Samuel Chadwick
Encyclopedia
Samuel Chadwick was a Wesleyan Methodist
minister.
, Lancashire
in the industrialized north of England into a devout Methodist family. His father worked in a cotton mill
and, at the age of 8, Samuel joined him, working 12-hour shifts. At the age of 21, he became a lay pastor
at nearby Stacksteads
.
after which he burned all his early sermons, he moved on to larger congregations and greater popularity. After a few years preaching in Edinburgh and at a new chapel in Glasgow he was ordained in 1890 and returned to England as Superintendent of the Leeds Mission.
, a Methodist lay
training centre, commuting from Leeds
. In 1907, he was appointed to a faculty position as a biblical and theological
tutor. Although he was doing mission work in the South Yorkshire
coal fields when the Principal of Cliff died in 1912, he immediately returned to the school and was formally appointed principal in 1913, remaining in that post for the rest of his career.
Famed outdoor evangelist Leonard Ravenhill
was educated at Cliff College during Chadwick's tenure.
At Cliff, Chadwick wrote The Way to Pentecost, which went to print as he was dying in 1932. He also wrote The Call to Christian Perfection. Chadwick's works have been reprinted often since his death, and continue to be reprinted in new editions under various titles for modern study.
The Way to Pentecost contains this popular quote:
Another of his most widely published quotes is:
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)
The Wesleyan Methodist Church was the name used by the major Methodist movement in Great Britain following its split from the Church of England after the death of John Wesley and the appearance of parallel Methodist movements...
minister.
Early life
Samuel Chadwick was born in BurnleyBurnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in the industrialized north of England into a devout Methodist family. His father worked in a cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
and, at the age of 8, Samuel joined him, working 12-hour shifts. At the age of 21, he became a lay pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at nearby Stacksteads
Stacksteads
Stacksteads is a village between the towns Bacup and Waterfoot in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. Stacksteads includes a quarry called Lee Quarry which has also been transformed into a mountain bike trail.-History:...
.
Epiphany
After a major awakening and deepening of his faith in his late twenties via a personal epiphanyEpiphany (feeling)
An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something...
after which he burned all his early sermons, he moved on to larger congregations and greater popularity. After a few years preaching in Edinburgh and at a new chapel in Glasgow he was ordained in 1890 and returned to England as Superintendent of the Leeds Mission.
Cliff College
In 1904 Chadwick began lecturing weekly at Cliff CollegeCliff College
Cliff College is a Christian theological college in Calver, Derbyshire, that teaches Biblical Theology at undergraduate level and a number of mission courses to postgraduates. There are currently about 60 full-time undergraduates, 40 part-time undergraduates and 100 part-time postgraduates...
, a Methodist lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
training centre, commuting from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. In 1907, he was appointed to a faculty position as a biblical and theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
tutor. Although he was doing mission work in the South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
coal fields when the Principal of Cliff died in 1912, he immediately returned to the school and was formally appointed principal in 1913, remaining in that post for the rest of his career.
Famed outdoor evangelist Leonard Ravenhill
Leonard Ravenhill
Leonard Ravenhill was an English Christian evangelist and author who focused on the subjects of prayer and revival. He is best known for challenging the modern church to compare itself to the early Christian Church as chronicled in the Book of Acts...
was educated at Cliff College during Chadwick's tenure.
At Cliff, Chadwick wrote The Way to Pentecost, which went to print as he was dying in 1932. He also wrote The Call to Christian Perfection. Chadwick's works have been reprinted often since his death, and continue to be reprinted in new editions under various titles for modern study.
The Way to Pentecost contains this popular quote:
The soul's safety is in its heat. Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, make for a Church without power. Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters.
Another of his most widely published quotes is:
The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
Books by Chadwick
This is not an exhaustive list. Numerous editions under various titles have appeared since Chadwick's death.- The Call to Christian Perfection (1943) 44 page e-book in PDF format, accessed October 22, 2006.
- Online version in HTML format accessed October 22, 2006.
- Humanity and God (1905), 356 pages, ASIN B00089ZBA2.
- The Path of Prayer (2001), 132 pages, ISBN 0-87508-578-4. Online version in HTML format accessed October 22, 2006.
- The Way to Pentecost (1932) 64 page e-book in PDF format, accessed May 31, 2008.
- Online version in HTML format accessed October 22, 2006. Also see 170 page reprint (2001), ISBN 0-87508-579-2.
Further reading
- "Spirituality: Do Our Sermons Promote It?" by Edward Braislin, reviewing, inter alia, Humanity and God (1905) by Samuel Chadwick in the American Journal of Theology, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul., 1906), pp. 570-576.
- Samuel Chadwick, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
External links
- Cliff College, home of the Samuel Chadwick Memorial Library.
- The Pentecostal League of Prayer: A Transdenominational British Wesleyan-Holiness Movement, a paper by Ian Randall hosted by The Wesley Center Online, placing Chadwick in the mainstream of Methodism and "traditional Wesleyan spirituality."