George Whitefield’s Pastoral Counsel (February 16, 1741)

On February 16, 1741, in the thick of the Great Awakening’s demands and disputes, the English evangelist George Whitefield penned a brief pastoral counsel that echoed the apostle Paul: “Use the world, but let it be as though you used it not.” The counsel came from a ministry marked by long miles, plain living, and a steady call to repentance and new birth through faith in Christ.

Whitefield’s itinerant labors carried him across Britain and the American colonies, preaching in churches when welcomed and in open fields when doors closed. He drew crowds in places such as Bristol and London, and later in colonial cities like Philadelphia and Boston, where outdoor preaching challenged social respectability and stirred sharp criticism from some established leaders.

Scriptural Priorities in a Passing World

Whitefield’s line is rooted in Scripture’s insistence that temporal things must never become ultimate things. “Those who use the world, as if not using it. For this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31) He urged believers to receive daily bread with gratitude while refusing to be mastered by comfort, praise, or possessions.

His counsel did not condemn ordinary callings, family responsibilities, or material provision. Rather, it warned against entanglement—living as though this age were permanent, and as though ease were the measure of God’s favor.

Controversy, Courage, and the Great Awakening

The Great Awakening brought conversions and renewed zeal, but also accusations of disorder and fanaticism. Whitefield’s willingness to preach wherever hearers gathered required courage, humility under attack, and endurance through sickness and exhaustion. His “self-denying labors” were a kind of everyday heroism: choosing faithfulness over reputation, and gospel advance over personal comfort.

In an age of rising prosperity and expanding empires, he reminded Christians to measure success by holiness, not applause.

Lasting Significance

Whitefield’s counsel still steadies believers who face abundance or lack: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19–20). Use God’s gifts, hold them loosely, and spend your life gladly for what will last—Christ and His gospel.