George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

THE BAILIFFS AT TEWKESBURY 101
that magistrates were intended to be a terror to evildoers, and
not to those who do well ; he desired him to be as careful to
appoint constables to attend at the next horse race, balls,
assemblies, &c. Whitefield and his friends then left for
Evesham, where he met with sympathising friends, and a
threat from the magistrates, that, if he preached within their
liberties, they would apprehend him. Next morning, however,
he did preach ; and the magistrates were quiet. Passing on
to Pershore, he was kindly welcomed by the incumbent, and,
apparently, from him procured the loan of a field in Tewkes-
bury ; then at five in the evening he turned, with a company
of a hundred and twenty horsemen, towards Tewkesbury,
which he found much alarmed, people from all parts crowding
the streets. He rode right through the town to the field, and
preached to about six thousand hearers ; the bailiffs wisely
refrained from keeping their threat, and no constable came
within sight. Immediately after the sermon he took horse, and
reached Gloucester near midnight. The exciting day's work
had begun at seven o'clock at Evesham, and he was preaching
next morning at ten, with a ' heart full of love to his dear
countrymen.'
What trials he had were counterbalanced by the happy
effects of his labours, visible in the places he visited. Kings-
wood had put on a different appearance ; the colliers, who
had formerly been the terror of the neighbourhood, were to be
heard singing hymns in the woods, instead of pouring out
blasphemy ;
the school had been carried on so successfully by
Wesley, that in July, when Whitefield visited the place, the
roof was ready to be put up. Methodism was yielding its first-
fruits of purity, of honesty, of quietness, and of godliness,
among the humbler classes. It would have been gratifying
had any record been kept of particular cases, which might
have served as examples of the rest. This, however, is