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
"About the middle of December, a letter came from Mr. Broughton
informing me that Mr. Charles Wesley was arrived at London.
Soon after came a letter from Mr. Charles himself, wherein he
informed me that he was come over to procure labourers; but,
added he, 'I dare not prevent God's nomination.' In a few days
after this came another letter from Mr. John Wesley, wherein
were these words--'Only Mr. Delamotte is with me, till God
shall stir up the hearts of some of His servants, who, putting
their lives in His hands, shall come over and help us, where
the harvest is so great, and the labourers so few. What if thou
art the man, Mr. Whitefield?' In another letter were these
words--'Do you ask me what you shall have? Food to eat, and
raiment to put on; a house to lay your head in, such as your
Lord had not; and a crown of glory that fadeth not away.' Upon
reading this, my heart leaped within me, and, as it were, echoed
to the call. Many things concurred to make my way clear. Mr.
Kinchin was now elected Dean of Corpus Christi College, and
being thereby obliged to reside at Oxford, he willingly took
upon him the charge of the prisoners. Mr. Hervey was ready to
serve the cure at Dummer. Mr. Wesley was my dear friend, and I
thought it would be a great advantage to be under his tuition.
Georgia was an infant, and likely to be an increasing colony;
and the Government seemed to have its welfare much at heart. I
had heard many Indians were near it, and had thought it a matter
of great importance that serious clergymen should be sent there.
Retirement and privacy were what my soul delighted in. A voyage
to sea would, in all probability, not do my constitution much
hurt; nay, I had heard that the sea was sometimes beneficial to
weakly people. And supposing the worst, as I must necessarily
return to take priests' orders, it would then be left to my
choice whether I would fix in my native country or go abroad
any more. These things being thoroughly weighed, I at length
resolved to embark for Georgia; and knowing that I should never
put my resolution into practice, if I conferred with flesh and
blood, I wrote to my relations to inform them of my design,
and withal told them, 'if they would promise not to dissuade
me from my intended voyage, I would come and take a personal
leave of them; if otherwise, knowing my own weakness, I was
determined to embark without visiting them at all.' A few days
after, Mr. Kinchin came to Dummer, and introduced Mr. Hervey
into the cure. They gave me some friendly counsel; and, having
spent the beginning of Christmas sweetly together, and taken an
affectionate leave of the Dummer people, I returned once more to
Oxford, to bid adieu to my friends, who were as dear to me as
my own soul.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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