Mr. Prust was afterwards chosen to the pastoral office by the Church and congregation unitedly, and was ordained on the 21st of April, 1830, when the following ministers were engaged:—Mr. B. L. Edwards, of Northampton, read the Scriptures and prayed—Thomas Toller, of Kettering, delivered the introductory discourse—John Sibree, of Coventry, asked the questions, and received the confession of faith—Walter Scott, of Rowell, offered the ordination prayer—John Leifchild, of Bristol (now Dr. Leifchild, of London), gave the charge, from 1 Tim. iv. 6, "A good minister of Jesus Christ," which was published by request—Charles Hyatt, sen., of London, concluded with prayer.
In the evening the Rev. C. J. Hyatt, of Northampton, read and prayed—J. W. Percy, of Warwick, preached to the people, from 1 Thess. v. 13, 14—W. Gray, of Northampton, concluded with prayer.
The following reference is made to the services of the day, in an advertisement prefixed to the printed charge:—
The ordination was attended by a number of his brethren of the town and neighbourhood, of several denominations, who gave on that occasion an instance of brotherly love and concord that will not soon be forgotten. The young minister, with his only remaining parent, and the patron of the Institution from whence he had emanated, seated on either side, received the following address from a minister of his native city, who was well authorized to bear on that occasion a public testimony to his respectable attainments, his unblemished reputation, and his amiable manners, which from a child had procured him the esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintance. A spirit of fervent love, of ardent prayer, and of devout seriousness, characterized the services of the day, and inspired the hearts of all who witnessed them with hopes of the most pleasing results.
Twenty-two years have passed since then, and those pleasing results have, through the blessing of the great Head of the Church, to a great extent been realized. The Church, which was originally formed of eight members who had received dismissions from Churches to which they had previously belonged, has received from the commencement to the present time 315 members. The present number of communicants is about 150. The number of scholars in the Sabbath-schools is about 400.
Since the decease of Mr. Wilson, a marble tablet has been erected in the porch of the Chapel, with the following inscription:—
This Chapel was built a.d. 1829, at the sole expense of the late Thomas Wilson, Esq., of Highbury Place, London.
This tablet is erected in grateful commemoration of his liberality.
The congregation have erected galleries in the Chapel, with organ, and an additional school-room, at a cost of nearly £1000. A commodious school-room has also been lately built, on a site adjoining the Chapel-yard, for Sunday and Day Infant-schools, with class-rooms for senior scholars. The daily Infant-school numbers more than 120 children, and the Sunday Infant Class about 170. A tablet in the school-room has the following inscription:—"This School-room was built a.d. 1851, for the use of Sunday and Day Infant Schools in connexion with Commercial Street Chapel, and in memory of Stephen Prust, Esq., of Bristol, who was only prevented by death from erecting it himself."
In looking at the whole, encouraging indications, we consider, may be very clearly discerned of the Divine blessing attending the word of heavenly truth, and giving sanction and success to the efforts of his servants.