THE KING’S BUSINESS
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pleaseth the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” In 1773 eight more were added to the church, and in 1776 the number was forty. As we were now much increased in mem bers and hearers, our hired house began to be toO small for us, so we thought of building a house for God. I spent a few days in walking about the town to see if I could find a piece of ground that would suit our purpose; and I prayed as I walked that God would build us a house for- His name, and that we might find a resting placé for the God of Jacob, At last I fixed my eyes, and my heart too, upon a place, and I applied to the owner of it, and we agreed about the price. The ground was 35 yards long and 20 broad, for which we gave £60. On the 18th day of July, 1776, the foundation of the Lord’s house was laid, and in April, 1777, it was finished and Opened, and three sermons were preached that day, by the Rev. Mr. Gaukrôgers, Mr. Kinghorn and Mr. Beats'on. This was a day of great joy and gladness to us .all, and what we little expected when we first begun. We have called our meeting house “Ebenezer.” Hitherto the Lord hath helped us. The next Lord’s day after, I preached in our new meeting house for the first time, from Psalm cxxvi. 3 : “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” In 1780 I was called up to London to collect money in order to discharge the debt upon the meeting house, which was £130, which I got; and on my return to Scarborough, the debt was completely dis charged, to the great joy of the church. The church and congregation still increas ing, we began to want more room, and found it necessary to enlarge the place of our tent, and to stretch forth the curtains of our habitation ; and therefore in the year 1790 we erected a gallery over the east end of the meeting house, which was omitted at the first, to keep down the expense till we should be better, able to do it. .This cost us about £40. In 1793 we bought a piece of ground ad joining the east side of the meeting yard,
for which we gave £40; this is intended for an additional burial ground when wanted. In 1801 we again enlarged the meeting house fifteen feet in breadth, and in 1809 we en larged the vestry six feet in breadth, from a garden belonging to a house on the west side of the meeting, for which we gave £ 100 . Since the year 1767 there have been bap tized and added to the church 146; dead, 79; cut off, 14; dismissed, 3; number of mem bers now remaining, 51. We have a com fortable place of worship, a dwelling house, and a garden, which we have let for twelve years at a rent of £7 10s Od and no debt upon the meeting house; and we live in the unity of the Spirit, and in the bond of peace and. love. Praise the Lord who hath done such great things for u s; and it is marvel lous in our eyes. At the first we were. very much despised and spoken against, not only by the profanely wicked, but also by those of whom better things might have been expected. But now many came to hear the Word of God, who a few years before would'have scorned to have put their heads into a dissenting meeting house. Before our meeting house was built, we had no place to baptize in but the open air. I have baptized many in the sea, and some in a small brook of water about two miles from the town; but now we have a baptistry in the meeting house. When the ordinance of baptism was first administered in Scar borough, it was thought a strange thing, and that it was only an invention of our own; for they did not know there were any such people in all England. But now they are better informed, and we are better thought of and have in general a pretty good con gregation. Our meeting house is 40x37 within the- walls, with a gallery over the east end, and will hold about 500 people—it is surrounded with our own ground. What has God wrought for the poor Baptists in Scarbor ough by such weak means ! It- proves that this work is of God and not of men. In this the hand of the Lord is seen, and let him have all the glory.—Amen.
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