LETTER From the REVEREND Mr. WHITEFIELD, TO A Reverend DIVINE in BOSTON; Giving a Short Account of his late Visit to BERMUDA.
PHILADELPHIA: Printed by B. FRANKLIN and D. HALL. MDCCXLVIII.
A LETTER From the REVEREND Mr. WHITEFIELD, TO A Reverend DIVINE in BOSTON.
NINE Weeks ago I arrived here from from Charles-Town, and ere now I thought to have had the Pleasure of seeing you and my other dear Friends in New-England. This was the Reason why you have not heard from me before: But as [Page 4] Providence seems to point out to me another Course▪ I cannot omit this Opportunity of sending you a short Account of my late Excursion to Bermuda. I suppose you have heard of our safe and pleasant Passage: We were but nine Days I think on board, and I do not remember that I heard one single Oath from Land to Land. As we went round the West Part of the Island, in order to come into the Harbour, I was very much struck with the Variety of agreeable Prospects of Landskips it afforded. The Scene was quite new, and quite different from any I had ever beheld before; and tho' I have been here so long, yet it appears very delightful to me still. Immediately upon my Arrival several received me in a plain, artless, free Manner, and desired me to expound the very first Evening. I readily complied, and continued so doing for several Days; and was so pleased with the Heartiness and Attention of the People, and Pleasantness of the Island, that I could not help thinking I was got among my Friends in some Part of South-Wales, or the Clothiers Country in Gloucestershire in England.—One Mr. Holyday, a Clergyman of the Church of England, received me with open Heart and Arms. The first Lord's Day after my Arrival, I read Prayers, and preached in two of his Parish Churches, and the longer I staid, the more kindly he behaved to me. The two other Church-Clergy chose to keep at a Distance: [Page 5] But one Mr. Paul, an aged Presbyterian Minister, was very free to let me have the Use of his Meeting-house, which being pretty large, and lying in a central Part of the Island, I preached in it to very large Auditories for eight Sundays successively. His Excellency the Governour was pleased to come and hear me when I preached in Town, and tho' he thought proper (I suppose for fear of disobliging at Home) to prohibit my preaching any more in the Churches; yet, with most of the Council, and principal Gentlemen of the Island, he treated me with great Respect, and invited me more than once to dine with him. I have now preached near seventy times in all. On the Week Days chiefly at private Houses up and down, in different Parts of the Island, sometimes within, sometimes without Doors, to larger Assemblies (as they tell me) than were ever seen upon any Occasion on this Island before. The longer I continued here, the larger the Auditories grew. The Word was frequently attended with a divine Power, and many have been brought under promsing Convictions, which I trust will issue in sound and saving Conversions. When I preached my Farewell Sermon last Lord's Day in the Meeting-House, we had a most solemn Season. It much resembled the Appearances that we had sometimes at Mr. Webb's, and the other Meeting-houses, seven or eight Years agoe at Boston. Tho I have been used to such frequent [Page 6] Partings, yet the People's Weeping almost unmann'd me. Since then I have received many Tokens of their Love, and am furnished with a Variety of Stock for my Sea Store. God willing, I have promised to visit them once more. For indeed Bermuda's People are dear to me. I have spent nine happy Weeks among them, and was never so little opposed during so long a Stay in any one fresh Place where I have been since my first coming out into the World. Indeed many I hear were prejudiced against me before I came. But what cannot God do? He has the Hearts of all in his Hands, and when our Ways please Him, can make our Enemies be at Peace with us. My being at Bermuda hath been also blessed in some Measure to the restoring my bodily Health. The Air, particularly to a Stranger, is quite salubrious, at least I have found it to be so. You know in what a weak State I was when I left Boston. Blessed be God I can preach daily; and tho' I think when I lay my Hand upon my Stomach, I can say, Hic haeret lethalis arundo; yet I am as well as a worn-out Pilgrim can expect to be on this Side Eternity. In a few Days I hope to embark in the Brigantine Betsy, Captain Esteen, bound for England. Letters from thence inform me of the Spread of the Gospel. Thither I think the Providence of God calls me, tho' I hope to return in a short Season to my beloved America again. Till then Farewel, dear Bermuda; [Page 7] Farewel all my dear Friends on the different Parts of the Continent! Follow me, Oh follow me with your Prayers. Hold up your Hands in my Behalf, and by the Grace of God I will go on fighting. Oh that I may die in the Field! At present this is the Language of my heart;
You, Rev. Sir, I am persuaded, will not be unmindful of me. As the Lord enables, you, and all my dear Friends, shall ever be remembered by,