Men of One Book

A Comparison of Two Methodist Preachers, John Wesley and George Whitefield

Ian J. Maddock

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781630876012
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

The preaching ministries of John Wesley and George Whitefield propelled them to the forefront of the eighteenth-century evangelical revival. Both self-professed "men of one book, " one of the most visible ways in which they expressed their high regard for Scripture was through their desire to be "preachers of one book." This book seeks to compare various aspects of the full-orbed "preach and print" ministries conducted by Wesley and Whitefield. Committed to the principle that the "whole world was their parish, " Wesley and Whitefield manifested their singular desire to be men of one book through preaching ministries that were by no means identical, yet equally committed to the spread of the gospel throughout the transatlantic world.

1

Introduction

My aim in this book is to compare various facets of the written and spoken sermons of two leading eighteenth-century itinerant field-preachers, Methodist contemporaries, and professed “men of one book,” John Wesley and George Whitefield. One of the principal ways in which Wesley and Whitefield manifested their desire to be “men of one book” was through a life-long commitment to itinerant preaching. Indeed, it was especially in their capacity as “preachers of one book” that Wesley and Whitefield featured so prominently in an evangelical revival that spanned not only England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the American colonies, but also included Calvinists and Arminians.

Although Whitefield’s theatrical pulpit oratory differed from Wesley’s comparatively scholarly preaching style, in some degree reflecting their different personalities and upbringing, they shared much else in common. For instance, Whitefield followed Wesley in joining the Holy Club (the original so-called “Methodists”) at Oxford, and then also as a missionary in Savannah, Georgia with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. But when it came to the contentious matter of field-preaching, it was Wesley who followed Whitefield and accepted the younger man’s invitation to continue the ministry he had begun in the Bristol region in February 1739. Their shared history also included dramatic conversion experiences that became paradigmatic for their own proclamation of the necessity of regeneration and of being justified by faith, not works.

But despite the many similarities that existed between Wesley and Whitefield, there is a conspicuous paucity of intentionally comparative studies that focus on the preaching ministries of these two Church of England clergymen. Another dominant feature of the secondary literature relating to both preachers is its frequently partisan nature. This trend has perhaps been most prominently expressed in the way doctrinal differences held by the Calvinist Whitefield and the Arminian Wesley have been accentuated, especially regarding the nature of predestination. This has afforded occasion for some Wesley and Whitefield biographers to assert not only the superiority of their respective champion’s theology, but also their moral acumen, especially at the expense of the other preacher.

The polarized and partisan nature of Wesley and Whitefield studies warrants not only a re-evaluation of the legitimacy of conclusions regarding their respective conceptions of foundational evangelical doctrines, but also provides a compelling endorsement for an intentional comparison of their wider preaching ministries. Although itinerant preaching occupied a privileged place in the efforts of Wesley and Whitefield to further evangelical revival, their public ministries did not consist wholly of spoken sermons. Instead, both deliberately pursued a “print and preach” ministry, where their published sermons complemented and reinforced the sermons they preached. In order to remain sensitive to their dual commitment to the spoken and printed word, on the one hand we will endeavor to compare Wesley’s and Whitefield’s style, delivery and rationale for field-preaching, paying particular attention to the influence of Scripture on these facets of their spoken sermons. In addition, we shall also compare various aspects of their sermons as they appear in printed form. This will include comparing the function of their published sermons within their wider public ministries, and how their printed sermons reflected the way they used, applied and interpreted the Bible, and also understood its prominent doctrines. As we seek to expand the scope of this comparison beyond the narrow confines of their respective doctrinal positions, we shall observe that Wesley and Whitefield manifested their singular desire to be men of one book through preaching ministries that were by no means identical, yet equally committed to the spread of the gospel throughout the transatlantic world.

Introducing Wesley and Whitefield, Men of One Book

John Wesley was born on June 28, 1703, in Epworth, England, and died on March 2, 1791, in London. He was raised in a home environment that cherished the Bible as the authoritative word of God. His high esteem for Scripture was one of many theological convictions he inherited from his parents, Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Wesley’s desire to be a “man of one book” is especially evident in the preface to his Sermons on Several Occasions, first published in 1746. When Wesley used this expression, he implied not so much an absolute commitment to eschew all literature apart from Scripture. Instead, it was a way of conveying that, in relation to all other sources of authority, the Bible and the way of salvation it sets forth, occupied a position of unparalleled importance in his life.1 Wesley declared,

To candid, reasonable men I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf, till a few moments hence I am no more seen—I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing, the way to heaven—how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri.2

George Whitefield was born on December 16, 1714, in Gloucester, England, and died on September 30, 1770, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Whereas Wesley was reared in an avowedly High Church Anglican rectory, Whitefield was raised by his mother in the environs of Gloucester’s Bell Inn, his father having died when George was two years of age. Whitefield’s conversion experience in 1735 coincided with his resolve to “lay aside all other books” in preference for “the Book of God”; that is, his experience of the “new birth” was accompanied by a desire to henceforth be a “man of one book.”3 He directly identified the “abundant success” granted to him by God as being intimately connected with his decision to meditate “day and night,” and to the exclusion of all other literature, on the “the book of Divine laws.”4 In his sermon “Walking with God,” Whitefield declared, “If we once get above our Bibles, and cease making the written word of God our sole rule, both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion; and be in great danger of making a shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.”5 Statements such as these encapsulate the normative authority and primacy of the Bible in Whitefield’s theology and practice.

One of the foremost ways in which Wesley and Whitefield manifested their desire to be “men of one book” was through their life-long commitment to itinerant preaching. Many of the portraits of Wesley and Whitefield produced during their lifetime depict them as preachers, often with Bible in hand. For instance, Nathaniel Hone portrays Wesley in a field wearing clerical robes, preaching with a Bible in his left hand and his right hand slightly raised. Hone’s Wesley is considerably less demonstrative than the Whitefield portrayed by John Wollaston (1742) and John Greenwood (1768), who depict him preaching with both arms dramatically outstretched and Bible laying before him.6 These visual representations afford insight into the way in which, despite their differing temperaments and homiletical styles, Wesley and Whitefield did not simply aspire to be men of one book, but more particularly preachers of one book.

The longevity and productivity of Wesley’s preaching ministry was truly staggering. It is estimated that over the course of an itinerant preaching ministry than spanned more than 50 years, he traveled over a quarter of a million miles and preached 40,000 sermons.7 Considering these phenomenal statistics, Downey observes that even though Wesley is well known for his role as an “author, editor, translator, hymnist, physician, teacher [and] organizer,” beyond all of these activities, “[s]upremely, he was a preacher.”8 Whitefield’s preaching record was no less impressive. Throughout his 35 year public ministry as a transatlantic evangelical revivalist, he preached 18,000 formal sermons, often to audiences exceeding 20,000 people. As Packer observes, “Preaching the grace of God in Christ was Whitefield’s life, both metaphorically and literally.”9

Although the “moral tone” of the familial setting in which these two preachers of one book differed widely, many aspects of the lives of Wesley and Whitefield are remarkably similar.10 For instance, both were educated at Oxford University; Wesley graduated from Christ Church in 1724, whilst Whitefield graduated from Pembroke College in 1736. After Wesley returned to Oxford in 1729 as Fellow of Lincoln College, he assumed leadership of the so-called “Holy Club.” Whitefield joined this small religious society during his studies at Oxford, and was profoundly influenced by the spiritual oversight provided by John and Charles Wesley...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: A Comparison of the Itinerant Field-Preaching Ministries of George Whitefield and John Wesley
• Chapter 3: A Comparison of the Delivery, Style, and Description of Sermons Preached by George Whitefield and John Wesley
• Chapter 4: A Comparison of the Use, Interpretation, and Application of the Inspired Word in the Printed Words of George Whitefield and John Wesley
• Chapter 5: A Comparison of the Core Doctrines Proclaimed by George Whitefield and John Wesley
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Bibliography