AI Interview

An imagined interview with Reverend Benjamin Francis

Setting: It is the late 1780s, and we are in the home of Reverend Benjamin Francis in Horsley, Gloucestershire. The house is a hub of activity, with people coming and going. The Reverend, though in his fifties, possesses an energetic presence and a warm demeanour. The room is filled with books, reflecting his scholarly nature, yet the simplicity of the furnishings speaks to his rural ministry.

Interviewer: Reverend Francis, thank you for inviting me into your home. You're known far beyond this village, not only as a preacher but as a prolific writer of hymns and poems. It's an unusual path for a boy who grew up speaking only Welsh. Can you tell us about that journey?

Benjamin Francis: (He smiles warmly.) Ah, yes. I was indeed born in Wales, the youngest son of a well-regarded minister, though I barely knew my father. After being orphaned at a young age, the Lord, in His mercy, brought me into the fold. My path to ministry was not a straight one, and English was a great obstacle. When I arrived at the Bristol Baptist Academy, my grasp of the language was so poor that the principal initially thought I should return to Wales. But the younger tutor, himself a Welshman, interceded, and with much diligent study, I eventually learned to preach in both tongues.

Interviewer: After your time at Bristol, you settled here in Shortwood, where you have served a Baptist church for over thirty years. Your ministry here has been described as both happy and successful. What was your vision for your church when you first arrived?

Francis: My vision was simple: to preach the Gospel faithfully and to shepherd the flock with love. The success is not my own but the Lord's. When I first came, the congregation was small, but the Lord has been good to us. The building has been enlarged several times to accommodate the growing numbers. We have been blessed to see many souls converted. The strength of our ministry lies in the clear proclamation of the good news of Christ, not in any great show of human wisdom.

Interviewer: You became known for your extensive evangelistic circuit. You travelled hundreds of miles each month, preaching in villages across Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Wiltshire. Why did you feel so compelled to undertake such a demanding schedule?

Francis: The state of many rural communities was spiritually barren. There were many towns and villages that had not heard the Gospel preached clearly. My father had been a gifted evangelist, and I felt a similar burden to carry the message of salvation beyond the walls of my own chapel. It was a difficult life—balancing my pastoral duties, a large family, and even farming to make ends meet—but the joy of seeing the Lord's work spread and souls come to faith was a great motivation. I was a circuit rider for the Lord, and it was my privilege to be used in that way.

Interviewer: In addition to your preaching, you were a notable author. In 1770, you published Conflagration, a Poem in Four Parts. The poem speaks of the Last Judgment. What inspired you to write on such a weighty theme?

Francis: My meditations were often drawn to the solemn realities of eternity, and I believed it was my duty to stir the hearts of God's people to a sense of urgency. My hope was that the poem would help both the converted and the unconverted to contemplate the grandeur of Christ's return and the final judgment. It is an awesome, though humbling, theme, and I found poetry to be a powerful vehicle for expressing the sublime truths of the Scripture.

Interviewer: You also published hymns, some of which appeared in John Rippon’s influential Selections. What role did hymnwriting play in your ministry?

Francis: For me, hymns were not merely songs to be sung but theological tools to impress the truths of the Gospel upon the hearts of the people. While I wrote both in English and Welsh, my aim was always the same: to produce songs of praise that were doctrinally sound and spiritually moving. I desired that our congregations would sing with both understanding and affection, with their heads and hearts engaged in the worship of God. To have my hymns included in Rippon’s collection was a great honor, and I pray that they will continue to be a blessing to many.

Interviewer: Despite your busy public life, it's noted that you were a man of deep humility and prayer. In your private writings, you express a sense of your own sinfulness and a need for the cleansing blood of Christ. How did you balance your public image with your personal spiritual struggles?

Francis: Public ministry can be a source of great temptation to pride, but the mirror of God's Word constantly reminds me of my own failings. The truths I preach to others are the same truths I must preach to my own soul every day. I have found that a close walk with God is not about a perfect exterior but a contrite heart continually resting upon Christ. My truest comfort and greatest hope lie not in my service but in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Interviewer: You are a tireless minister and an accomplished writer. When you reflect on your life's work, what do you hope your legacy will be?

Francis: I desire no legacy for myself. I hope only that my life and my ministry will be seen as a testimony to the power of God’s grace. I hope that the hymns I have written might help others to sing of His praise, and that the many miles I have travelled might show a generation the boundless mercy of a loving Saviour. In the end, it is not about me or my work, but about Him alone. My greatest desire is simply that Christ will be exalted.

Gair yn ei bryd

Benjamin's father Enoch wrote a book known as Gair yn Ei Bryd or to give it its full title

Gair yn ei Bryd, neu ychydig o eglurhad ar ddirgeledigaethau ag sydd yn cael eu datguddio yn yr Ysgrythyrau; Rhesymau dros Fedydd Crediniol trwy Drochiad

The first essay of this volume is 'Gair yn ei Bryd, neu ychydig o eglurhad ar ddirgeledigaethau ag sydd yn cael eu datguddio yn yr Ysgrythyrau, perthynol ac angenrheidiol idd eu gwybod, am ddoeth a da, uniawn a chyfiawn arfaeth Duw, mewn perthynas i gadwedigaeth a cholledigaeth pechaduriaid' or 'A Word in its Time, or a little explanation of mysteries that are revealed in the Scriptures, related and necessary to know, about the wise and good, upright and just plan of God, in relation to the preservation and loss of sinners'. This essay, first published in 1733, was written by Enoch Francis (1688–1740) and was reprinted in 1839 by David Jones.

The second essay in the same volume is 'Rhesymau dros Fedydd Crediniol trwy Drochiad, a gyhoeddwyd er budd i'r Ysgolion Sabbothol' or 'Reasons for Christian Baptism by Immersion, published for the benefit of Sunday Schools'. This essay was written by Benjamin Evans (1844-1900), a Welsh Baptist minister and author, who served as Secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society in the late 19th century.

The 1839 edition seen above was published in Cardiff by L. L. Jenkins

Size: 6.5" by 4" Pagination: xxii, 114; 20pp.

The Bath Association 1797

B R E V I A T E S.

Wednesday Afternoon, June 7, III. o'clock, Brother [Samuel] Norman prayed, Brother [Benjamin] Francis was chosen Moderator: Read the Preliminaries and the Letters from the Churches, after which our aged Brother [John] Clark [1711-1803] of Crockerton, concluded in prayer.

Evening VII. began with singing, Brother Barnett, Minister at the Pithay, prayed, and Brother [John] Sharp [d 1806], lately chosen Pastor there, having [moved] from Manchester, preached from John vi. 44, "No man can come unto me, except the Father who sent me draw him." Brother Sotteridge concluded.

Thursday Morning VI. met for prayer, when the following Brethren engaged, [Joseph Lee] Sprague of Bovey [Tracey] [1766-1843], [Thomas] Ferebee of [Chipping] Sodbury [1733-1808], [Benjamin] Morgan of Bridgwater [d 1807?], [William] Mannering of Exeter, Williams of Ross and [Humphrey] Penn of Kingsbridge [c1758-c1802]. Received the Subscriptions to the Fund, amounting to £69. 19s. and distributed different sums to aged and infirm Ministers, to assist others with large families, and especially to encourage Village Preaching, to the amount of £72. 10s. 6d. We wish our wealthy friends would put it in our power to do somewhat more another year, for the relief of our afflicted friends, and to aid those who would gladly exert themselves for the diffusion of evangelical knowledge, but are straightened in their efforts by their inability to defray the unavoidable expences.

Half after Ten, Brother [John] Saffery [1763-1825, Salisbury] prayed, Brother [Samuel] Rowles preached, from 1 Thess. i. 5. "Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the holy Spirit, and in much assurance." Brother [John] Ryland read the Circular Letter, and closed in prayer.

Afternoon III. Brother [William] Jay, Pastor of the Independent Church in Bath, begun in prayer, and Brother B. Francis preached from Phil. 1. 27. "Striving together for the Faith of the Gospel." Brother Kingdon concluded. After the public Service, the Ministers and Messengers signified their approbation of the general Letter, which was signed by the Moderator. Agreed to hold the next Association at SALISBURY, on the Wednesday and Thursday in Whitsun-Week 1798. 

10 things the same about Francis, Wallin and Beddome

1. All three were Particular Baptists

2. All three were Strict Baptists

3. All three were sons of the manse

4. All three served in only one place

6. All three ministered for over forty years

7. All three were hymn writers

8. All three were published authors

9. All three were awarded an MA by Rhode Island College (later Brown University)

10. All three were called Benjamin and were in Bourton in August 1765

Bristol Contemporaries

Francis studied in Bristol about 1753-1755 or 56. Contemporaries could have included

Three Englishmen

James Poulson c 1731-? There from 1752. Originally from Tewkesbury, he came to Bristol through Broadmead. The Tewkesbury Church Book says that in 1757 he was "cut off for lying and acts of great injustice". Restored on October 29, 1769, in that year he was dismissed to Andrew Gifford's church in London.

Samuel Burford c 1725-c 1768 There c 1753-1755. From Upottery, Devon, he was supported by the Bodenham Trust Fund. He was pastor of Lyme Regis Baptist Church 1749-53 then minister at Little Prescott Street, Goodman Fields in London and the Seventh Day Baptist Congregation at Curriers' Hall, from 1753.

James Larwill c 1722-c 1786 There c 1755-1756. The brother of Humphrey and Abraham, he was from Bampton in Devon but joined the Broadmead church. In February 1758 he was admitted a member of the Baptist Board and in July 1759 he became pastor at Limehouse. In 1767 he was briefly at Wantage then (1780-1784) at Lyme Regis. (A Larwill from Crockerton, Somerset, was at the Western Association in 1777).

And five Welshmen

James Edwards (dates unknown). There 1753-?. He began to preach c 1752 and came to Bristol from Llanwenarth. The Bodenham Trust paid for him for at least one month (September 1753). he was the brother of Morgan Edwards of Rhode Island.

Thomas Lewis ?-c.1774 there 1754-c 1760. He was baptised in 1753 and joined his uncle's church at Penygarn from where he came to Bristol. Bodenham Trust paid £5 "due sometime since" 29/11/1756, for this student. The Church at South Street, Exeter, where he ministered, split during his pastorate.

Rees Jones c 1701-? was there around.1754-?. He came on to the Broadmead roll as a "student from Aberdyar". He entered the college August 21, 1754, aged 43. He was possibly a foundation member and minister at Aberduar and then minister at Bethesda, Bassaleg, before coming to Bristol.

Morgan Jones d c 1797 there c 1755-1756. The son of Griffith Jones of Penyfai and Hengoed, who emigrated with his family to America in 1749, in 1756 he was assistant at Pershore. Then 1761-78 he was at Hemel Hempstead. He later kept an Academy at Hammersmith [?] He was supported by the PBF.

Charles Harris c 1720-c 1779 There c 1756-1757, He came to Bristol from Penygarn, where he had been baptised in 1755. He was at Trosnant and Bristol academies. He was inclined to Arminianism. His predecessor at Bridgwater was of that sentiment. This is where he settled in 1757, being ordained in 1762.

Francis's daughter marries Thomas Flint

In a book on the Flint family we learn how Thomas Flint became a student for the ministry in Bristol and in the summer of 1797 was asked to come and preach in Horsley one Sunday as Francis had fallen from his horse and was confined to his bed for several weeks. A visit to the sick pastor was Flint's first introduction to his eldest daughter, Catherine Holbrow Francis.

His son says that Flint was quickly with her loveliness "irresistibly enamoured". The church wanted Flint to return and so he had frequent opportunities of associating with her "- each interview confirming the conviction that external charms were the mere reflection of indwelling graces, and that in Miss Francis he had found the individual who, of all others, could most contribute to his future happiness."

On November 10 he wrote to her for the first time

He was 19 and his prospects were yet undefined but he had made it a matter of prayer and was hopeful of the outcome he desired. Like many a young man he long brooded over whether his letter was the right thing even trying to retrieve it after he had finally posted it. Miss Francis ended up being given it at church between services. She did not recognise the handwriting but had her suspicions. It resulted in the response that was desired and they went on to marry.

Poetic Lines to B B Beddome

On 1796 Francis wrote a letter to Benjamin Beddome that ended with these poetic lines

You angry No no your resentment I deem

The sparks that arise from your ardent esteem

Which die in a trice though they bounce as they fly

While Friendship burns constant and never can die

'Tis I at myself should be angry not you

For losing the pleasure I once had in view

Of spending more time with my friend while in town

Which duty prevented and therefore don t frown

Come visit my cot and we ll make up the breach

Forgiveness you practise forgiveness I preach

The company bustle and noise of the town

The free conversation of intimates drown

Calm Horsley not London affords a retreat

Where we our sweet interviews best may repeat

With love to your whole self my service to you

I close my epistle and bid you Adieu.