Jehoida Brewer was a man of integrity and honor. He was a true and admirable friend. Salvation of man was always his goal and he spoke with no fear of what men thought of him. His beliefs about God and the Christian life were evident by the way he lived and spoke. He did not speak with beauty and grace to appease man as many other preachers did, but rather it was the “vigor, the fervor, the directness of his address, the solemnity and earnestness of his manner,” that attracted the many people he ministered to. He once stated, “When a man preaches as he ought, he goes direct to the conscience, instead of stopping to trifle with the imagination.” The Eclectic Review goes on to state that he consulted his own heart before he preached which moved him to draw others in as well.
The words of Jehoiada Brewer’s hymn, “Hail Sovereign Love,” demonstrates his understanding of the Lord’s master plan of salvation.
In this hymn, he describes salvation, whether it was the Israelites salvation from the hands of the Egyptians, or the salvation from sin found in Jesus Christ. Brewer, born in Newport in 1752, understood the message of salvation due to the ministry of Glascott. Brewer preached throughout Monmouthshire and immediately became popular. He studied with a clergyman to help give him the classical knowledge he needed to secure a position with the national church, however he was refused ordination. Knowing his heart’s desire was to preach, he continued unabated. He preached at Rodborough for several years before ministering at Sheffield where he grew the small congregation into a very large one for 13 years.
Eclectic Review, 1826. 26.
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