Persecution of Revival — E.A. Johnston

Whitefield’s Persecution During the Great Awakening

We are in the Evangelism Awakening Revival Institutes, and if you'll turn in your handouts to Session 8, Persecution of Revival, George Whitefield was severely persecuted for preaching during the Great Awakening.

He wrote, I received many blows and wounds. One was particularly large and near my temple. When Whitefield preached at Moorfields, outside of London, he was pelt with stones, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cats.

One time, while preaching on an island, he was nearly stoned to death. Regarding this, he was in Boston when a minister was introduced to him as from being from Ireland. Whitefield removed his beaver cap and upon leaning over, he pointed to a large scar on his forehead to which he replied, This, sir, is a wound I received for preaching Christ in your country.

On top of this, Whitefield was ridiculed on the stage in London. There were some very profane stage plays put on mocking him and calling him Dr. Squintum because of the squint in his eye from a health incident in his youth.

He was lambasted and abused in the public. Richard R. Roberts has a big book he wrote called Whitefield in Print which details all the abuse the handbills were against Whitefield. In Charleston, South Carolina, when Whitefield was in the midst of revival there, the bishop of the Episcopal Church there tried to get Whitefield imprisoned and excommunicated from the Church of England.

The Wesleys and the First Methodist Martyr

Whitefield faced constant abuse and persecution. One time, a man snuck in his room and beat him with a cane. Whitefield's friends, John and Charles Wesley, both were persecuted physically for their preaching as well.

Charles Wesley wrote of an incident where John had been attacked. My brother, they told me, had been dragged for about three hours by the mob of three towns. Many blows he escaped through the loneliness of his stature, and his enemies were struck down by them.

His feet never once slipped, for in their hands the angels bore him up. And the mightily used preacher, Hal Harris, spoke of his friend William Seward being made blind by stoning from an angry mob. He wrote,.

When we came to the village, everything seemed calm while Brother Seward prayed and discoursed sweetly by the market house. But when I proceeded to discourse after him, they began to roar horribly, pelting us with dung and dirt, throwing eggs, plumb stones, and other hard substances in our faces.

While they howled so loud as to entirely drown my voice, Brother Seward had a serious blow on his eye, which caused him much anguish. As this affected his left eye, he was obliged to be led by the hand for a few days, and at length he became totally blind of the other.

Revival Provokes Satanic Opposition

Well, William Seward eventually died from this incident, becoming the first Methodist martyr. In times of revival, Satan rages, for he hates any true revival of religion. A persecution that accompanied many revivals is a known fact of history.

I encourage you, friends, to study this subject more fully, for when revival comes to us, you better be prepared for persecution. Sam Jones continually faced threats and opposition. When I toured his home in Cortisville, Georgia, I found a poster of Sam Jones hanging on the wall, advertising one of his meetings, and someone had scrawled on the poster, Hang Him.

The Spirit’s Work and the Sign Spoken Against

Arthur Wallace wrote a wonderful book on revival entitled, In the Day of the Power, which I strongly recommend to you. In it, he has a chapter on persecution associated with revival, and he commented that Jesus knew full well of this persecution.

He wrote,. Thus from the time that he commenced to preach and work in the power of the Spirit, he became a sign spoken against. It has been thus with every genuine revival, a sign spoken against. The mighty operation of the Spirit will always uncover and draw forth into the open antagonism of the natural or carnal mind, which is amnesty against God.

Him whom God chooses to be an instrument in revival may expect to be a continual target for the malice of Satan. Well, I agree with Arthur Wallace, and I can assure you, friends, that is indeed the case.

My most bitter opposition has occurred when I shifted the focus of my ministry to a revival ministry. I've been threatened by angry deacons for preaching repentance. I've been denounced by fellow preachers and shut out of churches because of the revival message I preach.

The strain at times is almost unbearable. And when I get down to the dumps, I turn over to the book of Revelation, and I read,. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faith of witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

And I think about my Christ, and I dip my finger in the blood of the Lamb, and I wipe it on me, and I'm soon energized and ready to enter the fight again. Well, this concludes this session. We will now prepare for session nine.