"Having (as he writes) no righteousness of their own to renounce, they were glad to hear of a Jesus, who was a friend to publicans, and came not to call the righteous, but the sinners, to repentance. The first discovery of their being affect ed, was, to see the white gutters made by their tears, which plentifully fell down their black cheeks, as they came out of their coal pits. Hundreds and hundreds of them were soon brought under deep convictions, which (as the event proved) happily ended in a sound and thorough conversion. The change was visible to all, though numbers chose to impute it to any thing rather than to, the finger of God. As the scene was quite new, and I had but just begun to be an extempore preacher, it often occasioned many inward conflicts. Sometimes, when twenty thousand people were before me, I had not in my own apprehension, a word to say, either to God or to

But I was never totally deserted, and frequently (for to deny it would be lying against God) so assisted, that I knew by happy experience what our Lord meant by saying, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' The open firmament above me, the prospect of the adjacent fields, with the sight of thousands and thousands, some in coaches, some on horseback, and some in the trees, and at times all affected and drenched in tears together, to which sometimes was added the solemnity of the approaching evening, was almost too much for, and quite overcame me."

Besides the colliers, and thousands from neighboring vil lages, persons of all ranks flocked daily out of Bristol. And he was soon invited to preach, by some of the better sort, in a large bowling green in the city itself. Many indeed sneered to see a stripling, with a gown, mount a table, upon what they called unconsecrated ground. And for once or twice it excited the contempt and laughter of the higher ranks, who formerly were his admirers when he preached in the churches. But God enabled him to endure the laugh, and to preach the gospel of Christ with earnestness and constancy; and was pleased to attend it with his blessing. From all quarters people flocked, under great concern about their souls. Sometimes he was employed almost from morning to night, giving answers to those who came in great distress, crying out, "What shall we do to be saved?" More assistance was wanted; he therefore wrote to Mr. John Wesley, who had never yet been at Bristol, and, having received a favorable answer, recommended him and his brother in the strongest manner to the people, and humbly prayed that the last might be first; for he was determined to pursue his scheme of the Orphanhouse, and return to his retreat in Georgia.

Mr. Wesley having come, he took an affectionate leave of his friends at Bristol, and made a second excursion to Wales, where an awakening had begun some years before, by the instrumentality of Rev. Griffith Jones, and was now carried on by the ministry of one Mr. Howel Harris, a layman. They met at Cardiff, and in company with many others went to Husk, Ponty-pool, Abergravenny, Comihoy, Carleon, Trelex, and Newport, and preached in all these places, Mr. Whitefield first in English, and Mr. Harris afterwards in Welch, to many thousands. The serious persons among them of the Free Grace Dissenters, rejoiced; but many of high-flying principles, and of another stamp, were equally enraged, and expressed their dislike by mockings and threats. All these, however, he was enabled to bear with patience, and without the least discouragement.

About the 8th of April, from Wales he went to Gloucester, the place of his birth, where a church was allowed him for once or twice, but no more. However, he preached frequently in Boothall (the place where the judges sit) and in his brother's field, to many thousands.* His concern for his countrymen, his fellow citizens, and his own relations, made him forget all bodily weakness (to which, about this time, he was frequently subject,) and he readily complied with invitations given to preach at Painswick, Chelterham, Evesham, Badsey, Stroud, Chafford, places abounding with inhabitants, and where there is ground to hope many received much spiritual benefit. To wander thus about from place to place; to stand at bowling greens, at market crosses, and in highways, especially in his own country, where, had he conferred with flesh and blood, he might have lived at ease; to be blamed by friends, and have every evil thing spoken against him by his enemies; was

At the time of Mr. Whitefield's preaching in Gloucester, old Mr. Cole, a dissenting minister, used to say, "These are the days of the Son of Man indeed." This Mr. Cole, Mr. Whitefield, when a boy, was taught to ridicule. Being asked once by one of his congregation, what business he would be of, he said, “A minister; but he would take care never to tell stories in the pulpit like old Cole." About twelve years afterwards, the old man hearing him preach, and tell some story to illustrate the subject he was upon, and having been informed what he had before said, made this remark to one of his elders: "I find that young Whitefield can now tell stories, as well as old Cole." He was much affected with Mr. Whitefield's preaching, and so humble, that he used to subscribe himself his curate; and went about preaching after him in the country from place to place. But one evening, while preaching, he was struck with death, and then asked for a chair to lean on, till he concluded his sermon, when he was carried up stairs and died. Mr. Whitefield's reflection upon this, is, "O blessed God! if it be thy holy will, may my exit be like his !" As to Mr. Whitefield's telling stories in the pulpit, some perhaps may find fault; but, besides that he had an uncommon fund of passages, proper enough to be thus told, and a peculiar talent of telling them, it was certainly a means of drawing multitudes to hear him, who would not have attended to the truths of the gospel delivered in the ordinary manner.

"I thought it might be doing the service of my Creator, who had a mountain for a pulpit, and the heavens for a sounding board; and who when his gospel was refused by the Jews, sent his servants into the highways and hedges."

(especially when his body was weak, and his spirits low) very trying but still he was inwardly supported.

April 21, he again went to Oxford: and, after staying a few days with the Methodists there, came to London, where he attempted to preach in Islington church, the incumbent, Mr. Stonehouse, being a friend to the Methodists; but, in the midst of the prayers, the church warden came and demanded his license, and otherwise he forbid his preaching in that pulpit. He might, perhaps, have insisted on his right to preach, yet for peace's sake he declined; and, after the communion service was over, he preached in the church yard.

Opportunities of preaching in a more regular way being now denied him, and his preaching in the fields being attended with a remarkable blessing, he judged it his duty to go on in this practice, and ventured the following Sunday into Moorfields. Public notice having been given, and the thing being new and singular, upon coming out of the coach, he found an incredible number of people assembled. Many had told him that he should never come again out of that place alive. He went in, however, between two of his friends; who, by the pressure of the crowd, were soon parted entirely from him, and were obliged to leave him to the mercy of the rabble. But these, instead of hurting him, formed a lane for him, and carried him along to the middle of the fields, (where a table had been placed, which was broken in pieces by the crowd,) and afterwards back again to the wall that then parted the upper and lower Moorfields; from whence he preached without molestation, to an exceeding great multitude in the lower fields. Finding such encouragement, he went that evening to Kennington common, a large open place, almost three miles distant from London, where he preached to a vast multitude, who were all attention, and behaved with as much regularity and quietness as if they had been in a church.*

CHAPTER V.

From his preaching in Moorfields, &c. to his laying the foundation of the Orphan-house in Georgia, 1740.

FOR several months after this, Moorfields, Kennington common, and Blackheath, were the chief scenes of action. At a moderate computation, the auditories often consisted of above twenty thousand. It is said, their singing could be heard two

**Words cannot well express the glorious displays of Divine Grace which we saw, and heard of, and felt." MS.