A Penitent Heart: The Best New Year's Gift

George Whitefield was a dynamic and dramatic itinerant preacher who helped spark ‘The Great Awakening’ in the American colonies and Britain in 1740. Though his fiery style of open-air preaching drew the ire of some, even a casual reader cannot help but be moved by Whitefield’s pleas for the unregenerate to come to new birth through Christ. Indeed, repentance is the foundation of grace in the soul (Hebrews 6:1), being the first sermon that Christ ever preached (Matthew 4:17); its footsteps go down the path of life that leads to fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in the presence of God the Father (Psalm 16:11). “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3

Whitefield, George. The Digital Puritan - Vol.II, No.4 (Kindle Locations 3131-3140). Digital Puritan Press. Kindle Edition.

Note:

While reading and recording this (I had never read it before), i see that Whitefield echoed his contemporary, John Wesley in his calling upon the unregenerate to "choose" Christ. I do not agree with this statement on choosing Christ in the manner that the Rev. Whitefield suggested. It was stated that he (that is, Whitefield himself) had only recently been regenerated. Perhaps it is the Methodism in him that says "choose". I don't know. I do know that he is referred to as a "Calvinistic Methodist" (whatever that means). I personally believe that regeneration precedes faith. Take it for what you will.

Narrated by Duane Linn