Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-05-15
GEORGE wHITEFIELD.

Gloucester, young clergyman
preached with such fervency and di-
rectness of appeal to the conscience,
that complaint was made to the Bish-
op "that he dad driven fifteen persons
mad by his first sermon" This youth
who was destined to commit many
other similar irregularities" had
four years previously been "com-
mon'-i. e., potboy-"to his mothers
customers" at the Bell Inn, i'm that
same city. All this being known to
the good Bishop, he made reply to the
complainants, that 'he hoped the
madness might not be forgotten before
the next Sunday" So George White
field for time escaped Episcopal
condemnation.
In 1877, after sojourn at Oxford,
during which he graduated he visited
London to assist friend who had
been appointed curate at the Tower
and there his wonderful career as q
preacher fairly commenced. After
he had been a month in town he re-
ceived letters from the Wesleys, CIV
ing glowing accounts of their work
in Georgia, America; land from this
time,n he says, che longcd to go
abroad and help them in that pro-
vince" The letter of John Wesley
which finally determined him to do
SO, is eminently characteristic ofthat
wonderful man. During the three
months he remained in London, he
generally preached nine times week.
SO great was the crowd on these oc-
casiOns, that constables had to be sta
toned at the church doors to keep or
der or prevent accidents and thou
sands often went away from the
largest churches for want of room.-
Like results attended his preaching
at Bristol and Gloucester. Large col
lections for the Georgia mission were
obtained. His friends often entreated
him to spare himself but his in
variable reply was. ~ had rather
wear out then rust out. No nesting,
no nesting on this side of eternity"
On the 7th of May, 173S, after a
pleasant but long voyage, he reached
Savannah. He found that John Wes-
ley had left for London, and he him
self after a short stay of four months
in the colony returned. He had
however formed project which
was destined to influence the whole
of his after life-the establishment of
home for orphans i'm Georgia. On
his arrival in London he found all the
churches closed against him; what
were called the 'irregularities," of
the Wesleys had brought him also
into suspicion" A clergymen who
allowed him to preach was shortly
afterwards deprived of his lectureship.
At Bristol the Chancellor threaten
ed him with eXcommunication If he
dared to preach or expound in the
diocese. Then he turned to the col
liers at Kingswood who needed con-
versation his friends said; as much as
any Indians in Georgia. His first
sermon was preached on a mount to
upward of two hundred.n On the
next occasion upward of ten thou
sand We're assembled. CAL was
hush," he says; 81 spoke for an hour,
and so loud that all, / was told could
hear" Wherever he went vast
throngs assembled to hear him. The
Gentleman's Magazine for 1899 tells
us, that ION Saturday 18th of March
instant, he preached at Hanham
Mount to 5000 persons. In the even
ing he removed to the Common; it
was crowded with so great q multi
tude of coaches foot and horsemen,
that they covered three acres, and
were computed at twenty thousand.
The 25th of April he arrived in Lon
don by way of Oxford, where he was
prohibited preaching by the Vice
Chancellor. On the 9th he preached
ON tomb in Islington Churchyard,
being denied the pulpit. Sunday he
preached in Moorfields; in the after
noon on Remington Common" At
the latter services between thirty and
forty thousand persons were present.
Whitefield preached for an hour and
a half.
In August of the same year he sailed
for America. The opposition he had
met with in England on the part of
the clergy, had not yet spread to the
New World, and Whitefield was
welcomed by them as before. When
ever he was announced topreach i'm
mense congregations assembled. Ar
rived at Savannah, he proceeded to
carry out his cherished project of
founding an orphan asylum. This
soon involved him i'm difficulties,
from which Notwithstanding his her.
culean labors he never escaped. He
took upon himself burden far be-
yond his strength to bear. In l7i1,
we find him again in London, com.
planning that he had family of up-
ward of hundred to maintain; that
he owed thousand pounds, and that
ne had not twenty pounds in the
At this time also, the views he adj
opted upon the subject of election,
alienated from him most ofhis former
friends. The people no longer fioclled
TO hear him as formerly. Instead of
the thousands who used to assemble
wheneverhew was announced to preach
only two or three hundred could now
be brought together. The breach be-
tween him and the Wesley's was a
bitter grief to him but he as HON
estly felt bound to defend the Calvin
istic doctrine as they felt constrained
TO dcnounce them. In Scotland he
found for several months a congenial
sphere OF labor, yet there he was
not without his trials. On his arri-
val in Edingburgh, the Erskines,
tnose great and good men, demanded
that he should coniine his ministra-
tons to the Covenantors. ~ was
asked" he says, "to preach only for
them, until had further light. /
inquired, why only for them Be
cause said Ralph Erskine, "they
We're the Lords people, | then asked,
were there no other Lords people but
themselves? and supposing all Others
We're the devil s people they certainly
/. had more need to be preached to and
Therefore ! was more determined to,
go into the highways and hedges, and
that II the Pope himself would lend
me his pulpit, would gladly proclaim
the righteousness Of Christ therein" )"