George Whitefield Quotes & Sayings

I am never better than when I am on the full stretch for God. — George Whitefield

If an earthly king was to issue out a royal proclamation, on performing or not performing the conditions therein contained, the life or death of his subjects entirely depended, how solicitous would they be to hear what those conditions were? And shall not we pay the same respect to the King of kings and Lord of lords and lend an attentive ear to his ministers, when they are declaring, in his name, how our pardon, peace, and happiness may be secured? — George Whitefield

The sinner can no more raise himself from the deadness of sin than Lazarus, who had been dead four days, until Jesus came. — George Whitefield

Come poor, lost, undone sinner, come just as you are to Christ. — George Whitefield

A true faith in Jesus Christ will not suffer us to be idle. No, it is an active, lively, restless principle; it fills the heart, so that it cannot be easy till it is doing something for Jesus Christ. — George Whitefield

For it pleased God, after he had made all things by the word of his power, to create man after his own image. — George Whitefield

If your souls were not immortal, and you in danger of losing them, I would not thus speak unto you; but the love of your souls constrains me to speak: methinks this would constrain me to speak unto you forever. — George Whitefield

As Christ was born of the Virgin's womb, so must He be spiritually formed in our hearts. As He died for sin, so must we die to sin. And as He rose again from the dead, so must we also rise to a divine life. — George Whitefield

What! Get to heaven on your own strength? Why, you might as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand! — George Whitefield

It is very remarkable, that in the book of life, we find some almost of all kinds of occupations, who notwithstanding served God in their respective generations, and shone as so many lights in the world. — George Whitefield

Be humble, talk little, think and pray much. — George Whitefield

True conversion means turning not only from sin but also from depending on self-made righteousness. Those who trust in their own righteousness for conversion hide behind their own good works. This is the reason that self-righteous people are so angry with gospel preachers, because the gospel does not spare those who will not submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ! — George Whitefield

Most talk of a catholic spirit but it is only till they have been brought into the pale of their own church. This is downright sectarianism, not Catholicism. How can I act consistently, unless I receive and love all the children of God, whom I esteem to be such, of whatever denomination they may be? — George Whitefield

Among the many reasons assignable for the sad decay of true Christianity, perhaps the neglecting to assemble ourselves together, in religious societies, may not be one of the least. — George Whitefield

Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel. — George Whitefield

The Christian world is in a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it! — George Whitefield

I am tired in the Lord's work, but not tired of it. — George Whitefield

This discourse, and the present frame of my mind, lead me rather to speak to those, who by feeling Satan's fiery darts, know assuredly that there is a devil. — George Whitefield

Come away, my dear brethren, fly, fly, fly for your lives to Jesus Christ; fly to a bleeding God, fly to a throne of grace; and beg of God to break your heart; beg of God to convince you of your actual sins; beg of God to convince you of your original sin; beg of God to convince you of your self-righteousness; beg of God to give you faith, and to enable you to close with Jesus Christ. — George Whitefield

Left to himself, man is half beast and half devil. — George Whitefield

I got more true knowledge from reading the Book of God in one month, than I could ever have acquired from all the writings of men. — George Whitefield

Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again. — George Whitefield

Mere heathen morality, and not Jesus Christ, is preached in most of our churches. — George Whitefield

I was honored today with having a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cat thrown at me — George Whitefield

We can preach the Gospel of Christ no further than we have experienced the power of it in our own hearts — George Whitefield

Congregations are lifeless because dead men preach to them. — George Whitefield

Lord Jesus, I am weary in Thy work, but not of it. If I have not yet finished my course, let me go and speak for Thee once more in the field, seal Thy truth, and come home to die. — George Whitefield

To preach more than half an hour, a man should be an angel himself or have angels for hearers. — George Whitefield

Although believers by nature, are far from God, and children of wrath, even as others, yet it is amazing to think how nigh they are brought to him again by the blood of Jesus Christ. — George Whitefield

And now let me address all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to accept of mercy and grace while it is offered to you; Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; and will you not accept it, now it is offered unto you? — George Whitefield

O that unbelievers would learn of faithful Abraham, and believe whatever is revealed from God, though they cannot fully comprehend it! Abraham knew God commanded him to offer up his son, and therefore believed, notwithstanding carnal reasoning might suggest may objections. — George Whitefield

The great and important duty which is incumbent on Christians, is to guard against all appearance of evil; to watch against the first risings in the heart to evil; and to have a guard upon our actions, that they may not be sinful, or so much as seem to be so. — George Whitefield

As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm and unskilled guides. — George Whitefield

If one evil thought, if one evil word, if one evil action, deserves eternal damnation, how many hells, my friends, do every one of us deserve, whose whole lives have been one continued rebellion against God! — George Whitefield

At the day of judgment we shall all meet again. — George Whitefield

You see, my brethren, my heart is full; I could almost say it is too big to speak, and yet too big to be silent, without dropping a word to you. — George Whitefield

Be content with no degree of sanctification. Be always crying out, "Lord, let me know more of myself and of thee." — George Whitefield

No doubt [women of faith in the past] were reproached for His name's sake, and accounted mad women; but they had a faith which enabled them at that time to overcome the world, and by which they climbed up to heaven. — George Whitefield

Thus was the King and the Lord of glory judged by man's judgment, when manifest in flesh: far be it from any of his ministers to expect better treatment. — George Whitefield

Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you. — George Whitefield

If we are not inwardly wrought upon, and changed by the powerful operations of the Holy Spirit, and our moral actions proceed from a principle of a new nature, however we may call ourselves Christians, we shall be found naked at the great day. — George Whitefield

You blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction. — George Whitefield

If we once get above our Bibles and cease making the written Word of God our sole rule both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion and be in great danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. — George Whitefield

The true believer can no more live without prayer, than without food day by day. — George Whitefield

We are immortal until our work on earth is done. — George Whitefield

People want to recommend themselves to God by their sincerity; they think, 'If we do all we can, if we are but sincere, Jesus Christ will have mercy on us.' But pray what is there in our sincerity to recommend us to God? ... therefore, if you depend on your sincerity for your salvation, your sincerity will damn you. — George Whitefield

Nothing is more generally known than our duties which belong to Christianity; and yet, how amazing is it, nothing is less practiced? — George Whitefield

He [Jesus Christ] loves to see poor sinners coming to Him, He is pleased to see them lie at His feet pleading His promises; and if you thus come to Christ, He will not send you away without His Spirit; no, but will receive and bless you. — George Whitefield

Believers keep up and maintain their walk with God by secret prayer. The spirit of grace is always accompanied with the spirit of supplication. It is the very breath of the new creature, the fan of the divine life, whereby the spark of holy fire, kindled in the soul by God, is not only kept in, but raised into a flame. — George Whitefield

God, give me a deep humility, a well-guided zeal, a burning love and a single eye, and then let men or devils do their worst! — George Whitefield

If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed ... In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal. — George Whitefield

It is God alone who can subdue and govern the unruly wills of sinful men. — George Whitefield

I have just put my soul as a blank into the hand of Jesus, my Redeemer, and desired Him to write on it what He pleases; I know it will be His image. — George Whitefield

God forbid that I should travel with anybody a quarter of an hour without speaking of Christ to them. — George Whitefield

O poor New England! There is a deep laid plot against your civil and religious liberties, and they will be lost. Your golden days are at an end. You have nothing but trouble before you ... Your liberties will be lost. — George Whitefield

It is a poor sermon that gives no offense; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher. — George Whitefield

Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death. — George Whitefield

No, the religion of Jesus is a social religion. — George Whitefield

Ministers never write or preach so well as when under the cross. — George Whitefield

My prayer today is that God would make me an extraordinary Christian. — George Whitefield

I offer you salvation this day; the door of mercy is not yet shut, there does yet remain a sacrifice for sin, for all that will accept of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will embrace you in the arms of His love. — George Whitefield

I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word. This proved meat indeed and drink indeed to my soul. I daily received fresh life, light and power from above. — George Whitefield

Christ is worth all, or he is worth nothing. — George Whitefield

Speak every time my dear brother as if it were your last — George Whitefield

As for the extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, such as working of miracles, or speaking with divers kinds of tongues, they are long since ceased. — George Whitefield

God is well pleased when all our actions proceed from love, love to Himself, and love to immortal souls. — George Whitefield

Oh let us continually keep faith in exercise, till it be entirely swallowed up in the boundless ocean of beatific vision. — George Whitefield

Let us, therefore, not be weary of well-doing; for we shall reap an eternal harvest of comfort, if we faint not. — George Whitefield

You might as reasonably expect to find a living man without breath, as a true Christian without the spirit of prayer and supplication. — George Whitefield

How sweet is rest after fatigue! How sweet will heaven be when our journey is ended. — George Whitefield

If you know Christ and him crucified, you know enough to make you happy, supposing you know nothing else. And without this, all your other knowledge cannot keep you from being everlastingly miserable. — George Whitefield

Lord, help me to begin to begin. — George Whitefield

Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand! — George Whitefield

Various are the pleas and arguments which men of corrupt minds frequently urge against yielding obedience to the just and holy commands of God. — George Whitefield

Pray that I may be very little in my own eyes, and not rob my dear Master of any part of his glory. — George Whitefield

True repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His Law, and in His people. — George Whitefield

Study to know Him more and more, for the more you know, the more you will love Him, — George Whitefield

There are many likewise, who go on in a round of duties, a model of performances, that think they shall go to heaven; but if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads, they have no Christ in their hearts. — George Whitefield

Let my name die everywhere, let even my friends forget me, if by that means the cause of the blessed Jesus may be promoted — George Whitefield

The renewal of our natures is a work of great importance. It is not to be done in a day. We have not only a new house to build up, but an old one to pull down. — George Whitefield

Oh that I was lowly in heart! Honor and dishonor, good report and evil report would then be alike, and prove a furtherance to me in my Christian cause. — George Whitefield

Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies. — George Whitefield

You may have orthodox heads, and yet you may have the devil in your hearts. — George Whitefield

But he is unworthy the name of a minister of the gospel of peace, who is unwilling, not only to have his name cast out as evil, but also to die for the truths of the Lord Jesus. — George Whitefield

The reason why congregations have been so dead is because they have dead men preaching to them. How can dead men beget living children? — George Whitefield

Why fear ye that the Lord Jesus Christ will not accept of you? Your sins will be no hindrance, your unworthiness no hindrance; if your own corrupt hearts do not keep you back, nothing will hinder Christ from receiving of you. — George Whitefield

God enabled me to speak with the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power. — George Whitefield

When you hear of a notorious sinner, instead of thinking you do well to be angry, beg of Jesus Christ to convert, and make him a monument of his free grace. — George Whitefield

Open your hearts as wide as ever you will, the Spirit of the Lord shall fill them. — George Whitefield

Oh for a thousand lives to be spent in the service of Christ. — George Whitefield

For, if we have not charity, we are not Christians: charity is the great duty of Christians. — George Whitefield

See that you feel the truths that you speak. — George Whitefield

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is one of those great mysteries, which the angels desire to look into, and seems to be one of the first lessons that God taught men after the fall. — George Whitefield

Had I a hundred hands, I could employ them all. The harvest is very great. I am ashamed I can do no more for him who has done so much for me. — George Whitefield

The care of the soul is 'a matter of the highest importance;' beyond any thing which can be brought into comparison with it. — George Whitefield

Indeed, I have been listed under Jesus' banner only for a few years, but I have enjoyed more solid pleasure in one moment's communion with my God than I should or could have enjoyed in the ways of sin, though I had continued to have gone on in them for thousands of years. — George Whitefield

All I can say is I look for perpetual conflicts and struggles in this life, and I hope for no other peace, only a cross, while on this side of eternity. — George Whitefield

What could the Lord Jesus Christ have done for you more than he has? Then do not abuse his mercy, but let your time be spent in thinking and talking of the love of Jesus, who was incarnate for us, who was born of a woman, and made under the law, to redeem us from the wrath to come. — George Whitefield

I say salvation is the free gift of God. It is God's free grace, I preach unto you, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Jesus Christ justifies the ungodly. Jesus Christ passed by and saw you polluted with your blood and bid you live. — George Whitefield

Lord, we thank thee for all those with whom we spoke today and we rejoice that their lives and destinies are entirely in thy hand. Honor our efforts according to thy perfect will. Amen. — George Whitefield