Chapter V: The Fifth Pastorate

_THE REV. JOHN STOUGHTON_, _D.D._ 1843–1875.

THE new pastor felt his removal from Windsor very deeply; and on the first Sunday of his regular ministry in Kensington he was anything but himself—certainly by no means at home. He thought next day the people must have repented of their choice. Matters, however, mended afterwards, though a good while passed before he could accommodate himself to altered circumstances; but the kindness he everywhere met with gave him increasing encouragement.

A recognition service was held on October 31st, 1843, when his old friend and neighbour, Dr. Morison, delivered an introductory discourse; the late minister, Dr. Vaughan, gave the charge; and his predecessor, Dr. Leifchild, addressed the congregation. It was a pleasant circumstance that three successive pastors of the same Church shared in the solemn service; and but for uncontrollable hindrances, the predecessor of them all, Mr. Clayton, would have been present to assist. Dr. Vaughan’s charge was most impressive; and the allusion he made to himself and his successor, as thenceforth associated like fellow-workmen in the same edifice, was very striking from the manner in which it was put; and the listener was led to hope that if diligent, devout, and earnest, he would meet his friend in the world of light, when all results of faithful labour will be finally revealed.

On reviewing the appearance of the neighbourhood, compared with what it was years before, changes were visible. Kensington had enlarged, the population had increased; still there were rural spaces between the Court suburb and the neighbouring localities; and people from Paddington, from Brompton, and from Knightsbridge took long country walks to their chosen place of worship. Hence pastoral visitation required much time and some toil; and many were the wanderings in unknown neighbourhoods, taken by the new minister in order to secure an acquaintance with his hearers.

The congregation had become large in the latter part of Dr. Vaughan’s time; and old families who had loved him did not transfer, but rather extended their attachment to the object of their recent choice. Without mentioning names, which would be invidious, there was _here_ an old gentleman who looked well after his pastor’s interests; _there_ an old lady with a large school, who did all she could to bring her pupils under the spiritual influence of the preacher they heard from week to week; and _elsewhere_ a family group outstretching helpful hands for all sorts of good works. The kindness, candour, and forbearance of all were wonderful; and if a few were not reconciled at first to the change which had happened, and naturally sighed at the loss they had sustained, they never evinced alienation, but gradually came to listen lovingly to the pulpit occupant, whom the Great Master, they believed, had sent amongst them. Many new attendants gradually sought sittings on the old spot; some of them long since entered a better world and a better Church, and others still remain, who kindly greet the retired shepherd whenever, happily for himself, he comes in their way.

It may be mentioned that Kensington, on many accounts, has long been a favourite place of residence for artists and literary men, and a few of these became some occasional, others regular hearers. Two Royal Academicians, and one of the editors of _Punch_, will be remembered by some who read these pages; and an eminent sculptor still remains faithful to his early ecclesiastical attachment. In later days the present President of the Institution of Civil Engineers {73} removed from the north to Kensington, and fully won the confidence and affection of his pastor; others, whom it would be boastful to mention, and some still spared for great usefulness, lightened the load of his cares and increased the sum of his enjoyments.

One most interesting fact should not be passed over. Kensington was remarkable for ladies’ boarding schools, and a number of the pupils attended Hornton Street chapel. Thus the pastor gathered round him a circle in which he took a very lively interest. Friendships were then formed which have since been the joy of his life; and in the evening of his days it is his privilege to regard several of them still with a fatherly affection, to which they faithfully respond.

Curious characters at different periods, it may be added would come into the vestry to have a little chat; a gentleman during the Crimean War gravely proposed to the preacher of peace a clever scheme for blowing up Sebastopol; and at another time one of clerical appearance repeated, with extraordinary rapidity, long passages out of the Greek Testament.

Immediately after the commencement of the new pastorate, important questions arose as to the administration of ecclesiastical affairs—indeed, as to the proper constitution of the Church. The narrative in this volume has shown that the congregation at Hornton Street was originally gathered by Presbyterians; and that though no definite form of polity was adopted, the method of proceedings followed somewhat the Presbyterian model. The institution of _elders_ was proposed, but not carried out; _managers_, whose office seems to have resembled somewhat that of elders, were at once appointed. For a long time they distinctly and frequently appear in the records of the Society. Moreover, at first mention is made of “communicants,” “members,” and “subscribers”, but the word “Church” occurs only now and then, until the appellation became established in Dr. Leifchild’s time. “Deacons,” too, are mentioned, but not in a way to indicate what were their distinct duties, and in what manner they were chosen. “Managers” continued to administer affairs all the way through; and such persons held office down to the termination of Dr. Vaughan’s ministry. The practice, when he left, was strictly congregational; but still the existence of “managers,” in distinction from deacons, lingered on,—the managers having chiefly to do with the collection of subscriptions and the support of the minister. When the new pastorate opened, it was thought time to put an end to what, on Congregational principles, is an anomaly, and to reduce the administrative power to the scriptural form of bishop and deacons. Hence the office of manager was abolished, and an election of new deacons followed. Those who had been called “managers” were now elected to the diaconate, and new men were added to the number. Altogether they now amounted to seven; their names being Messrs. Newton, James, Hine, Walker, Thurston, Tomlin, and Watson. To give additional importance to this new step in the Church’s history, it was thought desirable to have special services connected with it; therefore, first the pastor, at a special Church meeting, explained the nature of the office, as given in the New Testament, and next Dr. Tidman, at a week evening lecture, delivered an appropriate address to the newly-chosen officers. The Church now, in form as well as spirit, received a decidedly Congregational impress; and so it has continued ever since. From time to time new diaconal elections were held, as vacancies occurred; the ballot being adopted, though the names of suitable persons could be mentioned beforehand, the pastor and those already in office being allowed, not indeed to _dictate_, but to _suggest_ such as seemed most qualified for the office. The last-mentioned deacon on the list just given—Mr. Robert Watson, of Hammersmith—ought to be specially noticed, for he wrought a practical change in the conduct of Church business little appreciated at the time. Being a most conscientious, methodical, and business-like man, as well as a devout and earnest Christian, he, as secretary of the official staff, conducted everything in the most orderly manner. I have heard him say that Church business occupied the chief time of one of his clerks. The change he introduced into the minutes of proceedings is very striking. Whereas before, entries were vague and irregular, and no clue is afforded to determine when and how members were admitted; after Mr. Watson took office, Church meetings are reported from month to month, with the greatest regularity; and it can be seen at once who were received into communion, and what of a spiritual or secular kind transpired. He and his brethren revised the list of members every year, striking off with inexorable decision the names of such as had ceased to attend the Lord’s Supper. In March, 1848, it was made a standing rule, “That any member being absent from the Lord’s Table for six consecutive months without sufficient cause assigned, shall, after notice to the party and mention to the Church, be considered to have withdrawn from the communion of this Church.” It may be added, that a distinction was made between members in full communion—having a right to vote in the choice of “bishop and deacons,” and on other ecclesiastical questions—and persons only occasional communicants, not adopting Nonconformist opinions, though from spiritual sympathy wishing to unite with the Church at the Lord’s Table. Occasional communion often led the way to complete fellowship; the communicant, however, had to be elected at a Church meeting to a full share in ecclesiastical rights and privileges.

It may be mentioned further that young people, before they reached an age which would justify their giving a vote respecting Church affairs, were allowed to partake of the Lord’s Supper, their subsequent full admission to fellowship depending upon their election in the usual manner. That “manner” was in accordance with the usual practice in Congregational Churches half a century ago. A candidate first had an interview with the pastor; then he or she was proposed to the Church; one of the deacons _generally_, but not _always_, had conversation with the individual; and at the next Church meeting, after a report of eligibility, the election followed by a show of hands. {77}

That all particulars relating to the constitution of the Church may be disposed of at once, it remains to be remarked, that when a new trust deed of Church premises had to be made, instead of the Assembly’s Catechism being recognised as a standard of belief, a short general statement of evangelical doctrines was employed.

The year 1845 completed the first half century of the Church’s existence, and it was deemed fit that the jubilee should be celebrated by a special service. Accordingly,” a commemorative discourse” was delivered on the 13th of April by the pastor, and it appeared in print at the request of the congregation. Two passages may be introduced:—

“With devout gratitude it should be remembered that the past half
century has been marked with peace. While some Churches have been
torn with intestine strife, or wrecked by schisms, or reduced to a
mere shadow by heartless formality, the communion of the faithful in
this place has been a practical illustration of the Psalmist’s words,
‘Behold! how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity;’ while at the same time they have exemplified the
principle that progress is the law of spiritual existence in
societies as well as in individuals. It has not been the
peacefulness of death, but the peacefulness of life which has reigned
over this spot; not the calmness of the stagnant pool, but the smooth
and gentle flow of living waters; not the stillness of the rocky
desert, where all is desolate and bare and cold, but the silence of
the garden and the grove, where vitality gushes through many a
channel, and proves its presence and power by abundance of foliage,
flowers, and fruit.

“Every Church should be a kind of missionary station for its whole
vicinity, a centre of exertion and influence telling on the
surrounding sphere; a lighthouse built on a rock, lifting aloft the
lamps of truth, warning, and invitation; or, rather, a floating light
moving in the person of its members through the adjacent district, to
illuminate the benighted, to guide the wanderer, and to save the soul
from moral shipwreck. Happily, the obligation to exemplify an active
Christianity is now acknowledged by our Churches in general; and an
apparatus adapted to the evangelization of the bordering territory is
held to be essential to their completeness. We feel the obligation
ourselves, and, by the Divine blessing, we have much of the religious
machinery of the day at work upon this spot. But still, does it not
admit of question whether, as the advocates of a system which boasts
of its untrammelled freedom of action, and its vigorous voluntary
power; as those who believe that our cause, to use the words of Dr.
Doddridge, is ‘the cause of evangelical piety’; as those, especially,
who profess to be under everlasting and infinite obligation to Him
from whom we have received our light and salvation;—I repeat, does it
not admit of question, whether we are doing all that might be fairly
expected of us, for the diffusion of the truths we so much value
throughout the neighbourhood where we are located; whether our
energies are put forth to the full for the extension of the cause in
a place which numbers its 27,000 inhabitants, nearly four times the
number of the population fifty years ago, when this chapel was built;
whether we have provided all the means of Christian education we
might and ought, especially for those of our neighbours who are lying
around in vast masses, covered with the gloom of spiritual ignorance,
and paralysed, to an awful degree, by moral insensibility? While
there is much, very much, already done, which should encourage our
hearts and fill us with gratitude, is there not much, very much, yet
to be accomplished, to which Providence seems most urgently to bid us
put an earnest, steady, persevering hand.”

Important consequences resulted from these hints. In May it was resolved, “That a special meeting of the Church should be convened, and that members should be informed that the deacons have considered it desirable that certain alterations should be made in order to provide increased accommodation.” Such a meeting was held, and it determined that the chapel should be enlarged by throwing the vestry and small schoolroom behind the pulpit wall, with the organ gallery, into the body of the building, so that a considerable number of additional sittings might be provided for the enlarged congregation. Such an alteration was effected, and the chapel was re-opened in October by Dr. Vaughan.

In connection with the chapel enlargement, additional accommodation was provided at the back of the premises for the British and Sunday schools. These alterations created an impetus, happily felt by people and pastor. Various kinds of work went on, two of which may be mentioned: first, the delivery of a course of lectures in the new schoolroom on “Christian Evidences,” which attracted large audiences from week to week; and next, the institution of a Bible class, including the whole of the week evening congregation, when expositions of Scripture were given by the pastor, followed by a list of questions. These questions were taken home, and the week after written replies were brought. In many instances the replies were of a very superior order, and the reading of the papers excited a very deep interest. The exercise proved a success, and the schoolroom was often crowded on these occasions.

The chapel, enlarged in 1845, became in 1847 too small to accommodate sufficiently the increased number of attendants, and to meet the spiritual wants of the neighbourhood. A select meeting in Hornton Street vestry speedily followed, to consider what, under the circumstances, ought to be attempted, and the result was a resolution to erect a new chapel at Bayswater, to which a portion of the Kensington congregation living in the Bayswater neighbourhood might remove. {81} This measure was advocated by the pastor as the right way of promoting the interest of Evangelical Congregationalism. To wait till bickerings arose, and diversions occurred in consequence, was truly mischievous. To “swarm” like bees, a goodly number removing to a new hive, that was a wise method, which God would be sure to bless. Mr. Walker, who lived at Bayswater, was anxious for a chapel there, and before the little party in the vestry separated, much more than £1,000 was promised. Soon the amount reached the sum of £1,700. A committee was formed for the fulfilment of the enterprise.

The year 1848 is memorable in the history of Europe. It will be remembered that just then the Continent shook with political convulsions from end to end; and in the month of April the inhabitants of London felt intense anxiety, owing to the Chartist demonstration on Kennington Common. The Sunday before that incident a considerable number of Hornton Street hearers consisted of gentlemen just sworn in as special constables; and the grave and earnest manner of all present was increased by the Rev. William Walford, who preached on the occasion, and referred to his own recollections of what took place in England when, from week to week, it heard of the Paris Reign of Terror. God, he said, had brought this country through a more terrible excitement then, and would still be a protector of those who trusted in Him. Thus amidst political storms the foundation of Horbury Chapel was laid, even as Hornton Street, more than half a century before, had been built when England felt the throes of the French Revolution.

The corner-stone of Horbury Chapel was laid by Sir Culling Eardley, August 30th, 1848. The new building was completed and opened in September, 1849. The Sunday before a sermon was preached at Kensington from the words, “_We be brethren_,” and the spirit of those words was embodied in all the proceedings which ensued.

About one hundred seat-holders left Hornton Street for Horbury; and about forty members, including two very influential deacons, Messrs. Newton and Walker, resigned, and migrated to the new settlement. They requested, in a letter dated October 29th, 1849, their dismissal in the following appropriate terms:—

“We, the undersigned members of the above communion, purposing to
separate ourselves from it, in order to form a Church at Horbury
Chapel, Notting Hill, of the same faith and order, affectionately
request that the necessary dismissal may be granted to us for the
purpose.

“While recognising the tie which for various periods has outwardly
bound us together in Church fellowship,—we desire ever to continue
attached to each other in the bonds of the Gospel, and would
gratefully acknowledge the goodness of our heavenly Father in having
so long vouchsafed to the Church at Hornton Street His presence and
blessing—in supplying it with a succession of faithful pastors, in
honouring the preaching of His Word by them, in creating a spirit of
activity and desire for usefulness on the part of so many of our
fellow-members, and in permitting love and union to prevail in our
midst. We pray that these blessings may long be continued to you,
and be realized by us in our new connection; that there may be
speedily sent to us a pastor, a man after God’s own heart, who shall
preach the Gospel fully and freely, deacons who shall purchase to
themselves a good degree, and that we and our fellow-members,
individually, as well as in our associated character, may be
distinguished alike for our humility and piety, and for our activity
and devotedness to the cause of Christ.”

It is interesting here to remember that, whilst the chapel was being built, the idea arose that the new and the old congregations might remain united under a common pastorate of two or three ministers, they interchanging pulpits with each other from week to week, the communicants in the two places at the same time forming together one organic Church. This would have been very gratifying to the Hornton Street pastor, and would have coincided with his views of primitive municipal Churches; but practical difficulties arose, and the scheme was abandoned. In lieu of it, however, the communicants at Kensington and Notting Hill resolved annually to partake of the Lord’s Supper together, a practice which has since been continued with hallowed and pleasant results.

If 1848 was a year of storms, 1851, when the first English Exhibition was opened, will ever be remembered as a year of peace. It seemed as though the millennium had dawned. “No more wars now,” thought many a sanguine spirit, soon to be undeceived in this respect; but the tranquillity and good-will amongst the hundreds of thousands who thronged to the Crystal Palace are undeniable, and the effect of it on the Kensington Independent congregation was manifest in crowded attendances and in animated services, for which the artistic wealth and the manifold associations of the great gathering furnished the pastor with manifold illustrations.

The rising tide of the Church at Kensington did not ebb when the Exhibition was over; and owing to this, in the year 1854, the friends found it necessary to consider whether they ought not to build a new and much larger place of worship for themselves and their neighbours. Promised subscriptions speedily opened the way to the execution of this enterprise; and in June, 1854, the pastor laid the first stone of the chapel in Allen Street. The chapel was opened in May, 1855, when the Rev. Thomas Binney preached in the morning, and the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel in the evening. On the following Sunday the opening services were continued, Dr. John Harris preaching in the morning, and the pastor in the evening. The Rev. William Brock closed the series on the following Tuesday evening.

The entire cost, including purchase of the land, was £8,748 9_s._ 6_d._, and the whole was paid for on the last Sunday in January, 1860, when public collections reached the amount of £365 10_s._ 2_d._,—being seven shillings more than was required.

In the autumn of 1856 the Church lost one of its most active deacons. Mr. Padgett (brother-in-law of the pastor), who had been formerly a deacon at Trevor Chapel, Brompton, died suddenly whilst travelling in Switzerland, and it became the pastor’s painful duty to preach the funeral sermon, just after his own return from a continental tour. The text selected was Amos v. 8: “Seek Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and, maketh the day dark with night.”

A season of great anxiety occurred in the month of January, 1857, when the pastor received an invitation from New College to become Principal of that institution, upon the death of the lamented Dr. Harris. The intimate connection between the pastor and that college—he having taken an active part in the foundation of it, and having declined one of the professorships offered at that time—made him particularly anxious to ascertain the path of duty at this crisis. He informed the deacons of what had occurred, and sought their advice. He wished to decide, not according to any preconceived plan, but as it might appear on a comparison of claims, arising from the college on the one hand, and the Church on the other. The deacons returned the following answer:—

“Having this evening met to consider the important communication
which you submitted to us last Tuesday, in reference to the
invitation given to you to succeed the late Dr. Harris as Principal
of New College, we have prayerfully, and with thoughtful earnestness,
endeavoured to view the matter in all its bearings, and we thank you
for the confidence implied in the fact of your having referred the
matter to us.

“Although as deacons of the Church under your charge its interests
naturally present themselves prominently before us, we have sought to
avoid any selfish or contracted feelings in reference to that Church,
and have desired to take an enlarged view of the interests of the
Church of Christ as a whole. Our first attention has been given to
the suggestion made by you as to the practicability of your retaining
a limited connection with Kensington Chapel as minister while
undertaking the principalship; and our feeling is that it could not
be done with comfort to yourself or advantage to the Church.

“In considering the matter generally, the following points have
occurred to us as deserving of serious attention:—

“1. The special claims of Kensington as a sphere of labour for an
intelligent Christian minister.

“2. Your peculiar qualifications for representing the interests of
Nonconformity in the neighbourhood.

“3. The peaceful and prosperous state of the Church under your
charge.

“4. The claims of a confiding and affectionate people who, within
the last two years, have manifested their attachment by erecting our
present place of worship at a cost of several thousand pounds, of
which a large amount still remains due.

“5. Your success as a preacher, and your increasing acceptableness
to your own people.

“6. The more limited opportunity which would be afforded to you at
New College of exercising your talents as a preacher.

“7. The difficulty which the Church anticipates in securing an
appropriate successor.

“8. The fact that it would not be more difficult (if as much so) to
supply the vacant office than your vacant pulpit.

“Other considerations, which we need not enumerate, have occurred to
our minds. The foregoing we venture to submit to your attention.
They have led us to the conclusion that, however honourable the
invitation may be to you, and however it may be pressed upon your
notice, and however usefully you might be employed in it, it does not
appear to us to be your duty to relinquish your present position and
sphere, where you have been so much blessed, in order to undertake
the office in question.”

This letter decided the point. Attractive as was the post at New College, the claims of the Church at Kensington, especially so soon after the building of the new chapel, appeared more urgent: and it may be added that the deacons, especially Mr. Watson, turned the incident to account by proposing that £1,000 should be raised as a thank-offering for the continuance of the existing pastorate, the sum to be employed in liquidation of the chapel debt. This amount contributed to its entire extinction.

Encouraging years of labour followed, and in 1860 additions to the Church reached their highest point up to that time,—a proof of the Divine blessing on what had been done and determined; and it was regarded as a cause for special gratitude and thanksgiving.

The new chapel was thoroughly repaired and embellished in 1863, at a cost of about £600. Of this amount the sum of £400 was subscribed beforehand, and the rest was obtained by collections on the last Sunday of January, 1864.

In the spring of 1865 the Church, long aware of their pastor’s wish to visit the Holy Land, most generously came forward to gratify him in this respect, and opened a subscription which amounted, almost immediately, to the sum of £400, which was placed at his disposal to defray the expenses of the journey. A public meeting followed, when the money, enclosed within a tastefully devised oriental-like purse, mounted in gold, was presented, with an intimation that, during the absence of about four months, the friends would undertake to pay supplies. Before his departure he delivered two sermons on the first Sunday in February, and on the 7th of the month started with Dr. Allon, Dr. Spence, the Rev. John Bright, of Dorking, and Mr. Stanley Kemp Welch, on the much talked of trip. {88} It proved successful and gratifying, except that a serious illness befel Dr. Spence during his journey, and that the Kensington pastor returned as yellow as an old Indian, much to the dismay of his flock when they lovingly welcomed him back to the pulpit. The temporary attack of jaundice, however, proved not at all injurious, as after his recovery from it his health was if anything better than before. Certainly the journey gave him an interest in Palestine, and in the Scriptures relating to it, greater than ever, and furnished ample materials for lectures to the congregation.

The year after his return from the Holy Land he expressed a wish, not only for his own sake, but the better to meet spiritual wants in the Church and the surrounding district, that an assistant should be provided; and this matter came before the Church in February, 1866, when the following resolution was passed: “That this meeting desires to express its cordial concurrence in the deacons’ proposal for the appointment of an assistant to the minister, to be selected by him, and to be sustained, as an experiment for one year, by a special fund.” In pursuance of this resolution the Rev. Alden Davies became assistant minister, and proved so useful in visitation, superintendence of classes, and preaching on Sunday afternoons, and other occasions, that his services were prolonged for three years, greatly to the comfort of his senior colleague, and the satisfaction of his numerous friends.

Two important incidents occurred in 1868. The first was the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the pastor’s ministry at Kensington, when a large public meeting was held in the month of October. The Rev. Thomas Binney took the chair, and was surrounded by a numerous company of London ministers. Numerous congratulatory speeches were delivered, but that which alone needs particular notice was the statement read by Mr. Shepheard, one of the deacons of the Church who for many years had rendered most valuable and important services. He stated that in 1843 there were 251 members, and that since 1843, 1,200 members had been added, the number on the Church roll at the time the meeting was held being about 500; so, he said, “the Church has been doubled in number since our pastor commenced his ministry amongst us.” This report appeared all the more gratifying when it was remembered that in 1849 forty members had been dismissed to the new Church at Horbury. He also read a long list of sums, amounting altogether to £32,821, contributed by the congregation during twenty-five years, independently of the amount raised for the support of the ministry, and for incidental expenses in carrying on worship. Of the sum just mentioned, nearly £1,300 had been devoted to chapel and school building purposes; nearly £9,000 to missionary operations; £5,630 to the advancement of education; and £5,480 to relieving the poor. The other incident of this year 1868 was the laying of the first stone of the new schools in Allen Street.

It had for a long time been felt desirable that enlarged accommodation should be provided for the Sunday and Day Schools. The buildings in Hornton Street had become too small and altogether inconvenient. The Metropolitan Railway Company in 1868 wanted to purchase the premises for their own purposes, and this opportune circumstance enabled the friends to accomplish their long-cherished desire. Part of the ground in Allen Street purchased for the site of the chapel remained unoccupied. A plan for erecting almshouses on it had been suggested, but it failed though favoured by several friends. It was now available for schools, and consequently became appropriated for that purpose.

It was at first intended that the laying of the first stone should form part of the celebration just described, but circumstances compelled a postponement of the ceremony; it was, however, performed by the pastor soon afterwards.

When the twenty-eighth year of the existing pastorate arrived, the pastor, having reached the sixty-fourth year of his age, expressed to the Church an idea which he had cherished through his whole ministerial life. The first few years after his ordination he spent as a junior co-pastor, and his desire was, should he reach old age, that the last few years should be spent in service as a senior co-pastor. He thought at his age it was time to contemplate such an arrangement. This, with various considerations supporting his opinion, he submitted to his people, entreating them to remember the subject in private prayer. In the month of April, 1871, the Church resolved “that the time had arrived when provision should be made for supplementing the minister’s services by the appointment of a co-pastor.” The Rev. Chas. S. Slater, of Nottingham, having preached at Kensington with much acceptance, the Church, in the month of March, 1872, sent him a cordial and unanimous invitation to become co-pastor; but he stated that he felt obliged to decline it, whilst acknowledging the receipt of it in highly becoming terms. The obligation arose from the circumstance that his people at Nottingham were engaged in the building of schools, an enterprise to the completion of which he stood pledged, and therefore he could not leave in the midst of the undertaking. Disappointed in this attempt, and discouraged by further inquiries, the pastor informed the Church that “as difficulties in securing a co-pastor were found to be so great, it had been thought desirable for the present to seek the services of an assistant minister, and that the pastor would in the meantime avail himself of student’s help on Sunday evenings.”

The plan of occasional help on Sunday evenings did not prove a success. The evening congregation declined, and the need of more pastoral work being done became increasingly visible. Hence in October, 1872, at a special meeting of the Church, the pastor expressed the feeling he had, that under existing circumstances it would be most advantageous for the spiritual interests of the people that the ground should be cleared for an efficient successor, who could undertake the whole duty, and so render the plan of assistanceship needless. This communication, received in the kindest manner, evoked the expression of a desire for a continuance of the existing pastorate as long as possible. Numerous consultations and interchanges of opinion followed, all carried on in a most harmonious manner; the sequel was, the pastor yielded to affectionate solicitations, and for the present deferred his resignation.

In the month of December, 1872, an extraordinary service took place. It was occasioned by the death of Sir Donald F. Macleod, C.B., K.C., S.A., who had for some time attended divine worship in Allen Street and communed with the Church at the Lord’s Table. He died from a mysterious accident at the Kensington High Street railway station, and this circumstance, together with his distinguished character and rank, attracted a crowded congregation when his funeral sermon was preached. A large number of officers and civilians connected with India, including Lord Lawrence, were present, and the greatest respect was shown to his memory. The discourse was published by request, and as this sketch of Kensington Church history is intended to include notices of eminent members of the congregation, the following extracts are not inappropriate:—

“Having honourably and successfully occupied different posts of
important service in India, he, in the year 1865, attained to the
high position of Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjaub. . . . Sir
Donald had a rare gift for putting himself into kindly fellowship
with those he ruled, whether rich or poor, entering into their
feelings and cultivating their regards, and by degrees he acquired a
widespread influence in what might be called the country of his
adoption, and all loved him as a friend and father; and it has been
said, if the natives in the Punjaub had had to choose a prince, it
would have been Sir Donald; a still more striking remark, given in
the notice of his life by a leading journal, was recently made by a
native gentleman, to the effect that ‘If all Christians were like Sir
Donald Macleod, there would be no Mahomedans or Hindoos.’ . . . His
calmness and self-possession during the fearful crisis of 1857 made
him a safe counsellor when others were unnerved; besides which, on
another occasion, during a terrible outbreak of cholera, he exerted
himself in the care of sufferers, and in the burial of the dead,
whilst others, panic-stricken, rushed away.

“He had an extraordinary power of making friends, and few have had so
large a circle of friendship. ‘Wherever he went,’ remarks a
relative, ‘his presence was like sunshine, and the sunshine was the
reflection of another presence, even of Him of whom it is said, “In
Thy presence is fulness of joy.’” . . . His bright, cheerful
appearance, commanding figure, and pleasant utterances won all
hearts, especially those of the young, who were attracted by the
magic of sympathy, a rare gift, which he did not fail rightly to
employ.”

“Into Thine hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth,” were amongst the last words he uttered, and they were
selected as the text for his funeral sermon.

In the winter of 1872 the pastor felt it necessary to change his residence, when the ladies of the congregation raised a purse, which, with the addition of £100 from one friend, amounted to between £300 and £400. This bountiful gift, conveyed privately by one of the contributors, touched his heart as may be supposed, and made him feel how great was his people’s generosity, and how gracefully they exercised it. The avoidance of publicity, and the delicate mode of conveying the present, increased greatly his sense of obligation, and attached him to so noble-minded a people more strongly than ever. Their interest in the future he resolved more than ever to consider.

The autumn of that year he visited America, being invited, with the Rev. Joshua C. Harrison, “the friend of his life,” to attend the Evangelical Conference at New York. This was most refreshing, and in renewed health and spirits he returned, in November, to his beloved people; the chapel during his absence having been restored, painted, and decorated anew.

Harmony and love continued, but the want of additional assistance still pressed on all sides. The services of the Rev. S. Matthews, now pastor at Southampton, were secured for one year, and he co-operated with the senior minister very pleasantly; other help was also obtained, but at length the inevitable hour arrived. The Church received the following communication from their pastor in November, 1874:—

“MY BELOVED FLOCK,—

“It is now two years since I made an important communication touching
our relationship to one another. I then stated, that upon a review
of our affairs it struck me that there were subjects for mutual
congratulation and for devout gratitude, particularly in the cheering
aspect of the morning congregation and in your generous responses to
benevolent appeals; but, at the same time, that there were other
things of a different character which weighed upon my mind, such as
the state of attendance on Sunday and week evenings, the need of more
pastoral activity, to which growing years, personal habits, and
increasing claims outside the Church tended to disqualify me,
increasingly in proportion to the lapse of time. What was needed I
pointed out as consisting of an infusion of fresh and youthful blood,
with a more comprehensive, steady, and systematic control of our
Institutions: wants only to be supplied by a new, vigorous, faithful,
and exemplary minister.

“I then ventured to touch upon difficulties, ascertained through
experience, in the way of obtaining either an assistant or a
co-pastor who would secure the confidence, sympathy, and support of
the Church at large. Nor did I omit to notice a question long
pressing on my mind, as to whether it was worth your while to incur
increased pecuniary obligations for the sake of retaining services
which, in the course of nature, could not be continued for many years
longer.

“My judgment, I said, pointed in the direction of retirement, and I
urged upon you the consideration that, on the whole, it might be
easier, wiser, and better, at once, or very soon, to seek a new
pastor altogether, than to aim at mere assistance or even a full
co-pastorate. I also suggested that, perhaps, with my confirmed
habits and tastes, I might serve the Divine Master more usefully in
some other way, than by continuing to hold the office of a settled
pastor.

“I intimated distinctly what a sore trial it was to me to make such a
communication; with what deep sorrow I should separate from a people
whom I had watched and loved for so many years, not, I hope, without
some considerable success; and that I was prompted in what I said,
not by desires for personal gratification, or by love of ease, or a
preference for literary pursuits, but _simply and entirely_ by a
sense of duty and a _supreme desire_, to promote the welfare of the
Church at Kensington.

“My communication was very kindly considered by the deacons and
yourselves, and at length I received a resolution affectionately
entreating me to retain the pastorate without any stipulation as to
time, and generously offering to provide an assistant. I complied
with your request, so far as to say that without pledging myself to a
permanent retention of office, I would accept your liberal offer to
provide assistance, and would for the present continue my labours
amongst you. A little more than a year afterwards, on my return from
America, you invited for the term of twelve months my friend and
brother, the Rev. S. G. Matthews, who has co-operated with me in the
most harmonious and affectionate manner.

“His term of service will presently expire, and now that two years
have elapsed since I made my communication—a period which you will
remember I then specified—the whole subject returns on my mind with
increasing force. Before I left home for the holidays, I stated as
much to the deacons; and what I then thought and felt has been
deepened by the effect of my recent great domestic sorrow, with
respect to which many of you have expressed the tenderest sympathy.

“The more I reflect on the matter, the more I am confirmed in my
former judgment—that, looking at my time of life, and at growing
infirmities, which though they may not affect my pulpit labours, do
affect my pastoral influence, and moreover, looking at pecuniary and
other questions,—an entire change in the pastoral administration of
affairs at Kensington seems desirable for the Church and
congregation.

“Most reluctantly, with much pain, and at the cost of considerable
self-sacrifice in more than one way, I reach the conclusion that our
long and happy relationship must come to an end. Therefore I beg now
to place my resignation in your hands, and to propose, with the view
of relieving you from prolonged suspense and uncertainty, that it
should take effect at Lady-day next, when I shall make way for a
successor who will, I trust, under God’s blessing, perpetuate and
advance the work which it has been my honour to carry on more than
thirty-one years.

“I do not think I shall be charged with vanity if I add that I am
persuaded this communication will give pain. Attachment has been so
often expressed, the affection of many has been so strongly and
practically shown, that it would be unreasonable and ungrateful to
suspect I did not still enjoy your confidence and love. I am assured
of both, and my hope is that though my pastoral relationship will
cease, our mutual friendship will continue, and that in future days I
may have opportunities of continued intercourse and occasional
service.

“The Church at Kensington will have a large and warm place in my
heart as long as that heart beats in this world; and my prayer is,
that in the world to come we may all enjoy life and fellowship
everlasting.”

An anxious discussion followed the reading of this letter at a Church meeting, held on the 12th of November, when the members recorded “the deep regret with which they had received from their beloved pastor the communication now presented by the deacons”; also their full appreciation of “the motives and reasons which had led him to his decision”; the “unabated attachment” which they still cherished towards him; and their gratitude to God “for the peace which had prevailed in the Church,” and the “many mercies vouchsafed” both to pastor and people.

A committee was formed to consider what further steps should be taken, and the meeting came “with the utmost regret and reluctance to the conclusion that the only course now open was to accept the resignation of their beloved and honoured pastor.” When the committee gave in their report, some members lovingly made further efforts to retain their old minister, but others equally loving saw that such efforts would be unavailing. At length all beautifully united in saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

It was then resolved “that this meeting considers advantage should be taken of the opportunity afforded by the resignation of Dr. Stoughton, for the members of the Church and congregation . . . as well as for attached friends generally, to express their esteem for Dr. Stoughton, and appreciation of his character and valuable services in the cause of evangelical truth, by a substantial presentation to him.”

When the resignation had been sent in and accepted, a sermon was preached reviewing the past, explaining the present, and anticipating the future:—

“It is over forty years ago [said the preacher] that there lived in
the town of Windsor a venerable man of God, who in early life had
enjoyed only scanty educational advantages, but who, with strong
common sense and industrious application to the study of Scripture
and other reading, fitted himself, under God’s blessing, for the work
of the ministry, and well fulfilled his course. He lived as he
preached. He was a moral and spiritual power amongst his neighbours.
From the king on the throne to the humblest inhabitant he was held in
respect. George III. would speak to some of his servants, who
attended the ministry of this excellent person, in terms of gracious
approval. When years advanced and infirmities increased, he set his
heart upon having a colleague, and after the congregation had
listened to several students from Highbury College, they fixed on a
stripling, who won the heart and warmly reciprocated the affection of
the aged prophet. As a son with a father, the young man served in
the gospel for about seven happy years, rejoicing in the honour paid
to the elder, in whose hoary hairs he gladly recognised a crown of
glory, because the wearer walked in the ways of righteousness. Many
of you will recognise at once who was that aged saint, and I need
hardly tell any here who was that inexperienced but attached young
man. After I came here it was long a cherished dream, that if I
should live to be an old man, I might enter once more upon a
co-pastorate. The sunny memories I had and have of that relationship
fostered corresponding hopes, and seven years ago I began to pray for
and desire some one who might be associated with me in the ministry,
and grow into your affection and confidence, and at length succeed me
within these walls. Many and many a time have I pondered the text of
this morning, and imagined how I might preach from it when the
wished-for coming man should be appointed. I used to think of what
would be fitting on such an occasion. ‘He must increase, and I must
decrease,’ I said over and over again to myself, and not without fear
that poor human nature might, under the circumstances, prove
troublesome and rebellious. I endeavoured to prepare for the
hoped-for crisis by meditations such as I have expressed in your
hearing to-day.

“But now I preach from the words without knowing who it is that the
Master destines to occupy in future years the pulpit of this place.
Who shall hereafter ‘increase’ I cannot tell. I only know who must
‘decrease.’

“I did not renounce the idea of a co-pastorate until I was convinced
from experience and observation that such a co-pastorate as I desired
was impracticable. I remember often saying that I thought it must be
an old man’s fault if he could not find, and work with, a fitting
colleague. Alas, the finding has proved an impossibility, though I
still incline to my old opinion of the working of the arrangement,
when an appropriate colleague can be found. I am still persuaded
that both for young ministers and for old ones the colligate plan is
very desirable. Age tempers youth. Youth animates age. The senior
with refined experience, the junior with the flush and fervour of
opening life, conjoined in pastoral work, must surely to all appear a
beautiful ideal. I was not brought to say, ‘What I shall _choose_ I
wot not,’ but I have been compelled to forego the exercise of
_choice_ in the matter, and to fall back on simple convictions of
duty. Perhaps there is something amiss in the working of our system
in relation to colligate ministries. Neither assistantships nor
co-pastorates are in favour now-a-days, though in earlier
Nonconformist societies they were. One minister is expected and
desired to do everything, and, in a sense not intended by Ignatius,
his motto finds a practical currency amongst us—widely as we may be
separated from him in notions of episcopal government—‘nothing
without the bishop.’”

On the 4th of April, 1875, Dr. Stoughton preached his farewell sermon as pastor at Kensington. The text was 1 Thessalonians ii. 19, 20: “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” The sermon concluded with these words:—

“Perhaps the strongest of all ministerial power is sympathy in
sorrow. It has been my lot to visit many in affliction, to sit by
many sick beds, to witness the desolation of many a hearth, to grasp
the widow’s hand, to kiss the orphan’s cheek. If I have ever shed
one drop of healing balm over a wounded heart, or cast one ray of
light over a darkened dwelling, I thank God for it, as the fulfilment
of a ministry in which angels might have been glad to share; and sure
I am that the remembrance of it, and the prospect of spending
eternity together with the sons and daughters of sorrow in that world
where tears are wiped from off all faces, will form no small part of
my joy and crown of rejoicing in the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ at His corning.

“And now, in the words of Edward Irving, let me say, ‘Brethren, I
thank you in fine for the patience with which you have heard me on
this and all other occasions. I have nothing to boast of, as St.
Paul had when he parted with the Ephesian elders. I can speak of
your kindness and of the Almighty’s grace, but of my own performances
I cannot speak. Imperfections beset me round, which it is not my
part to confess, save to the God of mercy. All these imperfections I
crave you to forget. Fain would I continue to have a place in your
esteem and love, as you have in mine; and besides this I have no
favour to ask. Your kind remembrance and prayer, that is all.

“‘And now, God grant that while the roof-tree of this temple stands,
and these walls resist the hand of all-consuming time, there may be
no voice uttered from this pulpit but the voice of the Gospel of
peace; that all who come up to worship here may be accepted of the
Lord; and that we who have met so oft together, and joined the voice
of our prayer and the notes of our praise together, may yet lift the
voice of our prayer from beneath the altar of the living God, and
minister our praise around His holy throne. Amen.’

“To each one I say, ‘the Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord
make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the Lord
lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.’”

On the following Thursday evening a crowded meeting took place in Kensington Chapel, Samuel Morley, Esq., M.P., in the chair. Amongst those present were Sir Thomas Chambers, M.P.; Mr. Henry Richard, M.P.; Sir Charles Reed; Dean Stanley; Canon Freemantle; the Rev. J. P. Gell, Vicar of St. John’s, Notting Hill; the Rev. S. Minton; Dr. Morley Punshon; Dr. Angus; Dr. Allon; Principal Newth; the Rev. J. C. Harrison; the Rev. Baldwin Brown; and many other honoured brethren.

After addresses by the Rev. J. C. Harrison, the Rev. Samuel Bergne (intimate personal friends of the retiring minister), the Dean of Westminster, Sir Charles Reed, and the Rev. J. P. Gell, Incumbent of St. John’s,—Mr. Robert Freeman, an active and honoured deacon of the Church for many years, read an address in felicitous and graceful as well as truly Christian language, and then placed in the retiring pastor’s hands a purse containing £3,000. The whole assembly rose, and afterwards Dr. Stoughton spoke at considerable length, and in conclusion observed:—

“As I leave you to-night, I think of Gregory Nazianzan, when he took
leave, one by one, of various familiar objects in his beloved church
at Constantinople. I could speak to _that pulpit_ from which I have
often addressed you, and that communion table round which we have
gathered in remembrance of the risen Saviour. I could pensively bid
them, one by one, farewell, though I fully hope often to visit you
again. I cannot forget Sunday mornings, when I have seen loving
smiles and looks responding to my utterances, and I trust felt the
presence of the Master so as to get very near to heaven. I shall
carry these memories with me into the world of light and love.

“One word as to my position in reference to my theological and
ecclesiastical opinions. There are different phases of Christian
truth: the moral brought out by the Apostle James, the doctrinal by
the Apostle Paul, the experimental by the Apostle Peter. One apostle
above others blended these peculiarities in himself, harmonizing them
all, like prismatic rays in ‘candid light,’ to use Bishop Warburton’s
expression—the ‘candid,’ pure, perfect light of Divine love. I have
striven to make him my model, to neglect no side of evangelical
truth, but to go all round it; and if my poor teaching under such
guidance has done any good, let God have all the praise. As to my
ecclesiastical position, I have never shrank from expressing my
opinion with regard to the Establishment principle. I am a thorough
and earnest Nonconformist. There are many reasons why I could not
conform; and I will now only mention this, that I could not surrender
my liberty to preach the gospel in the pulpits of other communions,
and to invite brethren of other communions to preach in mine. I have
not seen it my vocation to join in certain movements of the day under
the guidance of those whose practical application of Nonconformist
principles in some respects differs from my own. I am not finding
fault with them, and I hope they will not find fault with me. Let us
agree to differ. One great object of my life has been rather to
improve our own denomination, than to criticise and censure others;
and also to cultivate loving relationship with other Churches, and it
is my peculiar joy that my life aim in this respect has been
generously recognised and reciprocated.”

Speeches were then delivered by Dr. Punshon, Sir Thomas Chambers, Dr. Angus, Mr. Richard (Dr. Stoughton’s fellow-student), the Rev. Guinness Rogers, and Mr. Henry Wright,—a friend who had become deacon of the Church during Dr. Stoughton’s ministry, and had been especially active in connection with the testimonial. Some playful allusions were made in the course of the evening. One was by the Dean, who said it was a custom amongst the monks at Westminster to call a brother who had been amongst them thirty years by the gentle name of _playfellow_, and never to do anything disagreeable in his presence. And such, he would say, was the tranquil period which their friend had reached, yet not so as to quench hope of his still using voice and pen for the good of others. Another was by Mr. Richard, who referred to a debate in college days, between him and Dr. Stoughton, on the question, “Who was the greater man, Oliver Cromwell or Napoleon Bonaparte?” Dr. Stoughton took Cromwell, and he, Mr. Richard, now the great political apostle of peace, then preferred Napoleon. He supposed his friend remained true to his idol, he himself had changed his standard of idolism. The Hon. and Rev. Canon Freemantle pronounced the benediction.

The address, elegantly illuminated and cased in morocco and silver, was afterwards transmitted to Ealing, and the names of contributors were read with much interest and gratitude. Amongst them were those of rich and poor members of the communion, and of distinguished persons outside the Kensington Church, including noblemen and dignitaries of the Establishment. Mention ought to be made of Archdeacon Sinclair, Vicar of the parish. He entered on that office about the time that Dr. Stoughton came to Kensington. The Vicar then called on him, to give a cordial welcome, and they remained on terms of friendship down to the farewell meeting. The congregation some time before sent a contribution towards building the new parish church, of about £100, through their pastor’s hands to the Vicar, who expressed the greatest delight in accepting such a pledge of Christian catholicity. After the farewell meeting, he wrote saying that he hoped soon to call upon his old friend in his new abode. But he died within a few weeks of the meeting, and the first time Dr. Stoughton occupied the pulpit at Allen Street Chapel after his retirement, was to preach a funeral sermon for his beloved and honoured neighbour.