~ It appears, from a little account book, wherein that great man of God, the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, minuted the times and places of his ministerial labours, that he preached upwards of eighteen thousand sermons, from the aera of his ordination to that of his death.

~ A spark of red hot iron flew into a gentleman's eye, several eminent surgeons tried in vain to extract it; at last, a lady of the patient's acquaintance thought of holding his eye-lid quite open, and of extracting the grievance by the application of a load stone. The experiment succeeded. — — How similar is the Holy Spirit's virtue, in extracting the love of sin from the heart of a saint.

~ King Charles II. once said to that great man, John Milton, "Do not you think your blindness is a judgement upon you for having written in defence of my father's murderer?" * — Sir, answered the poet, it is true, I have lost my eyes; but, if all calamitous providences are to be considered as judgements, your majesty should remember that your royal father lost his head.
[* The poet Milton was referring to the fact that King Charles I was executed in 1649]

~ That excellent man, the late Rev. Mr. Joseph Hart, made it his inviolable rule, not to let an Arian, an Arminian, or any unsound preacher, occupy his pulpit so much as once. His usual saying on those occasions was, I will keep my pulpit as chaste as my bed.

~ An ingenious foreigner was, this week, observing to me, that, "of all the nations of Europe, in which he had been, the English were the most afraid of death." I fear the reason is, because the English have less religion than other nations.

~ Some gentlemen and ladies were a Sunday or two ago refused admittance into the Magdalen Chapel, though they shewed their tickets. On asking the door-keeper, "Why he objected to their going in?" he answered, that he had orders to admit no persons but such as were in full dress. Surely this is a ridiculous regulation.

There is, however, a church where this regulation is indispensable, and most strictly right. I mean the church above. No admittance there for any souls that are not in full dress. You must put on Christ for your wedding garment, and wear his resplendent righteousness by imputation, if ever you mean to shine at God's right hand, and to have a seat in the Church triumphant.

~ My late revered friend, the truly reverend and useful Mr. George Whitefield, was preaching on time at Exeter. A man was present who had loaded his pockets with stones, in order to fling them at that eminently precious ambassador of Christ. He heard his prayer, however, with patience: but no sooner had he named his text than the man pulled a stone out of his pocket, and held it in his hand, waiting for a fair opportunity to throw it. But God sent a word to his heart, and the stone dropt from his hand. After sermon, he went to dear Mr. Whitefield (whose name I can hardly think of without tears), and told him, "Sir, I came to hear you this day with a view to break your head; but the Spirit of God, through your ministry, has given me a broken heart." The man proved to be a sound convert, and lived an ornament to the gospel. Such power belongeth unto God.

~ A certain philosopher once asked a Christian, "Where is God?"— The Christian answered, "Let me first ask of you, Where he is not?"

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