William Romaine

William Romaine was born in 1714 in Hartlepool, County Durham, into a family of modest means. His father, a hardware merchant, provided him with a solid education that prepared him for university study. Romaine entered Hart Hall, Oxford, in 1734, where he distinguished himself as a classical scholar, eventually earning his Master of Arts degree and developing expertise in Hebrew that would serve his biblical scholarship throughout his career. His early academic promise led to his election as a fellow of Hart Hall in 1740.

Romaine's conversion to evangelical faith came gradually during his Oxford years, influenced by his reading of Scripture and early Methodist writings. Unlike the dramatic conversions typical of many eighteenth-century evangelicals, his was a slow awakening to what he would later call "the finished work of Christ." After ordination in the Church of England, he served briefly in country parishes before being appointed to St. Ann Blackfriars in London in 1748, and later to the prestigious pulpit of St. Andrew by the Wardrobe in 1766, where he would minister for the remainder of his career.

Romaine's evangelical preaching in the heart of London created immediate controversy. His insistence on justification by faith alone and his critique of moral reformation as insufficient for salvation drew fierce opposition from both Anglican clergy and fashionable parishioners. At St. George Hanover Square, where he served as lecturer, wealthy congregants repeatedly attempted to have him removed, going so far as to lock the church doors against him. Undeterred, Romaine preached in the churchyard to crowds that often exceeded those inside. His persistence in proclaiming what he saw as pure gospel truth, regardless of social or ecclesiastical pressure, established him as one of the leading figures in the Church of England's evangelical revival alongside George Whitefield and John Newton.

Romaine never married, dedicating himself entirely to his pastoral and scholarly work. His personal devotional life was marked by what he called "living upon Christ" — a daily, hourly dependence on Christ's righteousness rather than his own moral efforts. This experiential knowledge of union with Christ became the central theme of his preaching and writing. He maintained extensive correspondence with evangelicals across Britain and was particularly influential among Calvinist evangelicals who found in him a learned defender of doctrinal precision combined with warm pastoral concern.

His Writing and Influence

Romaine began his writing career with scholarly works, including a Hebrew grammar and lexicon that demonstrated his linguistic competence. However, his lasting contributions came through his trilogy of devotional-theological works: "The Life, Walk and Triumph of Faith," published in three volumes between 1771 and 1796. These works — "The Life of Faith," "The Walk of Faith," and "The Triumph of Faith" — represent perhaps the most systematic treatment of practical Christian living to emerge from the eighteenth-century evangelical revival.

The trilogy's central argument is that authentic Christian experience consists not in moral improvement or religious activity, but in the soul's daily appropriation of Christ's finished work. Romaine distinguished sharply between what he called "the faith of devils" — mere intellectual assent to gospel truths — and "the faith of God's elect," which unites the believer experientially to Christ's righteousness. His writing drew heavily from Puritan sources, particularly John Owen and Thomas Goodwin, but translated their insights into the language and concerns of eighteenth-century believers struggling with both rationalist skepticism and moralistic religion.

Romaine's influence extended far beyond his London pulpit through extensive correspondence and the circulation of his works. His books were reprinted throughout the nineteenth century and influenced evangelical leaders including Charles Spurgeon, who called him "one of the most spiritual of men." Romaine's emphasis on the believer's complete acceptance in Christ, independent of sanctification or spiritual progress, provided theological grounding for what would later be called "higher life" teaching, though he himself maintained a more balanced view of progressive sanctification than some of his successors.

Romaine died in 1795, having served at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe for nearly thirty years. His funeral drew evangelical leaders from across London, testifying to his influence within the movement he had helped establish in the national church. His grave inscription, which he composed himself, reads simply: "Here lies the remains of William Romaine, late minister of this parish, who was enabled to preach Christ and him crucified, for nearly fifty years, in this great city."

Who should read Romaine: Readers who struggle with performance-based Christianity and need theological clarity about the relationship between justification and sanctification. He is particularly valuable for those in Reformed traditions who want to understand how doctrinal precision serves devotional life rather than replacing it. He is not for readers seeking emotional warmth or mystical insight — his approach is cerebral and systematic. He is for those who need to understand what it means to "live by faith" as a daily, practical reality rather than merely a theological concept.