The Secret of Whitefield's Success

The Secret of George Whitefield's Success, five points (via)...

1. Natural eloquence -- a gift from God - used by the power of God's Holy Spirit.
2. Fellowship with God -- Whitefield gives us a glimpse in his Journal of his walk with God. 'Early in the morning, at noonday, evening and midnight, nay, all day long, did the blessed Jesus visit and refresh my soul. At other times I would be overpowered with a sense of God's Infinite Majesty'.
3. Godliness -- 'Above all he was a great saint, and Wesley and others bore tribute to this during his life and his death. This was the ultimate secret of his preaching power' (Lloyd-Jones).
4. Concern for the lost and the conviction that sinners are in danger of an everlasting hell
5. Wholehearted commitment to God -- 'If ever a man burnt himself out in the service of God, it was Whitefield. He was tireless and relentless in his efforts to win souls. Throughout his life he enjoyed the presence of God in his preaching. Even on his last day in this world he preached, though he was very ill. He was a man whose sole desire was to preach Christ crucified' (Nigel Clifford, Christian Preachers, Bryntirion Press).

Read the rest of the article/short bio at Banner of Truth. Check out my George Whitefield Resources page.

New *George Whitefield Resources* Page

I just launched a George Whitefield Resources page. As I searched the internet I found various, helpful resources in various places. I hope this page will serve you well by trying to bring all the links and books and journals and letters to one place. Check it out and let me know what you think.

George Whitefield Resources

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that George Whitefield was "the most neglected man in the whole of church history. The ignorance concerning him is appalling" (pg 105 here). He's one of the great dead guys that I am spending some time studying. This page exists to bring together various Whitefield Resources: journals, sermons, letters, biographies, websites, etc. My hope is to create a resource page of every known good Whitefield resource for my readers. Thank you for sharing it through social media, linking to it on your website or blog, etc. If you find resources I'm missing, please email them to me so I can add them.

• See all my posts on Whitefield

UPDATE 9.12.12 | Not sure for how long, but The Sermons of George Whitefield (2 Vols, 976 pages, ed. Lee Gattis, footnoted, modern grammar) is $9.99 for Kindle.

START HERE

• A Sketch of the Life & Labors of George Whitefield | J.C. Ryle
• The Works of George Whitefield | 6 Volumes - FREE as PDF, Mobi, ePub, Txt, or Internet Page
• Quinta Press - All works available via CD-ROM for $125
• A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship (collected by Whitefield)
• Anecdotes of George Whitefield | by Wakeley

SERMONS

• The Works of George Whitefield - Vol 5 Sermons
• The Works of George Whitefield - Vol 6 Sermons
• The Works of George Whitefield: Additional Sermons
• Sermons of George Whitefield (59, with Indexes) | CCEL
• Sermons of George Whitefield (59) | CRTA
• Sermons of George Whitefield (59) | Anglican Library
• For a list of all published sermons of Whitefield, Quinta Press has both title and text listed
• How to Listen to a Sermon (from sermon 28 in works)

In Print...

• The Sermons of George Whitefield | 2 Vols, ed. Lee Gattis, footnoted, modern grammar
• Select Sermons of George Whitefield: With An Account of His Life | Banner of Truth

NEVER REPRINTED: Sermons of George Whitefield (via Quinta Press)

• Genesis 3:15, Serpents beguiling Eve
• Matthew 9:12, Christ the Physician of the Soul
• Matthew 16:26, The polite & Fashionable Diversions of the Age, destructive to Soul & Body
• Matthew 22:42, The Danger of man resulting from sin
• Mark 11:13f, The Barren Fig-Tree
• Numbers 6:25f, Aaron’s Blessing the Children of Israel
• John 20, The Unbeliever Convicted
• John 3:3, Jesus Christ the only Way to Salvation
• Matthew 5:4, The Happy Mourner Comforted
• Luke 4:29, The Spirit, Doctrines & Lives of our Modern Clergy
• Romans 12:2, The great Danger of Conformity to the World
• Isaiah 54:5, The Best Match
• Jeremiah 8:20–22, The Balm of Gilead Displayed
• Song of Solomon 5:16, Christ our Friend & 2 Kings 4, A Lecture
• Psalm 105:45, A Farewell Sermon
• Luke 15:11, The Prodigal Son
• 1 Corinthians 1:15, The Believer's Golden Chain
• Ephesians 4:24, Putting on the New Man a certain mark of the real Christian
• Philippians 1:27–28, The Faith of the Gospel
• Matthew 3:7, Flying from the Wrath to Come
• Mark 8:36f, The Invaluable Worth of a Soul
• John 11:36, The Amazing Love of Christ
• Luke 19:9–10, Exhortation to come and see Jesus
• John 1:35–36, The True Nature of Beholding the Lamb of God & Matthew 26:75, Peter’s denial of his Lord
• John 14:16, The Promise of the Spirit (final leaf of original is missing)
• Romans 8:30, A Farewell Parochial Sermon (Stonehouse)
• Matthew 25:13, Watching, the peculiar duty of a Christian
• Romans 4:16 (is this in fact by Whitefield, or is it by an Erskine?)

JOURNALS

• The Works of George Whitefield: Journals
• Complete Journals PDF (via, not proof-read)
• Third Journal PDF (via, proof-read)

LETTERS

• The Works of George Whitefield: Letters 1735-1742
• The Works of George Whitefield: Letters 1742-1753
• The Works of George Whitefield: Letters 1753-1770
• The Works of George Whitefield: Additional Letters

Whitefield/Wesley Exchange...

• Wesley's sermon "Free Grace"
• A Letter from George Whitefield to the Rev. John Wesley 
• Iain Murray on Whitefield & Wesley

PUBLISHED BIOGRAPHIES

• George Whitefield in 2 Volumes | Arnold Dallimore, Banner of Truth
• George Whitefield | Arnold Dallimore, 1 Vol (also Crossway edition)
• The Life & Times of George Whitefield | Robert Philip
• The Divine Dramatist | Harry Stout (NOT recommended, per John Piper)

FREE ONLINE BIOGRAPHIES

• A Sketch of the Life & Labors of George Whitefield | J.C. Ryle
• George Whitefield & His Ministry | J.C. Ryle
• George Whitefield: Portrait of a Revival Preacher | Leonard Ravenhill
• The Life & Times of the Rev. George Whitefield | Robert Philip
• Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. George Whitefield | John Gilles
• George Whitefield, M.A., Field Preacher | James Peterson Gledstone
• The Life of George Whitefield | J.R. Andrews
• Sensational Evangelist of England & America | Christian History

VARIOUS MEDIA | on WHITEFIELD

• Martyn Lloyd-Jones documentary on George Whitefield | video
• "I Will Not Be A Velvet-Mouthed Preacher!" | John Piper audio, text
• "George Whitefield, A Spur to the Minister" | Iain Murray audio
• "Whitefield Contrasted with Spurgeon" | Iain Murray audio
• "Whitefield & Catholicity" | Iain Murray audio via 9Marks
• "The Greatest Evangelist" | Banner of Truth
• "George Whitefield - Revival Preacher" | Banner of Truth article
• "George Whitefield" | Michael Haykin audio
• "The Power of God in George Whitefield's Life" | Steve Lawson video
• "The Preaching of George Whitefield" | Steve Lawson video
• "On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield" | John Wesley

BOOKS | ON WHITEFIELD

• The Revived Puritan | Michael Haykin
• The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield & The Wesleys | Mark Noll
• George Whitefield Daily Readings | Ed. Randall Pederson

BOOKS | THE GREAT AWAKENING

Not my recommendations, but a listing of the books I have had recommended (to some degree) to me. Please let me know other books worth listing here.

• The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America | Thomas S. Kidd
• The Great Awakening: A Brief History with Documents | Thomas S. Kidd
• The Great Awakening: Documents on the Revival of Religion, 1740-1745 | Richard Bushman
• Contested Boundaries: Itinerancy & the Reshaping of Colonial American Religious World | Timothy D. Hall

PICTURES, PLACES, THINGS

Tons of photos, sketches, artwork, locations, etc., from Quinta Press...

• George Whitefield Sites
• More Whitefield Sites
• Whitefield Related Photos
• Dr. Squintum's Exaltation or The Reformation cartoon - ridicule
• Title page for poem by slave girl from Boston, Phillis, for George Whitefield's funeral

Standing Where Whitefield Stood

A very interesting introduction to George Whitefield by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, especially concerning open-air preaching (via Dane Ortlund)