George Whitefield was the leading evangelical clergyman of the eighteenth century and one of the driving forces, humanly speaking, of revivals on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet until now, his sermons have been left as an untapped resource for today's church.

Editor Lee Gatiss has thus reproduced 57 sermons that were originally authorized to be published by Whitefield himself in the late 1700s, in addition to two sermons edited by Gillies for Whitefield's Works, and two more that are of great importance. Gatiss includes careful and extensive footnotes detailing the historical and theological background to Whitefield's preaching, which puts the man and his messages into context for a new generation of readers. The text has also been updated for the twenty-first century with modern grammar, spelling, and punctuation--revised in a manner that leaves Whitefield's distinct voice intact and coherent for today's reader.

Finally, the powerful and passionate preaching that set the world on fire in the Great Awakening is available to all in this two-volume set.

This redesigned anthology of Advent readings edited by best-selling author Nancy Guthrie, features 22 works by classic and contemporary theologians, each helping to prepare your heart for the sacredness of the Christmas season.

"Now in paperback
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Revivalist and preacher George Whitefield was born on December 16, 1714, in Gloucester, England. The youngest of seven children, he was only two when his father died. He eventually finished grammar school and enrolled at Oxford at the age of 17. Those university years became the turning point of his life. Drawn into a group called the "Holy Club," he met John and Charles Wesley and was converted to Christ in 1735. Whitefield was ordained in 1736 when he completed his Oxford degree.
The first of his many trips to America was made in 1738, when he spent a short time in Georgia in the mission post vacated by John Wesley. Returning to England, Whitefield found that his connection with the Wesleys and the evangelical character of his preaching had erased his popularity with Church of England clerics. Excluded from their pulpits, Whitefield began a series of open-air meetings in Bristol, moving on to exhort tens of thousands of people in London's Moorfields and Kennington Common. He persuaded John Wesley to carry on the work, and he returned to America, where he was an influential figure in the Great Awakening.
Whitefield was an astounding preacher from the beginning. Though slender of build, he stormed in the pulpit as if he were a giant. It was said that "his voice startled England like a trumpet blast." His messages were gospel-focused, simple and clear, bold, descriptive, earnest, and filled with pathos and emotion. Some calculate that he preached more than 18,000 sermons--and fewer than ninety have survived in any form. Among those, most notable are "The Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent" (Genesis 3:15); "Walking with God" (Genesis 5:24); "Christ, the Believer's Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30); "The Potter and the Clay" (Jeremiah 8:1-6); and "The Temptation of Christ" (Matthew 4:1-11).

This sermon details an authentic work of grace in a believer's heart. Whitefield uses the phrase "we can speak peace to our hearts" when God's work is genuine. The defining qualities are a correct understanding of sin, the nature of unbelief, and laying hold on the righteousness of Christ. The second part of the sermon is addressed to different people including true believers, backsliders and those who have never known Christ in their hearts.