A Lump of Quaintness: John Berridge
"What a lump of quaintness that man was," Charles Spurgeon said, but "what a power he was to stir the souls of men and lead them to the Saviour’s feet.” John Berridge (1716-1793) was the Anglican vicar of Everton for thirty-eight years, a tiny village on the edge of Bedfordshire, England. “Of all the English evangelists of the eighteenth century, this good man was undeniably the most quaint and eccentric. Without controversy he was a very odd person, a comet rather than a planet, a man who must be put in a class by himself” (J. C. Ryle).
Berridge’s story is especially interesting because he was utterly unfit in the first place for ministry, and he was a complete failure for eight long years (first at Stapleford then at Everton), until God showed him the gospel. After his training at Cambridge, Berridge began his ministry preaching “sanctification for salvation,” but not a single soul was saved “to his own great annoyance and mortification.” Ryle, his biographer, said: “If he wounded, he could not heal. If he pulled down, he could not build up. If he showed his flock that they were wrong, he had no idea what could set them right. In short, his Christianity was like a solar system without the sun, and of course did no good to his congregation.”
One day while pondering a passage of Scripture, it dawned on him like a voice from heaven, “Cease from your own works and believe.” All at once he saw that he had been preaching law and not the gospel. He began to tell his congregation about the love of God for sinners, and crowds of people began coming from all over to hear the message of Christ’s death and resurrection, the only satisfying answer to the law’s demands. Reflecting back on this, Berridge said, “And what is the reason why my ministry was not blessed when I preached up salvation partly by faith and partly by works? It is because this doctrine is not of God, and because he will prosper no ministers but such as preach salvation in his own appointed way; namely, by faith in Jesus Christ.” He never converted anyone by his continual fussing at them to “do more” and “try harder.” When he began to proclaim what Christ has done for undeserving sinners like himself, he saw the transforming power of the Holy Spirit!
The people at Everton didn't like this message at first, and neighboring clergy barred him from preaching in their churches, leaving him to preach outdoors and in barns. When people see that real Christianity is not about moral improvement, but about a God who has mercy on the ungrateful and the wicked, they warm to God.
Berridge lived to be seventy-seven. Though blind and deaf in his last years, and very solitary not having ever married or having family close by, he remained in great peace to the last. His funeral sermon was preached by Charles Simeon, a close friend, and, at his instructions, he was buried on the north-east side of Everton churchyard which was reserved for those who died in dishonor.
True to his quirky self, Berridge’s grave marker states the stages of his life and religious development:
“I was born in sin, February 1716.
I remained ignorant of my fallen state until 1730.
I lived proudly in faith and works for salvation until 1754.
I was admitted to Everton vicarage, 1755.
I fled to Jesus alone for refuge, 1756.
I fell asleep in Christ, January 22, 1793.”
“The Christian Leaders of the Last Century: John Berridge,” J. C. Ryle (1868)