Memorials of Charles New ...

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OF

CHARLES NEW:

Preface

TX7E have only a few words to say in relation to the book now in the bands of the reader. It has been written as a " labour of love," and amidst the many engagements of a Methodist preacher's life. If the subject does not commend itself, we have no commendation to give. It must stand or fall upon its own merits ; and the only indulgence we crave is, that any condemnation of the book, or its subject, fall upon the limner : for of this we are well assured, after a careful study of the original — that he was worthy of the hand and touch of an artist. It has been our study to allow him to speak for himself; and had the space at our disposal been greater, we think his utterances would not only have found a hearing, but have enlarged our conceptions of the breadth and strength of his character. We have done what we could.

Samuel Saxon Barton.

Contents

CHAP. PAGE

I. BIRTH — EARLY DAYS — CONVERSION - - 1

II. ENTERS THE MINISTRY — FIRST APPOINTMENT —LABOURS IN

CHAPTER I. Birth— Early Days— Conversion

THERE are few things more pleasant and profitable than to read the faithful record of a great or good man's life. It is " holding the mirror up to nature " ; and most men like to see the reflex of their own thoughts and feelings, and to trace the possibilities of life, in the aims and hopes, the struggles and victories, that have characterised "men of like passions with themselves." It is this, among other things, that makes a well-written biography the most fascinating of books. The Book of books is mainly a series of biographical sketches ; and the high and sublime truths it unfolds are mostly read in the personal history of its leading characters : while the Great Teacher of the world is revealed to us in the wonderful and simple narrative that tells us the story of His birth, life, and death. Thus to-day the world is held entranced by the record of a life, and is solving some of its deepest problems, in a careful study of the " discourses and sayings " of the Man Christ Jesus. So will it be to the end of the age. " The proper study of mankind is man," — and if we can contribute, in however small a degree, to the

i instruction of our readers, and offer a healthy stimulus to the pursuit of that which is good and useful, we shall not have laboured in vain while endeavouring to tell briefly, but truly, the story of the life and labours of Charles New.

London may claim the honour of being his birthplace, for it was in the neighbourhood of this great city he first saw the light, on the 25th of January, 1840. He was born in a somewhat lonely cottage in Farm Lane, Walham Green, in the parish of Fulham, in the county of Middlesex. The whole of the surrounding country was a great garden, where a large proportion of the vegetables for the London markets was grown, and where his father found employment with a Mr. Dancer, a nurseryman, whom he faithfully served for thirty years. We remember Charles taking us to see the little cottage, during his first and only visit to England, and pointing to it as the humble spot where first he drew the breath of life. His parents belonged to that class of English peasantry of which our country had need be proud. With no pretensions, beyond that of duty well done, and with no boast of ancestral dignities, more than that arising from honest hearts, they quietly pursued their way, and as their children multiplied, struggled bravely, and in the main successfully, to " owe no man anything." The family was large — four sons and three daughters — of whom Charles was the third son and fifth child.

His father was a native of Abingdon, in Berkshire ; but migrated to London somewhat early in life. Charles is said to have inherited from his father all that characterises the sturdy, persevering, courageous Englishman. East Haddon, Northamptonshire, was the birthplace of his mother, though she had been in London some time prior to her marriage. She belonged to the Baptist Church ; and on her arrival in the metropolis united with the people worshipping in Paradise

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

Chapel, Cheyne Row, Chelsea. She and her husband continued to attend this place until, from the increase of her family and other causes, it was inconvenient — when they became members of the congregation attached to the Salem Wesleyan Chapel, Fulham. His mother was a woman of more than ordinary character, and there can be no doubt he owed more to her precepts and example than to all the preceptors of his early life. He retained a deep and undying affection for her up to the very last ; and there is reason to believe that, next to the God whom he served, his mother held the first place in his heart. In his journals and letters her name is continually cropping up ; and " wonderful," " noble," "precious," are adjectives which he again and again employs in speaking and writing of her. In a letter to his sister, written from Africa in 1868, he says : —

" It does me good to find you appreciate the worth of our beloved mother. Words cannot express the respect, the admiration, the love I have for her. She is one of the first women upon earth. I say this not because she is my mother, for as such she is the finest woman in creation. I never loved her as I do to-day. The more I think of her, the more deeply she sinks in my heart — a heart that in regard to her is bottomless."

Such, in brief, was the parentage and belongings of Charles New, — of which he was never ashamed. A good ancestry is unquestionably a good thing ; but it is not everything. A man may have a good ancestry without having one of highborn lineage, or of proud aristocratic pretensions. Greatness is in goodness ; and purity of heart, and honesty of life are to be preferred above high-sounding titles or large ancestral domains. In writing on one occasion to his maternal uncle, he somewhat humorously alludes to this question. He says : —

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

"Being such an utter nonentity myself, I hardly expected to trace my lineage up to ' loins enthroned and rulers of the earth,' — but there are times when what would seem to be gentle blood tingles in my veins ; and this, together with the high admiration I have always entertained for what seems to me true nobility in my mother, yourself, and others of my relations, has deluded me into the thought that possibly my great-great-great-grandfather might have been a duke :. and now, lo ! I have you assuring me that I am a plebeian from the very tips of my hair down to the very ends of my toes. Is this all that comes of my fine aspirations ? Is it possible that this high and mighty self is the son of Thomas New the carter, and nothing more ? Echo answers, < Nothing more,' — and with this answer I am content. I now console myself with asking, Why is not a peasant as good as a lord ? — and calling the Jew Shylock to my aid, in my own behalf and in behalf of the other peasantry, say, 'lama peasant. Hath not a peasant eyes ? hath not a peasant hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions ? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same summer and winter, as the lord is ? If you prick us, do we not bleed ? if you tickle us, do we not laugh ? if you poison us, do we not die ? ' What, then, is the difference ? ' All the difference in the world,' it is replied : < this man's blood is blue, yours is purple ; but if you demur to that, this man is called a noble lord, and you a vile peasant: Just so : then the difference is in what we are called, not in what we are. 'Yes,' it is persisted,— ' in what you are. This man has fortune, an d you have none. ' Precisely : here is the rub ; and I say, Let him take his fortune, and give me an honest heart. < Yes ; but what say you to the fortune and the honest heart too ? ' Hear the Saviour, who knew what

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

was in man : ' How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven ! ' "

Most of our readers will doubtless agree with Charles New on the matter in question, and hold it far better to have the honest heart without the fortune than the fortune without the honest heart. Still both are good, and are often held together, and in such cases are blessings of great price : — • ,

" Honour and shame from no condition rise, — Act well your part — there all the honour lies."

His educational advantages were not of a very liberal character, as may be inferred from his condition in life. All his parents could do they cheerfully did ; and all he obtained was in connection with one of the national schools. We have not been able to learn at what age he entered or when he left school ; but from other circumstances we conclude, in both cases, it was comparatively early. Still it would be difficult to estimate the value of the little learning he imbibed during those first years of his life. Certainly it laid the foundation for a goodly superstructure in after-years ; and if the seed sown was but small in quantity, the crop gathered eventually was of no contemptible quality. In one of his letters to his youngest brother he incidentally alludes to his education, and says : —

" Both you and I, Sam, were sent to school for a sufficient length of time to learn a whole host of things that we knew nothing of when we left it ; and all because we had an incapable teacher. I know that during the last four years of my school life the schoolmaster did not teach me a single thing. I always think of this with pungent regret."

We can well understand how deep that regret would be ; for we have known few men who have had so intense a thirst

MFE OF CHARLES NEW.

for knowledge, or who have done more, under all circumstances, to repair the defects of early training.

With many of the industrious poor the struggle for life is not only difficult, but frequently so keen as to necessitate the use of every means and appliance within their reach. It is not often a question of what they would prefer, but of what they can possibly do ; and all other considerations are swallowed up in the one absorbing effort to maintain life. Hence the early age at which some have to become bread-winners, and to help in the support of a large family. In many cases it is a question, not of choice but of necessity ; and the little toiler is sent forth to do duty at a time when he is more fit for the nursery or the schoolroom than the workshop-jor the streets. In this particular, the position of Charles was much in character with that of those moving in the same sphere of life. As soon as he was able to earn a little, the increasing ^demands of the family laid this burden upon him. His first employment was in connection with a grocery store, situated in the neighbourhood where he lived. We have heard him speak of this period of his life with feelings of pleasure, and in some degree of pride, that he was able to do even a little to help to meet the household wants. With Charles there was no false show, or attempt to assume an importance by appearing in borrowed plumes. He never blushed in making reference to the humble character of his first attempt at labour ; though there was an entire absence of that affected huSiility that loves to boast of early struggles and difficulties. He entered upon his work, young as he was, with the intention of doing everything according to the best of his ability ; and we need not wonder that the result was, he earned the goodwill and approval of his employer, and of all with whom the business brought him into contact. He continued in this employment between one and two years ; when his master

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

was under the necessity of leaving the neighbourhood, and the engagement with Charles terminated.

For some few months after this he had no settled occupation, and was no doubt in that state of transition common to lads of his age and position. One of his elder brothers, however, being in the boot and shoe business, Charles, after some thought, resolved to learn the art and mystery of boot-making. He was somewhere between the ages of fifteen and sixteen when he formed this purpose ; and in perfect harmony with all his early characteristics, he sat down with the resolute determination of making himself master of his business. For some two or three years he steadily pursued his trade, under the watchful supervision of his brother ; but believing he could make greater progress in Northampton, where his own peculiar branch of the trade was cultivated, and aspiring to be a good workman, in the year 1858 he left London for that famous town — the very shrine of St. Crispin — where he hoped to make himself a proficient in his craft. His mother's native village was also in close proximity, where his uncle and family resided, and for whom he felt a strong affection. He soon obtained employment, and began the " battle of life " in entire dependence on his own resources. Writing to his brother, soon after his arrival, he thus narrates the trials and difficulties that awaited him in his new sphere, and in his laudable endeavours to make himself a good workman. He says : —

" I must offer some apology for my delay in writing you. It is not because I have forgotten you, but things are so very different here ; you would not credit it, but I am as awkward as a great cow. The reason, then, that I have not written before is, I have not had any great news to tell you ; or the truth is, I did not want to be laughed at. I suppose I must give you an account of my risings and fallings. Last Mon-

8 MFE OF CHARLES NEW.

day-week, after taking tea at Haddon, I came to Northampton, arriving here about eight o'clock. The next day I, with my landlord, went to seek for work. At the first shop we came to, I walked up as bold as a lion. ' Any occasion, sir,' I asked, 'for men?' 'Have you got a boot?' 'No, sir.' 'Well, bring a boot.' After this conversation I rather suddenly came down. I told my landlord the effect of my application, who immediately went up and promised to be answerable for my work ; when he gave me a pair of Oxonians, in order to see my work, that he might give me something better. I then came home, made the boots, and took them to the shop ; but they were not good enough for that which he wanted men for. I then went to another shop, got some more work, which I took in, and which passed ; when I had two more pair out, which I took in, and got discharged again. I am now at another shop, making men's 4)luchers, till to-day ; and now I have some half-boots, split kips, of which I have two pair. I am to send in my bag to-morrow for more. And now, dear brother, I hope to succeed very well — feeling that in twelve months, by application, I shall be what may be termed a good workman."

Here, then, we leave him for the present, occupying his illustrious stall, and dignifying his calling, if his calling did not dignify him ; working honestly for his bit of bread, and living a life of true manly independence, while he patiently waited for the call to "go up higher." Referring, at a subsequent period, to the nature of his early occupation, in a letter written to his uncle, he tells a somewhat amusing incident of a lady, who is said to have been anxious to learn the nature of his business, and who, probably discovering his connection with the " last," had ceased any further interest in him ; when he facetiously says : " Undoubtedly, uncle, I have lost a fortune. Remains, how-

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

ever, one hope : if I can only find that ancestral duke I am in search of — and I- have not the least doubt that he is to be found, if not nearer, yet somewhere about the epoch of the Flood — I shall recover more than all. But if I cannot find him elsewhere, I intend to go where one of our poets did. The man shall speak for himself : —

" ' Masters and heralds, by your leave,

Here lie the bones of Matthew Prior, — The son of Adam and of Eve :

Can Nassau or Bourbon go higher ? ' "

We now turn to another phase of his character, and one that not only placed him in a new relation to God and his neighbour, but was destined to exert an influence upon him, and upon his life-work, the true effects of which eternity alone can reveal. From a very early period he was a scholar in connection with the United Methodist Free Churches Sunday School, Walham Green. He is represented as of a lively, free, buoyant disposition ; full of wit and fun, and given to mimicry and mischief to an extent that occasioned a good deal of trouble to his teachers, parents, and friends. He was the ringleader in all kinds of merriment ; and his ready wit, and quick and pungent repartee, was often the terror of the teacher, while he was the pet and hero of all the other boys. As a consequence, Charles was at times the occasion of disturbance in his class, and the subject of some anxiety to the conductors of the school. Still, with all his jollity and apparent indifference, there was a vein of deep seriousness in his nature, and the instructions he received were pondered more deeply than the outward appearance would indicate. He was naturally keen and observant of all that was said, and of all that transpired around him. At home he always showed a wholesome fear of his father, and io LIFE OF CHARLES NEW.

cherished a deep affection for his mother. His elder brother Joseph — afterwards a missionary in Sierra Leone, where he died — was at this time superintendent of the school ; and there can be no doubt he was largely indebted to his pious care and forbearance for continuance in the school, and for those results that afterwards developed in his character. He seems to have evinced, at a very early period, a talent for talk, and would often gather around him the youths of his acquaintance, and address them on the current topics of the day, in a way and with an intelligence that were far beyond his years. His brother William, with whom he learned the business of boot-making, states that when he was between fifteen and sixteen he was accustomed to discuss the grounds cf our common faith, and to argue out the great principles of Christianity, with an intelligence and propriety most remarkable for a youth of his age and attainments. * Yet, up to this period in his life, he had not experienced that great change of heart that is the " beginning of wisdom," and from whence issues all that is pure in thought, godlike in purpose, and loving in act and deed. He continued, however, to attend the house of God ; and impressions were no doubt made, from time to time, that prepared the way for the final stroke of that Hammer of the Word that is said to break the rock in pieces. The immediate occasion that led to this result was characterised by nothing remarkable in the outward aspect of the means. It was, without question, the work of the Spirit ; and as He is wont to take and use the humblest instrumentality to work out His gracious purposes of mercy and of love, so in this case He wrought mightily by means of His own choosing. It was under a sermon, preached on a Sunday evening, by a Mr. J. Shepherd, in the chapel at Walham Green, from these words — ■ " This man receiveth sinners " — that the heart of the lad

LIFE OF CHARLES NEW. "

was effectually touched ; and he remained, with some others, to weep and pray, and sought earnestly to find in Jesus the joy and peace of believing. He did not, however, on that occasion find the blessing he sought. For some time he continued to struggle with his convictions— feeling his need of salvation, and yet unable to realize it— until one day, in conversation with his brother in the workshop, he saw the willingness of Christ to save him, and, accepting the terms proposed in the Gospel, he was saved ''by grace through faith." The reality of the work now wrought within him he never seems to have doubted to the day of his death, and his path became as "the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." He at once united himself with the church, and, under the care of his brother Joseph, was lovingly nurtured in all things necessary for his establishment and growth in grace.

The evidence of a work of grace in the heart of a believer soon reveals itself in the life. The light kindled by the Spirit is put on "a candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house." The life begotten through Christ permeates the entire nature, and the whole man is brought so directly under its sanctifying influence that he cannot fail to bring forth " the fruits of righteousness." So it was with Charles. He was soon engaged in " works of faith and labours of love " corresponding with his age and position. With others of a like spirit with himself, he went through the neighbourhood, carrying a message of good- will to all in the shape of a tract, and, by kindly invitations to the house of (rod, trying to win them to a better life. He also aimed much higher ; and meeting with an old sceptic, or infidel, in his visitations, he offered to discuss the merits of Christianity with him in his own house — an offer which was accepted ; and Charles was wont to think, and say, that he and his companions had the advantage of the old unbeliever in matter of argument ; though we have no record to show that they won him to the love and practice of the truth. Work in the Sabbath-school, where he had now become a teacher, occupied a large share of his attention ; and this department of labour formed a meet preparation for subsequent work among the heathen.

In such works as these he found fitting and constant employment until his removal from London to Northampton, where he was to enter upon untried scenes and encounter new temptations, and where his stability would probably undergo a severe testing. However, very soon after his settlement in the town, we find him thus writing : —

" Now with regard to my shop company. My landlord, although a professing Christian, appears to be a man void of the power of godliness : but God forbid that I should judge him ! His apprentice is a young man about eighteen years of *age, who does not believe in consecrating the Sabbath unto the Lord, any more than any other day of the week. He does not believe that the whole of the Bible is inspired, and therefore laughs at all professing Christians who do believe it. The other young man, with whom I sleep, is very steady, although not a member of the church ; and with him I get on very well. But I pray [that God may move upon all their hearts by His Holy Spirit, to the end they may enlist under the banner of the cross. I am happy to

inform you that I feel Christ to be precious to my soul. I can now say He is ' all and in all ' to me, for through Him I believe I am justified Jbefore God."

Chapter II

Enters the Ministry — First Appointment — Labours in Cornwall.

AT the time of Mr. New's residence in the town of Northampton, the Church to which he was attached by choice and conviction was small and feeble ; but immediately on his arrival he sought out and joined its fellowship. This was a step alike creditable to his head and his heart ; for it was at once a proof of the sincerity of his religious profession, and of his preference and attachment to the polity and doctrines of the Free Churches. Nor was it less important in relation to the future of his life ; as it became one of the links in that chain of circumstances and events, by which the Providence of God was preparing him for work at home and abroad.

We can well imagine the appearance of the youth, as he presented himself for recognition in the church. A little shy ; somewhat reticent at first ; a modest, manly bearing ; a pleasant smile ; an eye dark and piercing, but full of soft and liquid tenderness ; a frank and genial manner, and a courteous, gentle bearing, that could hardly fail to win a place in the esteem and affections of those who knew him. We are not surprised that he awakened the kindly interest of the minister of the little church, the Rev. R. Steele ; and that, attracted by the appearance of the youth, just fresh from home and friends, he sought in every way to help him in his need, and to encourage him in all that was good and useful. He is said to have found him a home, and sympathising in his desire for self-improvement, to have lent him books ; and thus became a valuable guide and instructor at a most important period of his life. He also seems to have encouraged him in the attempt to exercise his gifts by preaching, — discovering, no doubt, in the young man the possession of those peculiar qualities that distinguish every true minister of Christ. To this gentleman he was greatly indebted for kindness and for help ; and he never ceased to feel the deep obligations under which he had laid him. Here, then, for the time he found a resting-place, and also a congenial sphere of usefulness ; and was preparing himself, almost unconsciously, for more extensive service.

We gather from hints scattered throughout his correspondence, that Mr. New did not take very kindly to the " craft," and had no great reverence for St. Crispin. His position was not exactly in harmony with his aspirations ; and as time developed, and began to mature his powers, he felt a spirit stirring within him that made this kind of business somewhat irksome, if not actually distasteful. Still he pursued his calling with diligence, and worked hard to eat a bit of bread honestly. But after a time trade declined a little, and work was not so easy to obtain ; so that his mind began to dwell upon the possibility of changing the character of his employment. Yet, like a wise man, he did not attempt to hurry or to control events, but patiently waited for the time and manner, as God might direct him. In the meanwhile he sought diligently to improve himself, and to repair the defects of his early education. He read somewhat extensively ; and as he had the faculty of retaining a good portion of what passed through his mind, he reaped great advantage from the process. He was also careful to secure correctness in the manner of communicating his thoughts in writing, and paid much attention to the smallest details. Hence, in a long letter written to an elder sister at this period, he says : " I would fain write this over again, but I am too tired. Hoping that you will look over all faults, as there may be some here ■ — such as a capital letter for a small one, and a small one for a capital, with here and there a word spelt wrong, through hurry and wearisomeness." In a subsequent letter he says : "In your last you favoured me with a little correction. I shall be pleased if you will always do so ; but the instance you referred to, I must say, was a careless one rather than an ignorant one. Nevertheless, I thank you."