heart was very much knit to him, and who was willing to help him at the Orphan-house. Him, therefore, he left superintendant for the spiritual, and Mr. Habersham for the temporal affairs: and having spent a very comfortable Christmas with his Orphan family, he set off again for Charleston,* where 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.

CHAP. VII.

From his Arrival in England, in the Year 1741, to his leaving Scotland, the same Year.

THE new and unexpected situation in which he now found himself will be best described in his own words :"But what a trying scene appeared here! In my zeal, during my journey through America, I had written two well-meant, though injudicious letters, against England's two great favourites-the Whole Duty of Man, and Archbishop Tillotson, who, I said, knew no more of religion than Mahomet. The Moravians had made inroads upon the societies. Mr. John Wesley, some way or other, had been prevailed on to preach and print in favour of perfec tion, and universal redemption; and very strongly against election, a doctrine which I thought, and do now believe, was taught me of God, therefore could not possibly recede from. Thinking it my duty so to do, I had written an an

* At Charleston, the Commissary was going to proceed against him for correcting and preparing for the press a letter written by Mr. Hugh B- -n, in which it was hinted that the clergy break their canons. He also laid him under suspension for omitting to use the form of prayer prescribed in the communion-book, when officiating in a dissenting congregation.-But Mr. Whitefield gave security for his appearance, and appealed home.

swer at the Orphan-house, which though revised, and much approved of by some good and judicious divines, I think had some too strong expressions about absolute reprobation, which the apostle leaves rather to be inferred than expressed. The world was angry at me for the former, and numbers of my own spiritual children for the latter. One that got some hundreds of pounds by my Sermons, being led away by the Moravians, refused to print for me any more; and others wrote to me that God would destroy me in a fortnight; and that my fall was as great as Peter's, Instead of having thousands to attend me, scarce one of my spiritual children came to see me from morning to night. Once, at Kennington-Common, I had not above a hundred to hear me. At the same time I was much embarrassed in my outward circumstances. A thousand pounds I owed for the Orphan-house. Two hundred and fifty pounds, bills drawn upon Mr. Seward, now dead, were returned upon me. I was also threatened to be arrested for two hundred pounds more. My travelling expences also to be defrryed. A family of a hundred to be daily maintained, four thousands miles off, in the dearest place of the King's dominious. Ten thousand times would I rather have died than part with my old friends. It would have melted any heart to have heard Mr. Charles Wesley and me weeping after prayer, that, if possible, the breach might be prevented. Once I preached in the Foundery (a place which Mr. John Wesley had procured in my absence) on Gal. iii. but no more. All my work was to begin again. One day I was exceedingly refreshed in reading Beza's Life of Calvin, wherein were these words'Calvin turned out of Geneva, but behold a Church arises.' A gentlewoman lending me three hundred pounds to pay the present Orphan-house demand, and a serious person (whom I never saw or heard of) giving me a guinea, I had such confidence, that I ran down with it to a friend, and expressed my hope that God, who sent this person with the guinea, would make it up fifteen hundred; which was the sum I thought would be wanted.

"Never had I preached in Moorfields on a week day. But, in the strength of God, I began on Good-Friday, and continued twice a-day, walking backing and forward from Leadenhall, for some time preaching under one of the

trees, and had the mortification of seeing numbers of my spiritual children, who but a twelve-month ago could have plucked out their eyes for me, running by me whilst preaching, disdaining so much as to look at me, and some of them putting their fingers in their ears, that they might not hear one word I said.

"A like scene opened at Bristol, where I was denied preaching in the house I had founded: busy bodies, on both sides, blew up the coals. A breach ensued. But as both sides differed in judgment, and not in affection, and aimed at the glory of our common Lord; though we hear kened too much to tale-bearers on both sides, we were kept from anathematizing each other, and went on in our usual way; being agreed in one point, endeavoring to convert souls to the ever-blessed Mediator."

In consequence of this, one Mr. Cennick, a preacher, who could not fall in with Mr. Wesley's sentiments, and one or two more in like circumstances, having joined Mr. Whitefield, they began a new house in Kingswood, and soon established a school among them that favoured Calvinistical principles. And here, and in several other pla ces, they preached to very large and serious congregations, in the same manner as he had done in America.

Thither he intended to return as soon as possible. Meantime, it being inconvenient, on account of the weather, to preach morning and evening in Moorfield-some Free Grace Dissenters (who stood by him closely in that time of trial) got the loan of a piece of ground, and engaged with a carpenter to build a large temporary shed, to screen the auditory from cold and rain, which he called

* About this time he was ordered to attend in the Par liament House, to give information concerning the state of the Colony in Georgia. "April 10, 1741.—I have been at the Parliament House. The Georgia affair was ad journed. It was somewhat of a trial to be in the House. I then remembered what the Apostle said, "We are be come a spectacle to men.' My Appeal will come to nothing, I believe. I have waited upon the Speaker. He received me very kindly."

Again, "He treated me kindly, and assured me that there would be no persecution in the King's reign." E

a Tabernacle, as it was only intended to be made use of for a few months, during his stay in his native country. The place fixed upon was very near the Foundery, which he disliked, because he thought it looked like erecting altar against altar; but, upon this occasion, he remarks, "All was wonderfully overruled for good and for the furtherance of the gospel. A fresh awakening immediately began. Congregations grew exceeding large, and at the people's desire I sent (necessity reconciling me more and more to lay-preaching) for Messrs. Cennick, Harris, Seagrave, Humphries, &c. &c. to assist." See M. S.

Fresh doors were now opened to him, and invitations sent to him from many places where he had never been. At a Common, near Braidtree in Essex, upwards of ten thousand persons attended. At Halstead, Dedham, Cossleshall, Weathersfield, Colchester, Bury, and Ipswich, the congregations were very large and much affected.*

At this time, also, he was strongly solicited by religious persons, of different persuasions, to visit Scotland. Several letters had past between him and the Messrs. Erskines, some time before,† and he had a great desire to see them.

* "Sweet was the conversation I had with several ministers of Christ. But our own clergy grew more and more shy, now they knew I was a Calvinist; though no doubt (as Mr. Bedford told me when going to the Bishop of London) our Articles are Calvinistical."

M. S.

† See his Journals, and his Letters to the Rev. Mr. R. Erskine, and the Rev. Mr. E. Erskine.

In his last to Mr. E. E. before coming to Scotland, he writes" May 16, 1741. This morning I received a kind letter from your brother Ralph, who thinks it best for me wholly to join the Associate Presbytery, if it should please God to send me into Scotland. This I cannot altogether come into. I come only as an occasional preacher, to preach the simple gospel to all that are willing to hear me, of whatever denomination. I write this, that there may not be the least misunderstanding between us. I love and honor the Associate Presbytery in the bowels of Jesus Christ: But let them not be offended, if in all things I cannot immediately fall in with them."

To the same purpose he writes to Mr. R. E. May 23.

He therefore took his passage from London to Leith, where (after five days, which he employed in writing many excellent letters to the Orphans, &c. he arrived July 30, 1741. Several persons of distinction most gladly received him, and would have had him preach at Edinburgh directly; but he was determined that the Rev. Messrs. Erskine's should have the first offer; and therefore went immediately to Dunfermline, and preached in Mr Erskine's Meeting-house.

Great persuasions were used to detain him at Dunfermline, and as great to keep him from preaching for, and visiting, the Rev. Mr. Wardlaw, who had been colleague to Mr. Ralph Erskine about twenty years; and who, as well as the Rev. Mr. Davidson, a dissenting minister in England, that went along with Mr. Whitefield, were looked upon as perjured, for not adhering to the Solemn League and Covenant. This was new language to him, and therefore unintelligible.-But that he might be better informed, it was proposed that the Rev. Mr. Moncrief, Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, and others, members of the associate Presbytery, should convene in a few days, in order to give him farther light.

In the mean time, Mr. Ralph Erskine accompanied him to Edinburgh, where he preached in the Orphan-house Park (field-preaching being no novelty in Scotland) to a very large and affected auditory, upon these words"The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost." The next day he preached in the West Kirk, and expressed great pleasure in hearing two Gospel Sermons from the Rev. Mr. Gusthart, and the Rev. Mr. Macvicar. And the following day, he preached in the Cannongate church, where Mr. Ralph Erskine went up with him into the pulpit.

According to promise, he returned with him to Dunfermline, where Mr. E. Erskine, and several of the Asso ciate Presbytery, were met together. When Mr. Whitefield came, they soon proposed to proceed to business.He asked them for what purpose. They answered, to discourse, and set him right about Church government, and the Solemn League and Covenant. He replied, they might save themselves that trouble, for he had no scruple about it, and that settling Church Government, and preach