Important Record of a Pioneering Evangelist of the Early 20th Century Pentecostal Revival
Smith Wigglesworth was one of the most famous and important British pioneer evangelists of the early 20th Century signs and wonders, healing and tongue-speaking Pentecostal Revival. Reared in poverty and illiterate much of his life, he was a plumber and Methodist layman whose wife, Mary Jane "Polly" Featherstone, was a well known preacher in the Salvation Army. When they encountered Pentecostalism and Wigglesworth received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, he felt endued with power and called to be an evangelist.
Wigglesworth went on to become one of the most influential in the movement, especially in Europe, and was known for his boldness in prayer, praying for the sick, casting out demons, and contending for the Holy Spirit gifts for his audience. It is said that once he learned to read, he never read anything other than the Bible. Based on the content of this book, a collection of his sermons transcribed by his wife and others in his audience, I suspect that he was more widely read than just the Bible as many of his messages are sprinkled with illustrations and historical anecdotes evocative of a keen mind. He certainly knew his Bible and his proof texts for signs and wonders in his meetings are well-drawn.
That being said, as a collection of transcribed messages, this certainly was never meant to be a doctrinal treatise. Fortunately, the editors and publisher of this edition did yeoman's work here and added a question and answer section in the back for those who have doctrinal questions regarding the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And as these messages were written as he preached (no personal notes of him survive and he may have preached off the cuff), they are sometimes a bit convoluted or meandering, as one expects from sermons preached in the spirit and not just read from a page.
This is a four star book because, as sermons, the messages in this book are quite remarkable. They reveal just how weak in the Word and weak in the Spirit post-modern Pentecostalism (or Charismatic or Full-Gospel, if you prefer those terms) has become.
As this was never meant to be a theology text, those looking for organized hermeneutics or scriptural analysis will be disappointed. But still, this is an important record and speaks volumes as to the intelligence, wit, charisma, and power of early Pentecostal giants like Smith Wigglesworth.
Highly Recommended.