- Home
- Speakers
- Joseph Parker
- Jesus' Way
Joseph Parker
Joseph Parker (1830–1902) was an English preacher and Congregational minister whose dynamic oratory and innovative preaching made him one of the most celebrated pulpit figures of the Victorian era. Born on April 9, 1830, in Hexham, Northumberland, he was the only child of Teasdale Parker, a stonemason and Congregational deacon, and Elizabeth Dodd. With limited formal education, he taught himself Latin, Greek, and theology, beginning his ministry as a Methodist local preacher and temperance advocate in his teens during the revolutionary 1840s. Influenced by radicals like Thomas Cooper and Edward Miall, he married Ann Nesbitt in 1851, a union that lasted until her death in 1863, after which he wed Emma Jane Common in 1864. Ordained in 1853, he served at Banbury until 1858, then at Cavendish Chapel in Manchester until 1869, growing both congregations significantly. Parker’s preaching career peaked in London, where he ministered at Poultry Chapel from 1869 and oversaw the construction of the City Temple in Holborn Viaduct, opened in 1874, costing £70,000. His extemporaneous sermons—delivered with theatrical flair and a command of vigorous English—drew thousands, including notables like William Gladstone, and were marked by personal meditations rather than systematic theology, distinguishing him from contemporaries like Charles Spurgeon. He launched the Thursday noon service in 1872, reaching his 1,000th by 1892, and authored over 60 works, including The People’s Bible (1885–1895), a 25-volume expository series. Twice chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, Parker died on November 28, 1902, in Hampstead, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose originality and personality captivated a generation, though his influence waned posthumously.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
Joseph Parker emphasizes how Jesus, in His divine wisdom, intentionally passed by a blind man from birth to demonstrate grace's necessities and love's predestinations. Jesus actively sought opportunities to do good, showing us the importance of looking for ways to help others. Through various means, Jesus subtly but persistently reaches out to those who need Him, guiding them towards redemption, purification, and eventual glory in heaven. Every impulse to pray, every moment of clarity and truth, and every noble influence can be traced back to the touch, glance, and blessing of Christ.
Jesus' Way
"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth" (John 9:1). Why did he pass that way? Could he not have gone by some other path? The answer is, No. Grace has its necessities; love has its predestinations. Jesus Christ always looked out for opportunities of doing good. He knew which road to take; he said, The blind man is down this road, therefore this is the road along which I am about to travel. This is how he came to find so many opportunities for doing good: how can we? We do not look for them. Jesus Christ made it his business to find out who wanted him. He even stands at the door sometimes, and knocks. In a sense, does he not thrust himself upon men who need him? So graciously and quietly that it has no appearance of obtrusiveness or aggression; still he makes himself felt by events, by appeals, by sudden recollections, by suggestions from friends, by Church service and sacrament,--yea, a thousand ways he sends us hints that he is there, and has with him all the resources which are needed for our redemption, purification, and final coronation in heaven. When you felt inclined to pray it was Jesus Christ who moved you in that direction. When you said, I think I see more clearly today; truth seems to be enlarging,--it was Christ who was performing a miracle upon you. Trace all happy impulse, all sacred inspiration, all ennobling influence, to the touch, the glance, the benediction of Christ.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Joseph Parker (1830–1902) was an English preacher and Congregational minister whose dynamic oratory and innovative preaching made him one of the most celebrated pulpit figures of the Victorian era. Born on April 9, 1830, in Hexham, Northumberland, he was the only child of Teasdale Parker, a stonemason and Congregational deacon, and Elizabeth Dodd. With limited formal education, he taught himself Latin, Greek, and theology, beginning his ministry as a Methodist local preacher and temperance advocate in his teens during the revolutionary 1840s. Influenced by radicals like Thomas Cooper and Edward Miall, he married Ann Nesbitt in 1851, a union that lasted until her death in 1863, after which he wed Emma Jane Common in 1864. Ordained in 1853, he served at Banbury until 1858, then at Cavendish Chapel in Manchester until 1869, growing both congregations significantly. Parker’s preaching career peaked in London, where he ministered at Poultry Chapel from 1869 and oversaw the construction of the City Temple in Holborn Viaduct, opened in 1874, costing £70,000. His extemporaneous sermons—delivered with theatrical flair and a command of vigorous English—drew thousands, including notables like William Gladstone, and were marked by personal meditations rather than systematic theology, distinguishing him from contemporaries like Charles Spurgeon. He launched the Thursday noon service in 1872, reaching his 1,000th by 1892, and authored over 60 works, including The People’s Bible (1885–1895), a 25-volume expository series. Twice chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, Parker died on November 28, 1902, in Hampstead, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose originality and personality captivated a generation, though his influence waned posthumously.