George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

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GEORGE WHITEFIELD
writer's prayers, and explaining to him why God might be
dealing with him in this manner. At last he thought he found
the cause of his inability explained by these words :
' We
essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered us not ;
and by the words spoken to Ezekiel—
' Thou shalt be dumb ;
but when I speak unto thee, then shalt thou speak.' This
made him quite easy ; he did ' not doubt but that He who
increased a little lad's loaves and fishes for the feeding of a
great multitude would, from time to time, supply him with
spiritual food for whatever congregation he should be called
to.' The morning after his ordination, while he was praying,
came these words into his mind— ' Speak out.' How he used
that permission, and how his one sermon grew until he had
preached more than eighteen thousand times, or more than
ten times a week for four-and-thirty years—considerably more,
if allowance be made for illnesses and long voyages—and fed
multitudes beyond computation, it will be our next duty to
trace.
On the Sunday after his ordination, that is, on June 27,
1736, Whitefield preached his first sermon. It was delivered
in the old familiar church to a large congregation, which had
assembled out of curiosity to hear a townsman j its subject
was ' The Necessity and Benefit of Religious Society. A
feeling of awe crept over him as he looked upon the crowd
of faces, many of which had been familiar to him from his
infancy. Former efforts in public speaking when a boy, and
his labours in exhorting the poor, proved of immense service
to him, removing—what has often overwhelmed bold and
capable speakers on their first appearance—the sense of utter
strangeness to the work; his soul was comforted with the
presence of the Almighty ; and as he proceeded, the fire
kindled, fear forsook him, and he spoke with ' gospel
authority.' A few mocked ; but there could be no doubt