George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

PREACHING IN THE RAIN 127
about two thousand five hundred ; and the same evening at Christiana
Bridge, to about three thousand ; on Sunday, at White Clay Creek, he
preached twice, resting about half an hour between the sermons, to about
eight thousand, of whom about three thousand, it is computed, came on
horseback. It rained most of the time, and yet they stood in the open
air.'
Meanwhile his interest in other workers was not abated.
His heart was in England with the Wesleys, in Wales with
Harris, and in Scotland with the Erskines. A correspondence
with the Scotch brothers was preparing the way for a trip over
the border some day. He writes to Ralph—Ralph was the
gentle, sensitive, poetical brother ; Ebenezer, the bold, fearless,
dignified one, who preached the truth in its majesty
1 The cordial and tender love which I bear you will not permit me to
neglect any opportunity of sending to you. I bless the Lord from my
soul for raising you and several other burning and shining lights, to appear
for Him in this midnight of the Church. . . . My only scruple at present
is, " whether you approve of taking the sword in defence of your religious
rights?" One of our English bishops, I remember, when I was with him,
called you Cameronians. They, I think, took up arms, which I think to be
contrary to the spirit of Jesus Christ and His apostles. Some few passages
in your sermon before the Presbytery, I thought, were a little suspicious of
favouring that principle.'
Another difficulty, besides the question of appealing to arms
to decide religious belief, stood in the way of a union between
the English priest and the Scotch Presbyters. The latter held
the divinity of their form of Church government and the
sacredness of their ordination in so exclusive a way as practi-
cally to excommunicate a minister of any other Church.
Whitefield refers to this in another letter to the same friend.
He says
' I think I have but one objection against your proceedings— your
insisting only on Presbyterian government, exclusive of all other ways
of worshipping God. Will not this, clear sir, necessarily lead you (when-