he could not admit Mr. Whitefield to the pulpit while Garden was absent. The people, however, had not forgotten him. All the town were clamorous for him to preach somewhere. Accordingly he accepted invitations to preach in the French Church and the Independent Chapel. The congregations were large and polite, but presented an "affected finery and gayety of dress and deportment which," says Whitefield, "I question if the Court End of London could exceed." Before he left, however, there was what he called "a glorious alteration in the audience." Many wept, and the light and airy had a visible concern in their faces. Such was their urgency to hear more that they won him back from the boat after he had gone to the shore to sail for Georgia, and prevailed on him to preach again.

Taking it Coolly.

In a controversy the man who keeps cool is "master of the situation," ready at all times to seize upon the weak points of his adversary and confound him.

Commissary Garden having written Whitefield a letter attacking his doctrine of justification, and challenging him to defend what he had said concerning the Bishop of London and his clergy, Mr. Whitefield the next day responded thus: "I perceive you are angry overmuch. Were I never so much inclined to dispute I would stay till the cool of the day."

The Suspension.

Mr. Whitefield being summoned by Commissary Garden to appear before an ecclesiastical tribunal in Charleston did so, and interposed his objections. The trial was postponed. He was cited again and again to appear, but he paid no attention to the summons, being too busily employed. "The King's business required haste." The following is the account given of the result:

"The fact of his frequently preaching in Dissenting meeting-houses without using the forms of prayer prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer being proved by Hugh Anderson, Stephen Hartley, and John Redman, a final decree, after a full recital of all the facts, was pronounced in these words:

"Therefore we, Alexander Garden, the Judge aforesaid, having first invoked the name of Christ, and setting and having God himself alone before our eyes, and by and with the advice of the reverend persons-William Guy, Timothy Melli champ, Stephen Roe, and William Orr, with whom in that part we have advised and maturely deliberated, do pronounce, decree, and declare the aforesaid George Whitefield, clerk, to have been at the times articled, and now to be a priest of the Church of England, and at the times and days in that part articled to have officiated as a minister in divers meeting-houses in Charles-Town, in the province of South-Carolina, by praying and preaching to public congregations; and at such times to

have omitted to use the form of prayer prescribed in the Communion-book, or Book of Common Prayer, or at least according to the laws, canons, and constitutions ecclesiastical in that part made, provided, and promulged, not to have used the same according to the lawful proofs before us in that part judicially had and made. We, therefore, pronounce,, decree, and declare that the said George Whitefield, for his excesses and faults ought duly and canonically, and according to the exigence of the law in that part of the premises, to be corrected and punished, and also to be suspended from his office; and accordingly by these presents we do suspend him, the said George Whitefield, and for being so suspended, we also pronounce, decree, and declare him to be denounced, declared, and published openly and publicly in the face of the Church.""

Mr. Whitefield totally disregarded the trial and the suspension, and went forward in his work, which was such as angels will applaud and the Prince of Peace approve.

Tit for Tat.

After the trial Alexander Garden not only wrote pamphlets against Mr. Whitefield, but in order to counteract his teachings he preached a sermon from this text: "These that have turned the world upside down have come hither also." Acts xvii, 6. The sermon was published. Mr. White

field replied to it in a sermon from 2 Tim. iv, 14: "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord reward him according to his works."

The Infamous Libel and the Defense.

In 1741, while Mr. Whitefield was waiting at Charleston for a vessel in which to sail for England he received the following notice:

"To all and singular, the constables of Charleston.

"WHEREAS, I have received information on oath that George Whitefield, clerk, hath made and composed a false, malicious, scandalous, and infamous libel against the clergy of this province, in contempt of his majesty and his laws, and against the king's peace; these are, therefore, in his majesty's name, to charge and command you, and each of you, forthwith to apprehend the said George Whitefield and bring him before me, etc., etc., etc. "Given under my hand and seal, B. W."

This mandate referred to a letter which Whitefield had only revised for the press. It was written by one of his friends, and had just come out on his arrival at Charleston. The writer was apprehended, and "frankly" confessed that "corrections and alterations" had been made by Whitefield.

Whitefield's account of it is that "it hinted that the clergy break the canons." If this was all he might well write with emphasis in his diary, "I think this may be called persecution! I think it is for righteousness' sake."

He went before the magistrate at once, and gave security for appearing, by attorney, under a penalty of £100 proclamation money. He became his own attorney, however, before he left. Even next day he preached in the morning upon Herod's stratagem to kill Christ; in the afternoon on the murder of Naboth. That he did not spare the persecutors is evident. "My hearers," he says, "as well as myself, made application. It was pretty close. I especially directed my discourse to men in authority, and showed them the heinous sin of abusing their power."

Whitefield and the Noble Minister.

While in Charleston Mr. Whitefield formed an intimate friendship with the Independent minister, Josiah Smith, the first native of South Carolina who received a literary degree. Smith published a remarkable sermon soon after entitled, "The Character and Preaching of Whitefield, impartially Represented and Supported." Smith's defense of Whitefield's doctrine is masterly. His account of his manner is exceedingly graphic. "He is," says Smith, "certainly a finished preacher. A noble negligence ran through his style. The passion and flame of his expressions will, I trust, be long felt by many. My pen cannot describe his action and gestures in all their strength and decencies. He appeared to me, in all his discourses, very deeply affected and impressed in his