In the latter end of December he came to Bristol, where he continued nearly a month, preaching twice every day, and writing to his friends in London and Scotland. He also set up a general monthly meeting to read corresponding letters. From Bristol he returned to Gloucester, and January 28, 1743, writes "On Friday last I left Bristol, having first settled affairs, almost as I could wish. At Kingston I administered the sacrament on Wednesday night. It was the Lord's passover. On Thursday we had a sweet love feast; on Friday the Lord was with me twice at Tockington; on Saturday morning I broke up some fallow ground at Newport; and in the evening preached to many thousands at Stroud; on Monday morning at Painswich; and ever since twice a day here. Our congregations, I think, are larger than at Bristol. Every sermon is blessed."

*

On his way to London, Feb. 23, he was still farther encouraged by receiving letters from America, informing him of the remarkable success of the gospel there, and that God had stirred up some wealthy friends to assist his orphans in their late extremity. Upon his return to London, he went on with greater zeal and success, if possible, than ever. "Our Savior (says he, writing to a brother, April 6, 1742) is doing great things in London daily. I rejoice to hear that you are helped in your work. Let this encourage you; go on, go on; the more we do, the more we may do, for Jesus. I sleep and eat but little, and am constantly employed from morning till midnight, and yet my strength is daily renewed. O free grace! It fires my soul, and makes me long to do something for Jesus. It is true, indeed, I want to go home; but here are so many souls ready to perish for lack of knowledge, that I am willing to tarry below as long as my Master has work for me."

From this principle of compassion to perishing souls, he now ventured to take a very extraordinary step. It had been the custom for many years past, in the holiday seasons, to erect booths in Moorfields, for mountebanks, players, and puppetshows, which were attended from morning till night by innumerable multitudes of the lower sort of people. He formed a resolution to preach the gospel among them, and executed it. On Whitmonday, at six o'clock in the morning, attended by a large congregation of praying people, he began. Thousands, who were waiting there, gaping for their usual diversions, all

"The everlasting God reward all their benefactors. I find there has been a fresh awakening among them. I am informed, that twelve negroes, belonging to a planter lately converted at the Orphan-house, are savingly brought bome to Jesus Christ."

flocked around him. His text was, John iii. 14. They gazed, they listened, they wept; and many seemed to be stung with deep conviction for their past sins. All was hushed and solemn. "Being thus encouraged (says he) I ventured out again at noon, when the fields were quite full; and could scarce help smiling, to see thousands, when a merry-andrew was trumpeting to them, upon observing me mount a stand upon the other side of the field, deserting him, till not so much as one was left behind, but all flocked to hear the gospel. But this, together with a complaint that they had taken near twenty or thirty pounds less that day than usual, so enraged the owners of the booths, that when I came to preach a third time in the evening, in the midst of the sermon a merry-andrew got up upon a man's shoulders, and advancing near the pulpit, attempted to slash me with a long heavy whip several times. Soon after they got a recruiting sergeant, with his drum, to pass through the congregation. But I desired the people to make way for the king's officer, which was quietly done. Finding these efforts to fail, a large body, quite on the opposite side, assembled together, and having got a great pole for their standard, advanced with sound of drum, in a very threatening manner, till they came near the skirts of the congregation. Uncommon courage was given to both preacher and hearers. For just as they approached us with looks full of resentment, I know not by what accident, they quarrelled among themselves, threw down their staff, went their way, leaving, however, many of their company behind, who before we had done, I trust were brought over to join the besieged party. I think I continued in praying, preaching, and singing (for the noise was too great at times to preach) about three hours. We then retired to the tabernacle, where thousands flocked. We were determined to pray down the booth; but blessed be God, more substantial work was done. At a moderate computation, I received (I believe) a thousand notes from persons under conviction; and soon after, upwards of three hundred were received into the society in one day. Some I married, that had lived together without marriage. One man had exchanged his wife for another, and given fourteen shillings in exchange. Numbers, that seemed as it were to have been bred up for Tyburn, were at that time plucked as firebrands out of the burning."

"I cannot help adding, that several little boys and girls, who were fond of sitting round me on the pulpit, while I preached, and handing to me people's notes, though they were often pelted with eggs and dirt, thrown at me, never once gave way; but on the contrary, every time I was struck turned up their little weeping eyes, and seemed to wish they could receive the blows

for me. God make them, in their growing years, great and living martyrs for him, who out of the mouth of babes and sucklings perfecteth praise,"

CHAPTER X.

From his arrival in Scotland, 1742, to his return to London the same year.

Soon after this he embarked a second time for Scotland, and arrived at Leith, June 3, 1742.*

But here it is proper to take a view of the state of things ir that country upon his arrival. It had pleased God to bless his first visit to Scotland, not only for the conversion of particular persons, and the comforting and quickening of private christians, but to rouse them to more than ordinary concern about the salvation of their neighbors, and to excite pious and conscientious ministers to greater diligence in their work. Prayers were put up, with some degree of faith and hope, that God would now give success to their labors, and not suffer them always to complain that they spent their strength in vain. Nor were these prayers long unanswered: for in the month of February, 1742, an extraordinary religious concern began to appear publicly at Cambuslang, and soon after at Kilsyth and other places; the news of which spread quickly through the land, and engaged general attention. Of this a just though short description is given in the following letter, written by the Rev. Mr. Hamilton (then minister in the Barony parish, now in the High Church of Glasgow) to Mr. Prince, minister in Boston. "Glasgow, Sept. 13, 1742. We, in the south and west of Scotland, have great reason to join in thankfulness to God, with you, for the days of the Redeemer's power, that we

Edinburgh, Sabbath, June, 6 1742. On Thursday last our dear friend Mr. Whitefield returned to this place, to the great comfort of many honest christians, especially of those to whom he was made a means of conviction and conversion when last here. He seems to have improved much in christian knowledge. He is much refreshed with the accounts of the work of God in the west country. I have heard him preach five excellent discourses, all calculated for the building up of christians (though he never fails to put in a word for the conviction of sinners ;) and, I think, can say, that I have never heard him without some influence attending his preaching, especially in private houses. Oh may the impressions made on my heart never wear off, lest at any time I should be in danger of dropping my watch, and becoming untender."

"Oct. 17, 1742. It is a great recommendation of Mr. Whitefield to me, that, though the seceders give him every bad character that can be devised, viz. a sorcerer, &c. yet he takes all patiently, and, wherever he goes, speaks well of them so far as he can: for none can approve of those gross parts of their con duct; therefore these he chooses to cast a mantle of love over."

4

are favored with. Mr. Whitefield came to Scotland in the summer of 1741, for the first time; and in many places where he preached, his ministrations were evidently blessed, particularly in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, where a considerable number of persons were brought under such impressions of religion as have never yet left them; but they are still following on to know the Lord. However, this was only the beginning of far greater things: for, about the middle of February last, a very great concern appeared among the people of Cambuslang, a small parish, lying four miles south east of Glasgow, under the pastoral inspection of the Rev. Mr. William McCulloch, a man of considerable parts, and great piety. This concern appeared with some circumstances very unusual among us: to wit, severe bodily agonies, outcryings and faintings, in the congregation. This made the report of it spread like fire, and drew vast multitudes of people from all quarters to that place and I believe, in less than two months after the commencement of it, there were few parishes within twelve miles of Cambuslang but had some, more or fewer, awakened there, to a very deep, piercing sense of sin; and many at a much greater distance. I am verily persuaded, with your worthy brother, Mr. Cooper, in his preface to Mr. Edward's sermon, that God has made use of these uncommon circumstances to make his work spread the faster. But, blessed be God, Cambuslang is not the only place where these impressions are felt. The same work is spreading in other parishes, and under their own ministers, particularly at Calder, Kilsyth, and Cumbernaud, all to the north east of Glasgow; and I doubt not, that since the middle of February, when this work began at Cambuslang, upwards of two thousand persons have been awakened, and almost all of them, by the best accounts I have, in a promising condition; there being very few instances of impostors, or such as have lost their impressions, and many whom we are bound to think true scripture converts, and who evidence it by a suitable walk and conversation. There is evidently a greater seriousness and concern about religion appearing in most of our congregations, than formerly; a greater desire after the word; people applying themselves more closely to their duty, and erecting new societies for prayer and spiritual conference: which gives us the joyful prospect of a considerable enlargement in the Messiah's kingdom.

"My parish has likewise had some share in this good work. There have been above a hundred new communicants among them this summer, who never did partake of the blessed sacrament before; which is five times as many as ever I admitted in any former year; most of them were awakened at Cambus

lang, some of them in their own church, and in others the impressions have been more gradual, and not attended with these uncommon circumstances before mentioned. And it is to be observed, that before we admit any to the Lord's table, we particularly examine them, and are satisfied with their knowledge of the principles of religion, of the nature and ends of the sacrament, and the impressions of religion they have on their minds."

To the same purpose is the Rev. Mr. Willison's letter to Dr. Colman, minister in Boston, dated Dundee, Feb. 28, 1743. "I must inform you a little of the work of God begun here. I told you in my last, that after Mr. Whitefield's first coming and preaching three months in Scotland, there were some beginnings of a revival of religion in some of our principal cities

at Edinburgh and Glasgow-which still continue and increase, especially since Mr. Whitefield's second coming, in June last. But, besides these cities, the Lord hath been pleased to begin a work much like that in New England, in the west of Scotland. The first parish awakened was Cambuslang; the next was the parish of Kilsyth, about nine miles north east of Glasgow; and afterwards the parishes of Calder, Kirkintilloch, Cumbernaud, Campfie, Kilmarnock, Gargunnock, and a great many others in the country. The awakenings of people have been, in a good many, attended with outcryings, faintings, and bodily distresses; but in many more the work has proceeded with great calmness. But the effects in both sorts are alike good and desirable, and hitherto we hear nothing of their falling back from what they have professed at the beginning; and still we hear of new parishes falling under great concern, here and there, though the great cryings and outward distresses are much ceased.

"The Lord, in this backsliding time, is willing to pity us, and see our ways and heal them, however crooked and perverse they have been. Oh shall not this wonderful step of divine condescension lead us all to repentance, and to go out to meet a returning God, in the way of humiliation and reformation? The magistrates and ministers in Edinburgh are beginning to set up societies for reformation of manners, and new lectures

Edin

* Extract of a letter from a person of distinction to the complier. burgh, February, 1742. I would not ascribe all the revival of religion in Scotland to the instrumentality of Mr. Whitefield. At Cambuslang it began before he had been there; but in Edinburgh, and all the other places in Scotland that I heard of after dilligent inquiry, it began with his first visit. This honor he had from his divine Master, and it ought not to be taken from him. And every time he came to Scotland, it is an undoubted fact, that an uncom mon power attended his ministry; and many were always brought under serious and lasting impressions."