The Life And Testimony Of Richard Huxham
Earthen Vessel 1892:
Dear Brother Winters,—It is at your request I attempt to write you a brief account of the few and evil days of my life. I was born of godly parents at Totnes, in Devonshire, on the banks of that lovely river Dart, commonly known as the English Rhine, on the 12th January, 1824. In the year 1831 I was impressed concerning my state as a sinner under the chastisement of my godly grandfather, which impression harassed me again and again for years, robbing sin of its oft would-be pleasures, by bringing to remembrance that I should have to give an account to God, which sorely galled my guilty conscience, and therefore, brought a sting within my soul.
So things went on, as I continued with my ungodly companions for some years, repeatedly sinning and sorrowing, sinning and resolving to be better, but the better never came. This was my state until about the year 1839, when a brother of mine, some four years younger than myself, joined a juvenile Bible-class in connection with what was then known as the Independent Chapel in the locality, and which (when I heard of it) some mysterious influence led me to join a Young Men’s Bible-class with which I became quite enamoured, and from certain impressions I determined to lead a different life, which to some extent and after some fashion I did. My dear mother on hearing thereof was highly elated, as I learnt some years after, and asked one of the teachers in the Sunday-school to get me into it as a teacher. Not much fit for it, you will say, but, however, they succeeded. At this period I became much exercised, as I had not cast off my old companions in sin, although I greatly wanted so to do, but feared the ridicule and jeers that were likely to follow; but am thankful I was saved that ordeal, for as soon as they found I joined the class and went to chapel, they gave me the cold shoulder, and so we parted; they went their way, and I went, l trust, the Lord’s way.
Thus things went smoothly on until about the middle of 1840 when our minister preached one Lord’s-day morning from the text, Hosea 10:12, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.” Then it was that the ploughshare of the Divine Word entered into my soul so as it had never done before, and brought me to my knees before God, in whose sight I was led to view myself naked, and apparently ready to be driven away in my nakedness before the wrath of an offended and insulted God as a fruitless branch fit only for the fire of His indignation. But God shewed me mercy in turning my attention to Calvary’s bleeding Lamb; from thence He led me gently on, as at that time I was a confirmed Arminian, and so He unveiled truth to me little by little, and thus a yea and nay system soon became a dry breast and as the mountains of Gilboa to me. I heard attentively what the minister had to say, and brought it to the touch- stone of God’s Word, of which I had now become a prayerful student and concluded as God’s Word was true, they must be false witnesses and nearly the last I heard of it was from a man by the name of Stenner, then preaching in the Independent Chapel at Dartmouth, but who after, if I am rightly informed, went into the Church of England. He preached one Lord’s-day, in the morning, one of the highest Hyper-Calvinistic sermons I think I ever heard from Ephes. 1:4, and in the evening his text was Mark 6:5. For Arminianism he must have raked the very slums. He preached two systems—one salvation by grace without works, and salvation by works independent of grace, the which cannot be reconciled either by the learned or ignorant.
All the time I was among this people I sometimes got a crumb, and sometimes I charged the preacher with knowing not what he said nor whereof he affirmed. It was my privilege to believe in the doctrine of believers’ baptism. From my earliest thoughtful moments I always held it in theory and contended for it earnestly, although, like many at the present day, stood aside from the water until about the year 1854, when I offered myself for baptism, and was accepted. Since then have ever been connected with Churches of the Primitive and Strict Communion order. My entrance into the ministry took place in the year 1842 (hence this is my Jubilee Year) after this wise. Having joined the Independent Church with three other young men, each possessing some gift for speaking, we were pressed first to address the school, and from that were drafted into the villages. In 1856 I was invited to preach at a little Baptist chapel in the village of Harbertonford, Devon, which I did for two years, in connection with an Independent, who ultimately took exception to my preaching and the doctrine of believers’ baptism, although in a Baptist chapel, which led to some unpleasantness, he being dismissed from the pulpit by the Church, and I being invited to the pastorate, which I accepted and held in addition to my business as a grocer and provision dealer for ten years; and he, being a man of means, built an Independent chapel at his own cost, as he said, to destroy the Baptists. However, instead of which (in the midst of a fiery persecution from him) the Lord blessed my labours abundantly.
From this place I removed, in 1869, to Cheltenham, by invitation, for twelve months, with a view to the pastorate, which I never accepted, but left at the expiration of the term agreed to. From thence I went for a short time, by invitation, to the Tabernacle at Hayes, in Middlesex, and then, by the recommendation of my personal and greatly-beloved friend, the late W. Palmer, of Homerton-row, London, to the pastorate of Lever-street, City-road, London; after which the same good brother introduced me to Borough Green, in Kent, and while there I was summoned to the dying chamber of our good brother Palmer, with whom I remained during his last night on earth. I remained five years in great usefulness there, and from thence I went to Burgh-le-Marsh and Monks-thorpe, in Lincolnshire, for two years; and after that I received an invitation for twelve months, with a view to the pastorate, at Chelmsford, in Essex; but things not appearing very propitious to warrant me to take the pastorate, I accepted a second twelve months, during which time I was the means of getting the Church to appoint more deacons. I left, and by invitation went to Rattlesden, in Suffolk, where I remained five years in usefulness under the blessing of God; after which I came to this place (Aldringham).
It is with wonder, love, and praise I look back over the way the Lord has led me, and see the use He has made of me. How many He has been pleased to call to preach His Gospel I cannot say, but it is no trifling matter to reflect on the late H. Perry Brown as pastor of Totnes, Devon; the late R. Varder, of Yeovil, Somerset, so well known and loved at the Surrey Tabernacle, London; E. Beecher, the now pastor of Shouldham-street; all whom the Lord has graciously given me as seals to my ministry, and as their tutor in the truth at Harbertonford and Borough Green. In addition to the above I may mention our brother W. C. Hitchcock, grandson of the revered and late beloved John Cooper, of Wattisham, who was first encouraged to speak at one of our cottage meetings at Rattlesden, and who is now frequently engaged in the work of preaching the Word. I am now on the eve of closing my last pastorate, expecting soon to go home.
What has God wrought, to His name be all the praise. Hallelujah.
Amen.
Richard Ash Huxham
Aldringham, March, 1892.
Richard Huxham (1824-1898) was a Strict and Particular Baptist preacher. He served as pastor for the churches meeting at Totness, Devon (14 years); Borough Green, Kent; Chelmsford (2 years); Rattlesden, Suffolk (6 years); Aldringham (4 years).
