William Romaine 1714-1795
William Romaine was the second son of a French protestant immigrant who fled Catholic persecution. Though raised by godly parents, he believed he truly came to Christ around 30 years of age, basing that on the work of the Holy Spirit in humbling his considerable pride. He was ordained, but could not find a stated pulpit. This was very apparently in the mysterious Providence of God. Because of his evangelical views, he wasn't welcome in the Church of England pulpits, and since an unbelieving clergy influenced the pulpit assignments, Romaine wasn't given one. He counted among his friends, John Newton, George Whitfield, William Huntington, William Cowper. Lady Huntington, upon seeing his unpopularity with the clergy but popularity with the poor, opened her home and her country house to him. She later built four chapels in the area of London and Romaine, Whitfield, the Wesleys, and other Evangelical ministers fed a spiritually starving people due to the condition of the "official" church and its godless clergy
Shortly after his conversion, Romaine said that he couldn't count more that eight believing ministers in all the Church of England. He called upon his many "nonconformist" evangelical friends to join him in a weekly stated time of prayer for the Church of England and that God would raise up godly men. When he died, it was conservatively estimated that there were more than three hundred believing men in the pulpits of the Church of England
"In the middle of the century, deaths in London greatly exceeded births, many dying prematurely because of excessive drinking. Children were abandoned on the streets. From the years of 1730 to 1749, 74.5% of the children christened died before they reached the age of five." It was a time of crushing poverty. Perhaps it was this hardship that the Lord used to awaken such a great number to the gospel of Christ. Romaine preached to overflowing crowds wherever he went and that was true in his own church for over 40 years. Overflow crowds would stand in the streets to hear him preach of his Beautiful Jesus. Upon his death, John Newton and several very noted preachers preached sermons commemorating his ministry and massive crowds followed the horse drawn hearse to the cemetery.
His supreme written work is the classic, "The Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith". This is the most beautifully intimate theology of the Triune Covenant God and His bringing us to faith, living by faith, and dying in faith. Romaine has been my mentor and companion through this book for over 30 years. It is like nothing else I have read outside of scripture, and it is actually Romaine's overflowing and outpouring of scripture. You quickly recognize the passage of scripture flowing out of his heart through his pen. His God was not a subject, but a most intimate friend. He speaks often of "worshiping Christ in His Offices--that of Prophet, Priest, and King. His understanding of the Christian walk was to live consistently and constantly out of the fullness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He preached that we are to live in full agreement with the Father that He is completely satisfied with the redemption purchased for us by His Son. To try to add to His satisfaction by our own efforts is to call God a Liar!
William Romaine was the second son of a French protestant immigrant who fled Catholic persecution. Though raised by godly parents, he believed he truly came to Christ around 30 years of age, basing that on the work of the Holy Spirit in humbling his considerable pride. He was ordained, but could not find a stated pulpit. This was very apparently in the mysterious Providence of God. Because of his evangelical views, he wasn't welcome in the Church of England pulpits, and since an unbelieving clergy influenced the pulpit assignments, Romaine wasn't given one. He counted among his friends, John Newton, George Whitfield, William Huntington, William Cowper. Lady Huntington, upon seeing his unpopularity with the clergy but popularity with the poor, opened her home and her country house to him. She later built four chapels in the area of London and Romaine, Whitfield, the Wesleys, and other Evangelical ministers fed a spiritually starving people due to the condition of the "official" church and its godless clergy
Shortly after his conversion, Romaine said that he couldn't count more that eight believing ministers in all the Church of England. He called upon his many "nonconformist" evangelical friends to join him in a weekly stated time of prayer for the Church of England and that God would raise up godly men. When he died, it was conservatively estimated that there were more than three hundred believing men in the pulpits of the Church of England
"In the middle of the century, deaths in London greatly exceeded births, many dying prematurely because of excessive drinking. Children were abandoned on the streets. From the years of 1730 to 1749, 74.5% of the children christened died before they reached the age of five." It was a time of crushing poverty. Perhaps it was this hardship that the Lord used to awaken such a great number to the gospel of Christ. Romaine preached to overflowing crowds wherever he went and that was true in his own church for over 40 years. Overflow crowds would stand in the streets to hear him preach of his Beautiful Jesus. Upon his death, John Newton and several very noted preachers preached sermons commemorating his ministry and massive crowds followed the horse drawn hearse to the cemetery.
His supreme written work is the classic, "The Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith". This is the most beautifully intimate theology of the Triune Covenant God and His bringing us to faith, living by faith, and dying in faith. Romaine has been my mentor and companion through this book for over 30 years. It is like nothing else I have read outside of scripture, and it is actually Romaine's overflowing and outpouring of scripture. You quickly recognize the passage of scripture flowing out of his heart through his pen. His God was not a subject, but a most intimate friend. He speaks often of "worshiping Christ in His Offices--that of Prophet, Priest, and King. His understanding of the Christian walk was to live consistently and constantly out of the fullness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He preached that we are to live in full agreement with the Father that He is completely satisfied with the redemption purchased for us by His Son. To try to add to His satisfaction by our own efforts is to call God a Liar!