CHAPTER XIII.

WHITEFIELD ITINERATING.

ON returning from Cambuslang to London, Whitefield found, says Gillies," the Tabernacle enlarged, and a new awakening' begun. As might be expected, he was just in the right spirit for turning both facilities to the best account. Remembering the unction he enjoyed in Scotland, he wrote to a friend on arriving at London, “I feel it—I feel it now, and long to preach again!" When he did, he soon had occasion to inform one of his Cambuslang companions, " Our glorious Emmanuel blesses me in like manner, now he has brought me to England."

This flourishing state of the Tabernacle society, now equally large and harmonious, enabled him to forget all his old grievances, and to renew his wonted spirit towards the Wesleys. They were then triumphing gloriously at Newcastle, and he "heartily rejoiced" in their success. He wrote to one of their friends thus:-"I am dead to parties now, and freed from the pain which, on that account, once disturbed the peace of my soul. I redeem time from sleep rather than your letter should not be answered."

His letters at this time are full of a holy impatience to get out of his "winter-quarters," pleasant as they were, and to enter upon a "fresh campaign." His old friends in the country, and especially in Wales, were crying out for him, to do there what he had done in Scotland. He could not, however, gratify them at once. Persecution had begun to harass some of his coadjutors in Wales and Wiltshire; and therefore he kept upon his vantage ground in London, to expose and defeat it. Accordingly, he appealed thus to the bishop of Bangor, on behalf

of Cennick, who had been "shamefully used" in that diocese: "In Wales they have little fellowship meetings, where some well-meaning people meet together, simply to tell what God hath done for their souls. In some of these meetings, I believe, Mr. C. used to tell his experience, and to invite his companions to come and be happy in Jesus Christ. He is, therefore, indicted as holding a conventicle; and this, I find, is the case of one if not two more. Now, my Lord, these persons, thus indicted, as far as I can judge, are loyal subjects to his Majesty, and true friends to, and attendants upon, the church of England service, You will see by the letters (I send with this) how unwilling they are to leave her. And yet, if all those acts against persons meeting to plot against church and state, were put in execution against them, what must they do? They must be obliged to declare themselves dissenters. I assure your Lordship it is a critical time for Wales. Hundreds, if not thousands, will go in a body from the church, if such proceedings are countenanced. I lately wrote them a letter, dissuading them from separating from the church; and I write thus freely to your Lordship, because I would not have such a fire kindled in or from your Lordship's diocese." To this letter the bishop returned a prompt and polite answer, promising to hear both sides. What he did eventually, I know not. However, six months afterwards, Whitefield found some difficulty, though he carried his point, in preventing a separation from the church in Wales; as we shall soon see.

The next case of persecution which he had to resist, came to him from Wiltshire. It was of a kind not altogether cured by another century of "the march of intellect." It was this: "The ministers of Bramble, Segery, Langley, and many others, have strictly forbidden the overseers and churchwardens to let any of the C-s (Cennickites?) have any thing out of the parish; and they obey them, and tell the poor, if they cannot stop them from following any other way (than the church!) they will famish them. Several of the poor, having large families, have already been denied any help. Some, out of fear, denied they ever came, (to the conventicle,) and others have been made to promise they will come no more; whilst the most part

come at the loss of friends and all they have. When the officers threatened some to take away their pay, they answered," If you starve us we will go; and rather than forbear, we will live like kine."

on grass

These facts, in this form, Whitefield submitted to the bishop of Old Sarum; telling his Lordship plainly, that if Cleft the church, "hundreds would leave it with him." The effect, as usual, is not known. The only thing certain is, that both persecution and petty annoyance went on in most quarters.

Whitefield having done what he could by letters, left London to visit these disturbed districts, and attend the associations of the Welch methodists. On his way he preached at Hampton Common, to about "twelve thousand." Gillies does not mention the occasion. It was this. "A man was hung in chains" there, that day. "A more miserable spectacle," says Whitefield, "I have not seen. I preached in the morning to a great auditory, about a mile off from the place of execution. I intended doing the same after the criminal was turned off; but the weather was very violent. Thousands and thousands came and staid to hear; but through misinformation, kept on the top of the hill while I preached at the bottom."

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From this he went to Dursley, one of the seats of persecution, to dare the consequences; but although the mob had taken down an itinerant on the sabbath before, no one was permitted to touch or molest" him. "The word came (upon them) with a most gloriously convincing power." He then went to his TUMP again at Hampton. "I cannot tell you," he says, "what a solemn occasion that was! They do, indeed, hang on me to hear the word. It ran, and was glorified. Preaching in Gloucestershire now, is like preaching at the Tabernacle,"

After preaching at Bristol and Bath, he went to Waterford in South Wales, and there presided at the first Association of the Welch Calvinistic Methodists. All who know how much Wales owes to the meetings of this union, and how often and signally they have been Pentecostal scenes, well accounting for, if not excusing, the shouts of "Gogunnyant, bendyitti," will learn with pleasure that Whitefield "opened the Association."

Gillies. "I opened, with a close and solemn discourse on walking with God. Afterwards we betook ourselves to business; settling the affairs of the societies, till about two in the morning." Next day, they sat till midnight. "All acknowledged God was with them." Thus began that which eventually immortalized Bala (bach!) and sainted Charles.

In the spirit of this meeting he went to Cardiff, and again made "the greatest scoffers quiet." But at Swansea, the effect was so great, that he wrote off to a friend after preaching, "Swansea is taken! I never preached with a more convincing power. Free grace for ever!" From this he went to Caermarthen, and preached from "the top of the CROSS." The great sessions were then sitting. "The justices," he says, "desired I would stay till they rose, and they would come. cordingly, they did, and many thousands more, and several people of quality." He was still more pleased, however, with an audience" of several thousand souls at Jefferson," because they were "very like the Kingswood colliers; and at Llassivran, because he had, "as it were, a Moorfields congregation," and chiefly, because "Jerusalem sinners bring most glory to Christ."

Ac

Whilst thus in what he calls "a new and very unthought-of world," a clergyman in the neighbourhood of Larn preached against him by name on the sabbath day, much and violently. This defeated its own purpose. To his surprise, on crossing the ferry at Larn, one vessel fired a salute, and several hoisted their flags as tokens of respect and welcome.

During this itineracy in Wales he travelled, he says, "four hundred miles in three weeks, spent three days in attending two associations, preached about forty times, visited about thirteen towns, and passed through seven counties." Lett. 514. At the close of this tour, his first question to himself was, "Where shall I go next?" He was at a loss to determine. "A visit to Yorkshire would be very agreeable. Perhaps Exeter and Cornwall may be the next places. That is dry ground. I love to range in such places." He determined, however, to make, first, one more attack upon the prince of darkness in Moorfields. This he did; and one of its effects was, that he was enabled to remit £25 to Georgia, in addition to £100 sent out by his brother's ship a lit

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tle before. Grace, grace," he exclaims in his letter to Habersham, "I have paid all that is due in England, and have sent you £25 by the bearer. God willing, I will remit you more soon."

After a few weeks, he left London again for Gloucestershire, to "strengthen the persecuted," or to share the brunt with Cennick, of whom he was very fond. He thus describes him at this time: "He is truly a great soul! one of those weak things, which God has chosen to confound the strong. Such a hardy worker with his hands, and hearty preacher at the same time, I have scarce known. All call him a second Bunyan." Having countenanced and consoled Cennick, he went to Bristol. On his arrival he learnt that the king had fought and conquered in Germany. Whitefield did not know before, that GEORGE had joined the army. He, therefore, said, with his characteristic simplicity and loyalty," I had observed for some time past, when praying for him, that, whether I would or not, out came this petition,-Lord, cover thou his head in the day of battle. While praying, I wondered why I prayed so; not knowing he was gone to fight. This gave me confidence." Lett. 124. He had need of it; for his own day of battle was at hand. A letter came to him from his itinerant at Hampton, urging him to place himself in the breach. The appeal, as will be seen, was not likely to be lost on Whitefield. "On sabbath morning," says the writer, "about twenty of the society met. In the afternoon, the mob came to my house, demanding me to come down. I asked, by what authority they did so? They swore they would have me. Then said I, you shall, so they took me to the lime-pit, (for skins,) and threw me in. But oh, what a power of God was on my soul! I thought, with Stephen, the heavens opened to my sight, and the Lord Jesus was ready to receive me. I believe my undaunted courage shook some of them. I told them, I should meet them at the judgment-seat, and then their faces would gather paleness. They let me out, and I came home and prayed with the people who were there. horted. And when I was concluding, the mob came again, and took me to a brook to throw me in there. They told me, they would let me go, if I would forbear preaching for a month. I would make no such promise. So forward I went. One of them

After that, I

ex