{{short description|Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church}} {{distinguish|Thomas Cooke (bishop)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use British English|date=July 2012}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[The Reverend]] | name = Thomas Coke | image = BpThomasCoke.png | alt = | office = [[President of the Methodist Conference]] | term_start = 1797 | term_end = 1798 | predecessor = [[Thomas Taylor (minister)|Thomas Taylor]] | successor = [[Joseph Benson]] | term_start2 = 1805 | term_end2 = 1806 | predecessor2 = [[Henry Moore (biographer)|Henry Moore]] | successor2 = [[Adam Clarke]] | birth_name = | birth_date = 9 September 1747 | birth_place = Brecon, South Wales | death_date = {{death date and age|2 May 1814|9 September 1747}} | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Methodist bishop | known_for = }} '''Thomas Coke''' (9 September 1747 &ndash; 2 May 1814) was the first [[Methodist]] [[Bishop (Methodism)|bishop]].<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Coke, Thomas |volume=6 |page=655}}</ref> Born in [[Brecon]], Wales, he was ordained as a [[priest]] in 1772, but expelled from his Anglican pulpit of [[South Petherton]] for being a Methodist. Coke met [[John Wesley]] in 1776. He later [[History of Methodism in the United States|co-founded Methodism in America]] and then established the Methodist missions overseas, which in the 19th century spread around the world.

==Early life and ordination== Born in [[Brecon]], South Wales, his father, Barthomolew, was a well-to-do [[apothecary]]. Coke, who was only 5-foot and 1&nbsp;inch tall and prone to being overweight, read jurisprudence at [[Jesus College, Oxford|Jesus College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], which has a strong Welsh tradition, graduating [[Bachelor of Arts]], then [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge)|Master of Arts]] in 1770, and [[Doctor of Civil Law]] in 1775. On returning to Brecon he served as [[mayor]] in 1772.

In the same year as his mayoralty he was ordained in the [[Church of England]] and served a [[curacy]] at South Petherton in [[Somerset]]. He had already allied himself with the Methodist movement, and this made for trouble when a new [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] arrived in the [[Parish (Church of England)|parish]]. Coke had begun to hold cottage services and [[Open-air preaching|open services]] of the sort promoted by [[John Wesley]]. He was dismissed from his post on [[Easter Sunday]] 1777, and his parishioners celebrated at the [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector's]] behest by ringing the church bells and opening a [[hogshead]] of cider. He returned to Petherton in 1807 and preached to a crowd of 2,000.

==Meeting with John Wesley== He met John Wesley in August 1776, becoming one of his closest assistants. Wesley called Coke "the flea" because he seemed always to be hopping around on his missions.

He was appointed Superintendent of the London District in 1780 and President of the [[Methodist Church in Ireland]] in 1782 – a function he was to serve many times in the coming decades.

==Early plans for Methodist missions== In January 1784, Thomas Parker, "a barrister and able local preacher from [[York]]", joined Coke in issuing a "Plan of the Society for the Establishment of Missions among the Heathens" (Coke 2013:48; Vickers 2013:133-135)<ref name="Vickers2013">{{cite book|last=Vickers|first=John A. |title=Thomas Coke: Apostle of Methodism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbVNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9|year=2013|publisher=Wipf and Stock|isbn=978-1-62032-975-7}}</ref>

==Voyage to America== [[File:The house in which Dr. Coke commenced the Jamaica Mission (May 1852, p.55, IX) - Copy.jpg|thumb|240px|The house in which Dr. Coke commenced the Jamaica Mission (May 1852)<ref name="Juvenile1852">{{cite journal|title=The house in which Dr. Coke commenced the Jamaica Mission|journal=The Wesleyan Juvenile Offering: A Miscellany of Missionary Information for Young Persons|date=May 1852|volume=IX|page=55|url=https://archive.org/download/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog.pdf|access-date=24 February 2016|publisher=Wesleyan Missionary Society}}</ref>]] [[File:Coke Chapel, Kingston, Jamaica (IX, April 1852, p.42) - Copy.jpg|thumb|240px|Coke Chapel, Kingston, Jamaica (April 1852)<ref name="Juvenile1852a">{{cite journal| title=Coke Chapel, Kingston, Jamaica| journal=The Wesleyan Juvenile Offering: A Miscellany of Missionary Information for Young Persons| date=April 1852| volume=IX| page=42| url=https://archive.org/download/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog.pdf|access-date=24 February 2016|publisher=Wesleyan Missionary Society}}</ref>]] Following the [[American Revolution]], most of the [[Anglican]] clergy who had been in America came back to England. Wesley asked the [[Bishop of London]] to ordain some ministers for the [[New World]], but he declined. At this point Wesley still considered only a canonically consecrated bishop capable of conferring [[Holy Orders]]. However, in September 1784, in [[Bristol]], Wesley consecrated Coke as Superintendent, a title replaced in 1787 in America by that of Bishop (Greek ''episkopos'') in spite of Wesley's strong disapproval ("superintendent" is etymologically equivalent to ''episkopos''). Since Coke was already a [[priest]] (Greek ''presbuteros'') or [[presbyter]] in the Church of England, some interpret this consecration as the equivalent of episcopal consecration. Wesley's action took place two months before the consecration in [[Aberdeen]] of [[Samuel Seabury (bishop)|Samuel Seabury]] as bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA. Coke set sail for New York; during the voyage he read [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine's]] ''Confessions'', [[Virgil]]'s ''Georgics'', biographies of [[Francis Xavier]] ([[Jesuit]] missionary to India) and [[David Brainerd]] ([[Puritan]] missionary to North American aboriginals), and a treatise on episcopacy. A conference of Methodist preachers was held at [[Baltimore]], starting on Christmas Day 1784, at which Coke and [[Francis Asbury]] were elected superintendents, and the Church was constituted as an independent body under the name of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On 27 December Coke ordained deacons and presbyters and consecrated Asbury as Superintendent; Coke and Asbury are regarded as having been jointly the first superintendents of the Methodist Church in America (the American Methodist Conference formally endorsed the title of Bishop in 1787).

==Other voyages== Coke returned to England in June 1785 and made eight further visits to America, his final visit being in 1803. While in America he spoke out against [[slavery in the United States|slavery]] and wrote a letter on the subject to [[George Washington]]. Washington met Coke twice and even invited him to preach before [[United States Congress|Congress]]. After spending some months travelling throughout [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]], Coke made his first mission to the [[West Indies]] in 1786, making further visits in 1788–89, 1790, and 1792–93.

==Death of Wesley== Following Wesley's death in 1791 Coke became Secretary to the British Conference, having been widely supposed to be Wesley's desired successor. He was [[List of Presidents of the Methodist Conference|President of the Conference]] in 1797 and 1805, on both occasions trying to persuade the Conference to confer on him the official title of Bishop.

==More voyages== In the same year he went to [[Paris]] and preached in French. He established a mission in [[Gibraltar]] in 1803 and then spent five years travelling in the cause of Methodist missions, including visiting [[Sierra Leone]]. He promoted others in setting up missions in [[Canada]] and [[Scotland]].

==Marriages== On 1 April 1805, at the age of 58, Coke married Penelope Goulding Smith, a wealthy woman who happily spent her personal fortune furthering the missions. She travelled with him until her death on 25 January 1811. That same year in December he married for a second time, to Anne Loxdale, and his wife died the following year, 5 December 1812.<ref>"Adventures of Asbury" by Eric Jennings, ''The Historical Trail'' 1997: Yearbook of Conference Historical Society and Commission on Archives and History, Southern New Jersey Conference, The United Methodist Church (issue 34, 1997), p. 31 footnote 43</ref>

==Death of Coke== He hoped to open Methodist missions in the [[East Indies]] and at his own expense he set sail for [[Ceylon]] on 30 December 1813. He had in fact tried to persuade the Prime Minister, [[Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool|Lord Liverpool]], to appoint him to an Indian bishopric in the Church of England (the [[appointment of Church of England bishops]] being then, as now, a prerogative exercised by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Sovereign). However, Coke died after four months at sea on the way to [[Ceylon]] ([[Sri Lanka]]).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = Thomas Coke | encyclopedia = The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | publisher = Columbia University Press | year = 2007 }} </ref> It is thought he died of a "fit of apoplexy," or possibly a [[stroke]]. He died aboard ship, located 2 degrees, 29 minutes south latitude, and 59 degrees, 29 minutes east longitude, in the [[Indian Ocean]], where he was also laid to rest.

Asbury described Coke as "a gentleman, a scholar, a bishop to us; and as a minister of Christ, in zeal, in labours, in services, the greatest man in the last century."

==Publications== Coke's publications included: *{{cite book|last=Coke|first=Thomas |title=A Commentary on the Holy Bible: Commentary on the Old Testament|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jwJNAQAAMAAJ|year=1802|publisher=Whitfield|location=London|display-authors=0}} * ''A History of the West Indies'' (3 volumes, 1808–11) * ''History of the Bible'' * ''Six Letters in Defence of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith'' * ''Four Discourses on the Duties of a Minister'' * ''Preacher's Manual''

He also contributed to [[Henry Moore (biographer)|Henry Moore]]'s ''Life of Wesley'' (1792).

==See also==

*[[List of bishops of the United Methodist Church]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== {{refbegin}} *[http://www.gcah.org/history/biographies/thomas-coke General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church] *[https://web.archive.org/web/19970530111653/http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/dg/methodist/coke.html The John Rylands Library: Mr Wesley's Preachers] * {{cite book | chapter-url = http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/Coke.htm | first= Victor |last=Shepherd | author-link = Victor Shepherd | chapter = Chapter 33: Thomas Coke (1747 - 1814) | title = Witnesses to the Word | url = http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/heritage.htm | location = Toronto | publisher = Clements Pub. | year = 2001 | ISBN = 1-894667-00-X | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070205171059/http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/heritage.htm | archive-date = 5 February 2007 }} *{{cite book|last=Drew|first=Samuel |title=The Life of the Rev. Thomas Coke, LL. D.|url=https://archive.org/details/liferevthomasco01drewgoog|year=1817|publisher=T. Cordeux}} *{{Cite web |url=http://www.southwestern.edu/offices/spiritualandreligiouslife/chapel/lpc-coke.html |title=Southwestern University chapel windows |access-date=26 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329193552/http://www.southwestern.edu/offices/spiritualandreligiouslife/chapel/lpc-coke.html |archive-date=29 March 2017 |url-status=dead }} {{refend}}

==External links== * [https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc.html Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible] {{Methodist Episcopal Church}} {{methodism footer}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coke, Thomas}} [[Category:1747 births]] [[Category:1814 deaths]] [[Category:18th-century Methodist bishops]] [[Category:18th-century Welsh Methodist ministers]] [[Category:18th-century Welsh Anglican priests]] [[Category:18th-century Welsh theologians]] [[Category:19th-century Methodist bishops]] [[Category:19th-century Welsh theologians]] [[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford]] [[Category:American Methodist Episcopal bishops]] [[Category:Arminian ministers]] [[Category:Arminian theologians]] [[Category:Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church]] [[Category:Welsh abolitionists]] [[Category:18th-century British letter writers]] [[Category:Burials at sea]] [[Category:Converts to Methodism from Anglicanism]] [[Category:Mayors of places in Wales]] [[Category:Methodism in the Caribbean]] [[Category:Methodist abolitionists]] [[Category:Methodist missionaries in Europe]] [[Category:Methodist missionaries in Sierra Leone]] [[Category:Methodist missionaries in the United States]] [[Category:Methodist theologians]] [[Category:Methodist writers]] [[Category:People educated at Brecon Grammar School]] [[Category:People from Brecon]] [[Category:People who died at sea]] [[Category:Presidents of the Methodist Conference]] [[Category:Protestant missionaries in France]] [[Category:Protestant missionaries in Gibraltar]] [[Category:Protestant missionaries in the Caribbean]] [[Category:Welsh expatriates in the United States]] [[Category:Welsh Methodist missionaries]] [[Category:British missionaries in the United States]] [[Category:British missionaries in Sierra Leone]]