I'm reading that George Whitefield tried to save himself through works and sacrifices.

[Artfuldodger]

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.

 

[gordon 2]

To sacrifice to the self by self denial and to sacrifice by self denial so to follow Christ are two different sacrifices or are they?

First I understand a fierce wanting and grasping towards the experience of being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit was the cause of self denial.

Second, I understand that eventually for Whitefield to sacrifice, and so deny the self, was to focus on scripture and especially what it could convey regards Christ's life and so our Lord's lifelong sacrifice as example which had as object one's gaining into the heavenly choir if taken as model.

The devotional focus towards Christ and living by his example was the real denial of self. If Jesus forgave his sins, it is perhaps that denying of self has a spiritual order and perhaps not of the order to serve one's soul first. Rather it is a sacrifice to serve God first.

And so God is the cause of one's salvation especially that Jesus can forgive living futile lives with the disorder that our pride could do much of the heavy work of salvation. When Jesus forgave him his sins his spiritual life became orderly.

In his sermons he often uses the term "think" and "think, think" and so with scripture that we might gain "wisdom". I get the impression that he understands that we are motivated by fear and by love to gain spiritual reward, with love being the best source of sacrifice of denying one's self.

His denying of himself and self sacrifice was a forced fact of his early life. History records that his " at some point moment" was when he read:

"It was Henry Scougal's book, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, that Whitfield says opened his eyes to the Gospel and led to his conversion." wikipedia.

This^^^^ was his "at some point moment". Think, think. I suspect that he was the type of Christian that by having intimate fear and love at his command he could skillfully move his audiences towards serious considerations regards the Christian life. I also think that much of his confrontational style was due to his pride which was shored up to his early life of being servant to people that he might have felt regarded themselves his better. If he had discernment it was towards the sharp hypocricies that a servant can find in all others. I think he was that kind of servant always.

We are where we come from and if we come from the mountains they are hard to move.

 

[Artfuldodger]

To sacrifice to the self by self denial and to sacrifice by self denial so to follow Christ are two different sacrifices or are they?

First I understand a fierce wanting and grasping towards the experience of being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit was the cause of self denial.

Second, I understand that eventually for Whitefield to sacrifice, and so deny the self, was to focus on scripture and especially what it could convey regards Christ's life and so our Lord's lifelong sacrifice as example which had as object one's gaining into the heavenly choir if taken as model.

The devotional focus towards Christ and living by his example was the real denial of self. If Jesus forgave his sins, it is perhaps that denying of self has a spiritual order and perhaps not of the order to serve one's soul first. Rather it is a sacrifice to serve God first.

And so God is the cause of one's salvation especially that Jesus can forgive living futile lives with the disorder that our pride could do much of the heavy work of salvation. When Jesus forgave him his sins his spiritual life became orderly.

In his sermons he often uses the term "think" and "think, think" and so with scripture that we might gain "wisdom". I get the impression that he understands that we are motivated by fear and by love to gain spiritual reward, with love being the best source of sacrifice of denying one's self.

His denying of himself and self sacrifice was a forced fact of his early life. History records that his " at some point moment" was when he read:

"It was Henry Scougal's book, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, that Whitfield says opened his eyes to the Gospel and led to his conversion." wikipedia.

This^^^^ was his "at some point moment". Think, think. I suspect that he was the type of Christian that by having intimate fear and love at his command he could skillfully move his audiences towards serious considerations regards the Christian life. I also think that much of his confrontational style was due to his pride which was shored up to his early life of being servant to people that he might have felt regarded themselves his better. If he had discernment it was towards the sharp hypocricies that a servant can find in all others. I think he was that kind of servant always.

We are where we come from and if we come from the mountains they are hard to move.

But when he turned his heart over to God who already had his soul, he was then able to perform the works as he then had the help of the Holy Spirit.
He could then do the work of God as being lead by God's Spirit instead of using only his spirit. He took the wrong path of trying to please God instead of surrendering all.
I think that after he received the Holy Spirit, he saw the importance of having a new birth or being born again. He said it happened in an instant.

 

[Artfuldodger]

He did not know how to be born again. So he tried to do so with all his efforts. He stopped eating certain foods and gave the money saved to the poor, he wore only a patched gown and dirty shoes, he would spend all night in fervent sweaty prayer, and he would speak to noon.
He became subject to strange and terrible emotions and students threw dirt at him, concluding he was mad.
He began to pray simply, and dropped all of his own ideas and efforts and began to really listen to God. At one point he simply threw himself on the bed and cried out, "I thirst!" It was perhaps the first time he had called out to God in utter helplessness. And it was the first time in over a year that he felt happy. At this moment of total surrender to Almighty God a new thought now came to his heart, "George, you have what you asked! You ceased to struggle and simply believed and you are born again!" It was so simple, almost absurdly simple, to be saved by such a simple prayer that it made Whitefield laugh. And as soon as he laughed the floodgates of heaven burst and he felt "Joy joy unspeakable joy that's full of, big with glory!"

It sounds like to me this was a big part of Whitefield's repentance.