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Preaching

excursion of

While the younger Congregational ministers were passing through the disciplinary process needful to prepare them for their future position as leaders in the denomination, veterans in the service were exploring neglected districts, and preparing the way for the establishment of new congregations. Mr. Roby, matured in experience, judicious in counsel, and energetic in action, entered upon a preaching excursion, July 16, 1816, in a circuit, including the populous towns and Mr. Roby, villages within a distance of eight or ten miles from Manchester. In his journal we have the record of his movements during the continuous work of a fortnight, in which, as the pioneer of Mr. Pridie, an itinerant who was to follow in his steps, making arrangements for his accommodation, finding suitable rooms, and giving notice of the services to be held in each place.

1816.

The details are interesting, as illustrative of the readiness of the self-denying pastor-evangelist to attend to any service, however humble, and to encounter every form of difficulty or annoyance. On July 20 he rested, and entered the following particulars :

At Ashton.

"I spent this day in preparation for the Sabbath, and in considering the prospect which ASHTON, the centre of this week's active itineracy, presents to view. The population of this circuit is very great. There is great need of more labourers, and from present appearances I hope that the great Head of the Church intends to make the itineracy now commenced an eminent blessing to Ashton and its neighbourhood. Orders were given this afternoon to take down a partition in the place in which the people are accustomed to assemble for public worship. By this means a congregation as large again as

usual may be accommodated. This afternoon the principal beams were laid on the new chapel, which, when completed, will be a very commodious place of worship.

"July 21. On this Sabbath I have preached at Ashton three times in the morning from Eph. i. 13, 14, after which I administered the ordinance of the Lord's Supper; in the afternoon from Rom iii. 23, 24; and in the evening from James i. 18; after which I baptized a child publicly. The congregations were much larger than I had expected. The place was comfortably filled in the morning by about two hundred and fifty attentive hearers. In the afternoon and evening it was extremely crowded, considerably more than three hundred assembled. As different strangers attended on different parts of the day, I calculated that at least four hundred individuals heard me in the course of the Sabbath.

"It appears that an alarm is sounded by various individuals to prevent persons from attending, but I hope it will not produce any bad effect. The generality of the hearers appeared to receive the word with eagerness and happy effect.

"July 22. Left Mr. Smith's, where I have received the most hospitable entertainment during the past week. He, Mr. Buckley, and others of the friends at Ashton, have attended at the various places for preaching in the neighbourhood during the week, and I hope they will continue to use all their influence on behalf of my successors."

The site question presented great difficulties. The dull and dingy room in Crickett's Lane, where Mr. Roby met the friends in Ashton, had no outward attraction. Upon it was placed the inscription, "Can any good come out of Nazareth? Come and

see." There a church of twenty-seven members, including MARY SMITH, of Duckinfield nursery, held their first communion service in 1816. The people would gladly have obtained a more favourable position for their new chapel, but the Earl of Stamford and Warrington, the Lord of the Manor, would not consent to sell them a piece of ground. They had

to content themselves with another plot in an alley off Crickett's Lane, now Albion Street. The new Refuge Chapel cost about a thousand pounds, and was opened on April 8, 1817.

Mr. Roby found willing helpers in Mr. Galland of Greenacres and Mr. Ely of Rochdale.

"July 25. This afternoon under storms of rain went from Rochdale to Heyside, where I preached in the evening from Matt. xix. 25. About one hundred and fifty persons attended.

"July 26. This morning, Mr. Galland went with me to

reconnoitre Oldham.

Oldham.

"For the prospect of preaching in Oldham in a convenient place next Sabbath, I am indebted to the exertions of Mr. Robert Ray, one of the deacons of our church, and to the kindness of the people styling themselves Independent Methodists, who have promised the use of their commodious place of worship in George Street. Had not this been granted, I see not that we could have provided any other, and I know not where we can be accommodated in future as all our inquiries this morning were fruitless.

"After our visit to Oldham, I went according to appointment to Clayton Bridge, where Mr. Chadwick, one of our members received me very graciously. He had provided a convenient room for preaching in. About one hundred persons assembled, to whom I preached from 2 Cor. v. 21. This congregation wore a very promising aspect, but it is so distant from Oldham that I think the itineracy must select some nearer spot-Hollinwood, if possible, for Friday evening. After service, was obliged to go home in order to attend the examination of some missionary students and candidates to-morrow.

"July 27. Spent most of this day in attention to the young men who had devoted themselves to missionary labour.

"July 28. Preached on this Sabbath in the morning at nine o'clock at Heyside, from 2 Cor. viii. 29, to about two hundred persons, and published Mr. Pridie for the next Thursday evening but one, at seven o'clock, when Mr. Buckley will give him some private information respecting the arrangement with the proprietor of the chapel as to preaching in future. Preached in

the afternoon at Oldham, from 1 Cor. iii. 2, and from 2 Cor. ii. 14. The place was crowded to excess. I suppose that not less than seven hundred persons pressed in, and I am informed that half as many were obliged to return, unable to get in, all seemed to hear with great attention and several were much affected. After the latter sermon, I informed the people that preaching would be continued if a suitable place could be found.

"July 29. Went this evening to Middleton, but found that preaching had not been announced, and was therefore obliged to return home and finish a course of labour rendered toilsome and dangerous by wet weather. From the review I perceive that I have preached during the fortnight to upwards of three thousand persons. The population of the circuit includes at least forty thousand."

CHAPTER IX.

Society.

In the month of May, 1814, a few friends of religion of various denominations met in London and formed the IRISH EVANGELICAL SOCIETY, and in Irish connection with it the Dublin Theological Evangelical Institution for training native young men of approved character for the work of the ministry in the Sister Island. The Rev. THOMAS LOADER, invited from Fordingbridge, Hants, was appointed first tutor in the year 1815. Declining in health, he soon resigned, and was succeeded by Dr. COPE, who had been pastor of the church in Launceston. Though the support of the institution was inadequate, and for a time discontinued, many efficient ministers were sent from it to labour in the arduous mission field allotted to them. After a temporary extinction it was revived in 1832 under the care of Rev. WILLIAM HAWEIS COOPER, Rev. Dr. URWICK, and Mr. Owen Connellan of the Royal Irish Academy, who taught the students the Irish language. The institution was mainly supported by the Hoxton Hibernian Association.

The Itinerant Academy under the care of Mr. Roby, was merged in an institution at Leaf Square, Manchester, intended to combine the course Leaf Square of a young gentleman's boarding-school with the gratuitous instruction of young men

School.

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