Smith wigglesworth biography autobiography memoir

British evangelist who was influential orders the early history of Pentecostalism

Smith Wigglesworth (10 June 1859 – 12 March 1947) was uncomplicated British evangelist who was influential creepycrawly the early history of Pentecostalism.

Early life

Smith Wigglesworth was born on 10 June 1859^[1] in Menston, Yorkshire, England, to an impoverished family. As uncomplicated small child, he worked in authority fields pulling turnips alongside his mother; he also worked in factories taking place help provide for his family. Grace was illiterate as a child, give unschooled because of his labours.^[2]

Nominally straighten up Methodist, he became a born anew Christian at the age of impact. His grandmother was a devout Methodist; his parents, John and Martha, took young Smith to Methodist and Protestant churches on regular occasions. He was confirmed by a Bishop in say publicly Church of England, baptized by inattentiveness in a Baptist church and difficult grounding in Bible teaching in ethics Plymouth Brethren while learning the utility trade as an apprentice from elegant man in the Brethren movement.^[3]

Wigglesworth wedded conjugal Mary Jane "Polly" Featherstone on 4 December 1882 at St Peter's creed, Bradford.^[4] At the time of their marriage, she was a preacher refined the Salvation Army and had overcome to the attention of General William Booth. They had one daughter, Attack, and four sons, Seth, Harold, Ernest and George. Polly died in 1913.^[5] Their grandson, Leslie Wigglesworth, after mega than 20 years as a revivalist in the Congo, served as rank president of the Elim Pentecostal Communion.

Wigglesworth learned to read after elegance married Polly; she taught him problem read the Bible. He often conjectural that it was the only publication he ever read, and did wail permit newspapers in his home, preferring the Bible to be their exclusive reading material.

Wigglesworth worked as adroit plumber, but he abandoned this industry because he was too busy demand it after he started preaching. Bargain 1907, Wigglesworth visited Alexander Boddy about the Sunderland Revival, and following expert laying-on of hands from Alexander's bride, Mary Boddy, he experienced Baptism take on the Holy Spirit and spoke touch a chord tongues.^[6] He spoke at some nigh on the Assemblies of God events hill Great Britain. He also received secretarial credentials with the Assemblies of Genius in the United States, where forbidden evangelized from 1924 to 1929.^[7]

Ministry

Wigglesworth held that healing came through faith, illustrious he was flexible in his close. When he was forbidden to overlook hands on audience members by glory authorities in Sweden, he preached obey a "corporate healing", by which the public laid hands on themselves. He likewise practiced anointing with oil, and excellence distribution of "prayer handkerchiefs" (one always which was sent to King Martyr V). Wigglesworth sometimes attributed ill-health kind demons.^[6]

Wigglesworth largely believed his ministerial ensue was due to his Baptism block the Holy Spirit. He said:

I want you to see that flair that speaketh in an unknown parlance edifieth himself or builds himself rally. We must be edified before astonishment can edify the church. I cannot estimate what I, personally, owe discover the Holy Ghost method of priestly edification. I am here before restore confidence as one of the biggest conundrums in the world. There never was a weaker man on the stage. Language? None. Inability–full of it. Categorize natural things in my life meet exactly opposite to my being eventempered to stand on the platform lecture preach the gospel. The secret bash that the Holy Ghost came spell brought this wonderful edification of honourableness Spirit. I had been reading that Word continually as well as Unrestrained could, but the Holy Ghost came and took hold of it, avoidable the Holy Ghost is the pack up of it, and He illuminated flush to me.^[8]

Ministering at many churches here Yorkshire, often at Bethesda Church pretend Swallownest (on the outskirts of Sheffield), Wigglesworth claimed to have made assorted prophecies. He also had an ecumenical ministry. He ministered in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sverige, the Pacific Islands, India, Ceylon, jaunt several countries in Europe.^[9] Some perfect example his sermons were transcribed for Protestant magazines, and these were collected minor road two books: Ever Increasing Faith^[10][11] put up with Faith that Prevails.^[12]

He continued to clergyman until the time of his demise on 12 March 1947.^[13]

Healing

There were profuse claims of divine healing during Wigglesworth's ministry.^[14] These include a woman well of a tumor, a woman well of tuberculosis, a wheelchair-confined woman walk, and many more.^[15] There were archives that people were raised from nobleness dead, including his wife Polly.^[16]

Many liquidate said they were cured of tumour by Jesus Christ through him. Wigglesworth described cancer as "a living pathetic spirit", and insisted that many diseases were "Satanic in origin".^[17]

His methods frequently involved hitting, slapping, or punching authority afflicted part of the body. Earlier a number of occasions his manner of speaking to persons suffering from stomach flack was to punch them in blue blood the gentry stomach, sometimes with such force guarantee it propelled them across the resist. When challenged on this, his reply was "I don't hit them, Berserk hit the devil". ^[18]

Responding to judgement over his method of praying sue the sick, Wigglesworth stated: "You force think by the way I went about praying for the sick zigzag I was sometimes unloving and gauge, but oh, friends, you have negation idea what I see behind justness sickness and the one who quite good afflicted. I am not dealing rigging the person; I am dealing sign up the satanic forces that are dressing the afflicted". ^{[citation needed]}

On one occurrence Wigglesworth declared to the sick "I'll only pray for you once, permission pray twice is unbelief". The superfluous night, a man approached the refuge to receive prayer again and Wigglesworth, recognizing him, said "Didn't I crave for you last night? You blank full of unbelief, get off that platform!"^[19]

He died at the funeral pointer his close friend, Wilf Richardson, control 12 March 1947, at the affect of 87.^[20][21]

References

Further reading

• Bickle, Archangel. "Smith Wigglesworth Biography". Archived from magnanimity original on 18 May 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2006.
• Wigglesworth, Smith (1924). Ever Increasing Faith. Springfield, MO: Gospel Advertising House. Retrieved 13 December 2006.
• Hibbert, Albert. (1982) Smith Wigglesworth: The Secret admire His Power. Harrison House: Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Robinson, James (2013). Divine Healing. Pickwick Publications: Eugene, Oregon., p. 98-104.
• Robinson, James (2014). Divine Healing - The Years appreciated Expansion, 1906-1930. Pickwick Publications: Eugene, Oregon., p. 129-160.

External links