Chapter XVI: Part 16

“On Friday, I saw a procession chiefly made up of waxen or
wooden images, carried on men’s shoulders through the streets,
and intended to represent the life and death of St. Francis,
the founder of one of their religious orders. They were brought
from the Franciscan convent, and were preceded by three persons
in scarlet habits, with baskets in their hands, in which they
received the alms of the spectators, for the benefit of the poor
prisoners. After these, came two little boys, in party-coloured
clothes, with wings fixed on their shoulders, in imitation of
little angels. Then appeared the figure of St. Francis, very
gay and beau-like, as he used to be before his conversion. In
the next, he was introduced under conviction, and consequently
stripped of his finery. Then was exhibited an image of our
blessed Lord, in a purple gown, with long black hair, and St.
Francis lying before Him, to receive His orders. Then came the
Virgin Mother, with Christ her son on her left hand, and St.
Francis making obeisance to them both. Here, if I remember
aright, he made his first appearance in his friar’s habit, with
his hair cut short, but not yet shaved in the crown of his head.
After a little space, followed a mitred cardinal gaudily attired,
and St. Francis almost prostrate before him, to be confirmed
in his office. Soon after this, he was metamorphosed into a
monk, his crown shorn, his habit black, and his loins girt with
a knotted cord. Here he prayed to our Saviour, hanging on a
cross, that the marks of the wounds in His hands, feet, and
side, might be impressed on him; and the prayer was granted, by
a representation of red waxen strings, reaching from those parts
of the image to the corresponding parts of St. Francis’s body.
In a little while, St. Francis was carried along, as holding
up a house which was falling. Then he was brought forth lying
in his grave, the briars and nettles under which he lay being
turned into fine and fragrant flowers. After this, he was borne
along upon a bier covered with a silver pall, and attended by
four friars lamenting over him. He then appeared, for the last
time, drawing tormented people out of purgatory with his knotted
cord, which the poor souls caught and held most eagerly. Then
came a gorgeous friar, under a splendid canopy, bearing in
his hand a piece of the holy cross. After him, followed two
more little winged boys; and then a long train of fat and
well-favoured Franciscans, with their _calceis fenestratis_,
as Erasmus calls them; and so the procession ended.

“One night, about ten o’clock, I saw a train of near two hundred
penitents, making a halt, and kneeling in the street, whilst
a friar, from a high cross, with a crucifix in his hand, was
preaching to them and the populace with great vehemence. Sermon
being ended, the penitents went forwards, and several companies
followed after, with their respective preaching friars at their
head, bearing crucifixes. These they pointed to and brandished
frequently, and the hearers as frequently beat their breasts
and clapped their cheeks. At proper pauses, they stopped and
prayed, and one of them, before the king’s palace, sounded the
word _penitentia_ through a speaking trumpet. The penitents
themselves were clothed and covered all over with white linen
vestments, only holes were made for their eyes to peep out at.
All were bare-footed, and all had long heavy chains fastened
to their ancles, which, when dragged along the street, made
a dismal rattling. Some carried great stones on their backs.
Others had in their hands dead men’s bones and skulls. Some bore
large crosses upon their shoulders; whilst others had their arms
extended, or carried swords with their points downwards. Most of
them whipped and lashed themselves, some with cords, and others
with flat bits of iron. Had my dear friend been there, he would
have joined me in saying, that the whole scene was horrible;
so horrible it was, that, being informed it was to be continued
till morning, I was glad to return whence I came about midnight.”

“LISBON, _April 12, 1754_.

“I have now seen the solemnities of a _Holy Thursday_, which
is a very high day in Lisbon, and particularly remarkable for
the grand illuminations of the churches, and the king’s washing
twelve poor men’s feet. I got admittance into the gallery where
the ceremony was performed. It was large, and hung with tapestry,
one piece of which represented the humble Jesus washing the feet
of His disciples. Before this, upon a small eminence, sat twelve
men in black. At the upper end, and in several other parts of
the gallery, were sideboards with large gold and silver basins
and ewers most curiously wrought; and near these a large table
covered with a variety of dishes, set off and garnished after
the Portuguese fashion. Public high mass being over, his majesty
came in attended with his nobles. The washing of feet being
ended, several of the young noblemen served up dishes to the
king’s brother and uncles. These again handed them to his
majesty, who gave, I think, twelve of them to each poor man.
The whole entertainment took up near two hours.

“After dinner, we went to see the churches. Many of them were
hung with purple damask trimmed with gold. In one of them was a
solid silver altar of several yards’ circumference, and near
twelve steps high; and in another a gold one, still more
magnificent, of about the same dimensions. Its basis was studded
with many precious stones, and near the top were placed silver
images, in representation of angels. Each step was filled with
large silver candlesticks, with lighted wax tapers in them. The
great altars of other churches were illuminated most profusely.
Go which way you would, nothing was to be seen but illuminations
within, and hurry without; for all persons, princes and crowned
heads themselves not excepted, are obliged on this day to visit
seven churches or altars, in imitation of our Lord’s being
hurried from one tribunal to another, before He was condemned to
be hung upon the cross.”

“LISBON, _April 13, 1754_.

“On Good Friday, I witnessed, in a large church belonging to
the convent of St. De Beato, the crucifixion of the Son of God.
Upon a high scaffold, hung in the front with black bays, and
behind with purple silk damask laced with gold, was exhibited
an image of the Lord Jesus at full length, crowned with thorns,
and nailed on a cross between two figures of like dimensions,
representing the two thieves. At a little distance, on the right
hand, was placed an image of the Virgin Mary, in plain long
ruffles, and a kind of widow’s weeds, her veil of purple silk,
and a wire glory round her head. At the foot of the cross, lay,
in a mournful, pensive posture, a living man, dressed in woman’s
clothes, who personated Mary Magdalen. Not far off, stood a
young man, in imitation of the beloved disciple. He was dressed
in a loose green silk vesture and bob-wig. Near the front of
the stage, stood two sentinels in buffs, with formidable caps
and long beards. Directly in the front, stood another, yet more
formidable, with a large target in his hand. From behind the
purple hangings, came out about twenty little purple-vested
winged boys, each bearing a lighted wax taper, and wearing a
crimson and gold cap. At their entrance upon the stage, they
bowed to the spectators, and then kneeled, first to the image on
the cross, and then to that of the Virgin Mary. At a few yards’
distance, stood a black friar, in a pulpit hung with mourning.
When he had preached about a quarter of an hour, a confused
noise was heard near the great front door. Four long-bearded
men entered, two carrying a ladder on their shoulders, and two
bearing large gilt dishes, full of linen, spices, etc. Upon
their attempting to mount the scaffold, the sentinels presented
the points of their javelins to their breasts. Upon this, a
letter from Pilate was produced; and the sentinels withdrew
their javelins. The four men then ascended the stage, and
retired to the back of it. All the while, the black friar
continued declaiming; Magdalen wrung her hands; and John stood
gazing on the crucified. The ladders were erected and ascended.
The superscription and crown of thorns were taken off. White
rollers were put round the arms of the image. The nails, which
fastened the hands and feet, were knocked out. The orator lifted
up his voice, and almost all the hearers beat their breasts
and smote their cheeks. The body was gently let down; Magdalen
received the feet into her wide-spread handkerchief; and John
seized the upper part of it in his clasping arms, and, with
his fellow-mourners, helped to bear it away. Great preparations
were made for its interment. It was wrapped in linen and spices;
and, being laid upon a bier richly hung, was carried round the
churchyard in grand procession. The image of the Virgin Mary
was chief mourner, and John and Magdalen, with a whole troop
of friars bearing wax tapers, followed after. In about fifteen
minutes, the corpse was brought back, and deposited in an open
sepulchre. John and Magdalen attended the obsequies; but the
image of the Virgin Mary was placed upon the front of the stage,
in order to be kissed, adored, and worshipped by the people.
Thus ended this Good Friday’s tragic-comical, superstitious,
idolatrous farce. I cannot stay to see what they call their
_Hallelujah_ and grand devotions on Easter-day. That scene is
denied me. The wind is fair, and I must away.”

Thus terminated Whitefield’s visit to the city of Lisbon, a city containing 36,000 houses, 350,000 inhabitants, a cathedral, forty parish churches, as many monasteries, and a royal palace; and yet a city which, a year and a half afterwards, by an earthquake, which shook almost the whole of Europe, was reduced to a heap of ruins, and in which, in six minutes, not fewer than 60,000 persons met with an untimely death. The terrific judgment was not unmerited. No act of the Supreme Ruler is capricious. Some of the sights which Whitefield witnessed were hateful, hideous caricatures of the greatest and most solemn truths and facts ever made known to human beings. They were theatrical idolatries, which no system, except Paganism and Popery, would dare to practise. Popery in Lisbon was unchecked, and, therefore, undisguised. In England and America, it chiefly existed in lurking-places. The thing, as it really is, Whitefield had never seen till he went to the Portuguese metropolis. Favourable circumstances are always needful for its full development. The system is essentially _semper idem_; and if the sights seen by Whitefield are not _at present_ seen in England, the reason is, not because the Popish hierarchy deem them wrong, but, because such profanities are impracticable.

Whitefield was about a month in Lisbon, without preaching a single sermon. Why? To have attempted preaching would have ensured his immediate expulsion or imprisonment. His heart yearned over the deluded inhabitants, but he was powerless to afford them help. On hearing of the just judgment of 1755, he wrote, “O that all who were lately destroyed in Portugal had known the Divine Redeemer! Then the earthquake would have been only a rumbling chariot to carry them to God. Poor Lisbon! How soon are all thy riches and superstitious pageantry swallowed up!”

Whitefield, for once in his life, was gagged and silent; but his time was not unprofitably spent. He was learning lessons which could not be learned in England or America, and which, he hoped, would make him a better man and a better preacher, to the end of life. He became a stauncher Protestant, and felt more than ever how invaluable were the privileges enjoyed by the inhabitants of Great Britain. “Every day,” said he, “I have seen or heard something that has a tendency to make me thankful for the glorious Reformation. O that our people were equally reformed in their lives, as they are in their doctrines and manner of worship! But alas! alas! O for another Luther! O for that wished-for season, when everything that is antichristian shall be totally destroyed by the breath of the Redeemer’s mouth, and the brightness of His appearing!” “O with what a power from on high must those glorious reformers have been endued, who dared first openly to oppose and to stem such a torrent of superstition and spiritual tyranny! And what gratitude we owe to those who, under God, were instrumental in saving England from a return of such spiritual slavery, and such blind obedience to the papal power! To have had a papist for our king; a papist, if not born, yet, from his infancy, nursed up at Rome; a papist, one of whose sons is advanced to the ecclesiastical dignity of a cardinal, and both of whom are under the strongest obligations to support the interests of that Church, whose superstitions and political principles they have imbibed from their earliest days! Blessed be God, the snare is broken, and we are delivered. O for Protestant practices to be added to Protestant principles! O for an acknowledgment to the ever-blessed God for our repeated deliverances!” “The present is a silent, but, I hope, an instructive period of my life. Surely England, and English privileges, civil and religious, will be dearer to me than ever. The preachers here have also taught me something; their action is graceful. _Vividi oculi――vividae manus,――omnia vivida._ Surely our English preachers would do well to be a little more fervent in their address. They have truth on their side. Why should superstition and falsehood run away with all that is pathetic and affecting?”

Whitefield set sail, for America, on Saturday, April 13th, and, after a pleasant passage of six weeks’ duration, landed, in South Carolina, on May 26th. With his “orphan-charge,” he, at once, proceeded to Bethesda, in Georgia. After a short stay at his Orphanage, he returned to Charleston, where, on July 12, he wrote, “The Bethesda family now consists of above a hundred. He, who fed the multitude in the wilderness, can and will feed the orphans in Georgia.” Eight days afterwards, when “on board the _Deborah_” bound for New York, he wrote:――

“I found and left my orphan family comfortably settled in
Georgia. The colony, as well as Bethesda, is now in a thriving
state. I have now a hundred and six black and white persons to
provide for. The God whom I desire to serve will enable me to
do it. I stayed about six weeks in Carolina and Georgia. My poor
labours have met with the usual acceptance; and I have reason to
hope a clergyman has been brought under very serious impressions.
My health has been wonderfully preserved. My wonted vomitings
have left me; and though I ride whole nights, and have been
frequently exposed to great thunders, violent lightnings, and
heavy rains, yet I am rather better than usual.”

On July 26th, Whitefield landed at New York, where he continued about a week. He wrote:――

“NEW YORK, _July 28, 1754_.

“Here our Lord brought me two days ago; and, last night, I had
an opportunity of preaching on His dying, living, ascending, and
interceding love, to a large and attentive auditory. Next week,
I purpose going to Philadelphia, and then shall come here again,
in my way to Boston. Whether I shall then return to Bethesda,
or embark for England, is uncertain. I fear matters will not be
settled at the Orphan House, unless I go once more. I have put
some upon their trial, and shall want to see how they behave.
I owe for three of the negroes, who were lately bought, but hope
to be enabled to pay for them at my return from the north. My
God can and will supply all wants. His presence keeps me company,
I find it sweet to run about for Him. I find the door all along
the continent as open as ever, and the way seems clearing up
for the neighbouring islands. Had I a good private hand, I could
send you the account of my family; but perhaps I may deliver it
to you myself.”

Further brief extracts from his letters will enable the reader to track Whitefield in his wanderings.

“New York, July 30. To-morrow, God willing, I preach at Newark;
on Wednesday, at New Brunswick; and hope to reach Trent Town
that night. Could you not meet me there? You must bring a chair:
I have no horse. O that the Lord Jesus may smile on my feeble
labours! I trust He has given us a blessing here. Yesterday, I
preached thrice: this morning I feel it. Welcome weariness for
Jesus!”

“Philadelphia, August 7th. Yesterday, I was taken with a
violent cholera morbus, and hoped, ere now, to have been where
the inhabitants shall no more say, ‘I am sick.’ But I am brought
back again. May it be to bring more precious souls to the
ever-blessed Jesus! This is all my desire. My poor labours
seem to be crowned here, as well as at New York. I received
the sacrament at church on Sunday; and have preached in the
Academy; but I find Mr. Tennent’s meeting-house abundantly more
commodious.”

“Philadelphia, August 15. My late sickness, though violent, has
not been unto death. With some difficulty, I can preach once a
day. Congregations increase rather than decrease. The time of my
departure is fixed for next Tuesday; and all the following days,
till Sunday, are to be employed between this and New Brunswick.
Whilst I live, Lord Jesus, grant I may not live in vain!”

“Philadelphia, August 17. Were you on this side the water,
you would find work enough. There is a glorious range in the
American woods. It is pleasant hunting for sinners. Thousands
flock daily to hear the word preached.”

“New York, September 2. Blessed be God, we have had good seasons
between Philadelphia and New York. In the New Jerusalem, yet
more glorious seasons await us. Some time this week, I expect to
sail for Rhode Island.”

It is impossible to determine where the next three weeks were spent; but, after that, his journeys may be traced. The first of the following extracts is taken from a letter addressed to the Countess of Huntingdon. Whitefield appears to have visited New Jersey for the purpose of being present at the opening of a new session of Governor Belcher’s New Jersey College, the president and trustees of which, with almost unseemly haste, began to exercise the powers conferred upon them by the royal charter obtained from George the Second only six years before. They created Whitefield an M.A.!――a dubious honour, which the B.A. of Pembroke College, Oxford, for ten or twelve years afterwards, had good taste enough not to use.[356]

“Elizabeth Town (New Jersey), September 30. I am now at Governor
Belcher’s, who sends your ladyship the most cordial respects.
His outward man decays, but his inward man seems to be renewed
day by day. I think he ripens for heaven apace. Last week was
the New Jersey commencement, at which the president and trustees
were pleased to present me with the degree of A.M. The synod
succeeded. Such a number of simple-hearted, united ministers,
I never saw before. I preached to them several times, and the
great Master of assemblies was in the midst of us. To-morrow, I
shall set out, with the worthy president,[357] for New England;
and expect to return back to the Orphan House through Virginia.
This will be about a two thousand mile circuit.”

In another letter, written on the same day, Whitefield says:――

“Just two months ago, I arrived at New York, from South
Carolina; and, ever since, have been endeavouring to labour for
the ever-loving, ever-lovely Jesus. Sinners have been awakened,
saints quickened, and enemies made to be at peace with me. In
general, I have been enabled to travel and preach twice a day.
Everywhere, the door has been opened wider than ever.”

It has been already stated, that, about the year 1750, Georgia was placed under a kind of civil government, in lieu of the military one, which had been exercised from the time when the colony was founded; and that James Habersham, Whitefield’s first manager at Bethesda, and now a merchant at Savannah, was appointed provincial secretary. A change had become imperative. There was a general discontent among the inhabitants. They quarrelled with one another and with their magistrates. They complained; they remonstrated; and, finding no satisfaction, many of them removed to other colonies. Of the two thousand emigrants who had come from Europe, not above six or seven hundred were left. The mischief grew worse and worse every day; until, at length, the Government revoked the grant to the trustees, took the province into their own hands, and placed it on the same footing as Carolina.[358] On August 6, 1754, his Majesty King George II., in council, appointed John Reynolds, Esq., “to be Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of Georgia;” and James Habersham, “to be Secretary and Registrar.”[359] The following letter, addressed to Habersham, refers to these events:――

“BOSTON, _October 13, 1754_.

“MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,――It has given me concern, that I have not
been able to write one letter to Georgia, since my arrival at
New York. Sickness, travelling, and preaching prevented me.

“This letter leaves me at Boston, where, as well as in other
places, the word has run and been glorified. People are rather
more eager to hear than ever. After staying a short time here,
I purpose to go through Connecticut to New York, and thence, by
land, to Georgia.

“Blessed be God, that a governor is at length nominated. I wish
you joy of your new honour. May the King of kings enable you
to discharge your trust, as becomes a good patriot, subject,
and Christian! I wish I knew when the governor intends being in
Georgia. I would willingly be there to pay my respects to him.

“O my dear old friend, and first fellow-traveller, my heart is
engaged for your temporal and eternal welfare. You have now,
I think, a call to retire from business, and to give up your
time to the public. I have much to say when we meet. God deals
most bountifully with me. Enemies are made to be at peace, and
friends everywhere are hearty.”

Glimpses will be obtained of Whitefield’s labours, at Boston and other places, in the following extracts from his letters:――

“Boston, October 14. Surely my coming here was of God. At Rhode
Island, I preached five times. People convened immediately, and
flocked to hear more eagerly than ever. The same scene opens
at Boston. Thousands waited for, and thousands attended on,
the word preached. At the Old North (church), at seven in the
morning, we generally have three thousand hearers, and many
cannot come in. Convictions fasten; and many souls are comforted.
Dr. Sewall has engaged me once to preach his lecture. The polite
are taken, and opposition falls. I preach at the _Old_ and the
_New North_ (churches). Mr. Pemberton and Dr. Sewall continue to
pray for me. A governor for Georgia being nominated, determines
my way thither. The door opens wider and wider. Pray tell Mr.
H――――, that I left his horse a little lame, at Long Island,
with one who, in contempt, is called _Saint_ Dick. All hail such
reproach!”

“Portsmouth, New Hampshire, October 24. About a month ago,
I wrote you a few lines from New Jersey. Since then, I have
advanced about three hundred miles further northward. But what
have I seen? Dagon falling everywhere before the ark; enemies
silenced, or made to own the finger of God; and the friends of
Jesus triumphing in His glorious conquest. At Boston, though
the four meeting-houses, in which I preached, will hold about
four thousand, yet, at seven o’clock in the morning, many were
obliged to go away, and I was helped in through the window. In
the country, a like scene opens. I am enabled to preach always
twice, and sometimes thrice a day. Thousands flock to hear,
and Jesus manifests His glory. I am now come to the end of my
_northward_ line, and, in a day or two, purpose to turn back,
and to preach all the way to Georgia. It is about a sixteen
hundred miles journey. Jesus is able to carry me through. Into
His almighty and all-gracious hands I commend my spirit. Gladly
would I embark for England, but I should leave my American
business but half done, if I were to come over now.”

“Portsmouth, October 25. At Salem, we were favoured with a sweet
Divine influence. Sunday (October 20) was a high day at Ipswich,
where I preached thrice. Hundreds were without the doors. On
Monday, at Newbury, the like scene opened twice. On Tuesday
morning, also, we had a blessed season. Too many came to meet
and bring me into Portsmouth, where I preached on Tuesday
evening; also twice the next day. Yesterday, I preached at York
and Kittery. In the evening, I waited on General Pepperell,[360]
who, with his lady, was very glad to see me. I am now going to
Greenland; and, to-morrow, shall preach at Exeter. The Sabbath
(October 27) is to be kept at Newbury. Monday, I am to preach
thrice,――at Rowley, Byfield, and Ipswich; Tuesday, at Cape Ann;
and Wednesday night, or Thursday morning, at Boston.”

“Rhode Island, November 22. With great difficulty, I am got to
this place, where people are athirst to hear the word of God.
I shall, therefore, stay, God willing, till Monday, and then
set out to Connecticut, in my way to New York, which I hope to
reach in about a fortnight. O that you may see me humbled under
a sense of the amazing mercies which I have received during this
expedition! It seems to me to be the most important one I was
ever employed in. Very much have I to tell you when we meet.”

The next is an extract from a letter addressed to the Rev. John Gillies, of Glasgow:――

“RHODE ISLAND, _November 25_.

“Is it true that your father-in-law and your dear yoke-fellow
are dead? I sympathise with you from my inmost soul. Surely
your time and mine will come ere long. Meanwhile, may I be
doing something for my God! I am now going towards Georgia,
from Boston, where my reception has been far superior to that
of fourteen years ago. There, and at other places in New England,
I have preached near a hundred times since the beginning of
October; and, thanks be to God! we scarce had so much as one dry
meeting. Not a hundredth part can be told you. In Philadelphia,
New Jersey, and New York, the great Redeemer caused His word
to run and be glorified. In Georgia, I expect to see our new
governor. Blessed be God! Bethesda is in growing circumstances;
and I trust it will more and more answer the end of its
institution. I was exceedingly delighted at New Jersey
commencement. Surely that college is of God. The worthy
president, Mr. Burr, intends to correspond with you. O that I
could do it oftener! but it is impracticable. Travelling, and
preaching, always twice and frequently thrice a day, engross
almost all my time. However, neither you nor any of my dear
Glasgow friends are forgotten by me. No, no; you are all
engraven upon my heart. O that God may give you hearts to
remember poor sinful and hell-deserving me! Fain would I
continue a pilgrim for life.

‘Christ’s presence doth my pains beguile,
And makes each wilderness to smile.’

“I have a fourteen hundred miles ride before me; but _nil
desperandum, Christo duce, auspice Christo_.”

More than a month intervenes between the date of this letter to Mr. Gillies, and the next preserved letter of Whitefield. The reader must try to imagine the great preacher gradually pursuing his immense horseback-ride, making the primeval forests ring with his songs of praise, and preaching the gospel of his Master, twice or thrice every day. His Christmas was spent in Maryland. Hence the following:――

“BOHEMIA, MARYLAND, _December 27_.

“I have been travelling and preaching in the northern provinces
for nearly five months. I suppose I have ridden near two
thousand miles, and preached about two hundred and thirty times;
but to how many thousands of people cannot well be told. O what
days of the Son of man have I seen! God be merciful to me an
ungrateful sinner!

“I am now forty years of age, and would gladly spend the day
in retirement and deep humiliation before that Jesus, for whom
I have done so little, though He has done and suffered so much
for me.

“About February, I hope to reach Georgia; and, at spring, to
embark for England. There, dear madam, I expect to see you once
more in this land of the dying. If not, ere long, I shall meet
you in the land of the living, and thank you, before men and
angels, for all favours conferred on me. To-morrow, God willing,
I move again. Before long, my last remove will come; a remove
into endless bliss.”

Thus rejoicing in the hope of a blissful immortality did Whitefield enter upon the year 1755. Early in the month of January, he made his way to Virginia, a province which he had visited in 1746. For nearly eight years, the Rev. Samuel Davies had been labouring here with self-consuming earnestness. His eloquent, faithful, and powerful preaching had been bitterly opposed; but it had been attended with great success. His home was at Hanover, about twelve miles from Richmond; and, as early as 1748, he had collected seven congregations, which assembled in seven meeting-houses duly licensed, some of them, however, being forty miles distant from each other. In three years, he had obtained three hundred communicants, and had baptized forty slaves. He had had a long controversy with the Episcopalians, who denied that the English Act of Toleration extended to Virginia; and, with great learning and eloquence, he had contended the point in the Virginian court, with the famous Peyton Randolph, first President of the American Congress. During his visit to England, in 1754, he had obtained, from the English Attorney-General, a declaration that the Toleration Act did extend to Virginia, which, of course, gave him greater confidence in the legality of his proceedings. Besides this, in 1751, a new governor of the province had been appointed, whom Whitefield and his friends expected to be more favourable to evangelistic efforts than his predecessor had been. Robert Dinwiddie was brother-in-law of Whitefield’s old friend, the Rev. Mr. McCulloch, of Cambuslang. He had been clerk to a collector of customs, in the West Indies, whose enormous frauds he detected, and exposed to the Government; and, for this disclosure, was rewarded by the appointment to Virginia. In a letter to Mr. McCulloch, dated “July 19, 1751,” Whitefield wrote:――

“Mr. Davies’s one congregation is multiplied to seven.
He desires liberty to license more houses, and to preach
occasionally to all, as there is no minister but himself. This,
though allowed in England, is denied in Virginia, which grieves
the people very much. The commissary is one of the council, and,
with the rest of his brethren, no friend to the Dissenters. The
late governor was like-minded. I, therefore, think Mr. Dinwiddie
is raised up to succeed him, in order to befriend the Church of
God, and the interest of Christ’s people. They desire no other
privileges than what dissenting Protestants enjoy in our native
country. This, I am persuaded, your brother-in-law will be glad
to secure to them.”[361]

Under these altered circumstances, Whitefield met with a most favourable reception. Hence the following extracts from his letters. The first is taken from a letter to Charles Wesley:――

“January 14, 1755. I suppose my circuit already has been two
thousand miles; and, before I reach Bethesda, a journey of six
hundred more lies before me. Scenes of wonder have opened all
the way. A thousandth part cannot be told. In Virginia, the
prospect is very promising. I have preached in two churches, and,
this morning, am to preach in a third. Rich and poor seem quite
ready to hear. Many have been truly awakened.”[362]

“Virginia, January 13. I have not been here a week, and have
had the comfort of seeing many impressed under the word every
day. Two churches have been opened, and a third (Richmond) I am
to preach in to-morrow. I find prejudices subside, and some of
the rich and great begin to think favourably of the work of God.
Several of the lower class have been with me, acknowledging what
the Lord did for them when I was here before.”

“Virginia, January 17. I am now on the borders of North Carolina,
and, after preaching to-morrow in a neighbouring church, I
purpose to take my leave of Virginia. Had I not been detained so
long northward, what a wide and effectual door might have been
opened. Here, as well as elsewhere, rich and poor flock to hear
the everlasting gospel. Many have come forty or fifty miles; and
a spirit of conviction and consolation seemed to go through all
the assemblies. Colonel R――――, a person of distinction, opened
one church for me, invited me to his house, and introduced
me himself to the reading desk. Blessed be God, I see a vast
alteration for the better. O for more time, and for more souls
and bodies! Lord Jesus, twenty times ten thousand are too few
for Thee!”

Of Whitefield’s ride from Virginia to Georgia, no record now exists; neither is there any information respecting his work at Bethesda. As usual, his sojourn at the Orphan House was brief; for, on February 26th, he had returned to Charleston, whence, towards the end of March, he embarked for England. The following are extracts from two letters addressed to his housekeeper at Bethesda:――

“Charleston, March 3, 1755. Through Divine goodness, we arrived
here last Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, Mr. E―――― was
solemnly ordained. The trials I have met with have brought
my old vomitings upon me. My soul has been pierced with many
sorrows. But, I believe, all is intended for my good. Amidst all,
I am comforted at the present situation of Bethesda. I hope you
will walk in love, and that the children will grow in years and
grace. I pray for you all, night and day.”

“Charleston, March 17, 1755. Had I wings like a dove, how
often would I have fled to Bethesda, since my departure from
it! I could almost say, that the last few hours I was there were
superior in satisfaction to any hours I ever enjoyed. But I must
go about my heavenly Father’s business. For this, I am a poor,
but willing pilgrim, and give up all that is near and dear
to me on this side of eternity. This week, I expect to embark
in the _Friendship_, Captain Ball; but am glad of the letters
from Bethesda before I start. They made ♦me weep, and caused
me to throw myself prostrate before the prayer-hearing and
promise-keeping God. He will give strength, He will give power.
Fear not. You are now, I believe, where the Lord would have you
be, and all will be well. I repose the utmost confidence in you,
and believe I shall not be disappointed of my hope. I should
have been glad if the apples had been sent in the boat; they
would have been useful in the voyage. But Jesus can stay me
with better apples. May you and all my dear family have plenty
of these! I imagine it will not be long before I return from
England.”

Whitefield set sail about March 27th; and, after a six weeks’ voyage, landed at Newhaven, on the 8th of May. More than eight years elapsed before his next visit to America.

_EIGHT YEARS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM._

1755 TO 1763.

WHITEFIELD and the Wesleys were now not the only evangelical clergymen in London. Not to mention others, there was the Rev. Thomas Jones, of St. Saviour’s, Southwark,――a young man of feeble health, but whose preaching was characterised by great eloquence and power. There was the Rev. Martin Madan, founder and first chaplain of the Lock Hospital, near Hyde Park Corner. And there was the Rev. William Romaine, who had been at Oxford at the same time Whitefield and the Wesleys were, but without becoming an Oxford Methodist,――one of the most popular preachers in the metropolis, and now curate of St. Olave’s, Southwark. The ministry of such men occasioned Whitefield unmingled joy. One of his first letters, after his arrival in England, was addressed to the Countess of Huntingdon, in which, with a full heart, he wrote: “Glad am I to hear that so many have lately been stirred up to preach the crucified Saviour. Surely that Scripture must be fulfilled, ‘And many of the priests also were obedient to the word.’ The work is of God, and therefore must prosper.”

In a letter to Governor Belcher, on the same subject, he remarked:――

“London, May 14, 1755. The word has still free course in this
metropolis. The poor, despised Methodists are as lively as
ever; and, in several churches, the gospel is now preached with
power. Many in Oxford are awakened to a knowledge of the truth;
and, almost every week, I have heard of some fresh minister,
who seems determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified.”

This was a most important movement,――the commencement of that great change which gradually came over the Church of England, until hundreds of its pulpits were filled with converted men, weekly preaching the doctrines which Whitefield and the Wesleys preached. For sixteen years, the three Methodist itinerants had been scattering seed, which, in many thousands of instances, had sprung up, and was bearing fruit; but now a new fact occurred,――the seed-sowers were being multiplied. In a letter to a lady, in 1752, stating the case of a poor divinity student, who needed help, Whitefield wrote: “Every student’s name is Legion. Helping one of these, is helping thousands.” No wonder that he now exulted in the increase of gospel ministers.

During his recent visit to America, the Rev. Aaron Burr and the trustees of New Jersey College conferred on Whitefield an M.A. degree. Within a week after his return to England, Whitefield commenced an endeavour to return the compliment. He had formed a high opinion of Mr. Burr, and wished him to be honoured; but, apart from this, he doubtless thought that the college would be helped if its president were made a doctor of divinity. The Marquis of Lothian had been a generous benefactor of the college, and, through him, Whitefield hoped to procure the coveted distinction. In a letter to the Marquis, he spoke of the college as “the purest seminary” he had known, and added, “If the degree of doctor of divinity could be procured for Mr. Burr, the present president, it would make an addition to its honours.” The Marquis replied, “The University of Edinburgh desire me to obtain some account of Mr. Burr’s literature, or performances. This I hope you will send; and a diploma will be immediately transmitted.” Whitefield’s answer, which deserves insertion, was as follows:――

“Mr. Burr was educated at Yale College, in Connecticut, New
England; and, for his pregnant abilities and well-approved piety,
was unanimously chosen to succeed the Rev. Mr. Dickinson,[363]
in the care of New Jersey College. It would have delighted
your lordship to have seen how gloriously he filled the chair
last year, at the New Jersey commencement. His Latin oration
was beautifully elegant, and was delivered with unaffected,
yet striking energy and pathos. As a preacher, disputant,
and head of a college, he shines in North America; and the
present prosperity of New Jersey College is greatly owing to
his learning, piety, and conduct. The students revere and love
him. Your lordship might have testimonials enough from good
Governor Belcher, Mr. Jonathan Edwards,[364] _cum multis aliis_.
I believe they would all concur in saying that, of his age, now
upwards of forty, there is not a more accomplished deserving
president in the world. As for anything of his in print, that
can be referred to, I can say nothing, except a little pamphlet
lately published,[365] in which he has animated the people
against the common enemy, and discovered a close attachment
to the interest of our rightful sovereign, King George.
This piece of Mr. Burr’s I have in London, and hope it is in
Scotland. I wish the diploma may be transmitted against the next
commencement. It will endear your lordship more and more to the
good people of America.”[366]

To say the least, there was a great amount of large-heartedness in this attempt to distinguish the college of a church with which Whitefield was not officially connected.

After his arrival in England, Whitefield spent about six weeks in London, where his preaching was as popular as ever. Writing to the Countess of Huntingdon, on May 27th, he said:――

“What a blessed week have we had! Sinners have come like a cloud,
and fled like doves to the windows. What a happiness is it to be
absorbed and swallowed up in God! To have no schemes, no views,
but to promote the common salvation! This be my happy lot!”

In another letter, dated “London, June 7th,” he wrote:――

“It will rejoice you to hear that the glorious gospel of
Jesus Christ gets ground apace. Several of the clergy, both in
town and country, have been lately stirred up to preach Christ
crucified, in the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power.
This excites the enmity of the old Serpent. The greatest
venom is spit against Mr. Romaine, who, having been reputed a
great scholar, is now looked upon and treated as a great fool,
because he himself is made wise unto salvation, and is earnestly
desirous that others should be. Methinks I hear you say, ‘O
happy folly!’ May this blessed leaven diffuse itself through the
whole nation! The prospect is promising. Many students at Oxford
are earnestly learning Christ. Dear Mr. Hervey has learnt and
preached Him some years. As for myself, I can only say, ‘Less
than the least of all,’ must be my motto still. I labour but
feebly, and yet Jesus owns my labours. People still flock to the
gospel, like doves to the windows. Will you be pleased to accept
of my _Lisbon_ letters?[367] My little Communion book is not
yet out. God be praised! there is a time coming when we shall
need books and ordinances no more, but shall be admitted into
uninterrupted communion and fellowship with the blessed Trinity
for ever.”

The “little Communion book” here mentioned was a 12mo. volume, of 140 pages, with the following title: “A Communion Morning’s Companion. By George Whitefield, A.B., late of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable the Countess of Huntingdon. London, 1755.” The book consists of: 1. Meditations on the five last Questions and Answers of the Catechism of the Church of England. Extracted from Bishop Ken. 2. The Order for Administration of the Lord’s Supper. After the pattern of Bishop Wilson. 3. Fifty-nine Sacramental Hymns, and seventeen Doxologies, extracted from several authors. Except a few written by the Wesleys, most of the hymns are pious doggerel. The extracts from Ken and Wilson are intensely religious, and, to a devout mind, must be useful. The book had an extensive sale. As early as 1758, it had passed through a third edition; The following is taken from Whitefield’s preface:――

“There is but little in this ‘Communion Morning’s Companion’
of my own; and, as it is intended purely for the assistance of
the professed members of the Church of England, I thought it
most advisable to extract the meditations and practical remarks
on the public form of administration from our own bishops. I
particularly fixed on Bishop Ken, not only because his sweet
meditations on the Redeemer’s passion were some of the first
things that made a religious impression on my own soul, but
because he was one of those seven bishops who were sent to
the Tower for making a noble stand against popish tyranny and
arbitrary power in the latter end of the reign of King James
the Second. Imagining that the words ‘_real presence_,’ though
evidently meant by the good bishop only of the Redeemer’s
_spiritual presence_ (which is all the presence I know of),
might stumble some, I erased them, and also made a few
alterations in some other passages, which, by some, might be
judged objectionable.

“As for those who are against any offices or set forms at
all, I shall only say, ‘Let not him who useth a form judge
him who useth it not; and let not him who useth it not despise
him who doth use it.’ Though I profess myself a minister of
the Established Church, and never yet renounced her articles,
homilies, or liturgy, I can and, if God’s providence direct my
course thither again, shall join in occasional communion with
the churches of New England and Scotland, being persuaded there
are as many faithful ministers among them as in any parts of the
known world.”

About the middle of the month of June, Whitefield set out on a three weeks’ tour to Gloucester, Bristol, and the west of England. “Thousands and thousands,” says he, “flocked in Gloucestershire; and here, in Bristol, the congregations fall little short of those in London.” At Bath, he preached several times in the house of Lady Gertrude Hotham; Lord Chesterfield, Mrs. Grinfield, Mrs. Bevan,[368] and other members of the aristocracy being among his hearers.

On the 1st of July, Lady Anne Hastings, after a short illness, was removed to her eternal rest, in the sixty-fifth year of her age.[369] Whitefield heard of this event at Bristol, and, on his return to London, wrote as follows to the Countess of Huntingdon:――

“LONDON, _July 11, 1755_.

“EVER-HONOURED MADAM,――Yesterday, about noon, after being worn
down with travelling, and preaching twice and thrice a day in
Gloucestershire, at Bath, and Bristol, a gracious Providence
brought me to town. At Bristol, I heard of the death of good
Lady Anne. Alas! how many has your ladyship lived to see go
before you! An earnest this, I hope, that you are to live to a
good old age, and be more and more a mother in Israel. A short,
but sweet character. God knows how long I am to drag this crazy
load, my body, along. Blessed be His holy name! I have not
one attachment to earth. I am sick of myself, sick of the
world, sick of the Church, and am panting daily after the full
enjoyment of my God. John Cennick is now added to the happy
number of those who are called to see Him as He is.[370] I do
not envy, but I want to follow after him.

“The fields at Bristol and Kingswood were whiter and more ready
to harvest than for many years past. If the new Tabernacle at
Bristol were as large as that in London, it would be filled.
Thrice last Sunday, and twice the Sunday before, I preached in
the fields to many, many thousands. At Bath, we had good seasons.
Good Lady Gertrude, Mrs. Bevan, and Mrs. Grinfield, were very
hearty. God was with us of a truth. O for an humble, thankful
heart! I am now looking up for direction what course to steer
next. I suppose it will be northward.”

Whitefield spent about another month in London. It was at this period that Cornelius Winter, then a boy in the thirteenth year of his age, was induced to hear Whitefield preach. Cornelius was an orphan, whose father had been a shoemaker, and his mother a laundress. At the age of eight, he was admitted into the Charity School of St. Andrew’s, Holborn. He then became the inmate of a workhouse. When his “schooling closed,” he “had merely learned to write, without being set to put three figures together, or to learn one line in any of the tables.” The half-hungered child next became errand boy, and a sort of general drudge in the kitchen and the workshop of a distant relative, Mr. Winter, watergilder, in Bunhill Row. His master was bad-tempered, and a drunkard, and often beat young Cornelius so unmercifully that the lad sometimes wished to die. The boy regularly attended the Church of St. Luke, in Old Street, but says, he had “strong prejudices against the Methodists and Dissenters.” “However,” he writes, “when my clothes were disgracefully bad, which was sometimes the case, I absconded from my own church, and occasionally wandered into a meeting-house. At last, I got to hear Mr. Whitefield, and was particularly struck with the largeness of the congregation, the solemnity that sat upon it, the melody of the singing, and Mr. Whitefield’s striking appearance, and his earnestness in preaching. From this time, I embraced all opportunities to hear him.”[371]

Whitefield remained in London till the commencement of the month of August, when, unexpectedly, he was requested, by Colonel and Mrs. Galatin, and the Countess of Huntingdon, to go to Norwich, and re-open the Tabernacle built for Wheatley, Wesley’s expelled itinerant preacher. Wesley already had a mongrel Society in Norwich, and disapproved of Whitefield’s preaching in an apparently opposition chapel.[372] He complained to Whitefield, who replied as follows:――

“NORWICH, _August 9, 1755_.

“REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,――Till Tuesday evening” (August 5th)
“I knew no more of coming to Norwich than a child unborn. Had
I been well enough, and my private business permitted, I should
have been some miles on my way towards Donington Park. This I
told Mr. Hartley, and acquainted him with every step. He should
have written himself, and not retailed our conversation. As
I expect to be in town some time next week, I choose to defer
writing more till we have a personal interview. My time is too
precious to be employed in hearkening to, or vindicating myself
against, the false and invidious insinuations of narrow and
low-life informers. Never was I more satisfied of my call to
any place than of my present call to Norwich. The Redeemer
knows the way that I take. I came hither purely for His glory,
without the least design to make a party for myself, or to
please or displease any other party whatsoever. In this way, and
in this spirit, through His divine assistance, I hope to go on.
Blessed be His name! I trust my feeble labours have not been in
vain. Sin, I hope, has been prevented, errors detected, sinners
convicted, saints edified, and my own soul sweetly refreshed.
But I must add no more. That Jesus may give us all a right
judgment in all things, and keep all parties from giving a
wrong touch to the ark, is and shall be the constant prayer of,
reverend and dear sir, yours most affectionately in our common
Lord,

“GEORGE WHITEFIELD.”

The Society at Norwich were the most refractory set of Methodists in the United Kingdom. It would be a bootless task to write their history. Suffice it to say, that Whitefield was satisfied with his visit. “Here,” says he, “there has undoubtedly been a glorious work of God. Twice a day, both gentle and simple flock to hear the word; and, I think, it comes with power.”[373] “Notwithstanding offences have come, I scarce ever preached a week together with greater freedom.”[374] After he left, the Rev. William Cudworth took his place, and, henceforth, became Wesley’s enemy, and the dangerous friend of the gentle Hervey. Cudworth was assisted by Wheatley and Robert Robinson, the latter a youth of twenty, but afterwards the famous Baptist minister at Cambridge. They established preaching stations in the surrounding villages; and, at Forncett, about twelve miles from Norwich, a Tabernacle was erected. About five years after this, from 1758 to 1763, the Norwich Tabernacle seems to have been occupied by Wesley and the preachers in connection with him. He then abandoned it, utterly despairing to keep in order James Wheatley’s “lambs.” Indeed, he designates them “_bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke_, who had never had any rule or order among them, but every man did what was right in his own eyes.” Lady Huntingdon next bought the Tabernacle for £900, and vested it in seven trustees, who were to manage its secular concerns, and appoint or dismiss its ministers at their pleasure.[375]

Notwithstanding the foregoing letter addressed to Wesley, there continued to be misgiving. It also seems that, at first, Cudworth and Wheatley found it difficult to co-operate. When Whitefield got back to London, he wrote, as follows, to the turbulent Norwich Methodists:――

“LONDON, _August 26, 1755_.