Characteristic Sketches of Methodist Preachers of the Several Denominations, with Hist
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Methodist Worthies -••^=»»«=?••- CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES OF METHODIST PREACHERS OF THE SEVERAL DENOMINATIONS, WITH ist0riral ^luttjj nf e a r Ij €onntnam BY GEORGE JOHN STEVENSON, M.A., AUTHOR OF "MEMORIALS OF THE WESLEY FAMILY;" "THE METHODIST HYMN BOOK AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS," &C. VO LU ME VI LONDON: THOMAS C JACK, 45 LUDGATE HILL. EDINBURGH : GRANGE PUBLISHING WORKS. 1886. CONTENTS OF VOL. VI. Bible Christians. PAGE WILLIAM O'BRYAN, 861 JAMES THORNE, 868 SAMUEL THORNE, 876 WILLIAM REED, 881 JAMES WAY, 888 JOHN GAMMON, 896 FREDERICK WILLIAM BOURNE, 903 Methodist Free Churches. JAMES EVERETT, 913 ROBERT ECKETT, 922 WILLIAM GRIFFITH, . 929 MATTHEW BAXTER, . 939 THOMAS HACKING, . 945 THOMAS NEWTON, 954 WILLIAM REED, 960 SAMUEL SAXON BARTON, 969 JOHN SWANN WITHINGTON, 976 JOSEPH KIRSOP, 984 ROBERT BUSHELL, 992 EDWARD BOADEN, 998 RICHARD CHEW ; 1008 MARMADUKE MILLER, 1015 WILLIAM HARDY COZENS-HARDY, J. P. 1023 1028 CHARLES CHEETHAM, J.P., . HENRY THOMAS MAWSON, . 1034 Cfti REVEREND THOMAS HACKING Thomas C JacTt.Li ttdon,* Edinburgh. REV, JAMES THORNE Thomas C. Jack. London,* Edml W • WW: REVEREND JOSEPH KIRSOP, Thomas C, Jack. London, & "Edinburgh. REVEREND RICHARD CHEW, Thomas C.Jaclc, London, & Edinburgh. ; r a^c. vera. tt tj g ^ejr;,-^. ^ ..-OT^^^^^^t^^?^^—^^r-;^ William (D'Btptt. [Born, 1778 : Entered the Ministry, 1815 : Died, 1868.] RELAND is said to have been the home of the O'Bryan family; the tradition being, that three brothers came over from Cork to England with Oliver Cromwell, one being a general officer, the other two captains. Two of the three settled in Cornwall ; one of them found a home at Boconnock, and from him William was descended. During the period of the Eevolution, and years following, the family suffered many vicissitudes. The name became anglicised, —William's grandfather being known as John Bryan, his eldest son signed himself John Briant, his youngest son Joseph Bryant. The changes in the name are attributed to the ignorance of the school-masters in the last century. When the was again added, some in the family signed O'Brian, others O'Bryan. Documents exist showing that the name was spelled in six different ways. The parents of William were William and Thomazine Bryan, who occupied a farm at Luxulian, Cornwall, and had shares in tin mines. His mother attended the ministry of John Wesley as early as the year 1755, and joined the Methodist Society in 1757 ; her parents opened their house as a preaching place, and she was the means of leading her husband to join the Methodist Society. William Bryan was born at Gunwen, a wild district in Cornwall, 6th February, 1778. He was brought up under religious influences 108 a 862 CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES. the Methodist preachers constantly visiting the family, and having preaching in their house. He had as good an education as could then be had away from college ; one of his teachers being an inveterate snuff-taker, that bad habit made a deeper impression on the boy's mind than his book-learning. Daily family worship was held in the house, and the children were taught to pray to God in secret. Living in a lone farm-house, they were kept from bad companions ; the Sabbath was strictly observed by all the family. He was taught to avoid using bad words, or keeping company with bad boys. The family regularly attended church, and one of the curates, seeing the seriousness of the mind of William, offered to train him as a preparation for college ; but neither the boy nor his parents were favourably influenced by the irreligious kind of clergymen then so numerous, so they discouraged any such step being taken. Most of the clergymen they knew were hunters, card-players, wine-drinkers, and Sabbath- breakers. Three times in his youth William narrowly escaped death— once from drowning, and twice from his dealings with cattle ; these events deeply impressed his mind. Much prejuc^ce existed in favour of the Church, but the worldly and ev^en wicked conduct of some of the clergy led many of the people to prefer the Methodist services to those of the Church. When only six years old, William heard Francis Wrigley and Adam Clarke preach; and the arguments of the latter were so clear and impressive, that one of his Cornish hearers said, " such arguments would convince the devil." At the age of eleven, in May, 1789, he was convinced of sin, and converted under the preaching of a sermon at Bokiddick, and he began to be deeply serious, and read such books as " The Christian Pattern," by a Kempis. He began to meet in class, but the evil influence of the French Eevolution, and the prevailing wickedness of the times, led to his going back into the world. The kindly advice given to him by Mr. Wrigley and Adam Clarke he never forgot; but these were deepened when, on two occasions, in 1787 and 1789, he heard John Wesley preach. On the latter occasion, the good man placed his hands on William Bryan's head and said, " May he be a blessing to hundreds and thousands ! " That prayer was fully answered. WILLIAM VBRYAN. 863 Having much leisure time, and being an early riser, he devoted himself to painting, engraving, and reading, besides helping on the farm and in the tinnery ; he read as many good and religious books as he could procure. He also tried his hand at book-binding, and after his father's death, went to St. Austell to learn the drapery business ; but the next year, his widowed mother was ill, and she sent for him to come home, and obeying her wishes, he began farming. On coming of age, and holding considerable property, he was made overseer of the poor, the churchwarden, and the way-warden, to superintend the high road. To these various duties he gave full attention ; they brought him into much company which was not congenial to religion, and his zeal in the cause of Christ was diminished. He received a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit in November, 1795, and felt constrained to speak to his neighbours about their souls and eternity ; but as a youth he realised what cross-bearing was, and resolved to persevere. His steady-going old class leader invited him to assist in holding a prayer meeting in his house. The first time he stood up to take part in a religious service, he gave out the hymn commencing, " wond'rous power of faithful prayer," &c. That was in January, 1796, then he first prayed in public, and the occasion was one which made a deep impression on his mind. At that time the Methodists had only two circuits in the county of Cornwall, but they included many places. Several preachers, one after the other, spoke of his becoming a preacher, but he had then no idea of so doing. He began at first by relating his own Christian experience in a meeting in 1801, which had a good effect on the people. went to several The experiment he repeated ; and being encouraged, he villages and held meetings. In July, 1803, he married Catherine Cowlin, of Perranzebuloe, Corn- wall, where she was born in 1781. They were the first persons married in the parish church of Perranzebuloe. She had been well brought up, educated with the vicar's daughter. Her father was a strict church- man, but one day, Catherine, at the age of nineteen, heard a Methodist preach out of doors, was convinced of sin, and in 1801 was converted, and regardless of her father's displeasure, she joined the Methodist Society, laying aside her fashionable clothing, and dressing in the plain Quaker-like costume of the early Methodists. She had a fine head of 864 CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES. hair, but that she cut off, lest it should make her proud. She attended all the Methodist services, rising at four in the morning to be present at the five o'clock preaching. Her parents considered the family dis- graced by her joining the despised people. She removed to Eoach, the second home of her parents, and there, with the companionship of a pious servant, she began to pray in publie, and give exhortations in the meetings that were held. A few years after their marriage, Mr. O'Bryan (he having added the to his name) felt called to enter the ministry, but being married, and having young children, he was not accepted by the Methodists to whom he offered himself ; that was a trial to him and his wife. To encourage him in preaching, Mrs. O'Bryan managed the farm whilst her husband made itinerant excursions to the villages around. In 1805, he heard Dr. Coke preach, and the zeal of the saintly man prompted him to yet more activity. In 1809, the Kev. J. Womersley put his name on the Methodist plan as a local preacher, but a year afterwards, because he would go to places beyond his own circuit to preach on the week days, —his heart prompting him to speak in villages in which there was neither church nor cl^pel,—in 1810 his name was taken off the plan, and he was by the preacher unwisely excluded from the Methodist Society. Now came a testing time, but Mr. O'Bryan was equal to the emergency. Seeing that there were about a score or more villages in Cornwall in which the Gospel was not heard, he left the business he had commenced at St. Blazey Highway to the care of his wife, whilst he preached every evening in one of those benighted villages. He met with fierce opposition from some of those ungodly people, but this in no way discouraged him ; on the contrary, his wife felt constrained to help him in the work, and leaving her children to the care of friends, herself went forth and preached the Gospel also.