The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-05
Whitefeld's Power in Preaching.

1t is only now and then in the course Of
the ages that man is born to the h'ghes'
gifts of oratory. As a statesman, Chatham
was one of these rare productions, at the BAR
Patrick Henry, aud in the pulpit, Whitehead
Rev. J. P. Newman gives the following graphic
sketch of this great pull pit orator:
Such was Whitefeld's power in presenting
truth in different ways, that, were ne to preach
sermon twenty tiries, he would continue to
improve on each to the last Wondrous was
his voice SO highly cultivated that the lowest
whisper, as well as the loudcst tone On the
highest key, could be distinctly heard. Its
sweet accents of love fell upon the ear OF the
unconvertcd and softcned his marble heart ;
and it broke upon the car OF the persistent III
crime with the thunder tones Of Jehovah.
A closer analysis Of the oratory OF White
field will discover to US that he Was master
ia rhetoric. The difference between minis.
ters does not consist 50 much in the thoughts
uttered as the manner in which they arc pre-
sented. Here was the secret oil WhlteleId'S
power. Old truths became new under the
magic OF his eloquence; and truths which
had been preached for 1900 years fell from
his lips as though announced by inspired rev.
citation. Whitetie!d WIS greatest III the sub
lime naturalncss of bis representations in
vesting the present by the aid Of the imagln'
alton with d certainty OF the future. 1t Is
related that on one OCCASION when the accom-
p.ished s&eptic, Lord Chesterfield, Was pres
ont, Whitehe,d Represented the yotary of s!n
under the figure Of blind beggar, led by y
little dog, The dos Lad broken the string,
and had slipped from him Cropping bis way
tor the dog, unconscious, to the side Of the
precipice. as he felt along with his staff, it
dropped from his hand, and fell down the as.
cent too return an echo. He thought 1t on
the ground, and bending forward, took one
careful step forward to recover it, Bat he
trod on vacancy, poised FIR y moment, and as
he fell hoadong, Chesterfield sprang from his
seat, excIaimiDg, Good God he is gone
Whitefeld was as bold in his apostrophos
as snbime in his imporsonation. When
preaching from the balcony of the old Court
House in Philadelphia, in the midst OF his
discourse he exclaimed in thunder tones, look
ing up to heaven ; Father Abraham whom
have you in heaven? Have you any Epis.
copaIiars ? The old men replied, NJ
Have you any Prcs6y,erans : No. Any
Baptists =? - No. ANY Nlethodists, Indie
pendents, Seceders.' &c. No, no, no. We
do not know such parties names here Who
have you up there then !? We have only
those WHO are Christians those who believe
in Christ If this BE- the case, said the prca-
cher, God he'll US to forget party names.
1t is said that the celebrated historian
Hume was an occasional listener to his SER
mons. On one occasion wheo he was pres
Whitefe!a, addressing his audience, sail:"Tho
attending angel is about to take his flight
shall he leave without carrying with him 10
heaven the news Of one sinner converted a.
Then, lifting his eyes and hand to heaven, he
burst into d food Of tears, and exclaimed
Stop, Gabriel stop, Gabriel ! stop, ere you
enter the sacred portals! carry with YOU the
news Of one sinner converted from the error
of his ways"
What then must have been the persuasive
power of his eloquenee to elicit the encomi-
ums beloved upon him by Hume, Boiling.
broke, Chesterfield, and Franklin, men either
infdel, or by no means remarkable for piety
Hume said he would 60 20 miles to hear
Whitcfcd.prcach. Lord Chesterfeld's testi-
mony was that he was the most wonderful man
OF his age; that he had the cloquence OF in.
spiration. Garrck, the celebrated actor, re.
marked that be would give so guineas to be
able to pronounce 90" as Whitefold did
DR.. Franklin states that on one occasion he
went to hear him, having in his pocket hand
iul OF copper, four or five silver dollars, and
five pstoIes in gold, At the commencement
OF his dscourses Whiteield ntimated his in.
tention OF taking up a collection at the close.
The doctor, in his own mind, determined not
to contribute anything, but as the orator pro-
cecdcd in his discourse, he concluded to rive
the coppers. Another stroke OF his eloq,ence
decided him to give the silver, and he flushed
up so admirably that, when the box came
round, ne turned gold silver, and all into it,
FlRE.--in Essex on ,he 25th nit, three barns
and Shed belonging to MIR. REV were burned
containing 800 bushels OF oats and 50 tons of
hay, with quantity of farming tools. The
| loss lS estimated Mt over q l0OO an ul;cb tboro