Artfuldodger
Senior Member
He didn't feel like he had been overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit so he tried and upped all his works and even tried a few sacrifices. He became so intense in his quest that he could feel a heaviness that seemed to physically press him down. He spent entire nights groaning and praying to be saved. He gave up first one thing and then another. He quit eating fruit, he went around in a patched, ragged gown. He went outdoors to pray on cold mornings, and sometimes stayed out so long his hands became black.
At some point Whitefield, having grown weary from all his sacrifices and self-denial, finally threw Himself upon the mercy of Jesus and did what he should have done from the beginning. He trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation of his soul. It was not a gradual process. It happened in an instant and God graciously gave him an overflowing of the Holy Spirit, complete with the rapturous feelings he had been seeking.
At some point Whitefield, having grown weary from all his sacrifices and self-denial, finally threw Himself upon the mercy of Jesus and did what he should have done from the beginning. He trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation of his soul. It was not a gradual process. It happened in an instant and God graciously gave him an overflowing of the Holy Spirit, complete with the rapturous feelings he had been seeking.