John 'Rob Roy' MacGregor

We had a stupendous annual lecture at the Evangelical Library tonight when Norman Hopkins spoke on the forgotten Christian hero, the adventurer, writer, artist, evangelist and philanthropist John "Rob Roy"MacGregor. His whole story is full of amazing episodes from beginning to end and well told by our Library trustee. Perhaps the names and organisations mentioned will give you a flavour for how brilliant it all was - Hannah More, Thomas Chalmers, E H Bickersteth, Baptist Noel, Lord Shaftesbury, the Monod brothers, David Livingstone, C H Spurgeon, etc, and the YMCA, SASRA, the Ragged School Union, Open Air Mission, Lawyers Christian Felloswhip, The Protestant Alliance, etc. That is apart from the canoe expeditions, climbing Mont Blanc  and other travels and the various disasters he faced. Do look out for the lecture on YouTube in due time. The one disappointment was that so few were there to hear this illustrated talk.

Evangelical Library Lunch Time Lecture Joseph Ivimey

Last Monday we had an excellent Library lecture on zoom from Norman Hopkins on the Baptist pastor and historian Joseph Ivimey 1773-1834.

Ivimey, the eldest of eight was born at Ringwood, Hampshire and brought up under Arian influences, but became a convinced Particular Baptist. He was a tailor at first and came to London finding work but was unsuccessful and returned to the Hampshire, Dorset area, where he became an itinerant preacher. Early in 1803 he was recognised as a minister, and settled as assistant to Robert Lovegrove at Wallingford, Berkshire. He was chosen pastor of the Particular Baptist church, Eagle Street, Holborn, London, in 1804, and was ordained the next year.

From 1812 he was on the committee of the BMS. He was also first secretary of the Baptist Society for Promoting the Gospel in Ireland and visited Ireland in May 1814. In 1817, and again in 1819, he made missionary journeys to the Channel Islands. He believed in strict communion and advocated the abolition of colonial slavery.

He is buried in Bunhill Fields. There is also a tablet to his memory in the boys' schoolroom at Eagle Street.

Evangelical Library Lunch Time Lecture Samuel Annesley

About twenty or so gathered on zoom last Monday to hear an excellent illustrated lecture from Nrman Hopkins on Samuel Annesley (c 1620-1696) the St Paul of the Nonconformists. Annesley was the Wesleys' grandfather and so his name is known but not much abpout hm It was good to be infprmed and challeneged on that score. Another zoom lecture next month (November 13) on Samuel Davies in Britain.

In Writing 140 is now out

 

This one includes the 2022 Annual Lecture on the St Bartholomews's day massacrre, a piece on John Lothrop and the beginning of a piece on Samson Occom.

EL Zoom Lecture on John Lothrop

This plaque is found at Lothrop Hill, Massachusetts, USA

There was another opportunity on Monday to get together on Zoom and to hear another illustrated lunch time lecture. This one from Norman Hopkins was an obscure one being on the life of John Lothrop (1584–1653). Norman likes a Kent connection which he found but the story begins in Yorkshire and goes on to New England, where Lothrop ministered for nearly twenty years. He was the ancestor of at least four US presidents. Numbers were a little down. Maybe that was the announced subject. If so, people miscalculated. A recording will be available from the Library in due time.

Evangelical Library Lecture Monday January 25 2021

I haven't had chance to mention this because I was unwell but we had a very good time online just over a week ago in connection with the Evangelical Library. About twenty of us tuned in to hear Norman Hopkins give the first of this year's Spring Lunch Time Lectures. He spoke on the missionary to West Africa, Alfred Saker (1814-1880). Saker ought to be better known. He did a wonderful pioneer work in Cameroon. We are very thankful to Norman Hopkins for giving us this paper. Audio copies should be available from the Library soon. On February 22 we will have another lecture when Robert Strivens will speak on Stephen Charnock and the Doctrine of God. Watch out for details.

Lecture on Thomas Treanor at the Library

We had an excellent lecture on Monday at the Evangelical Library. Norman Hopkins introduced us to Thomas Treanor a forgotten missionary to seamen in the 19th century. It was quite a striking story of commitment to bravely bring the gospel to sinners. We also had a very good number. Well worth seeing on the video taken. Enquire at the Library.

Library Lecture on the Lollards

Around 15 of us gathered last Monday (a typical number for the lunch time get togethers) at the Evangelical Library in London to hear Norman Hopkins speak on the Lollard leader Sir John Oldcastle (Lord Cobham) and some of his Lollard contemporaries and predecessors. As usual with Norman this was with special reference to the county of Kent. He also made a point, as he often does, of including plenty of visual fare to help us. That was appreciated. I must take a leaf from his book when I lecture on Coggeshall in Essex next month. It is on the 18th - do come and join us. Oldcastle had his obvious faults but he knew the Lord adn even in such dark times lived up to the light he had.

Obadiah Sedgwick

 

Thomas Athow, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday evening in London you have heard Shai Lynne in ELT or Tim Keller in All Souls. or you coudl have heard me and others at the Strangers Rest Mission, East London. I spoke on  Puritan and Westminster Divine Obadiah Sedgwick at The Essex Conference. I was preceded by Norman Hopkins giving a presentation on the Huegenots and our host David Min on John Owen (Sedgwick's successor).  In the afternoon several had gone ona  walking tour. I started later then intended so had to be brief but that was probably for the best. The conference is new and probably needs better publicity and some streamlining. The whole thing is a three day event! I'll try adn out my paper online.

Lunch Time Lecture at the Evangelical Library

There was an encouraging turn out for our latest lecture at the Evangelical Library last Monday. Norman Hopkins, who knows his history well and can put ti over well, spoke on some of the church history in connection with Kent mentioning various Lollards and later Reformers. It was a treat to be there.

Latest Library Lecture (Hopkins on Frith)

Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

We rather struggled to get up to double figures at the Library last Monday but we made it. It is probably too early in the month for some. Norman Hopkins gave us an excellent illustrated introduction to the Reformers and Martyrs of Kent, beginning with Wycliffe's Lollards. It was good to be reminded of this material and expecially of John Frith (burned 1533), a rather forgotten character perhaps. The lecture helped clarify for me that while thefive ssolas are the theological meat and veg of the whole period in England it was transubstantiation that was the critical point of contention. It was also a reminder of what a good man John Foxe was. In that regard this website is worth checking out.

Huguenots at the Evangelical Library

G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

We had an excellent lecture this afternoon at the Library from Norman Hopkins at the Evangelical Library on the Huguenots in Kent. Norman has addressed this subject many times and has quite a knowledge of it. Some of us are quite ignorant and it was fascinating to get some of the background to the story of French Protestants and how the fled persecution. The word refugee is from this language and period and so the whole thing had something of a contemporary ring about it. Very many avenues were explored - their faith, their skill, their history, etc. Recordings are always made and can be obtained from the Library if you are interested. I noticed it was also videoed and a vdeo would be the ideal. We had a good crowd and as it was Philip's birthday we celebrated afterwards with a cake that someone had kindly provided.

Peter du Moulin above is one of several Huguenots mentioned specifically.

Lunchtime lecture at the Evangelical Library

I have been rather slow to report on an excellent lecture last Monday from Norman Hopkins of Strood in Kent. We were all pretty ignorant of Bishop Ashton Oxenden but Norman, in the skilful way he has, was able to introduce us to a man who was clearly a man of God and one we ought to know and remember. To an audience somewhere in the teens our speaker explained how he had been looking for something on old age and had come across Oxenden's work, republished some years ago by Joel Beeke - The Home beyond; or, Happy Old Age. This sparked an interest and the acquiring of is various other books. One wondered, of course, what made him tick. It is only in his book on the ministry (The pastoral office: its duties, difficulties, privileges, and prospects) that he reveals his sources and hey are all pretty kosher.

In his lifetime his more than twenty works sold well and he is certainly someone whose works look worth reading. What did for him then? Unlike Ryle he was no controversialist. in fact he kept right out of it and never identified with any party within or without the Church of England. Perhaps Spurgeon is responsible. In his Commenting and commentaries he quite sniffily dismisses Oxenden's contributions.
On Ruth - A very tiny affair, of no great moment to the expositor.
On Psalms - For reading at family prayers. Alas, poor families! Ye have need of patience.
To listen to these sermons must have afforded a suitable Lenten penance to those who went to church to hear them. There their use began and.ended.
The Gospels - Why Oxenden's books sell we do not know. We would not care to have them for a gift. "Milk for babes" watered beyond measure.
Our speaker begged to differ.
If you want to form an opinion you can find many of his works online here.

Wigmore Evangelical Free Church

On Tuesday night I was speaking at Wigmore EFC in Rainham, near Gillingham in Kent. It was the second of two rallies held annually (the next will be next Spring) by the Wigmore Church (pastored by Timothy Wood) along with Waterford House, Strood (Norman Hopkins), Aenon Baptist Chatham (Paul Relf) and I think Grays Grace Baptist (Grays Baptist indeed) where the minister is Kevin Felix- Hollington (who I have met but had trouble recalling I'm afraid). It was great to see around eighty present - mostly older people but a liberal sprinkling of younger people too. I preached the sermon on faith that I preached up in Yorkshire in September (and in South Africa too this month). I think it was appreciated. I was thankful too for the hospitality of Tim and Susan Wood and their family as well as to see again retired ministers and wives, Robert and Glenys Winston (Tim's in-laws) and Geoff and Christine Gobbett. A lovely evening.

Busy Four days

It's been perhaps more busy than usual and so there' been no blogging for a little while.

Saturday morning was time for our monthly tracting  It was gratifying to have a full team out this time round. People from the Iranian Church in Finchley were also out so there were few places for pagans to hide in Golders Green that day. After a quick lunch I headed for Welwyn where the EMF (European Missionary Fellowship) were saying goodbye to Martin and Penny Leech and hello to Steve Bowers and Ian Parry. There were a large number there and Ian Parry preached well from Acts 16. I was sorry to have to dash off. I'd intended to arrive early and talk to people then but that didn't work out. Anyway, I got back home in time for the second half of the England Wales game. I don't really know what Wales were playing at in that first half but they finally came to life in the second half and almost did it. The 25-21 score line flatters Wales to some extent.

The Lord's Day was a good one. We ploughed on with Revelation in the morning, looking at Revelation 14, a most searching and no holds barred chapter dealing with the realities of heaven and hell. We closed with John Newton's hymn "Day of judgement". At 5 pm we gathered for tea. We weren't many but it was a nice time. I preached in the evening service to a good sized congregation on Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Then after church we heard that the church in Aberystwyth has issued a call to my eldest son. How thrilling.

The family was with us for tea on Monday evening (Rhodri was preaching in Pembrokeshire the day before). It was good to be with them. Before that I had been at the Evangelical Library. We had the Lunchtime Lecture first. Norman Hopkins from Strood, Kent, gave an excellent lecture on Edward Dering, a forgotten Puritan who he dubbed an Elizabethan Spurgeon. It was the best sort of lecture - where the lecturer knows his subject well but is able to get the story across. It was great to have over twenty people present. Next lecture April  18 - yours truly on F B Meyer. After our evening meal, Eleri had me moving a large cupboard form one room to another that had to come apart in the end. Once that was done, I sat down to University Challenge and the News.

Then today I have been out at the John Owen Centre/LTS for some Greek study with the principal Robert Strivens (my fellow elder who I know is between trips to Eastern Europe lecturing on Hebrews in Serbia and Romania). About nine of us gathered to work our way through Matthew 5-7. Robert does it very well with just the right amount of talking head and questions. I hope to be at the next one on Philippians in June but will be missing the Hebrew Day in May. After a brief session with my grandsons and others in the park I headed home. My parents-in-law arrived a little while after. I watched University Challenge again with Geoff (and got most of the questions right!). Eleri and I then watched the last episode of Happy Valley. There are things to criticise about it but as a piece of drama it is an amazing series. The way the ongoing story of the Sarah Lancashire character and her family and the continuing story of crime in a Yorkshire town are blended and played out is quite masterful. Expect this latest series to be gathering awards like the last one.

Church History Fest

 

In this coming week there are several opportunities in London to hear papers on figures in church history.

 

March 14 1 pm Evangelical Library.................. Edward Dering c1540-1576 .......... Norman Hopkins

March 18 7 pm Bethesda, Notting Hill Gate..... Benjamin Ingham 1712-1722 ........ Kevin Price

March 19 Day conference Wesley Chapel........ Asahel Nettleton 1783-1844 .......... Michael Haykin

........................................................................... Philip Doddridge 1702-1751 ......... Michael Haykin

........................................................................... Isaac Watts 1674-1678 .................. Michael Haykin

 

The lecture on Ingham is the Strict Baptist Historical Society Annual Lecture and the three Haykin lectures are for the Congregational Studies Conference.