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William Wilberforce
Perhaps more than
any other person, he was responsible for the abolishment of slavery in England.
James Snyder
ISBN: 978-0-88270-370-1
Format: Softcover, tpb
Pages: 208
Price: $13.99
The 29th Pure Gold Classic, William Wilberforce presents the very best of
this great man’s life and work. It includes his Practical View of Christianity,
historic papers, and a wonderful biography of the man who became the conscience
of the world and helped bring an end to the practice of slavery in the civilized
world.
William Wilberforce, the son of a wealthy
merchant, was born in Hull in 1759.William’s father died when he was young, and
for a time William was brought up by an uncle and aunt. William came under the
influence of his aunt, who was a strong supporter of John Wesley and the
Methodist movement. Disturbed by these developments, Mrs. Wilberforce brought
her son back to the family home.
In 1784 Wilberforce converted to Evangelical Christianity. He joined the Clapham
Set, a group of evangelical members of the Anglican Church, centered around John
Venn, rector of Clapham Church in London. As a result of this conversion,
Wilberforce became interested in social reform and was eventually approached by
Lady Middleton and was asked to use his power as an MP to bring an end to the
slave trade. He was also greatly influenced by John Newton.
As a member of the evangelical movement, Wilberforce was sympathetic to Mrs.
Middleton’s request. In his letter of reply, Wilberforce wrote: “I feel the
great importance of the subject and I think myself unequal to the task allotted
to me.” Despite these doubts, Wilberforce agreed to Mrs. Middleton’s request,
but soon afterwards, he became very ill and it was not until 12th May, 1789,
that he made his first speech against the slave trade.
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