Great Revivals and Evangel ists By JOHN H. HUNTER IL GEORGE WHITEFIELD (Concluded) Copyright, 1915, by John H. Hunter
his ministry. His _audiences num bered, on some occasions, 30,000 peo ple. The poor everywhere delighted to hear him, as in the case of the Kingswood colliers. NEGRO, PHILOSOPHY. On one occasion, when recovering from a severe illness that he thought would be his last, an old colored wom an begged to see him. She sat down on the ground, and after looking at him earnestly, said: “Master, you just go to Heaven’s gate. But Jesus Christ said, ‘Get you" down, get you down; you must not come here yet; but go first, and call some mpre poor negroes.’ ” After the Countess of Huntington came to know him she invited the leaders of society of the day to hear him preach. Among those who came were such men as Lord Chesterfield, Lord Bolingbroke, David Garrick, the actor, and men of that stamp. On this side, Ben Franklin was one of his sincerest friends, as well- as his publisher. While in Boston the Gov-' ernor himself drove Whitefield to the Common, where he preached to 20,000 people, and embraced him with tears on bidding him farewell. MET MUCH OPPOSITION, Naturally enough, if Whitefield had many warm friends he had many bit ter enemies. His diary which he pub lished, or allowed others to publish, without being carefully edited got him. into lots -of trouble through its too. frank 1 criticisms. As he grew older he eliminated much of the offending matter in later editions, and .at last
g ^ A V I N G once tasted the delights of preaching in I B S f l K the open air, George f/B TP Bq Whitefield made full proof of this ministry in the open for the remainder of. his life, and he induced his friend, John Wes ley, to try it, too. The latter frankly confesses, in his diary, that at first he did not take to it kindly. Once more Satan had overstepped himself, for in shutting the churches to these Spirit- filled preachers of the Gospel he only succeeded in compelling them to reach far larger numbers with the good news.' From this time until his death, a period of thirty years, (1739-1770) Whitefield’s life was one of never- ceasing activity, except when his health rendered it impossible for him to get about. He crossed the Atlan tic thirte'en times, and we must re member that in those days such a voyage was a different matter from what it is today, both as regards time and comfort. By way of illustration, he sailed from Gravesend, on board the “Elizabeth,” August 14th, 1739, and arrived at Lewiston, Delaware, October 31st, and that was not an unusual passage. He paid fifteen vis its to Scotland; he visited Wales and the west of England almost every year that he was on that side of the A tlan ticand he was in Ireland on several occasions. When he wa,s on this side of the Atlantic he was con stantly travelling up and down the coast between New England and Georgia. He must have preached at least 18.000 public discourses during
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