George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

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GEORGE WHITEFIELD
impressions my rule of acting, and too soon and too explicitly published
what had been better kept in longer, or told after my death. By these
things I have given some wrong touches to God's ark, and hurt the blessed
cause I would defend, and also stirred up endless opposition. This has
humbled me much since I have been on board, and made me think of a
saying of Mr. Henry's, "Joseph had more honesty than he had policy, or
he never would have told his dreams." At the same time, I cannot but
bless and praise and magnify that gracious God, who filled me with so
much of His holy fire, and carried me, a poor weak youth, through such a
torrent both of popularity and contempt, and set so many seals to my un-
worthy ministrations. I bless Him for ripening my judgment a little
more, for giving me to see and confess, and I hope in some degree correct
and amend, some of my mistakes. I thank God for giving me grace to
embark in such a blessed cause, and pray Him to give me strength to hold
on and increase in zeal and love to the end.'
He had been made to prove the truth of one of his wise
always makes use of strong passions for a great
remarks, ' God
work.' Strong passions have great dangers ; but he was now
beginning to understand how to rule them with a firm hand.
Less robust in health than when he last returned from America,
and less disposed to contend with those that differed from him,
but not a whit less zealous or self-sacrificing, only showing the
first tints of mellow ripeness in all goodness, he stepped again
upon English soil on July 6, 1748.