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
"With this dear friend, I, one day, paid a visit to a worthy
doctor of divinity, near London, who introduced us to some
honourable ladies, who delighted in doing good. It being my
constant practice to improve my acquaintance with the rich for
the benefit of the poor, I recommended two poor clergymen, and
another pious person, to their charity. They said little, but,
between them, gave, I think, thirty-six guineas. The doctor
said,' If you had not spoken for others, you would have had
a good deal of that yourself.' God gave me to rejoice that I
had nothing, and the poor all. The next day, upon my return to
London, in the first letter that I opened, was a bank-note of
£10, sent from an unexpected hand as a present to myself.
"About this time, I was prevailed upon to print my sermon on
'The Nature and Necessity of our New Birth in Christ Jesus,'
which, under God, began the awakening in London, Bristol,
Gloucester, and Gloucestershire. This sermon sold well to
persons of all denominations, and was dispersed very much both
at home and abroad. Finding another of my sermons was printed,
without my leave, and in a very incorrect manner, at Bristol,
I was obliged to publish in my own defence; and, afterwards,
thought I had a clear call to print any other discourses, though
in themselves mean, that I found blessed to the good of souls.
"But to return to my public administrations. Being determined
to abide in London till the time of my departure, I followed
my usual practice of reading and praying over the word of God
upon my knees. Sweet was this retirement, but it was not of long
continuance. I was invited to preach at Cripplegate, St. Ann's,
and Forster Lane churches, at six on the Lord's-day morning, and
to assist in administering the holy sacrament. I embraced the
invitations, and so many came, that sometimes we were obliged to
consecrate fresh elements two or three times. I also preached
at Wapping Chapel, the Tower, Ludgate, Newgate, and many of the
churches where weekly lectures were kept up. The congregations
continually increased, and generally, on a Lord's-day, I used to
preach four times to very large and very affected auditories,
besides reading prayers twice or thrice, and walking, perhaps,
twelve miles in going backwards and forwards from one church to
the other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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