George Whitefield (17141770) was a dynamic English preacher who spent a number of years in America at the invitation of John and Charles Wesley. In his very first sermon, in his hometown, he preached with such fervor that a complaint was made to the bishop that he had driven fifteen people mad. Others may have been more learned, but none were more eloquent or more moving. J.C. Ryle claimed, No preacher has ever retained his hold on his hearers so entirely as he did for thirty-four years.