A Study of George Whitefield

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Dear Saints, I would like to use this thread to post reflections upon the ministry and man of George Whitefield. I know of no other man of God who has influenced me as strongly as this old brother. His solid preaching, his evangelism, his relentless love for souls and passion and true tears and thunderings deserve our utmost reflection...especially in these last days of religious perversions and spurious occasionings. I believe that in studying the ministry of George Whitefield one can find all the quintessential qualities for the minister of the gospel, a precious balance of grace and truth, of tears and thunderings, of charity and unprecedented boldness. It was the younger Whitefield that John Wesley first saw take to the fields alone, fearlessly preaching the Word of God to the drunkards and whoremongers and being pelted with rocks and dead animals in England, Scotland and Wales. And as he loved the mockers and warned of the terrors of hell that awaited them, tears always streamed down his face. Brethren, let us bring some sobriety back into the forum and return and learn and be impacted by the God-honored old paths.

[i]"Stop, stop O sinner! Stop and turn, turn! You unconverted men, the way you are walking in, however right it may seem to your blinded eyes, will end in death, even the eternal destruction of both body and soul. Do not tarry any longer! At your peril, I charge you: step not one step further in your present walk. For how do you know, O man, that the next step you take may be into hell? Death may seize you, judgment find you, and then the great gulf will be fixed between you and endless glory forever and ever!"[/i]

- From the sermon "Walking with God"

[i]"It is often remarked of people in the Old Testament, that they rose early in the morning, and particularly of our Lord in the New Testament, that he rose a great while before the day to pray. The morning befriends devotion; and, if people cannot use so much self-denial as to rise early to pray, I know not how they will be able to die at a stake - if so called to it -for Jesus Christ."[/i]

- Frem the sermon, "Abraham's Offerings"

I hope this thread is a main stay!!!

We can go ahead & note the thread on, Shubal Stearns & The Sandy Creek Revival that sent the gospel into the southeastern us.
____
Every time I hear a preacher mention Whitefield's name it is promptly followed by a ref. to "Ye Must Be Born Again"
What a testimony!

[i]Formality and hypocrisy in any religious exercise, is an abomination unto the Lord. And to enter his house merely to have our ears entertained, and not our hearts reformed, must certainly be highly displeasing to the Most High God, as well as unprofitable to ourselves.[/i]

[i]"...and therefore, as I suppose many of you are unconverted and graceless, go home! Go away to your closets and go down with your stubborn hearts before God, If you have not done it before, let tonight be the night....let the language of your heart be 'O Lord, convert me! Lord, make me a little child. Lord Jesus, let me not be banished from Thy Kingdom!'"[/i]

- From the sermon, "The Marks of a True Conversion"

“But woe unto you that laugh now; for you shall then lament and weep.” Woe unto you, who either believer there is no devil, or never felt any of his temptations. Woe unto you that are at ease in Zion, and instead of staying to be tempted by the devil, by idleness, self-indulgence, and making continual provision for the flesh, even tempt the devil to tempt you. Woe unto you, who not content with sinning yourselves, turn factors for hell, and make a trade of tempting others to sin. Woe unto you, who either deny divine revelation, or never make use of it but to serve a bad turn. Woe unto you who sell your consciences, and pawn your souls for a little worldly wealth or honor. Woe unto you who climb up to high places, when in church or state, by corruption, bribery, extortion, cringing, flattery, or bowing down to, and soothing the vices of those by whom you expect to rise. Woe unto you! For whether you will own the relation or not, surely you are of your father the devil; for the works of your father you will do; I tremble for you. How can you escape the damnation of hell?

From: The Temptation of Christ

"[i]...Whitefield, and Spurgeon used the work (Matthew Henry's Commentary), and commended it heartily. Whitefield read it through four times, the last time on his knees...[/i]"

- The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Philip Schaff Vol. V:

Here is a free pdf book download of 59 Selected Sermons from Whitefield

Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/whitefield/sermons.html

Whitefield, George (1714-1770)Author(s):
Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryPublisher:

[i]"I tell you, O man, I tell you O woman, whoever you are, you are a dead man, you are a dead woman, no - a damned man, a damned woman, without a new heart..."[/i]

- From the sermon "The Putting on of the New Man, A Certain Mark of the Real Christian"

A thing I've always noticed about Whitefield's exhortations is that they are all foundationed on the concept of impending eternal doom or the promise of eternal glory through salvation in Jesus Christ. Eternity is always pervading his words in one aspect or another. Perhaps this goes to explain how crowds of thousands upon thousands hung on to every one of his words. When a preacher opens the vista of eternity under the authority of God, men begin to tremble and are held spellbound. The awareness of death and everlasting consciousness is engraved upon the soul of man (whether he admits it or not) and God is able to awaken such knowledge and fear when the genuine gospel of sin, righteousness and judgment is put forth with unction in the Holy Spirit.

Thankyou for a wonderful reference

Paul, this is a wonderful thread. I too have been profoundly impacted by George Whitefield. His exhortations at the end of his sermons are full of eternity and urgency, but what I appreciate most about his preaching was his profound understanding of the new birth and the supernatural work of God in converting the soul.

The book that God used to bring Whitefield from death to life was Henry Scougal's, "The Life of God in the Soul of Man", which revealed to him the nature of "true religion", which was the new life of God birthed in the man by the Spirit, the union of Christ with the soul.

[i]"I know by sad experience what it is to be lulled asleep with a false peace; long was I lulled asleep, long did I think myself a Christian, when I knew nothing of the Lord Jesus Christ. I went perhaps farther than many of you do; I used to fast twice a-week, I used to pray sometimes nine times a-day, I used to receive the sacrament constantly every Lord's-day; and yet I knew nothing of Jesus Christ in my heart, I knew not that I must be a new creature -- I knew nothing of inward religion in my soul."[/i]

- From the sermon: The Method of Grace

“If we once get above our Bibles, and cease making the written Word of God sole rule both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion, and be in great danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. Our blessed Lord, though He had the Spirit of God without measure, yet always was governed by, and fought the devil with, ‘It is written.’” (George Whitefield)

Great thread. Just to let you know in advance, I'm beginning a free audiobook website, and Whitefield is high in the list of authors to narrate. Whether or not anyone can capture his tone and energy is to be determined.

[i]The Spirit of God must be at work if the interests of Satan’s kingdom are opposed. This is a sure sign. Satan’s kingdom encourages sin and encourages men to cherish worldly lusts. The Holy Spirit does not.

This sign is given in 1 John 4:4-5: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.” The apostle is here comparing those who are influenced by two opposite kinds of spirits. One spirit is true, and the other is false.

John shows the difference like this: one spirit is from God and so overcomes the spirit of the world. The other spirit speaks about and relishes the things of the world. Here, the spirit of the devil is called “the one who is in the world.” This is the difference between Christ and the devil. Christ says, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), but Satan is called “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4).

We know what the apostle means by “the world” or “the things that are of the world” from his own words in 1 John 2:15-16: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.” Clearly, he means everything to do with sin and includes all men’s corruptions and lusts--everything they look to for satisfaction.

So, from what the apostle says here, we may safely conclude that if a people:

have their love of ordinary, worldly pleasure, profits, and honors lowered;

are weaned from eagerly chasing such things;

have a deep concern about eternity and the eternal happiness that comes through the gospel;

earnestly begin to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness; and

are convicted of the ugliness and guilt of sin, as well as the misery to which it leads, then the Spirit of God must be at work.[/i]

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=15267&forum=40]from Signs of true revival by Edwards[/url]

Whether or not anyone can capture his tone and energy is to be determined.

[i]"Have we read or heard of any person who called so many thousands, so many myriads of sinners to repentance? Above all, have we read or heard of anyone who has been God's blessed instrument to bring so many sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God as Whitefield."[/i]

- John Wesley

PaulWest wrote:
[i]"Have we read or heard of any person who called so many thousands, so many myriads of sinners to repentance? Above all, have we read or heard of anyone who has been God's blessed instrument to bring so many sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God as Whitefield."[/i]

- John Wesley

In the process of reading these words by Wesley, I find myself shamed by the answer I must give to his question.

How can I spend the time and energy that I have; being comforted by healings, sermons, praises of and by men, revival with thousands saved, all in the distant past, and continue to sit comfortably and ask the Lord, ‘where is or when is our revival coming.’?

Do we know the sacrifices that were made and are we even willing to begin to offer, ourselves a sacrifice, the kind required?

When will we stop getting our spiritual fixes from the past?

A soul saved yesterday does not keep a thousand from going to hell today.
Yesterday’s healings do not help those who are suffering today.
All the past revivals save not one soul today.

Though I have enjoyed and been spiritually blessed by many wonderful sermons from the past, men and women need to hear God’s Word preached today from vessels willing to sacrifice all for the saving of souls.

Today is the day of salvation, and it is today we must live as though it is the last we may have to proclaim His wondrous grace.

So do we continue to be content answering ‘no’ to John Wesley’s question?

"Have we read or heard of any person who called so many thousands, so many myriads of sinners to repentance? Above all, have we read or heard of anyone who has been God's blessed instrument to bring so many sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God as Whitefield."

- John Wesley

Or will we fall upon our faces and repent for the reasons we answer ‘no’ and offer ourselves a living sacrifice unto our Lord, no matter what the cost?

If we are not willing to sacrifice all for the souls of men, then we are not worthy of His.

Hebrews 12:1-4
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, [2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. [4] Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I have a question. Does anyone know which is preferable, and why, between Pollock's and Dallimore's biographies on Whitefield?

"You who never have truly repented of your sins, and never have truly forsaken your lusts - be not offended if I speak plain to you; for it is love, the love to your souls that constrains me to speak!

I shall lay before you your danger, and the misery to which you are exposed while you remain impenitent in your sin. And O that this may be a means of making you fly to Christ for pardon and forgiveness! While your sins are not repented of, you are in danger of death, and if you should die, you would perish forever. There is no hope of any who live and die in their sins but that they will dwell with devils and damned spirits for all eternity.

How do you know you will live any longer than this night? We are not even sure of seeing our own habitations this night in safety. How then can you be at ease while yet your sins are not pardoned? As sure as ever the word of God is true if you should die in this condition, you will be shut up from all hope and mercy forever and shall pass into ceaseless and endless misery!"

- From the sermon "A Penitent Heart, the Best New Year's Gift"

Though long by following multitudes admired,
No party for himself he e'er desired;
His one desire to make the Saviour known,
To magnify the name of Christ alone:
If others strove who should the greatest be,
No lover of preeminence was he,
Nor envied those his Lord vouchsafed to bless,
But joyed in theirs as in his own success.

Charles Wesley
An Elegy on the Late Rev. George Whitefield
1770

John Wesley wrote this hymn on the occasion of his friend Whitefield's death in 1770:

Servant of God, well done!
Thy glorious warfare’s past;
The battle’s fought, the race is won,
And thou art crowned at last.

Of all thy heart’s desire
Triumphantly possessed;
Lodged by the ministerial choir
In thy Redeemer’s breast.

In condescending love,
Thy ceaseless prayer He heard;
And bade thee suddenly remove
To thy complete reward.

Ready to bring the peace,
Thy beauteous feet were shod,
When mercy signed thy soul’s release,
And caught thee up to God.

With saints enthroned on high,
Thou dost thy Lord proclaim,
And still to God salvation cry,
Salvation to the Lamb!

O happy, happy soul!
In ecstasies of praise,
Long as eternal ages roll,
Thou seest Thy Savior’s face.

Redeemed from earth and pain,
Ah! when shall we ascend,
And all in Jesus’ presence reign
With our translated friend?

Come, Lord, and quickly come!
And, when in Thee complete,
Receive Thy longing servants home,
To triumph at Thy feet

If this was mentioned previously, pardon the repeat. Arnold A. Dallimore wrote 2 volumes on this saint. Totally amazing.

One chapter into reading about his life, suffice to convince me that I'm no Christian at all......but for the Blood, and His Word such as ..." Christ in you, the hope of glory" Surely nothing else in me, of me, about me, around me could convince me otherwise!

What a Christian!
Thanks Paul

From the sermon [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=991]What think ye of Christ?[/url]

What think you of Jesus Christ being formed within you? For whom Christ justifies, them he also sanctifies. Although he finds, yet he does not leave us unholy. A true Christian may not so properly be said to live, as Jesus Christ to live in him. For they only that are led by the Spirit of Christ, are the true sons of God.

As I observed before, so I tell you again, the faith which we preach is not a dead, but a lively active faith wrought in the soul, working a thorough change, by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the whole man; and unless Christ be thus in you, notwithstanding you may be orthodox as to the foregoing principles, notwithstanding you may have good desires, and attend constantly on the means of grace; yet, in St. Paul's opinion, you are out of a state of salvation. "Know you not, (says that Apostle to the Corinthians, a church famous for its gifts above any church under heaven) that Christ is in you, (by his Spirit) unless you are reprobates?"

For Christ came not only to save us from the guilt, but from the power of our sins; till he has done this, however he may be a Savior to others, we can have no assurance of well-grounded hope, that he has saved us; for it is by receiving his blessed Spirit into our hearts, and feeling him witnessing with our spirits, that we are the sons of God, that we can be certified of our being sealed to the day of redemption.

This is a great mystery; but I speak of Christ and the new-birth. Marvel not at my asking you, what you think about Christ being formed within you? For either God must change his nature, or we ours. For as in Adam we all have spiritually died, so all that are effectually saved by Christ, must in Christ be spiritually made alive. His only end in and rising again, and interceding for us now in heaven, is to redeem us from the misery of our fallen nature, and, by the operation of his blessed Spirit, to make us meet to be partakers of the heavenly inheritance with the saints in light. None but those that thus are changed by his grace here, shall appear with him in glory hereafter.

Examine yourselves, therefore, my brethren, whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves; and think it not sufficient to say in your creed, I believe in Jesus Christ; many say so, who do not believe, who are reprobates, and yet in a state of death. You take God's name in vain, when you call him Father, and your prayers are turned into sin, unless you believe in Christ, so as to have your life hid with him in God, and to receive life and nourishment from him, as branches do from the vine.

I know, indeed, the men of this generation deny there is any such thing as feeling Christ within them; but alas! to what a dreadful condition would such reduce us, even to the state of the abandoned heathen, who, St. Paul tells us, "were past feeling." The Apostle prays, that the Ephesians may abound in all knowledge and spiritual understanding, or as it might be rendered, spiritual sensation. And in the office for the visitation of the sick, the minister prays, that the Lord may make the sick person know and feel, that there is not other name under heaven given unto men, in whom and through whom they may receive health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus. For there is a spiritual, as well as a corporeal feeling; and though this is not communicated to us in a sensible manner, as outward objects affect our senses, yet it is as real as any sensible or visible sensation, and may be as truly felt and discerned by the soul, as any impression from without can be felt by the body. All who are born again of God, know that I lie not.

What think you, Sirs, did Naaman feel, when he was cured of his leprosy? Did the woman feel virtue coming out of Jesus Christ, when she touched the hem of his garment, and was cured of her bloody issue? So surely mayst thou feel, O believer, when Jesus Christ dwelleth in thy heart. I pray God to make you all know and feel this, ere you depart hence.

O my brethren, my heart is enlarge towards you. I trust I feel something of that hidden, but powerful presence of Christ, whilst I am preaching to you. Indeed it is sweet, it is exceedingly comfortable. All the harm I wish you, who without cause are my enemies, is, that you felt the like. Believe me, though it would be hell to my soul, to return to a natural state again, yet I would willingly change status with you for a little while, that you might know what it is to have Christ dwelling in your hearts by faith. Do not turn your backs; do not let the devil hurry you away; be not afraid of convictions; do not think worse of the doctrine, because preached without the church walls. Our Lord, I the days of his flesh, preached on a mount, in a ship, and a field; and I am persuaded, many have felt his gracious presence here. Indeed we speak what we know. Do not reject the kingdom of God against yourselves; be so wise as to receive our witness. I cannot, I will not let you go; stay a little, let us reason together. However lightly you may esteem your souls, I know our Lord has set an unspeakable value on them. He thought them worthy of his most precious blood. I beseech you, therefore, O sinners, be ye reconciled to God. I hope you do not fear being accepted in the beloved. Behold, he calleth you; behold, he prevents and follows you with his mercy, and hath sent forth his servants unto the highways and hedges, to compel you to come in. Remember then, that at such an hour of such a day, in such a year, in this place, you were all told what you ought to think concerning Jesus Christ. If you now perish, it will not be for lack of knowledge: I am free from the blood of you all. You cannot say I have been preaching damnation to you; you cannot say I have, like legal preachers, been requiring you to make brick without straw. I have not bidden you to make yourselves saints, and then come to God; but I have offered you salvation on as cheap terms as you can desire. I have offered you Christ's whole wisdom, Christ's whole righteousness, Christ's whole sanctification and eternal redemption, if you will but believe on him. If you say, you cannot believe, you say right; for faith, as well as every other blessing, is the gift of God; but then wait upon God, and who knows but he may have mercy on thee? Why do we not entertain more loving thoughts of Christ? Or do you think he will have mercy on others, and not on you? But are you not sinners? And did not Jesus Christ come into the world to save sinners? If you say you are the chief of sinners, I answer, that will be no hindrance to your salvation, indeed it will not, if you lay hold on him by faith. Read the Evangelists, and see how kindly he behaved to his disciples who fled from and denied him: "Go tell my brethren," says he. He did not say, Go tell those traitors; but, "Go tell my brethren in general, and poor Peter in particular, "that I am risen;" O comfort his poor drooping heart, tell him am reconciled to him; bit him weep no more so bitterly: for though with and curses he thrice denied me, yet I have died for his sins, I am risen again for his justification: I freely forgive him all. Thus slow to anger, and of great kindness, was our all-merciful High-priest. And do you think he has changed his nature, and forgets poor sinners; now he is exalted to the right hand of God? No, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and sitteth there only to make intercession for us. Come then, ye harlots, come ye publicans, come ye most abandoned of sinners, come and believe on Jesus Christ. Though the whole world despise you and cast you out, yet he will not disdain to take you up. O amazing, O infinitely condescending love! even you, he will not be ashamed to call his brethren. How will you escape if you neglect such a glorious offer of salvation? What would the damned spirits, now in the prison of hell, give, if Christ was so freely offered to their souls? And why are not we lifting up our eyes in torments? Does any one out of this great multitude dare say, he does not deserve damnation? If not, why are we left, and others taken away by death? What is this but an instance of God's free grace, and a sign of his good will towards us? Let God's goodness lead us to repentance! O let there be joy in heaven over some of you repenting! Though we are in a field, I am persuaded the blessed angels are hovering now around us, and do long, "as the hart panteth after the water-brooks," to sing an anthem at your conversion. Blessed be God, I hope their joy will be fulfilled. An awful silence appears amongst us. I have good hope that the words which the Lord has enabled me to speak in your ears this day, have not altogether fallen to the ground. Your tears and deep attention, are an evidence, that the Lord God is amongst us of a truth. Come, ye Pharisees, come and see, in spite of your satanical rage and fury, the Lord Jesus is getting himself the victory. And brethren, I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not, if one soul of you, by the blessing of God, be brought to think savingly of Jesus Christ this day, I care not if my enemies were permitted to carry me to prison, and put my feet fast in the stocks, as soon as I have delivered this sermon. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God is, that you may be saved. For this cause I follow my Master without the camp. I care not how much of his sacred reproach I bear, so that some of you be converted from the errors of your ways. I rejoice, yea and I will rejoice. Ye men, ye devils, do your worst: the Lord who sent, will support me. And when Christ, who is our life, and whom I have now been preaching, shall appear, I also, together with his despised little ones, shall appear with him in glory. And then, what will you think of Christ? I know what you will think of him. You will then think him to be the fairest among ten thousand: You will then think and feel him to be a just and sin-avenging judge. Be ye then persuaded to kiss him lest he be angry, and so you be banished for ever from the presence of the Lord. Behold, I come to you as the angel did to Lot. Flee, flee, for your lives; haste, linger no longer in your spiritual Sodom, for otherwise you will be eternally destroyed. Numbers, no doubt, there are amongst you, that may regard me no more than Lot's sons-in-law regarded him. I am persuaded I seem t some of you as one that mocketh: but I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not; as sure as fire and brimstone was rained from the Lord out of heaven, to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, so surely, at the great day, shall the vials of God's wrath be poured on you. If you do not think seriously of, and act agreeable to the gospel of the Lord's Christ. Behold, I have told you before; and I pray God, all you that forget him may seriously think of what has been said, before he pluck you away, and there be none to deliver you.

This thread deserves a bump up