ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Primitive Methodism through the writings of Hugh Bourne, its co-founder and its chief theological figure. Bourne defended his movement vigorously against the charge of schism, but he had clearly sowed the seeds of division through his quasi-independent revivalistic ministry. The chapter demonstrates the Spirit-centred nature of Bourne's theology through examining several significant influences on him: John Fletcher, Lorenzo Dow, and the Quaker Methodists. This gave his ecclesiology a more grassroots and participatory character than the prevailing Wesleyan Methodist model, but it largely ignored the possibility of the Spirit's work through the community, leaving him with little reason to resist separation. The chapter closes by illustrating these trends further through a comparison of Bourne's arguments for women preachers with those of Wesleyan Methodist, Zechariah Taft.
