K Moody Stuart, Brownlow North – His Life and Work
Banner of Truth
You have likely never heard of Brownlow North, (neither had I till I got his book). Yet he has been described as the ‘John the Baptist of the great awakening of 1859.’ Unlike others of his time such as Spurgeon in Britian or D. L. Moody of Chicago, the labours of North are less well known.
Brownlow North was born into the English aristocracy in 1810, but this comfortable start proved to be an early hindrance to faith and religion. Like many of the peers in his class, Brownlow strove after idle pursuits, yet, even such are not beyond the grace of God. Moody Stuart gives a wonderful portrait of North’s journey to faith and the subsequent good which God brought out of such a hedonistic lifestyle.
Brownlow’s transformation was immediately apparent, even some of his previous associates thought him to be totally unrecognisable, such was the transforming power of God in his life. Moreover, North was filled with a passion to witness to all, friends, neighbours, acquaintances and even strangers – he would give them a tract or initiate conversation. In time this work became a more formal arrangement when he was appointed an evangelist of the Free Church of Scotland. After this North would go on and travel the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland, bearing witness to his Saviour wherever he went.
Though it could be said the biographer labours Brownlow’s impact a little too much, the book is still very profitable. The reader will be encouraged to persist in prayer for and be faithful in example to those who, like the young North, have cast off the covenant promises. Greater still are the challenges posed by North’s exhortations to prayer, his energy, commitment, and diligence in his labours – and perhaps most of all, his great humility when crowds came in their droves to hear him, and then later when they flocked to hear another instead.
Brownlow North exemplifies the transformative power of the gospel. He serves as a model for faithful Christian service. From him one can learn about the work of an evangelist.
Rev. John Coulter, Drimbolg RPCI
