On this of the Great Awakening. And curiously enough, it was founded because a congregation needed a pastor, and a pastor

needed a congregation.

And both as a consequence of the

preaching of George Whitfield. Well, the pastor who was in need of a congregation was man by the name of Jonathan Parsons.

He had been a minister himself and he went to one of Whitfield's sermons and he heard Whitfield preach the gospel and

Whitfield's emphasis on the new birth and Jonathan Parsons was converted.

He himself a minister was in need of conversion. And it was through Whitfield's preaching that he came

to Christ. Well, he goes back to his church. He begins preaching the necessity of the new

birth to his congregation.

He preaches the gospel and they shut him out.

They don't want to hear it and they don't want this preacher in their midst and so they kick

him out of the church.

Well, meanwhile, back in Newburyport, Massachusetts,

there was a group from First Parish Church

and there was a group from Third Parish Church

and these different groups had also heard Whitfield preach

and they had also come to Christ.

And when they went back to their churches, they weren't so welcome either.

And Whitfield had heard about these folks in Newburyport and he of course knew about the story of Jonathan Parsons and he was

acting as a matchmaker and so he brought a congregation that needed a

pastor together with a pastor that needed a congregation.

Well, as you can imagine, Whitfield remained friends,

...