D.
Bruce Hindmarsh, The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism: True Religion in a Modern
World (Oxford, 2018)
The Spirit of
Early Evangelicalism by Professor Bruce Hindmarsh is a stellar addition to the constellation
of scholarly books on the emergence of evangelicalism during the eighteenth century.
It makes a fine addition to his previous books on John Newton and the evangelical conversion narrative. His purpose in writing this particular volume
was to explore evangelical religious experience holistically in the light of
the ‘momentous changes’ to society and culture during the eighteenth century.
Hindmarsh seeks to contextualise early evangelicalism within the rise of
modernity both in the light of the scientific revolution and the eighteenth-century
enlightenment. While Hindmarsh chooses to focus on evangelical spirituality
in particular – what Henry Scougal described as ‘the life of God in the soul of
man’ – he nonetheless adopts a multidisciplinary approach in general by bringing
together intellectual history, early modern philosophy, and the history of
science, law, and art.
The first chapter focuses on the evangelical devotion and
spirituality of the ‘boy parson’, George Whitefield. Hindmarsh considers the
spiritual fire that animated his preaching, his intensive personal devotion,
and sensational early ministry. Whitefield emerges as a larger than life figure,
the very embodiment of the spirit of evangelicalism. The second chapter
considers the relationship between evangelicalism and the transition to
modernity during the eighteenth century. Evangelicalism emerges both as
something old (looking backward to the Reformation and Puritan practical
divinity) and as something new in its commitment to transform society and win
the world for Christ. The idea of revival itself implies bringing a newness and
vitality to something old. This naturally leads to third chapter – a stellar
discussion on the classical sources of evangelical spirituality, the very
sources which evangelicals sought to revive in their own piety and devotion. Hindmarsh
considers a variety of sources from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura, to the Anglican formularies
(the 39 Articles of Religion, the prayer book, and homilies), to Puritan and
Reformed sources, especially their devotional and practical literature on
spiritual experience and the Christian life. In particular, Hindmarsh notes the
importance of both the Puritan divine Henry Scougal and the Devotio Moderna canon regular Thomas à Kempis, the author of The Imitation of Christ.
The fourth chapter proceeds to a consideration of evangelicalism
and the rise of science or natural philosophy during the eighteenth century. Here
Hindmarsh follows W. R. Ward in noting the esoteric and alchemical interests of
certain evangelicals as the discipline of science began to emerge, and he also explores
early evangelical fascination with Newtonianism. The idea of a clockwork
universe finely tuned according to the design and providence of God had an
obvious apologetic appeal to early evangelicals in their struggle against deism
and irreligion. Here Jonathan Edwards receives considerable mention for his extensive
notes on natural philosophy, especially regarding his ruminations on being and
mind, the re-enchantment of nature, and his unusual doctrine of continuous
creation. The fifth chapter builds upon these themes – considering Augustus
Toplady’s reflections on necessity and mechanics, noting how these scientific
themes were employed polemically against Wesley in the Calvinist-Arminian controversy.
The physico-doxology of James Hervey’s Meditations
and Contemplations is explored in considerable depth, noting his wonder and
awe at God’s beautiful design in creation. And various others in “Hervey’s
school” are considered: Isaac Milner a Cambridge Newtonian and conservative
empiricist and John Russell whose careful attention to detail resulted in
remarkably accurate and beautiful drawings of the moon – a work in which science,
art, and religious wonder coalesce.
Hindmarsh then takes a transition from natural philosophy to
natural law and the making of the evangelical conscience in the sixth and
seventh chapters. He focuses on the significant and almost Lutheran distinction
between Law and Gospel in evangelical preaching – the Law revealing sin and the
Gospel providing remedy. He zooms into a case of George Whitfield preaching vividly
before the hanging scaffold of condemned prisoners at Kennington Common, reminding
listeners vividly of the reality of life, death, and divine judgement. The
seventh chapter considers the relationship between law and evangelical
conversion with a case study of evangelical prison ministry to the condemned, a
place where the reality of divine mercy to even the worst of criminals is made
abundantly clear in evangelical preaching. Hindmarsh moves from the jail cell
to the libraries of scholars and considers evangelical interaction with moral
philosophy during the eighteenth century, particularly as expressed in the thought
of Charles Wesley and the ethics of Jonathan Edwards. Edwards is a particular case
of interest as his work on the nature of true virtue considers love to God as befitting
whom God is in Himself – the Being of beings – an idea reminiscent of Anselm’s
ontological argument. For both Edwards and Wesley, Hindmarsh also notes their
expression of the positive uses of the Law in harmony with the Gospel as the
Law provides a rule of life and holiness for regenerate believers.
The final chapter takes an interesting turn to aesthetics – art and
evangelical spirituality. Hindmarsh takes the novel approach of reading the Calvinist-Arminian
controversy in the light of art and literature. He compares the conflict
between Wesley and Whitefield to the rivalry between Joshua Reynolds and Thomas
Gainsborough over ideals of beauty, comparing the portraits made by both
artists of the same sitter, Sarah Siddons. Where Reynolds sought to emphasise
the lofty ideals of ethics and morality in terms of neo-platonic universals,
Gainsborough sought exact likeness and ‘empirical truth according to nature’, an
approach to art emphasising the particulars of experience and sight. As with
Wesley and Whitefield, both Reynolds and Gainsborough were eventually
reconciled in spite of their differences. However, in something of conceptual
leap, Hindmarsh compares the Calvinist and Arminian controversy to differing
spiritual aspirations – the Calvinist sublime (the sheer immensity of the love
and power of God overwhelming the human heart and mind, especially seen in the theology
of Jonathan Edwards) and Wesleyan inward agony (the sense of effort involved in
working out salvation with fear and trembling). Where Calvinist devotion and
ethics flowed from the humbling experience of the sublimity of God, Wesleyan
ethics emerged from the inward agonies of intensive spirituality and a striving
after godliness.
Without a doubt The Spirit
of Early Evangelicalism will be highly valued by students and scholars
working in this field, especially those studying Edwards, Whitefield, and the
Wesley brothers. Hindmarsh shows how evangelical spirituality manifested itself
in different ways in the literature they read, the sermons they preached, the
science and ethics they appropriated and adopted, and even in the aesthetics of
a Calvinist sublime and Wesleyan angst. However, one feels a chapter on
evangelicalism and the enlightenment is missing from this study – perhaps more work
needs to be done in marrying these two seemingly disparate worlds together
before scholars will willingly open this particular can of worms. Be that as it
may, this is a study of outstanding scholarly quality and historical insight, a
pleasure to read and a delight from beginning to end.