The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield, Volume 1 (of 2)Tyerman, L. (Luke)
History
The Life of the Rev. George Whitefield, Volume 1 (of 2)
Tyerman, L. (Luke)
Whitefield, George, 1714-1770
"The settlers were chiefly broken and decayed tradesmen from
London and other parts of England; several Scotch adventurers;
some Highlanders, who had a worthy minister named McLeod; a
few Moravians; and the Saltzburghers, who were by far the most
industrious of the whole.
"With the worthy ministers of Ebenezer, Messrs. Grenaw and
Boltzius, I contracted an intimacy. Many praying people were
in the congregation, which, with the consideration that such
faithful labourers as Messrs. Wesleys and Ingham had been
sent, gave me great hope that, unpromising as the aspect at
present might be, the colony might emerge in time out of its
infant state. Mr. Ingham had made some small advances towards
converting the Indians, who were at a small settlement about
four miles from Savannah. He went and lived among them for a few
months, and began to compose an Indian Grammar; but he was soon
called away to England. Mr. Charles Wesley had chiefly acted
as secretary to General Oglethorpe; but he also soon went to
England to engage more labourers. Mr. John Wesley, having met
with unworthy treatment, both at Frederica and Savannah, soon
followed. Through Divine mercy, I met with respectable treatment
from magistrates, officers, and people. The first I visited now
and then; the others, besides preaching twice a day and four
times a Lord's day, I visited from house to house. I was in
general most cordially received; but, from time to time, found
that '_Cælum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt._' Though
lowered in their circumstances, a sense of what they formerly
were in their native country remained. It was plain to be seen
that coming over was not so much out of choice as constraint.
Among some of these, however, the word took effectual root.
I was really happy in my little foreign cure, and could have
cheerfully remained among them, had I not been obliged to return
to England to receive priest's orders and to make a beginning
towards laying a foundation to the orphan house."[142]
[142] Gillies' "Life of Whitefield."
Here then are Whitefield's reasons why, after so short a residence,
he left Savannah, and set sail for England.
First of all, in a boat provided by Thomas Causton, Wesley's foe,
he made his way to Charleston, the capital of Carolina, where, says
he, "I was received in a most Christian manner by the Bishop of
London's Commissary, the Rev. Mr. Garden, a good soldier of Jesus
Christ;"[143] and was treated with great kindness by several others.
Here he remained about ten days, and then, on September 9, embarked
on board the _Mary_, Captain Coc, commander, bound from Charleston
to England.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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