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R O O M F O R J E S U S K I N G O F G L O R Y • H a s t e n n o w , H i s W o r d o b e yThe Wesley Brothersin CornwallBy PAUL SHERBIRD©1994whilst a Bible College student (1992-96)MANY Christians today are talkingabout revival, and of course weall long to experience it. There canbe no doubt that this is the mostpressing need of our age.The 18th century revival of which John Wesleywas at the forefront proved that true revival changesthe face of a nation. Crime decreases; injusticesare put right; immoral standards are reversed;misery gives way to laughter and sorrow is turnedinto joy. Any discerning Christian recognises in ourday the signs of moral and ethical collapse. Crime,abuse and sexual immorality are rampant. Weface a rise in racism and injustice and confusionin the economic system. In this climate those whohold to a biblical view fi nd themselves a despisedminority, laughed at and ignored by the media andsociety in general.No wonder then that we grasp at any hintof revival wherever it may come from. However,contemporary church history is proving that wecan too easily misread the signs. Movements thatwere acclaimed as great works of the Spirit andthe beginning of revival have soon faltered and inmany cases disappeared into obscurity or falleninto doctrinal error.Along with this there has been a belittling ofour Christian heritage. Too often we have been toldthat God is doing a “new thing” and that we do notneed the lessons of the past. On the contrary thereis much we can learn from church history. If wetake heed we will quickly recognise false doctrinesand counterfeit movements that are claimed to beof the Holy Spirit.So what can we learn from the 18th century andthe Wesleyan revival? My hope is that this briefhistoric report will help us to recognise true revival.Two things stand out vividly in Wesley’s Journals:1) How powerfully God was at work in movingthousands of people to go to listen to the preachingof the gospel; and 2) How real the subsequentconversions were. Often the preachers felt theywere mere bystanders as the Holy Spirit convictedmen and women of their need of the Saviour.There was great opposition too. Mobs stirredup riots. Bricks and stones were hurled at thepreachers. Many were imprisoned on trumped upcharges. There was great commotion wherever thegospel was preached! Everybody was aware thatsomething was “going on”. Then to read how thepersecution faded as more and more souls cameunder the power of the gospel is a true wonder!Even secular historians took note of this greatrevival and admitted that it changed Britain forimmeasurable good. It is my prayer that this shortessay will stimulate desire for true revival in ourlifetime, and that we will earnestly pray and thenshare the Gospel in these desperate times.Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That Youwould come down! That the mountains mightshake at Your presence, As fire burns brushwood,As fire causes water to boil, To make Your nameknown to Your adversaries, That the nationsmay tremble at Your presence! (Isaiah 64:1,2).FIRST CONTACTIn the 18th century, Cornwall was a wild,inhospitable place. There were few roads. Peoplelived in small towns or hamlets often isolated fromeach other by many miles. The chief occupationswere fishing, farming and tin mining. Rev L. Tyermanwrote of those times:Cornwall at this time was as imbruted asStaffordshire. Smuggling was considered anhonourable traffi c, and the plunder of shipwreckedmariners was accounted a lawful prize.Drunkenness was general; and cockfi ghting,bull-baiting, wrestling and hurling were thefavourite amusements of the people. 1“The Cornishmen,” says J.S.Simon “weredevoted to king and church,” but that the churchwas not the guiding light it ought to have been,is clear from his remark on the clergy that “evenan amiable apologist must admit that amongthem were men whose character and conductit is useless to defend.” 2These clergymen were well known for theirparticipation in the smuggling trade, church cellarsoften being used to conceal the contraband.In the first half of the 18th century Cornwall wasspiritually dark, but there were distinct signs thatchange was on the way. In 1732 George Thomson,a clergyman at St Gennys, was converted. Afterdreaming of his death and subsequent judgement,he shut himself away with his Bible and found peaceand assurance in knowing the forgiveness of his1 The Life and Times of J.Wesley, Vol.1; p.4152 J.Wesley and the Methodist Societies; p.3168
S w i n g y o u r h e a r t ' s d o o r w i d e l y o p e n • B I D H I M E N T E R W H I L E Y O U M A Ysins. George Thomson later became a great friend ofthe Wesleys who made use of his home during theirvisits to Cornwall. Another clergyman, John Bennet,was converted through Thomson’s preaching. Hewas overseeing three parishes in north Cornwalland with Thomson went on evangelistic tourspreaching the message of “justification by faith”.In 1743 a Methodist sea captain named JosephTurner landed at St Ives and met up with a religioussociety of twelve godly members led by CatherineQuick. Upon taking news of them back to theMethodist society in Bristol, two lay preachers,Thomas Williams and William Shepherd were sentto Cornwall to preach. Charles Wesley determinedto go there himself and set out from Bristol with acompanion on 14th July 1743; on the 15th he setout alone from Exeter to St Ives.The journey was a difficult one as the pathswere often indistinct or non-existent but on 16thJuly Charles reached his destination. In his journalhe recounts his experiences on entering St Ivesand how first he was greeted in the name ofthe Lord by two tinners 3 , then how some of the“devil’s children” shouted and pursued him “likemen out of the tombs”. Finally he was met by thelay preachers, Williams and Shepherd, who tookhim to his lodgings. The following day, Sunday,Charles attended the local church only to hear asermon directed against the Methodists who weredenigrated as a new sect, and an enemy of thechurch. Charles listened to a similar sermon in theevening when the local curate preached on “Bewareof false prophets”, making it clear that it was theMethodists he had in mind.The next day Charles went out to preach and hadhis first taste of real opposition. A mob formed atSt Ives market beating drums and shouting. Someof the mob charged at Charles and tried to pull himdown, but Charles records, “They had no power totouch me. My soul was calm and fearless.” 4Charles was continually troubled by mobs duringhis stay in St Ives. One of the worst attacks cameon Friday 22nd July. He had just announced histext when an “army of rebels” broke in and beganto smash the building and beat those assembled,particularly targeting the women and children.Charles tells how several times men rose up tobeat him with clubs but were restrained by the handof the Lord. The attack lasted about an hour andthen the mob began to fight amongst themselvesand finally dispersed. Charles saw in this event agreat victory for the saints, who, by their meeknessin the face of suffering won over some of their mostbitter foes. He later learnt that these attacks werestirred up by the local ministers who claimed theMethodists were Popish emissaries who had cometo prepare the way for the arrival of the Pretenderfrom France.Despite such violent opposition Charles sawmany victories during his first visit to Cornwall.The mayor of St Ives was an honest Presbyterianwho befriended him and did all he could to restrainthe mobs. Charles also preached in other parts ofCornwall where he was heard with much approval,3 Tin Miners4 Journal of C.Wesley, Vol.1; p.322often by very large crowds. Some instances arerecorded in his journal:Carnegy Downs, Monday July 18th — “acrowd of a thousand tinners, who received theseed into honest and good hearts.”Zunnor, Wednesday July 20th — “some hundredsof the people, with sincerity in their facesreceived my saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is athand, repent and believe the gospel.’”Gwennap, July 23rd — he invited the “wholenation of tinners to Christ” and took the namesof several who wanted to form a society.St Just, Saturday July 30th — he wrote, “thehearts of thousands seemed moved as the treesof the forest.” It was in St Just that Charlesexpected to see the biggest harvest.These preaching points established by Charleslater became the “Cornish circuit”. Charlespreached to thousands during this first visit. Manyseem to have been convicted. Outside St Iveshe was frequently warmly received and intentlylistened to. During the first week of August Charlesreceived a summons from his brother John to returnto London for a meeting with the Moravians andPredestinarians. He said his farewells and recordshow reluctant the people were to see him go. Hewas urged time and again to return. Before he lefthe preached at Gwennap to a huge assembly andwas able to say, “God has set before us an opendoor, and who shall be able to shut it.” 5He left Cornwall on Sunday 7th August leavingbehind the beginnings of a great work and atestimony to the power of the Lord and the gospel.As a man of God, Charles left his own mark on theCornish. His fearlessness and absolute faith in theLord in the midst of persecution together with hisintegrity and obvious concern for the lost souls ofCornwall touched the lives of many. All this showedthe seal of the Lord’s approval and opened Cornishhearts to the gospel.It did not take John long to follow in his brother’sfootsteps—Charles records the event on 21stAugust 1743, “My brother set out for Cornwall.” 6John Wesley made 32 visits to Cornwall. Onthis first visit he got lost on Bodmin Moor. WilliamShepherd was travelling with him. They onlymanaged to find their way upon hearing the ringingof Bodmin bell. John got lost again on his secondvisit, this time on the moor in dreadful conditionsof snow and cold. He was providentially led to thehome of Digory Isbell, who had been visited earlierby two of Wesley’s companions and had determinedto make his home a resting and preaching place forthe travelling Methodists.This became a favourite place for John Wesley.Digory later added two rooms to the side of thehouse, inspired by the story of the Shunammitewoman who built a prophet’s chamber for Elisha.Downstairs Digory made a preaching room andupstairs was the bedroom. This house still stands atTrewint on Bodmin Moor and is open to visitorsJohn was initially disappointed with his first visitto Cornwall. He saw meagre results to his ministry.5 Journal; p.332.6 Journal; p.334.Even the weather seemed to be against him as hesuffered days of Cornish rain and fog. Though hefound the St Ives society in good shape, numberingabout 120, his first attempts at preaching met withvery little response. He preached in the same placesas Charles to crowds of several hundreds but sawno effect. However on the weekend of September10th and 11th things changed dramatically.At 4 o’clock that Saturday afternoon Johnpreached to a crowd of about 1,000 at St Just, whoall behaved in a “quiet and serious manner”. At 6pmhe preached to a small congregation at Sennen whowoke him between 3 and 4am the following morningin their eagerness to hear more of the Word of God.Between 8 and 9am he preached at St Just to thebiggest congregation ever seen in those parts. Laterin the day he preached at St Ives when the “dreadof God fell upon us while I was speaking, so that Icould hardly utter a word”. 7Like his brother, John faced mob violence in StIves. Often stones and mud were thrown at him.On one fearful occasion (Friday 16th September)the mob broke into the meeting room “roaring andstriking those who stood in their way, as thoughlegion himself possessed them”. 8 John managedto quieten the leader, who in turn quietened themob.Like his brother, John finished his visit on atriumphal note. At Trezuthan Downs he preachedto between two and three thousand. On Tuesday20th September he preached to an immense crowdof 10,000 at Gwennap Pit. He preached until darkto people gripped with the “deepest attention”.Wesley departed Cornwall on Thursday 22ndSeptember 1743 having left a deep impressionand having built further upon the foundations laidby the pioneering work of his brother and the laypreachers.TO BE CONTINUED7 J. Wesley; Works, Vol.1; p.4318 ibidAbout the AuthorPAUL SHERBIRD lives in Truro,Cornwall England with his wifeJulie. He pastors a small housefellowship (Truro Christian Fellowship)which commencedjust over a year ago (2005). Themain reason for the formationof the fellowship was that they could not findan “uncompromised” church in the area andthey very much felt led of the Lord to start awork. Paul was saved in 1988, aged 30 aftermany years of involvement in the drug cultureand on the fringes of the occult. In 1992 heentered the Emmanuel Bible College wherehe graduated four years later with Bachelorof Theology degree. Since then he has servedin various church leadership positions (elder;assistant pastor, lay minister) until January2005. He describes his main ministry as teachingwith a strong desire to know and teachsound doctrine.● For more visit the “About” sectionof his website: www.spreadthetruth.co.uk9
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