CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

  ( CHAPTER  4 )  -  { PT.  19 } - Still, after all that has been said, there can be no doubt that overall he was a notably holy, self-denying, and consistent man. The faults of his character, says an American writer, were like spots on the sun-detected without much difficulty by and cool and careful observer who takes any effort to look for them, but to all practical purposes lost in one general and genial brightness. It would be good indeed for the churches of our day if God were to give them more ministers like the great evangelist of England a hundred years ago! A short extract from the conclusion of a sermon preached by Whitefield on Kennington Common may be interesting to some readers and might serve to give them a little idea of the great preacher's style. It was a sermon on the text, What do you think of Christ? ( MATTHEW  22:42 ). O my brethren, my heart is extended toward you. I trust I feel something of that hidden but powerful presence of Christ...

  ( 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 peopl...

  ( 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 c...

  ( CHAPTER  4 )  -  { PT.  14 } - I am not come here to preach to stocks and stones! I have come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty, and I must, and will, have an audience! The hearers were stripped of their apathy at once. Every word of the sermon after this was heard with deep attention, and the American gentleman never forgot it.                                                                        ONE MORE FEATURE IN WHITEFIELD'S PREACHING DESERVES   SPECIAL NOTICE, AND THAT IS THE IMMENSE AMOUNT OF EMOTION AND FEELING THAT IT ALWAYS CONTAINED. It was not uncommon for him to weep profusely in the pulpit. Cornelius Winter, who often accompanied him in his latter journeys, went so far as to say that he hardly ever knew him to get through a sermon without some tears. T...

  { PT.  8 } - Their unbought and unbiased opinions appear to me to supply unanswerable proof that there must have been something very extraordinary about Whitefield's preaching. Still, though, the question remains to be answered: what was the secret of Whitefield's unrivaled popularity and effectiveness? I honestly admit that with the sparse materials we possess for forming our judgment, the question is a very difficult one to answer. The person who turns to the seventy-five sermons published under Whitefield's name will probably be very disappointed. You will not find in them any superior intellect or grasp of mind. You will not find in them any deep philosophy or very remarkable thoughts. It is only fair, however, to say that most of these sermons were taken down in shorthand be reporters and published without correction. These worthy men appear to have done their work very poorly and were evidently ignorant of punctuation, paragraphing, grammar, and the gospel. The cons...