The life and times of the Reverend George Whitefield, M. A.

Front matter

WHITEFIELD'S LIFE AND TIMES.

V

THE

Preface

This Work is chiefly from Whitefield's own pen. So far as it is mine, it is in his own spirit. It will, therefore, help all that is good, and expose not a little of what is wrong, in all churches ; and thus, like his actual life, tell upon both. At least, if it^ail to do this, my object will be defeated. Should its honest catholicity commend it, it may be followed by similar " Annals and Illustrations of Evangelical Preaching," from the dawn of the Reformation to the close of the last century.

In regard to the style of this Work I have nothing to say ; except that it is my own way of telling the facts of personal history. The time is not yet come, for the philosophy of Whitefield's Life. It is, however, fast approaching : and, therefore, my mass of facts will soon be turned to good account by myself, or by some one. In the mean time, Whitefield will be known to the public ; which he was not until now.

R. P.

Chapter I

whitefield's early life, education, and ordination.

" I was born in Gloucestershire, in the month of December, 1714. My father and mother kept the Bell Inn." In this unassuming manner Whitefield commences a brief memoir of himself. It will not, however, be uninteresting to add some particulars respecting his family. His great-grandfather, the Rev. Samuel Whitefield, born at Wantage, in Berkshire, was rector of North Ledyard, in Wiltshire, and afterwards of Rockhampton. In the latter charge he was succeeded by his son, Samuel, who died without issue. Two of his daughters were married to clergymen. Andrew, Whitefield's grandfather, was a private gentleman, and lived retired upon his estate. He had fourteen children ; Thomas, the eldest, was the father of the Rev. George Whitefield. Mr. Thomas Whitefield was bred to the business of a wine merchant, in Bristol, but afterwards kept an inn in the city of Gloucester. . While in Bristol he married Miss Elizabeth Edwards, a lady related to the families of Blackwell and Dinmour, of that city. He had six sons, of whom George was the youngest, and one daughter.

Concerning his father and mother, Whitefield writes : " The former died when I was two years old ; the latter is now alive, whitefield's life and times.

(she died in December, 1751, in the 71st year of her age,) and has often told me how she endured fourteen weeks' sickness, after she brought me into the world ; but was used to say, even when I was an infant, that she expected more comfort from me than from any other of her children. This, with the circumstance of my being born in an inn, has been often of service to me, in exciting my endeavours to make good my mother's expectations, and so follow the example of my dear Saviour, who was born in a manger belonging to an inn."

This amiable solicitude to realize his mother's " expectations," is the more worthy of notice, because, whatever she was as a mother, she was not distinguished as a christian. This seems more than implied in the following lamentation, extracted from one of his letters : " Why is my honoured mother so solicitous about a few paltry things, that will quickly perish ? Why will she not come and see her youngest son, who will endeavour to be a Joseph to her, before she dies ? " Such was his suspense in regard to the spiritual state of his parent ; and yet he gratefully owns the salutary influence of her maternal hopes upon his mind, and, while afar off on the Atlantic, commemorates her tenderness. " My mother was very careful of my education, and always kept me, in my tender years, (for which I never can sufficiently thank her,) from intermeddling in the least with the tavern business." (This paragraph was written on board the Elizabeth, during the voyage to Philadelphia.) Now these acknowledgments were penned during the heat of his zeal and the height of his popularity ; at a period when recent converts are prone to speak with harshness of their unconverted relatives, and to sink the child in the champion towards them. This is so common, and, to say nothing of its cruelty, so unwise, that I could not record this pleasing exception, without holding it up to general imitation. " The servant of the Lord must not strive ; but be gentle towards all, — apt to teach, — patient ; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves ; if God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."

Whitefield's humiliating recollections of his own early and inveterate opposition to " the truth," contributed, no doubt, to whitefield's life and times.

moderate his natural impatience towards others. The following is his own narrative of that period.

" My infant years must necessarily not be mentioned ; yet I can remember such early stirrings of corruption in my heart, as abundantly convince me that I was conceived and born in sin ; that in me dwelleth no good thing by nature ; and that, if God had not freely prevented me by his grace, I must have been for ever banished from his presence. I was so brutish as to hate instruction ; and used, purposely, to shun all opportunities of receiving it. I soon gave pregnant proofs of an impudent temper. Lying, filthy talking, and foolish jesting, I was much addicted to, even when very young. Sometimes I used to curse, if not swear. Stealing from my mother I thought no theft at all, and used to make no scruple of taking money out of her pockets before she was up. I have frequently betrayed my trust, and have more than once spent money I took in the house, in buying fruit, tarts, &c. to satisfy my sensual appetite. Numbers of sabbaths have I broken, and generally used to behave myself very irreverently in God's sanctuary. Much money have I spent in plays, and in the common amusements of the age. Cards, and reading romances, were my heart's delight. Often have I joined with others in playing roguish tricks ; but was generally, if not always, happily detected : for this I have often since, and do now, bless and praise God."

This enumeration of youthful vices and follies, is certainly minute, and, in one sense, gratuitous ; but, when the spirit and design of the confessions are duly weighed, no man will venture to laugh at them, except those who regard sin as a " light matter" Every candid mind must be conscious of seeing itself in young Whitefield, " as in a glass ;" and every spiritual mind will not fail to deplore these early exhibitions of depravity, nor to mark this modern exemplification of an ancient truth, " Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth." (Job xiii. 26.) Were these acknowledgments written in the spirit, or for the same purpose, as Rousseau's unblushing " Confessions," I should despise myself, as well as insult the public, were I inclined to transcribe them. Were they even calculated to suggest the bare idea of uncommon sins, I should not have hesitated to

B 2 whitefield's life and times.

merge the particulars in some general charge of corruption : but, besides carrying their antidote along with them, in their penitential tone and spirit, they are but too common, however melancholy. Bishop Lavington, indeed, affects great horror and disgust at them, and compares them with the confessions of " the wild and fanatical Theresa" in his treatise " On the Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists — a book, to which his own description of Whitefield's confessions is far more applicable 5 " so ludicrous, filthy, and shameless, as quite defiles paper, and is shocking to decency and modesty." Such a "perfect Jakes" of ribaldry never issued from the episcopal bench ; and yet it found an editor in the vicar of Manaccan, in 1820 !

I shall have occasion, more than once, to refer to both the bishop and the vicar. In the mean time, I cannot but allow Whitefield to speak for himself, on the subject of his early life. " It would be endless to recount the sins and offences of my younger days. ' They are more in number than the hairs of my head.'' My heart would fail me at the remembrance of them, was I not assured that my Redeemer liveth to make intercession for me ! However the young man in the gospel might boast, that he had kept the commandments from his s youth up/ with shame and confusion of face I confess that I have broken them all from my youth. Whatever foreseen fitness for salvation others may talk of and glory in, I disclaim any such thing : if I trace myself from my cradle to my manhood, I can see nothing in me but a fitness to be damned. 6 I speak the truth in Christ : I lie not I ' If the Almighty had not prevented me by his grace, and wrought most powerfully on my soul — quickening me by his free Spirit, when dead in trespasses and sins, I had now either been sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, — or condemned, as the due reward of my crimes, to be for ever lifting up my eyes in torments. But such was the free grace of God to me, that though corruption worked so strongly in my soul, and produced such early and bitter fruits, — yet I can recollect, very early, movings of the blessed Spirit upon my heart. I had, early, some convictions of sin. Once, I remember, when some persons (as they frequently did) made it their business to tease me, I immediately retired to

WHITEFIELD S LIFE AND TIMES.

my room, and kneeling down, with many tears, prayed over the 118th Psalm."

It appears from the narrative, that, on this occasion, the mind of young Whitefield fastened chiefly upon the words, " In the name of the Lord will I destroy them." This, of course, he applied to his teasing enemies, who had " compassed him about like bees :" a coincidence likely to be noticed by an irritated boy, of quick perceptions. Even men are but too prone, when injured, to appropriate the Messiah's weapons to their own warfare ; — as if revenge could be sanctified by the use of sacred language. But what is pitiable in the boy, is contemptible in the man. This happened when Whitefield was only ten years old ; but the following hint will account for the facility with which he turned to a psalm suited to his purpose. " I was always fond of being a clergyman, and used frequently to imitate the minister's reading prayers, &c." Such being his favourite habit at the time, he was sure to be familiar with the imprecatory psalms, of which so many occur in the book of Common Prayer.

We have seen that he was addicted to petty thefts. The manner in which he seems to have reconciled his conscience to them, is not peculiar to boys. " Part of the money I used to -steal from my mother I gave to the poor, and some books I privately took from others (for which I have since restored fourfold) I remember were books of devotion."

" When I was about twelve, I was placed at a school, called St. Mary De Crypt, in Gloucester : the last grammar school I ever went to. Having a good elocution and memory, I was remarked for making speeches before the corporation, at their annual visitation. During the time of my being at school, I was very fond of reading plays, and have kept from school for days together, to prepare myself for acting them. My master, seeing how mine and my schoolfellows' vein ran, composed something of this kind for us himself, and caused me to dress myself in girls' clothes, (which I had often done,) to act a part before the corporation." Thus he contracted that taste for theatrical amusements, which gave rise to the well-known insinuation, that he learned his peculiar style of oratory upon the stage. This, however, is not the fact : his acting was confined to the boards of St. Mary De Crypt, and to his own chamber. But his fondness for this species of amusement was not left at school. When seventeen years of age, he was not weaned from this folly. Even while at college he says, "I was not fully satisfied of the sin of reading plays, until God, upon a fast day, was pleased to convince me. Taking a play, to read a passage out of it to a friend, God struck my heart with such power, that I was obliged to lay it down again."

How deeply he deplored the cause stnd consequences of this habit, appears from the following remarks. " I cannot but observe here, with much concern of mind, how this way of training up youth has a natural tendency to debauch the mind, to raise ill passions, and to stuff the memory with things as contrary to the gospel of Christ, as darkness to light — hell to heaven." This fatal " tendency " was but too fully exemplified when at school. " I got acquainted with such a set of debauched, abandoned, atheistical youths, that if God, by his free, unmerited, and special grace, had not delivered me out of their hands, I should have sat in the scorners' chair, and made a mock at sin. By keeping company with them, my thoughts of religion grew more and more like theirs. I went to public service only to make sport, and walk about. I took pleasure in their lewd conversation. I began to reason as they did, and to ask, why God had given me passions, and not permitted me to gratify them ? In short, I soon made great proficiency in the school of the devil. I affected to look rakish, and was in a fair way of being as infamous as the worst of them." This, not oratory, was what young Whitefield learned from plays and acting. He fell into sins, of which he says, — " their dismal effects I have felt and groaned under ever since"

Of course, this progress in vice was gradual. During his first two years at school, he bought, and read with much attention, Kens Manual for Winchester Scholars: a book commended to him by the use made of it by his mother in her afflictions. He was also a diligent scholar, and for some time made considerable progress in the Latin classics. But the amusements which alienated his heart from virtue, gradually whitefield's life and times.

impaired his taste for education. " Before I was fifteen, having, as I thought, made sufficient progress in the classics, and, at the bottom, longing to be set at liberty from the confinement of a school, I one day told my mother, — that since her circumstances would not permit her to give me a University education, more learning, I thought, would spoil me for a tradesman, and therefore I judged it best not to learn Latin any longer. She at first refused to consent, but my corruptions soon got the better of her good nature. Hereupon for some time I went to learn to write only. But my mother's circumstances being much on the decline ; and, being tractable that way, I began to assist her occasionally in the public-house, till at length I put on my blue apron and my snuffers — washed mops — cleaned rooms, and in one word, became professed and common drawer for nigh a year and a half."

Thus he exchanged the confinement of a school for the imprisonment of an inn ; and, as might be expected in such a place, he, was twice or thrice intoxicated. It does not appear, however, that he was addicted to drinking. — " He who was with David when he was 'following the ewes big with young, 7 was with me here. For, notwithstanding I was thus employed in a common inn, and had sometimes the care of the whole house upon my hands, yet / composed two or three sermons, and dedicated one of them, in particular, to my elder brother. One time, I remember, I was much pressed to self-examination, but found myself very unwilling to look into my heart. Frequently I read the Bible, while sitting up at night. Seeing the boys go by to school, has often cut me to the heart. And a dear youth would often come, entreating me, whilst serving at the bar, to go to Oxford. My general answer was, — I wish I could."

" After I had continued about a year in servile employment, my mother was obliged to leave the inn. My brother, who had been bred up for the business, married ; whereupon all was made over to him ; and I being accustomed to the house, it was agreed that I should continue there as an assistant. But God's thoughts were not as our thoughts. By his good providence it happened, that my sister-in-law and I could by no means agree ; and, at whitefield's life and times.

length, the resentment grew to such a height, that my proud heart would scarce suffer me to speak to her for three weeks together. But, notwithstanding I was much to blame, yet I used to retire and weep before the Lord, as Hagar when flying from Sarah ; little thinking that God, by this means, was forcing me out of the public business, and calling me from drawing wine for drunkards, to draw water from the wells of salvation for the refreshment of his spiritual Israel. After continuing for a long time under this burden of mind, I at length resolved (thinking my absence would make all things easy) to go away. Accordingly, by the advice of my brother and consent of my mother, I went to see my elder brother, then settled in Bristol."

During a residence of two months in Bristol, Whitefield experienced some awakenings of conscience. Once, in St. John's church, he was so affected by the sermon, that he resolved to prepare himself for the sacrament, and decided against returning to the inn. This latter resolution he communicated by letter to his mother ; and the former was so strong, that, during his stay in Bristol, reading Thomas a Kernpis was his chief delight. " And I was always impatient till the bell rung to call me to tread the courts of the Lord's house. But in the midst of these illuminations, something surely whispered, — this would not last. And, indeed, it so happened. For (oh that I could write it in tears of blood !) when I left Bristol and returned to Gloucester, I changed my devotion with my place. Alas, all my fervour went off. I had no inclination to go to church, or draw nigh to God. In short, my heart was far from him. However, I had so much religion left, as to persist in my resolution not to live in the inn ; and, therefore, my mother gave me leave, though she had but a little income; to have a bed on the ground, and live at her house, till Providence should point out a place for me.

" Having now, as I thought, nothing to do, it was a proper season for Satan to tempt me. Much of my time I spent in reading plays, and in sauntering from place to place. I was careful to adorn my body, but took little pains to deck and beautify my soul. Evil communications with my old schoolfellows, soon corrupted my good manners. By seeing their evil practices, the sense of the divine presence, I had vouchsafed unto me, insensibly wore off my mind. But God would let nothing pluck me out of his hands, though I was continually doing despite to the Spirit of grace. He even gave me some foresight of his providing for me. One morning as I was reading a play to my sister, said I, ' Sister, God intends something for me, which we know not of. As I have been diligent in business, I believe many would gladly have me for an apprentice, but every way seems to be barred up ; so that I think God will provide for me some way or other, that we cannot apprehend.'

" Having thus lived with my mother for some considerable time, a young student, who was once my schoolfellow, and then a servitor of Pembroke College, Oxford, came to pay my mother a visit. Amongst other conversation, he told her, how he had discharged all college expenses that quarter, and saved a penny. Upon that my mother immediately cried out, i This will do for my son ! ' Then turning to me, she said, ' Will you go to Oxford, George?' I replied, s With all my heart.'' Whereupon, having the same friends that this young student had, my mother, without delay, waited on them. They promised their interest, to get me a servitor's place in the same college. She then applied to my old master, who much approved of my coming to school again. In about a week, I went and re-entered myself ; and being grown much in stature, my master addressed me thus : ' I see, George, you are advanced in stature, but your better part must needs have gone backward' This made me blush. He set me something to translate into Latin, and though I had made no application to my classics for so long a time, yet I had but one inconsiderable fault in my exercises. This, I believe, somewhat surprised my master.

" Being re-settled at school, I spared no pains to go forward in my book. I learned much faster than I did before." But, whilst thus assiduously preparing himself for college, it does not appear that he began to study, with an express view to the ministry : if, however, this was his object at the time, and if he never, altogether, relinquished the design, which the composition of sermons betrayed, then the following events furnish a melancholy insight, not only into the presumption of his own heart, but into the prevailing maxims of that age — upon the subject of whitefield's life and times.

the christian ministry. These must have been low and lax in the extreme, if they allowed such a young man to anticipate office in the church. He was, indeed, diligent in studying the classics, but he was, at the same time, living in the indulgence of secret and open profligacy. " I got acquainted with a set of debauched, abandoned, and atheistical youths — I took pleasure in their lewd conversation — I affected to look rakish, and was in a fair way of being as infamous as the worst of them." It is hardly possible to conceive that, while in this state, he should have contemplated the ministry as his object ; and yet there is reason to fear that the tone of public feeling, at the time, was such as to impose little check upon the morals of ministerial candidates. Even now holy character is not indispensable, either in college halls, or at national altars ; and then, as we shall see, it was still less so. Certain it is, that Whitefield's reformation was neither suggested nor enforced, in the first instance, by any thing moral or religious which the general practice of the church insisted upon. Whatever the letter of her requirements calls for in candidates, the spirit of them was, in a great measure, evaporated in that age.

I have, already, said that Whitefield is silent upon the subject of his express design in preparing himself for the University ; but, there being no evidence that he ever contemplated any other profession than the ministerial, and it being the only one for which he had evinced the shadow of a partiality, or was likely to succeed in, under his circumstances, — we must conclude, that he had it in view from the beginning. Such, in all probability, being the fact, it might be expected, that the bare idea of becoming a minister would, of itself, have imposed a restraint upon his passions ; — but neither its own solemnity, nor the tone of ecclesiastical feeling at the time, had any moral influence upon him. " I went," he says, " to public service only to make sport and walk about." At this time he was nearly seventeen years of age : a period of life when he must have been capable of understanding what is expected from a clergyman. And yet, nothing which he saw or heard on this subject seems to have suggested the necessity of reformation. " God stopped me when running on in a full career of vice. For, just as I whitefield's life and times.

was upon the brink of ruin, He gave me such a distaste of their (his companions') principles and practices, that I discovered them to my master, who soon put a stop to their proceedings."

I have been the more minute in recording this event, because without clear and correct ideas of the prevailing tone of public and ecclesiastical feeling, at the time, no fair estimate can be formed of the spirit in which methodism originated at Oxford.

The breaking up of that vicious combination which existed in the school of St. Mary de Crypt produced an important change in the morals of Whitefield. "Being thus delivered out of the snare of the devil, I began to be more and more serious, and felt God at different times working powerfully and convincingly upon my soul." This improvement of character was so evident, that his friends did not fail to welcome it. It was, however, but external at first. " One day as I was coming down-stairs, and overheard my friends speaking well of me, God deeply convicted me of hypocrisy." This timely discovery fixed his attention upon the state of his heart, and gave to his reformation a more religious character.

" Being now near the seventeenth year of my age, I was resolved to prepare myself for the holy sacrament ; which I received on Christmas day. I began now to be more watchful over my thoughts, words, and actions. I kept the following Lent, fasting Wednesday and Friday, thirty-six hours together. My evenings, when I had done waiting upon my mother, were generally spent in acts of devotion, reading Drelincourt i upon Death,' and other practical books, and I constantly went to public worship twice a day. Being now upper boy, I made some reformation amongst my schoolfellows. I was very diligent in reading and learning the classics, and in studying my Greek Testament ; but I was not yet convinced of the absolute unlawfulness of playing at cards, and of reading and seeing plays ; though I began to have some scruples about it. Near this time, I dreamed that I was to see God on mount Sinai ; but was afraid to meet him. This made a great impression upon me, and a gentlewoman to whom I told it, said, " George, this is a call from God"

Whatever may be thought of the dream, or of the interpretation, such hints have more frequently determined the character and whitefield's life and times.

pursuits of young men, than more rational means. There is, to a susceptible mind, a peculiar fascination in these mysterious oracles ; and, after all that has been said of their folly and fallacy, they continue to govern the choice of many, and are still followed as leading stars, — whilst sober advice is regarded as a dull finger-post on the road of life. In the present instance the imaginary omens were not useless. " I grew more serious after my dream ; but yet hypocrisy crept into every action. As once I affected to look more rakish, I now strove to look more grave, than I really was. However, an uncommon concern and alteration was visible in my behaviour, and I often used to find fault with the lightness of others. • One night as I was going on an errand for my mother, an unaccountable but very strong impression was made upon my heart, that I should preach quickly. When I came home, I innocently told my mother what had befallen me ; but she (like J oseph's parents, when he told them his dream) turned short upon me, crying out, ' What does the boy mean ? Prithee, hold thy tongue ! 9

" For a twelvemonth I went on in a round of duties, receiving the sacrament monthly, fasting frequently, attending constantly on public worship, and praying, often more than twice a day, in private. One of my brothers used to tell me, he feared this would not hold long, and that I should forget all when I went to Oxford. This caution did me much service ; for it set me on praying for perseverance. Being now near eighteen years old, it was judged proper for me to go to the University. God had sweetly prepared my way. The friends before applied to, recommended me to the master of Pembroke College, Another friend took up ten pounds upon bond (which I have since • repaid) to defray the first expense of entering ; and the master, contrary to all expectation, admitted me servitor immediately."

When Whitefield entered the University of Oxford, that seat of learning had not shaken off the moral lethargy which followed the ejectment of the 2000 nonconformists. The Bartholomew Bushel, under which those burning and shining lights were placed, proved an extinguisher to the zeal of the luminaries that struck into the orbit of uniformity. Those of them who retained their light lost their heat. During the seventy years, which whitefield's life and times.