THE GREAT RIVER
Primitive Methodism until 1868
By David M. Young
Tentmaker Publications. 233 pages. £6.50
ISBN 978 1 911 005 025
This is an account of a powerful religious movement in Northern Hampshire during the first part of the 19th century. David Young has written about a movement for which he clearly has considerable appreciation in an area of the country that he knows well.
It is a story of zealous evangelism amongst a spiritually neglected and impoverished people, suffering the effects of the Napoleonic Wars and the Corn Laws which artificially put up the price of food. In this situation the Primitive Methodist evangelists earnestly maintained a testimony to salvation through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ and did so in the face of bitter persecution often engineered by the Anglican clergy in alliance with the wealthy landowners. This testimony was without doubt blessed of God in the conversion of large numbers of village people.
Holy Spirit’s work
The chapels that were built by these congregations, often at considerable self sacrifice, long bore witness to this work. The blessing of God in these years was by no means restricted to the Primitive Methodists; there was a much wider work of the Holy Spirit in the country at this time.
This book does present some difficulties for readers with limited background understanding. There are terms used which are not widely understood today. Reference to the ‘accursed Pitt-system’ and the ‘superstitious errors of Puseyism’ need elaboration. While many readers will be familiar with towns such as Andover, Basingstoke and Reading, a map would help to locate some of the villages and hamlets mentioned. For many readers a little more light on the complexities of Methodism would help, such as the different sorts of preachers and meetings, societies and classes as well as terms such as the ‘Golden System’ p.84, not explained until p.171.
More seriously, theological problems arise. The Primitive Methodists early on favoured women preachers. There is no indication in the book of the way in which they justified this practice in the face of the biblical prohibition. Was there no discussion of this? The book seems to suggest that this was accepted without question.
An end of Calvinism?
Like the Wesleyan Methodists, the Primitives were Arminians and Perfectionists. Mr Young without question quotes a modern writer who has written: ‘Methodism … made an end of Calvinism, for all practical purposes and therefore laid a malign ghost that had haunted theology ever since the fourth century’ (p.217). Does Mr Young really share this assessment. The present reviewer is convinced that the undoubted good that was done by the Primitive Methodists was in spite of their Arminianism and Perfectionism, not because of these unscriptural teachings.
