GEORGE WHITEFIELD, 1714-1770 :

A MODEL FOR MISSION AT THE START OF THE THIRD

MILLENNIUM?

Why Study Whitefield?

•  One of the greatest evangelistic preachers in church history

•  Catalyst for one of the greatest Revivals ever – in England, America and Scotland.

•  Huge legacy - esp. in the Great Awakening in America and in the revitalisation of English Nonconformity

1. Ordinary Childhood – Strong CALLING

Birth

•  Born December 1714 at the Bell Inn, Gloucester.

•  Father died when two – widowed mother also proprietor of the Inn

•  Short  Account  of  God’s  Dealings  with  George  Whitefield  (1739) – birth encouraged him to follow Christ, who, like himself was “born into a manger belonging to an inn”!!

Childhood

•  Conventionally religious and typically sinful!

•  “I was always fond of being a clergyman, used frequently to imitate the ministers reading prayers etc. Part of the money I used to steal from my parents I gave to the poor, and some books I privately took from others…I remember were books of devotion.”

Schooling

•  King’s School Gloucester – cathedral school

•  Crypt school – linked to parish church •  Left school at 15 due to need to help

mother at the inn

Gifts

•  Early signs of prowess in acting and public speaking

•  “Having a good elocution and memory, I was remarked for making speeches before the corporation at their annual visitation.”

Spiritual struggles

•  Mid teens, fell into “abominable secret sin” yet also eagerly attended Church services;

•  “continued in secret sin” and got involved with a “set of debauched, abandoned, atheistical youths” - then pursued a new round of religious devotions – watchfulness over thoughts, words and actions, fasting, prayer and psalms three times a day, public worship twice a day

Sense of calling

•  While reading a play to his sister he informed her that God intended something for him, “which we know not of”

•  Premonition that he would one day become a preacher

•  Offer of becoming a servitor at Pembroke College, Oxford – way of fulfilling his and his mother’s long-term ambitions – resumed schooling and got ready for University

2. Thorough CONVERSION

Key Influence - Wesleys

•  Met Charles Wesley in 1733 who introduced him to John Wesley and others of the Oxford Methodists

•  Groups met for study, Bible study, confession, self-examination

•  High Churchmen – diligent in receiving weekly communion

•  Serving the poor, visiting prisoners etc.

Need for “New Birth”

•  Central to early Methodist theology – process of inward renewal through self-denial – i.e. sanctification

•  Whitefield reading book by Henry Scougal - highlighted the need for the new birth

Pre-Conversion

•  12 months of heavy fasting and self-denial; shut himself in room for days; abandoned his studies for a time; wore ragged clothes; abandoned all “outward” forms of religion – inc. fellowship with Methodists

•  Helped by Wesleys to resume “externals” but not depend on them

•  Severe illness for 7 weeks –“The blessed Spirit was all this time purifying my soul.”

Conversion - spring 1735

•  “Soon after this I felt that I was delivered from the burden that had so heavily oppressed me. The spirit of mourning was taken from me, and I knew what I was to rejoice in God my Saviour; and, for some time, could not avoid singing psalms wherever I went.”

3. Intimate COMMUNION

Devotions - Word

•  “My mind being now more open and enlarged, I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books and praying over, if possible, every line and word. This proved meat indeed and drink indeed to my soul…I got more knowledge from reading the book of God in one month than I ever could have acquired from all the writings of men.”

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Devotions - Prayer

•  “Oh, what sweet communion I had daily with God in prayer…How often have I been carried out beyond myself when sweetly meditating in the fields! How assuredly have I felt that Christ dwelt in me and I in Him! And how did I daily walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost and was edified and refreshed in the multitude of peace.”

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Close Walk with God

•  Hallmark of his whole life - maintained a close and intimate walk with God - both in “set aside” regular devotions and in ongoing close communion with the Spirit.

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4. Experiential MESSAGE

Emphasis on Experience

•  Characteristic feature of evangelicals on both sides of the Atlantic was emphasis upon religious experience.

•  Whitefield exemplified this: “Knowing” Christ, was not a “bare historical knowledge”, but “an experimental knowledge of his Crucifixion, so as to feel the Power of it.” To say, as the modern “letter-learned Preachers” did, that men “may have God’s Spirit without feeling it”, was “in Reality to deny the thing itself.”

Centrality of New Birth

•  From the outset Whitefield’s central message was the need to be BORN AGAIN

•  In the early days this was confused with an idea of inward renewal through spiritual discipline

•  After his conversion he became clearer in seeing the New Birth in relation to Justification by Faith through grace and receiving of the spirit of adoption

Move to Moderate Calvinism

•  Whitefield’s reading of e.g. Matthew Henry, and his connection with Calvinists in England, Wales, America and Scotland meant that between 1735-41 he increasingly moved towards a moderate Calvinist theology

•  This meant that, for example, he held to a view of election, but in a way that he still felt compelled to preach the gospel to all (cf. Calvin’s notion of the “secret will” of God)

Split with Wesleys

•  This led to a public and fairly acrimonious split with the Arminian Wesleys and led to a formal split between him and the Wesleys, thus dividing the Methodist movement, and leading to the formation of separate Calvinistic Methodist societies

•  Yet relationships with Wesleys were soon healed and they enjoyed warm fellowship, shared pulpits and Wesley preached a funeral sermon for him

Divine Providence

•  God works all things to good! Even though at the time it was a painful split in the revival movement, the longer-term meant that the Arminian Wesley continued to minister more effectively within the Anglican world, whereas Whitefield’s moderate Calvinism enabled him to move freely among congregations in Scotland, America and endeared him to the English Dissenters.

5. Broad CHURCHMANSHIP

Anglican background

•  History of Oxonian clerical links – great uncle and uncle had been Rectors of Rockhampton late 17th and early 18th centuries

•  Father – one of wardens of St. Mary de Crypt, Gloucester, 1712

•  George and siblings baptised there •  Went to Cathedral school •  Hints that his mother expected George

(clearly her favourite) to continue in Oxford ordination tradition

Ordination - 1736

•  Ordained within a year of his conversion and below minimum age of 23

•  Prepared diligently and ordained in Gloucester Cathedral – very much aware of the “greatness of this new office”, as he put on his surplice he compared himself to the prophet Samuel in his linen ephod!

•  Early thoughts that he might later become a bishop!

“Dissenter Priest”

•  Unlike the Wesleys, Whitefield shed his High Church prejudices at an early stage and began freely communing with the Dissenters.

•  Restricted his audience in largely Anglican-dominated England, but opened him up to riper fields in Scotland and American colonies, and enabled him to exercise a huge influence on English Nonconformity

Respect for 17th century Puritans

•  “I bless God, the partition wall of bigotry and sect-religion was broken down in my heart; for, as soon as the love of God was shed abroad in my soul, I loved all of whatsoever denomination, who loved the Lord Jesus in sincerity of heart.”

“Catholic Spirit” yet still Anglican

•  “I would willingly be of that catholic spirit as to love the image of my Divine master whenever I see it, though…I should think it a sin in me to dissent from the Established Church. Yet I am far from thinking God’s grace is confined to any set of men whatsoever. No, I think the partition wall is broken down and that Jesus Christ came to redeem a people out of all nations and languages.”

6. Brilliant COMMUNICATOR

Early preparation / 1st sermon

•  1st sermon June, 1736, spoke “with as much freedom as though I had been a preacher for some years,” a facility partly due to the “unspeakable advantage of being accustomed to public speaking when a boy at school, and of exhorting and teaching prisoners and poor people at their private houses, while at the university.”

•  According to Bishop, 15 members were driven “mad” by this 1st sermon

1st extempore sermon

•  Traditional preaching - read from notes. Whitefield was instrumental in helping to break the mould

•  “It happened providentially that a lecture was to be preached that evening at Deptford, and several importuned me to preach it; at first I was fearful (O me of little faith), having no notes. But, afterwards…I went up, depending on the promise, “Lo! I am with you always every unto the end of the world”, and was enable to preach to a large congregation without the least hesitation.”

“Actor preacher” rather than “scholar preacher”

•  Mid 18th century Anglican preaching emphasised thorough acquaintance with Scriptures in original languages, plus wide knowledge of commentators leading to a learned, well-structured, pre-prepared sermon aimed at informing the intellect

•  Whitefield, however, much simpler, more experiential and ultimately extempore style, aimed more at conversion than instruction

Real life illustrations

•  “on observing the formality of the judge putting on the black cap to pronounce sentence, I have known him avail himself of it in the close of a sermon, with his eyes full of tears, and his heart almost too big to admit of speech, dropping into a momentary pause – “I am going now to put on my condemning cap: sinner, I must do it; I must pronounce sentence upon you” – and then, in a tremendous strain of eloquence, recite our Lord’s words, “Go, ye cursed”, not without a very powerful recitation of the nature of the curse” (Whitefield’s assistant, Cornelius Winter)

Passion

•  “I hardly ever knew him to go through a sermon without weeping, more or less, and I truly believe his tears were tears of sincerity…I could hardly bear such unreserved use of tears, and scope he gave to his feelings, for sometimes he exceedingly wept, stamped loudly and passionately, and was frequently so overcome, that, for a few seconds, you would suspect he never could recover; and when he did, nature required some little time to compose himself” (Cornelius Winter)

Gravitas

•  From the moment he entered the pulpit, “with a significance of countenance, that indicated he had something of importance which he wanted to indulge,” to his descent, there was something “truly impressive” about his whole performance

Eloquence

•  “…every accent, every emphasis, every modulation of voice, was so perfectly well turned and well placed, that, without being interested in the subject, one could not help being pleased with the discourse; a pleasure of much the same kind with that received from an excellent piece of musick.” (Benjamin Franklin)

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Itinerant Preacher

•  An itinerant with a good memory can rely on a few well-rehearsed evangelistic sermons

•  This meant Whitefield could improve his sermons with practice, adapting each one to individual situations

•  Preaching only truly extemporaneous in the sense that he did not use notes

Open air “performer”

•  Open air – inner core of followers formed an initial circle. Waited until a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered – many alerted through advance word of mouth or advertising. Then, often by the use of a hymn, he would arouse his outdoor congregation, before launching into an extemporaneous prayer, followed by the sermon

•  Positioned himself so that the wind would carry his voice to the outside of crowd – sometimes over 30,000 (without amplification!)

7. Courageous CHARACTER

Handling “fame”

•  Recent biographer - for a time (in his mid 20s) Whitefield was the most famous man in America, and possibly 2nd most famous man in England after the King.

Handling money

•  Great gift of raising money •  Integrity and generosity - money towards

“orphanage” in Savannah - rather than using it for personal accumulation

Willingness to Risk for the gospel

•  Anglican fear and disdain for open air and “field preaching”. Yet when churches started being closed to him, he preached in the open air.

•  1st sermon in the fields to the Kingswood colliers on Feb 17th, 1739 - persuaded Wesley to do the same: He imagined, “the scorn of the self-righteous bigots to see a clergyman in his gown and cassock, venting his enthusiastic ravings on a common”, adding, “but if this is to be vile, Lord grant that I may be more vile. I know this foolishness of preaching is made instrumental to the conversion and edification of numbers.”

World as his parish

•  Brief parochial ministry in Savannah, Georgia, 1738-1741

•  Never took up charge of an English parish •  Like Wesley, Whitefield viewed England as

full of “baptised heathens”, and his parish was the world.

•  If the fulfilment of the divine commission meant the crossing of parish boundaries, so be it!

Ability to handle opposition

•  Huge celebrity •  Massive focus of “media” attention -

including very personal and vicious attacks - e.g. of his journals, his preaching.

•  Partly immaturity - sweeping attacks on “unconverted” preachers - attacks on Harvard and Yale that he later regretted.

•  Overall - tremendous courage and resilience to keep on going in spite of such opposition

8. Revival CARRIER

Revival

•  Late 1734-42 - sovereign outpouring of the Spirit - both in Britain and America - that had a lasting impact

•  Human Catalyst - Whitefield - he managed to unite the other “fires” as well as act as a catalyst in a transatlantic Awakening.

1739 - Year of Breakthrough

•  Jan 1, 1739, “Pentecost” prayer meeting •  Preaching in “fields” / 1000s converted.

Remarkable summer preaching to crowds in London in open air, attracting up to 50-80,000 in some meetings in London - total audience during that period of between 800,000 to 1 million, “a figure without precedence in the annals of English preaching” (total pop of Eng and Wales c. 5.5. million) 49

Great Awakening - America

•  1739-40 - fanned flames of Revival in Middle Colonies

•  1740 - catalyst for Great Awakening in New England. Massive impact - e.g. 30,000 on Boston Common (pop. of Boston c. 25,000)

•  Greatest revival in US history - Huge legacy

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Scottish Revival

•  Catalyst for great revival in Cambuslang (outside Glasgow) in 1741-42

•  Preaching to 50,000 in fields - holding huge open air communion services

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Multitudes

•  Glasgow - By 3am crowds were gathering to hear him, and at 7am preached to many 1000s and then again in the evening

•  Went to Cambuslang where there was a “very earnest Desire in Multitudes” to hear him preach. Preached 3 times and with astonishing results – especially at 11pm when he wrote, the “Commotions…far out-did what I ever saw in America”.

Open Air Communion at Cambuslang

•  “On Sabbath-Day, never was such a sight seen in Scotland…There were undoubtedly upwards of thirty thousand people…and the Holy Sacrament was administered in the fields…On Monday I preached again…But such an universal Shock I never saw before…thousands all bath’d in Tears; some wringing their hands, others, swooning, others crying out…All Night you might see Persons in different Companies praying to, and praising God.”

Extraordinary Effect

•  Most converted were young – late teens / early 20s, strict Presbyterian upbringing, but no prior experience of conversion

•  One of Whitefield’s sermons on Thy Maker is Thy Husband was particularly effective. One young 21 year old man: “almost cried for joy at the sweet offers of Christ as a husband to my soul.” 16 year old girl was struck by how not to be married to Christ was “to have the Devil for your Husband and you sleep all night in the Devil’s arms.”

2nd Communion – 30/40,000

•  “Mr. Whitefield’s sermons…were attended with much power…several crying out, and a very great and decent Weeping and Mourning was observable thro’ the Auditory. On Sabbath Evening while he was serving some Tables, he appear’d to be so filled with the Love of God, as to be in a Kind of Ecstasy or Transport”

“He Being Dead He Yet Speaketh”

Bishop Ryle’s summary

•  “Whitefield wrote no book for the millions, of world-wide fame, like Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress…He founded no religious denomination, which pinned its faith on his writings and carefully embalmed his best acts and words, like John Wesley…No! The great evangelist of the 18th century…lived for one thing only, and that was to preach Christ.”

Influence

•  While Wesley, the evangelical Arminian did create a denomination, Whitefield the moderate Calvinist, in his lifetime influenced a more varied and international audience. In broad terms, he more than any single individual, was responsible for the transition in the English-speaking world from the Puritanism of the seventeenth century to the evangelicalism of the mid-late eighteenth century and beyond

Changes

•  Many ministers began to imitate his example by adopting a looser, more experiential, less scholastic form of Calvinism – more concerned with bringing the sinner to faith and repentance

•  New preaching techniques of extempore, itinerant field-preaching

•  “Catholic spirit” fostered some of the great pan-evangelical enterprises and missionary societies

Conclusion

•  One of greatest revivalists and arguably the greatest evangelistic preacher in history!

•  Whole generation impacted on both sides of the Atlantic. Helped the Puritan world change into the missionary-minded Evangelicalism of the late 18th Century

•  Died at age of 56 having worn himself out in the Lord’s service!

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