MEMORIALS OF THE INDEPENDENT CHURCH AT PAULERSPURY.
In this village, known as the birth-place of the celebrated Dr. Carey, of the Baptist Mission at Serampore, the Independent Church is of recent formation. In the year 1826 a Chapel was erected, and the whole of the expenses were cleared off by the exertions of Mr. Hawkins, Independent minister, of Towcester. About the autumn of 1841, Mr. Buckingham, the present minister of this place, was invited to preach in the Chapel on the week evenings. His services proving acceptable, attention being excited, and indications of usefulness appearing, the congregation expressed a desire to enjoy the benefit of his stated labours. In connexion with this proposal, arrangements were made between the congregation at Paulerspury and the Church at Towcester, for the Chapel, then the property of that Church, to be put in trust for the use of this congregation. In the summer of 1842 Mr. Buckingham began to labour statedly among the people, and was much encouraged by the increasing attention, and the disposition manifested by the people to hear the word. A Sabbath-school was formed, when between forty and fifty children attended: it had a gradual increase, until, in the following year, the number of scholars rose to 200. Since then the numbers have varied, owing to different causes which will arise in this changing world. The congregation increased so, that it was found necessary to erect two side galleries, in addition to the front gallery that had been already formed. The week-day services were also well attended. A small number of persons, most of whom had been brought to an acquaintance with divine things under Mr. Buckingham"s ministry, were desirous of enjoying the benefits of Church fellowship, and were encouraged to give themselves to the Lord and to each other in these bonds of the Gospel; and were accordingly formed into a Church, consisting of sixteen members, on the 28th of February, 1844. The services on the interesting occasion were conducted by Messrs Hawkins, of Towcester; Slye, of Potterspury; J.
Bull, of Newport Pagnell; and Wager, of Stony Stratford: then the ordinance of the Lord"s Supper was first administered to them, in which persons of different religious denominations united, who appeared to feel a deep and lively interest in the solemnity.
In the beginning of the year 1845 some of the members of the Church experienced much persecution, which caused a few to halt, and others to keep back. It rose to such a height, at one time, as to threaten the extinction of the rising energies of the Church; but through the kind interposition of a gracious Providence, a reaction took place, and the wrath of man was made to praise G.o.d.
In the early part of the year 1847, the subject of Mr. Buckingham"s ordination was mentioned; neighbouring ministers having hitherto administered the Lord"s Supper. After much deliberation and prayer, the subject was laid before the ministers of the North Bucks a.s.sociation, and after mature consideration the approval of their committee was expressed. It was arranged that the ordination service should take place on the 24th of November, 1847. On that day, Mr. Hawkins commenced the services; Mr. J. Bull expounded the principles of Congregationalism in an introductory discourse; Mr. Slye proposed the questions; Mr. Davis offered the ordination prayer; Mr. T. P. Bull gave the charge; Mr. Aston preached to the people.
The year immediately succeeding this, Mr. Buckingham"s health began very seriously to fail, and he was obliged to desist from preaching for several months, during which time supplies were obtained. His health is still very delicate, and but for frequent a.s.sistance he would be obliged to resign the pastoral oversight of his much attached people.
In consequence of the large number of school children, it was deemed advisable to erect new school-rooms for their better accommodation. In the year 1850 the school-rooms were erected, at a cost of 150. Through the kindness of friends, and especially the friends at Pury, the whole is now cleared off. A burial ground is attached to the Chapel, and more than fifty interments have taken place since it was appropriated for this purpose in 1843.
In regard to the future, the pastor observes "that the prospects are very cheering." On the Sabbath and week-evening services the attendance continues steady and regular, and never better than at the present time.
The Church has continued to increase. The present number of communicants is seventy-two; Sabbath-school children, one hundred and fifty-nine--teachers, forty.
We trust the blessing of the Lord will still rest upon them, and that, "walking together in the fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they will be edified and multiplied."
CHAPTER XXVII.
HOME MISSIONARY STATIONS.
1.--KING"S CLIFFE AND Na.s.sINGTON.
In the north-eastern part of the county of Northampton there are two Home Missionary Stations. In the first of these the agent statedly preaches at King"s Cliffe and Na.s.sington, having a Chapel at Castor also under his superintendence.
The Church that has been formed at King"s Cliffe originated in the efforts of the General Baptists about thirty years back. The Rev. Mr.
Payne, who belonged to that denomination, and was minister of Baradon, Rutlandshire, preached the Gospel here, and had a Chapel erected. But Mr. Payne shortly after left the neighbourhood; and after repeated efforts by Baptist ministers, with but little success, the place was resigned into the hands of the Independents.
The Northamptonshire a.s.sociation of Independent Churches took the place under their direction for a time, in connexion with Na.s.sington, and the Rev. J. Matthews and the Rev. J. Dann laboured in these places, having their residence chiefly at the latter village. A Church was formed at Na.s.sington on the 8th of April, 1835; and the present Chapel was opened for public worship on the 21st of May, 1839, when the Rev. B. Hobson, of Welford, and the Rev. E. T. Prust, of Northampton, preached.
In the year 1841 the station was taken into connexion with the Home Missionary Society. In March, 1844, the Rev. G. Amos, one of the Society"s agents, was sent on probation, and accepted as the minister of the two Churches. On the 24th of June in that year his ordination took place, in the Chapel at Na.s.sington: the ministers who engaged were the Rev. Messrs. Islip, of Stamford, Gammage, of Ketton, Goode, of Peterborough, Newth, of Oundle, Smith, of Wymondham. In October of that year Mr. Amos commenced his residence at King"s Cliffe.
The ground on which the Chapel was first erected here being private property, and as no satisfactory arrangements for its purchase could be made, it was at length determined to give it up, and to build a new one.
The present Independent Chapel in King"s Cliffe was built in the year 1846; the opening services were held on the 29th of September. The Rev.
J. Richardson, of Tottenham Court Chapel, London, preached two sermons on the occasion; and on the following Sabbath sermons were preached by the Rev. J. Matthews, of Shepton, Norfolk, the Rev. A. Newth, of Oundle, and the Rev. W. Robinson, of Kettering. A school-room was built in 1847, and opened for a Day-school in October of that year. The cost of the Chapel and the school-room was about 500. Of this sum, there now remains a debt of about 150. At Castor a neat Chapel was erected in 1848; the Rev. T. Toller, of Kettering, and the Rev. E. T. Prust, of Northampton, preached when it was opened for divine worship. There are thirty-seven members in the Church at King"s Cliffe, and forty in the Church at Na.s.sington--total, seventy-seven. The Sabbath-school in the former place has one hundred and thirty children, and the Sabbath-school in the latter place, seventy--total, two hundred.
2.--BOROUGH FEN.
This place is extra parochial, the property of Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, Bart., situated six miles north of Peterborough. The Gospel was introduced here about twenty years ago, by the Wesleyan Methodists; the preaching services were then conducted in a room of the house now occupied by the minister. In 1836 Sir Culling built a neat and s.p.a.cious building, which is used both as a daily school-room and Chapel. For several years the preaching services were conducted by the master. A congregation having been thus collected, and Sunday-schools opened, it was considered to be a promising sphere for regular ministerial labour; and accordingly, in 1843, Mr. D. Blellock was stationed here as a Home Missionary. After the removal of Mr. Blellock in 1846, Mr. Alexander Yuill was settled here, who, after a few months of acceptable and useful labour, fell asleep in Jesus. In January, 1849, Mr. J. B. Bishop, the present pastor, was invited to settle over the congregation worshipping in this place and in Peakirk. Through Mr. Bishop"s instrumentality a Christian Church was formed, March 30th, 1849, numbering thirteen members. The following places are connected with this station, viz.: Peakirk, Crowland (Lincolnshire), Glinton, and New Borough. There are now twenty-seven Church members, seventy-five Sabbath-school children, and one Day-school.
3.--MIDDLETON.
In the year 1844, a neat and commodious village Chapel, capable of seating near two hundred hearers, was erected here, at a cost of more than 300; and this year (1852) school-rooms have been added, which have cost nearly 100. It is supplied generally in the afternoon and evening of the Sabbath, and there is in connexion with it a Sabbath-school containing nearly one hundred children.