[1][3] A shy boy, he was brought up in a Christian household and was educated by his maternal grandfather, master of the grammar school in Honiton.

He was apprenticed to a trade he was discontented with and soon developed a sense of doom over numerous natural disasters during this period such as the Lisbon earthquake, the Sherborne comet of 1768, local fires and a lightning strike on Moorfields Tabernacle which killed a worshipper.

[4] He returned several times to Trefeca between 1776 and 1780 for Lady Huntington[5] and gained some experience in Lincolnshire, Somerset, Sussex, Kent, and Cornwall.

After his itinerant ministry for the countess of Huntingdon was over, he became successful as an independent preacher in Truro in August 1783, responsible for a dramatic growth of the church from 36 to 90 people within a short period.

[4] However, although the early period at the church was a great success, he was later accused of antinomianism, including by his wife who withdrew her financial support of his ministry.