Rotherham

The town of Rotherham is located in Yorkshire. In the 18th century, George Whitefield preached there . . . and he was met with great hatred and loathing from the crowd. Whitefield almost decided never to preach there again; however, he found out that some who had been bitter and terrible persecutors had been converted through his preaching and his work in the town. One particular incident is telling:

Whitefield was held in such contempt in Rotherham that public bars became theaters in which the Bible, true religion, and Whitefield were roundly ridiculed. At one of these public houses, a Mr. Thrope and three of his companions decided to mimic Whitefield. A wager was made that the one who mimiced the best would win the money. The first three in order got up on the table in the inn and did their best to ape Whitefield and to destroy everything sacred. Mr. Thrope was the last to ascend the public house pulpit. He exclaimed as he rose, "I shall beat you all!" A Bible was handed to him, and, by the mysterious providence of God, it opened to Luke 13:3, "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." As he read the verse, great conviction came to his soul . . . and so he preached. And he preached with great earnestness. As he would later say, "If ever I preached in my life by the assistance of the Spirit of God, it was at that time." The crowd was struck dumb, but not by entertainment but by Thrope's sincerity.

Thrope was converted that hour by an unexampled act of divine grace. Later he became pastor of a church in Masborough where he served the church for 13 years until his death in 1776. Oh the mysterious providence of God in the conversion of a sinner!