The following letter is inserted because it presents some pleasing indications of the spirit that prevailed in Mr. Grant and his people.
The Church of Christ at Wellingborough, under the pastoral care of William Grant, to those Christian brethren and sisters who have lately asked their dismission from the Church of Christ at Lutterworth, under the pastoral care of John Dowley, sendeth greeting, wishing grace and peace, &c.Dear Brethren,—We, seeking the glory of our dear Lord Jesus, and the peace and prosperity of his cause in general, have been willing to concern ourselves in your affair so far as to seek the Lord about it, and then to weigh and consider well the case, which we have now done at no less than four sundry times; and our conclusion is, that we cannot receive you upon such a dismission: for, instead of a recommendation, you have an accusation, that you could not come to a temper; and then a conclusion, that your separation is groundless. How far this accusation and conclusion are just we cannot be proper judges, who live at so great a distance, and have no opportunity of conversing with the members of the Church, that so we might thoroughly know both sides; for, until then, we cannot see how we can judge righteously in the affair.All that we can further do in the case is, to mourn over itbefore the Lord. The breaches and hurts of Zion are many. Oh (have we not all reason to cry) that the Lord would arise in his glory, and build up her walls, and heal all her breaches! We earnestly desire that the Lord may appear for his cause in Lutterworth, that you may have Christ's Gospel and his law powerfully and plainly preached amongst you, that all that fear God in those parts may unitedly feed together in the ways of the Lord, and your children may be converted, and the seed of strangers also. Thus we subscribe ourselves your brethren in the best bonds.Owned in our Church-meeting, November 27th, 1741, and signed by us in the name of the Church.Wm. Grant.
The Church of Christ at Wellingborough, under the pastoral care of William Grant, to those Christian brethren and sisters who have lately asked their dismission from the Church of Christ at Lutterworth, under the pastoral care of John Dowley, sendeth greeting, wishing grace and peace, &c.
Dear Brethren,—We, seeking the glory of our dear Lord Jesus, and the peace and prosperity of his cause in general, have been willing to concern ourselves in your affair so far as to seek the Lord about it, and then to weigh and consider well the case, which we have now done at no less than four sundry times; and our conclusion is, that we cannot receive you upon such a dismission: for, instead of a recommendation, you have an accusation, that you could not come to a temper; and then a conclusion, that your separation is groundless. How far this accusation and conclusion are just we cannot be proper judges, who live at so great a distance, and have no opportunity of conversing with the members of the Church, that so we might thoroughly know both sides; for, until then, we cannot see how we can judge righteously in the affair.
All that we can further do in the case is, to mourn over itbefore the Lord. The breaches and hurts of Zion are many. Oh (have we not all reason to cry) that the Lord would arise in his glory, and build up her walls, and heal all her breaches! We earnestly desire that the Lord may appear for his cause in Lutterworth, that you may have Christ's Gospel and his law powerfully and plainly preached amongst you, that all that fear God in those parts may unitedly feed together in the ways of the Lord, and your children may be converted, and the seed of strangers also. Thus we subscribe ourselves your brethren in the best bonds.
Owned in our Church-meeting, November 27th, 1741, and signed by us in the name of the Church.
Wm. Grant.
The original letter, in the handwriting of Mr. Grant, is in the possession of T. Grundy, Esq., Northampton.
When Mr. Grant's infirmities greatly increased, both he and his people were anxious to obtain an assistant before his departure. Prayer was presented fervently on this behalf, that they might have a pastor come after God's own heart. The fears of the people were great, on account of their attachment to the ministry of Mr. Grant, that no one would be so acceptable as to keep them together; as they considered few so acceptable in the pulpit as Mr. Grant. After several disappointments in probationers for the office, there remained this ground of hope—unity of spirit and prayer were given and continued.
After a time they received information of Mr. John Carver, who was pastor of a small Church in the village of Kirtling, Cambridgeshire, as one that was very likely to suit them. He came and preached to them two Sabbaths. General satisfaction prevailed in the Church and congregation; without one dissenting voice they desired him to come and remain among them. Mr. Carver accepted their call, and removed with hisfamily to Wellingborough, October 30th, 1770. The ordination took place June 20th in the following year, which appears to have been conducted according to the more general practice of the Churches. Mr. Smith, of Oundle, read the hymns; Mr. Hayton began in prayer; Mr. Bond, of Toft, delivered the introductory discourse, and asked the usual questions; Mr. Simmons, of Bedford, gave the exhortation to the people, from Col. ii. 5, 6; Mr. Ashpiner, of Poole, in Dorset, prayed; Mr. Gregson, of Rowell, gave the charge, from Rom. i. 16; Mr. Walker, of Olney, concluded the service. "And, blessed be the Lord!" it is added, "it was a very solemn day. Every part of it was conducted with great order and satisfaction."
Then we have the covenant of the Church renewed; and another covenant after revolt, partly given in the following terms:—
We, the members of the Church of the living God assembling at Wellingborough, having greatly revolted from our dear Lord, in a deep sense of both former and later miscarriages against his love, blood, honour, crown, and dignity, as King of Souls and Churches, &c.
We, the members of the Church of the living God assembling at Wellingborough, having greatly revolted from our dear Lord, in a deep sense of both former and later miscarriages against his love, blood, honour, crown, and dignity, as King of Souls and Churches, &c.
This seems to be imperfect, as it breaks off abruptly here.
During Mr. Carver's ministry, we find three who became members of the Church, that afterwards became pastors of Christian societies—viz.: Mr. Perry, the first pastor of the Church at Wollaston; Mr. Hennell, its second pastor; and Mr. Hillyard, the first pastor of the Church at Brigstock, and afterwards for many years minister at Olney.
In the year 1791 the present Meeting House was built. We are informed "that there was much conversation previously on the subject; and at length thecongregation agreed to do it, if the expense could be defrayed among themselves, without dependence on others." This was a noble spirit. A subscription was opened among them, and found to be of sufficient amount to warrant their proceeding in the business. While the building was going forward they conducted a part of their service in Cheese Lane Meeting, by the kind permission of the stated congregation there. On the 11th of September, 1791, they met for the first time in their new place of worship. "The satisfaction arising from having a commodious large place of worship for ourselves and our posterity, without assistance from anyone, was great indeed."
The following account of Mr. Carver's life, character, and ministry, was drawn up by the late Mr. Bull, of Newport, the friend of Newton and Cowper.
The Rev. John Carver was borna.d.1733, at Southill, in Bedfordshire, and was several years a member of the Independent Church in that place, of which Church his father was a deacon. That piety and those talents which shone with increasing lustre to the close of his life, discovered themselves at a very early period; but unaffected modesty and conscientious motives prevented his entering into the ministry till he had completed his thirtieth year. He began by privately exercising his gifts before the Church, and afterwards established an evening lecture among his poor neighbours, to whom he preached after the labours of the day were closed. He continued these exercises, and some occasional services, a considerable time before he relinquished his secular employment and devoted himself entirely to the service of the Church. At length, however, he accepted the unanimous and urgent invitation of a small but affectionate congregation at Kirtling, near Newmarket, in Cambridgeshire. With this people he remained until his removal to Wellingborough, where he continued his ministry with great respectability andusefulness near twenty-seven years, his life and his labours ending on January 31st, 1797.Mr. Carver had not the advantage of an academical education; but his understanding, naturally vigorous, was cultivated by reading and reflection. In conversation he was habitually serious without gloom, and cheerful without levity. He possessed to an uncommon degree the happy talent of giving a devotional turn to almost every subject. Far from assuming any consequential airs, he alone seemed insensible to what every one else perceived, that he was the life and soul of the company. While the advanced Christian felt himself edified by the depth and solidity of his remarks, the young, to whom he paid a particular attention, were charmed by his affectionate address, the simplicity of his language, and the aptness of his illustrations.
The Rev. John Carver was borna.d.1733, at Southill, in Bedfordshire, and was several years a member of the Independent Church in that place, of which Church his father was a deacon. That piety and those talents which shone with increasing lustre to the close of his life, discovered themselves at a very early period; but unaffected modesty and conscientious motives prevented his entering into the ministry till he had completed his thirtieth year. He began by privately exercising his gifts before the Church, and afterwards established an evening lecture among his poor neighbours, to whom he preached after the labours of the day were closed. He continued these exercises, and some occasional services, a considerable time before he relinquished his secular employment and devoted himself entirely to the service of the Church. At length, however, he accepted the unanimous and urgent invitation of a small but affectionate congregation at Kirtling, near Newmarket, in Cambridgeshire. With this people he remained until his removal to Wellingborough, where he continued his ministry with great respectability andusefulness near twenty-seven years, his life and his labours ending on January 31st, 1797.
Mr. Carver had not the advantage of an academical education; but his understanding, naturally vigorous, was cultivated by reading and reflection. In conversation he was habitually serious without gloom, and cheerful without levity. He possessed to an uncommon degree the happy talent of giving a devotional turn to almost every subject. Far from assuming any consequential airs, he alone seemed insensible to what every one else perceived, that he was the life and soul of the company. While the advanced Christian felt himself edified by the depth and solidity of his remarks, the young, to whom he paid a particular attention, were charmed by his affectionate address, the simplicity of his language, and the aptness of his illustrations.
Though he did not pretend to an acquaintance with the original languages, his biblical knowledge was truly respectable. A sound judgment, a correct taste, and extraordinary diligence in reading and studying the word of God, joined with a proper use of our best commentators, enabled him to appear to great advantage as an interpreter of Scripture.
In preaching, he never addressed the passions, but in subservience to reason and truth. In explaining and defending the doctrines and precepts of Christianity he was calm, perspicuous, and often very ingenious. He was a firm but not dogmatizing advocate for the sentiments usually styled Calvinistical. In the practical and applicatory parts of his discourse he was peculiarly striking. His numerous hearers will doubtless long remember with what solemnity of voice and manner, with what pointed energy of expression, he warned the young, the thoughtless, and the dissipated; with how much skill and tenderness he administered the consolations of the Gospel to those who laboured under spiritual discouragements. On these occasions, not only his voice and gesture, but his countenance, and not unfrequently his tears,expressed the interest he felt in their eternal welfare. He greatly excelled in prayer. Often was his large congregation visibly affected by the seriousness and importunity of his addresses at a throne of grace.In private life he was truly exemplary. As a husband and a father, his prudence, gentleness, and love, the evenness of his temper and regularity of his conduct, commanded the veneration and promoted the happiness of his family. Under the pressure of great, not to say unparalleled afflictions, he was resigned; when troubles came in upon him as a mighty flood, his heart was still fixed, trusting in the Lord. Those who have witnessed his deportment on the most trying occasions have confessed their astonishment, and felt themselves constrained to say, "Verily this is the Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes."One part of his character we must not omit. He was an eminently peaceable man. To obtain and preserve peace he would sacrifice everything, a good conscience only excepted. The happy fruits of this disposition, and the beneficial effects of such an example, will, we trust, continue to be enjoyed many years by those who have had opportunity of observing his great anxiety and unwearied exertions for the sake of peace.In his last illness, though his disorder was of a very painful and distressing nature, yet neither the extremity of his sufferings on the one hand, nor their long continuance on the other, did ever extort from his lips a single expression of impatience or distrust. His understanding was unimpaired and his faith unshaken to the last moment; and he expired in the act of repeating that triumphant song, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?"
In preaching, he never addressed the passions, but in subservience to reason and truth. In explaining and defending the doctrines and precepts of Christianity he was calm, perspicuous, and often very ingenious. He was a firm but not dogmatizing advocate for the sentiments usually styled Calvinistical. In the practical and applicatory parts of his discourse he was peculiarly striking. His numerous hearers will doubtless long remember with what solemnity of voice and manner, with what pointed energy of expression, he warned the young, the thoughtless, and the dissipated; with how much skill and tenderness he administered the consolations of the Gospel to those who laboured under spiritual discouragements. On these occasions, not only his voice and gesture, but his countenance, and not unfrequently his tears,expressed the interest he felt in their eternal welfare. He greatly excelled in prayer. Often was his large congregation visibly affected by the seriousness and importunity of his addresses at a throne of grace.
In private life he was truly exemplary. As a husband and a father, his prudence, gentleness, and love, the evenness of his temper and regularity of his conduct, commanded the veneration and promoted the happiness of his family. Under the pressure of great, not to say unparalleled afflictions, he was resigned; when troubles came in upon him as a mighty flood, his heart was still fixed, trusting in the Lord. Those who have witnessed his deportment on the most trying occasions have confessed their astonishment, and felt themselves constrained to say, "Verily this is the Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes."
One part of his character we must not omit. He was an eminently peaceable man. To obtain and preserve peace he would sacrifice everything, a good conscience only excepted. The happy fruits of this disposition, and the beneficial effects of such an example, will, we trust, continue to be enjoyed many years by those who have had opportunity of observing his great anxiety and unwearied exertions for the sake of peace.
In his last illness, though his disorder was of a very painful and distressing nature, yet neither the extremity of his sufferings on the one hand, nor their long continuance on the other, did ever extort from his lips a single expression of impatience or distrust. His understanding was unimpaired and his faith unshaken to the last moment; and he expired in the act of repeating that triumphant song, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?"
After the death of Mr. Carver, the congregation was unsettled for some time, and was dependent on supplies through the next two or three years. At length Mr. Bell was invited to become their pastor. But his ministry proved of short continuance. It is said, "that he was possessed of good talents; but was veryhigh in doctrine, denied the Gospel call to sinners as sinners—that he manifested too great a degree of levity, having much jocular wit." "He came to Wellingborough like a burning light, and went out like a candle in the estimation of many. There were, most probably, faults on both sides; but some sad effects resulted, it is considered, from his sentiments and his levity." He continued only two or three years.
Mr. Renals was the next pastor of this Church. His ordination took place January 7, 1804. On that occasion, "Mr. Hennell, of Wollaston, formerly a deacon of the Church, engaged in supplicating the divine presence and blessing; Mr. Whitehead, of Creaton, delivered the introductory discourse, asked the usual questions, and received Mr. Renals' confession of faith; Mr. Bull, of Newport, offered up the ordination prayer, with imposition of hands; the charge succeeded, by Mr. Grundy, of Lutterworth, from I Tim. iv. 6; Mr. Gill, of Harborough, addressed the people, from Phil. ii. 29; Mr. Washbourn, fellow labourer with Mr. Renals in the same town, concluded with prayer.
The congregation assembled again in the evening, when, after prayer by Mr. Hillyard, of Bedford, Mr. Toller, of Kettering, preached from Psalm xxii. 30, and Mr. Phillips, of Chedworth, Gloucestershire, closed the service with prayer." In connexion with this account it is stated, "that a very large concourse of people, and thirty ministers, were the agreeable witnesses of this important and happy settlement; and it is with the sincerest pleasure we add, that the most complete union subsists between both the Independent ministers of this town, and that the spirit of brotherly love prevails among the people. May it be perpetual!"
Mr. Renals' ministry extended over 43 years in this situation, so that he was one of a remarkable list of four pastors of this Church, whose united services here make up 150 years. During the pastorate of Mr. Renals, 113 members were added to the Church; he resigned his charge in the year 1847.
Numerous changes had taken place in the congregation during Mr. Renals' labours among them; there was a considerable decline in the number of hearers in many of the latter years of his ministry, and the Church became reduced to thirty members; this would be partly owing to another Independent Church being formed in the town, and partly to unpleasant circumstances that arose among them. But Mr. Renals had some sincere and attached friends to the close of his life. He was born in the village of Rempstone, in Nottinghamshire, April, 1769. His mother was a pious woman of the Baptist persuasion, from whose counsels and prayers he derived spiritual advantage. When he arrived at mature age, he resided some time in Leicester, where he frequently heard and much admired that eminent clergyman, the Rev. Thomas Robinson, of St. Mary's, well known for his clear evangelical views, and for the zealous and devoted manner in which he preached the Gospel in that town for many years. Mr. Renals afterwards settling in Nottingham, became a member of the Church at Castle Gate Meeting, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Richard Alliott, by whom he was introduced to Rotherham College, which he entered in the autumn of 1798. Being then nearly thirty years of age, and not having had the advantages of preparatory training, the tutors wisely deviated from their usual course, and directed his attention chiefly to theological studies. He first preached for a time at Hinchley,in Leicestershire, going thither in 1802, but removed to Wellingborough in the closing part of the next year. He had a vigorous constitution; preached three times every Lord's-day; was a warm advocate for maintaining the afternoon service, in opposition to the modern plan of morning and evening only. He frequently preached on a week evening, in some of the villages in the vicinity of Wellingborough. He was a man of genuine piety, decided attachment to the principles of the Gospel, sterling integrity, and considerable activity. If his mind was not strictly logical, his spirit was devotional; if his temper was not always amiable, his heart was sincere; if prudence did not guide in every effort, the aim, we believe, was always upright; if there was not excessive candour, there was much genuine kindness. Advancing years presented a softening, meliorating, ripening influence. He would labour in the cause of God, until entirely prevented by his last affliction. While he cordially welcomed his successor in the ministry, and offered a fervent prayer at his ordination for him and for the people over whom he had so long presided, "he continued preaching most Sabbaths at the village of Finedon, whither he was preparing to go when his last affliction compelled him to desist and relinquish the attempt." After a few weeks of considerable suffering, borne with exemplary patience and fortitude, enjoying perfect peace and a hope full of immortality, he died, being nearly 80 years of age.
Mr. Cornelius Curtis Tyte, from the academy of Rotherham, was unanimously invited as successor to Mr. Renals. He was ordained in October, 1847, when Mr. Bellamy, of Sheffield, now of Buckingham, delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Renals offeredthe ordination prayer; and Dr. Stowell, Mr. Tyte's tutor, delivered the charge, from Col. iv. 17. In the evening, Mr. Toller, of Kettering, preached to the people from Acts ii. 42. Since this time 21 members have been added to the Church. The present number of communicants is 37. There are 100 children in the Sabbath-schools; in actual attendance, between 80 and 90.
Occasional services are conducted in one village in the vicinity of Wellingborough, the village of Finedon. The happy union of the present pastor and his people, and the harmony that subsists between them and the other ministers and congregations generally in the town, present, we trust, a cheering prospect for the future, that "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they may be greatly edified and multiplied."
The Independent Church at Salem Chapel, Wellingborough, was originally formed by those who separated from the Church at Cheese Lane Meeting, in the same town, in the year 1812. However much this separation might be regretted at the time, after the lapse of forty years it would be unwise to attempt to enter into the grounds of that separation. The unpleasant feelings at first produced have, we trust, long ere this entirely subsided, and the pastors and the people can now go forward in harmonious co-operation for the promotion of the same great cause to which they are devoted.
It was on the evening of the Lord's-day, September21st, 1812, that the Church was formed here, in the presence of the Rev. Joseph Whitehead, of Creaton, and the Rev. Shadrach Jackson, of Old. They united in a Church covenant, which they have thus expressed:—
We hope that by grace we have been brought to see our last state and condition; to behold the remedy prepared in the Gospel, Christ Jesus the Lord; to flee to him as such; to put our trust in him for life and salvation: and we do hereby resign up ourselves to Christ, in Church fellowship and communion, resolving and promising in his strength to devote ourselves entirely to him; to believe his promises, live by faith upon them, obey his precepts, hearken to the voice of his providence, and serve him according to all the laws, statutes, and ordinances of his house; taking the written word for our rule, and aiming at the glory of God in all things.We do further covenant and agree to walk together in Christian fellowship; regularly and constantly to attend all the ordinances of God's house; and that we will watch over one another in love, seeking each other's happiness and welfare, by sympathizing with the afflicted, comforting the mourner, strengthening the weak, confirming the wavering, reclaiming the backslider, and by every possible means do all that we can to promote each other's peace, comfort, and edification in Christ Jesus our Lord; while we study the peace and prosperity of the whole Church, that God may be in the midst of her, and abundantly bless her.Thus Christians of old "first gave up themselves to the Lord, and then to each other by the will of God."
We hope that by grace we have been brought to see our last state and condition; to behold the remedy prepared in the Gospel, Christ Jesus the Lord; to flee to him as such; to put our trust in him for life and salvation: and we do hereby resign up ourselves to Christ, in Church fellowship and communion, resolving and promising in his strength to devote ourselves entirely to him; to believe his promises, live by faith upon them, obey his precepts, hearken to the voice of his providence, and serve him according to all the laws, statutes, and ordinances of his house; taking the written word for our rule, and aiming at the glory of God in all things.
We do further covenant and agree to walk together in Christian fellowship; regularly and constantly to attend all the ordinances of God's house; and that we will watch over one another in love, seeking each other's happiness and welfare, by sympathizing with the afflicted, comforting the mourner, strengthening the weak, confirming the wavering, reclaiming the backslider, and by every possible means do all that we can to promote each other's peace, comfort, and edification in Christ Jesus our Lord; while we study the peace and prosperity of the whole Church, that God may be in the midst of her, and abundantly bless her.
Thus Christians of old "first gave up themselves to the Lord, and then to each other by the will of God."
The first pastor of the Church was the Rev. Pollard Davis, whose ordination took place June 1st, 1813, when we find Mr. Gill, of Harborough, Mr. Whitehead, of Creaton, Mr. Bull, of Newport, Mr. Fuller, of Kettering, Mr. Chater, of Kibworth, engaged in the services of the day.
Mr. Davis's ministry continued until January 24th, 1821, when he resigned his charge. He appears to have admitted 23 members to the Church.
Rev. C. T. Sevier was the next pastor, who entered on his charge in the year 1822, and continued for about 12 years, removing from Wellingborough in the year 1834.
Rev. J. Bevan was the immediate successor of Mr. Sevier, entering on his pastoral labours September 20th, 1835. The ministry of Mr. Bevan was of short continuance at Wellingborough; receiving an invitation to become the pastor of a Church at Liverpool, he soon resigned his charge here. He was succeeded by the Rev. Robert Davis, who, having received a unanimous invitation to become their pastor, entered on his stated services February 18th, 1838. The number of members in the Church when Mr. Davis became pastor appears to have been 79, and at the close of his ministry they numbered 107. Mr. Davis removed from Wellingborough to Turvey, in Bedfordshire.
In July, 1846, the present minister, the Rev. Thomas Thomas, who was educated at Homerton College, after supplying the congregation about six months, was ordained to the pastoral office. On that occasion, the Rev. J. A. Morris, of London, delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. Toller, of Kettering, offered the ordination prayer; Dr. Pye Smith (Mr. Thomas's tutor) delivered the charge; Mr. Robinson, of Kettering, preached to the people. The attendance was large, and the services of an interesting character.
Since Mr. Thomas commenced his ministry, new school-rooms have been erected for the accommodation of the Sabbath-schools. The cost of them was £300.They were opened on Tuesday, September 18th, 1849, when the Rev. Dr. Reed, of London, and the Rev. J. Toller, of Kettering, preached. There are 184 children in the Sabbath-schools. The present number of communicants is 100.
The villages supplied with regular services in the vicinity of Wellingborough are Doddington and Wilby, and occasionally Orlingbury. As this Church is of comparatively recent formation, and as all those that have sustained the pastoral office over it are, we believe, still living, the account we can present is necessarily short.
The present pastor and his flock will rejoice in the tokens of divine favour they have received; and will go forward, we trust, with the cheering hope of continued and yet more abundant supplies of divine blessings, so that peace and prosperity may now be increasingly and permanently experienced in this department of Zion.
In attempting to trace the principles of Nonconformity to their earliest manifestations in the town of Oundle, after the reformation from Popery, we find two Puritan divines ministering here in the course of the sixteenth century. These were men who could not conform to all the rites and ceremonies of the Church as by law established, and who had to suffer much for their refusal to comply with its requirements.
The first of these was Eusebius Paget, who was born at Cranford, in this county, and educated in Christ's College, Oxford. During his abode at Oxford he broke his right arm, and was lame of it ever after. When he removed from the University he became vicar of Oundle and rector of Langton, but was exceedingly harassed on account of his Nonconformity.
On January 29th, 1573, he was cited by Scambler, Bishop of Peterborough, who first suspended him for three weeks, and then deprived him of his living, worth £100 per annum. Several others were suspended and deprived at the same time, because they could not with a good conscience subscribe to certain promises and engagements proposed to them by the Bishop. And this Dr. Edward Scambler, successivelyBishop of Peterborough and Norwich, was the first pastor of a Protestant congregation in London in the reign of Queen Mary; but was compelled, on account of the severity of the persecution, to relinquish the situation. He was a learned man; very zealous against the Papists; and was probably driven into a state of exile. But surely he forgot his former circumstances, when he became a zealous persecutor of his brethren in the days of Elizabeth; not remembering that they were as conscientious in their objections to what they considered to be the remains of Popery in a reformed Church, and in their endeavours to obtain a purer mode of discipline and worship, as he had been in his efforts against what he formerly disapproved. After this Mr. Paget was preferred to the rectory of Kilkhampton, in Cornwall.
When Mr. Paget and his brethren were deprived, they presented a supplication to the Queen and the Parliament for their restoration to their beloved ministry, but to no purpose; they must subscribe, or be buried in silence.
Further suffering awaited Mr. Paget: his unfeeling persecutors, not content with cutting him off from his ministry and his living, ordered him to be taken into custody and sent up to London. He was therefore apprehended, with Mr. John Oxenbridge, another leading person in the Association in Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, and they were both carried prisoners to the metropolis, by an order from Archbishop Grindal. It does not however appear how long they were kept in custody, nor what further persecution they suffered. Mr. Paget filled different situations in the ministry afterwards, and was repeatedly subjected to ecclesiastical censures. He died in London, May, 1617.Wood says of him, "He was many years a constant and faithful preacher of God's word"; and Fuller styles him "a golden sophister, a painful preacher, and author of an excellent history of the Bible." He had a son, Ephraim Paget, who was born in Northamptonshire, probably at Oundle, in 1575, who became a Puritan minister.
It was probably not very long after Mr. Paget was thus driven from Oundle, that Hugh Clark, A.M. was settled in the ministry here. He was born at Burton-upon-Trent, August 15th, 1563, and educated first in Jesus College, Cambridge, then in the University of Oxford. It is stated, "that when he came to Oundle he found the people in a state of the most deplorable ignorance and profaneness, living in the constant profanation of the Lord's-day by Whitsun ales, morris-dancing, and other ungodly sports. For a considerable time he laboured to convince them of their sins and to reclaim them from their evil ways, but without any prospect of success. Though God visited several of the ringleaders by successive remarkable judgments, they still persisted in their profane sports. They seem to have made a covenant with death, and to have been at agreement with hell. At length, however, there was a pleasing alteration. They began to take serious heed to the ministry of the word; their lives became reformed, and many were called to a saving knowledge of the Gospel."
During Mr. Clark's abode in this place he experienced several remarkable providential deliverances, among which was the following: Having in his 'Sermon on the Sabbath-day' announced the just judgment of God against certain particular sins to which the young people were much addicted, the next morninga lusty young man came to his house wishing to see him. Mr. Clark, having invited him into his chamber, and knowing his vicious character, sharply reproved him, and warned him of his awful danger; and God wrought so effectually upon his heart by this pointed and faithful dealing, that the man, falling down on his knees and crying for pardon, pulled out a dagger, by which he had determined to murder him. "I came hither," said the man, "with a full resolution to stab you; but God has prevented me. This was occasioned by your terrifying sermon yesterday; but if you please to forgive me, I shall never attempt any such thing again." Mr. Clark freely pardoned the offence, and after giving him suitable advice, dismissed him.
In the year 1590 Mr. Clarke removed from Oundle to Wollaston, in Warwickshire, where he was chosen to the pastoral office by the people, and received the presentation to the living from Sir Roger Wigston. He was once indicted for high treason, because he had prayed that "God would forgive the Queen her sins"; but was acquitted. He was a constant, zealous, and laborious preacher, a person of great learning and piety, useful in his ministry, and an acute and powerful disputant. His death occurred November 6th, 1634, in the 72nd year of his age. Three of his descendants were numbered amongst the ejected ministers in the year 1662.
At the time of the restoration of Charles II., it appears that Mr. Richard Resbury was vicar of Oundle, and that he became one of the Nonconformist ministers, resigning his living six weeks before Bartholomew-day. Here he afterwards preached in his own hired house, practised medicine with some success, and was advised with by persons of all ranks. We are informed thathe was a man of brisk parts, and very facetious; but had the general reputation of a solid divine, and made a considerable figure in this county. He was particularly honoured for what he wrote in opposition to Mr. John Goodwin, on the Arminian controversy. In addition to what he published on this subject, he wrote 'The Tabernacle of God with Man; or, the visible Church Reformed: A Discourse of the Nature and Discipline of the visible Church.'
Robert Wild, D.D., who was ejected from the living of Ayno, in this county, after his ejectment came to reside at Oundle. He was a native of St. Ives, in Huntingdonshire; educated at St. John's College, Cambridge. He published 'The Arraignment of a Sinner at the Bar of Divine Justice: an Assize Sermon, preached at Oxford, 1655, and dedicated to John Cartwright, Esq., of Ayno.' Several other works appeared as the production of his pen. He was noted for his facetiousness, but was very serious in serious things. As an illustration of this, it is related that Mr. Job Orton received the following statement from an ancient Christian in Northamptonshire:—
Mr. Baxter, being much displeased at some instances of his facetiousness which he had heard of, called on him, in his way from Kidderminster to London, to reprove him, as the times were very dark; and he appears to have thought that there was something especially unsuitable in this to such days of trial. When he came to Ayno, he found the Doctor just gone to Church, it being observed by him and his people as a fast-day. Mr. Baxter goes to the Church, seats himself in one corner, and becomes so deeply interested, and so well satisfied, that when the service was over he came to the Doctor, thanked him for his service, and desired that he would reprove and rebuke him sharply, as he deserved it. Being desired to explain himself, Mr. Baxter said, "for my great uncharitablenessand folly in regarding reports," &c.; and then told him why he had called upon him.
Mr. Baxter, being much displeased at some instances of his facetiousness which he had heard of, called on him, in his way from Kidderminster to London, to reprove him, as the times were very dark; and he appears to have thought that there was something especially unsuitable in this to such days of trial. When he came to Ayno, he found the Doctor just gone to Church, it being observed by him and his people as a fast-day. Mr. Baxter goes to the Church, seats himself in one corner, and becomes so deeply interested, and so well satisfied, that when the service was over he came to the Doctor, thanked him for his service, and desired that he would reprove and rebuke him sharply, as he deserved it. Being desired to explain himself, Mr. Baxter said, "for my great uncharitablenessand folly in regarding reports," &c.; and then told him why he had called upon him.
After Dr. Wild came to reside at Oundle, it pleased God to visit Mr. Resbury, the ejected vicar, with the palsy; and the Doctor wrote letters to all parts of the country in order to raise him some money to take him to Bath, for his relief. A Mr. Stancliff wrote of him, "that he was excellently qualified unto his ministerial work; none more melted and melting in prayer, nor more serious and fervent in preaching Christ and his Gospel." He died at Oundle, in the year 1679. A little before his death he preached on Rev. xiv. 12: "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus;" when he said, "it is but a short time, and I shall be in paradise."
There was also in these days a Mr. Strickland Negus, ejected from Chester, in this county, who was one of the Thursday lecturers at Oundle. It appears to have been the custom of the Puritan ministers of this county, while in the Church, to have week-day lectures preached at their different churches by their brethren alternately. Of Mr. Negus it is said, that "he was a truly good man, and a useful preacher."
Mr. Edward Cauthorn, ejected from Tansover, was one of the lecturers at Oundle, where he had a good estate, and whither he came to reside after his ejectment; and here he died in 1665 or 1666. "He was a man of great meekness, and a very able preacher."
Whether these Nonconformist ministers went so far as to form a Church here on Congregational principles, we are not informed; but their example and their services appear to have been the means of a regular congregation being gathered in these early days of Nonconformity; and probably the spirit of persecutionmight not now discover itself so much here as in some other parts of the country, which might be one reason why several of those who were cast out of the Church resorted to this place.
That there was a stated congregation, and probably a Church formed, appears to be manifest by the next fact in relation to these things that we find recorded; which is, that Mr. Shepherd, who had been minister at Tillbrook, in Bedfordshire, on quitting his living a few years after the passing of the Act of Uniformity, became pastor to a Dissenting congregation at Oundle. This is the minister of whom it is stated, in our account of the Church at Kettering, "that he had the true spirit of his office, his preaching being very awful and affecting, and his life very holy." About 1697 he removed to Kettering, where, a few months after, he died.
There is a tradition generally credited in Oundle, that the Meeting House was built immediately after the passing of "the Toleration Act," in 1790 or 1791. The founder was Joseph Hewson, a draper in the town, who erected the building on his own freehold, for the use of himself and other Nonconformists in the neighbourhood, who, as in other places, were but too happy to emerge from the state of depression into which they had been cast, to a state of comparative liberty: but in 1724, David Hewson, of Market Harborough, also a draper, son and heir of the founder, sold the property to the society for the nominal sum of £40; and in the month of August, the same year, the first trust deed was made, settling the building for ever as a place of religious worship, and conveying the fee of the freehold to twelve trustees. It was in the deed denominated a place for a Presbyterian congregation,but now the Church is formed on the principles of the Independents. After Mr. Shepherd's removal from Oundle, there appears to have been a Mr. Atkinson pastor of the Church, for on the sacramental cups is this inscription: "The Rev. Mr. Atkinson being our present pastor, 1713."
The next pastor was Mr. Joseph King, who probably might be first assistant and afterwards successor to Mr. Atkinson, as there were three of Mr. King's children buried in Oundle Churchyard, the first in 1712, the other two in 1714. Mr. King died in 1720. A tombstone was erected to his memory in the Churchyard, on which is a Latin inscription. The following is a translation:—
Joseph Kingdied 29th Jany.,a.d.1719/20, aged 46.Thy spirit upright, and thy heart sincere;True piety engaged thy fervent love;Instructed from aboveTo feed the flock committed to thy care;And with the eloquent they will thy name revere.Happy to have fulfilled thy sacred toil, the end arrives,And here thou liest.Blest man! thy name for ages shall survive.The monument that marks thy dust shall fall,Decays the marble tomb,The sepulchre comes down:The fame which goodness gives shall long survive them all.
Mr. King was the father of Mr. Samuel King, who was minister at Welford for forty years. This son was born in 1815, and was little more than four years of age when his father died. He was regarded as given in answer to maternal prayer; for his mother, Mrs. Hannah King, a woman of a devoted spirit, earnestly desired to have a son that might become a minister ofthe Gospel. She long survived her husband; lived to realize her highest desire on this behalf; and had the happiness of closing her days, in a good old age, in the house of her son, when he was minister of the Independent Church at Welford. On an upright stone in the Churchyard of that village there is the following inscription, probably expressive of the affectionate remembrance of her son:—
In memory of Mrs.Hannah King, relict of theRev. Joseph King, of Oundle, who departed thislife the 25th day of April, 1763, aged 81 years.Farewell, bright soul, a long farewell,Till we shall meet again above,In the sweet groves where pleasures dwell,And trees of life bear fruits of love.Sweet soul, we leave thee to thy rest;Enjoy thy Jesus and thy God,Till we, from bonds of clay released,Spring out, and climb th' heav'nly road.
The next pastor of the Church at Oundle was Mr. Daniel Goodrich; his name was inserted in the first trust deed of the Meeting House, in 1724. In the account which Doddridge gives of his ordination at Northampton, in 1730, he mentions Mr. Goodrich, of Oundle, as commencing the service by prayer and reading the Scriptures. In the memoirs of Mr. Sanderson, one of the pastors of the Church at Rowell, we find a short letter from Mr. Goodrich, dated December 26th, 1740, which pleasingly indicates the spirit of piety, and the attachment of the writer to evangelical principles.
I thank you for your long expected favour, and am glad to find that you hang upon the covenant; it is the great prop and support of our souls. Pleasant frames, and to live by sense, are what we are fond of; but faith and patience musthave their perfect work here—these shall have nothing to do above. Then the redeemed of the Lord shall live by sight, in full fruition—see face to face, and know as they are known; no clouds shall come between their beloved and them; no corruptions from within, no thorns and briars from without; and a brother shall not then be as a thorn hedge; but as God is love, we shall be like him, swallowed up in love to God and to one another. A little while, and thus it shall be. The wilderness is but a short passage, though difficult and troublesome. Our lights are but to burn here for a little while. The Lord grant, that we may so shine that our heavenly Father may be glorified.I beg the Lord may fit you for your work, and crown your labours with success, &c., &c.D. Goodrich.
I thank you for your long expected favour, and am glad to find that you hang upon the covenant; it is the great prop and support of our souls. Pleasant frames, and to live by sense, are what we are fond of; but faith and patience musthave their perfect work here—these shall have nothing to do above. Then the redeemed of the Lord shall live by sight, in full fruition—see face to face, and know as they are known; no clouds shall come between their beloved and them; no corruptions from within, no thorns and briars from without; and a brother shall not then be as a thorn hedge; but as God is love, we shall be like him, swallowed up in love to God and to one another. A little while, and thus it shall be. The wilderness is but a short passage, though difficult and troublesome. Our lights are but to burn here for a little while. The Lord grant, that we may so shine that our heavenly Father may be glorified.
I beg the Lord may fit you for your work, and crown your labours with success, &c., &c.
D. Goodrich.
At the ordination of Mr. Boyce over the Church at Kettering, Mr. Goodrich was engaged in asking the questions and offering the ordination prayer. He died February 25th, 1765, aged 66 years.
In the report of Homerton College, the name of Jeremiah Longfield is given, as a student who settled at Oundle. Though the exact date does not appear, it seems to have been soon after the death of Mr. Goodrich.
The next in succession appears to have been Mr. Wm. Ward, who was ordained at Oundle, and continued there for about four years, when he removed to Dudley.
After Mr. Ward, Mr. Wright, from Ringwood, was the pastor for twelve years. He died at Boston, and was buried in the Chapel at Oundle, where also his wife and two daughters were interred.
Mr. R. Forsyth was pastor for two years, and then Mr. Reynold Hogg, who was afterwards minister at Kimbolton and Thrapstone, and treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society.
Mr. Isaac Cooke was pastor for two years, when he removed to Narborough.
Mr. Joseph Chadwick became the pastor of this Church in the year 1790, and continued his ministry here for forty years. Mr. Chadwick was a native of Trull, near Taunton, in Somersetshire, where he was born in 1751. He has been heard to say, that his father was a man of no energy, and that whatever advantage he might gain from parental instruction, or example, or aid, was derived from his mother. We have heard, that he was a descendant from the early Nonconformists, and he evidently took a great interest in the memorials of their trials and sufferings. Of this he gave a singular proof at a meeting of the County Association, held at Ashley, when he delivered a sermon from Heb. x. 34, "And took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance;" at the close of his discourse reading some memoranda of the sufferings and losses, the fines exacted, the goods sold, &c., of our Nonconformist forefathers. There was a person of the same name, a Mr. Joseph Chadwick, ejected from the living of Winesford, in Somersetshire, of whom Mr. Chadwick was great-grandson. He was also a descendant of Mr. Thorn, ejected from Weymouth, Dorset.
In his youth he was apprenticed to a peruke-maker and hair-dresser, at Taunton. During the course of his apprenticeship, his general conduct and marked piety, and ardent thirst for knowledge, as indicated by his love of reading, attracted the attention of John Toller, Esq., an attorney at Taunton, and the grandfather of the late Rev. T. N. Toller, of Kettering. That gentleman, it is thought, bought out the latter part of Mr. Chadwick's apprenticeship, and sent himto study under the Rev. Mr. Kirkup, of South Petherton, who had been the preceptor of the late Mr. Toller's early years. With Mr. Kirkup Mr. Chadwick continued two years, and made remarkable progress in his studies, especially in the classics. At the expiration of his residence with Mr. Kirkup, he was sent, under Mr. Toller's patronage, to the Western College, as his name stands in the list of their students. He was first settled at Wellington, Somersetshire; from whence, after a few years, he removed to Sherborne, in Dorsetshire, and came from thence to Oundle. He was a man of considerable learning, and an indefatigable reader of the most solid works in theology and in general literature. He resigned his charge at Midsummer, 1831. He died May 7, 1841, in the 90th year of his age. Mr. Toller, of Kettering, preached his funeral sermon.
Mr. Ebenezer Prant, from Highbury College, succeeded Mr. Chadwick. He resigned his charge in 1835, and is now one of the Secretaries to the London Missionary Society.
Mr. Abraham Calovius Simpson, LL.D., of the Glasgow University, was the next pastor, serving this Church and congregation in the ministry of the Gospel from 1836 to 1841, when he resigned his charge.
The present pastor, Mr. Alfred Newth—who studied at Homerton College, and had been previously settled at Ripley, near Christ Church, Hants—came to Oundle in the year 1842, as the successor of Dr. Simpson. The present number of communicants is about 70. There are 120 children in the Sabbath-schools.
Occasional services are conducted in two villages in the vicinity of Oundle, viz., Tansor and Glapthorne.
In the village of Weedon, about eight miles from Northampton, where there is a royal military dépôt with barracks for 1500 men, storehouses and magazines capable of stowing 200,000 small arms, there stands an Independent Chapel for preaching the Gospel of peace, and maintaining the cause of Christ by the voluntary aid of his followers. It is a respectable village Chapel, capable of seating about 500 hearers; it has a grave-yard in the front, and commodious school-rooms behind.
At the time of the Restoration, a Mr. George Martin was vicar of Weedon. Such was his loyalty, that he lost an arm for the King in Sir George Booth's rising. But, as one that "exercised himself to have a conscience void of offence both towards God and man"—first fearing God, then honouring the king—when the Act of Uniformity passed, he renounced his connexion with the Church rather than violate his conscience. Such was the spirit of the times, that in 1667 he was in Warwick Gaol for some months, for preaching the Gospel. Some time after his ejectment he exercised his ministry amongst a small number of worthy people at Stony Stratford, who had a great value for his memory a considerable time after. "He was," we areinformed, "a serious, holy, good-tempered, and courageous man."
It is probable that the cause of Nonconformity in Weedon owes its origin to the vicar's separation from the Church. Such an event would excite the attention of the people, and promote inquiry among them; and they would be led to seek those ministrations without the Church of which they were deprived within her pale by the oppressive enactments of the day. There had been a number from Weedon and the neighbourhood who had gone to the Church at Norton to hear Mr. Robert Allen, another of the ejected ministers, who was a very popular preacher, whose Church was crowded with hearers from the places around.
"A congregation was jointly formed here and at Floor prior to 1668, in which year the first trust deed is dated."
The earliest known minister of this society was Mr. Peyto. This person was engaged in the ordination service of Mr. J. Heywood, at Potterspury, in 1740. He was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Howe, a native of Northampton, and one of the Daventry students. "He removed before 1770 to Yarmouth, in Norfolk, where he continued until his death. He published several pamphlets and sermons."
This is the second pastor, as recorded in Baker's history of this county. But in the early history of the Church at West End, Wellingborough, we find the following notice of a Mr. Saywell, who appears to have been minister at Floor and Weedon: "We ordered a letter to the Church at Floor, with our judgment that Mr. Saywell was a member and an officer there, and ought to abide till his ministry was fulfilled. We ordered another to the Church at Weedon, to satisfy them with it, and to encourage them to waitwith patience." This person must have been about the second pastor that was placed over them.
Mr. Samuel Braybrook, another Daventry student, is recorded as succeeding Mr. Howe, and as afterwards settling at Rendham, in Suffolk.
Then we find the names of Mr. John Offord and Mr. Phares; and then Mr. William Severn, concerning whom we are informed "that he was a native of Nottingham; at an early age became a popular preacher among the Methodists; was for two years a travelling associate with their celebrated founder, John Wesley. But his sentiments undergoing a change, he went to study divinity at Edinburgh, on leaving which University he accepted an invitation to this society, from whence he removed to Welford in 1782, afterwards to Hinckley, in Leicestershire, where he embraced Unitarianism. He died at Hull, in June, 1813, in his fifty-ninth year."
After this, we have the name of Mr. Renfrew; and after him, Mr. Evan Johns, who removed to Welford; then Mr. T. Spencer, who was appointed in 1790, and resigned in a few years after.
Mr. Joseph Gronow was chosen to succeed Mr. Spencer. He was ordained April 27th, 1797, when the Rev. Messrs. Chipperfield, Wood, Horsey, Bicknell, Toller, and Denny engaged in the several parts of the service.
"Mr. Gronow's ministry was very acceptable and useful. He died Dec. 9th, 1817. He lost a beloved wife a few months before his own death. During four months' severe illness, probably brought on by the loss of his wife and the removal of a highly esteemed friend, he manifested a truly Christian spirit. He had been pastor of the Church more than 21 years, and the means of greatly improving the state of the society.Few ministers have been more generally beloved by those who knew them, or have lived more in the affections of their people. In the time of his illness preparations were making for his going to Bath, with the hope that the waters might, under the blessing of God, restore his health; but when all the arrangements were nearly completed, and the funds necessary for such a journey provided, through the liberality of benevolent individuals, it pleased God to remove him. The affliction which he suffered during the last fortnight of his life was most painful; but the closing scene was remarkably peaceful. His remains were interred the following Monday, with every token of respect, under the pulpit where he had so often preached the Gospel of Christ. Many of his brethren attended the funeral, six of whom supported the pall. His death was improved by Mr. H. Knight, of Yelvertoft, from Acts xx. 38, to a most numerous and deeply affected congregation."
On a neat mural tablet of white marble, at the right hand of the pulpit, is the following inscription:—