# Thomas Coke (bishop)

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Coke_(bishop)
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Coke_(bishop).md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coke_(bishop)
> Source revision: 1348418257
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church

Not to be confused with [Thomas Cooke (bishop)](/source/Thomas_Cooke_(bishop)).

The Reverend Thomas Coke President of the Methodist Conference In office 1797–1798 Preceded by Thomas Taylor Succeeded by Joseph Benson In office 1805–1806 Preceded by Henry Moore Succeeded by Adam Clarke Personal details Born 9 September 1747 Brecon, South Wales Died 2 May 1814(1814-05-02) (aged 66) Occupation Methodist bishop

**Thomas Coke** (9 September 1747 – 2 May 1814) was the first [Methodist](/source/Methodist) [bishop](/source/Bishop_(Methodism)).[1] Born in [Brecon](/source/Brecon), Wales, he was ordained as a [priest](/source/Priest) in 1772, but expelled from his Anglican pulpit of [South Petherton](/source/South_Petherton) for being a Methodist. Coke met [John Wesley](/source/John_Wesley) in 1776. He later [co-founded Methodism in America](/source/History_of_Methodism_in_the_United_States) and then established the Methodist missions overseas, which in the 19th century spread around the world.

## Early life and ordination

Born in [Brecon](/source/Brecon), South Wales, his father, Barthomolew, was a well-to-do [apothecary](/source/Apothecary). Coke, who was only 5-foot and 1 inch tall and prone to being overweight, read jurisprudence at [Jesus College](/source/Jesus_College%2C_Oxford), [Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford), which has a strong Welsh tradition, graduating [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts), then [Master of Arts](/source/Master_of_Arts_(Oxbridge)) in 1770, and [Doctor of Civil Law](/source/Doctor_of_Civil_Law) in 1775. On returning to Brecon he served as [mayor](/source/Mayor) in 1772.

In the same year as his mayoralty he was ordained in the [Church of England](/source/Church_of_England) and served a [curacy](/source/Curacy) at South Petherton in [Somerset](/source/Somerset). He had already allied himself with the Methodist movement, and this made for trouble when a new [rector](/source/Rector_(ecclesiastical)) arrived in the [parish](/source/Parish_(Church_of_England)). Coke had begun to hold cottage services and [open services](/source/Open-air_preaching) of the sort promoted by [John Wesley](/source/John_Wesley). He was dismissed from his post on [Easter Sunday](/source/Easter_Sunday) 1777, and his parishioners celebrated at the [rector's](/source/Rector_(ecclesiastical)) behest by ringing the church bells and opening a [hogshead](/source/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](/source/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](/source/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)[2]

## Voyage to America

The house in which Dr. Coke commenced the Jamaica Mission (May 1852)[3]

Coke Chapel, Kingston, Jamaica (April 1852)[4]

Following the [American Revolution](/source/American_Revolution), most of the [Anglican](/source/Anglican) clergy who had been in America came back to England. Wesley asked the [Bishop of London](/source/Bishop_of_London) to ordain some ministers for the [New World](/source/New_World), but he declined. At this point Wesley still considered only a canonically consecrated bishop capable of conferring [Holy Orders](/source/Holy_Orders). However, in September 1784, in [Bristol](/source/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](/source/Priest) (Greek *presbuteros*) or [presbyter](/source/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](/source/Aberdeen) of [Samuel Seabury](/source/Samuel_Seabury_(bishop)) as bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA. Coke set sail for New York; during the voyage he read [Augustine's](/source/Augustine_of_Hippo) *Confessions*, [Virgil](/source/Virgil)'s *Georgics*, biographies of [Francis Xavier](/source/Francis_Xavier) ([Jesuit](/source/Jesuit) missionary to India) and [David Brainerd](/source/David_Brainerd) ([Puritan](/source/Puritan) missionary to North American aboriginals), and a treatise on episcopacy. A conference of Methodist preachers was held at [Baltimore](/source/Baltimore), starting on Christmas Day 1784, at which Coke and [Francis Asbury](/source/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](/source/Slavery_in_the_United_States) and wrote a letter on the subject to [George Washington](/source/George_Washington). Washington met Coke twice and even invited him to preach before [Congress](/source/United_States_Congress). After spending some months travelling throughout [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain) and [Ireland](/source/Ireland), Coke made his first mission to the [West Indies](/source/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 [President of the Conference](/source/List_of_Presidents_of_the_Methodist_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](/source/Paris) and preached in French. He established a mission in [Gibraltar](/source/Gibraltar) in 1803 and then spent five years travelling in the cause of Methodist missions, including visiting [Sierra Leone](/source/Sierra_Leone). He promoted others in setting up missions in [Canada](/source/Canada) and [Scotland](/source/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.[5]

## Death of Coke

He hoped to open Methodist missions in the [East Indies](/source/East_Indies) and at his own expense he set sail for [Ceylon](/source/Ceylon) on 30 December 1813. He had in fact tried to persuade the Prime Minister, [Lord Liverpool](/source/Robert_Jenkinson%2C_2nd_Earl_of_Liverpool), to appoint him to an Indian bishopric in the Church of England (the [appointment of Church of England bishops](/source/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](/source/Ceylon) ([Sri Lanka](/source/Sri_Lanka)).[6] It is thought he died of a "fit of apoplexy," or possibly a [stroke](/source/Stroke). He died aboard ship, located 2 degrees, 29 minutes south latitude, and 59 degrees, 29 minutes east longitude, in the [Indian Ocean](/source/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:

- [*A Commentary on the Holy Bible: Commentary on the Old Testament*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jwJNAQAAMAAJ). London: Whitfield. 1802.

- *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](/source/Henry_Moore_(biographer))'s *Life of Wesley* (1792).

## See also

- [List of bishops of the United Methodist Church](/source/List_of_bishops_of_the_United_Methodist_Church)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Coke, Thomas"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Coke,_Thomas). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 655.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Vickers2013_2-0)** Vickers, John A. (2013). [*Thomas Coke: Apostle of Methodism*](https://books.google.com/books?id=dbVNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9). Wipf and Stock. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-62032-975-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-62032-975-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Juvenile1852_3-0)** ["The house in which Dr. Coke commenced the Jamaica Mission"](https://archive.org/download/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog.pdf) (PDF). *The Wesleyan Juvenile Offering: A Miscellany of Missionary Information for Young Persons*. **IX**. Wesleyan Missionary Society: 55. May 1852. Retrieved 24 February 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Juvenile1852a_4-0)** ["Coke Chapel, Kingston, Jamaica"](https://archive.org/download/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog/wesleyanjuvenil08socigoog.pdf) (PDF). *The Wesleyan Juvenile Offering: A Miscellany of Missionary Information for Young Persons*. **IX**. Wesleyan Missionary Society: 42. April 1852. Retrieved 24 February 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** "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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** "Thomas Coke". *The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition*. Columbia University Press. 2007.

## Sources

- [General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church](http://www.gcah.org/history/biographies/thomas-coke)

- [The John Rylands Library: Mr Wesley's Preachers](https://web.archive.org/web/19970530111653/http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/dg/methodist/coke.html)

- [Shepherd, Victor](/source/Victor_Shepherd) (2001). ["Chapter 33: Thomas Coke (1747 - 1814)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070205171059/http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/heritage.htm). [*Witnesses to the Word*](http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/heritage.htm). Toronto: Clements Pub. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-894667-00-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-894667-00-X). Archived from [the original](http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/Coke.htm) on 5 February 2007.

- Drew, Samuel (1817). [*The Life of the Rev. Thomas Coke, LL. D.*](https://archive.org/details/liferevthomasco01drewgoog) T. Cordeux.

- ["Southwestern University chapel windows"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170329193552/http://www.southwestern.edu/offices/spiritualandreligiouslife/chapel/lpc-coke.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.southwestern.edu/offices/spiritualandreligiouslife/chapel/lpc-coke.html) on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2015.

## External links

- [Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible](https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc.html)

v t e Methodist Episcopal Church History Anglican Church (in North America) Methodism History of Methodism in the United States First Great Awakening Articles of Religion Circuit rider Lovely Lane Methodist Church Barratt's Chapel Christmas Conference Thomas Coke Francis Asbury Second Great Awakening Connexionalism Methodist Church (USA) United Methodist Church Mainline Protestant Derivatives Evangelical Association (1800) African Methodist Episcopal Church (1816) African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1821) Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1828) Methodist Protestant Church (1828) Christian Union (1864) Church of God (Holiness) (1883) Christ's Sanctified Holy Church (1892) Church of the Nazarene (1895) Pilgrim Holiness Church (1897) Pentecostal Holiness Church of North Carolina (1897) Lumber River Conference of the Holiness Methodist Church (1900) Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association (1925) Republican Methodist Church (1792) Christian Connection (1810) Congregational Christian Churches (1931) Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (1948) National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (1955) United Church of Christ (1957) Wesleyan Methodist Church (1841) Church of Daniel's Band (1893) Fire-Baptized Holiness Church (1896) Missionary Methodist Church (1913) Bible Methodist Connection of Churches (1967) Bible Methodist Connection of Tennessee (1968) Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (1968) Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1844) Congregational Methodist Church (1852) Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (1870) New Congregational Methodist Church (1881) People's Methodist Church (1938) Southern Methodist Church (1940) Free Methodist Church (1860) Reformed Free Methodist Church (1932) United Holiness Church (1955) Evangelical Wesleyan Church (1963) Category

v t e Methodism List of denominations Background History in the United States Anglicanism Arminianism First Great Awakening Moravianism Nonconformism Pietism Wesleyan theology Doctrine Doctrinal standards Bible Old Testament New Testament Creeds Nicene Creed Apostles' Creed Articles of Religion Sermons on Several Occasions Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament Distinctive beliefs and practices Assurance of faith Conditional preservation of the saints Priesthood of all believers Four sources of theological authority Covenant theology Substitutionary atonement Imparted righteousness Moral law New birth Free will Outward holiness Prevenient grace Real presence Sanctification (growth in grace) Sainthood Sunday Sabbatarianism Christian perfection Second work of grace Baptism with the Holy Spirit Views on sin Works of piety Works of mercy Worship The Sunday Service of the Methodists Covenant Renewal Service Revival service Mourner's bench Altar call Camp meeting Tabernacle Tent revival Brush arbor revival Revivalist Prayer request Praise report Testimony Lovefeast Singings Watchnight service People Richard Allen Francis Asbury Thomas Coke John William Fletcher William Williams Pantycelyn Orange Scott Benjamin Titus Roberts Walter Sellew Howell Harris Albert C. Outler James Varick Charles Wesley John Wesley George Whitefield Countess of Huntingdon Phoebe Palmer Richard Watson Bishops Theologians Related movements Moravian Church (Fetter Lane Society) Holiness movement Conservative holiness movement Holiness Pentecostalism Evangelicalism Organization Connexionalism General Conference Methodist Circuit Pastoral charge Class meeting Penitent band Other relevant topics World Methodist Council Calvinistic Methodism Saints in Methodism Methodist views on alcohol Methodist local preacher Itinerant preacher Circuit rider Steward Homosexuality and Methodism Ordination of women in Methodism Bishops in Methodism

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Netherlands Vatican Israel Belgium Academics CiNii People Trove Deutsche Biographie DDB Other Open Library 2 3 SNAC Yale LUX

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Coke (bishop)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coke_(bishop)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coke_(bishop)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.