One of the Oxford Methodists, the Rev. William Chapman, was settled as a clergyman in Bath; and, to him, Whitefield addressed the following:—
"Gloucester, February 5, 1742.
"My dear Friend and Brother,—Yesterday, I preached three times, and visited a private Society in the evening. To-day, I was enabled to preach three times, with great power. Here there is such an awakening, as I never saw in these parts before. It is pleasant to hear the people come and tell how God wrought upon them by my unworthy ministry two years ago. The fruits of the Spirit are now apparent in their lives. Letters from Scotland bring blessed tidings, as also from Philadelphia. O the blessed effects of field preaching! O that I were humble, and thankful! Help me, my dear friend, to entreat the Redeemer to make me as a little, a very little child. At the beginning of next week, I hope to be in Bath; but cannot tell exactly the day. I thank my friends for their kind intention to meet me; but I had rather avoid it. The less parade the better. Let us stand still, and see the salvation of God. He will not bless what doth not come from Himself."
Whitefield seems to have spent about a fortnight in Bath and its neighbourhood. He then set out for London, and, on the road, wrote the following almost ecstatic letter to a distinguished lady with whom he had become acquainted in Scotland. Lady Mary Hamilton was sister to William, third Marquis of Lothian, the Countess of Home, Lady Cranstown, and Lady Ross. Her ladyship's mother was daughter of Archibald Campbell, the unfortunate Earl of Argyll, who was beheaded in 1635. She had married Alexander Hamilton of Ballincrieff, member of Parliament for the county of Linlithgow, and Post-Master General of Scotland. Mr. Hamilton, as well as his wife, was partial to Whitefield's preaching, and always received him at his house with every mark of polite attention. For six-and-twenty years, until her death, in 1768, Lady Mary was one of Whitefield's correspondents.[506] His letter to this noble lady cannot fail to be read with interest.
"Thales, near Reading, February 23, 1742.
"Honoured Madam,—I am now upon the road to London. This morning your acceptable letter came to hand. Though somewhat wearied, I would fain answer it before I retire to rest.
"Blessed be God! who causes your ladyship to be never less alone, than when alone. O Madam, what a Comforter is the Holy Ghost! What sweet company is Jesus Christ! What a privilege is it to have fellowship with the great Three-One! A world lying in wickedness knows nothing of it. Everything yields comfort when the Spirit breathes upon it.
"I am amazed that God should work by my hands; but Jesus is love. He yet delights to honour me. I have lately seen the Redeemer riding in His strength, and getting Himself the victory in poor sinners' hearts. O that our Jesus may set the world in a flame of love! Hasten that time, O blessed Jesus! O let Thy kingdom come!
"I have heard from my dear orphans to-day. They have been reduced to straits; but the Lord has stirred up a wealthy friend or two to assist them. I find there has been a fresh awakening among them. I am informed that twelve negroes, belonging to a planter lately converted at the Orphan House, are savingly brought home to Jesus Christ.
"I am glad to hear that the work goes on in Scotland. The Lord, I trust, will ripen your soul apace for glory. He has various ways of perfecting His saints. Methinks, I see your ladyship sitting in your chair, and ravished with the Redeemer's beauty. Sometimes you are, as it were, washing His feet with your tears; at other times, sitting by faith at His feet, and hearing or reading His word. Sometimes your heart is too big to speak; then again, out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth poureth forth hallelujahs. Sometimes you are lost in wonder; and at all times longing to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. This, I trust, is the life your ladyship lives. This is life indeed. They who live otherwise are dead whilst they live. They call for our compassion and prayers; for who has made the difference? Distinguishing grace! O the unsearchable riches of Christ! I could speak of Him for ever. The Lord be with your spirit, and abundantly bless both you, Mr. Hamilton, and your child!"
On arriving in London, Whitefield wrote to his friend Mr. Noble, of New York, as follows:—
"London, February 26, 1742.
"My very dear Brother,—Before yours came to hand, the Lord had given me an enlarged heart, and unfeigned love and freedom, to converse with all His dear children, of whatever denomination. I talk freely with the Messrs. Wesley, though we widely differ in a certain point. Most talk of a catholic spirit; but it is only till they have brought people into the pale of their own church. This is downright sectarianism, not catholicism. How can I act consistently, unless I receive and love all the children of God, whom I believe to be such, of whatever denomination they may be? Why should we dispute when there is no probability of convincing? I am persuaded, the more the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, the more all narrowness of spirit will subside and give way. Besides, so far as we are narrow-spirited, we are uneasy. Prejudices, jealousies, and suspicions make the soul miserable. But enough of this. My dear brother Noble is of my mind; only let me give you one caution. Take heed that your getting acquainted with any new set of Christians does not lead you insensibly to despise others of your old acquaintance. Watch, and deal very tenderly with all; otherwise you will grow reserved and artful, and will lose a simple, open, guileless spirit, before you are aware."
To the same effect is the following letter to the Rev. William Chapman, of Bath:—
"London, March 4, 1742.
"My dear Friend and Brother,—I hope you are not offended, because you did not see me in Bath again. The glorious Emmanuel pointed out my way hither. Since I came, He has been wonderfully kind to me, and to His people. I am much assisted daily, in preaching to poor sinners the unsearchable riches of Christ. Life and power fly all around, and the Redeemer is getting Himself the victory daily in many hearts. O that my dear Mr. Chapman may be made a flaming fire, and a spiritual father to thousands!
"I despair of a greater union among the churches, till a greater measure of the Spirit be poured from on high. Hence, therefore, I am resolved simply to preach the gospel of Christ, and leave others to quarrel by and with themselves. To contend, where there is no probability of convincing, only feeds and adds fuel to an unhallowed fire. Love, forbearance, long-suffering, and frequent prayer to the Lord Jesus, is the best way to put it out. O love—true, simple, Christian, undissembled love—whither art thou fled?"
The treatment he received from the Church of England, and from Presbyterians in Scotland, and his differences with the Wesleys, were not the only things that troubled Whitefield. His evangelistic friends in Wales were not perfectly harmonious; and there can hardly be a doubt that this was one of the incidents which led him to write as he did in the foregoing letters. Whitefield hated disputations; and yet, even some of his dearest friends were sometimes in danger of being divided by their religious contests. Hence the following extract from a letter, written by Howell Harris to Whitefield's wife:—
"Lanworthadd, March 24, 1742.
"Our Society of ministers and exhorters go on sweetly. We had some disputes the last time we met; but we never parted with such broken hearts and wet cheeks. The Lord pities us, and will set us free from those strong corruptions, that set us together by the ears, and divide us, and cool our love to each other."[507]