George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

[64
GEORGE WHITEFIELD
the right hand of fellowship, but would publicly preach against
him wheresoever he preached at all.' He next ungenerously
accused Wesley of having mismanaged things at Bristol, and
perverted the school at Kingswood to improper uses, foreign
to the intention with which it had been undertaken. It was
easy for the accused to answer all that was alleged against
him ;
but, unfortunately, he took occasion, at the same time, to
indulge in most irritating language towards Whitefield. He
assumed an air of superiority, of patronage and pity, which
would have ruffled many a cooler man than his former friend.
' How easy were it
It was more taunting than kind to write :
for me to hit many other palpable blots in that which you call
en answer to my sermon !
And
how above measure con-
mptible would you then appear to all impartial men, either
E'^ense or learning ! But
I spare you ; mine hand shall not
be upon you ; the Lord be judge between me and thee ! The
general tenor, both of my public and private exhortations,
when I touch thereon at all, as even my enemies know, if they
would testify, is, " Spare the young man, even Absalom, for
my sake !
"
It may be safely affirmed that the two friends would not
have quarrelled had they been left to themselves. They were
the unwilling heads of rival parties among their own converts.
' Many, I know,' said Charles Wesley in his letter to White-
field, ' desire nothing so much as to see George Whitefield
and John Wesley at the head of different parties, as is plain
from their truly devilish plans to effect it ; but, be assured,
my dearest brother, our heart is as your heart.' Whitefield,
as we have seen from his American letters, received embittering
news from home ; and on his arrival his ear was assailed by
reports from brethren who were already openly opposed to
Wesley and those who held his views. True, there was also
the anger of Wesley on account of Whitefield's indefensible