On August 14, 1739, George Whitefield started again for America. In the course of his life, he visited the American continent seven times, and had just as great a work for Christ there as he did in his English homeland. On this second trip, he took a few people with him who were to form the core operating team of his planned orphanage. During the journey, Whitefield occupied himself with diligent study of several books that he hoped would be useful to him. He reached land in October, and then he began, as he said, “to hunt the woods of America for Christ.”
He wasn’t comfortable always staying in his home and doing the work of a chaplain because a strong impulse urged him on to wider fields of labor. He therefore began a tour through the American provinces, in time arriving at the town of Brunswick. There he met Gilbert Tennent, who became one of his best friends.
“He is a son of thunder, whose preaching either converts or enrages the crowds,” said Whitefield of his friend. “I never heard preaching like his before. He went to the very bottom of the matter, and he cleared away the rubbish without mercy and convinced me more and more that we can’t preach the gospel of Christ any further than we have experienced the power of it in our own hearts. I find now what a babe and a novice I am in the things of Christ.”
“Gilbert!” he said to his friend one evening as they sat in front of the fire after an evening service, “it is indeed a happy thing to be a true Christian, and the first step to it is to have a broken heart, a heart that’s melted down with the love of Christ toward us. Gilbert, if I had a hundred tongues and lives, they should all be used for my dear Lord Jesus! I haven’t yet forgotten the reproof that your father gave me one day.”
“What did he say to you? I’m sure it wasn’t anything unkind,” said Mr. Tennent.
“On, no, nothing unkind! But he gave me a much needed reproof,” replied Whitefield. “One evening I lay down on a sofa, worn out with the toil of the day. ‘Mr. Tennent!’ I said to him, ‘I wish my work were done, and that I was at home in heaven. Don’t you get weary for heaven?’ ‘Weary for heaven!’ he exclaimed, ‘of course not! I was born to work and saved in order to work for Jesus. Why should I weary for heaven? Suppose that I sent my workman Tom to plow the field, and instead of working he sat under a tree and complained of the heat! I wouldn’t sympathize with him, but I would call him a lazy, worthless worker! Brother Whitefield, do your work with all your energy, and let God decide when your time of rest will be.’”
“Well, that is very true, and sounds just like my father. And, George, there is much need for earnest service. This is a dark and sinful land. It almost seems like sincere gospel preaching has disappeared from the churches. We need a faithful preaching of the true doctrines of the gospel that are always effective in saving souls: Preach on one hand the total wickedness of man and his complete helplessness without Christ, and on the other hand the all-sufficiency of Christ and the cleansing power of His blood! These are the doctrines that America needs and that God will bless.”
“O that we were all flames of fire in God’s service! How quickly I become indifferent, and how much I need Christ’s constant care!” cried George.
“Suppose you get married, George,” said Tennent after a thoughtful pause. “Make sure you follow my advice. Marry a godly woman, and I’m sure she’ll help you to live closer to God and to work even more and better for Him.”
“Well, I have been thinking of getting married. Ever since you first talked to me about it, I’ve determined to follow your advice, and, to tell the truth, I’ve decided on a young lady to whom I plan to start writing.”
“Great! Great! Of course you’ll wait to hear what her parents have to say first, right? And then if they’re for it, you should speak to her right away.”
“I don’t know if I can speak to her just yet. I’ve written to her parents and gotten their approval, but instead of talking to her in person, I think I’d rather write to her too.”
“I suppose you know best. But have you written to her then?”
“No, and if you don’t laugh at me, I’ll read you the letter that I plan to send to her. If you think I can improve it, please do me a favor and tell me what I should change to make it sound better.”
“Of course, of course!” chuckled Gilbert, amused at the earnest eagerness of his friend and at the opportunity of hearing his first love letter.
“Here it is,” and Whitefield read the following aloud: “Don’t be surprised at the contents of this letter, but I wish to ask you to marry me. Can you bear to leave your father and mother and trust yourself entirely to God for support? Can you accept helping a husband in the care of a family that may be as large as a hundred orphaned children and young people? Can you, when you have a husband, be as though you have none, and willingly part with him even for long periods of time? If, after searching your heart and seeking God for direction, you can boldly answer ‘yes’ to all these questions, what do you say if you and I were to be joined together in the Lord, and you come to me as a helpmeet in the management of my orphanage? I think that I can call God to witness that I desire to take you, my sister in the Lord, to be my wife. But if you think that marrying me will in any way harm your best interests, please be so good as to send me a refusal of this proposal. I wouldn’t be a snare to you for all the world, and you don’t need to be afraid to speak your mind to me. I trust that my love for you is according to God’s will and for Christ’s sake.”
“Hmmm,” shrugged Gilbert, “I hope you succeed. It sounds all right to me.”
“I want a really gracious woman who is dead to everything else but Christ and who won’t mind the worry and labor of the orphanage,” said Whitefield. “If Miss Donald is the right person and worthy of the responsibility, she’ll say yes immediately.”
Miss Donald, however, said “no” to this unique marriage proposal.
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Soon after, Whitefield was again speaking with his friend Tennant. “Whitefield, I hear that they plan to stop you from preaching in all of their churches here.”
“Then the fields are as open in America as they were in England. And, brother, I don’t believe that the gospel will ever win its way among the people until we start preaching outdoors again. We would never have tried it in England if we were not forced to, but as soon as we started preaching in the open air, God poured out His blessing. The command is to ‘go.’ We need to have an outdoor ministry.”
“They bitterly condemn you and say that you are preaching a new gospel and that you therefore must be stopped.”
“Ah! Brother, they do not see that the old truth can withstand being presented by new methods and in new places. It’s just the old light in new lanterns, but the light was lit at the brazen altar. There is no full light but that which comes from the saving sacrifice of Christ.”
“That’s true, but what was it that you said to the children the other day? My friend, Jonathan Edwards, asked me what you really said, for he has heard some strange rumors about you. I wish you knew Jonathan Edwards. I’m sure you’d love him.”
“I’m sure I would too if he loves Jesus Christ and lives to serve Him.”
“Yes, that he does. And although he’s a little reserved at times, he’s really a gracious man. The great revival in America, you know, began under his preaching, and you’d see why if you knew him.”
“Wherever Christ is faithfully preached, saving results must follow. It’s only, Gilbert, that sometimes the effect of the preaching is delayed and the results are not immediately seen. But you should have seen what happened at Boston where I was preaching at Well’s chapel. A dying boy who had heard me preach the day before, said, ‘I want to go to Mr. Whitefield’s God.’ Immediately after saying so he died. When I looked around on the congregation, I noticed how many children were present, and my heart warmed towards them. I felt encouraged to speak to the children, but oh, how the old people were affected when I said, ‘Little children, if your parents won’t come to Christ, you come now, and go to heaven without them!’ The children burst into a great sobbing, and then it seemed as if the whole crowd of people began to sway like wheat in the breeze. Oh, it’s wonderful to think that our children may come to Christ! I don’t think we realize enough what powerful little helpers children can be in Christ’s service.”
And he was right, for He who once took a little child, and set it in the center, that He might use the child’s simple trust to teach His disciples a lesson, still uses devout children and young people to teach other Christians, and to reach those who would otherwise be unreached with the gospel. Win the children for Christ, and they will be used to win others also. Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:1414But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:14)).