jacent. Being unsupported by the established clergy, and having put themselves under the care of the Synod of New York, the Methodists were greatly discouraged by men in power. However Providence interposed in their behalf, for the Rev. Samuel Davies, afterwards president of the college at New Jersey, was licensed, and placed over a congregation; after which the power of religion increased, and one congregation in a short time, was increased to seven.

Thus had these good people the pleasing prospect of enjoying equal privileges with Protestant dissenters at home. August 6, he set out from Edinburgh for London, in order to embark for America. He had thrown up much blood in Edinburgh; but traveling recovered him. He was much refreshed with hearing of the happy effects of his labors at Kendal, the year before. Having taken an affectionate farewell of his friends at home, he set sail in the Antelope, Captain M'Lellan, bound for Georgia, with Germans, taking several children with him.

October 27, he arrived at Savannah, and had the consolation to find the Orphan-house in a flourishing state. Thanks be to God," says he, "all is well at Bethesda. A most excellent tract of land is granted to me, very near the house, which in a few years, I hope, will make a sufficient provision for it."

November, 1751, to the beginning of April, 1752, he was partly at Bethesda and partly in South Carolina, always alert in the path of duty. "I intended," says he, "by God's assistance, now to begin; for as yet, alas! I have done nothing. O that İ may be in earnest; it is a new year; God quicken my tardy pace, and help me to do much work in a little time! This is my highest ambition.”

Having suffered from the climate formerly, he did not choose. to spend the summer in America. But again embarked in April for London. He arrived in a very seasonable time, as it was the intention of government to put the infant colony on the same footing with the others, whereby it was hoped it would soon become a flourishing province. This revived his spirits much. He now thought that Providence was appearing for Georgia and Bethesda; and determined, therefore, to dispose of his plantation, and to carry all his strength to the Orphan-house.

In June he planned a new excursion. "Next week," says he, "God willing, I will go to Portsmouth, and through Bath to Wales, and may be to Scotland and Ireland." And we find his letters about this time, dated at Portsmouth, Bristol, Cardiff, and Haverfordwest. In returning to Bristol, he met an associ ation, at which were present, about nine clergymen, and nearly forty lay preachers; "who," says he, "I trust are all born

MEMOIRS OF WHITEFIELD.

of God, and desirous to promote his glory, and his people's good. All was harmony and love."

August 17. His letter of this date, from London, to his friend Dr. T, the celebrated electrical philosopher, deserves a "I find you grow more and more faparticular notice here. mous in the learned world. As you have made a pretty considerable progress in the mysteries of electricity, I would now humbly recommend to your diligent and unprejudiced pursuit and study, the mystery of the new birth. It is a most important, interesting study; and when mastered, will richly answer and repay you for all your pains. One at whose bar we are shortly to appear, hath solemnly declared, that without it we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You will excuse this freedom. I must have aliquid Christi in all my letters."

From London he next proceeded to Edinburgh, where he arrived in the beginning of September, 1752. He preached twice, in his way; at Lutterworth, the parish of the famous John Wickliffe, and at Leicester; and at each place, much good was done. At Newcastle he was entreated to stay, and preached four times to very large congregations.

At Edinburgh and Glasgow, he labored as usual. From the latter he writes :-" At Edinburgh, great multitudes, among whom were an abundance of the better sort, attended twice a day. Many young ministers and students have given close attention, and I hear of several persons that have been brought under deep convictions. I intended to send you a copy of two letters from a highland school master, who is honored of God to do much good among the poor highland children. I have brave news from Leicester and Newcastle, and have strong invitations to Yorkshire and Lancashire. What a pity it is that the year goes round so soon.”*

On his return to London, he preached at Berwick, and all the principal towns. November 1, from Sheffield he writes: "Since I left Newcastle, I have scarce known sometimes, At Leeds, Barstall, Hawhether I was in heaven, or on earth. worth, and Halifax, thousands and thousands have flocked twice a day to hear the word of life. I am now come from Bolton, Manchester, Stockport, and Chinly. Yesterday I preached in

In 1752, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, upon a division of the house, by a few votes, deposed Mr. Gillespie; which afterwards gave occasion to the society called the Presbytery of Relief. Whitefield, being informed of the circumstances of that affair, writes thus-"I wish Mr. Gillespie joy. The Pope, I find, has turned Presbyterian. The Lord reigns, that is enough for us." And again-" Now will Mr. Gillespie do more good in a week, than before in a year. How blind is Satan! what does he get by casting out Christ's servants? I expect that some great good will come out of these confusions."

a church. Four ordained ministers, friends to the work of God, have been with me. The word has run so swiftly at Leeds, that friends are come to fetch me back; and I am now going to Rotherdam, Wakefield, Leeds, York, and Epworth. God favors us with weather; and I would fain make hay whilst the sun shines. O that I had as many tongues, as there are hairs upon my head! The ever loving, ever lovely Jesus should have them all. Fain would I die preaching."

November 10, he arrived at the Tabernacle, in London. December 15, he says, "my hands are full of work; and I trust I can say, the Lord causes his work to prosper in my unworthy hands. More blessed seasons were never enjoyed. Our sacramental occasions have been exceedingly awful and refreshing."

He now thought of erecting a new Tabernacle, a capacious building, eighty feet square; which was finished the summer following. Mr. Hervey and he, about this time, were employed in revising each other's works. Of Mr. Hervey's he says "for me to play the critic on them, would be like holding up a candle to the sun. However, I will just mark a few places, as you desire. I foretell their fate; nothing but your scenery can screen you. Self will never bear to die, though slain in so genteel a manner, without showing some resentment against its artful murderer."

Again, "I thank you a thousand times for the trouble you have been at revising my poor compositions, which I am afraid you have not treated with a becoming severity. How many pardons shall I ask for mangling, and I fear murdering your THERON and ASPASIO. If you think my two sermons will do for the public, pray return them immediately. I have nothing to comfort me but this, that the Lord chooses the weak things of this world, to confound the strong, and things that are not, to bring to nought things that are. I write for the poor-you for the polite and noble. God will assuredly own and bless what you write."

About this time he was very much afflicted, on account of the death of the Rev. Mr. Steward, a valuable minister, who began to be popular in the church, but was soon called to his everlasting rest. "When I met the workmen to contract about the building, I could scarce bear to think of building a Tabernacle. Strange! that so many should be so soon discharged, and we continued. Mr. Steward spoke for his Lord, as long as he could speak at all. He had no clouds nor darkness. I was with him till a few minutes before he slept in Jesus."

March 1, 1753, he laid the foundation of the new Tabernacle, and preached from Exodus xx. 24. While the building was

erecting he preached abroad, in Moorfields, and Spitalfields, and made excursions to Chatham, Sheerness, and Braintree.

In April, he went, for a few days, to Norwich, preaching twice a day; the people flocked with the greatest earnestness, to hear. In the evening some riotous persons endeavored to disturb him, but in vain. It was about this time that he published his expostulatory letter to Count Zinzendorf, the bishop of the Moravians, in London.

In May, he took another circuit westward; and every where a gracious melting season appeared to be among the people. In about a fortnight, he rode THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY miles, and preached above TWENTY times.

His new Tabernacle was opened on Sunday, June 10, 1753, with a sermon in the morning, from 1 Chronicles xxix. 9.

A young man of the city of Norwich, of about eighteen years of age, was walking one morning, with a party of other young men, who had all agreed to make that day a holiday. The first object that attracted their attention was an old woman, who pretended to tell fortunes. They immediately employed her to tell theirs, and that they might fully qualify her for their underiaking, first made her thoroughly intoxicated with spirituous liquor. The young man of whom mention was first made, was informed, among other things, that he would live to a very old age, and see his children, grand children, and great grand children, growing up around him. Though he had assisted in qualifying the old woman for the fraud, by intoxicating her, yet he had credulity enough to be struck with these parts of her predictions which related to himself. "And so," quoth he, when alone, "I am to see children, grand children, and great grand children! At that age I must be a burden to the young people. What shall I do? There is no way for an old man to render himself more agreeable to youth, than by sitting and telling them pleasant and profitable stories. I will then, thought he, during my youth, endeavor to store my mind with all kinds of knowledge. I will see and hear, and note down every thing that is rare and wonderful, that I may sit, when incapable of other employment, and entertain my descendants. Thus shall my company be rendered pleasant, and I shall be respected rather than neglected in old age. Let me see what I can acquire first? Oh! here is the famous Methodist preacher, Whitefield; he is to preach, they say, to-night. I will go and hear him."

From these strange motives the young man declared he went to hear Whitefield. He preached that evening from Matthew iii. 7. "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" "Mr. Whitefield," said the young man, "described the sadducean character; this did not touch me. I thought myself as good a christian as any man in England. From this he went to that of the pharisees. He described their exterior decency, but observed that the poison of the viper rankled in their hearts. This rather shook me. At length, in the course of his sermon, he abruptly broke off; paused for a few moments; then burst into a flood of tears; lifted up his hands and eyes, and exclaimed, 'O my hearers! The wrath's to come! the wrath's to come! These word's sunk into my heart, like lead in the waters. I wept, and when the sermon was ended, retired alone. For days and weeks I could think of little else. Those awful words would follow me, wherever I went,' The wrath's to come! the wrath's to come!" The issue was, that the young man, soon after made a public profession of religion, and in a little time became a considerable preacher. He himself related the foregoing circumstances a few years since, to the Rev. Andrew Fuller, of Kettering.

CHAPTER XVI.

From his opening the new Tabernacle in Moorfields, to his preaching at the chapel in Tottenham court road, 1756.

WHITEFIELD, having preached at his Tabernacle a few days with his accustomed earnestness and success, to crowded auditories, in the end of June, set out for Scotland.

In his progress, he enjoyed very pleasant opportunities at Oulney. He preached likewise at Leicester, Nottingham, and Sheffield. Multitudes every where were flocking like doves to to their windows, to receive the word of eternal life.

In his way to Leeds, he preached at Rotherham* and

* Rotherham, and its environs, had, for a considerable time, been ranked by serious people, among those parts of Yorkshire, which were least inclined to favor the spread of evangelical religion; and when Whitefield attempted to disseminate divine knowledge in that neighborhood, his person and message was treated with contempt. The propagation of malicious falsehoods was encouraged, with a design to counteract the good effects of his ministry. Mr. Thrope, afterwards pastor of the Independent church at Masborough, near Rotherham, ranged under the standard of his most virulent opposers; and not content with personal insult, added private ridicule to public interruption. Public houses became theatres, where the fate of religious opinions was to be determined.

It was at one of these convivial resorts, that Mr. Thrope and three of his associates, to enliven the company, undertook to mimic the preacher. The proposition was highly gratifying to all parties present, and a wager agreed upon, to inspire each individual with a desire of excelling in this impious attempt. That their jovial auditors might adjudge the prize to the most adroit performer, it was concluded that each should open the Bible, and hold forth from the first text that should present itself to his eye. Accordingly three in their turn mounted the table, and entertained their wicked companions, at the expense of every thing sacred. When they had exhausted their little stock of buffoonery, it devolved on Mr. Thrope to close this very irreverent scene. Much elated, and confident of success, he exclaimed as he ascended the table, "I shall beat you all!" But O! the stupendous depths of divine mercy! who would have conceived that a gracious Providence should have presided over such an assembly, and that this should be the time of heavenly love to one of the most outrageous mockers!

Mr. Thrope, when the Bible was handed to him, had not the slightest preconception, what part of the scripture he should make the subject of his banter. However, by the guidance of an unerring Providence, it opened at that remarkable passage, Luke xiii. 3. "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." No sooner had he uttered the words, than his mind was affected in a very extraordinary manner. The sharpest pangs of conviction now seized him, and conscience denounced tremendous vengeance upon his soul. In a moment he was favored with a clear view of his subject, and divided his discourse more like a divine, who had been accustomed to speak on portions of scripture, than like one who never so much as thought on religious topics, except for the purpose of ridicule! He found no deficiency of matter, no want of utterance, and he has frequently declared, "If ever I preached in my life by the assistance of the Spirit of God, it was at that time." The impression that the subject made upon his mind had such an effect upon his manner, that the most ignorant and profane could not but perceive that what he had spoken was with the greatest sincerity.

The unexpected solemnity and pertinency of his address, instead of enter