William Wilberforce: The Great Change and The Great Object

Introduction

In celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the end of the British slave trade, we are going to relive the story of William Wilberforce, the man chiefly responsible for ending the British slave trade. We will tell of Wilberforce’s “great change’ and “great object.’ But why should we be so interested in the ending of the British slave trade? After all, the American slave trade was also abolished later on that same year; why not celebrate that?

The significance of the abolition of the British slave trade is that it is the turning point of the worldwide movement to eradicate slavery. It is the end of the British slave trade that spurs on the United States and the other European powers to rid themselves of the brutal trade. Moreover, ending the British slave trade logically sets the stage for the ending of slavery in general because it establishes the humanity of the slaves. The identification of the slaves as brute beasts was an essential component to the perpetuation of this dehumanizing institution.

Let me give a few facts that will help us better appreciate the enormity of Wilberforce’s accomplishment. Most American high school students receive their diplomas with the impression that slavery was a uniquely American problem. It is at least thought of as the darkest spot in the black eye of slavery. This simply is not true. Of the estimated 11 million slaves that were transported from West Africa, only 500,000 of them (less than 5%) were brought to the United States. Most of the slaves were sent to South America and the Caribbean islands. 4 million of them (or 35%) were sent to Brazil alone.

Furthermore, while slaves were certainly treated harshly in America, they received far more severe treatment elsewhere, especially in the British and French West Indies. While the life expectancy of slaves in America remained close to that of their white masters, Caribbean slaves lived about half as long as their masters. This is not to downplay the brutality of the atrocious American slave trade, but it is important to realize that this repulsive calamity was much more than an American scourge– it was a global pandemic.

Another important point is that we tend to think of slavery only in the context of modern history, perhaps coinciding with the beginning of slavery in America. The reality is that we do not even know when slavery began because its institution is older than recorded history. As far as we know, slavery occurred in every ancient Mediterranean civilization, including Egypt (remember Joseph), Babylon, Assyria, and Greece. In the Roman Empire, slaves far outnumbered Roman citizens and the punishment for a runaway slave was crucifixion.

Moreover, before the European slave trade, slavery existed throughout Africa, Asia, and the Arab world. While the brutality of the treatment of the slaves varied amongst these civilizations, the life of the slave has always been excessively harsh. The point of all this is to demonstrate that what Wilberforce was attempting to topple was an institution that was historically embedded in civilization. What we see today as so obviously wrong, was passively accepted as just the way things are and always have been.

Many think that slavery ended the moment Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. But did you know that there are more slaves in the world today than at any point in history? In spite of the United Nations approving an international ban on slavery in 1956, whether it be 5-year old boys forced to work 16 hour days as camel jockeys in the Middle East or 10 year-old girls being sold into prostitution in Thailand, a conservative estimate is that there are 27 million victims of human trafficking in the world today. According to the U.S. State Department, more than 250,000 of these modern slaves suffer within the borders of the United States.

The cynic may fairly ask, If there are so many problems with slavery today, then what did Wilberforce really accomplish? The truth is that not only did he put to death a ghastly traffic of human beings across the Atlantic Ocean, but he also helped shaped the modern mindset towards slavery. Today, if you randomly interviewed 100 common people in any developed nation in the world, you would be hard-pressed to find one person who would not think of slavery as a terrible injustice that should be vigorously opposed. But when Wilberforce began his fight against the slave trade, if you randomly interviewed 100 common people, you most likely would not find one person that would call slavery a horrific wrong that must be abolished. In other words, Wilberforce faced the steepest of uphill battles and conquered.

Sadly, most Americans today have never heard of William Wilberforce. AlthoughAmazing Grace, the recently released movie about him, should improve his numbers, a recent survey showed that only 4% of Americans claim to even have heard of William Wilberforce.

His significance, however, was not lost on the renowned American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who declared: “It was the faithful, persistent and enduring enthusiasm of William Wilberforce . . . that finally thawed the British heart into sympathy for the slave, and moved the strong arm of that government in mercy to put an end to his bondage. Let no American withhold generous recognition of this stupendous achievement - a triumph of right over wrong, of good over evil, and a victory for the whole human race.’ Our goal tonight is to recount and celebrate Wilberforce’s tremendous victory for humanity.

Background

On August 24, 1759 William Wilberforce was born into a wealthy merchant class family in Hull, England, a city of which his grandfather was twice elected mayor. When he was nine years old his father died and his mother became gravely ill. At ten years of age, Wilberforce was placed in the care of his uncle William and aunt Hannah, who turned out to be evangelicals, a fact of which his grandfather and mother were unaware. Not only were his uncle and aunt devout evangelicals, but they were also influential and well-connected in the evangelical world. They were friends with some of the most illustrious evangelical figures of the time, such as George Whitefield and John Wesley.

They were especially close to John Newton, who wrote the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.’ In fact, when Wilberforce stayed with his aunt and uncle in London, he became so close to Newton that he came to see him as a father-figure, while the childless Newton looked upon him as a son. One significant point for the larger story is that Newton worked as a slave ship captain before becoming a minister and vigorously opposing slavery.

We tend to think that everyone was evangelical back in 18th century England. The truth is that the evangelicals were looked down upon by most of society. In fact, when his wealthy grandfather found out that young “Billy’ was being influenced by his uncle and aunt to become an evangelical “Methodist,’ he threatened to disinherit him. The grandfather told his daughter-in-law that if “Billy’ became an “enthusiast,’ he would be cut off. William’s mother immediately took him away from his uncle and aunt when he was twelve, purposing to scrub his soul clean of all evangelical influence by pushing him into worldly diversions. The process took about three years, but the evangelical faith he had gained eventually dissipated.

At 17 years of age, Wilberforce went to St. John’s College at Cambridge in 1776. He was an intelligent student but fundamentally lazy, partly because his mother had so earnestly pushed him into worldly diversions. Wilberforce was very much a pleasure-seeker, but he was more irresponsible than he was immoral. Instead of studying, he would go to the theaters, sing, dance, play cards, and gamble.

He did, however, take up an interest in politics, especially through a friendship he forged with William Pitt, whose father had been the Prime Minister and Secretary of State in England. The younger Pitt would also become Prime Minister when he was 24 years old. Wilberforce and Pitt would go together to the gallery of the House of Commons and listen to the debate over the American Revolution. They both avidly opposed the British resistance to the Revolution. It was this cause that most inspired Wilberforce to run for the Hull seat in the House of Commons, which he won at 21 years of age. Three years later he won a seat for the county of Yorkshire, which was the most prominent seat in the House. He climbed the Parliamentary ladder quickly because he demonstrated a natural proclivity for politics. He displayed quick intelligence, which he used to easily rebut his opponents’ arguments in a debate. He also possessed a winsome personality, which made him able to win people over to his side. More than anything, he showed an extraordinary eloquence as a speaker, even when speaking extemporaneously.

Great Change

The 24 year-old Wilberforce was in the most prominent seat in the House of Commons with a bright political future ahead of him. Perhaps he would be a future Prime Minister. It was at this point in time, however, that his “great change’ occurred, which Wilberforce called the “supreme event of his life.’ This “great change’ was his conversion to evangelical Christianity. Like Paul when confronted by the risen Lord on the Damascus road, Wilberforce experienced a radical conversion.

Before becoming an evangelical, Wilberforce rented out a pew at a Unitarian church that he occasionally attended. He was essentially a deist, believing in a God who made all things but then basically went away and is currently inactive. Deists like Wilberforce denied the essential truths of the Christian faith, such as the divinity of Christ, the atonement, and the authority of Scripture.

Beginning in October 1784, a gradual change began in him that would end with his receiving communion on Easter of 1786. He planned a tour of the French and Italian Rivieras, but the friend who was to accompany him backed out. He then came across a brilliant Cambridge scholar named Isaac Milner, who tutored Wilberforce as a boy. He asked if Milner would accompany him on this tour of the continent. Wilberforce would later call this encounter a “singular accident’ in history, saying that if he had known Milner’s evangelical convictions beforehand he never would have invited him in the first place. In God’s providence, however, they had this extended time together in which they spent a lot of time discussing the evangelical faith.

At this point Wilberforce gained “a clear grasp of the intellectual heart of Christianity.’ He developed a conviction in his mind of the truth of the Christian faith and that these truths were founded in the Bible. Gaining an intellectual agreement with the tenets of the Christian faith, however, does not make one an evangelical. Although Milner believed the faith intellectually, it was only later that Milner himself solidified his own commitment to Christ.

Wilberforce then came across a book that belonged to his cousin by Phillip Doddridge called The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, a book about the heart of Christianity. This book led Wilberforce to wrestle with what it meant to embrace the Christian life. He soon became convinced of his sin and guilt before the holy and just God. He later said about this time: “The deep guilt and black ingratitude of my past life forced itself upon me in the strongest colors, and I condemned myself for having wasted precious time, and opportunities, and talents.’ Wilberforce was lost, having not yet discovered the salvation of Christ.

Wilberforce carried the weight of his sin around until he remembered that there was a man in London, whom he used to think of as a “father,’ who could help him. He secretly confided in John Newton, after not seeing him for fourteen years. He went furtively because evangelicals were perceived as “enthusiasts’ with whom no respectable person would want to be seen. On December 7, 1785, they met and Newton helped Wilberforce grasp the wonders of the cross. He clearly explained that God showed his love by sending His Son to receive the punishment that we deserved. Wilberforce now realized the “amazing grace’ that saved a wretch like him and committed his life to following Jesus Christ.

Soon after his conversion, Wilberforce sent letters to his friends, many of whom were in Parliament, declaring that he had become a Christian. Many thought he had lost his mind and accused him of becoming “melancholy mad.’ Some called on Wilberforce to resign from his seat in the House, convinced that he could be of no good use in Parliament as an evangelical Christian.

At that time, if someone was educated and came into a deep religious experience, he was expected to become a minister. Wilberforce seriously considered retiring from the House and joining the ministry. Two people, however, were instrumental in convincing him to stay in Parliament. The first was John Newton, who counseled Wilberforce to stay where in politics and see what good he could do. Wilberforce’s old friend William Pitt also dissuaded him from resigning. Pitt first tried to talk him out of his evangelical convictions, but when that proved unsuccessful, he gave advice that is helpful for all Christians to consider: “Surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple, and lead not to meditation only but to action.’ Pitt challenged him to do something about his faith, and do it in the Parliament.

Wilberforce remained in politics but was radically changed in his ideas and behavior. His new attitude permeated all of life. He saw that everything he had belonged to God and recognized his duty as a faithful steward of what God had given him. This included his vast riches, with which he soon became exceedingly charitable. He also wanted to redeem the time by ridding himself of certain amusements in his life that he now perceived as being a waste of time. In a single day, Wilberforce resigned his membership from all five of the social clubs with which he was involved.

Although not a disciplined person by nature or by upbringing, when Wilberforce gained this new vision for the kingdom of God, he developed a new self-discipline. He resolved to seriously study. He took two months “vacation’ time out of the year in which he would study 9-10 hours a day. He primarily studied the Bible and Christian books, but he also studied anything else he could get his hands on. He purposed to educate himself and recapture the opportunities he had wasted at Cambridge. He showed a new hunger for personal holiness, making a list of his vices and keeping track of how often he failed. His frequent fasting demonstrated his hunger to seek God in prayer. His wearing a pebble in the bottom of shoe may have proved him to be a bit eccentric, but the pain he felt from the pebble every time he took a step helped remind him of Christ’s sufferings in his behalf.

Great Object

Wilberforce’s “great change’ led to the realization of what he called the “great object’ of his political career. On October 28, 1787, he wrote in his journal that God had set before him the great object of the suppression of the slave trade. He later explained: “The grand object of my Parliamentary existence is the abolition of the slave trade. Before this great cause, all others dwindle in my eyes. If it please God to honor me so far, may I be the instrument of stopping such a course of wickedness and cruelty as never before disgraced a Christian country.’ O, that we would so earnestly desire to be used as God’s instruments to carry out His purposes. Wilberforce had an overwhelming sense of God’s calling him to fight this battle.

His first maneuver was to initiate a Parliamentary inquiry to bring to light what was being done in darkness. This inquiry resulted in an 850-page report detailing what was happening. Two items on the report particularly shocked people. First, most had no idea of the scope of the slave trade. At this point, 100,000 slaves were annually being exported from West Africa to the Americas. Moreover, few had known the brutalities of the slave trade, especially the horrors of the Middle Passage. They were horrified to find out that 10% of the slaves (it was later found to be more like 25-30%) died while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. There was also a horrifying tale known as the Zong Incident, which had taken place in 1781. On the Zong slave ship, the captain found a loophole in the law that allowed him to be reimbursed for the loss of his cargo. After getting lost at sea, he proceeded to throw 131 slaves overboard while they were still living. The captain was taken to court, but the judge ruled that this was just as if “horses had been thrown overboard.’ Case closed.

Horrified by what they learned from the inquiry, the House immediately voted to limit and regulate the trade. Only five people voted against it. This was an encouraging beginning to the fight to abolish the slave trade, but all it really did was awaken the opposition. Those who saw their profits being threatened persistently argued that abolishing the slave trade would destroy the British economy. England was the great power of the world at this time, and Wilberforce’s adversaries argued that if they abolished the slave trade, England would be turned into a second-rate country. They were especially fond of “pulling the French card,’ warning that France would surely overtake them on the world stage. They often accused Wilberforce of being “unpatriotic’ for working against the interests of the nation.

Nevertheless, in 1789 he began his active campaign to abolish the slave trade with an impassioned 3½ hour speech in which he said, “A trade founded in iniquity and carried on as this was, must be abolished, let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had secured.’ He had no interest in talk of “consequences.’ If it was wrong, it was wrong, and it must be stopped. The result of this speech and subsequent discussion was delay. The House determined they needed more evidence. Apparently 850 pages of evidence was not enough!

Finally, in 1791 the House agreed to put it up for debate and an eventual vote. This time Wilberforce opened with a four hour speech, in which he spoke of “exposing the horrid traffic in its native deformity.’ He argued persuasively but was routed after only two days of debate. 88 voted for the abolition and 163 against. He had won many supporters but was discouraged because he realized that he had a long battle ahead.

Though disheartened by this defeat, it was earlier that same year that he received an encouraging letter from John Wesley, a man who knew all about facing serious opposition for his convictions. The great 87 year-old evangelical preacher wrote this letter only a few days before Wesley died and is believed to be the last letter he ever wrote. Wesley had been an outspoken opponent of slavery, writing an abolitionist tract called “Thoughts on Slavery’ in 1774.

Wesley wrote to Wilberforce: “Unless the divine power has raised you up to be as Athanasius contra mundum,’ this is a reference to Athanasius’ stand against the world of Arians that denied the deity of Christ, “I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.’ We can only imagine what unspeakable comfort and inspiration Wilberforce derived from this letter.

The next year, he proposed a new bill with renewed vigor, passionately proclaiming: “Africa! Africa! Your sufferings have been the theme that has arrested and engages my heart-your sufferings no tongue can express; no language impart.’ He again argued persuasively and even won a minor victory. The House of Commons voted to gradually abolish the slave trade, eradicating it by January 1, 1796. Wilberforce, however, opposed this gradual abolition, understanding that “later’ usually results in nothing happening because something always comes up to prevent it.

And something surely did come up. The French Revolution, which began in 1789, had turned into the Reign of Terror by 1793. That year King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were sent to the guillotine, and France declared a war on England that would span the next twenty years. The English ruling class grew a suspicious towards all movements that talked about liberation and democratization. They, therefore, tabled the discussion of abolition and refused to confirm their 1792 vote for the gradual elimination of the slave trade.

Undaunted by the potential consequences, Wilberforce continued to argue for abolition. When his opponents bombarded him with questions about the potential economic fall-out and probable insurrection in the West Indies that would result from abolishing the slave trade, Wilberforce responded: “I shall never sacrifice this cause to motives of political convenience or personal feeling.’ He persisted in standing for what was right, regardless of the personal, or even national, cost.

Continuing the fight, in 1796 Wilberforce put up another bill to abolish the slave trade, describing slavery as “degrading men to the level of brute beasts.’ This is an important statement because he was arguing for the humanity of the slaves. The slogan of the abolition movement was “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?’ He was encouraged by the support he received and was actually confident that he had enough votes to win this time. 1796 would see the end of the slave trade!

But it was not to be. On March 15, the bill was voted on and it came up four votes short. This was a particularly crushing defeat because of the way it happened. Wilberforce did have more supporters than opponents, but the opponents essentially bought off some of his supporters by offering them free tickets to the opera on the night of the vote. This gave his weaker supporters an excuse not to show up to the vote, and at least ten of his supporters chose to go to the opera rather than vote for this important bill.

Wilberforce grew miserable and downcast. He also became gravely ill and considered retirement, lamenting: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.’ Was he over-reacting here? After all, he was only four votes short. Surely he could conquer next year. Wilberforce, however, seemed to know what no one else did. This was, in fact, the closest he would get to abolishing the slave trade for eleven long years.

Nevertheless, Wilberforce stayed the course, and every year from 1797 to 1803 he fought for the abolition of the slave trade but was defeated or deferred every time. Although the abolitionists were losing in the Parliament, they were winning with the people. Wilberforce was intimately involved in a tireless campaign that began a steady growth of popular support that made the slave trade’s eventual fall a tremendously popular decision.

On February 23, 1807, the bill for the abolition of the slave trade was again proposed. After a night of rousing speeches supporting the abolition of the slave trade, the vote was tallied: 283 for the abolition and only 16 against! After the vote of this astounding victory was tallied, the House applauded Wilberforce for his twenty long years of battle. The only response he could muster was to bow his head and weep.

There were many key factors that led to this seemingly sudden victory. Democratization had become less odious in the sight of the English since the Revolutionary Reign of Terror had been replaced by the Napoleonic reign of terror. And Napoleon was no symbol of democratization. William Grenville’s becoming Prime Minister and the 1801 Act of Union with Ireland were also crucial components, but it remains a mystery at to exactly why people’s hearts and minds seemed to change so radically on this issue. Wilberforce had his own evaluation: “I really cannot account for (this change) . . . , except by supposing it to be produced by that almighty power which can influence at will the judgments and affections of men.’

Though this immense battle was won, Wilberforce refused to rest on his laurels. Not settling for having merely a nominal law, he fought for the abolition’s enforcement. He soon proposed an Anglo-American convention to secure the “liberation of human cargoes.’ What was happening was that British slave ships would see British officials coming, and they would raise an American flag that would prevent the British from inspecting their ships. American ships were also raising British flags to waive off American officials. Wilberforce argued for the mutual right to search potential slave ships. President Jefferson refused the deal, but the Americans finally agreed to the convention under President Monroe in 1824.

Wilberforce then pushed for the international abolition of the slave trade. When Napoleon first fell from power in 1814, Wilberforce’s reacted: “I am delighted Paris is spared. Oh for the general abolition of the slave trade!’ His heart clamored for international abolition. He also helped influence Czar Alexander I of Russia to seek an international convention to end the slave trade. Alexander managed to gather many of the European nations for this cause, but only a few countries agreed to ban the slave trade at this time.

Wilberforce then began to openly fight the battle for which he had really been fighting all along– the general abolition of slavery. In 1823 he launched his campaign to emancipate the slaves throughout the British empire by publishing his Appeal in Behalf of the Negro Slaves in the West Indies. Wilberforce decried the institution of slavery as a great moral evil, but he addressed this treatise to the slaveholders themselves, trying to convince them to emancipate their slaves. He actually proved persuasive in many cases. One West Indian plantation owner reported: “(The pamphlet) had so affected me, that should it cost me my whole property, I would surrender it willingly, that my poor negroes may be brought not only to the liberty of Europeans, but especially to the liberty of Christians.’

Wilberforce’s many bouts with poor health finally convinced him to retire on February 22, 1825, after serving in the House of Commons for 45 years. Not surprisingly, Wilberforce continued to fight for abolition, staying involved in the Anti-Slavery Society. In fact, towards the end of his last public speech on April 12, 1833, when a ray of sunshine broke into the hall, he declared: “The object of emancipation is bright before us, the light of heaven beams on it, and is an earnest of success.’

And it indeed proved to be successful. On July 26, 1833, the bill for the abolition of slavery was assured of becoming law. The government agreed to give twenty million pounds to emancipate the 800,000 slaves throughout the British colonies. Upon hearing this news, Wilberforce was recorded as saying from his sickbed: “Thank God that I should have lived to witness a day in which England is willing to give 20,000,000 pounds for the Abolition of Slavery.’ He died three days later, having seen the great object of his life fulfilled.

Wilberforce’s Faith

There is a movie about William Wilberforce called Amazing Grace that I recommend, but there are some significant differences between the movie and history, that I have written about elsewhere. The major difference, however, is the way the movie downplays Wilberforce’s faith. His faith in Christ is not seen as being the driving force behind everything he does. In order to give a better sense of this man’s faith than you will get from seeing the movie, I will highlight five aspects of his faith.

First of all, his faith was very orthodox. He was fervently committed to the “peculiar doctrines’ of the Bible, the doctrines of Sin and Christ and Faith. He wrote a book A Practical View of Christianity, which is essentially the Basic Christianity of the late 18th century. Like John Stott’s book, this book is meant to be an articulation of the basic tenets of authentic Christianity for people who only knew nominal Christianity.

The second thing about his faith is that it was active. Wilberforce’s faith energized him to activity. He once said: “Is it not the glory of Christianity… to make us compassionate and kind, and forgiving one to another; to make us good husbands, good fathers, good friends; and to render us active and useful in the discharge of the relative social and civil duties?’ He was a man motivated by his faith to do great things. He reminds me of the great heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews 11. Perhaps we could say: “By faith Wilberforce when called to take the abolition cause to Parliament obeyed and went. even though he faced opposition of every kind, he regarded derision for fighting for what was right as of greater value than all the political prestige of England.’

Wilberforce’s faith was vocal. You speak what you believe. One practical thing he used to employ, which I recommend to all Christians, was what he called “launchers.’ He would catalog the names of people that he knew, both believers and unbelievers, and next to those names he would list subjects that he could bring up with each of these friends that would “launch’ them into conversation about spiritual issues. For his believer friends it would launch him into being able to edify his friends in Christ. For unbelievers it would launch him into an opportunity to evangelize.

His faith was also especially joyful. The words of an acquaintance convey how most people would describe him: “By the tones of his voice and expression of his countenance he showed that joy was the prevailing feature of his own mind, joy springing from entireness of trust in the Savior’s merits.’ His joy was no hollow joy but the result of his triumphant faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This joy proved to be his strength as he doggedly displayed perseverance. This aspect of his faith is what primarily stands out about his faith to most. People will talk about him as a model of selfless endurance against every sort of adversity. His adversaries would often complain about his persistence. Every time they knocked him down, he would get back up. Perseverance is getting back up by God’s grace, when you get knocked down. He faced persecutions, death threats, countless accusations, illnesses, but the Lord Jesus Christ was always the anchor of his soul.

This quote from his Practical View of Christianity best summarizes the fervent nature of his faith: “If we would rejoice in Christ as triumphantly as the first Christians did; we must learn, like them to repose our entire trust in him and to adopt the language of the apostle, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ’ (Gal. 6:14).’

Many have forgotten William Wilberforce, but we would do well not only to remember and honor him, but also, by faith, to follow his example of persevering in doing good out of gratitude for the saving work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Delivered by Gregory W. Perry

February 28, 2007