LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. William Hextal, a faithful minister of the Gospel, and sometime pastor of this Christian society; who remarkably exhibited in his life what he warmly recommended from the pulpit,—unfeigned piety to God, and universal benevolence to men.
Having endured many and great afflictions, both in body and mind, he entered into the rest which remains for the people of God, November 4th, 1777, aged 66.
Mr. Porter was the next pastor of the Church, entering on his office a short time after the death of Mr. Hextal. The register of baptisms, it is stated, was begun a.d. 1778, by Thomas Porter, pastor of the congregation that assembles in Kingshead Lane, Northampton. The last entry made by Mr. Porter is of a baptism that took place August 8th, 1784; the next being by Mr. Edwards, August 13th, 1786; so that Mr. Porter's ministry was not continued for much more than six years.
About the year 1786, Mr. B. L. Edwards became the pastor of this Church, and filled this office for 45 years, as he died January 2nd, 1831, aged 66 years. The following account of Mr. Edwards appeared in the Congregational Magazine, shortly after his death:—
Mr. Edwards pursued his preparatory studies for the ministry at the Theological Institution then conducted at Hoxton, we believe under the tuition of Drs. Savage, Kippis, and Rees; and from thence he proceeded to the station which for so many years he has occupied with an unblemished character. As a minister of Christ, he united orthodoxy of sentiment with liberality of spirit; as a man, he was admired most by those who were best acquainted with him—warm and faithful in his friendships, of a most enlarged benevolence, and universally regarded as the ardent and consistent advocate of civil and religious liberty throughout the world. The later years of life were distinguished by a growing spirituality of mind; and as he drew near to the close of his labours upon earth, he seemed to increase in the fervour of his public ministrations. The illness which terminated in his death was of short duration. On the second Sabbath in December he preached three times: on the afternoon of the day he delivered a funeral discourse, founded on the exhortation of Christ to his disciples, "Be ye also ready," and distinguished by unusual earnestness and deep solemnity; and in the evening he closed his public labours by a sermon from Psalm xxxi. 19. Though from that time till within three or four days of his departure he was too unwell to leave the house, yet no painful apprehensions of immediate danger were excited in the minds of his friends. On the Thursday night preceding his dissolution he became, however, materially worse, from which time he rapidly declined, until, on the morning of the Sabbath, he received the summons, and entered into rest. An individual who on two occasions saw him during his illness, was gratified with the delightful frame of spirit he discovered when speaking of the heavenly world, and the blessedness of those who had reached that place. He is understood to have declared, a short time before his departure, his simple reliance upon the atonement of Christ; and in the anticipation of the great change, to have adopted the words of the Apostle, "I know whom I have believed." The nature of his afflictions, however, prevented him from conversing much; and though he expressed sufficient to satisfy his friends as to the calm and happy state of his mind, their hope of his meetness for the kingdom of heaven rests upon the evidence which a long life furnishes to them spent in the cause of Christ, and for the good of men.
His mortal remains were committed to the earth on the 11th of January, in the presence of a large assembly, within the walls of the place in which, for so long a period, he had preached the Gospel of the grace of God. Mr. Griffiths, of Buckby, delivered the funeral oration; Mr. B. Hobson, of Welford, and Mr. T. Toller, of Kettering, conducted the devotional parts of the service. On the Sabbath following, the funeral sermon was preached to a crowded auditory, from a part of the 7th and 8th verses of the 4th chapter of the 2nd Epistle to Timothy, by Mr. James Robertson, of Wellingborough. Mr. Edwards for many years filled the office of Secretary to the Association of Independent Ministers of the County of Northampton, and was a liberal and disinterested supporter of the Provident Society connected with it.
The following inscription is in the Chapel for Mr. Edwards:—
To the memory of Benj. Loyd Edwards,
upwards of 45 years the able, conscientious,
and affectionate pastor of the congregation
assembling within these walls,
this tablet is placed by his bereaved flock,
as a testimonial of his faithfulness in,
and their gratitude for, a connexion
which terminated only with
his lamented death, on the 11th of January, 1831,
in the 67th year of his age.
Mr. John Woodward became the pastor of the Church July 1st, 1832. It appears that though this congregation has been highly respectable, yet the number of Church members has been comparatively few; for when Mr. Woodward became pastor, a list of members is given, numbering 33. From this time to April 5th, 1835, when Mr. Woodward resigned, 15 persons had been admitted to the fellowship of the Church.
The next pastor was Mr. Thomas Milner, M.A., known as the author of 'The Seven Churches of Asia;' 'The Life and Times of Dr. Watts;' 'Scripture and Astronomy;' 'Gallery of Nature;' 'Descriptive Atlas of Astronomy,' &c., &c.
November 28th, 1847, Mr. G. Nicholson, B.A., the present pastor, entered on his labours here. Since that time 25 persons have been admitted to the Church, so that the present number of communicants is 72.