The Life And Ministry Of William Tooke

Earthen Vessel 1893:

The Late Mr. W. Tooke, Sen., Many Years The Beloved Pastor Of The Church At Bedford-road, Clapham

My dear father was born on the 7th of March, 1823, in the parish of Hackney, being the youngest son of Samuel and Sarah Tooke, who, I believe, were members of the Church at Homerton-row for forty years, the former occupying the position of deacon of that Church for a long period. In his youth he sat under the ministry of the late Daniel Curtis, but as far as I know there did not appear to be a work of grace began until he was twenty-one years of age. To use his own words: “I was kept very strictly at home, and determined that when I was of age I would have my fill of the pleasures of this life.” Accordingly, one Lord’s-day morning he set out to have, what he then estimated, a good day, and a good day it was, for it proved to be the day of good to his soul. Passing through Islington, he was attracted by the singing in a little chapel and went in, and there the Lord met with him. I cannot remember the text preached from, nor the name of the preacher, only that he was an aged man. He then attended the ministry of Mr. William House, and was set at happy liberty under him from a text in the Song of Solomon. During the whole of his ministry he was particularly fond of that wonderful song, and frequently preached from it; and no wonder, for through it he was enabled to sing, ”The Lord is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation.” Here it was that he met my dear moth; they both joined the Church, and there spent their early happy days together, and with the people of God.

Removing, in the providence of God, to Stepney, where he undertook the charge of Beaumont Cemetery, remaining until it was closed, he became an attendant, and finally joined the Church at Cave Adullum, then under the pastoral care of Mr. William Allen.

About the year 1856 he joined the Church at Bethel, Poplar, during the ministry of Mr. T. Davies. It was there that he first opened his mouth to speak in the name of the Lord. On Lord’s-day afternoon, they had a kind of Bible-reading, and this opportunity, I believe was his college of training for future usefulness in the ministry of the Word. At that period he opened his house on Friday evenings for prayer and exposition, and I well remember the gatherings of the godly, and the union of heart there was among those that “feared the Lord, and spake often one to another.”

Circumstances, of which I know nothing, occasioned my father and other friends leaving Bethel, and a school-room in Willis-street Poplar was hired, and a Church was formed by the late lamented C. W. Banks for whom my dear father entertained the highest regard. Some measure of blessing followed his ministry there; several persons were baptized by him, among them my dear wife.

In August, 1867, he received a call to minister to the Church at Oundle, Northamptonshire, leaving there to supply at Peterborough in 1870; thence to Chesham, labouring there until June, 1872; then to Earls Barton, until December, 1874. During his pastorate the chapel was built, and much blessing followed his labours. I have just received a letter from Brother Ward, of Laxfield, who was brought up at Earls Barton. He says: “Your father’s ministry was an unspeakable blessing to me, and under a sermon he preached from Song of Solomon 8:5, I lost my burden of sin, and separated from my worldly companions; until then I had been sinning against light and knowledge, but that day the bonds were broken. He took me by the hand, and I found him a faithful father and friend. He baptized me on February 26th, 1874. He always said that the Lord had a work for me to do, and some day I should be in His service, but he was removed before I went out, to my great grief.”

He removed to Norwich, and remained there until January, 1878; from thence to Mendlesham, until 1881; then removing to Bury-St., Edmunds. In 1883, having a preaching engagement in London, he came up, bringing my dear mother with him. She was taken ill, and never returned, but died at my house. He then resigned his pastorate at Bury, and came to live with me until his second marriage in September, 1890, traveling about among the Churches until 1885, when he accepted the invitation to the pastorate at Bedford-road, Clapham, where he finished his course.

It seems remarkable that he should be so moved about, yet he appeared to have a work to do in all these “places, though short in duration, never moving without feeling that it was the will of the Lord, and having the same confirmed by seeing an open door before him. For twenty years, up till the time of my dear mother’s death, notwithstanding his many spheres of labour he never had one Lord’s-day cessation from preaching, and I do not think that in any place where he remained, the signs of blessing in the ingathering of God’s elect did not follow. Today there are very many of God’s dear people who can testify to having received some tokens for good through his ministry.

As a man, he was quiet, rather reticent, but friendly with those he was brought into contact with. As a Christian, I can bear the most unqualified testimony to his uprightness of walk and conversation. His life was in harmony with his profession.

As a minister of the Gospel, he was faithful, never shunning to declare the whole counsel of God. Perhaps the following incident communicated to me by my sister, Mrs. Rowell, will better tell the story of his ministry than anything I can say:—“Just before my marriage, one Lord’s~day afternoon, he was in such an awful state of mind. You know he was not a man to shed tears often, but he was broken down with such a sense of guilt and shame before God; he prayed for pardon very earnestly, but such was his sense of sin that he desired me to go and tell Mr. ———, the deacon, that he could not preach, and never should again. Dear mother and I pleaded with him, and at last he went saying he should not be permitted to preach, and could think of nothing to say, his previously-arranged subject being gone from his mind. He commenced; his prayer was heart-breaking. He then spoke from the words, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.’ There was scarcely a dry eye in the place, many were broken down, some were converted to God, backsliders were reclaimed; perhaps we shall never know the good resulting from that occasion; he never could have preached such a sermon if he had not passed through such an experience.”

The last twelve months we noticed that he seemed to age, and friends have remarked upon his feebler gait, but our fears were not excited until March last, when he was attacked with vomiting, which returned at intervals. These attacks pointed to some serious mischief within, and increasing in violence so that he could keep nothing down, speedily brought him to his end here.

A fortnight before his death he came to spend a day or two with us, and was taken worse, the next day took to his bed, and instead of returning to his earthly home went to his better home on high. The last sermon that he preached was on April 16th, in the evening; it was on the occasion of the death of a member of the Church; he was not fit to do it; I assisted him in the service. On the first Lord’s-day in May he got to chapel in the evening for the last time. My son preached at night, and father conducted the ordinance. He seems to have been very happy that night. It was the first hearing of his grandson, and he took up the theme at the table: “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer”; and as he lay upon his deathbed he spoke of the text and sermon to me, saying, “It has been with me ever since. It was true of him to the letter. He also made some remarks upon the words, “It is Christ that died.” His last public utterances were upon the one great theme, a crucified Christ. His last and repeated testimony was that his hopes were built upon the finished work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He retained consciousness until the afternoon preceding the day of his decease; his mind then was constantly working, his tongue constantly speaking of things pertaining to the Church and the Gospel he loved to preach. He gently breathed his last here on May 25^th.

William Tooke

June, 1898

The Funeral

The funeral took place at Forest Hill Cemetery, on Thursday, June 1, 1898. At the special request of the family, M. J. Parnell conducted the service, who asked brother Cornwell to read Psalm 90, and brother R. E. Sears offered prayer. Brother Parnell read a portion of 1 Cor. 15, and 1 Thess 4, and brother O. S. Dolbey further supplicated the throne of gace. Mr. Parnell, in the course of an address, said, No one would miss the departed brother more than himself, for they had been closely attached to each other more than twenty years, and could say he was “a brother beloved,” and the question suggested itself, What is death to the child of God? it is a blessing, for, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.” Death is a great gain, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” It is a death full of hope—a hope that looks for the fulfilment of the promise (Prov. 14:32). It is precious (Psa. 116:15); and it is but the putting off the old tabernacle; it is the emancipation of the imprisoned spirit—the termination of all life’s trials, &c. The hymn “Why do we mourn departed friends?” was then sung, and prayer by brother Osmond closed the service in the chapel.

At the grave Mr. Parnell continued his remarks on death, and quoted Rom. 14:8: “For whether we live,” &c., so that our brother is not lost, but gone before. We commit the body to the grave, but it shall rise again. Death leads to rest—the rest that remains for the people of God.” It leads to comfort and to a crown of life. It leads to a joyful resurrection, and a perfect conformity to Christ—“we shall be like Him.” What a comfort this must be to the beloved mourners. Mr. Parnell concluded his address by asking “How stands the matter with us individually? Where shall we spend our eternity? for death is universal.” Brother F. C. Holden earnestly sought the throne of grace. Toplady’s hymn, “Rock of Ages,” was sung, and our brother Parnell, who was graciously helped in conducting the service, closed by commending widow and family to the care of the Lord.

It was very pleasing to see so many present, the chapel being crowded with friends intent on showing their esteem for the departed, among whom we noticed Messrs. J. H. Lynn, Rundell (of the Surrey Tabernacle, who lead the service of praise), Boulden, Gray, Maycock (of Bexley), Barmore (Homerton-row), Burbridge, Clark (Clapham Junction), Battson, Brain, Woodrow, White, and Stringer.

The funeral was conducted by Mr. Debnam. 

J. W. B.