[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.