29 September 1770 A.D. George Whitfield Preaches His Last Sermon.
Dr. Rusten tells
the story.
Rusten, E.
Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year
Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history
Whitefield
was born in Gloucester, England on 14 December 1714. He entered Oxford on 1734 and was,
ultimately, ordained to the Church of England. Ultimately, he was refused in
some parish churches. He preached
outdoors and in open fields. He made 14
trips to Scotland and 7 trips to the USA.
He preached sometimes 20 times per week.
One wonders when and where he had time to study and reflect, but a
reading list for a Savannah school indicate he was acquainted with some great
divines of the Church of England. His
sermons contain many references to the Thirty-nine Articles, Homilies and Book of Common Prayer.
He rode
by horse from Portsmouth, NH, to Newburyport, MA. Passing through Exeter, NH, people wanted him
to preach. He did. As Whitefield
approached the platform, an elderly gentleman said to him, “Sir, you are more
fit to go to bed than to preach.”
Whitfield
replied, “True, sir.” Then, looking to
heaven, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, I am weary in thy work but not weary of it. If I
have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for Thee once more on the
fields, seal Thy truth, and come and die.”
Whitfield
mounted the platform, stood for several minutes, and other took note. Whitefild
said, “I will wait for the gracious assistance of God, for He will I am certain
assist me once more to speak in His name.”
He the preached for two hours on the verse “Examine yourselves whether
ye be in the faith.” Towards the end of
the sermon, he said, “I go; I go to a rest prepared: my sun has give3n light to
many, but now it must set—no, to rise to the zenith of immortal glory. I have outlived many on earth, but they
cannot outlive me in heaven. Many shall
outlive me on earth and likve when this body is no more, but there—oh, thought
divine! I shall be in a world where time, age, sickness, and sorrow are
unknown. My body fails, but my spirit
expands. How willingly would I live
forever to preach Christ. But I die to be with Him.”
Exhausted,
he rode off to the parson of Rev. Jonathan Parson, pastor of the Old South
Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, MA.
Tired and sick, he took an early supper.
A crowd gathered at the parsonage wishing to hear him. He again preached. He retired, but awoke at 2
A.M. with breathing difficulties. At 4 A.M., he awoke again, ambled to the
window, claiming to an aide, “I can
scarce breathe.” The aide went to get the doctor. By 7 A.M., a Sunday, the Rev. Mr. George
Whitefield was dead.
Questions:
- We have J.C. Ryle’s entry filed, but what were Mr. Whitefield’s strengths?
- What were his weaknesses?
- Why was he excluded from Church of England parishes?
- Has his name been tarnished by poisoned wells? Has he been unduly exalted by hagiographers? What was the true measure of the man?
- What of his vision problem? Cause?
- What were his doctrinal coordinates to the Reformed Articles, Homilies and Book of Common Prayer?
- What was the theological tenor of the 18th century? In the churches and at OXBRIDGE?
- What was the bibliography recommended by Mr. Whitefield for the Savannah charity? And for workers’ development?
- Why did Rev. Charles Chauncey take issue with Mr. Whitefield?
- Did Whitefield preach at Christ Church, New Bern, NC in 1742? (New Bern is about 35-40 miles north of Camp Lejeune, NC and folk lore claims this.)
- What of his marriage and what became of it?
- Why did he never take a parish, live, preach, administer the sacraments and die with his people? Why the incessant need to itinerate?
Sources:
Towns and
Porter. The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever. 126-130.
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