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Journal of a Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia
Journal of a Voyage from London to Savannah in Georgia Author:George Whitefield Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTION. In the present instance, it is not intended to give any thing beyond the very briefest summary of the life of the once celebrated author of the ... more »following journals ; and that simply to convey such a notion of his general career, as will serve for those who, in perusing them, may not be disposed to the labour of a reference to more ample sources. George Vhitefield, one of the founders of the sect at one time generally called methodists, although that name is now nearly restricted to the followers of John Wesley, was born on the 6th of December, 1714, at the Bell-inn, at Gloucester, which was kept by his father. In his own account of himself, he confesses that his childhood was marked with every petty crime of which early years are susceptible; but divested of the peculiar language adopted by the votaries of his class of religious feeling, it is probable that they went not beyond the usual failings of a lad, brought up in a situation not over favourable to extreme purity of morals. This is the more likely, as he notices many occasional gleams of grace indicative of his future experience. Ho was sent for education to the grammar- school at Gloucester, where he distinguished himself by a ready memory and good elocution, which enabled him to figure to advantage in his speeches made before the corporation, at their annual visitation. He had also made some progress in Latin, when in consequence of the early death of his father, and the pecuniary difficulties of a sensible and indulgent mother, he was taken home, and obliged to take a, share in the homely toilsof business at the Bell-inn. Notwithstanding the evil propensities with which he charges himself, he mentions the composition of sermons, even at this time, as well as of his experience of many devotional impulses...« less