George Whitefield Sermons

Genesis 3:15 -- "And I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman, and between thy Seed and her Seed, it shall bruise thy Head, and thou shalt bruise his Heel." On reading to you these words, I may address you in the language of the…

37 min read

Genesis 5:24 -- "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Various are the pleas and arguments which men of corrupt minds frequently urge against yielding obedience to the just and holy commands of God. But, perhaps, one of the most…

35 min read

Genesis 22:12 -- "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son, thine only Son from me." The great Apostle Paul, in one…

29 min read

Joshua 24:15 -- "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." These words contain the holy resolution of pious Joshua, who having in a most moving, affectionate discourse recounted to the Israelites what great things God had done for them, in the verse…

81 min read

Numberless marks does man bear in his soul, that he is fallen and estranged from God; but nothing gives a greater proof thereof, than that backwardness, which every one finds within himself, to the duty of praise and thanksgiving. When God placed the first man in…

25 min read

Eccles. 4:9-12 -- "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe be to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help…

30 min read

Ecclesiastes 7:16 -- "Be not righteous overmuch, neither make thyself over- wise: why shouldst thou destroy thyself?" Nothing is more frequent, than while people are living in a course of sin, and after the fashion and manner of the world, there is not notice taken of…

71 min read

The amiableness of religion in itself, and the innumerable advantages that flow from it to society in general, as well as to each sincere professor in particular, cannot but recommend it to the choice of every considerate person, and make, even wicked men, as they wish…

21 min read

Isaiah 54:5 -- "For thy Maker is thy Husband." Although believers by nature, are far from God, and children of wrath, even as others, yet it is amazing to think how nigh they are brought to him again by the blood of Jesus Christ. Eye hath…

51 min read

Jeremiah 18:1-6 -- "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on…

38 min read

Jeremiah 23:6 -- "The Lord our Righteousness." Whoever is acquainted with the nature of mankind in general, or the propensity of his own heart in particular, must acknowledge, that self- righteousness is the last idol that is rooted out of the heart: being once born under…

37 min read

Daniel 9:24 -- "And to bring everlasting Righteousness." On reading these words, I cannot help addressing you in the language of the angels to the poor shepherds, who kept watch over their flocks by night, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy," such tidings,…

52 min read

Matthew 4:1-11 -- "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou…

29 min read

Matthew 5:34 -- "But I say unto you, Swear not at all." Among the many heinous sins for which this nation is grown infamous, perhaps there is no one more crying, but withal more common, than the abominable custom of profane swearing and cursing. Our streets…

22 min read

Matthew 6:13 -- "Lead us not into temptation." The great and important duty which is incumbent on Christians, is to guard against all appearance of evil; to watch against the first risings in the heart to evil; and to have a guard upon our actions, that…

23 min read

Matthew 8:22 -- "Let the dead bury their dead." St. Paul preaching at Athens, tells them, that as he passed by and beheld their devotions, he perceived they were in all things too superstitious. But was this apostle to rise, can come publishing the glad tidings…

17 min read

Matthew 11:28 -- "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Nothing is more generally known than our duties which belong to Christianity; and yet, how amazing is it, nothing is less practiced? There is much of…

56 min read

Matthew 18:3 -- "Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." I suppose I may take it for granted, that all of you, among whom I am now about to preach…

37 min read

Matthew 22:42 -- "What think ye of Christ?" When it pleased the eternal Son of God to tabernacle among us, and preach the glad tidings of salvation to a fallen world, different opinions were entertained by different parties concerning him. As to his person, some said…

41 min read

Matthew 25:13 -- "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man cometh." (Text is actually Matt. 25:1-13) The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, informs us, "That it is appointed for all men once to…

40 min read

Matthew 25:46 -- "These shall go away into everlasting punishment. To the Inhabitants of Savannah in Georgia. My dear Friends, Though the following sermon has been preached elsewhere, yet as the occasion of my preaching it among you was particular, as you seemed to give an…

22 min read

Mark 10:52 -- "And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." When the apostle Peter was recommending Jesus of Nazareth, in one of his sermons to the Jews,…

29 min read

Luke 8:18 -- "Take heed, therefore, how ye hear." The occasion of our Lord's giving this caution, was this: Perceiving that much people were gathered together to hear him out of every city, and knowing (for he is God, and knoweth all things) that many, if…

17 min read

Luke 9:23 -- "And he said unto them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself." Whoever reads the gospel with a single eye, and sincere intentions, will find, that our blessed Lord took all opportunities of reminding his disciples that his…

23 min read

Luke 9:28-36 -- "And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment [was] white…

33 min read

Luke 10:42 -- "But one thing is needful." It was the amiable character of our blessed Redeemer, that "he went about doing good," this great motive, which animated all his actions, brought him to the house of his friend Lazarus, at Bethany, and directed his behavior…

38 min read

Luke 13:3 -- "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." When we consider how heinous and aggravating our offenses are, in the sight of a just and holy God, that they bring down his wrath upon our heads, and occasion us to live under his…

34 min read

Luke 14:22-24 -- "And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the high-ways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.…

32 min read

Luke 18:14 -- "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: For every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted." Though there be some who dare to deny the Lord Jesus,…

27 min read

Luke 19:9-10 -- "And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house; forasmuch as he also is the Son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Salvation, every where through the…

30 min read

John 2:11 -- "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him." I have more than once had occasion to observe, that the chief end St. John had in view, when he wrote his…

32 min read

John 5:39 -- "Search the Scriptures." When the Sadducees came to our blessed Lord, and put to him the question, "whose wife that woman should be in the next life, who had seven husbands in this," he told them "they erred, not knowing the scriptures." And…

46 min read

John 11:43-44 -- "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose…

77 min read

Acts 9:22 -- "But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ." It is an undoubted truth, however paradoxical it may seem to natural men, that "whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall…

35 min read

Acts 19:2 -- "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" Two different significations have been given of these words. Some have supposed, that the question here put, is, Whether these disciples, whom St. Paul found at Ephesus, had received the Holy Ghost by imposition…

24 min read

Acts 26:28 -- "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The chapter, out of which the text is taken, contains an admirable account which the great St. Paul gave of his wonderful conversion from Judaism to Christianity, when he was called to make his defense…

56 min read

The persons to whom these words were written, were the members of the church of Corinth; who, as appears by the foregoing chapter, were not only divided into different sects, by one saying, "I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos;" but also had…

18 min read

It has been objected by some, who dissent from, nay, I may add, by others also, who actually are friends to the present ecclesiastical establishment, that the ministers of the Church of England preach themselves, and not Christ Jesus the Lord; that they entertain their people…

21 min read

1 Corinthians 13:8, "Charity never faileth." Nothing is more valuable and commendable, and yet, not one duty is less practiced, than that of charity. We often pretend concern and pity for the misery and distress of our fellow-creatures, but yet we seldom commiserate their condition so…

23 min read

The occasion of these words was as follows: In the church of Corinth there was an unhappy person, who had committed such incest, as was not so much as named among the Gentiles, in taking his father's wife; but either on account of his wealth, power,…

26 min read

The doctrine of our regeneration, or new birth in Christ Jesus, though one of the most fundamental doctrines of our holy religion; though so plainly and often pressed on us in sacred writ, "that he who runs may read;" nay though it is the very hinge…

25 min read

Isaiah, speaking of the glory of gospel days, said, "Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." Chap. 64:4. Could a world lying in the wicked…

25 min read

The doctrines of the gospel are doctrines of peace, and they bring comfort to all who believe in them; they are not like the law given by Moses, which consisted of troublesome and painful ceremonies; neither do they carry with them that terror which the law…

26 min read

Ephesians 5:18 -- "Be not drunk with Wine, wherein is Excess; but be filled with the Spirit." The persons to whom these words were written, were the inhabitants of Ephesus, as we are told in the Acts, had been worshippers of the great goddess Diana, and,…

23 min read

Philippians 3:10 -- "That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection." The apostle, in the verses before the text, had been cautioning the Philippians to "beware of the concision," Judaizing teachers, who endeavored to subvert them from the simplicity of the gospel, by…

20 min read

If we inquire, why there is so little love to be found amongst Christians, why the very characteristic, by which every one should know that we are disciples of the holy Jesus, is almost banished out of the Christian world, we shall find it, in a…

21 min read

When our Lord was pleased to take upon himself the form of a servant, and to go about preaching the kingdom of God; he took all opportunities in public, and more especially in private, to caution his disciples against seeking great things for themselves, and also…

73 min read

Jeremiah 6:14 -- "They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers, so the…

66 min read