In motivating his readers to consider the life of George Whitefield, J.C. Ryle highlights the good his life accomplished, both directly and indirectly. One of the ways Whitefield has helped us is by giving us an example of how to respond to those who are attacking the gospel.

“He was among the first to show the right way to meet the attacks of infidels and skeptics on Christianity. He saw clearly that the most powerful weapon against such men is not cold, metaphysical reasoning and dry critical acquisition, but preaching the whole gospel – living the whole gospel – and spreading the whole gospel. It was not the writings of Leland, and the younger Sherlock, and Waterland, and Leslie, that rolled back the flood of infidelity one half so much as the preaching of Whitefield and his companions. They were the men who were the true champions of Christianity. Infidels are seldom shaken by mere abstract reasoning. The surest arguments against them are gospel truth and gospel life.”