THE

CHRISTIAN's MAGAZINE:

DESIGNED TO PROMOTE THE

KNOWLEDGE AND INFLUENCE

OF

EVANGELICAL TRUTH AND ORDER.

Οσα εςιν αληθή, όσα σεμνά.-PHIL. iv. 8.

VOL. III.

NEW-YORK:

PUBLISHED BY WILLIAMS AND WHITING,

AT THEIR THEOLOGICAL AND CLASSICAL BOOKSTORE,

No. 118, Pearl-street.

J. SEYMOUR, PRINTER.

1810.

THE History and Character of the Rev. GEORGE WHITEFIELD are very generally known. There are yet alive in our country, many who acknowledge him as their Father in Christ; and “ will rise up, and call his memory blessed.” We presume, however, that the following Anecdotes respecting him are unknown to the most of our readers, and will be perused with interest and profit. Their truth and correctness are not to be doubted; as they are related by one who was well acquainted with Mr. Whitefield's most private history. They are extracted from Mr. Jay's Memoirs of the Rev. CORNELIUS WINTER.

The time Mr. Whitefield set apart for preparations for the pulpit during my connexion with him, was not to be distinguished from the time he appropriated to other business. If he wanted to write a pamphlet upon any occasion, he was closeted; nor would he allow access to him, but on an emergency, while he was engaged in the work. But I never

upon it.

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knew him engaged in the composition of a sermors until he was on board ship, when he employed himselt partly in the coinposition of sermons, and reading very attentively the history of England, written by different authors. He had formed a design of writing the history of Methodism, but never entered

He was never more in retirement on a Saturday than on another day; nor sequestered at any particular time for a period longer than he used for his ordinary devotions. I never met with any thing like the form of a skeleton of a sermon among his papers, with which I was permitted to be very familiar; nor did he ever give me any idea of the importance of being habituated to the planning of a sermon. It is not injustice to his great character to say, I believe he knew nothing about such a kind of exercise.

Usually for an hour or two before he entered the pulpit, he claimed retirement; and on a sabbath day morning more particularly, he was accustomed to have Clarke's Bible, Matthew Henry's Comment, and Cruden's. Concordance, within his reach : his frame at that time was more than ordinarily devotional; I say more than ordinarily, because, though

I there was a vast vein of pleasantry usually in him, the intervals of conversation evidently appeared to be filled up with private ejaculation connected with praise. His rest was much interrupted, and his thoughts were much engaged with God in the night. He has often said at the close of his very warm address, “ This sermon I got when most of now hear me were fast asleep.” He made very

minute observations, and was much disposed to be conversant with life, from the lowest mechanic to the first characters in the land. He let nothing escape him, but turned all into gold that admitted of im

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