Light the Fire Again: Eighteenth-Century Light for the Twenty-First-Century Darkness

By James P. Williams

What makes William Robinson’s letter of 1741 so significant is that it checks three important boxes:

• It highlights historical figures who have played a critical role on the world stage—namely George Whitfield, an Anglican cleric and evangelist.
• It describes a significant event: The Great Awakening, a series of Christian revivals that swept through the American colonies.
• It was written during an extraordinary time: the smallpox epidemic was raging, and severe weather had pummeled the land.

As an itinerant evangelist in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina—seven of the colonies, and perhaps eight with Georgia, Robinson had a great vantage point of historical events. While he may not have been as well-known as Whitfield, he was just as fervent in his belief.

Revelatory and down-to-earth, Light the Fire Again offers a look at the life and work of an important man of God–—and will inspire you to rekindle your faith and walk with the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664246621

James P. Williams

James P. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Masters of Divinity Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also attended numerous management seminars. He spent decades in ministry and was the founder, senior pastor, and pastor emeritus of SonRise Community Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, and spent thirty-four years in the grocery business, serving in various roles.

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Copyright © 2021 James P. Williams.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4661-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4660-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4662-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021920592

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/16/2021

CONTENTS

Thesis

Introduction

Prologue

William Robinson’s Known Education

William Robinson’s Early Years in England and America’s Middle Colonies

William Robinson’s Conversion

Gilbert Tennent’s Revival Report of Evangelists to George Whitfield (12/13/1740–03/17/1741)

Discovered Letter of William Robinson: The Man and His Ministry, 1740–1741

Translation of William Robinson’s Letter to his Cousin in England, June 16, 1741

William Robinson’s Ministry, 1741–1742

Williams Robinson’s Ministry, 1742–1743

Williams Robinson’s Ministry, 1743–1746

Revival of 1743 with Evangelist William Robinson

Williams Robinson’s 1745 North Carolina and Maryland Ministry

William Robinson’s 1745 Delaware Ministry

William Robinson’s Death

Starting the Fire in the Eighteenth Century

Light the Fire Again! Twenty-First-Century Darkness

Thematic Analysis of William Robinson’s Letter

The New Light Preaching Style of George Whitfield

Postlude

Epilogue

Bibliography

The wonderful discovery of a long-lost letter unfolding the

narrative of William Robinson, Evangelist, and how God

used him during the Great Awakening (1709–1746)

"

Dedicated to Jesus, the Light of the World,

and Sally, my beloved wife.

A special thanks to Dr. Stephen Crocco, librarian,

Princeton Theological Seminary, and to our dear

Fellows in England, where the First Great Awakening

took place and spread to America’s colonies.

At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized HIM. And HE disappeared. Back and forth they talked, Didn’t we feel on fire as HE conversed? HE opened up the Scriptures to us.

—Luke 24:31–32 The Message

Light the Fire Again is in the twenty-first century, and Satan

does not want you to find its potential firepower and be

blessed. Never before has this additional Great Awakening

power of Christianity truly been reached by following the

eighteenth-century light for the twenty-first-century darkness!

THESIS

Thesis

The Great Awakening, by all accounts, rocked in the 30’s and 40’s of the 18th century with a Spiritual Awakening that shook and stirred all aspects of the amorphous Christian settlements. There was more evidence than that in the New England Colonies (Massachusetts Bay; Rhode Island/Providence; Connecticut) and the Middle Colonies. (New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Delaware) and the Southern Colonies (Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; and maybe Georgia) where Robinson was an itinerant.¹

Cit

William Robinson was, to the best of our knowledge, an itinerant evangelist in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina—seven of the colonies, and perhaps eight with Georgia.

General Objectives

Knowledge, inspiration, and enlightenment of Jesus’s servant William Robinson.

Specific Objectives

At the end of the book, readers will have encouragement to Light the fire again in their faith and ministries.

Six Cognitive Domains

1. Learn about Log College’s contribution to the Great Awakening and Princeton University.

2. New, firsthand information on the Great Awakening from an autobiographical letter of William Robinson, and unconnected extant historical biography.

3. Examine some of the dependent variables of the Great Awakening touched on by William Robinson’s letter (excerpts).

4. Learn through peers how William Robinson was perceived as a yokefellow via:

1. George Whitfield

2. William Tennent Sr.

3. Gilbert Tennent

4. Samuel Davies

5. Samuel Blair’s funeral sermon in 1746

5. Learn evangelistic endeavors in the Middle Colonies by William Robinson, particularly the Revival of 1743 for American Indians (David Brainerd), blacks, and Quakers.

6. The Holy Club and Henry Scougal’s book The Life of God in the Soul of Man.

Three Affective Domains

1. Feel the human and family affection concerns of the lonely but not alone position of William Robinson in America.

2. Empathize and appreciate William Robinson’s anecdotal examples of humility.

3. Experience the ecstasy of piety and personal sanctification of William Robinson’s autobiographical letter.

INTRODUCTION

Trifecta

What makes evangelist William Robinson’s letter of 1741 significant is that it hits the trifecta of historical documents.

1. You have very important persons, George Whitfield and William Robinson

2. They are describing significant events, the Great Awakening’s firepower.

3. It occurs during extraordinary times: a smallpox epidemic and the terrible snows of 1720–1722. Even during these times of extremely severe weather, they didn’t fail to detour the Most High God.

Jonathan Edwards has been credited by some as having started the uniting of the revivals in the colonies, prior to the Great Awakening, to his