ee the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and to receive from the mouth of that eminent divine, an account of a remarkable conversion there. At every place on the road pulpits were open, and a divine unction attended his preaching.

At Northampton, when he came to remind them of what God had formerly done for them, it was like putting fire to tinder. Both minister and people were much moved; as were the children of the family, at an exhortation which their father desired Mr. Whitefield to give them.

After leaving Northampton, he preached in every town to large and affected congregations. October 23, he reached New Haven, where he was affectionately received by Mr. Pierpont, brother-in-law to Mr. Jonathan Edwards, and had the pleasure of seeing his friend Mr. Noble, of New York, who brought him letters from Georgia. It being assembly time, and the governor and burgesses then sitting, he stayed till the Sabbath and had the pleasure to see numbers impressed. The good old governor was affected in a particular manner, and at a private visit which Mr. Whitefield paid him, said, "thanks be to God for such refreshings in our way to heaven.”

On Monday morning he set forward and preached with unusual success at Milford, Stratford, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Stamford, where he was visited by some ministers under deep

concern.

This was on the borders of New York province, into which he now again entered, and preached at Rye and Kingsbridge, on his way to the city of New York, where he arrived October 30. Here for three days successively, and afterwards at Staten Island, Newark, Baskenridge, his preaching appeared to be attended with more success than ever. At Trenton he had a long conference with some ministers, about Mr. Gilbert Tennent's complying with an invitation to go and preach in New England. After prayer, and considering the arguments, both

* "The attention of the people in general was greatly awakened upon hearing the fame of him, that there was a remarkable preacher from England, traveling through the country. The people flocked to hear him when he came to New Haven. Some traveled twenty miles out of the country to hear him. The assemblies were crowded, and remarkably attentive; people appeared generally to approve, and their conversation turned chiefly upon him and his preaching. Some disapproved of several things which occasioned considerable disputes. I heard him when he preached in public, and when he expounded in private in the evening, and highly approved of him, and was somewhat impressed by what he said in public and in private. He preached against mixed dancing and the frolicking of males and females together; which practice was then very common in New England. This offended some, especially young people. But I remember I justified him in this in my own mind, and in conversation with those who were disposed to condemn him. This was in October, 1740, when I had entered on my last year in college."See Memoirs of Dr. Samuel Hopkins.

for and against this proposal, they thought it best he should go; which, however diffident of himself, he was persuaded to do. And his ministrations were attended with an extraordinary blessing to multitudes, as is particularly narrated elsewhere.*

What sort of reception Mr. Whitefield had in New England, will farther appear from the following letters of some eminent ministers of Boston, and the adjacent towns, published by the Rev. Josiah Smith, of Charleston, in the South Carolina Ga"OCTOBER 1, 1740.

zette.

"Rev. and dear Sir,

"Your kind letter by Mr. Whitefield, and your other, are both now before me. You raised our expectations of him very much, as did his Journals more, and Mr. P. of New York, concurred with them; but we own, now that we have seen and heard him, that our expectations are all answered, and exceeded. not only in his zealous and fervent abounding labors, but in his command of the hearts and affections of his hearers. He has been received here as an angel of God, and a servant of Jesus Christ. I hope this visit to us will be of very great use and benefit to ministers and people. He has found his heart and mouth much open to speak freely and boldly to us, and he finds it received with joy."

By the same gentleman :

"Rev. and dear Sir,

"NOVEMBER 29, 1740.

"Mr. Whitefield left us seven weeks ago; the last week we heard of him in Philadelphia. I hear that much of the presence of God is with him. He has left a blessing behind him, we hope with us. Our people, high and low, old and young, are very swift to hear. The excellent meekness of Mr. White field's Answer to the Querists, will honor him to you."

Another writes thus:

"OCTOBER 22, 1740.

"Though it is always a singular pleasure to me to hear from you, yet your two letters by Mr. Whitefield, had a new circumstance of pleasure from the dear hand that presented them. I perceive you were impatient to know what sort of introduction he had among us. We (ministers, rulers, and people)

* See Prince's Christian History, or, Historical Collections of the Success of the Gospel, Vol. II. where the facts are set down in the order of time.

About this time Mr. Whitefield wrote his letter to some church members of the Presbyterian persuasion, in answer to certain scruples and queries which they had proposed.

generally received him as an angel of God. When he preached his farewell sermon in our common, there were TWENTYTHREE THOUSAND, at a moderate computation. We are abundantly convinced, that you spoke the words of truth and soberness in your sermon relating to him. Such a power and presence of God with a preacher, and in religious assemblies, I never saw before; but I would not limit the Holy One of Israel. The prejudices of many are quite conquered, and the expectations of others vastly outdone, as they freely own. A considerable number are awakened, and many christians seem to be greatly quickened. He has preached twice at Cambridge; he has one warm friend there, Mr. the tutor, who has followed him to Northampton, and will, for aught I know, to Georgia. But Mr. Whitefield has not a warmer friend any where, than the first man among us. Our governor has showed him the highest respect, carried him in his coach from place to place, and could not help following him fifty miles out of town. I hope the religion of the country will fare the better for the impressions left on him."

The same gentleman writes,

"December 2, 1740.

А

"The man greatly beloved, I suppose, may be with you before now. That his visit here will be esteemed a distinguished mercy of heaven by many, I am well satisfied. Every day gives me fresh proofs of Christ's speaking in him. A small set of gentlemen amongst us, when they saw the affections of the people so moved under his preaching, would attribute it only to his force of voice and gesture. But the impressions on many are so lasting, and have been so transforming, as to carry plain signatures of a divine hand going along with him."

Another gentleman writes,

"NOVEMBER 1, 1740.

"I received yours by the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, with whom I coveted a great deal more private conversation than I had opportunity for, by reason of the throngs of people almost perpetually with him. But he appears to be full of the love of God, and fired with an extraordinary zea for the cause of Christ, and applies himself with the most indefatigable diligence, that ever was seen among us, for the promoting the good of souls. His head, his heart, his hands, seem to be full of his Master's business. His discourses, especially when he goes into the expository way, are very entertaining. Every eye is fixed upon him, and every ear chained to his lips. Most

are very much affected; many awakened and convinced, and a general seriousness excited. His address, more especially to the passions, is wonderful, and beyond what I have ever seen. I think I can truly say, that his preaching has quickened me, and I believe it has many others besides, as well as the people. Several of my flock, especially the younger sort, have been brought under convictions by his preaching; and there is this remarkable thing showing the good effect of his preaching, that the word preached now by us, seems more precious to them, and comes with more power upon them. My prayer for him is, that his precious life may be lengthened out, and that he may be an instrument of reviving dying religion in all places whithersoever he comes, who seems to be wonderfully fitted for, as well as spirited in it."

Saturday, November 8, Mr. Whitefield came back to Philadelphia, and on the next day preached to several thousands in a house built for that purpose since his last departure. Here he both heard of and saw many, who were the fruits of his former ministrations; and continued among them till November 17, preaching twice a day. Afterwards he preached in Gloucester, Greenwich, Pilesgrove, Cohansie, Salem, Newcastle, Whiteley Creek, Frog's Manor, Nottingham; in many or most of which places the congregations were numerous, and deeply affected. November 22, he reached Bohemia in Maryland, and from thence he went to Reedy Island. At both places his preaching was attended with great influence. And at the last (their sloop being detained by contrary winds near a week) he preached frequently. All the captains and crews of the ships that were wind-bound constantly attended, and great numbers crowded out of the country, some as far as from Philadelphia; and as great concern as ever came upon their minds.

December 1, he set sail from Reedy Island for Charleston in South Carolina, and here he makes the following remark: "It is now the seventy-fifth day since I arrived in Reedy Island. My body was then weak, but the Lord has much renewed its strength. I have been enabled to preach, I think, a hundred and seventy-five times in public, besides exhorting frequently in private. I have traveled upwards of eight hundred miles, and gotten upwards of seven hundred pounds sterling, in goods, provisions, and money, for the Georgia orphans. Never did I perform my journeys with so little fatigue, or see such a continuance of the divine presence in the congregations to which I have preached. Praise the Lord, O my soul.""

After a pleasant passage of eight or nine days, and preaching again at Charleston and Savannah, he arrived on the 14th of December at the Orphan-house, where he found his family

comfortably settled. At Rhode Island he had providentially met with Mr. Jonathan Barber, whose heart was very much knit to him, and who was willing to help him at the Orphanhouse. Him, therefore, he left superintendant of the spiritual, and Mr. Habersham of the temporal affairs; and having spent a very comfortable Christmas with his Orphan family, he set off again for Charleston, were he arrived January 3, 1741, and preached twice every day as usual, to most affectionate auditories, till the 16th of January, when he went on board. for England. He arrived the 11th of March at Falmouth, rode post to London, and preached at Kennington common the Sunday following.

CHAPTER VII.

His separation from Mr. Wesley, and the circumstances attending it, about the period of his return to London, 1741.

On his return to England, Mr. Whitefield was called to meet a dispensation eminently afflictive to a heart, whose very life was fervent and all-circling love-separation from his spiritual coadjutor and guide. No single chapter of his history was probably so fraught with incidents painful to be thought of, even to the last day of his life. While Whitefield and Wesley were each alike absorbed in the work of saving a perishing world; while the hearts of both yearned with insatiable longings for the restoration of men to bliss; they each, with their native and habitual intensity of character, attributed the utmost importance to what was felt to be the best modus operandi, the proper manner and means of conversion. They doubtless, as a matter of fact, both held that regeneration could be affected by divine interposition alone on the one hand; and, on the other, that it could never be made manifest but through human actings and strivings, or in any manner take place without them. It so happened, however, that they each viewed the subject in one relation only, and thus they soon found themselves pursuing opposite directions in the formation of their theological systems: Mr Whitefield viewing man chiefly in his condition of dependence upon God for salvation; and Mr. Wesley looking at him mainly as a responsible and guilty being. In short, Mr. Wesley became an Arminian and Mr. Whitefield a Calvinist.

Nevertheless, up to this period their differences had not become sufficiently mature and distinct to lead to a breach. But now conscience impelled each to assert doctrines, which, as