October 11th, 1917
Received by:James Padgett
Washington D.C.
Let me write a line or two. I have been present with you since you returned from the church, and have listened to your conversation. I was with you tonight at the prayer meeting and heard what the preacher (Dr. Gordon) said, and was particularly interested in his ideas about the coming of the great world teacher, and saw that his idea of what constituted greatness in this particular, arose from his estimate of human greatness.
The teacher will not be a great preacher or a magnificent specimen of physical development or a man with a wonderful voice, but a man who can reveal to the world the Truths of the Father, regarding the relationship of man to the Father and the plan provided for the redemption and reconciliation of man to the Father. It is a fact, and I know whereof I write, that the regeneration of the human soul is caused more by the quiet meditations of mortals of the truths of the Father and by the silent longings of the soul than by the emotions that arise from the fervid and persuasive sermons of the preachers and evangelists.
These latter may arouse the dead souls to a realization of their need of a reconciliation to God, but not so often do these emotions bring the soul into rapport or unison with the Father, as do the silent meditations of which I speak. There must be the true soul longings and aspirations for this love of the Father, and in such cases these longings do not arise from the emotions produced as I have mentioned, and especially where such emotions are the results of fear created by the picturing of an angry and revengeful God. No, in the silence of the home chamber, where the mortal is, as it were, alone with God, and lets his longings go to the Father for the bestowal of His Love, because of the love that the mortal may have for the Father, does this Divine Love come in response and regenerating power. Only the mortal and God need be alone. Excitement or the magnetism which the preacher may give to the mortal does not create the true longings or aspirations, and for the preacher to suppose that the great world teacher must be a man with this great personal magnetism or with a voice that can cause the feelings of the mortal to vibrate with emotion or excitement, is a mistake. Jesus when on earth, I am told, never tried to create emotion or excitement in this manner, but his teachings were as the still small voice that enters the soul and draws it to a contemplation of the Father's Love in all the power of a soul's longings - hungry and craving.
So I say, the preacher's conception of this teacher was not a true one, and besides, while there will be a revelation of the truth, there will be no world teacher, but only a revealer of truths that will be disclosed. The Master, himself, will be the great teacher come again to earth in the form of his revelations.
I wish that I could come and proclaim these truths, but I cannot, and only through the instrumentality of a human can my thoughts be made known, and they will not be my thoughts either, any more than will they be the thoughts of the mortal, because what I may attempt to impress upon the minds and consciousness of men will be only those truths that I have learned from the same source as will come the Revelations.
Of course these truths will have to be preached and taught to men, but this will not be done by any great teacher, but by many preachers who shall learn the truth from what the Master shall disclose; and no man of himself, will be able to claim to be the great teacher. The greatest will be those who shall have the most of the Divine Love in their souls, and the greatest knowledge of the truths.
I also heard the preacher say that he would believe in any truths that might be confirmed by miracles, such as were performed in the time of Jesus - the instantaneous healing, etc. Well, you need not be surprised of such a demonstration, for it will surely take place. When a man shall receive in his soul sufficient amount of the Divine Love, there will come with it to that man a power and knowledge of the laws governing the relation of spirit to material organism that will enable that man to perform these same acts that are called miracles; and further, there will be some who will have that power and will demonstrate the same in confirmation of the truths that you are receiving.
The spirits who are now working to make known to man and convince them of these truths, have determined that such so-called miracles shall take place in confirmation of the New Revealment. The Master is the leader in the movement and he will not cease to bring about this great demonstration or rather not cease to work to this end, and he will not fail, if the human agents will follow his leading.
Well, I must not write more tonight, but as I am interested in this great work, and saw that the preacher's conception of this great world teacher is incorrect, I deemed it wise to write you as I have; and what I have written is not the result of my individual belief or opinion, but the result of what these high spirits have determined shall come to pass; and back of it all is the will and help of the Father, for in His Love and Mercy He desires to see all men become His true children and redeemed from the sins and evils of their present human condition.
So with my love and as a co-worker I will say good night and subscribe myself,
Your brother in Christ,
George Whitefield.