I read Dallimore’s shorter biography of Whitefield while in Chicago the last few days. I learned a lot from Whitefield’s courage, his work ethic, and his emphasis in his preaching on the importance of the New Birth. It was also interesting to learn about the origins of Methodism and Whitefield’s relationship with the Wesley brothers. Here is Whitefield reflecting in a letter on some of his most painful difficulties with other Christians, reminding us how God can use evil for good in our lives:
“It is good for me that I have been supplanted, despised, censured, maligned, judged by and separated from my nearest dearest friends. By this I have found the faithfulness of Him who is the friend of friends … and to be content that He to whom all hearts are open … now sees … the uprightness of my intentions to all mankind” (101).
