Chapter XI: Part 11

“I did not think Mr. Holiday’s friendship would hold long. It
will be time enough for me to speak to him, when I see Bermudas
again, which I propose doing as soon as possible. Meanwhile,
I would observe that, if I am a Roman Catholic, the pope must
have given me a very large dispensation. Surely, Mr. Holiday
has acted like one, to pretend so much friendship, and yet
have nothing of it in his heart. But thus it must be. We must
be tried in every way. As for any secrets that I told him, he
is very welcome to reveal them. You know me too well to judge
I have many secrets. May the secret of the Lord be with me!
and then I care not if there was a window in my heart for all
mankind to see the uprightness of my intentions.

“I am now in the west, and have begun to take the field. Great
multitudes flock to hear. I find it is a trial, to be thus
divided between the work on this and the other side of the water.
I am convinced I have done right in coming over now; but I keep
myself quite disengaged, that I may be free to leave England the
latter end of the summer, if the Lord is pleased to make my way
clear. I long to have Bethesda a foundation for the Lord Jesus.
If I can procure a proper person, of good literature, who will
be content to stay two or three years, something may be done.”

Before his departure from Plymouth, Whitefield preached at Tavistock; where, he says, “I was rudely treated; for, whilst I was praying, some of the baser sort brought a bull and dogs, and disturbed us much; but I hope good was done.”

On reaching Exeter, he wrote to his friend Robert Cruttenden, once a minister of Christ, then an infidel, and now re-converted:――

“EXETER, _February 25, 1749_.

“I suppose you will be pleased that I am thus far in my return
to London. O my friend, my friend, I come with fear and
trembling. To speak to the rich and great, so as to win them to
the blessed Jesus, is indeed a task. But, wherefore do we fear?
We can do all things through Christ strengthening us. But why
does Mr. Cruttenden think it strange that no one can be found to
help me in the country? Is it not more strange that you should
lie supine, burying your talents in a napkin, complaining you
have nothing to do, and yet souls everywhere are perishing about
you for lack of knowledge? Why do you not preach or print? At
least, why do you not help me, or somebody or another, in a more
public way? You are in the decline of life, and if you do not
soon reassume the place, you are now qualified for, you may lose
the opportunity for ever. I write this in great seriousness. May
the Lord give you no rest, till you lift up your voice like a
trumpet! Up, and be doing; and the Lord will be with you.”

Whitefield arrived in London at the beginning of the month of March. On his way, at Bristol, he and Charles Wesley met. Charles was to be married to Miss Gwynne a month afterwards, and wrote: “March 3. I met George Whitefield, and made him quite happy by acquainting him with my design.”[231] Whitefield spent a month in London, and was fully occupied, not only with preaching in the Tabernacle, and in the house of Lady Huntingdon, but with work that was not at all congenial to him.

At the end of the year 1748, the Rev. George White, the notorious clergyman of Colne, in Lancashire, had published his infamous “Sermon against the Methodists.” In a footnote, the fuming author, speaking of Whitefield and Wesley, said:――

“These officious haranguers cozen a handsome subsistence out
of their irregular expeditions. No satisfactory account has
been given us of Mr. Whitefield’s disbursements in Georgia; and,
I am afraid, by his late modest insinuations, in or about the
Highlands of Scotland, of the want of £500 more, he thinks the
nation is become more and more foolish, and within the reach of
his further impositions. It appears, from many probable accounts,
that Mr. Wesley has, in reality, a better income than most of
our bishops, though, now and then, (no great wonder,) it costs
him some little pains to escape certain rough compliments.”[232]

This was a false, libellous attack on Whitefield’s honesty; and Grimshaw, of Haworth, and Benjamin Ingham wished him to answer it. His reply to Grimshaw was as follows:――

“LONDON, _March 17, 1749_.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,――What a blessed thing it is that we can write
to, when we cannot see one another! By this means we increase
our joys, and lessen our sorrows, and, as it were, exchange
hearts.

“Thanks be to the Lord Jesus, that the work flourishes with you!
I am glad your children grow so fast; they become fathers too
soon; I wish some may not prove dwarfs at last. A word to the
wise is sufficient. I have always found awakening times like
spring times; many blossoms, but not always so much fruit. But
go on, my dear man, and, in the strength of the Lord, you shall
do valiantly. I long to be your way; but I suppose it will be
two months first.

“Pray tell my dear Mr. Ingham that I cannot now answer the
Preston[233] letter, being engaged in answering a virulent
pamphlet, entitled, ‘The Enthusiasm of the Methodists and
Papists compared,’ supposed to be done by the Bishop of Exeter.
Thus it must be. If we will be temple builders, we must have
the temple builders’ lot; I mean, hold a sword in one hand,
and a trowel in the other. The Lord make us faithful Nehemiahs,
for we have many Sanballats to deal with! But, wherefore should
we fear? If Christ be for us, who can be against us? ‘_Nil
desperandum, Christo duce_,’ is the Christian’s motto. Remember
me, in the kindest manner, to honest-hearted Mr. Ingham, and
tell him that, in a post or two, I hope he will hear from me.”

What Whitefield, for want of time, could not undertake was accomplished by the redoubtable Grimshaw, who, in an 8vo. pamphlet of 98 pages, cudgelled White almost unmercifully.[234]

Whitefield was answering Lavington. Notwithstanding the recantation extorted from him by the Countess of Huntingdon, only six months before, the irritable prelate could neither forget nor forgive the publication of the fictitious charge that has been already mentioned; and now he vented his anger by issuing anonymously the first part of “The Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists compared.” (8vo. 82 pp.) No good end would be served by lengthened quotations from this scolding pamphlet. The Bishop of Exeter was too angry to be polite. Suffice it to say, that, so far as Whitefield is concerned, Lavington’s attacks are founded upon incautious and improper expressions in Whitefield’s publications――expressions most of which Whitefield himself had publicly lamented and withdrawn, or modified. The pith of the bishop’s pamphlet is contained in his last paragraph but one. The _italics_ in the following quotations are his lordship’s own:――

“This _new dispensation_ is a _composition_ of _enthusiasm_,
_superstition_, and _imposture_. When the blood and spirits
run _high_, inflaming the brain and imagination, it is most
properly _enthusiasm_, which is _religion run mad_; when _low
and dejected_, causing groundless terrors, or the placing of the
_great duty of man_ in little observances, it is _superstition_,
which is _religion scared out of its senses_; when any
fraudulent dealings are made use of, and any wrong projects
carried on under the mask of piety, it is _imposture_, and may
be termed religion turned _hypocrite_.”

The title of Whitefield’s answer was as follows: “Some Remarks on a Pamphlet, entitled, ‘The Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists compared;’ wherein several mistakes in some parts of his past writings and conduct are acknowledged, and his present sentiments concerning the Methodists explained. In a letter to the Author. By George Whitefield, late of Pembroke College, Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Countess of Huntingdon. ‘Out of the eater came forth meat’ (Judges xiv. 4). London: printed by W. Strahan, 1749.” (8vo. 48 pp.)

The title-page indicates the contents of Whitefield’s pamphlet. He honestly acknowledges his errors by inserting the letter already given, under the date of “June 24, 1748,” and which, with very little alteration, had been published in Scotland, before Lavington’s malignant ridicule had been committed to the press. Three brief extracts, from Whitefield’s “Remarks,” will be enough. In reply to the accusation of claiming to be inspired and infallible, Whitefield says:――

“No, sir, my mistakes have been too many, and my blunders too
frequent, to make me set up for _infallibility_. I came soon
into the world; I have carried high sail, whilst running through
a whole torrent of popularity and contempt; and, by this means,
I have sometimes been in danger of oversetting; but many and
frequent as my mistakes have been, or may be, as soon as I am
_made sensible of them_, they shall be _publicly acknowledged
and retracted_.”

Again, having stated what are the doctrines of the Methodists, Whitefield writes:――

“These are doctrines as diametrically opposite to the Church
of Rome, as light to darkness. They are the very doctrines
for which Ridley, Latimer, Cranmer, and so many of our first
reformers burnt at the stake. And, I will venture to say, they
are doctrines which, when attended with a divine energy, always
have made, and, maugre all opposition, always will make, their
way through the world, however weak the instruments, who deliver
them, may be.”

Then, again, the object at which Whitefield and his friends were aiming is thus described:――

“To awaken a _drowsy_ world; to rouse them out of their
_formality_, as well as profaneness, and put them upon seeking
after a _present and great salvation_; to point out to them a
_glorious rest_, which not only remains for the people of God
_hereafter_, but which, by a _living faith_, the very chief of
sinners may enter into even here, and without which the most
blazing profession is nothing worth――is, as far as I know,
the one thing――the grand and common point, in which all the
_Methodists’_ endeavours centre. This is what some of all
denominations want to be reminded of; and to stir them up to
seek after the life and power of godliness, that they may be
Christians, not only in _word and profession_, but in _spirit_
and in _truth_, is, and, _through Jesus Christ strengthening me_,
shall be the one _sole_ business of my life.”

Answers to Bishop Lavington were also written by Wesley, and by the Rev. Vincent Perronet. On the bishop’s side there was published, “A Letter to the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, occasioned by his ‘Remarks on a Pamphlet, entitled, The Enthusiasm of the Methodists and Papists compared.’” (8vo. 59 pp.) Among other railing accusations, the author charges the poor Methodists with making their followers mad; and broadly asserts that some of them have committed murders in Wales, and are now hanging in chains for their crimes. Whitefield was represented as having “a windmill in his head,” and going “up and down the world in search of somebody to beat out his brains.” It is a curious fact, however, that the pamphleteer attacked the Rev. Griffith Jones, who had recently published his Welsh Catechism, more virulently than he attacked Whitefield. The same gentleman (he calls himself a “Layman”) published a second pamphlet, with the title, “A Second Letter to the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, occasioned by his Remarks upon a Pamphlet, entitled, The Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists compared. In this, Mr. Whitefield’s claim to the doctrine of the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Articles of the Church of England is examined; as also that of his great Mr. Griffith Jones, of Landowror, to the doctrine of the 17th Article; together with some further account of the fire kindled by them both in North and South Wales.” (8vo. 111 pp.) The writer was a man of learning, and, though a layman, was well acquainted with theology. The fault of his productions is their bitterness, and their publication of false and even obscene stories. He charges the Welsh Methodists with the practice of adultery, and with holding the doctrine that fornication among themselves was not a sin. He asserts that “Most of the Methodist teachers in Wales are become Father Confessors;” and that one of them, Will Richard, a cobbler, “when he forgives the sins of any person, delivers the party a paper, which, upon its being produced, will procure him or her admittance into heaven.” There are other stories too impure to be reproduced.

It may be added, that such was the public importance attached to the production of Lavington and the reply of Whitefield, that the _Monthly Review_, for 1749, devoted not fewer than twenty-eight of its pages to an examination of them.

Whitefield’s “Remarks” being finished, he wrote to his friend Hervey, as follows:――

“LONDON, _April 5, 1749_.

“REV. AND DEAR SIR,――I suppose you have seen my pamphlet
advertised. I want to publicly confess my public mistakes. O
how many, how great they have been! How much obliged I am to my
enemies for telling me of them! I wish you could see my pamphlet
before it comes out. O that it may be blessed to promote God’s
glory and the good of souls!

“You will be glad to hear that our Lord has given us a good
passover” (Easter), “and that the prospect is still encouraging
among the rich. I intend to leave town in about a week, and to
begin ranging after precious souls.

“You judge right when you say I do not want to make a sect,
or set myself at the head of a party. No; let the name of
Whitefield die, so that the cause of Jesus Christ may live. I
have seen enough of popularity to be sick of it, and, did not
the interest of my blessed Master require my appearing in public,
the world should hear but little of me henceforward. But who
can desert such a cause? Who, for fear of a little contempt and
suffering, would decline the service of such a Master?”

Whitefield here mentions “the prospect among the rich,” but says nothing of the poor. It must not be inferred, however, that his labours and success among the latter were at all abated. The author of “The Life and Times of the Countess of Huntingdon” gives an instance, belonging to this period, which is worth relating. While the rich assembled in her ladyship’s drawing-room, the poor filled her kitchen. Certain ladies having called to pay a visit to the Countess, she asked them if they had heard Mr. Whitefield preach; and, upon being answered in the negative, she expressed a wish that they should attend his preaching on the day following. The ladies did so; and the Countess, when they next met, enquired how they liked him. “O my lady,” they answered, “of all the preachers we ever heard, he is the most strange and unaccountable. Among other preposterous things, he declared that Jesus Christ is so willing to receive sinners, that He does not object to receive even the devil’s _castaways_! My lady, did you ever hear of such a thing since you were born?” Her ladyship acknowledged that the language was a little singular, but, as Mr. Whitefield was in the house, she would send for him, and he should answer for himself. Whitefield came; the previous conversation was repeated; and he said: “My lady, I must plead guilty to the charge; whether I did right or otherwise, your ladyship shall judge from the following circumstance. Half an hour ago, a poor, miserable-looking, aged female requested to speak with me. I desired her to be shewn into your parlour. She said, ‘Oh, sir, I was accidentally passing the door of the chapel where you were preaching last night, and I went in, and one of the first things I heard you say was, that Jesus Christ was so willing to receive sinners, that He did not object to receiving the devil’s castaways. Now, sir, I have been on the town many years, and _am so worn out in his service_, that, I think, I may with truth be called one of the devil’s castaways. Do you think, sir, that Jesus Christ would receive me?’ I,” said Whitefield, “assured her there was not a doubt of it, if she was but willing to go to Him.” The sequel of the story was, the poor creature was converted, and died testifying that the blood of Christ can cleanse from all unrighteousness.

On leaving London, Whitefield proceeded to Gloucester and Bristol. Early in the month of May, he went to Portsmouth, where he spent near a fortnight, preaching with a success which was marvellous even to himself. Writing to Lady Huntingdon, on May 8th, he says:――

“The night after I came here” (Portsmouth), “I preached to many
thousands, a great part of whom were attentive, but some of the
baser sort made a little disturbance. On the Friday evening”
(May 5th), “I preached at Gosport, where the mob has generally
been very turbulent; but all was hushed and quiet. Every time
I have preached, the word has seemed to sink deeper and deeper
into the people’s hearts.”[235]

On May 11th, he wrote to the Rev. Mr. M’Culloch, Presbyterian minister, at Cambuslang:――

“I have been preaching at Portsmouth every day, for a week past,
to very large and attentive auditories. I hear of many who are
brought under convictions; prejudices seem to be universally
removed; and a people who, but a week ago, were speaking all
manner of evil against me, are now very desirous of my staying
longer among them. What cannot God do?

“At London, real good has been done among the rich, and the poor
receive the gospel with as much gladness as ever. Mr. Harris and
some others have agreed to continue preaching at the Tabernacle,
and elsewhere, as formerly. I should be glad to hear of a
revival at Cambuslang; but you have already seen such things as
are seldom seen above once in a century.”

On the day following, in a letter to the Countess Delitz, he says:――

“A wilderness is the best name this world deserves. Ceiled
houses, gaudy attire, and rich furniture, do not make it appear
less so to a mind enlightened to see the beauties of Jesus of
Nazareth. The preaching of the cross has been much blessed here.
Multitudes daily attend, and many are much affected. It would
please your ladyship to see the alteration that has been made in
a week.”

On the same day, he wrote to Lady Fanny Shirley:――

“What a glorious opportunity is now afforded you, to shew, even
before kings, that we are made kings indeed, and priests unto
God, and that it is our privilege, as Christians, to reign over
sin, hell, the world, and ourselves. O the happiness of a life
wholly devoted to the ever-blessed God, and spent in communion
with Him! It is indeed heaven begun on earth. I trust, some in
these parts, who a few days ago had never heard of this kingdom
of God, now begin to look after it. I have not seen a more
visible alteration made in a people for some time. Thousands
have attended, in the greatest order; and numbers are affected.”

On Monday, May 15, Whitefield set out for Wales, taking Salisbury and Bristol on his way. In ten days, he reached his wife’s house at Abergavenny, where he spent forty-eight hours of “sweet, very sweet retirement,――so sweet,” says he, “that I should be glad never to be heard of again. But this must not be. A necessity is laid upon me; and woe is me, if I preach not the gospel of Christ.”

Whitefield’s was a warm heart. Distress in others always moved him. His sympathy was not restrained by bigotry. In the fullest sense, it made him a good Samaritan. While at Abergavenny, he wrote to a friend in London, who had charge of “the poor widows, and the other Tabernacle petitioners,” and laid before him a case of need, which he wished to be relieved out of the Tabernacle funds. “On Thursday,” says he, “I saw Mr. E―――― I――――, the Dissenting minister, and found him very meanly apparelled. He is a most worthy man. Some time ago, he sold £15 worth of his books, to finish a small meeting-house, in which he preaches. He has but £3 per annum from the fund, and about as much from his people. He lives very low, but enjoys much of God; and has as great understanding of the figurative parts of Scripture as any one I know. He is a Zacharias, and his wife an Elizabeth. Four or five guineas might be bestowed on them. What a scene will open at the great day! How many _rich priests_ will stand confounded, whilst the poor despised _faithful ministers_ of Christ shall enter, after all their tribulation, into the joy of their Lord!”

Whitefield spent a glorious month among the Welsh mountains. In a letter, dated “Carmarthen, June 5, 1749,” he writes: “I am still in suspense about my wife;[236] but, what is best, (glory be to God!) the gospel runs, and is glorified. I have preached fourteen times within the past eight days, and the word has everywhere fallen with weight and power. Yesterday was a great day here.”

From Carmarthen, Whitefield proceeded to Haverfordwest, where, on June 8th, he wrote to Lady Huntingdon:――

“Congregations grow larger and larger. All the towns hereabout
are quite open for the word of God. Yesterday, I preached near
Pembroke; to-day and next Lord’s-day, I am to preach here;[237]
and to-morrow, at St. David’s. Not a dog stirs a tongue.
The mayor and gentlemen at Pembroke were very civil; and the
young men bred up at Carmarthen Academy were much taken. The
congregations consist of many thousands, and their behaviour is
very affecting. Indeed, we have blessed seasons. O free grace!”

Whitefield got back to Bristol on June 23. Hence the following, addressed to the Rev. James Hervey:――

“BRISTOL, _June 24, 1749_.

“Yesterday, God brought me here, after having carried me a
circuit of about eight hundred miles, and enabled me to preach,
I suppose, to upwards of a hundred thousand souls. I have been
in eight Welsh counties; and, I think, we have not had one dry
meeting. The work in Wales is much upon the advance, and is
likely to increase daily. Had my dear Mr. Hervey been there to
have seen the simplicity of the people, I am persuaded, he would
have said, ‘_Sit anima mea cum Methodistis!_’ But every one to
his post. On Monday or Tuesday next, I set out for London. Good
Lady Huntingdon is here,[238] and goes on, in her usual way,
doing good.”

The Honourable Jonathan Belcher has been mentioned as one of the early friends of Whitefield. For eleven years, from 1730 to 1741, this gentleman was the governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and performed his official duties with great ability. It so happened, however, that, just about the time when he shewed Whitefield so much honour, in 1740, an unprincipled cabal, by falsehood, forgery, and injustice, succeeded in depriving him of his office. Upon this, he repaired to the court of George II., where he vindicated his character and conduct, and exposed the baseness of his enemies. He was restored to the royal favour; and, in 1747, was appointed governor of New Jersey. In 1748, he obtained, from King George II., a charter for the founding of New Jersey College.[239] This was an institution in which Whitefield was greatly interested. As early as November 21, 1748, he wrote to the Rev. Ebenezer Pemberton: “I have been endeavouring, in Scotland, to do all the service I could to the New Jersey College; but I believe nothing will be done to purpose, unless you or some other popular minister come over, and make an application in person. In all probability, a collection might then be recommended by the General Assembly, and large contributions be raised among private persons who wish well to Zion.” And now again, in another letter to Mr. Pemberton, dated “London, July 10, 1749,” Whitefield writes: “Is there no prospect of your coming over? Your Mr. T―――― might do much for New Jersey College; but I have told you my mind in a former letter. May God direct for the best! I have a great mind to return to my beloved America this autumn, but am not yet determined. My wife arrived about a fortnight ago.”

It will be seen hereafter, in 1754, that Whitefield’s suggestion was adopted, and a deputation came to England for the purpose he had mentioned.

It is a curious coincidence, that, just at the time when Governor Belcher was obtaining a charter for the New Jersey College, Benjamin Franklin, then a member of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, was publishing his “Proposals relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania;” in other words, he was proposing to found an academy or college in Philadelphia. Franklin begged about £5000; the subscribers requested him and Mr. Francis, the Attorney-General, “to draw up constitutions for the government of the academy;” twenty-four trustees were chosen; a house was hired; masters engaged; and the schools opened. The scholars increasing fast, a larger building was found to be indispensable. The meeting-house, which had been built for Whitefield, in 1740, was burdened with an inconvenient debt; Franklin negotiated with the trustees to transfer it to the academy, on condition that the debt was paid, that the large hall should be kept open for occasional preachers, and that a free school should be maintained for the instruction of poor children. In due time, the trustees of the academy were incorporated by a royal charter; the funds were increased by contributions in Great Britain; and thus was established, in Whitefield’s meeting-house, by the celebrated Benjamin Franklin, the College of Philadelphia.[240]

The following letter, addressed to Whitefield, refers to these transactions; and, in other respects, is interesting:――

“PHILADELPHIA, _July 6, 1749_.

“DEAR SIR,――Since your being in England, I have received two of
your favours, and a box of books to be disposed of. It gives me
great pleasure to hear of your welfare, and that you purpose
soon to return to America.

“We have no kind of news here worth writing to you. The affair
of the building remains in _statu quo_, there having been no
new application to the Assembly about it, or anything done, in
consequence of the former.

“I have received no money on your account from Mr. Thanklin,
or from Boston. Mrs. Read,[241] and your other friends here,
in general, are well, and will rejoice to see you again.

“I am glad to hear that you have frequent opportunities of
preaching among the great. If you can gain them to a good and
exemplary life, wonderful changes will follow in the manners of
the lower ranks; for _ad exemplum regis_, etc. On this principle,
Confucius, the famous eastern reformer, proceeded. When he saw
his country sunk in vice, and wickedness of all kinds triumphant,
he applied himself first to the grandees; and, having, by his
doctrine, won them to the cause of virtue, the commons followed
in multitudes. The mode has a wonderful influence on mankind;
and there are numbers, who, perhaps, fear less the being in hell,
than out of the fashion. Our more western reformations began
with the ignorant mob; and, when numbers of them were gained,
interest and party-views drew in the wise and great. Where both
methods can be used, reformations are likely to be more speedy.
O that some method could be found to make them lasting! He who
discovers that, will, in my opinion, deserve more, ten thousand
times, than the inventor of the longitude.

“My wife and family join in the most cordial salutations to you
and good Mrs. Whitefield.

“I am, dear sir, your very affectionate friend, and most obliged
humble servant,

“BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.”[242]

Such was the moralizing of the famous Franklin concerning the marvellous movement of his friend Whitefield.

It was about this time that Whitefield’s ministry was blessed to the conversion of a youth, who, afterwards, rose to great eminence. Robert Robinson had recently been apprenticed to a hair-dresser, in Crutched Friars, London. The apprentice was attracted to hear Whitefield at the Tabernacle, and, ever after, called him his spiritual father.[243] In 1761, at the age of twenty-six, Robert Robinson became the pastor of a small Dissenting congregation, at Cambridge, whose members could scarcely afford him £20 a year. His ministry, however, was so successful, that, in the course of a few years, his church included above two hundred highly respectable families. Upon Robinson’s subsequent popularity as a preacher; his ability as an author; and his embracing, a few years before his death, the Unitarian creed, there is no necessity to dwell. These are well-known facts.

Having spent a few days in London, Whitefield returned, towards the end of July, to Lady Huntingdon, at Bristol,[244] where “many in high life” attended his ministry.[245] Here he had another battle with a bishop. Whitefield was told that the Bishop of W―――― had accused him of perjury; and wrote to his lordship to be informed upon what fact or facts his charge was founded. The bishop’s answer is not published, but its nature and substance may be inferred from the reply of Whitefield.

“BRISTOL, _August 7, 1749_.

“MY LORD,――I suppose the mistake has lain here; your lordship
might have insinuated, that, by my present way of acting, I have
broken the solemn engagement I entered into at my ordination;
and that might have been interpreted to imply a charge of
_perjury_.

“The relation in which I stand to the Countess of Huntingdon,
made me desirous to clear myself from such an imputation, and to
give your lordship an opportunity of vindicating yourself in the
manner you have done.

“Were I not afraid of intruding too much upon your lordship’s
time, I would endeavour to answer the other part of your
letter, and give you a satisfactory account of whatever may seem
irregular and exceptionable in my present conduct. This I would
gladly do, not only before your lordship, but, before all the
right reverend the bishops; for I highly honour them on account
of the sacred character they sustain; and wish to make it my
daily endeavour to obey all their godly admonitions. This, I
presume, my lord, is the utmost extent of the promise I made
at my ordination. If I deviate from this, in any respect, it is
through ignorance and want of better information, and not out of
obstinacy, or contempt of lawful authority.”

In the second week of August, Whitefield set out for Plymouth; and, on the way, preached twice at Wellington, once at Exeter, and twice at Kingsbridge.[246] At Plymouth, he wrote, to a friend, as follows:――

“PLYMOUTH, _August, 19, 1749_.

“MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,――Last night, I heard that the bishop”
(of Exeter) “has published a second pamphlet, with a preface
addressed to me. Have you seen it? Or, do you think it worth
answering? He told a clergyman, some time ago, that he might
expect a second part. He said, my answer was honest, and that
I recanted many things; but that I still went on in my usual
way. God forbid I should do otherwise! I am informed, that, upon
threatening to pull Mr. Thompson’s gown off, Mr. Thompson threw
it off himself, and said, he could preach the gospel without a
gown; and so withdrew. Upon which, the bishop sent for him, and
soothed him. I hope to see Mr. Thompson, at Bideford, on Tuesday,
and expect to hear particulars.”[247]

The second part of Bishop Lavington’s “Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists compared,” was an 8vo. volume of two hundred pages, and quite as discreditable to his lordship’s character and position as that already published. In about equal parts, it was levelled against Whitefield and Wesley, with an occasional fling at the Moravians. It is somewhat difficult to reconcile its levity and buffoonery with Christian piety. At all events, its spirit, tone, and language, are not in harmony with St. Paul’s injunction, “A bishop must not soon be angry, but be sober, just, holy, temperate.” It is needless to give an outline of this episcopal production; but, from the preface of forty-four pages, wholly addressed to Whitefield, the following choice epithets and phrases are taken. “You are a most deceitful worker, grievously seducing your precious lambs.” “Your infallible instructions are so many mistakes, blunders, or lies.” “You have climbed up, and stolen the sacred fire from heaven; have even deified yourself, and put your own spirit in the seat of the Holy Ghost.” “You have owned yourself a cheat and impostor.” “You say, ‘_After-experience and riper judgment_ have taught you to _correct_ and _amend_ all your _performances_; and for the future you are to come out in a more _unexceptionable dress_.’ What a desirable and delightful _spectacle_! I almost _long_ to have a peep at you in your _unexceptionable dress_. I begin to be in an _ecstasy_. _Now_ methinks I see you, like a _player_ after he hath _acted his part_, stripping off the _dazzling tinsel_ in which he _strutted upon the stage_. _Now_, like _Presbyter John_, tearing away _points, tags, ribbands, fringe, lace, and embroidery_. _Now_, again, (_Paulo majora canamus_,) methinks I see you divesting yourself of your celestial garments and ornaments; plucking off your _appropriated blossoms_ of Aaron’s _rod_, slipping off the _child_ Samuel’s _linen ephod_, throwing _Elijah’s mantle_ from your shoulders; and modestly standing forth in the ordinary attire of a plain _gown and cassock_.”

It was as impossible as it was undesirable, for Whitefield to write an answer in a scurrilous and bantering style like this; and, therefore, he wisely determined not to write at all. Hence the following to Lady Huntingdon:――

“BIDEFORD, _August 24, 1749_.

“I have seen the bishop’s second pamphlet, in which he has
served the Methodists, as the Bishop of Constance served John
Huss, when he ordered some painted devils to be put round his
head before he burned him. His preface to me is most virulent.
Everything I wrote, in my answer, is turned into the vilest
ridicule, and nothing will satisfy but giving up the glorious
work of the ever-blessed God, as entirely cheat and imposture.
I cannot see that it calls for any further answer from me.
Mr. Wesley, I think, had best attack him now, as he is largely
concerned in this second part. I think of leaving this place
to-morrow, and of preaching at Exeter next Lord’s-day.”

Whitefield would not reply to the bishop’s pamphlet, but he would preach in his episcopal city. It was rather a bold step to take; and the following is Whitefield’s own account of it. This, like the former letter, was addressed to Lady Huntingdon:――

“LONDON, _September 4, 1749_.

“HONOURED MADAM,――I came to town on Thursday, the 31st ultimo,
after having had a pleasant circuit in the west.

“The day after I wrote to your ladyship, I preached twice at
Exeter, and, in the evening, I believe I had near ten thousand
hearers. The bishop and several of his clergy stood very near me,
as I am informed. A good season it was. All was quiet, and there
was a great solemnity in the congregation; but a drunken man
threw at me three great stones. One of them cut my head deeply,
and was likely to knock me off the table; but, blessed be God!
I was not at all discomposed. One of the other stones struck a
poor man quite down.

“As I came from Exeter, I visited one John Haime, the soldier,
who, under God, began the great awakening in Flanders. He is in
Dorchester gaol for preaching at Shaftesbury, where there has
been, and is now, a great awakening.[248]

“Everywhere the work is spreading; and, since I have been here,
we have had some of the most awful, solemn, powerful meetings,
I ever saw at the Tabernacle. Congregations have been very large,
and I have had several meetings with the preachers.”[249]

Whitefield’s stay in London was of short duration. In a few days, he set out for Yorkshire and the North of England. On his way, in Hertfordshire, he wrote as follows to his friend Hervey:――

“BENNINGTON, _September 17, 1749_.

“REV. AND VERY DEAR SIR,――Perhaps I have heard from what corner
your cross comes. It is a very near one indeed. A saying of Mr.
B―――― has often comforted me: ‘I would often have nestled, but
God always put a thorn in my nest.’ Is not this suffered, my
dear brother, to prick you out, and to compel you to appear for
the Lord Jesus Christ? Preaching is my grand _catholicon_, under
all domestic, as well as other trials. I fear Dr. Stonehouse has
done you hurt, and kept you in shackles too long. For Christ’s
sake, my dear Mr. Hervey, exhort him, now that he has taken the
gown, to play the man, and let the world see, that, not worldly
motives, but God’s glory and a love for souls, have sent him
into the ministry. I hope he will turn out a flamer at last.
O when shall this once be! Who would lose a moment? Amazing!
that the followers of a crucified Redeemer should be afraid of
contempt! Rise, Hervey, rise, and see thy Jesus reaching out a
crown with this motto, ‘_Vincenti dabo_.’ Excuse this freedom.
I write out of the fulness of my heart, not to draw you over to
me, or to a party, but to excite you to appear openly for God.

“A letter may be directed (if you write immediately) to be left
at the Rev. Mr. Ingham’s, Yorkshire. Thither I am bound now,
and, if the season of the year should permit, I would stretch
to Scotland. We have had most delightful seasons in London.
The glory of the Redeemer filled the Tabernacle. If any doubt
whether the cause we are embarked in be the cause of God, I say,
‘Come and see.’ Are you free that I should call upon you in my
return to town? I think to come by way of Northampton. You shall
hear what is done in Yorkshire. God has blessed my preaching at
Oundle.”

It is evident that Whitefield wished Hervey to itinerate like himself; but this was a work for which the gentle rector of Weston-Favell was physically and mentally unfit. No good end would have been answered by his attempting it. Besides, by his pen, he was doing a great work, which Whitefield, had he tried, could not have done; and which itinerancy would have set aside. The fact is, though Whitefield and Hervey were both Oxford Methodists, Whitefield had not seen his old acquaintance for many years, and seems to have had no idea of the extreme delicacy of his health.

Whitefield’s progress to Ingham’s, at Aberford; to Grimshaw’s, at Haworth; and to other places, will be seen in the following extracts from his letters:――

“NEWCASTLE, _September 29, 1749_.

“I have had many proofs that God’s providence directed my way
into Yorkshire. I preached four times at Aberford, four times at
Leeds, and thrice at Haworth, where lives one Mr. Grimshaw. At
his church, I believe, we had above a thousand communicants, and,
in the churchyard, about six thousand hearers. It was a great
day of the Son of man. About Leeds are Mr. Wesley’s Societies.
I was invited thither by them and one of their preachers; and
Mr. Charles Wesley, coming thither, published me himself. I
have preached here once, and am to preach again this evening. On
Monday next, October 2nd, I propose to return to Yorkshire, and,
from thence, to London. I have given over the immediate care of
all my Societies to Mr. Harris; so that now I am a preacher at
large. Everything is turning round strangely. O for simplicity
and honesty to the end!”

To Lady Huntingdon, Whitefield wrote as follows:――

“NEWCASTLE, _October 1, 1749_.

“Never did I see more of the hand of God, in any of my journeys,
than in this. At Mr. Grimshaw’s, I believe, there were above
six thousand hearers. The sacramental occasion was most awful.
At Leeds, the congregation consisted of above ten thousand.
In the morning, at five, I was obliged to preach out of doors.
In my way hither, I met Mr. Charles Wesley, who returned, and
introduced me to the pulpit in Newcastle. As I am a debtor to
all, and intend to be at the head of no party, I thought it my
duty to comply. I have preached in their room four times, and,
this morning, I preached to many thousands in a large close.
This evening, I am to do the same. The power of God has attended
His word, and there seems to be a quickening of souls. To-morrow,
God willing, we set out for Leeds. As it is so late in the year,
my Scotch friends advise me to defer my going thither. Had I
known that, I should have embarked for America this autumn.”

In these and other letters, written while in the north of England, Whitefield makes no mention of an event too important to be entirely omitted. It was now that Charles Wesley succeeded in preventing his brother marrying Grace Murray, by getting her married to John Bennet. This unpleasant, almost romantic, incident occupies so large a space in “The Life and Times of Wesley,” that I here purposely refrain from entering into details. The account there introduced has been severely criticised and censured by some of Wesley’s admirers, who seem to be unwilling to admit that he shared any of the infirmities common to human beings. I can only say, that while I could add to the details I have already given, I know of nothing that I ought either to retract or to modify. There can be no doubt that Whitefield was cognisant of the intentions of Charles Wesley; for the marriage with Bennet took place in Newcastle, the very day Whitefield left that town for Leeds; and, further, on the night previous to the marriage, Wesley, at Whitehaven, received a letter from Whitefield, requesting that he would meet him and Charles Wesley, at Leeds, two days afterwards. Nothing more shall be added, except to give Wesley’s own account of the distressing interview. He writes:――

“October 4, 1749. At Leeds, I found, not my brother, but Mr.
Whitefield. I lay down by him on the bed. He told me my brother
would not come till John Bennet and Grace Murray were married.
I was troubled; he perceived it; he wept and prayed over me, but
I could not shed a tear. He said all that was in his power to
comfort me; but it was in vain. He told me it was his judgment
that she was _my_ wife,[250] and that he had said so to John
Bennet, that he would fain have persuaded them to wait, and
not to marry till they had seen me; but that my brother’s
impetuosity prevailed and bore down all before it. On Thursday,
October 5, about eight, one came in from Newcastle, and told
us ‘They were married on Tuesday.’ My brother came an hour
after. I felt no anger, yet I did not desire to see him; but
Mr. Whitefield constrained me. After a few words had passed, he
accosted me with, ‘I renounce all intercourse with you, but what
I would have with a heathen man or a publican.’ I felt little
emotion; it was only adding a drop of water to a drowning man;
yet I calmly accepted his renunciation, and acquiesced therein.
Poor Mr. Whitefield and John Nelson burst into tears. They
prayed, cried, and entreated, till the storm passed away. We
could not speak, but only fell on each other’s neck.”

Thus did Whitefield help to prevent a breach of the lifelong and ardent friendship of the Wesley brothers. Three days afterwards, Charles Wesley wrote to Mr. Ebenezer Blackwell, the London banker, as follows:――

“SHEFFIELD, _Sunday Morning, October 8, 1749_.

“George Whitefield, and my brother, and I, are one,――a threefold
cord which shall no more be broken. The week before last, I
waited on our friend George to our house in Newcastle, and gave
him full possession of our pulpit and people’s hearts, as full
as was in my power to give. The Lord united all our hearts. I
attended his successful ministry for some days. He was never
more blessed or better satisfied. Whole troops of the Dissenters
he mowed down. They also are so reconciled to us, as you cannot
conceive. The world is confounded. The hearts of those who seek
the Lord rejoice. At Leeds, we met my brother, who gave honest
George the right hand of fellowship, and attended him everywhere
to our Societies. Some in London will be alarmed at the news;
but it is the Lord’s doing, as they, I doubt not, will by-and-by
acknowledge.”[251]

It is a fact worth noting, that, on the memorable day, when Whitefield, the two Wesleys, John Bennet and his newly wedded wife met at Leeds, Whitefield preached in that town at five in the morning, and at Birstal, at five in the evening.[252] On both occasions, stricken-hearted Wesley was present, and says, “God gave Mr. Whitefield both strong and persuasive words.”[253] Five days afterwards, Wesley was in Newcastle, and, in soberer language than that used by his brother, pronounced the following judgment on Whitefield’s visit there: “I was now satisfied that God had sent Mr. Whitefield to Newcastle in an acceptable time; many of those who had little thought of God before, still retain the impressions they received from him.”[254]

On leaving Leeds, Whitefield, accompanied by Ingham, set out on another evangelizing tour through Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire.[255] “Go on,” wrote Howell Harris, in a letter to Whitefield, dated “October 15, 1749,”――“Go on, and blaze abroad the fame of Jesus, till you take your flight, to bow, among the innumerable company, before His unalterable glory!”[256] And “go on” Whitefield did. The following was written to Lady Fanny Shirley, at Ewood, (or Estwood, as Whitefield calls it,) a place whence Grimshaw had married his first wife, and where he occasionally resided.

“ESTWOOD, IN LANCASHIRE, _October 25, 1749_.

“HONOURED MADAM,――Since I wrote to your ladyship from Newcastle,
I have preached about thirty times in Yorkshire, and above
ten times in Cheshire and Lancashire. Congregations have been
very large, and a convincing and comforting influence has
everywhere attended the word. In one or two places, I have had
a little rough treatment; but elsewhere all has been quiet. At
the importunity of many, I am now returning from Manchester to
Leeds; from thence I purpose going to Sheffield; next week I hope
to see good Lady Huntingdon at Ashby; and the week following I
hope to be in London. Thus do I lead a pilgrim life. God give
me a pilgrim heart, and enable me to speak of redeeming love
to a lost world, till I can speak no more. Mrs. Galatin, at
Manchester, goes on well, and is not ashamed to confess Him, who,
I trust, has called her out of darkness into marvellous light.”

Colonel and Mrs. Galatin were sincere and warm-hearted friends both of Whitefield and the Wesleys. Whitefield met them in Manchester, where the colonel[257] was then stationed, and made the best use of his opportunity to benefit him and his subordinate officers. Hence the following to the Countess of Huntingdon:――

“LEEDS, _October 30, 1749_.

“I forwarded your letter to Mrs. Galatin, at Manchester. She
seems to be quite in earnest. I conversed for about two hours
with the captain and some other officers, upon the nature and
necessity of the new birth. He was affected; and, I hope, the
conversation was blessed. Since I left them, I have preached to
many thousands in Rosendale, Aywood” (Ewood?) “and Halifax; also
at Birstal, Pudsey, and Armley; and I have had three precious
seasons here. Congregations are exceeding large, and both the
Established and Dissenting Clergy are very angry. I hear that
yesterday they thundered heartily. But truth is great, and will
prevail, though preached in the fields and streets.

“I thought to have been at Ashby next Lord’s-day, but a door
seems to be opened at Nottingham, and I have thoughts of
trying what can be done there. This morning I shall set out for
Sheffield. This day week, your ladyship may depend on seeing me
at Ashby.”

On November 13th, Whitefield left the country residence of Lady Huntingdon for London. On arriving there, he found letters, which turned his attention to Ireland.

After John Cennick seceded from Whitefield, he, in June 1746, went to Dublin, and commenced preaching in Skinner’s Alley. Soon after this, Cennick had to attend a Moravian Synod in Germany; and, during his absence, Thomas Williams, one of Wesley’s itinerants, visited Dublin, began to preach, and formed a Society. In August, 1747, Wesley himself went to Dublin, and became the guest of Mr. William Lunell, a banker, a man of wealth and great respectability, who had been converted under the preaching of Cennick and Williams. A year afterwards, Charles Wesley found him mourning the loss of his wife and child, and did all he could to comfort him. Mr. Lunell became one of Wesley’s most liberal supporters. He gave £400 towards the erection of Dublin chapel; and, more than twenty years subsequent to this, Wesley declared that Mr. Lunell, of Dublin, and Mr. Thomas ♦James, of Cork, were the most munificent benefactors that Methodism had ever had.[258]

From the first, Methodism in Ireland had to encounter persecution. In Dublin, the pulpit and benches of Marlborough Street chapel had been burnt in the open street, and several of the Methodists beaten with shillalahs. At Athlone, Jonathan Healey, one of Wesley’s itinerants, had been almost murdered. In the present year, 1749, the Methodists at Cork, with the connivance of the mayor and magistrates, had been subjected to the most cruel treatment. Both men and women were attacked with clubs and swords, and many were stabbed, gashed, slashed, stoned, and seriously wounded. Their houses were demolished, and their furniture and goods destroyed. As in Dublin, the pews, benches, and even flooring of the chapel, were dragged into the streets, and were set on fire. These horrible outrages were continued during the whole of the months of May and June.[259] Mr. Lunell wrote to Whitefield on the subject, and wished him to visit Ireland. Whitefield was quite willing to accede to this request; but, for the present, was unable to comply with it. Meanwhile, however, he deeply sympathised with the sufferers at Cork, and, as will be seen hereafter, took active steps, in conjunction with the Countess of Huntingdon, to obtain for them the protection of Government. The following letter, to Mr. Lunell, refers to the matters just mentioned:――

“LONDON, _November 22, 1749_.

“VERY DEAR SIR,――I received your kind letter on Monday last, and
take the first opportunity of answering it.

“I believe my particular province is to go about and preach
the gospel to all. My being obliged to keep up a large
correspondence in America, and the necessity I am under of going
thither myself, entirely prevent my taking care of any Societies.
Whether it will ever be my lot to come to Ireland, I cannot say.
I have some thought of being there next spring; but I would not
intrude on any one’s labours. The world is large, and there is
sufficient work for all. I profess to be of a catholic spirit:
I am a debtor to all. I have no party to be the head of, and I
will have none; but, as much as in me lies, will strengthen the
hands of all, of every denomination, who preach Jesus Christ in
sincerity.

“Pray how are the poor people at Cork? Lady Huntingdon writes
concerning them,――‘I hope the poor persecuted people in Cork
will be helped. I should be glad, if you could write in my name
to any of them, and inform them that I would have written myself,
but I know not how to direct. You may give them my assurance
of serving them upon any occasion, and a hint that I believe
they will meet with no more of the like rough usage.’ Thus far
my good lady. I am persuaded you will, in a prudent manner,
communicate this to all concerned.”

Whitefield’s health was generally best when he was on his gospel rambles. In London, it almost invariably suffered. Well or ill, however, when he could, Whitefield must be allowed to work. Writing to Lady Huntingdon, he says:――

“LONDON, _November 30, 1749_.