The Life And Ministry Of Henry Myerson

Earthen Vessel 1889:

Mr. Henry Myerson, Pastor Of Shalom Chapel, “The Oval,” Hackney

My dear brother W. Winters,—-I forward you as requested a short sketch of my life. I was born January 12th, 1827, in the parish of Bethnal-green, in the county of Middlesex. At the age of six years I was placed in the Hebrew School, Palestine-place, Cambridge-heath, which school belongs to the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, my father being a Polish Jew, and having embraced the Christian religion. After a lapse of eight years I was apprenticed to the clock trade. My mother was a God-fearing woman, and my first impressions were, under God, obtained from her dear lips. She taught me to lisp God’s name in prayer, and told me of a beautiful heaven and of a dreadful hell, and that God would punish bad people in the burning lake. She taught me also to sing of Jesus’ love. I can almost hear her now singing that much-loved hymn,—

“Jesu, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly.”

and although only about four years old then, I can to this day remember how dear that hymn was to me. Oh, the blessing of having a godly mother!

She has long since gone to heaven, and I hope through God’s grace to meet her there. My impressions were greatly deepened at school, the religious training of the boys being carefully maintained. Thus was the seed of divine grace sown in my heart at a very early age, but alas! as is too often the case, at my leaving school and commencing the pursuits of life, I was surrounded by bad influences, which for a time produced injurious results. My master, as well as the men he employed, were not only worldly men, but blasphemous and most degraded; and encouraged sinning rather than the fear of God, the result being that the good seed sown in my soul for a time appeared to wither and die, and the hidden evils of my heart were, to a very alarming extent, displayed. Yet, nevertheless, in spite of myself and the sad temptations with which I was beguiled, God mercifully kept the spark of divine life still smouldering in my heart to burst out into a blaze to His glory in after life. Many and sharp were the gnawings of conscience; heavy was my heart, and the fear of death and judgment constantly haunted my soul.

At about the age of seventeen the Lord graciously interposed, and at once put a stop to my mad career; thanks to His blessed name, or I must have gone on in this path of sin to this day. A dear brother in the flesh, a God-fearing young man, remonstrated with me on the course I was pursuing, and the sad end it would terminate in, and urged me to attend the House of God. His entreaties took effect, and the next Lord’s-day found the brothers seated side by side in the house of God in Crown-street, Long Acre, listening to an earnest preacher, a Mr. Blake, and from that time the Lord was pleased to deliver me from the snare of Satan, and constrained me to look to Him to be preserved in the future. For a long time I was under the law, and could not feel my sins forgiven or my soul saved; but at length the Lord delivered my soul from bondage by graciously applying to my soul the dying words of Jesus,—

“It is finished.”

About the age of 28 I was strongly impressed with a desire to preach the gospel, and after much prayer for the Lords direction and help, I commenced preaching in the open-air, and on one of these occasions I made the acquaintance of Mr. Thomas King, who is now a deacon of the Surrey Tabernacle, and we have been close friends from that time. I did not continue to preach long in the open air before the Lord sent me to deliver His message of mercy to His people at Romford, and I proclaimed the gospel of Christ there for sixteen months, and about the same length of time at Egham, near Staines, and both of these places of worship filled under my ministry. From Staines the Lord directed my steps to Shalom Chapel, Hackney, in a most marvelous way. Mr. John Bonney, who was led to see and embrace the truth through my instrumentality, was impressed to seek out a place for me to preach in London. He came specially to see me on this subject one Saturday night, some 30 years ago, and told me that he had felt uneasy and anxious about me all the day, and God had sent him to be my “Joseph,” and with these impressions on his mind he took me to see my predecessor, and we found him very ill. My dear brother Bonney asked him if he would allow me to preach in his chapel once a month. ”Well,” said he, “I cannot decide that now, but if you will come to a tea-meeting on the following Tuesday (which was to be convened for his benefit), he would then let us know.” On the morrow, being Sunday, we decided to go to Shalom Chapel and hear our brother Hislop preach. When we arrived at the chapel, no minister was in the pulpit, and the congregation was in a state of consternation. After some time the dear man of God entered the chapel from the vestry, looking like a dying man, and managed to get to the singers’ pew, being too weak and ill to ascend the pulpit stairs. He cast his eyes on me and beckoned. I of course went to him. He gave me the Bible, and asked me to preach to the people. This I consented to do, and afterwards he spoke approvingly to his flock on what I advanced. On the following Tuesday brother Bonney and I went to the meeting, and you may imagine our surprise when we were informed that our dear brother had breathed his last on the previous evening! On that never-to-be-forgotten occasion I was requested by the deacons to occupy the pulpit on the next Lord’s-day, and, thank God, I have been sustained by Him there until now.

“Here I raise my Ebenezer,

Hither by Thy help I’ve come,

And I hope by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.”

All the old members have gone home but four, yet thank God we have a good Church of about 80 members, and I venture to say that there is not a more loving and peaceable people to be found anywhere. The Lord has greatly blessed and honoured me in the work of the ministry and has maintained me in the pastoral office over one Church nearly 30 years, and my one theme has been, and now is, and I trust it will be until my eyes are closed in death, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

I am thankful to tell you, dear brother, that our gracious Lord still owns and blesses my ministry, as many can testify, and I pray God that you may be long spared to be a blessing to the cause of God and truth.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Henry Myerson

Pastor, Shalom Baptist Chapel, “Oval,” Hackney-road, E.