The Life And Ministry Of John Bush

Earthen Vessel 1899:

Mr. John Bush, Of The Surrey Tabernacle And Kingston-On-Thames

My Dear Brother,—At your request, and with the earnest desire that the Lord may help me, and that He may bless to your readers the recital of His mercy and lovingkindness to one who is unworthy of the least of all His mercies, and continually led with the poet to say:—

“O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee,”

I will give you a few particulars of the Lord’s gracious dealings with me. To the praise of our gracious God, who in covenant purpose has left nothing out of His perfect plan, in His wonderful arrangements in providence and grace. I was born on the 24th of April, 1846, of Christian parents, at Camden Town, London, N. W., and was early taken to the house of God by my parents, who at that time attended the faithful ministry of Mr. T. W. Gittens, at Ebenezer Chapel, Union-street, Camden Town; and a truly godly, gracious, and loving pastor he was. And although I knew very little of the blessed Gospel he preached, yet as I remember my childhood days I have an affectionate remembrance of his gentle and loving manner, and his sweet kindness to me as a little boy. Often would he take me up in his arms, and put his hands on my head, lifting up his heart and voice in prayer that the Lord would bless me. “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

I attended the Sabbath-school in connection with the house of God there, and have every reason to believe that the Lord implanted the seed of eternal life in my heart, even that incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever, although it took some years to develop and bear fruit; yet as I am led to remember all the way the Lord has led me these many years in the wilderness, I cannot but believe that the impressions received under the ministry of the Sabbath-school were sealed upon my heart by the blessed Spirit. I name this to encourage the noble band of godly men and women who, constrained by the love of Christ, go forth to labour to instruct the young in the ways of the Lord. I shall never forget one Sunday afternoon, when we sang that hymn, viz.:—

“Almighty God, Thy piercing eye,

Strikes through the shades of night,

And our most secret actions lie,

All open to Thy sight.”

It sent a terror through my very soul, and at night how I pleaded with God to make me a good boy, and to enable me to do that which was right in His sight, for I had then no knowledge of the perfect work of Christ and His finished salvation, and in my little way thought that I could work out a righteousness of my own, which I believe is the way that the Lord often begins His work of grace in a poor sinner’s heart. Upon another occasion I remember when in chapel that hymn was given out:—

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,

Seal it from Thy courts above.”

My heart was very soft before the Lord, and for weeks I kept praying,

“Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,

Seal it to Thy courts above.”

For in my childish way I thought the poet had made a mistake, I wanted to be sealed to heaven. Already I began to feel how difficult it was to do that which God commanded.

Many other circumstances in my school-days I could name, but must pass on.

When the time came for me to leave home I had just passed my twelfth birthday (I was but a child), to be apprenticed to a draper at Deptford. I shall never forget my dear, godly mother, of precious memory, taking me alone into her bedroom, and kneeling down with me at her bedside, how she poured out her heart in fervent prayer on my behalf.

I can never bless God enough for a praying mother. Knowing some of the temptations to which I should be exposed, she prayed that the Lord would preserve and keep me, and that I might prove to be one of the Lord’s chosen ones. Then on the way to Deptford what loving counsel, good advice, and wise caution she gave me. I have them still in remembrance, and I can truly say that in my first two years after leaving home often I had to say, “So did not I because of the fear of the Lord,” as taught me by my godly, praying mother, for in the providence of God I was living with some of the most ungodly, a very sink of sin and iniquity. So that with the poet I can sing:—

“Preserved in Jesus, when

My feet made haste to hell,

And there should I have gone,

But Thou dost all things well.

Thy love was great, Thy mercy free,

Which from the pit delivered me.”

How sovereign was the mercy of God to me, in thus preserving me in the very midst of temptations of the worst possible kind, and which, I am sure, had it not been for the Lord’s keeping grace, I should have fallen into and perished.

It was not very long after I had been apprenticed at Deptford that a dear aunt, now in glory, who was a member at the Surrey Tabernacle, Borough-road, asked me to go with her to hear Mr. James Wells (the very writing of the name thrills my soul with love to my dear covenant God, who brought me under the sound of his voice, and often caused me to hear His own sweet voice in the whispers of His love, through His honoured servant). I went with her, and was obliged to stand part of the service, as the chapel was so crowded. After the service my aunt asked me what I thought of her minister, for to her there was none like J. Wells. I replied, “I like him very much,” for there was something that attracted my whole attention, and I said, “I should like to go again,” which, after a few weeks I did, and shall never forget the service. I cannot remember the text, but the subject was the eternal security of the Lord’s chosen people. In the warmth of his heart Mr. Wells made use of these words, which went home to my very soul: “God Almighty must fall from His throne before James Wells can be lost.” I went home pondering over this remark, wondering if it could be true, that any man could be so sure of his eternal salvation as to make such a statement. All my religion was gone, and I felt I would give a thousands worlds to be able to feel sure of my own personal salvation.

Now the Lord began to show me my lost condition as a poor sinner, my utter helplessness, my spiritual poverty, so that I began in real earnest to seek the Lord, and to call upon His name. I needed no asking now to go to hear the dear servant of God, but every time the chapel was open, and I had the opportunity to hear, I was there, hungering and thirsting for the Word of Life, often walking sixteen miles on the Lord’s Day, after being in business until two o’clock on Sunday morning. I was often helped and encouraged, and sometimes hoped that the glorious Gospel I was favoured to hear would be made by the Holy Spirit the power of God unto my eternal salvation. I soon discovered that the Lord had a chosen people, and the doctrine of election became a great trouble to me, for I could not believe that God could have chosen such a poor sinner as I felt myself to be, but as I searched the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit opened my eyes, I saw that God had chosen His people in Christ Jesus, and I was with all my heart seeing salvation through Him. I was encouraged to hope in the mercy of God, through His beloved Son, being much helped by the ministry of the Word and the Scriptures of Truth. Many portions I could name, but space forbids. I will give only one, viz., John 6:37.

At the age of fifteen-and-a-half I was in the providence of God removed to Woolwich. Now I was four miles further from the Tabernacle, yet I often walked the thirty-two miles to be at each service, and often on the Sunday evening I hardly felt the ground under my feet as I went home, so sweet were the drawings of Divine love. After being at Woolwich for eighteen months I moved to Stepney, in the East-end of London. Now I could walk with joy to the house of God, I was beginning to know a little of the power of Divine grace in seeking the Lord by prayer, and having some very sweet answers, although the one burden was that my sins still remained. I may here name one circumstance, for the sake of our young men who are in business, and are surrounded by ungodly companions. The Lord one day brought home with Divine power these words:—”In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths ” (Prov. 3:6). How seasonable is the Word of the Lord, for I was just made buyer, although only seventeen years of age, with great responsibilities, and I remember always before going to the City to buy, how I knelt down and asked the Lord to direct me what to purchase and to keep me from the many temptations which at that time were in vogue in the City houses. Here I could write a little bank of faith upon the many answers to prayer, and how the Lord prospered my way. Yet mine was only a hope, but bless God it was a good hope through grace of eternal life. After about three years in this house of business, I started in business for myself, and very soon married my dear wife, who became a real helpmeet, both in spiritual and temporal things.

The new Surrey Tabernacle was now open, and how I longed to be one of their number, especially when on Lord’s-day afternoon I saw them sitting with their Lord at His table. I often asked the Lord if ever it would be my happy lot, and my prayer was constantly:—

“Numbered with them let me be,

Now and through eternity.”

But I had still to wait, and often went with longing heart to the house of God, sometimes feeling I could not wait much longer. My earnest prayer was: “Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”

The Lord has a set time to favour His people, and the time of love did come, never to be forgotten, when the Lord brought home His pardoning mercy, and—

“Assured my conscience of its part

In the Redeemer’s blood,

And bore sweet witness with my heart

That I was born of God.”

Lord’s-day morning, Nov. 21st, 1869, dear Mr. Wells gave out his text: “He brought me into His banqueting house, and His banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). It was all for me; my soul danced for joy; my sins were all gone, peace flowed into my heart. I called God “my Father” for the first time, Christ my very own Beloved, the Holy Spirit my Comforter, the children of God my companions, and heaven my everlasting home. I went home singing, and told my dear wife, saying, “I must go in the evening and tell Mr. Wells all about my joy,” for I had found Him whom my soul loved, and I wanted to let His servant know. However, I was hindered in the evening of that day, and I longed for Wednesday evening to come, that I might see him, but such a cloud of darkness came over me, and my unbelieving heart, and the devil together, told me it was all a delusion. I could not rest, and in an agony of soul sought the Lord, and prayed that if it were His work He would confirm it by His own Word. I opened my Bible upon the 116th Psalm. The first word melted me to tears. I read on until I came to the 8th verse: “For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.” I returned to my rest; the snare was broken, my joy restored, and I was completely blessed. I went that night and told Mr. Wells all my heart, and after relating my experiences before the Church, was baptized, with my dear wife, by Mr. J. Wells, on December 13th, 1869, his text being Acts 10:48. Oh, what a happy time it was, never to be forgotten while memory holds its seat. 

“Many days have passed since then,

Many changes I have seen.”

But my God has not forsaken me, and—

“Since my soul has known His love,

What mercies has He made me prove,

Mercies which all my praise excel,

My Jesus has done all things well.”

It was not until some time after dear Mr. Wells’ death that I began to be exercised about speaking in the Lord’s name, although I used to enjoy very much telling out His goodness here and there, when I met with those that feared the Lord.

Living at Surbiton, I found the Surrey Tabernacle too far to attend on the week evenings, so thought I would seek out the people of God at Kingston, and unite with them to worship God. This I did, and joined them in their prayer-meeting. Being asked to read and expound the Word of God, I consented, and many blessed times of refreshing we had from the presence of the Lord. I preached my first sermon on Lord’s- day evening, October 23rd, 1881, in a barn at Knapp Hill. With what trembling of heart did I start from home that Sunday afternoon, the walk from Woking Station being three and a half miles. I shall never forget how Jesus joined me, and it was a real journey to Emmaus. My text was Matt. 1:21: “And thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” The Lord helped me, and blessed His Word. On the following Wednesday I preached to the friends at Kingston, from Psalm 66:16: “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.” Many will never forget that season; there was not a dry eye in the little vestry. Nearly all are now in glory who were present at that meeting. Since then, “having obtained help of God I continue unto this day,” preaching the Gospel wherever the Lord has called me—in London, and throughout the country, the Lord blessing the Word with signs following.

Now, to close this very brief account, I have to testify to the Lord’s faithfulness, forbearance, and lovingkindness with and to one so unworthy, who is—

“Still a poor sinner, and nothing at all,

But Jesus is my All and in all.”

Yes! He is faithful to His promise, for He gave me this promise many years ago: “As I was with Moses; so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”

Praying that the Earthen Vessel may have a prosperous voyage over the tempestuous waters of 1899, and that grace, mercy, and peace may be with you and your readers, and all who love our Lord Jesus Christ,

Yours in the dear hope of eternal life,

John Bush