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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 importance of seeking daily blessings from the Holy Trinity - the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. He encourages believers to end and begin each year under the precious tokens of God in Christ, maintaining a lively communion with each person of the Godhead for true happiness. Hawker emphasizes the love of God the Father in giving Jesus to the church, the sacrificial love of Jesus for the church, and the continuous work of the Holy Spirit in applying the redemption accomplished by Christ. He urges souls to seek the love-tokens of each person of the Trinity daily for earthly and eternal blessings.
A Thought for the New Year
December 31. Evening. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." 2 Cor 13:14 Here, my soul, set up your pillar. Baptised as you has been into the joint name, love, praise, and adoration, of the Holy Three in One; and blessed as you has been, and are, in their joint mercies, grace, and favour; here every day, and all the day, seek your portion and blessing, as the united source of all your salvation. End the year, and begin the year, under those precious tokens of God in Christ; and daily keep up a lively communion and friendship with each, as the blessed cause of all your happiness. Jehovah, in his threefold character of person, is working to finish what he has begun: and it is, and should be your happiness to be forever viewing the testimonies of it, in the holy Scriptures of truth. God your Father has so loved the church in Jesus, as to give him to the church, and the church to him; and God the Son has so loved the church, as to give himself for it; zeal for his Father's honour, and longing for the salvation of his people, led him through all the work of redemption, and now engages his heart, until he has brought home all his redeemed to glory: and God the Holy Ghost is unceasingly engaged to render the whole effectual, by taking of the things of Christ, and disbursing them to his people. See to it then, my soul, that every day, and all the day, you have the love-tokens of each person of the Godhead; for this will make you blessed upon earth, and blessed to all eternity. Hail! Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Bless both him that writes, and him that reads, with your grace: and open and close the year with grace, until grace be consummated in everlasting glory. Amen and Amen.
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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.