"At this sermon," continues Franklin, "there was also one of our club,
who, being of my sentiments respecting the building in Georgia, and
suspecting a collection might be intended, had, by precaution, emptied
his pockets before he came from home; towards the conclusion of the
discourse, however, he felt a strong inclination to give, and applied to
a neighbour who stood near him, to lend him some money for the purpose.
The request was fortunately made to perhaps the only man in the company
who had the firmness not to be affected by the preacher. His answer was,
'At any other time, friend Hopkinson, I would lend to thee freely; but
not now, for thee seems to me to be out of thy right senses.'"
One of his flights of oratory, not in the best taste, is related on
Hume's authority. "After a solemn pause, Mr. Whitfield thus addresses
his audience:--'The attendant angel is just about to leave the
threshold, and ascend to heaven; and shall he ascend and not bear with
him the news of one sinner, among all the multitude, reclaimed from the
error of his ways!' To give the greater effect to this exclamation, he
stamped with his foot, lifted up his hands and eyes to heaven, and cried
aloud, 'Stop, Gabriel! stop, Gabriel! stop, ere you enter the sacred
portals, and yet carry with you the news of one sinner converted to
God!'" Hume said this address was accompanied with such animated, yet
natural action, that it surpassed any thing he ever saw or heard in any
other preacher.
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