Let Principle Govern Policy—William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833)

On May 12, 1789, still feeling fragile after a long bout of illness, William Wilberforce rose in the House of Commons to make the most important speech of his life to that point. Using only a series of brief headings, the twenty-nine year old statesman addressed a packed chamber for three and a half hours, urging his parliamentary colleagues to abolish the slave trade.

When Wilberforce’s campaign was launched, Britain was the most powerful nation on earth, boasting an empire “on which the sun never set.” Her wealth came from an industrial revolution at home and a vast network of colonies overseas. However, Wilberforce sought to eradicate another, evil, source of income: the trade in African men, women, and children as slaves bound for the Americas.

Elected to Parliament in 1780, at the age of only 21, Wilberforce pursued his own glory; his early speeches were eloquent but lacked the focus and passion so evident in his later campaigns. However, his conversion to evangelical Christianity during 1784-5 led to a radical transformation in his political priorities. Keenly aware that, at Christ’s return, he would need to give account of his political conduct, Wilberforce studied, prayed, and took counsel to discern how best he could serve God in the political arena. Light dawned and, in October 1787, he wrote on a blank page in his diary, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners [morality].”¹

The political mood was unsympathetic to the call for abolition: an alliance of planters, businessmen, ship owners, traditionalists, and even the crown feared personal financial loss and national recession. Few in society shared the abolitionists’ view that slavery was a great social evil. The famous sailor, Admiral Rodney, declared that he had never known a slave ill-treated during his time in the West Indies. Celebrated naval hero, Admiral Nelson, saw English liberties threatened and so gave his voice to oppose “the damnable doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies.”²

Even though the Prime Minister, William Pitt, was supportive, he recognized that they required facts if they were to change public opinion. So, he ordered an investigation, but at that crucial time, Wilberforce fell dangerously ill. Given less than 12 months to live by doctors, he recovered, returning to Parliament in November 1788, but other parliamentary business meant that he was unable to submit his abolition motion until the following May. In that speech, he refuted anti-abolitionist arguments with meticulous research and courteous moderation. Yet he was unequivocal in his reason for speaking up:

Policy, however, Sir, is not my principle, and I am not ashamed to say it. There is a principle above everything is political . . . And, Sir, when we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is there in this life that should make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God.³

The great parliamentary orator, Edmund Burke, declared that Wilberforce’s speech equalled anything he had heard in modern times and was not to be surpassed by anything from classical Greek eloquence.⁴ However, despite his rhetoric and the support of leading parliamentary figures, Wilberforce lost that particular battle, but in 1807, the war to abolish the slave trade was won. As the House of Commons cheered, Wilberforce wept for joy.

Notwithstanding his failure to sway the House of Commons in 1789, Wilberforce’s tour de force stands as an enduring legacy not only of his eloquence, but of his desire for government to be based, ultimately, not on policies but on principle, and biblical principle at that. Pastors today can learn much from Wilberforce’s desire to see the Bible brought to bear on pressing public issues, his depth of research, and his courtesy. Moreover, they should also be unafraid of declaring, as he did, their primary reason for speaking up on such matters.

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