Mr. Thorpe and the Holy Spirit
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." ~2 Corinthians 3:17-18
The idyllic and picturesque scenes of the hit series All Creatures Great and Small are located in Yorkshire, in the north of England. One Yorkshire town is called Rotheram. Although Rotheram is a beautiful place, it is spiritually ugly. And it was ugly back in the 18th century, too. Famous preacher George Whitefield went to preach there, only to be opposed by a hail of hatred and violence from hostile crowds.
At one time a gang, who called themselves the “Hell-Fire Club,” took it upon themselves to harass Whitefield to the best of their ability. They disrupted his meetings, heckled him in the streets, and even hosted an evening of mockery in the local pub. At the latter, one of the gang members, named Mr. Thorpe, and his three companions decided to have a competition to see who could best mimic and mock George Whitefield. Whoever received the most applause from the crowd would win a sum of money.
The first three gang members, in turn, mounted a table and mimicked Whitefield and his preaching. Then, at length, Mr. Thorpe ascended to scorn Whitefield and the Gospel. “I shall beat all of you!” he said. Crossing his eyes (Whitefield was cross-eyed; they called him Dr. Squintum), aping Whitefield’s gestures and mannerisms, he began to pretend to preach. Taking out a Bible he brought for the occasion, he opened it up and read the first verse his eyes fell upon. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Right there and then, the Holy Spirit overwhelmingly convicted his soul.
Mr. Thorpe continued to preach from Luke 13:3. He preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. Later in his life he would say, “If ever I preached in my life by the assistance of the Spirit of God, it was at that time.” We can only imagine the hearers in the pub that night, doubtless dumbstruck as the mockery transformed into Spirit-filled, authentic, powerful Gospel preaching. When he finished preaching, Thorpe ran from the pub to weep over his sins. He was converted that hour. Later he would enter the ministry. Reverend Thorpe pastored a church in Masborough for 13 years until he died in 1776.
How do we account for such a transformation? It can only be the life-transforming power of the Word and Spirit. The most hostile, hardened heart — even in acute opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ — is no match for the overshadowing, heart-changing, mind-renovating, will-bending power of the third person of the Trinity.
Isn’t this so encouraging? We think of unsaved loved ones. They seem so entrenched in their opposition to Christ! Are they beyond the Holy Spirit’s power? What about our hardened nation? Is it beyond His power? I think of myself — my own hardness of heart, my own stuttering combat with the all-too-powerful flesh that dwells within me. Is the Holy Spirit unable to renovate me? I think not. And Mr. Thorpe’s conversion reminds us of His irresistible power.
Rev. Rob Dykes, Pastor of Preaching & Congregational Care