Whitefield Quotes & Sayings

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

I'd rather wear out than rust out, he'd once said years before, echoing the words of the evangelist George Whitefield. — Laura Frantz

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

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

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

As long as people want the Mormon Church to be true,
more than they are willing to face the possibility that it is not,
they will not entertain evidence or reason.
Delusion becomes a choice. — Jim Whitefield

The great evangelist George Whitefield once received a letter in which he was brutally criticized by a peer. He was called everything but a preacher. Whitefield, with impeccable clarity, penned the best response to criticism I've ever encountered. He wrote his assassin a brief reply: "Thank you sir for your criticism. If you knew about me what I know about me, you would have written a longer letter. — Byron Forrest Yawn

As shown in the splendid recent biography by Harry Stout, Whitefield's style - popular preaching aimed at emotional response - has continued to shape American evangelicalism long after Whitefield's specific theology (he was a Calvinist), his denominational origins (he was an Anglican), and his rank (he was a clergyman) are long since forgotten.65 — Mark A. Noll

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

He [the Rev. Mr. Whitefield] used, indeed, sometimes to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard. — Benjamin Franklin

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

Whitefield, again, was among the first to show the right way to meet infidels and skeptics. He saw clearly that the most powerful weapon against such men is not metaphysical reasoning and critical disquisition; but preaching the whole gospel, living the whole gospel, and spreading the whole gospel. — J.C. Ryle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You need not fear the greatness or number of your sins. — George Whitefield

I spent 43 years believing in a false religion.
Now I want my 43 years as an atheist.
God owes me that. — Jim Whitefield

Dare, dare, my dear brethren in Christ, to follow the Captain of your salvation, who was made perfect through sufferings — George Whitefield

Let the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified — 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

Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer. — George Whitefield

Whoever reads the gospel with a single eye, and sincere intentions, will find, that our blessed Lord took all opportunities of reminding his disciples that His Kingdom was not of this world; that His doctrine was a doctrine of the Cross; and that their professing themselves to be His followers, would call them to a constant state of voluntary suffering and self-denial. — 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

It is an undoubted truth that every doctrine that comes from God, leads to God; and that which doth not tend to promote holiness is not of God. — George Whitefield

Know, by sad experience, what it is to be lulled to sleep with a false peace. Long was I lulled asleep; long did I think myself a Christian, when I knew nothing of the Lord Jesus Christ. — 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

We must all have the spirit of martyrdom, though we may not all die martyrs. — 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

Following Christ means following him through life, following him in every word and gesture, following him out of one clime into another. — 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

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

At the risk of being simplistic, a railway metaphor comes to mind. John Wesley's marriage was a train wreck (Wesleyan historian, Henry Rack called it a 'disaster' and 'catastrophe'); [George] Whitefield's was a freight train (satisfactory but functional); and [John] Newton's was a scenic passenger train (enjoyable and relational). — Grant Gordon

This is a paradox of Whitefield's legacy: evangelicalism draws people of different churches while dividing those within the same denomination. — Melanie Ross

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

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

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

Though you have sinned much, that is no reason why you should despair, but only why you should love much, having so much forgiven. — George Whitefield

I do want to write about Jane Whitefield again, but only when I have a good enough idea - something I've figured out about her that's news and that's worth a reader's time. — Thomas Perry

Man is nothing; he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him" and "you dishonour God by denying election. You plainly make salvation depend, not on God's 'free grace' but on Man's 'free will.' — George Whitefield

The reason why the Son of God took upon him our nature, was, the fall of our first parents. — George Whitefield

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

There is not a thing on the face of the earth that I abhor so much as idleness or idle people. — 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

God has condescended to become an author, and yet people will not read his writings. There are very few that ever gave this Book of God, the grand charter of salvation, one fair reading through. — George Whitefield

Would ministers preach for eternity! They would then act the part of true Christian orators, and not only calmly and cooly inform the understanding, but, by persuasive, pathetic address, endeavour to move the affections and warm the heart. — George Whitefield

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

O my brethren, my heart is enlarge towards you. I trust I feel something of that hidden, but powerful presence of Christ, whilst I am preaching to you. — 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

Numberless marks does man bear in his soul, that he is fallen and estranged from God; but nothing gives a greater proof thereof, than that backwardness, which every one finds within himself, to the duty of praise and thanksgiving. — 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

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

The aim of forest garden design is to make the relationships as co-operative as possible, while acknowledging that very few plants will yield quite as much as they would if they were living alone. It is the cumulative yield of all the plants living on the same piece of land that makes forest gardens productive, not the high yield of individuals. — Patrick Whitefield

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

All our afflictions, all our temptations are to make heaven more desirable, and earth more loathsome. — George Whitefield

It wasn't to be endured! For half an hour, the Captain shot off salvo after salvo of the very worst sort of profanity. He started with the sun and ran down the list of planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, to the very meteors themselves. He was starting on the nearer fixed stars, when he collapsed from sheer nervous exhaustion. He was so excited that he never thought to ask us what we were doing in the storeroom in the first place, and for that Whitefield and I were duly grateful.
But Captain Bartlett is no fool. Having purged his system of its nervous tension, he saw clearly that that which cannot be cured must be endured. — Isaac Asimov

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

Whitefield was the very first who seems thoroughly to have understood what Chalmers has called the aggressive system. He did not wait for souls to come to him, but he went after souls. He did not sit tamely by his fireside, mourning over the wickedness of the land. He went forth to beard the Devil in his high places. He attacked sin and wickedness face to face, and gave them no peace. He dived into holes and corners after sinners. He hunted up ignorance and vice, wherever it could be found. He showed that he thoroughly realized the nature of the ministerial office. Like a fisherman, he did not wait for the fish to come to him. Like a fisherman, he used every kind of means to catch souls. — J.C. Ryle

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

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

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

The fall of man is written in too legible characters not to be understood: Those that deny it, by their denying, prove it. — 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

It is easy to follow Christ when all things are safe. But your love to Jesus Christ would be seen more, if you must lose your lives, or deny your Jesus. It would be a trial of your love, when fire and faggot [a wooden stick] was before you, if you would rush into that, rather than fly from the truth as it is in Jesus. Though all things are calm now, the storm is gathering and by and by it will break; it is at present no bigger than a man's hand. But when it is full it will break and then you will see whether you are found Christians or not. — George Whitefield