The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-07-20 00:00:00

WESLNYAN CHAPEL ANNIVERSARY.
The emoted enatmeerry ei the new chapel in St. Edemas&
etreetWmumethees celebraesd on Thursday last,when
the Rev. IL A. Tease peached • series in the atm.
meas. At Gm o'elosk • tea meeting was held, and
ateended by about 130 Maeda in the evesdas the Rev.
A. Teller deithend a Meters on George Whitefish
The their wan take* by 14. Breathy, of BMA, and the
Revs. A. Puddleambe, EL Hooky, Mann, Jaillololl, and
Tahoe were on the platform The promedingli COM
mewed with singing and prayer, and the oboir sang the
anthem "I was glad wbea they saki web me." The
Chairman introduced the loiterer with s brief speeds.
It, Teller then delivered his lecture. He mid
—George Whitefield was born on December 18, 1714,
at Gloseester in the Old Bell Inn, ono of the
old eomfortable hostelries not like our modrecr.nzablie.
bottom He bad a pious mother, a . sad
utelliesed member of the Chum!: re
of Rocked, wiser
example we. the groundwork of his mesmerist fer too
ministry. He was sent to the Gransmareceeel for •
time, but in oonsequisnoe of poverty yr"
away sod served behind the her of tee beetelrListt4
was afterwards sent to Oxford to nary for the en
and heard of the Weeleys, and °then oho timid to toms;
"'dieaßjtow ip "I"thodiate" ws• sot
them easel as • reproach; it was derived from • set
of phyMelans who used so care people without physic,
by rega.....thed glee o ko. The origin f Ito
gol metier:elect we. that they worship
Ter. 4a°6t
given hours. He wished modern Methodism to
practice this syntematic way of worship. Faultily
and seceetgzer too, searehing the scripturee
and op forth, at boars, were essential points of
Methodism. Whitefield bean to melt with these
lleabedina, and became enlightened, He learned
that he was wader the wares of the laws, and
without the samthoe of Christ, he we. an.
dens for ever Wesley said of Whilefield that
Le fasted and prayed, aed was so anxious that he
made himself seriously ill. In deep contriethe he was
brought to Christ, and found peace, and in feeble health
returned to college to tell the story of his eonversion.
It was a good thing for Whiteficild that the Bis.ii!"
of Gloucester was • gluten= man. WlltcooiU,
Immediately he returned, began to ears for mottle to
visit the people in the cottages round his mother',
residence. Such visiting, such telling of what God has
done for them, has been the beginning of the beet
preaching, o/ the most famous opportacildes of spread.
the the word. The bishop told Mr. Whitefleld when the
latter WM 21 years of age that be was anxious to depart
from his usual rule, and was willing to ordain him into
des's orders sa mon es he liked. When he preached
his Let sermon the church was crowded. Some hay-body
went to his grace the bishop next day, end told him be
had does • dreadful thing, for he had ordained a young
no who had frightened 15 people in the e.barth clean
HI. grace said that he hoped they would remain
so mad„ and that many others would become in the same
way. Whitefield next went to London, and la/mewed
near the Treenv of reettea. Dia mat was mareeiloaa,
and his samosas startling. He was next appointed to a
village in Hampshire, named Demmer, and the Inhabit-
ants were " dimmers," like thee, of some villages he
(Mr„ Toffee) had been to, where they warmly knee the.
some of Christ, and in one of which a boy thought
Jesse was • Russian general, and a lase one to fight
Whetefield found the people sunk in ignorance and sin.
He divided hi. day Into three periods of eight hours,
one eight hours for rest, nervation and food, eight
hours for study and prayer, and eight hours for visiting
the people. la • village near Bristol, he threw away
his mulehatand preached instead of mediae his sermons.
Tbe amebae would not bold the perpis, and he
determined to preach in the open air, and near King,-
wood find preached without notes. The igamanos of
the people was proverbial, and respectable people from
11401 imeetily dared pass through Eingswood. One of
hie families had • member hanged at Bristol, end on
reeshing the corpse back to their house they exhibited
Rat a penny per head. Yet in this place Gemmed' of
per Pie were gathered to the preaching, and the tears
made white channels down their f -sem through the
grime of the aosJpita. Whttefield visited Aineriee seem
times. While he was there, • number of people who
had formed • drinking club, got a mem to imitate him.
'I he Demo got on a table and uttered a Neatens* in the
manner of Whitedeld, with such aeon that thee left
desk elatets oa the table, went out, and the drinking
club was broken up for ever. Returning to Englend be
was presetting near Plymouth, when • man went there
with the Intestion of stoning him to death. Whitelield
wan preacbing of the persecution of Christ and the
habit of the world to pomade his servants, and after
proceeding some time, be fixed hie eyes on the would-
be murderer, and thuedered on, "Thou art the man."
The intended murderer was struck on his knee., cried
for mercy, and was converted. He lived till the Mtn
years of his ago., a umet valuable minister. One of ,
the most miebrated events of Witefithrs life was what
Southey treed his great fight with the devil. It was
at Whitsuntide, when hundreds of people were gathered
to ithorfields. lie gathered around him 250 trusty
men es his body guard, and ging and preached all day,
and for hours and hours the thunder of his vole° was
heard. The showmen got others to molest him; but
the body guard kept them away. After • long day of
of it, he received 1,000 notes from persons who had
been convinced of sin, Wbitefield's Calvinism opened
up channels of turefulems for Elm that be would not
otherwise have had. He was welcomed in :Modena,
and his 'mem was no marvellous that the freedoms of
amoral cities were presented to him in publls assembly.
Iluedret s and thousands dated their conversion to his
vidta to the slopes of the Scottish hillside& There was
a good deal to the power of his voice, in the glance of
his eye; but his societal was an instance of the troth
of the text that God by the foolishness of preaching
will save mankind. At oar time he spoke 40 hours
every emir. He had to rise early in the morning,
mount horse, and rule perhaps 30 miles to the poem of
his labours, and wove and wet woad address the
people till night. Upon Saturday, Dm. 29, 1770, be
rode thirty maw to preach • sermon. He looked fitter
to lie on a bed than preach; but he mid he would rather
wear out then rust out. Ha went and preeched with
marvellous power, went to bed at nine o'climic, about
12 o'clock his travelling friend beard him breathing
hard. Whitefield rusbed,to the window, opened it, cried
"I'm choking," his head dropped bath, and the mighty
toiler we. uo more. When the news went abroad in
America, and came to England, there was 'minimal
nieurning ; and throughout Christendom thousands of
funeral mermom were preached. The speaker went on
to describe the scene at his funeral, and said the effect,
of his toil shall never end. Mr. Toler looked forward
to the tune when the church of Whitetteld should
bold out the hand to the other demominstions
to ems war against the common enemy, Ratan, as
Whitefield did witleWeeley, and thank God, they were
ready for the fray—(mmlanse.) The lecturer concluded
with an eloquent peroration, and was greeted with
long-continued applause.
A vote of thank, was proposed by the Rev. A.
Puddicombe, emended by the liar. Mr. Mann, of
Dorchester, and supported by the Rev: Mr. Jackson,
of Shaftasbary, and of course cordially received.
The liar. J. S. Simon proposed • vote of thanks to
the Chairmatt after which pat of the assembly
pried, the remainder attending a sale of work, in aid
of the liquidation of the loan on the chapel, to which
the Jibe, al $ !lecterns of the day and proceeds of the
Icature Wl rtl devoted.