William Wilberforce, Greatest Works.

Book Review.
Wilberforce, William. William Wilberforce, Greatest Works. Includes excerpts from A Practical View Of Christianity. Bridge-Logos. 2007.
Comment. Henry.
William Wilberforce holds a special place in British history as a crusader against slavery and as a Christian reformer. His ‘platform’ was the British parliament and the middle and upper class of British society. This resource is primarily excerpts from his influential work, “A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes of This Country Contrasted With Real Christianity”. The book comes with an audio excerpts CD.
William Wilberforce was a man of amazing stature, “a statesman, philanthropist, author and leader of England in the abolition of the slave trade”. (From introduction)
William’s passion to end the slave trade was fuelled by his strong belief that every man and woman is made in the image of God. He had many physical limitations but they were more than compensated by “a strong and great spirit”. (3) At 21 he became the youngest Member of Parliament and served as an MP for the next 45 years. He was a contemporary of William Pitt. Isaac Milner and John Newton were influential in William’s conversion and his discovery of a life mission. In this work he was also encouraged by his good friend John Wesley.
The passing of the act of parliament that abolished slavery was the result of a twenty year campaign. He laboured for another twenty-five years to bring about the emancipation of slavery. As a citizen and parliamentarian he also addressed “the reformation of the nation’s morals”. (24)
There was an influential group of citizens that lived in the village of Clapham that supported William in his campaign. They became known as the “Clapham Sect”. (33) Although a group of just a dozen individuals, “the Claphamites demonstrated the difference that a handful of Christian people can make”. (39)
The excerpts from Wilberforce’s work are presented under four headings: 1.Inadequate Conceptions of the Importance of Christianity.
2. Corruption of Human Nature.
3. Chief Defects of the Religious System/ the Use of Passions in Religion.
4. On the Excellence of Christianity.
The observations made under these headings are relevant to our culture and Christianity. They are as it were the continuation of God’s divine purpose for Wilberforce.
A number of ‘tributes’ to Wilberforce make up the third part of the resource. They include a poem by Anna Barbauld, several newspaper accounts of his funeral. Two poems by William Cowper, The Negro’s Complaint and Pity for Poor Africans, are included as tributes. There is a contemporary evaluation of Wilberforce by an unknown author. Rev. William Jay of the American Tract Society offers his tribute.
Wilberforce requested that his funeral be private and that he be buried in Newington church yard. So great was his stature in the hearts of people of all levels of society that he was given a burial worthy of royalty. His funeral and burial were in Westminster Abbey where a plaque displays his accomplishments. “He was borne to his last resting place by the Peers and Commoners of England with the Lord Chancellor at their head.”(176)
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