- Home
- Speakers
- Frederick W. Robertson
- He Will Be Seen
Frederick W. Robertson
Frederick W. Robertson (February 3, 1816 – August 15, 1853) was an English preacher and Anglican clergyman whose brief but impactful ministry transformed pulpit oratory in Victorian England with its depth and humanity. Born in London, England, to Frederick Robertson, a retired army captain, and Mary Isabella Beatson, he was the eldest of six children in a military family that moved to Le Havre, France, in 1818, then settled near Cheltenham, England, by 1821. Educated privately due to frail health, he excelled at Brasenose College, Oxford (B.A. 1840), where he was influenced by evangelicalism and the Oxford Movement, ordained a deacon in 1840 and priest in 1841. Robertson’s preaching career began as curate in Winchester (1840) and Cheltenham (1842–1846), followed by a brief stint in Oxford (1846–1847), before his defining role as incumbent of Trinity Chapel, Brighton (1847–1853). His sermons—delivered to overflowing crowds of artisans, aristocrats, and doubters—blended intellectual rigor with emotional appeal, tackling faith, doubt, and social justice, later published posthumously as Sermons Preached at Brighton (1855–1872). Physically frail, he served as a military chaplain in Portugal (1841) and traveled Europe seeking health, but his Brighton tenure cemented his fame. Married to Helen Denys in 1842, daughter of a Cheltenham surgeon, they had three children—Helen, Frederick (died infancy), and Albert—before her death in childbirth in 1849. Robertson died at age 37 in Brighton, England, from a brain abscess.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
Frederick W. Robertson preaches about the importance of trusting in the Lord even when faced with darkness and challenges. Just like the sun is still shining behind the clouds, God is always present and working behind the scenes, even when we cannot see or feel Him. In times of despair, when we cannot sense God's presence due to physical, mental, or intellectual struggles, we are called to replace faith with hope, knowing that God's righteousness and truth will prevail. We are encouraged to trust in God's timing and ultimate deliverance, believing that He will bring things to pass according to His perfect plan.
Scriptures
He Will Be Seen
"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:5). There are times when a dense cloud veils the sunlight: you cannot see the sun, nor feel him. Sensitive temperaments feel depression: and that unaccountably and irresistibly. No effort can make you feel. Then you hope. Behind the cloud the sun is: from thence he will come: the day drags through, the darkest and longest night ends at last. Thus we bear the darkness and the otherwise intolerable cold, and many a sleepless night. It does not shine now but it will. So too, spiritually. There are hours in which physical derangement darkens the windows of the soul; days in which shattered nerves make life simply endurance; months and years in which intellectual difficulties, pressing for solution, shut out God. Then faith must be replaced by hope. "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." Clouds and darkness are round about Him: but Righteousness and Truth are the habitation of His throne. "My soul, hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God."
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Frederick W. Robertson (February 3, 1816 – August 15, 1853) was an English preacher and Anglican clergyman whose brief but impactful ministry transformed pulpit oratory in Victorian England with its depth and humanity. Born in London, England, to Frederick Robertson, a retired army captain, and Mary Isabella Beatson, he was the eldest of six children in a military family that moved to Le Havre, France, in 1818, then settled near Cheltenham, England, by 1821. Educated privately due to frail health, he excelled at Brasenose College, Oxford (B.A. 1840), where he was influenced by evangelicalism and the Oxford Movement, ordained a deacon in 1840 and priest in 1841. Robertson’s preaching career began as curate in Winchester (1840) and Cheltenham (1842–1846), followed by a brief stint in Oxford (1846–1847), before his defining role as incumbent of Trinity Chapel, Brighton (1847–1853). His sermons—delivered to overflowing crowds of artisans, aristocrats, and doubters—blended intellectual rigor with emotional appeal, tackling faith, doubt, and social justice, later published posthumously as Sermons Preached at Brighton (1855–1872). Physically frail, he served as a military chaplain in Portugal (1841) and traveled Europe seeking health, but his Brighton tenure cemented his fame. Married to Helen Denys in 1842, daughter of a Cheltenham surgeon, they had three children—Helen, Frederick (died infancy), and Albert—before her death in childbirth in 1849. Robertson died at age 37 in Brighton, England, from a brain abscess.