Thomas Davis review from God's Glory in Baptist History

This week we'll review the next essay in our latest book - God's Glory in Baptist History, A Memorial Volume for Terry Wolever, edited by Michael A. G. Haykin. 

This essay is entitled, "Thomas Davis and the Evangelical Revival at Reading" by Michael Haykin. An excerpt reads, "When Rippon wrote up Davis’ obituary [1734-1796], he described in glowing terms the revival of the Baptist church in Reading. Not long after Davis had been formally called as pastor, the church was so crowded that an addition had to be made to the building to accommodate the hearers. . . .Davis was in his element as an evangelist, and like George Whitefield, he would publicly weep over the sorry state of men and women outside of Christ. He always gave an annual sermon on New Year’s Day, the anniversary of his conversion, and there was never a one, as he recounted, often with tears, how God had saved him, that did not see “one, two, or more” people converted. The numbers converted under his preaching were, in Rippon’s words, simply “astonishing.” By 1774, seven or so years after Davis had begun preaching in Reading, the congregation had grown to 110 members from the 41 of 1766. The following year, fifty-eight were baptized as believers and brought into membership. And in 1776, Davis noted that most weeks he spent entire days speaking to people who were ardently seeking salvation." 

The picture is a drawing by Tim Hawman of the new Reading meetinghouse that was completed in 1752. 

Won't be long now, the book will be available for purchase November 1st or sooner - watch our website to order your copy.