The Sermons of George Whitefield, 2 Vols. (Crossway) (Whitefield)

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. 

Table of Contents:

1. The Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent – Genesis 3:15
2. Walking with God – Genesis 5:24
3. Abraham’s Offering Up His Son Isaac – Genesis 22:12
4. The Great Duty of Family-Religion – Joshua 24:15
5. Christ the Best Husband – Psalm 45:10-11
6. Britain’s Mercies and Britain’s Duty – Psalm 105:45
7. Thankfulness for Mercies Received, a Necessary Duty – Psalm 107:30-31
8. The Necessity and Benefits of Religious Society – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9. The Folly and Danger of Not Being Righteous Enough – Ecclesiastes 7:16
10. A Perseverative against Unsettled Notions – Ecclesiastes 7:16
11. The Benefits of an Early Piety – Ecclesiastes 12:1
12. Christ the Believer’s Husband – Isaiah 44:5
13. The Potter and the Clay – Jeremiah 18:1-6
14. The Lord Our Righteousness – Jeremiah 23:6
15. The Righteousness of Christ an Everlasting Righteousness – Daniel 9:24
16. The True Way of Keeping Christmas – Matthew 1:21
17. The Temptation of Christ – Matthew 4:1-11
18. The Heinous Sin of Profane Cursing and Swearing – Matthew 5:34
19. Christ the Support of the Tempted – Matthew 6:13
20. Worldly Business No Plea for the Neglect of Religion – Matthew 8:22
21. Christ the Only Rest for the Weary and Heavy Laden – Matthew 11:28
22. The Folly and Danger of Parting with Christ for the Pleasures and Profits of Life – Matthew 8:23-24
23. Marks of a True Conversion – Matthew 18:3
24. What Think Ye of Christ? – Matthew 22:42
25. The Wise and Foolish Virgins – Matthew 25:13
26. The Eternity of Hell Torments – Matthew 25:46
27. Blind Bartimeus – Mark 10:52
28. Directions How to Hear Sermons – Luke 8:18
29. The Extent and Reasonableness of Self-Denial – Luke 9:23
30. Christ’s Transfiguration – Luke 9:28-36

Author:

George Whitefield (1714–1770) was a leading evangelical clergyman of the eighteenth century and a primary catalyst of the First Great Awakening, preaching at least eighteen thousand sermons and twelve thousand talks and exhortations.

Editor:

Lee Gatiss (PhD, Cambridge University) is the director of Church Society, a lecturer in church history at Union School of Theology, and a research fellow of the Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He also serves as a member of the editorial board of Themelios and editor for the internet journal Theologian. Lee and his wife, Kerry, have three children.

Endorsements 

“George Whitefield was undoubtedly one of the greatest preachers of the modern Christian era, yet today he remains strangely neglected, even among evangelical Christians. Lee Gatiss’s excellent edition of Whitefield’s sermons will alleviate some of this undeserved obscurity. Pastors, professors, and laypeople would all do well to reflect on these sermons, which more than any other earthly force helped stir the massive revivals of the Great Awakening.” - Thomas Kidd, Associate Professor of History, Baylor University; author, The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America

“Lee Gatiss has done us a service—dusting off, tidying up, and re-presenting Whitefield’s electric preaching to a new age. Gatiss’s introduction to the sermons is worth the price of the volumes alone. My prayer is that these sermons will raise up, and stir up, a generation to preach with gospel fire. Amen and Amen.” - Josh Moody, Senior Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois; author, The God-Centered Life: Insights from Jonathan Edwards