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Notes of Work

DONE BY CERTAIN COLLEGE MEN.

COMPILED BY C. H. SPURGEON.

UR friends who are of a practical turn of mind will like to see what is being done by men who were once in our College. The proof of every institution lies in its fruits. In the matter of good accomplished by the instrumentality of our men the difficulty is to select specimens; to give the bulk would be out of the question. A very large number of our brethren could tell of the Lord's blessing their ministry to the conversion of sinners, and the increase of his church; and if we say nothing about the most of them it is only because we have no room for all in our Report, though they all live in our heart, and for all of them we magnify the Lord.

In our first selection we shall mention brethren who have been occupied with building New Meeting-houses since our last Report. In these cases this material work is only the outward sign of spiritual work performed. This toil among stones and mortar is by no means delightful, and with a poor people at your back it is often a new version of Israel in Egypt making bricks without straw; but yet where God has sent large increase, or opened new fields, it is a labour which must be attended to. Oh, that we had more means with which to help worthy workers, driven to their wits' end for money wherewith to pay for a roof above their heads! If our climate would only let us meet in the open-air all the year round! But then it will not; and what is the good of wishing? God's providential arrangements necessitate buildings to worship in throughout these British Isles; these will not spring up of themselves like Jonah's gourd, and therefore they must be built; and ministers must collect, and Christians must give according to their means. The weary labourers to whom this task is allotted deserve our sympathy, and we would show it by mentioning their names in these pages, as we have in most cases shown it by placing our name in their little collecting books, of which some people are so afraid.

Here is a letter from a region in which the population has increased beyond all expectation, and the religious accommodation is scant.

Mr. Lardner says:

BATTERSEA.

"Dear Mr. Spurgeon,-I write to cheer your heart, for I know it cheers you to hear good news from your sons. The Lord never blessed us so much as during the past year, both in temporal and in spiritual things. He has so helped us in our new building, having moved others to help us to nearly £2,400, that we are making the attempt to open Battersea Tabernacle free of debt. The foundation-stone and the topstone brought in over £800. During the last few weeks the Lord has crowded our back rooms with converts. On one occasion the vestry could not contain all who came out: 29 that night confessed the Lord Jesus. A few Sundays since we baptized 25; and still the gracious work

goes on. We sadly need our larger house, but he who knows all will give it us soon, and we shall receive it from his own hand. We have several Missions, all lovingly worked, and his smile upon them all. We wish to do more, for He is worthy for whom we do it all."

The next instance of work done may be seen at

ORPINGTON, KENT.

In this growing village a very small congregation met in an exceedingly primitive building. Mr. White became their pastor. This good, earnest brother, having been a workman in a mill, had enjoyed no educational advantages. Several friends in the neighbourhood recommended this brother to the College, where he has studied for about three years. The same friends also set to work to erect a suitable house of prayer, and they have succeeded in building it. The congregation has very greatly increased, and Mr. White's ministry has been made useful to his hearers. In this place there will before long be a solid, self-supporting community ready to evangelize the neighbourhood, which will soon become a populous suburb.

Our brethren have long worked at

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

under great difficulties. Others attempted the task, but it returned to our hands, and under the leadership of Mr. James Smith a turn for the better has been taken, a church has been gathered, and a handsome chapel has been erected. The debt needs reduction, and, towards this, Christian people would do well to contribute; but we have every reason to believe that the church will stand under its burden, and do true service for the Lord in this place of fashionable resort.

TALBOT TABERNACLE, NOTTING HILL.

Our esteemed brother, Mr. Frank White, has gathered around himself an earnest, gracious church in the far west of London. The iron chapel in which the people were first gathered by our friend, Mr. Gordon Furlong, has become worn out, and a permanent building is an unquestioned necessity. As an instalment of the work, a lecture-hall with certain school-rooms has been opened.

The Christian says:-" We were much pleased by its simple yet commodious and comfortable style, which indeed promises well for the future building which it is hoped will ere long be erected in lieu of the iron Tabernacle, which has well served its time, and sorely needs replacing by a more enduring structure. Underneath the new hall are seven compact and cosy class-rooms, much wanted for the accommodation of Bible-classes and other meetings.

"Mr. Frank H. White read an address to the Earl of Shaftesbury, who presided on this occasion, as he did at the laying of the foundation stone, in July last, and then made a brief financial statement, from which it appeared that 1,076 donations have been received, making a total of £2,755 14s. 9d. The total cost of the present erection, including furniture, fittings, &c., has been £2,988 7s. 6d., of which £321 is debited to the proposed new chapel, as cost of erection of

party-wall, &c., belonging to the intended structure, leaving the cost of new hall £2,668. Thus the Lord has provided the money absolutely wanted, whilst £87 remains towards the £321 expended. It was hoped that the £234 would be raised that day (which hope was, we understand, realized), together with promises towards the £4,000 required for the new Tabernacle. No debt has been incurred, as Mr. White and his friends are firmly resolved not to proceed until funds are provided or promised."

PUTNEY.

This is a suburb which has rapidly grown. Here our work began in a room, was enlarged till it filled a school-chapel, and next developed into a healthy and growing congregation in a hired hall. This is an expensive and inconvenient arrangement, and so our friends have commenced a chapel, and hope speedily to have a public gathering to witness the laying of a memorial-stone. The church numbers 140 members, but it would have been far larger had it not been for the many removals by which the cause has suffered. Great outside help is wanted to enable this young church to provide a proper meeting-place. The people are doing their best, but funds do not flow in very rapidly. May the great Head of the Church move the hearts of his stewards to help this well-deserving interest, and so cheer Mr. Thomas, the worthy pastor. No one can estimate fully the necessity for the present, and for all time, of putting up suitable places of worship for the daily increasing multitude of our enormous metropolis. We are told that London contains more than five millions: what is to become of these if the ground is all covered, and places of worship are not provided?

WORTHING.

In this well-known watering-place a most hopeful enterprise is being carried out. It will, with God's blessing, lead in the near future to something worthy of a longer record.

Our good friend, Mr. W. F. Stead, worked at Worthing with all his heart, and as the result of his labours a small school-chapel was erected. He has retired from the scene, and we trust will soon be found working elsewhere. Mr. Crouch, of the neighbouring town of Shoreham, has left his comfortable sphere to attempt the gathering of a solid Baptist church in Worthing. We know his perseverance, and firm confidence in God, and therefore we believe he will pull through, though it must be uphill work. We ought to have a strong and useful Baptist church in Worthing, and by God's grace we shall have it before long. It is needful to build, and to do this will require large help from outside. All friends who know Worthing as a sea-side resort should send prompt aid. The new chapel is to cost £2,000. The friends hope soon to have the first £1,000 in hand, and to commence building. Having pledged themselves to carry out this work on the owe-no-man-anything" principle, we trust that the Lord's stewards will supply them with the necessary funds for its completion at once. Contributions will be thankfully received by the Pastor, C. Douglas Crouch, Oxford-road, Worthing.

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RUGBY, WARWICKSHIRE.

The Secretary of the church at Rugby writes, under date of January 28th, 1884 :

"It is just four and a-half years ago since Mr. Henry T. Peach, of the Pastors' College, came to preach at Rugby. He found us in a very low and cold state, with a membership of 39, several of whom were non-resident, a chapel that sadly needed attention, and a schoolroom which was a disgrace to the denomination. Mr. Peach created such a favourable impression that he was offered and accepted the pastorate on November 9th, 1879: he soon had many tokens that the divine blessing was resting upon his labours by the addition of many to the church. During the intervening years Mr. Peach has laboured with much zeal, acceptance, and success. The chapel and schoolrooms have been rebuilt, on the old site, at a cost of over £1,200; and there now only remains 108 to be cleared off. Forty-two persons have been baptized during Mr. Peach's pastorate; and he leaves us, much to our regret, to-day, for work at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, with a flourishing Sunday School of 120 scholars, and a membership of 87. As a token of our affection and esteem, Mr. Councillor Wood (President of the Leicestershire Association of Baptist Churches), on behalf of the church, to-day presented Mr. Peach with a handsome illuminated address and a purse of money, as a parting gift; wishing him a safe voyage, and assuring him that the church would lovingly cherish his memory; and praying that God's blessing might accompany him to Africa, and make him eminently useful there."

SOUTH STOCKTON.

This rapidly-increasing town has, at the present, a population of 12,000. It is only separated from Stockton by the river Tees. A few years ago the provision for the religious wants of the inhabitants was sadly deficient. Observing this, some earnest members of the Baptist Church in Stockton, led by Pastor G. Wainwright, commenced preaching-services in the open-air. The next step was to take a small room over a stable in a back street, which, however, was soon abandoned for the more commodious Gaiety Music Hall. Here the services were conducted with considerable success for the space of fifteen months.

While in this place it was felt that if the good done was to be of an enduring character, a Baptist church must be formed. The Committee of the Northern Baptist Association was favourable to the plan, and promised help. Application was then made to Mr. Spurgeon to send a minister. Several, accordingly, visited the town, but not to remain. At last Mr. Spurgeon recommended Mr. Winsor, of Leeds, and he felt constrained to undertake the charge. Arrangements were then made for removal to the Co-operative Hall, and here the new church was formed in October 1881, when 37 members were dismissed from the Stockton church, Mr. H. Winsor at the same time receiving a unanimous invitation to the pastorate.

Under his ministry the work has been consolidated and established, and by his unceasing efforts a new and comfortable chapel, affording accommodation for 400 worshippers, has been built. The cost has

been about £1,500, towards which Mr. Spurgeon has contributed £50, and several of the Tabernacle friends have given liberal aid. Although several of those who began the work have returned to their old home, the membership at present is 57, and the congregations in the new building are good and steadily increasing. A debt of about £700 remains on the chapel. This work was set about by Mr. Wainwright and his friends in a self-denying spirit. Mr. Winsor is a very suitable person to carry on the work, and the case deserves well of all Christian people who have substance entrusted to them. Contributions towards the reduction of the debt will be thankfully received and acknowledged by the Pastor, H. Winsor, South Stockton.

COLNE, LANCASHIRE.

Under the pastorate of our friend, Mr. A. Parker, a noble place of worship has been built in this busy town. He writes concerning it :— "The buildings which formerly served us for chapel and school were too small, inconvenient, and much out of repair, and to put them in anything like condition would have required an expenditure of about £2,000. We, therefore, thought it would be better to build entirely new premises. Accordingly, we secured a plot of ground adjoining that on which the former buildings stood, and first built a new school, which we used for Sunday services during the pulling down of the old chapel and the construction of the new one. The opening services of the school were held in April, 1882, those of the chapel in October of last year. The time occupied in building was about two and half years, and the cost -exclusive of site-£9,000, towards which the sum of £6,000 has been raised.

"The sitting accommodation is for 760, the average attendance about 500. The school is at the rear of the chapel, and so arranged that ingress and egress can be made from one to another without going into the street. The assembly-room of the school will accommodate 600 scholars; underneath and in connection with it are sixteen class-rooms. There are as far as one can judge not only a fair field for labour, but also signs of encouragement in that labour."

HAWICK, ROXBURGHSHIRE.

In this Scotch town the little church under Mr. Seaman has enjoyed a pleasing measure of spiritual prosperity. It seemed doomed to extinction, but the Lord has smiled upon it in mercy, and we now hope that it will flourish. The pastor says:—

"During the past year we have had the joy of seeing the result of our labours in the opening of our new chapel. For the first time in the history of the church, and of the denomination which we represent, we are thankful to record the fact that we have a neat and comfortable chapel, built on our own freehold site, with only the small debt of £350. As Baptists, who have to contend with the deeply-rooted prejudices of persons opposed to believers' baptism, we feel thankful and are encouraged to believe that now we have a local habitation and a name,' many may be led to attend our meetings, and receive a blessing, 'even life for evermore.' When I think of our improved condition, I can thank God without boasting that he has enabled one of the least of