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Robert Hawker
Robert Hawker (1753–1827) was an English preacher and Anglican priest whose powerful evangelical ministry earned him the nickname "Star of the West" in 18th- and early 19th-century Devon. Born in 1753 in Exeter, England, he was the son of Jacob Hawker, a surgeon. Initially trained in medicine under Samuel White in Plymouth and serving briefly as an assistant surgeon in the Royal Marines, Hawker shifted his path to theology. He entered Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1778, and was ordained in 1779. Appointed assistant curate at Charles Church, Plymouth, under John Bedford in 1778, he succeeded Bedford as vicar in 1784, a position he held until his death. In 1772, at age 19, he married Anna Rains, with whom he had eight children. Hawker’s preaching career was marked by his extemporaneous, high-Calvinist sermons, which drew thousands with their passion, biblical depth, and accessibility, often lasting 70 to 80 minutes and necessitating gallery expansions at Charles Church. Known for beginning services with spontaneous prayers—sometimes against clerical norms—he preached annually in London to packed congregations, reportedly impressing King George III, who handed him sermon texts moments before preaching. Beyond the pulpit, he launched one of the earliest Sunday School hymn books around 1787 and, in 1813, founded the Corpus Christi Society to aid distressed Christians across denominational lines. A prolific writer, his works like The Poor Man’s Morning Portion (1809) and Poor Man’s Commentary on the New Testament (1816) were priced affordably for the working class, reflecting his pastoral heart. During the 1809 fever outbreak in Plymouth, he and Anna tirelessly tended to sick soldiers, risking their own health.
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Robert Hawker preaches on the anticipation and longing of both Old and New Testament believers for the coming of the Lord Jesus. He encourages believers to open their hearts to Jesus' grace and Holy Spirit daily, eagerly desiring His presence. Reflecting on the various instances of Jesus' coming throughout history, from His visits to the patriarchs and prophets to His promised return, Hawker urges believers to eagerly anticipate and welcome the Lord's presence in their lives, echoing the church's cry for His swift return.
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Behold, I Come
DECEMBER 23. MORNING. "Behold, I come." Psalm 40:7 What a longing had old testament saints for the Lord Jesus' coming! And what an earnest wish and prayer it is among new testament believers, for Jesus' coming by the visits of his grace, and the sweet influences of his Holy Spirit, from day to day! My soul, how I desire to realize by faith this day, even this very day, these words of your Redeemer, as if he were now standing at the door of your heart, and asking for admission. And shall I not say, under this sweet impression, "Come in, you blessed of the Lord, why do you stand outside?" Oh blessed Jesus, when I consider the many precious instances of your coming, set up from everlasting in your goings forth for the salvation of your chosen, your anticipation, in your visits before the season of your sojourning in our flesh; your visits to the patriarchs and prophets; your manifestation openly to the people; your secret, sweet, and inexpressibly gracious visits now, and your promised return in the clouds at the final consummation of all things; Oh Lamb of God, cost you say, "Behold, I come?" Oh for the earnestness of faith, in all her devout longings, to cry out with the church of old, and say, "Make haste, my Beloved, and come! Oh come quickly, Lord Jesus!"
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Robert Hawker (1753–1827) was an English preacher and Anglican priest whose powerful evangelical ministry earned him the nickname "Star of the West" in 18th- and early 19th-century Devon. Born in 1753 in Exeter, England, he was the son of Jacob Hawker, a surgeon. Initially trained in medicine under Samuel White in Plymouth and serving briefly as an assistant surgeon in the Royal Marines, Hawker shifted his path to theology. He entered Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1778, and was ordained in 1779. Appointed assistant curate at Charles Church, Plymouth, under John Bedford in 1778, he succeeded Bedford as vicar in 1784, a position he held until his death. In 1772, at age 19, he married Anna Rains, with whom he had eight children. Hawker’s preaching career was marked by his extemporaneous, high-Calvinist sermons, which drew thousands with their passion, biblical depth, and accessibility, often lasting 70 to 80 minutes and necessitating gallery expansions at Charles Church. Known for beginning services with spontaneous prayers—sometimes against clerical norms—he preached annually in London to packed congregations, reportedly impressing King George III, who handed him sermon texts moments before preaching. Beyond the pulpit, he launched one of the earliest Sunday School hymn books around 1787 and, in 1813, founded the Corpus Christi Society to aid distressed Christians across denominational lines. A prolific writer, his works like The Poor Man’s Morning Portion (1809) and Poor Man’s Commentary on the New Testament (1816) were priced affordably for the working class, reflecting his pastoral heart. During the 1809 fever outbreak in Plymouth, he and Anna tirelessly tended to sick soldiers, risking their own health.