Did You Know...

I will be dealing with unusual and hopefully interesting aspects of some preachers/theologians of the past.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) preached a sermon with 66 main points!

Joseph Alleine preached up to 14 times per week.

Isaac Barrow (1630-1677) was told by the Dean of Westminster to give only half of the sermon. Barrow did as instructed, and it took almost two hours.

Laurence Chaderton (1536-1640) lived to 104 years of age.
He was of the First Cambridge Company of the KJV team.
Chaderton part of the Radical Puritan movement of the 1580s.

He once paused after preaching two hours. The whole congregation stood up and told him to continue. He gave em' another hour. (p.182 of Adam Nicholson's book God's Secretaries :The Making Of The KJV)

Richard Thompson, of the First Westminster Company lived rather hard and fast. He was known as the "drunk pornographer" by William Prynne of a later generation. He was called a debosh'ed English Dutchman, who seldom went one night to bed sober --a debauched, self-serving degenerate.(pages 99,100 and 192 of the aforementioned book)

George Muller (1805-1898) preached in seven languages.

Charles Finney(1792-1875) preached a sermon called The Almighty Awaits Your Consent

William Jay (1769-1853) preached 1,000 times before age 18.

Henry Venn (1724-1797)was Vicar of Hudersfield Parish Church for twelve years and preached 6,250 sermons there.

 

Robert Bruce (1554-1631) rebuked king James for talking during the service at St. Giles and was expelled from his pulpit by the king.

Samuel Davies (1723-1761) fixed his eyes on the royal pair [George the Third and his queen] who were rude and interrupted the service. Davies boldly intoned the text : When the lion roars, the beasts of the field tremble; when Jehovah speaks, let the kings of the earth keep silence before him.

 

Over the years I have gathered a ton of notes on various topics. Some are from books I have owned, some from books I have borrowed, and some from other sources. Sorry for not sourcing every item.

 

Cotton Mather (1663-1728) --once his pastoral prayer went on for two hours.

 

Thomas Hooker (1586-1647) spent nearly a year on Acts 2:37.

 

That's nothing. Joseph Caryl (1602-1673) preached 424 sermons on the book of Job.

 

You mean that's why folks had longer attention spans back then --no modern intrusions -- None of the contemporary distractions?

Even the seven Lincoln/ Douglas debates were apparently exciting events for observers back in 1858. People standing for hours on end to listen to reasoned discourses. Not preaching for sure but...

So there may not have been that many differences between people in the 17th century and the 19th century.

 

Yes, the same things apply to the modern gadgets as they applied to the ancient device we called the television --it is very good and very bad.

 

George Abbot (1562-1633) of the Second Oxford Company, preached 260 sermons on the book of Jonah. It took him five years to cover those 48 verses.

 

Mordecai Ham (1877-1961) when 30 married a 15 year old. They were married for more than 50 years.
Ham was a noted influence on Billy Graham --at least in Billy's formative years.

William Farel (1489-1565), Calvin's right-arm man, married a 17 year old when he was 69.

John Knox (1513-1572) married Margaret when he was 54 and she was 17.

 

Out of the eight items above I use only the internet and occasionally seek out Fox news there.