CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

  { PT.  18 } - If other Christians misrepresented him, he forgave them. If they refused to work with him, he still loved them. Nothing could be a more powerful testimony against narrow-mindedness than his request, made shortly before his death, that John Wesley should be asked to preach his funeral sermon when he died. Wesley and he had long ceased to agree about Calvinistic points, but Whitefield, to the very end, was determined to forget minor differences and to regard Wesley as Calvin did Luther--only as a god servant of Jesus Christ. On another occasion, a critical professed follower of religion asked him whether he thought they would see John Wesley in heaven. No, sir, was the remarkable answer. He will be so near the throne, and we will be at such a distance, that we will hardly get a sight of him! Certainly George Whitefield was not a man without faults. Like all of God's saints, he was an imperfect creature. He sometimes erred in judgment. He often made rushed conclusions

  ( CHAPTER  4 )  -  { PT.  17 }                                                              He measured all by the measure that the angels use:   Did they profess repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and holiness of life? If they did, they were as his brethren. His soul was with such people, no matter what name they were called. Minor differences were wood, hay, and stubble to him. The marks of the Lord Jesus were the only marks he cared for. This broad-mindedness is even more remarkable when we consider the spirit of the times in which he lived. Even Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine in Scotland wanted Whitefield to preach for no other denomination but their own--namely, the Secession Church. He asked them, Why only for them? He received the notable answer that they were the Lord's people. This was more than Whitefield could stand. He asked if there were no other Lord's people but themselves. He told them, If all others were the devil's people, they certai

  ( CHAPTER  4 ) - { PT.  16 }                                      GEORGE WHITEFIELD WAS A MAN OF REMARKABLE UNSELFISHNESS AND SINGLE-MINDEDNESS. - He seemed to live for only two purposes: the glory of God and the salvation of souls. He knew nothing at all about secondary and hidden purposes. He did not raise a party of followers who took his name. He did not establish a denominational system of which his own writings would be the main teaching. A favorite expression of his is most characteristic of the man: Let the name of George Whitefield perish, so long as Christ is exalted!  HE WAS A MAN OF AN ESPECIALLY HAPPY AND CHEERFUL SPIRIT. - No one who saw him could ever doubt that he enjoyed his religion. He was tested in many ways throughout his ministry. He was slandered by some, despised by others, misrepresented by false brethren, opposed everywhere by the ignorant clergy of his time, and troubled by constant contention--but his resilience never failed him. He was notably a rejoicing

  ( CHAPTER  4 )  -  { PT.  15 }                                    Then, after this work, instead of taking any rest, he could be found offering up prayers and intercessions, with hymns and spiritual songs, as his manner was, in every house to which he was invited. The truth is, that in regard to labor, this extraordinary servant of God did as much in a few weeks as most of those who exert themselves are able to do in the space of a year!                                                       HE WAS A MAN OF EMINENT SELF-DENIAL TO THE END. His style of living was most simple. He was remarkable for moderation in eating and drinking. All throughout his life, he was an early riser. His usual hour for getting up was four o'clock, both in summer and winter, and unless he was praying, he was just as regular in going to bed about ten at night. Whitefield was a man of prayerful habits, and he frequently spent whole nights in reading and devotion. Cornelius Winter, who often slept in the sa