King's Business - 1915-06

THE KING’S BUSINESS

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1714; educated at Oxford University; ordained 1736. In the ministry of thirty-four years he crossed the At­ lantic thirteen times, and preached more than 18,000 sermons. As a sol­ dier of the cross, humble, devout, ard­ ent, he put on the whole armour of God, preferring the honour of Christ to his own interest, repose, reputation or fife. As a Christian orator, his deep piety, disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination, gave unexampled energy to his look, action, and utter­ ance; bold, fervent, pungent, and pop­ ular in his eloquence, no other unin­ spired man ever preached to so large assemblies, or enforced the simple truths of the gospel by motives so persuasive, and awful, and with an in­ fluence so powerful on the hearts of his hearers. He died of asthma, Sep­ tember 30, 1770; suddenly, exchang­ ing his life of unparalleled labours for his eternal reward.” FRIENDS IN DEATH. It is now more than* twenty years since the writer, spending his sum­ mer vacation at Bradford, paid his first visit to Newburyport. The oblig­ ing sexton of the church showed me the Bible and the table that Whitefield used. And then he led me down the little narrow stair, and ushered me into a small dimly-lighted chamber. 1 found myself standing between two old-fashioned coffins, and learned that the one on my right contained the remains of Mr. Parsons, and that on the left the remains of the Rev. Jos­ eph Prince, a very dear friend of both Mr. Whitefield and Mr. Parsons. Straight in front of me, resting upon the foot of these two coffins, was a third, containing the remains of Whitefield. A glimmering light shone directly over the pane of glass that has been placed in the lid of the coffin over the head and shoulders of the great evangelist. What did I see below the

not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for Thee once more in the fields, seal Thy truth and come home and die.” He preached from 2 .Corinthians 13:5, the sermon occupying two hours. Afterdinner he rode to New­ bury (now Newburyport), Mass., with his friend, Mr. Parsons, who was then pastor of the First Presby­ terian church at that place. After supper he complained of feeling tired and soon withdrew to his room. It is said that as he went upstairs he could not resist the impulse to speak to those gathered below him, and that he spoke until the candle which he carried was about burned down to the socket. He read his . Bible as usual and then knelt down and prayed. He soon fell asleep and slept until 2 o’clock in the morning. Then he awakened suffering with a severe attack of asthma. He thought that a “good pulpit-sweat” that day would make him better, and said he “would rather wear out than rust out.” He kept growing worse, however, and no available remedies afforded relief. Dr. Sawyer was summoned, and when he came into the room, Mr. Whitefield said, “I am dying.” The end came at 6 o’clock. Several friends desired the honor of providing a “new tomb” for his final resting-place, but his friend, Mr. Parsons, related Mr. Whitefield’s own expressed desire that he might be bur­ ied in the church at Newbury. Ac­ cordingly a vault was prepared in front of the pulpit by his friends, and there his body wak laid to rest until that day when His Lord shall raise it, fashioned anew and conformed to the body of His glory. The marble cenotaph bears the fol­ lowing inscription: “This Cenotaph is erected with af­ fectionate veneration to the memory of the Rev. George Whitefield, born at Gloucester, England, December 16,

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