MEMORIALS OF THE INDEPENDENT CHURCH AT YARDLEY HASTINGS.
The name of this village is familiar to many of the lovers of poetry
from Cowper's celebrated lines on "Yardley Oak," standing in "Yardley
Chase," about a mile and a half from the village.
A stranger paying a visit to Yardley might have his attention excited by
the appearance of a large and beautiful stone building, as an
Independent Chapel, with a respectable minister's house on the south
side of the Chapel, and spacious school-rooms on the north. The whole of
the buildings, standing on an elevation and being enclosed by a wall and
ornamental iron railing, add much to the appearance of the village.
It would be highly gratifying to any friend to Dissenting Churches to be
able to tell from what small beginnings this rose, who commenced an
Independent interest here, what difficulties were overcome, what trials
were borne, and with what success the efforts were crowned. But in these
respects disappointment meets us. Those who first laboured here, and
laid the foundation of this Church, were more anxious, we presume, to
have their services approved and recorded on high, than to secure a
record of them to be handed down to their successors in the Church
below. We think it would have been wiser if they had left us some
written memorials of the labours in which they engaged, and of the
blessing that attended them, not for our gratification merely, but for
our encouragement and improvement.
The earliest trust deed of a Meeting House at Yardley is dated 1719, and
it speaks of the building as having been recently erected. The first
notice that we have been able to find of a stated minister in this place
occurs in the certificate of Doddridge's ordination at Northampton, in
1730. One of the signatures to that document is Mr. J. Drake, of
Yardley. The same name occurs in a certificate which we have seen,
preserved in the handwriting of Doddridge, of the ordination of the Rev.
W. Hextal, at Creaton, in 1738. Mr. Drake was also present at the
ordination of Mr. Haywood, of Potterspury, in the year 1740, and he also
officiated in the ordination service and signed the certificate of the
late Rev. W. Bull, of Newport, in October, 1766. Thus we learn that he
was for a considerable number of years minister of this place. It was
also stated by the late Mr. Bull, that during the latter years of his
life he resided at Olney, was pastor of the Independent Church there,
and was accustomed to preach one part of the Sabbath at Yardley, and the
other part at Olney.
About the year 1782, the Church at Yardley, being destitute of a
minister, requested Mr. Thomas Raban, of Olney, to render them his
assistance. After supplying them with acceptance for some time, he was
invited to become their pastor, and was ordained in 1783. There are some
interesting particulars preserved of the character and labours of Mr.
Raban, which we shall briefly present to the reader. He was born at
Turvey, in the county of Bedford--the village that was for years
distinguished by the ministry of Legh Richmond, and by the results of
his ministry leading to the formation of an Independent Church in that
place. Mr. Raban was apprenticed at Olney, where he first heard the
truths of the Gospel from Mr. Moses Brown, author of 'Sunday Thoughts,'
then the vicar of Olney. When about ten years of age, he was deeply
convinced of sin, and guided to the Saviour of sinners. He became a
stated hearer and an affectionate friend of Mr. Brown's, and joined in
communion with the Church. He had occasional opportunities of hearing
Mr. Whitefield, and to his dying day he retained the savour of the
truths which that eminent servant of Christ delivered. Speaking of Mr.
Whitefield, he would say, "I once had the honour of having him hang on
my arm; and, to be sure, I thought myself the happiest of men:" at
another time--"I attended him as a guide to a village where he was going
to preach, to my unspeakable gratification." He sometimes also attended
Mr. Hervey's ministry, and would speak of his sermons with renewed
satisfaction and delight to the end of his life. About the year 1778, in
conjunction with an intimate friend, he began to exhort at
prayer-meetings attended by members of the establishment. They
persevered in this practice for some time solely with the view of being
serviceable to their fellow Christians in that neighbourhood; though the
Lord, by this step, was preparing them for spheres of usefulness in
another direction, and the great Bishop of Souls soon found employment
for both of them. This friend of Mr. Raban's was Mr. Perry, who
afterwards became minister at Wollaston.
When Mr. Raban had accepted the invitation to Yardley, he was much
devoted to the spiritual interests of his flock; but having a numerous
family, he continued at Olney, following his occupation as a mechanic or
builder. This enabled him to serve his flock with scarcely any reward
but their affections and their prayers. In addition to his labours at
Yardley, he preached lectures in different places; and it is worthy of
remark, that he was the first Dissenting minister who established a
lecture at Woburn, Bedfordshire, where there is now a settled
congregation.
Several remarkable escapes from danger and death were experienced by Mr.
Raban. On one occasion, being in an unfinished building two stories
high, his foot slipped and he fell to the ground and pitched upon an
axe, the edge of which stood upright; it cut his hat, but missed his
head, and he sustained little or no injury. At another time, a large
piece of timber, on which he had set his foot, heaved up and fell with
him into a saw-pit, and an anvil of a hundred pounds' weight, connected
with the wood, fell upon him; but it only bruised his leg, which was
soon healed. There was another still more remarkable preservation which
he had to record. As he was assisting in raising a beam in a mill, the
rope slipped, when the beam, under which he stood, fell with him from a
height of four stories; but though much injured by the fall, his life
was wonderfully preserved. At another time, he was driving a team with a
load of hay down a narrow lane, when, by attempting to get on the other
side of the waggon, he was thrown under the wheel; but he had the
presence of mind to call to the horses to stop, which they did in a
moment, and thus he was once more saved from instantaneous death. Such
deliverances must have deeply affected the heart of a good man, and have
led him with some deep emotion to say, with the Psalmist, "who
redeemeth our life from destruction." But within the last month of his
existence, the truth of Cowper's beautiful lines were exemplified--
"Safety consists not in escape
From dangers of a frightful shape;
An earthquake may be bid to spare
The man that's strangled by a hair."
On Lord's-day, May 9th, he was engaged in preaching at Woburn. After
service, when leaving a friend's house, his foot slipped over a
pebble--he fell, and found his right leg was broken; and that was the
means of bringing him to the end of his life, on the 31st of the same
month.
"In his person," it is said, "Mr. Raban was tall, being full six feet
high, of an athletic habit, and of regular features. His perceptions
were quick, his memory strong, his spirit ardent and undaunted, mingled
with a good degree of patience and perseverance; in fine, he enjoyed the
union of those good qualities which rendered his life highly serviceable
and honourable in the situation where infinite wisdom had placed him."
The Rev. William Bull, of Newport, preached his funeral sermon, at
Yardley, from 2 Chron. xxxii. 33 ("And all Judah and Jerusalem did him
honour at his death"), in which he gave the following account of Mr.
Raban's character and ministry:--
It may appear needless for me to dwell upon the character of your
deceased pastor, to persons who have known him so many years; but I
believe very few, except his own family, were so intimately
acquainted with him, either as a man, a Christian, or a minister. He
had long been accustomed to open his mind freely to me; and I have
remarked, that those who best knew him esteemed him most; so I am
conscious the more I saw of his heart the stronger affection I felt
for him. Few persons have filled up a greater variety of relations
in life than our departed friend. Early habituated to business, his
increasing family and peculiar circumstances led him into
complicated scenes of worldly engagements, all of which, to the best
of my knowledge, he discharged with unblemished integrity and
uncommon disinterestedness. In such a situation, I believe, no man
ever lived wholly without censure, much less a real Christian, and
least of all a minister of the Gospel. Envy is sure to attack such a
character on one side or the other. Failings, from which the best of
men are never exempt, are often in such cases dwelt upon with
pleasure, if not magnified with diligence. However, I can truly say,
that scarcely any man I know had fewer or smaller faults than my
late dear friend. Whatever they were, they may now properly be
buried with him, while his good works, in which he abounded to the
glory of God and the good of men, have followed him to another
world. His disposition as a man was peaceable, loving, and friendly.
His weeping family bear testimony to his peculiar tenderness and
love, both as a husband and parent. It is my duty to unite with his
friends in speaking of that kindness and disinterestedness with
which he administered every service in his power to all who enjoyed
his familiar friendship. I do not doubt but the town of Olney will
miss and lament him, and so will this Church and congregation; and I
am sure several ministers of the Gospel will feel the wound deeply.
His hope of salvation was firmly grounded on the Lord Jesus Christ;
his views of the Gospel were evangelical and clear; his experience
deep and lively; and his desires after real holiness of heart and
life were steadfast and influential. While from the first of his
separation from the Established Church he was conscientious and firm
in his dissent, no person was ever more removed from bigotry towards
any party. He was friendly and affectionate to pious people, and
useful to the encouragement of ministers whose judgment in trivial
matters differed from his own. Seldom has the loss of one individual
been so deeply and affectionately felt as his will be, on this
account. An earnest desire to be useful to those about him strongly
marked all his actions, whether it respected their temporal or their
spiritual concerns. It is no wonder, therefore, that he took
peculiar delight in preaching that free grace which he himself had
tasted and enjoyed. To this his congregation can bear a decided
testimony; and I hope, my dear friends, you will prove your love to
the Gospel which so long has been freely preached to you, by your
exertions for its continuance now your worthy pastor is no more.
"Remember him who has had the rule over you, whose faith follow,
considering the end of his conversation." He is gone to give an
account of his ministry; and very soon you must follow him, to give
your account of the use and abuse you have made of his labours of
love. How happy are those who went before him to glory! and how
happy will it be for you, if you follow after!
As to his family, prudence tenderness and love say, Be sparing. I
commit them all to the support of his Lord and their Lord, to his
God and their God. His dying prayer for his son in the ministry was,
that he might be kept in a humble and faithful attachment to the
truths of the Gospel; and to this I add my hearty Amen!
Upon the whole, there might be some things in his example for us to
avoid; but I am sure there were many for us to imitate. His happy
spirit is now doubtless before the throne, enjoying the friendship
of his companion and fellow labourer, Mr. Perry. Now their labours
are ended, in the enjoyment of that "rest which remaineth for the
people of God."
"There, on a green and flowery mount,
Their weary spirits sit,
And with transporting joy recount
The labours of their feet."
The next minister who was placed over this people was Mr. John Hoppus,
who accepted an invitation to the pastoral office, and was ordained in
May, 1804. Mr. Hoppus was born in London, 1761; and becoming early
acquainted with real religion, he joined the Church under the care of
the Rev. W. Bennett, Moorfields, availing himself also, on suitable
occasions, of the pulpit instructions of the Rev. Messrs. Newton and
Romaine; and the Rev. Rowland Hill greatly attracted his admiration, on
account of his fervent and zealous address. He sympathized with that
school of Christians which sprung from the labours of Whitefield, whose
letters, detailing his labours in Britain and America, were always
perused by Mr. Hoppus with delight. The very name of their author was
sufficient to animate him to earnest conversation, when oppressed by
bodily affliction and declining years. Indeed, such was his admiration
of the zealous spirit of Whitefield, as recorded in his history, that to
feel and to express the same sentiment in the hearing of Mr. Hoppus was
one of the readiest avenues to his friendship. While engaged in
business, he became connected with the London Itinerant Society,
preaching in many places in the vicinity of the metropolis; and his
labours proved very acceptable and useful. The following remarkable
instance is deserving of notice: "When he was preaching on one occasion
at Lewisham, a lady who through domestic trouble was resolved on
suicide, and was on her way to commit the deed, passed the door of the
place where Mr. Hoppus was at that moment speaking of the sin of Judas,
who "went out, and hanged himself." Hearing the preacher's voice, she
entered, was much struck with his earnest manner, and applied the
subject to her own case. She told him, in a subsequent interview, that
he had been the means of saving both body and soul."
Mr. Hoppus at length resigned his business, to devote himself entirely
to the work of the ministry. He removed to Newport Pagnell, to avail
himself of the advantages of the academical institution there, under the
care of the Rev. W. Bull. While there, he was highly esteemed by his
worthy tutor, his fellow students, and many of the good people in the
town and neighbourhood.
He had several invitations to the pastoral office, but declined the
others to accept the one he received from Yardley, though the cause was
then in so low a state that the Church consisted of only nine members,
and the congregation of about forty hearers. But it was soon found
necessary to erect a gallery, and remodel the interior of the Chapel;
and as there was no house suitable for the minister, a commodious one
was erected adjoining the Chapel, by the liberal permission of the
Marquis of Northampton, the ground landlord.
Mr. Hoppus was a devoted village pastor; he paid great attention to the
young, and a weekly meeting was held at his house on Saturday evenings,
for the catechetical instruction and the encouragement of those young
persons who appeared religiously disposed. He excelled in pastoral
visitation; was much in the habit of introducing religious conversation
in families, and in the work-rooms of the lacemakers. He endeavoured to
extend the knowledge of the Gospel to the villages around him. For many
years he preached on stated evenings in the week at Denton, Easton, and
Grendon, as well as at Yardley, beside visiting other places. Sometimes
he conducted services in the open air. He had a very happy method of
dropping a word of religious advice to persons whom he accidentally saw
at their worldly calling: in this he was very useful, not only in
conciliating the minds of some, but often of implanting deep and
permanent impressions.
In the year 1813, in the midst of great pastoral success, a fire broke
out, which destroyed many houses in the village; and the Chapel also was
destroyed, which had stood nearly a century. This grievous trial would
have overwhelmed a mind of less energy and enterprise, as the people at
Yardley were totally unable to defray the expense of a new building. Mr.
Hoppus, however, immediately set about the arduous task of appealing to
Christian benevolence, and after many months of unwearied labour raised
a sufficient sum in the adjacent counties and the metropolis to erect a
Chapel of twice the size of the other place. A gallery was afterwards
added, to accommodate a still increasing congregation.
But during a pastorate of thirty years, he had to share in some of the
trials of the faithful minister. He often lamented that his hands were
not more strengthened by the conversion to God of such as might have
proved influential in discountenancing vice and immorality by an
exemplary life, in consequence of their better circumstances. In some
cases his fidelity gave offence.
After having been accustomed, till his seventy-second year, to preach
three times on the Sabbath, increasing infirmities induced him to resign
the pastoral office. The last time he preached at Yardley was on May
4th, 1834; and he administered the Lord's Supper to his late charge only
a few weeks before his death.
In the latter years of his life Mr. Hoppus often appeared to enjoy much
happiness in religion, and when unable to sleep would speak much and
fervently of the great truths of the Gospel, and the glorious
anticipations of believers. He would repeat many Scripture passages and
hymns from which he derived comfort and edification. It was often
evident to those around him that his mind was maturing for the great and
blissful change that awaited him. He had recovered from an attack of
indisposition, and still appeared to retain a portion of the vigour of
his naturally fine constitution. On the 30th of August, 1837, he had
taken some exercise in his garden, and in the evening had prayed in his
family as usual; but he had not long retired to rest before he was heard
to breathe deeply twice, apparently in sleep. His appearance indicated
what proved to be the event. Medical aid was called in, but the vital
spark had fled. Thus, in his seventy-seventh year, did this servant of
God obtain what he had for years desired might be granted him in death,
"an easy dismission."
Mr. Hoppus was interred in the burial-ground of the Chapel. The funeral
sermon was preached, according to the long expressed wish of the
deceased, by his esteemed friend, the Rev. T. P. Bull, from a text
chosen by himself--1 Cor. xv. 58.
Mr. Hoppus's labours were eminently disinterested. "I have stated," said
Mr. Bull, in his sermon, "that he was in business seven years; and,
successful as he was, when his industry, perseverance, and talents for
business are considered, if he had continued in it he might have
accumulated much wealth. But it was not his object to seek that which
has been the ruin of so many; and at Yardley you have seen, my friends,
that he 'sought not yours, but you.' As to his life, it is unnecessary
to say anything, for you all know his consistency. His views of the
Gospel were clear. His religion was that of the heart: it was sterling,
rational, and practical, and influenced his life and conduct. He
'travailed in birth for souls.' When he came to Yardley, the place of
worship was small, the Church was small, and there was no minister's
house. He enlarged the Chapel, built the house; and when the Chapel was
burned down, he accomplished the laborious task of collecting, and built
this commodious place." "What he did for the cause of Christ at Yardley
will remain as his monument to future times."
These particulars are taken from an account written by Mr. Hoppus's only
daughter. His only son is Professor Hoppus, of the London University.
After Mr. Hoppus had resigned the pastoral office, the Rev. J. Bunn
succeeded him, commencing his stated labours in January, 1834. He
removed to Abergavenny, in Wales, in 1838. During the ministry of Mr.
Bunn, two new galleries were added to the Chapel.
The Rev. James Spong, of Newport Pagnell Academy, succeeded Mr. Bunn,
becoming pastor in October, 1838. He resigned about the end of 1840.
The Rev. William Todman, the present pastor, took the oversight of the
Church and congregation and commenced his labours on the 5th of June,
1842. During the ten years that have elapsed since then, the large and
convenient school-rooms have been built adjoining the Chapel, at a cost
of nearly L400. In the daily Infant-school there are upwards of 80
children, and in the Sabbath-school 260. Many additions have been made
to the Church, and the congregations never were better than at the
present time. The number of communicants is about 116. Occasional
services are conducted in the villages in the vicinity of Yardley.
The state of this interest shows what may be done, under the divine
blessing, to sustain and advance a Christian society on voluntary
principles, in a situation of not the most promising character, by men
of a devoted spirit, concerned to promote the glory of the Saviour and
the welfare of immortal minds.