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.