George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

FIRST CONVERTS 23
gladly, and soon became a fool for Christ's sake,' is his record
in his journal. One friend was not enough. Others, young
persons, were brought under the power of this new teaching,
and the Methodist Oxonian soon repeated the Oxford experi-
ment, and gathered his converts into a society. All had the
honour of being despised. Similar success was not attained at
Bristol, to which he went for three weeks ;
his way was hindered
by prejudices against himself, and only one young woman
became 'obedient to the faith.'
At Gloucester friends were lost and won. Some who were
expected to give him pecuniary help—he was still a servitor
turned their backs on him, and disappointed him ; but others,
whom he had accounted enemies, though he had never spoken
to them, became generous friends. It was the time of his
learning first lessons of trust in that Almighty Friend upon
whose bountiful and loving care he cast himself throughout the
whole of a poverty-stricken life, and to whom he committed
many orphan children, the foundlings of his own loving heart.
He was a philanthropist, made by the man Christ Jesus.
The good Oxford physician had hoped, by getting his patient
away from the University, to divert him from a too intense
application to religion. Vain hope !
The
patient simply pur-
sued, in the spirit of joyous liberty, duties and engagements
which had previously been an anxious burden. He cast aside
all other books, and, on his bended knees, read and prayed over
the Holy Scriptures. ' Light, life, and power '
came upon him,
stimulating him still to search ; every search brought treasure ;
all fresh treasure caused fresh searching. Experience confirmed
his faith in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, who was to him a
living Comforter, the Power of God. He seemed filled with
the Spirit from the time he was born again.
Another of his characteristics was his capacity of deriving
unfailing pleasure from one pursuit, his independence of the