Mr. Whitefield was present at this Conference: but he afterwards crossed the great Atlantic the seventh time, and closed his extraordinary and successful labours in America.

CHAPTER XI.

CALVINISTIC METHODISTS, TO THE DEATH OF WHITEFIELD.

Mr. Whitefield's new fields of labour-His colleagues-His tours-His visit to Scotland His success in Moorfields-His various labours-Preaches for Lady Huntingdon-Opens his "Tabernacle "-His extraordinary labours-His death in America-Testimonies to his character by Dr. Pemberton-Mr. TopladyMr. Wesley-State of the two classes of Methodists.

MR. WHITEFIELD, as we have seen, was excluded from his original preaching stations, which were now occupied by Mr. Wesley. Churches also were shut against him; so that he was obliged to seek new fields of labour, where he might prosecute his zealous ministry.

Mr. Cennick, with several others of the first Methodists, "who could not fall in with Mr. Wesley's sentiments, having joined Mr. Whitefield, they began a new house in Kingswood, and soon established a school among them, that favoured Calvinistical principles. And here, and in several other places, they preached to very large and serious congregations, in the same manner as he had done in America *."

London was a field too important to be neglected: but it being inconvenient, on account of the weather, for him to preach morning and evening in Moorfields, some free-grace Dissenters, who stood by him closely in that time of trial, got the loan of a piece of ground, and engaged with a carpenter to build a temporary shed, to screen the auditory from cold and rain, which he called the Tabernacle.-The place fixed upon was near the Foundry, which he disliked, because he thought it looked like erecting altar against altar. Upon this, however, Whitefield remarks, "All was wonderfully overruled for good, and for the furtherance of the Gospel.

* Life of Whitefield, p. 74.

A fresh awakening immediately began. Congregations grew exceedingly large; and, at the people's desire, I sent (necessity reconciling me more and more to lay-preaching) for Messrs. Cennick, Harris, Seagrave, Humphries, &c. &c. &c. to assist *."

Invitations were now sent to Mr. Whitefield from many places where he had never been. At a common, near Braintree, in Essex, upwards of ten thousand persons attended. At Halstead, Dedham, Coggeshall, Weathersfield, Colchester, Bury, Ipswich, the congregations were very large, and much affected t."

Scotland, at this time, was the theatre of a surprising revival of religion, under the ministry of Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, and their colleagues, who invited Whitefield to unite with them. He went to Scotland, but declined to take the Solemn League and Covenant, and also a union with the Associate Presbytery: yet he continued preaching at Edinburgh, "always twice, often thrice, and once seven times a day, for some weeks together. The churches were open, but not being able to hold half the congregations, he generally preached twice a day in the Orphan-hospital park, to many thousands .”

In this first visit to Scotland he preached also to multitudes at Glasgow, Aberdeen, Perth, Paisley, and most of the chief towns, and his ministrations were eminently suc cessful in the conversion of many souls to Christ, and the formation of religious societies. Testimonies of the most satisfactory kind, from grave, judicious Scotch ministers, give this assurance. The following might be applied to many other places: "Upon many of his hearers in Edinburgh, of all ranks and ages, especially young people, deep impressions were made; and many of them waited on him privately, lamenting their former immoral lives, or stupid thoughtlessness about religion, and expressing their anxious concern about obtaining an interest in Christ, and the sanctifying influences of his Spirit §."

Having left Scotland he repaired to Bristol, where he

* Ibid. p. 74. † Ibid.

p.

75. + Ibid. p. 79.

§ Ibid. p. 97.

found the work of evangelization proceeding to his satisfaction; and after making some arrangements almost as he could wish, he made a tour, preaching to thousands on his way towards London. On Whit-Monday, 1742, Whitefield commenced preaching to the holiday thousands in Moorfields. Every possible effort was made by those men to annoy him, but Providence seemed to interpose. After sermons in the morning and afternoon, he ventured among the crowds in the evening. "I continued in praying, preaching, and singing (for the noise was too great, at times, to preach) about three hours. We then retired to the Tabernacle, where thousands flocked. We were determined to pray down the booths; but blessed be God, more substantial work was done. At a moderate computation, I received, I believe, a thousand notes from persons under conviction; and soon after, upwards of three hundred were received into the society in one day. Some I married, that had lived together without marriage; one man had exchanged his wife for another, and given fourteen shillings in exchange. Numbers, that seemed, as it were, to have been bred up for Tyburn, were at that time plucked as firebrands out of the burning*."

Necessity obliges us to refrain from following Mr. Whitefield in all his apostolical and extraordinary labours, in promoting the cause of Christ, through various parts of England, Wales, Scotland, and America: for an account of these, the reader is referred to the " Memoirs of his, Life." A few circumstances only can here be noticed. Having been assured by his Majesty's Government, when called to give evidence before the House of Commons on the state of Georgia, that there would be no persecution suffered in the reign of George the Second, Mr. Whitefield determined to seek the protection of the law against the insults and injuries sustained at Gloucester. The adversaries of the Methodists were found guilty at the assizes: but the triumph of the servants of God having been gained, in the confusion of the rioters, they generously forgave them, assured of future security in their ministry.

* Ibid. p. 102, 103.

In August, 1744, Whitefield embarked again for America, where he preached with astonishing success through several states, continuing in that country until 1749, when, in July, he reached London. Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, having been brought to delight in the service of Christ, "ordered Mr. Howel Harris to bring him to her house at Chelsea, as soon as he came ashore. He went, and having preached twice, the countess wrote to him that several of the nobility desired to hear him. In a few days the Earl of Chesterfield, and a whole circle of them, attended; and having heard him once, desired they might hear him again. I therefore preached again,' says he, in the evening, and went home, never more surprised at any incident in my life. All behaved quite well, and were, in some degree, affected. The earl of Chesterfield thanked me, and said, 'Sir, I will not tell you what I shall tell others, how I approve of you;' or words to this purpose. At last lord Bolingbroke came to hear, sat like an archbishop, and was pleased to say, 'I had done great justice to the Divine attributes in my discourse.' Soon afterwards her ladyship removed to town, where I preached generally twice a week, to very brilliant auditories; blessed be God, not without effectual success on some *."

Whitefield found in Lady Huntingdon an intelligent, pious, generous, and able coadjutor; and under her auspices he laboured as one of her chaplains, having the opportunity by this means of proclaiming the pure gospel of Christ to many of our British nobles.

Successive tours in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, were prosecuted by this apostolic minister, and multitudes attended his ministry. March 1st, 1753, he laid the foundation stone of the new Tabernacle, and preached from Exod. xx, 24; and he opened this spacious place of worship, capable of holding about four thousand persons, June 10th, in the same year. On Sunday, Nov. 25th, he opened the Tabernacle at Bristol. August 30th, 1754, he opened the one at Norwich; and, much opposition being raised against him while officiating at Long Acre chapel, he erected the large

Ibid. p. 154, 155.

chapel in Tottenham Court Road, which he opened Nov. 7th, 1756, more capacious than that in Moorfields.

Volumes would be required to detail the extensive journeys, and the various labours, of this extraordinary servant of God, in turning sinners to Christ. "It appears from a little account book, wherein Mr. Whitefield minuted the times and places of his ministerial labours, that he preached upwards of eighteen thousand sermons, from the era of his ordination to that of his death *." This period includes thirty-four years and a quarter, which shows an average of more than five hundred sermons a year!

Mr. Whitefield terminated his prodigious labours Sep. 30th, at Newbury Port, near Boston, in America; and this lamented event was regarded as a grievous calamity to the church of God. Funeral sermons were preached for him by many of the most eminent ministers in America; and the sorrowful event was noticed in England both by ministers of the established church and Dissenters. Among the former may be noticed Mr. Wesley, Mr. Romaine, Mr. Newton, Mr. Venn, Mr. Madan, and Mr. Toplady; and among the latter, Mr. Brewer, Dr. Trotter, and Dr. Gibbons. A few extracts from some of their discourses will best convey a correct idea of the character of this great man.

Dr. Pemberton, a congregational minister of Boston, remarks: "Posterity will view Mr. Whitefield, in many respects, as one of the most extraordinary characters of the present age. His zealous, incessant, and successful labours, in Europe and America, are without a parallel.-He was no contracted bigot, but embraced Christians of every denomination in the arms of his charity, and acknowledged them to be children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, heirs of the same undefiled inheritance. The gifts of nature, the acquisitions of art, which adorned the character of Mr. Whitefield, were devoted to the honour of God, and the enlargement of the kingdom of our Divine Redeemer. In this he persevered with unremitting ardour and assiduity, till death removed him to that rest which remains

* Ibid. Appendix, p. xxxvi.