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The narrative recounts a turning point through a Methodist apprentice and singing at meetings, followed by his journal-based decision to cast himself on Christ and endure persecution. It describes love-feast experiences, dedication to “spend and be spent,” family Bible-reading, open-air preaching, and his persistent sense of calling despite repeated failures and trials.",{"@graph":69,"@context":114},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/thomas-of-tonga-the-dedicated-blacksmith/448130/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/thomas-of-tonga-the-dedicated-blacksmith/448130.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Logic","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How did John Thomas respond after finding salvation for himself?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"He felt responsible for others’ salvation, began daily Bible-reading and prayers with his family, started a prayer meeting, and attempted to preach in the open air—persisting through failures and continuing his sense of calling.","Answer","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":116,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":118,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":120,"site_id":62},448130,1790810106,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":123},{"doc_id":120,"user_id":124,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":125,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":126,"file_id":127,"file_url":128,"file_type":129,"file_size":130,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":131,"language":132,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":133,"faqs":134,"seo_title":135,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":136,"read_time":137,"preview_page_count":4},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Thomas of Tonga  \n# Thomas of TongaThe dedicated blacksmith\n\nHow It All BeganTo Spend and Be SpentInnocents AbroadBetrayed!  \nThe Friendly IslandsDouble HarvestReluctant ChairmanCivil War  \nDecline and FallFor further reading  \n287.0  \n454  \nPage  \n3  \n11  \n13  \n20  \n24  \n29  \n33  \n37  \nhttps://archive.org/details/thomasoftonga0000luck  \nJohn Thomas grew up at the family smithy at Hagley,nearDudley in the Black Country,and has told much of his story himself:  \nNovember 7th,1797.I was born at Clent and was blessedwith a tender conscience -I had a hatred of sin-and atschool a word was enough for me.When I transgressed Ialways felt condemned for it,but being without instructionas I grew up in years I was borne down the stream ofvanity.  \nHe was the eldest son of a large family,nominally Anglicans,andthough he had the unusual good fortune of attending a village schooluntil he was eleven,he then had to leave to help at the forge.From thefirst he seems to have felt,and been,'different'.His early picture ofGod as a stern judge of sinners was reinforced on the day when for thefirst time he yielded to the persuasion of the other choir boys and joinedthem in a football match after the service on a Sunday.As they wereplaying,a thunderbolt fell in the field,which for John signified God’sanger with him personally for polluting the sacred day!But he receivedno spiritual help whatever from the local clergyman,a ‘pleasure-loving,worldly minister who did not either preach or live as the Lord directs'.So,to salve his conscience he read gloomy tracts bought from a pedlarand questioned why he ‘could not feel more joy.  \nLooking back,Thomas realized that he had become 'a godly-formal saint esteemed highly by the villagers who were as dark as I’.His only joy was to ramble over the beautiful hills above Hagley,but hewas always solitary.  \nLife continued thus till Thomas was twenty-two.   Thetransformation came through a new apprentice to his father,who was aMethodist.Knowing how musical John was (he played the flute andsang in the church choir),and how serious-minded,he invited him toaccompany him to a Methodist meeting at a house near the Fountain Innin the nearby village of Clent,to help them learn to sing better!ThoughThomas declared he had never before thought of the Methodists 'exceptit was at times to hear some jest made of the Methodist parson’,hewent.At first he ‘went several times without remembering anythingparticular’,but gradually he began to find the hymns ‘a medium bywhich the believer might find salvation';and his solitary soul found thefellowship of sympathetic Methodists the answer to a life-long need.Soin 1819 he began his Journal(which he continued for another 57 years!)by chronicling the most momentous decision of his life:  \nI was able to cast my all upon Christ and to believe withmy heart unto righteousness;so I became a Methodist,joined the Society at Clent and endured much persecution.  \nNor was this all,for at that time the Holy Spirit was indeedmoving with power in the Dudley Circuit:the membership increasedby 400 in one year!The love-feasts in particular were used by the Lordfor witness and the ‘anointing of believers':  \nIt was a day of Pentecost indeed,such a one as I never sawbefore.God heard the prayers of his faithful children.There was a mariaculous display of Devine poer andPresence.Many souls were born to Glory,the Lord workedwonders that day of which I was an eye-witness and by hisgrace I am resolved that this people shall be my people andtheir God my God.May the Lord grant that I never breakthis resolution.  \nAnd this resolution he never did break through all the severe trialsand persecutions he was to suffer for the rest of his life,as from thismoment he dedicated himself 'to spend and be spent for the cause ofGod'.  \nFor John Thomas it was nót enough simply to be a Methodistmember:having found salvation for himself,he felt deeply hisresponsibility for the salvation of others.For a start,he began dailyBible-read","cbCaivf9smLeyrw7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivf9smLeyrw7","pdf",3089710,44,"English","# How It All Began\n# Spiritual Transformation\n## Methodists, hymns, and fellowship\n## Journal and persecution\n# Dedicated Service and Preaching\n## Family prayers and prayer meetings\n## Open-air preaching and ongoing calling\n# Missionary Aspirations","[{\"question\":\"How did John Thomas respond after finding salvation for himself?\",\"answer\":\"He felt responsible for others’ salvation, began daily Bible-reading and prayers with his family, started a prayer meeting, and attempted to preach in the open air—persisting through failures and continuing his sense of calling.\"}]","Thomas of Tonga - The dedicated blacksmith | PDF",1790725631,68]