The preface to this publication contains the following:――
“Mr. Whitefield asks nothing, indeed, for his preaching, but he has a brother Syms to suggest, wherever he goes, what it is decent to give so great a man; and, by these means, he has, these four months past, made as much gain as several of the bishops in England, or any six ministers in Scotland, for the same time; and that partly by getting from some poor parishes, for a day’s _holding forth_, nearly as much as they collect for their own poor in a whole year.”
This was a baseless slander; but let it pass. The “Gentleman in New England” asks:――
“In what does Mr. Whitefield’s fervour turn? Is it not upon getting money and popular applause, by perpetually roaring out _hell-flames, fire and brimstone, incarnate devils, and damnation_? Some are frightened out of their senses; others fall into convulsions and epileptic fits; and others scream and roar with hideous voices. These are, according to him, the _fruits of the Spirit_, and _gales_ from the _Holy Ghost_.”
Gilbert Tennent, the friend of Whitefield, is similarly abused.
“In the pulpit, Gilbert Tennent is an awkward and ridiculous ape of Whitefield, for his appearance is very clownish. His great business, in his sermons, is either to puzzle or to frighten his hearers, but especially the latter, which he does by roaring and bellowing _damnation_, _devils_, and all the _dreadful words_ he can think of. He is followed by all sorts of people, as much as Whitefield was, and, by many, is ♦preferred to him.”
Of the Presbyterian helpers, employed by Whitefield and Tennent in New England, the “Gentleman” remarks:――
“There is a creature here whom, perhaps, you never heard of before. It is called an _Exhorter_. It is of both sexes, but generally of the male, and young. Its distinguishing qualities are _ignorance_, _impudence_, _zeal_. Numbers of these exhorters are among the people here. They go from town to town; creep into houses; lead captive silly women; and then the men. Such of them as have good voices do _great execution_. They move their hearers, and make them cry, faint, swoon, and fall into convulsions.”
The _converts_ of Whitefield and Tennent are thus described:――