William Staughton was born on this day in 1770 in Coventry, England. He had a brilliant mind and became a published author of poetry when he was but twelve-years old. He was born again early in his life and graduated from Bristol Baptist College in 1792. He knew William Carey and Andrew Fuller, but the Lord didn’t call him to India, but rather to America.
After serving as pastor in Georgetown, South Carolina, he moved to New Jersey were he pastored two churches. His work was so impressive that he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Princeton in 1798 at the age of twenty-eight. From 1805 to 1823, he served the First Baptist Church and the Sansom Street Baptist church in Philadelphia. During that time he worked in various schools, teaching everything from botany to theology, as well as doing administrative work. When he was asked to become president of Georgetown college, he agreed, but before he could take the position he became ill, dying on December 12, 1829.
Brother Staughton’s ministry was highly blessed by God. He not only knew the Bible, but he also knew how to communicate the Bible. Once while pastoring the Sansom Street church, he invited a preacher from the backwoods of Western Pennsylvania to preach. The old man, dressed up in his finest clothes and tried to become what he thought was a big city orator. Completely out of his element, when he started speaking his audience could hardly keep from laughing. Quickly Pastor Staughton pulled the speaker by the coat and whispered, “Brother! Give it to them bush style.” The old gentleman switched back into the same style with which he preached to the country folk at home. The congregation which began by laughing at the preacher ended up in humble prayer. Brother Staughton’s comment became proverbial – every preacher of the Word of God needs to “give it to them bush style.”