, merited rebuke; but Whitefield's epithets and strictures were of greater service to Dr. Trapp than to the man who wrote them. With all his faults, Dr. Trapp was a distinguished man. At different periods of his life, he had been Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford; in the same college he had been appointed to the first Birkhead professorship of poetry; he had filled the office of chaplain to Sir Constantine Phipps, Lord Chancellor of Ireland; and he had published several poetical and other works, of one of which the University of Oxford had marked their approval, by conferring upon him the degree of D.D. Further, he was now in his sixtieth year, and therefore much more than twice the age of Whitefield. His attack on young Whitefield had been fierce, almost savage; Whitefield's retaliatory attack was what? The reader must judge for himself. Whitefield writes:--

"This earthly-minded minister of a new gospel has taken a
text which seems to favour his naughty purpose of weaning the
well-disposed little ones of Christ from that perfect purity
of heart and spirit which is necessary to all such as mean to
live in our Lord Jesus. O Lord, what shall become of the flock
when their shepherds betray them into the hands of the ravenous
wolf! when a minister of Thy word perverts it to overthrow Thy
kingdom, and to destroy Scripture with Scripture! Solomon, in
the person of a desponding, ignorant, indolent liver, says to
the man of righteousness: 'Be not righteous over-much, neither
make thyself over-wise. Why shouldest thou destroy thyself?'
But must my poor, angry, over-sighted brother Trapp, therefore,
personate a character so unbecoming his function, merely to
overthrow the express injunction of the Lord to us, which
obliges us never to give over pursuing and thirsting after the
perfect righteousness of Christ till we rest in Him? Father,
forgive him, for he knows not what he says! Oh, what advantage
might not Satan gain over the elect, if the false construction
put upon this text by that unseeing teacher should prevail!
Yet though he blushes not to assist Satan to bruise our heel,
I shall endeavour to bruise the heads of both, by shewing the
genuine sense of the text in question."

Having given what he conceives to be "the genuine sense," Whitefield proceeds:--

"This is the true, genuine sense of the text, and every other
sense put upon it is _false_ and _groundless_, and wrested
rather to pervert than to explain the truth. O Christian
simplicity, whither art thou fled? Why will not the clergy
speak the truth? And why must this false prophet suffer thy
people to believe a lie, because they have held the truth in
unrighteousness? Raise up, I beseech Thee, O Lord, some true
pastors, who may acquaint them with the nature and necessity of
perfect righteousness, and lead them to that love of Christian
perfection which the angry-minded, pleasure-taking Dr. Trapp
labours to divert them from, by teaching that 'all Christians
must have to do with some vanities.' Lord, open his eyes, and
touch his heart, and convert him, and all those erring ministers
who 'have seen vain and foolish things for Thy people, and have
not discovered their iniquity to turn away their captivity.'
For 'they have erred through wine, and through strong drink are
out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through
strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the
way through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in
judgment.'"

"It is not surprising to see a man of this cast of mind making a
vain ostentation of his little superficial acquaintance with the
ancient Greeks and Romans. What is this but acting conformably
to his principle, that _all Christians must have to do with
some vanities_? And shall we wonder to hear such an one prefer
their writings, to those of an apostle; or be astonished to
see him wound the apostle with raillery for wishing to 'know
nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified'? No; with him it
is consistency to laugh and reprove you out of the _perfection
of righteousness_, which, however he may play with terms, is
with him the same as being _righteous over-much_. What will not
men advance who are drunk with passion, and intoxicated with
self-love! To such lengths does the love of the world hurry
these self-fond, merry-making worldlings. What wonder is it
that lovers and strugglers after the _perfect righteousness_ of
Christ should be charged with _enthusiasm_, with _folly_, with
_fanaticism_ and _madness_? Can you be amazed at it, in an age
'when all manner of vice abounds to a degree almost unheard
of'? when 'the land is full of adulterers,' and when, 'because
of swearing, the land mourneth'? Oh, how is the faithful city
become a harlot! Oh, how 'my heart within me is broken!' Because
of the clergy, 'all my bones shake! I am like a drunken man, and
like a man whom wine hath overcome; because of the Lord, and
because of the words of His holiness,' perverted by this deluded
clergyman. When the clergy become teachers of worldly maxims,
what can be expected from the laity?"

"Such is the language which the indolent, earthly-minded,
pleasure-taking clergy of the Church of England use to
strengthen the hands of evil-doers. Such is the doctrine of the
letter-learned divine, who has dipped his pen in gall to decry
_perfect righteousness_. But suffer not yourselves to be deluded
by him. As I have already shewn you, he is grossly (Lord, grant
he was not maliciously!) mistaken in his manner of explaining
this text. He acts the character of a vain libertine, full of
self-love and earthly desires. May I not--yea, must I not--warn
you, that this man is an enemy to _perfect righteousness_ in
men through Christ Jesus, and therefore _no friend_ to Christ?
Oh that my head were an ocean, and my eyes fountains of tears,
to weep night and day for this poor creature, this hoodwinked
member of the clergy!"

This is quite enough. It is a painful task to adduce such extracts; but it would not be honest to withhold them. Whitefield's impetuous character, and the immense number and extreme violence of the publications against him and against the Methodists in general, cannot be understood without them. Whitefield's "Answer to Dr. Trapp's Four Sermons" was unworthy of him. It was an outburst of petulant irritation, all the more offensive because arrayed in the garb of piety. It did no good either to Whitefield or the cause of Christ. It, and similar attacks, to be noticed shortly, brought upon him and his fellow-Methodists an enormous amount of personal abuse. No doubt, many of the clergy of the Church of England were "indolent, earthly-minded, and pleasure-taking;" but this was not the way to mend them. Whitefield's mission was not to rail against the clergy, but to convert sinners. The only excuses that can be made for him are, that he was young; that he was naturally impetuous and imprudent; that he had been greatly irritated; and that, perhaps, he was somewhat thrown off his balance by the unequalled popularity to which he had attained.

Having taken a formal leave of his congregations on Kennington Common, Whitefield, on June 4, proceeded to Blackheath. He writes: There was nearly as large a congregation as there was at Kennington yesterday. My discourse was nearly two hours long, and the people were so melted down, and wept so loud, that they almost drowned my voice. I could not but cry out, 'Come, ye Pharisees, come and see the Lord Jesus getting Himself the victory.'"

Next morning, Whitefield preached on Bexley Common, "to about three hundred people; and, in the evening, near Woolwich, to several thousands;" and spent the night with Mr. Delamotte, of Blendon.

On June 6, he did what he had not been allowed to do for some time past,--read prayers, and preached in two churches; in the morning, at Bexley, by invitation of the vicar, the Rev. Henry Piers; and in the evening, in a church adjoining Gravesend. "I have no objection," he writes, "against the excellent Liturgy of our Church, but highly approve of it, if ministers would lend me their churches to use it in. If not, let them blame themselves, that I pray and preach in the fields."

During these three days spent at Blackheath, Blendon, Bexley, and Gravesend, Whitefield was accompanied by Charles Wesley, who says:--

"Monday, June 4. I stood by G. Whitefield while he preached on
the mount in Blackheath. The cries of the wounded were heard
on every side. What has Satan gained by turning him out of the
churches?

"Tuesday, June 5. I was with him at Blendon. Bowers and Bray"
(two prominent Moravians) "followed us thither, drunk with the
spirit of delusion. George honestly said, 'They were two grand
enthusiasts.'

"Wednesday, June 6. Above sixty of the poor people had passed
the night in Mr. Delamotte's barn, singing and rejoicing. I sang
and prayed with them before the door. George's exhortations left
them all in tears."

These were strange scenes, but want of space forbids comment.

Charles Wesley returned to London, and had a tussle with the Moravians. Two men, John Shaw and William Fish, were insolently zealous. "Shaw pleaded for his spirit of prophecy;" and accused Charles "with love of preeminence," and "with making proselytes twofold more children of the devil than before." Fish said Charles was delivered over unto Satan; and both he and Shaw declared themselves no longer members of the Church of England. Charles was also greatly annoyed by a mad prophetess, who had sprung up among the brethren. Whitefield heard of all this, and wrote as follows to the London Moravians:--

"BLENDON, _June 12, 1739_.

"MY DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST,--I am jealous over you with a godly
jealousy. I find more and more that Satan has desired to have
some of you in particular, that he may sift you as wheat, and,
if possible, divide and separate you all. I hear there is a
woman among you, who pretends to the spirit of prophecy; and,
what is more unaccountable, I hear that Brother B---- (Bray?)
seems to approve of her. You have great need, therefore, to try
the spirits, whether they be of God. The devil is beginning to
mimic God's work, and is now transforming himself into an angel
of light, in order more effectually to gain his point. I cannot
but think that Brother ---- is at present under a spirit of
delusion. He, as well as Brother ----, I believe, imagines there
will be a power given to work miracles, and that now Christ
is coming to reign a thousand years upon the earth. But what
need is there of miracles, such as healing sick bodies, when
we see greater miracles every day done by the power of God's
Word? Why should we tempt God in requiring further signs? As
for our Lord's coming at this time to reign upon the earth, I
answer, 'It is not for us to know the times and seasons, which
the Father hath put in His own power.' That a great work is
begun is evident; that it will be carried on, I doubt not; but
how it will end, I know not, neither do I desire to know. It is
sufficient for me to do the work of the day in its day, and to
rest satisfied in this, that all end in God's glory.

"My dear brethren, be not offended at this plainness of speech.
I would all the Lord's servants were prophets; but then, I would
not have people think themselves prophets of the Lord, when they
are only enthusiasts. If Mr. ---- is actuated by a good spirit,
why is he not patient of reproof? Why does he fly into a passion
when contradicted? Why does he pretend to be infallible, and
that God always speaks in him?

"Pure unfeigned love causes me to use this freedom. Many of you
God has worked upon by my ministry, and, therefore, I would not
have you ignorant of Satan's devices. O beware of him at this
time. Do not conceive prejudices against each other. Do not
dispute, but love. Purge out the old leaven from amongst you.
Build up each other in your most holy faith. My dear brethren, I
am your common servant in our dear Lord Jesus,

"GEORGE WHITEFIELD."

This is not the place to detail, at greater length, the wranglings between the Moravians and the Methodists; but, after this, with the exception of attending a Moravian love-feast on June 25, and a Society meeting on August 1, Whitefield seems to have had no further connection with the Brethren.

On June 7, Whitefield preached again in the church near Gravesend, and in Mr. Piers's church at Bexley; and, on the two following days, at Bexley, Charlton, and Dulwich. He was invited to Charlton by the Earl and Countess of Egmont, who entertained him "with the utmost civility."

On June 10, Whitsunday, he writes:--

"Preached with more power than ever, and assisted in
administering the sacrament to about two hundred communicants
in Bexley Church.[223] Dined, gave thanks, and sang hymns at
Mr. Delamotte's. Preached with great power, in the evening,
on Blackheath, to above twenty thousand people, and collected
£16 7s. for the orphans. After sermon, I went to the _Green
Man_, near the place where I preached, and continued till
midnight instant in prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and Christian
communion. I believe there were fifty or sixty of us in all; and
numbers stood by as spectators. Many of them watched unto prayer
and praise all night."

[223] The Rev. Henry Piers was a warm-hearted friend of Whitefield
and the Wesleys; and a more detailed account of him may be given
hereafter. At present, suffice it to say, that, nine days after this
service at Bexley Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury expressly
forbad Mr. Piers to allow either Whitefield or the Wesleys to
preach in his church again. Mr. Piers obeyed the _letter_ of this
injunction--that is, his _pulpit_ was closed against them; but not
his _reading desk_, nor his _communion place_.

This was a unique scene, in a public house, on the night of Whitsunday; but Whitefield writes:--

"I think it every Christian's duty to be particularly careful
to glorify God in places where He is most dishonoured. Some can
sing the songs of the drunkard in public houses; others can
spend whole nights in chambering and wantonness; why should
Christians be ashamed to sing songs of the Lamb, and spend
nights in devotion?"