George-Whitefield-Field-Preacher

DELTGHT IN NA TURE 5 5
Whitefield. One short answer would have cut through the
difficulty—
' My friend may draw lots for himself, but not for
me ; at this rate everybody will be trying to divine my duty,
and the contradictory answers will leave me in hopeless
embarrassment.'
So few are the references, in Whitefield's journal or letters,
to the manners of the people among whom he stayed, or to the
scenery through which he passed in his travels, that it is a
pleasure to extract any that he made, as a proof that his was
not a dull soul without delight in nature, without responsive-
ness to the soft sweetness of a southern sky, or to the wildness
and majesty of a storm. The following account of his feelings
as he approached Gibraltar is given in his first journal :
'Saturday, February iSth.—Though the weather was exceedingly
pleasant all the day, yet it grew more and more pleasant in the evening,
and our ship sailed at the rate of nine miles an hour, and as steady as
though we were sitting on shore. The night was exceedingly clear, and
the moon and stars appeared in their greatest lustre ; so that, not having
patience to stay below, I went upon deck with friend H and praised
God for His wonderful lovingkindness in singing Psalms, and gave thanks
for the blessings, and asked pardon for the offences, of the week, and then
had a long intercession.
' It is worth coming from England to see what we have beheld this day.
' Sunday, February 19th.—Slept better to-night than I have a long while ;
blessed be the Keeper of Israel ! Read prayers in the great cabin ; was
enlarged in expounding both the lessons to the soldiers ; and had prayers,
and preached one of the sermons God enabled me to make since I came on
board, on open deck in the afternoon. All the gentlemen attended ;
benches were laid for the people ; and the ship sailed smoothly, and the
weather was finer than I can express, so that I know not where I have per-
formed the service more comfortably. And, indeed, I have been so
delighted these two days with our pleasant sailing and the promontories all
around us, that I could not avoid thanking God for calling me abroad,
and stirring up all to praise Him, " who by His strength setteth fast the
mountains, and is girded about with power.'"
On February 20th the Whitaker reached Gibraltar. \\*hitc-
field thought it was ' the world in epitome ; he might have
'