Edward Hoare, M.A Part 1

Edward h.o.a.re, M.A.

by Edward h.o.a.re.

PREFACE

It was on the 20th of August, 1864, that the Rev. Edward h.o.a.re, on the deck of the steamer from Boulogne to Folkestone, spoke kindly words of sympathy to a schoolboy returning home after a great bereavement in Switzerland. How little then could either of them have imagined the future relations.h.i.+p of Vicar and Curate, the long years of happy friends.h.i.+p afterwards, the deeply solemn funeral sermon, and, finally, the sacred task of editing the Autobiography and writing the brief sketch contained in the following pages! This work has been undertaken with the greatest diffidence, partly owing to the many duties of a somewhat busy life, and still more from the anxious wish that such a character as that of Canon h.o.a.re should be depicted by one who had known him from earlier years. Another difficulty has been to compress the volume into the small limits desired by the family.

To write a large volume would have been easy, but to read a considerable correspondence, together with closely written volumes of journal, and give a digest of their contents, has required care and thought. It has also necessitated the putting upon one side of much that was interesting and profitable. Amongst the things unpublished have been many powerful letters upon various burning questions of the day during the past forty years; most of these subjects have now burnt themselves out, and it seemed unwise to rake up the ashes.

It is, moreover, better to say too little than too much, and those who knew him best will acknowledge that the latter error has been avoided.

A man possessing such qualities as those which Canon h.o.a.re exhibited-great kindness and affection, wide views of men and things, strong convictions, ruling powers, commanding intellect, and deep spirituality of mind-was one who could not live without influencing visibly all with whom he came in contact; but it has been the desire of the Editor so to picture this life as it appeared to him, and with the one desire that G.o.d may be glorified by the narrative as He was magnified in the life of His servant.

J. H. T.

CHAPTER I _EARLY LIFE AND BOYHOOD_

It is a common practice amongst remarkable men to leave on record some of the circ.u.mstances which have led to the formation of the leading features of their character.

But as the greater part of mankind is not remarkable, I think it just possible that some may be interested, and possibly some profited, by a few details of the life of one whose life has not been marked by incident so much as by abundant mercy, who has been led on step by step in the happy life of a parochial clergyman, and who at the close of it can say with reference to the past, "Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life," and can add with reference to the future the blessed hope and determination of David, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

Of all the many mercies of my life the one that must ever stand first and foremost is the gift of my beloved father and mother. No words can describe the blessing of such parents, and I never can look back on the unspeakable privilege of such a parentage without adoring the sovereign grace which placed me under their parental care. When I observe the carelessness of some parents, the inefficiency of others, and the terrible training for evil to which I see mult.i.tudes of poor children exposed, I can only adore the sovereignty of G.o.d which on June 5th, 1812, committed me as a sacred trust to the very best of parents.

My father, Samuel h.o.a.re, was a banker in the City. Both he and my mother, Louisa h.o.a.re, {2} had been brought up in the Society of Friends, and had not formally left it at the time of my birth, so that I was registered by that body, and at the time of my ordination I had to apply to the Westminster Meeting for a certificate of my birth. But they were both greatly influenced by the ministry of some devoted Evangelical clergymen, such as the Rev. E. Edwardes of Lynn, and the Rev. Josiah Pratt, and I believe it was very soon after my birth that they were together baptised. We young people were therefore all brought up as members of the Church of England, though, as my father never completely lost his early Quaker prejudice against infant baptism, we were not baptised till about the age of fifteen, when we were considered able to judge for ourselves.

It was probably the result of his own Quaker education that my father had a strong objection to public schools; so that his plan was to engage a private tutor, some young man from Cambridge or Oxford, to educate us at home till we attained the age of fifteen, and then send us to a private tutor, preparatory to our going up to Cambridge. This arrangement answered well so long as there were four of us boys at home, and some of our cousins were united with us both in the schoolroom and playground; but as the elder boys went off, there was a sad want both of healthy amus.e.m.e.nts and intellectual stimulus for those that were left behind. I was the third, and I remember how difficult it was for my dear brother Joseph and myself to keep ourselves well employed when our elder brothers Samuel and Gurney had been placed under the care of the Rev. H. V.

Elliott, the most able and gifted tutor to whom we three eldest brothers were sent, and to whom we were all indebted far more than I can describe.

He had a wonderful power of bringing the interest of the University to bear on the education of his pupils, and I never can forget the effect on my own mind, for I never really worked till the day I entered his house; but I began then, and I have never been habitually idle since. He was a grand ill.u.s.tration of the principle, that the great office of an educator is not merely to cram a boy's head with knowledge, but to kindle a fire in his soul, which will go on burning brightly when the tutor himself has long since pa.s.sed away.

But though there were great disadvantages in our home education, there were also immense advantages. It was not so effective as my dear parents hoped it would be in preserving us from impure and defiling information, and to this day I rarely pa.s.s the back door of what used to be my grandmother's house without a sense of loathing at the wickedness of her corrupt old butler, who on that spot did his utmost to pollute my boyish mind with filthy communication.

But in many other respects I have never ceased to feel the blessed results of those years at home. In the first place, we were all brought under the constant influence of our father and mother. He was a man of great strength of character, and of marvellous perseverance in all that he undertook. He was deeply interested in the improvement of prison discipline, and was one of the "Governors" of the "Refuge for the Dest.i.tute." This he used to visit once a week with the utmost regularity, rising early so as to be able to complete his visit before his attendance at the Bank, and I have seldom seen a more affecting sight than when he used to ride off week after week in all weathers, even after the Lord had laid him so low by an attack of paralysis that he could not attempt to ride beyond a walking pace, and it was indeed unsafe for him to ride at all; but he was a man _tenax propositi_, and nothing would turn him from his purpose. It was his determination of character that made him a most valuable coadjutor with his brother-in-law, Sir T. F.

Buxton, in the great anti-slavery struggle, as may be seen in the graphic account given in the Life of Sir Fowell of the great debate which virtually decided the question. Sir Fowell himself was a man of courageous determination; but it was my father that, during that debate, sat under the gallery of the House of Commons and upheld his hands by his decided and unwavering judgment. It was a great privilege for us boys to grow up under the influence of such a character.

Once a week, on the day of his holiday from the Bank, he used habitually to visit the schoolroom, and hear us repeat what we had learned during the week; and every Sunday afternoon he used to read with us some good religious book. I fear sometimes one at least of his pupils greatly tried his patience by supineness and inattention, but there were not then the same interesting books for young people that there are now, and such books as Wilberforce's "Practical View" or Doddridge's "Rise and Progress" were not calculated to attract the attention of a set of boys whose hearts were set on cricket.

Then my dearest mother was one of the most lovely women of the day.

Beautiful in countenance, gentle in her manners, pure in her thoughts, and most loving in all her intercourse with her family, she exercised over us all a most sacred and refining influence, and one of the most abiding sorrows of my life has been that, when she was teaching me something, I was so negligent that I caused her to shed a tear.

Besides that, she had great intellectual charm. First-rate men such as Chalmers and Wilberforce delighted in her society. She was an excellent English writer. Her letters to her sons at College are perfect models of such compositions, and her admirable little book "Hints on Early Education," containing the principles on which she brought us up, continues to this day, pa.s.sing through edition after edition, unsurpa.s.sed, if I may not say unequalled, by the many more modern efforts to throw light on that most important subject.

It is to her that I am indebted for my first intelligent acquaintance with the Gospel. She used to have us boys to read the Scripture with her every morning at 7.15. Nothing can ever efface the lovely impression made on those occasions. There she used to be by a bright fire in her little room, in her snow-white dressing-gown, looking as pure and lovely as was possible in woman. I fear we boys were often late and sometimes inattentive. But I never forget one morning when she asked me if I knew what faith was, and, finding that I was utterly ignorant, proceeded to teach me those sacred lessons of a Saviour's grace which have been life to my soul from that day till now. Oh, mothers! what an opportunity you have of sowing a seed which will never die!

Another great advantage in our home education was that we became interested in missionary work. Drawing-room meetings were not the fas.h.i.+on then as they are now, and my father and mother, without waiting for the fas.h.i.+on, threw open their large drawing-room to various devoted men. Thus we boys used to enjoy the no small privilege of becoming personally acquainted with many of the most devoted men of the day, as well as of being educated into an interest in missionary work.

But parental influence was not all, for one of the tutors engaged for our instruction was the Rev. R. Davis, of Queen's College, Cambridge, a devoted young man, and deeply interested in the Church Missionary Society. It was he that enlisted the interest of my father and mother, so that I find, in turning to the report for the year 1820, the following entry, which was the sum-total of the then Hampstead a.s.sociation:-

__ _s._ _d._ Contributions by a few children 2 8 0 Rev. R. Davis 1 1 9 3 9 9

Having been one of those few children, I remember well the interest that the subject excited in our minds; and as that interest never died out in those beloved ones now gone to their rest, and as I trust it will never do so in myself, I realise how much I owe to that young man, and I see how much may be done by a young man who carries with him wherever he goes the unceasing desire to be engaged in his Master's service.

This home education was continued until I reached the age of fifteen, when I was sent as a pupil to the Rev. H. V. Elliott of Brighton, where my two elder brothers had been before me. Before I left home arrangements were made for my baptism. That admirable man the Rev.

Josiah Pratt kindly undertook my instruction, and I used to ride down to him at his residence in Finsbury Circus. He was a remarkable man, firm in his principle, faithful to the Gospel, true to his Saviour, zealous in Missions, and of remarkable soundness of judgment. I am not sure that he was altogether the best instructor for a spirited lad, but I never shall forget the venerable man, sitting on one side of the fireplace, finding, I fear, considerable difficulty in eliciting much response from his pupil. But I learnt one practical lesson from these interviews, which has been a help to many a lad under similar circ.u.mstances:-I was at that time thoroughly in earnest about my soul, and I looked forward to my baptism with great seriousness. It was a matter for much prayer and close examination. But my dearest mother showed me Mr. Pratt's letters respecting me, in which he said, "I hope there is something at the bottom, but I find it very difficult to bring it to the surface!" How often have I thought of these words, when I have been preparing my young people for Confirmation; and when I have seen them nervous, agitated, and with small development of feeling, I have thought of myself and of Mr.

Pratt's letters, and remembered how earnest I was at the time, although he could discover but little trace of it.

The day of my baptism was a very solemn one, my cousin, the late Sir Edward Buxton, being baptised at the same time in St. Stephen's, Coleman's Street, and I think it was the next day that we left our homes together and went to Brighton, to enter upon a new mode of education. I cannot say how thankful I am that my father sent me to Mr. Elliott. He was a first-rate man in all respects, and he had been the means of kindling an intellectual fire in my eldest brother, who was pa.s.sing through Cambridge at the time with high distinction. He (Mr. Elliott) had a faculty for inspiriting his pupils for work. I had been an idle boy until I went to him; but I had no sooner crossed his threshold than I felt an ambition for University distinction, and lost very little time when I was under his rule. As he took only six pupils there was the same difficulty that we found at home in getting good play, first-cla.s.s cricket.

But there were other great advantages. There were some very choice lads amongst the pupils, one especially whom I can never forget-namely, Henry Goulburn. He was small in stature, but of marvellous ability: for quick perception, clear understanding, for never-failing memory, and a power of seeing through a subject, such as I never saw in any man. I shall never forget his influence when he first joined us as a pupil. There was at that time a good deal of quarrelling amongst us. There was one young fellow who was rich, but very foolish, who became the b.u.t.t of his companions. I remember well one day, when Goulburn had just come amongst us, and we were all like a pack of hounds upon that young fellow, Goulburn got up from the table, walked round to him, and put his hand upon him, saying, "I will be your friend." That act of his had such a power over the whole party that similar unkindness entirely ceased. I never saw a repet.i.tion of it.

But, besides the pupils within the house, we had the immense advantage of the friends.h.i.+p of Mr. Elliott's mother and sisters, who lived close by.

That mother was one of the most charming old ladies I ever remember. She was the daughter of Henry Venn, Rector of Yelling, the grandfather of the late Henry Venn, Secretary of the Church Missionary Society. She grew up amongst her father's friends, Berridge, Fletcher, and Simeon in his early days, and nothing could be more charming, more delightful, than her reminiscence of the early struggle of those devoted men. It wanted a good deal to draw me from the cricket field, but she had the power of doing it. I could not have had a greater treat than to listen for half-an-hour to her anecdotes.

Then again it was one of the privileges that we enjoyed at Brighton that we attended St. Mary's Church. Mr. Elliott's preaching was valuable, full of truth, and most beautiful in composition. I used to listen to it with great interest, and from it I first learnt the great and blessed doctrine of justification by faith, which I have had the privilege of preaching throughout my ministry. I never can forget one sermon of his in which he pointed out that there were three great trials of Abraham's faith: (1) His Call (Gen. xii.); (2) The Promise given him (Gen. xv.); and (3) The Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. xxii.). He then pointed out that the first and last of these three trials involved immediate action, but that the middle one demanded no action at the time, but required simply a believing reception of the promise of G.o.d, and it was of it that the statement was made (Gen. xv. 6): "Abraham believed G.o.d, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

There was a fresh blessing given me in St. Mary's. It was there one sacred day when Robert Daly, afterwards Bishop of Cashel, was preaching, that I was led by the Spirit of G.o.d to give myself up to the ministry. I do not remember exactly what he said; but I am sure that a permanent impression may be often made without any distinct recollection always of what has been uttered. So it was in my case, while that n.o.ble man was preaching; and I there and then gave myself up to the ministry of G.o.d, as I told him many years afterwards. I said nothing about it to anybody for a year, because I wished my determination to be thoroughly tested. At the end of the year I told my father. He informed me that there was a place open for me in his Bank, but at the same time he gave his cordial approbation; and so with his full consent and that of my dearest mother, I regarded myself from that day as one set apart to the sacred ministry.

That must have been nearly sixty years ago, and never for one moment have I had reason to regret the decision.

From Mrs. h.o.a.re to her son at Brighton:-

"_August_ 22_nd_, 1829.

"How continually have I thought of you, dearest Edward, since you left us, with the truest pleasure and I hope thankfulness for the happy time we have pa.s.sed together, with the greatest interest in your present settlement and earnest desire and prayer for your well-doing in future! You have, my love, gained the confidence and excited the sanguine hopes of your parents, and if you do not turn out the _decided_, _n.o.ble_, _upright_, and _effective Christian_ character, we shall be disappointed. I consider the present juncture in your life very important. The more I consider the case, the more I am sure of Mr. Elliott's intrinsic value to you, and the more I am convinced of the wisdom of giving up yourself in the present to his wishes; if you secure his friends.h.i.+p, you secure a treasure for life.

In this as in every situation, you will have something to bear.

"1. Don't stand on your own rights too much or be tenacious in little things.

"2. Be _very slow_ in taking offence or fancying any disrespect or want of favour is shown to you.

"3. Never _complain_ of anything to your companions.

"4. Encourage a spirit of content, and _be determined_ (there is much in this determination of mind) to be comfortable.

"5. Promote, as far as possible, the pleasure of your companions by yielding in little things. I believe, dearest Edward, you are sensible that, to act with true wisdom, we must seek this precious gift from above, and day by day ask for help and strength and grace for the day.

"6. Write to me intimately, and the letters may be _entirely private whenever you wish it_.