Page 36 - History of Christianity II- Textbook

David Hume, 1711-1776 –
David Hume was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist,
and essayist, who is best known today for his highly influential system of
philosophical empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism. He rejected the credibility of
any belief in miracles or the supernatural. In his Essay on Miracles (1748) he argued
that there is was modern day example of a miracle by which to correlate with the
New Testament witness .

Hume’s personal religious views were unclear, but the Church of Scotland seriously
considered bringing charges of infidelity against him. Many of his contemporaries
believed that Hume was an atheist or at least certainly not a Christian in any of his beliefs. His ideas
shaped the thinking of future generations in the areas of religion, politics and economics.

George Whitfield, 1714-70 ––
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/geor
ge-whitefield.html

Largely forgotten today, George Whitefield was probably the most famous
religious figure of the eighteenth century. Newspapers called him the "marvel of
the age." Whitefield was a preacher capable of commanding thousands on two
continents through the sheer power of his oratory. In his lifetime, he preached at
least 18,000 times to perhaps 10 million hearers.

Born thespian
As a boy in Gloucester, England, he read plays insatiably and often skipped school
to practice for his schoolboy performances. Later in life, he repudiated the theater, but the methods he
imbibed as a young man emerged in his preaching.

He put himself through Pembroke College, Oxford, by waiting on the wealthier students. While there, he
fell in with a group of pious "Methodists"—who called themselves "the Holy Club"—led by the Wesley
brothers, John and Charles. Under their influence, he experienced a "new birth" and decided to become
a missionary to the new Georgia colony on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

When the voyage was delayed, Whitefield was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church and began
preaching around London. He was surprised to discover that wherever he spoke, crowds materialized
and hung on every word.

These were no ordinary sermons. He portrayed the lives of biblical characters with a realism no one had
seen before. He cried, he danced, he screamed. Among the enthralled was David Garrick, then the most
famous actor in Britain. "I would give a hundred guineas," he said, "if I could say 'Oh' like Mr.
Whitefield."

Once, when preaching on eternity, he suddenly stopped his message, looked around, and exclaimed,
"Hark! Methinks I hear [the saints] chanting their everlasting hallelujahs and spending an eternal day in
echoing forth triumphant songs of joy. And do you not long, my brethren, to join this heavenly choir?"

Whitefield eventually made it to Georgia but stayed for only three months. When he returned to
London, he found many churches closed to his unconventional methods. He then experimented with

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