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
Whitefield arrived in London on December 8, and, on the day
following, waited on the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop
of London, and says he "met with a favourable reception." All,
however, was not smooth sailing. On December 10, he writes: "Five
churches have been already denied me, and some of the clergy, if
possible, would oblige me to depart out of these coasts." As yet,
however, all the churches were not closed against him. On the same
day, he preached in St. Helen's,[148] the church of Broughton, the
Oxford Methodist; and in the parish church of Islington, where
Mr. Stonehouse was vicar; and concluded the Sabbath by attending
a Moravian love-feast, at Fetter Lane, and spending about two
hours in prayer and singing. He found that many who had been
awakened by his preaching, twelve months before, were now "grown
strong men in Christ, by the ministrations of his dear friends and
fellow-labourers, John and Charles Wesley;" and, in his journal, he
significantly adds: "I found the old doctrine of justification by
faith only much revived. Many letters had been sent to me concerning
it, all of which I, providentially, missed receiving; for now I come
unprejudiced, and can the more easily see who is right. And who
dare assert that we are not justified in the sight of God merely by
an act of faith in Jesus Christ, without any regard to works past,
present, or to come?" So far as there is evidence to shew, this was
a doctrine which, up to the present, Whitefield had never preached.
Now, somewhat to his surprise, he found the Moravians and the Wesley
brothers preaching it continually.
[148] Charles Wesley writes: "I heard George Whitefield preach to a
vast throng at St. Helen's."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account