Post by JEM on Nov 30, 2005 2:08:41 GMT
The Story of Josiah Wilkinson. 1786-1849
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Part One. The Beginning
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In 1786 Matthew Walker became the second minister of Saffron Walden Baptist Church in Baileys Lane, ( now Audley Road ) but God was already preparing his successor. For that year Josiah Wilkinson was born in London.
In 1797 William Nichols, a Currier by trade, joined the Walden Church. The Currier’s trade was in leather harnesses and the grooming of horses.
William’s wife was Ann, and they had 4 children, all sons.
The eldest was William Andrew, and then came Joseph, so named as he was born at Christmas time on Dec 26th 1793. Then there was James born in 1796 and Henry in 1799.
At his birth Josiah Wilkinson’s Mum had already been a member for 37 years of Carter’s Lane Baptist Church, Tooley Street in Southwark. This was south of the Thames just off the southern end of London Bridge, and close to Southwark Cathedral.
Sometimes people talk of being put in “The Clink”, meaning “prison”, and not far from the Church in which young Josiah grew up is The Clink Prison. Today close by is London Bridge Railway Station. and the London Dungeon.
It was a busy area of commerce, a major route into the City, and on the opposite bank stands “The Monument” a tall slender tower you can walk up by many steps with fine views of London, and cheaper than the London Eye, though not so tall. It was erected to commemorate the Great Fire of London. On both sides of the river were the London Docks.
To this busy area of London came William Andrew Nichols a young man aged about 20 in 1809. He worked for his Dad and had come on a business trip for him, who was now a deacon of the Walden Church and in 1809 had taken on the unpaid job of Church Secretary. The first thing William Nichols did was to establish a weekly prayer meeting which continued into the 1960’s and at it’s peak in the mid 19th century attracted around 150 people.
A supply preacher had recommended William Nichols senior, to secure the services of Josiah Wilkinson, an exceptionally fine young preacher, a bachelor of 23 but they did not know where he lived . So that was William Andrew’s other task, Find, interview and invite him to Walden.
They met and being roughly the same age they got on well immediately and became firm friends. Josiah agreed to make the journey probably by stage coach to meet the church here.
He accepted a call to the pastorate on July 23rd 1809 and was ordained and inducted here in October The officiating ministers included Rev W Cafver of Melbourn, Rev J Bowers of Haverhill, Rev J Bain of Potter Street, Rev William Button who later became one of the joint secretaries of the Baptist Union and helped publish many of Josiah’s sermons. He preached from Ephesians 4 v 12, and Rev John Geard of Hitchin preached from Philippians 1 v 27 . Concluding prayers were made by Rev William Clayton of Abbey Lane Congregational Church. In the evening a Rev Dobson preached from Matthew 18 v 3.on
So in 1809 Josiah became our Third Minister, and probably lived in Bridge Street.
Of the children of William Nichols, William Andrew, James and Henry all later joined the Church. Henry was later expelled for sexual immorality. James married a young woman called Priscilla, and had two children, James and Sarah Ann.
William Andrew was baptised by Josiah on July 7th 1813 and joined the Church. However 5 years later he left with other young men over a two year period to become founder members of a new Strict Baptist Church, established by 18 yearold John Dane Player, that met at Park Place and built the London Road Chapel in 1822.
The Walden church from the 1760’s was known as a Mixed Church which means they accepted into membership Baptists who had been baptised as believers by total immersion in water. and Paedobaptists who were baptised as babies at a font by sprinkling water on their heads.
But that was not the kind of Baptist Church Josiah was used to, for he was a Calvinist who believed that men and women were chosen by God before they were born to become Christians and from Dec 19th 1809 until May the 30th 1847 the Walden Church became a closed Particular Baptist Church. The only people allowed to take part in Communion services were the Church Members, and you could only be a Church member if you had been baptised totally in water as a Believer.
A Believer is a person who understands what he or she is doing. That is the basic founding principle of a real Baptist Church
From May 1847 onwards we have opened our table for communion more widely and receive to it anyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. We also accept people baptised as babies, and people not baptised at all, but the only kind of baptism we exercise is Believers Baptism by total immersion.
********************************************
Part One. The Beginning
oooooooooooooooooooo
In 1786 Matthew Walker became the second minister of Saffron Walden Baptist Church in Baileys Lane, ( now Audley Road ) but God was already preparing his successor. For that year Josiah Wilkinson was born in London.
In 1797 William Nichols, a Currier by trade, joined the Walden Church. The Currier’s trade was in leather harnesses and the grooming of horses.
William’s wife was Ann, and they had 4 children, all sons.
The eldest was William Andrew, and then came Joseph, so named as he was born at Christmas time on Dec 26th 1793. Then there was James born in 1796 and Henry in 1799.
At his birth Josiah Wilkinson’s Mum had already been a member for 37 years of Carter’s Lane Baptist Church, Tooley Street in Southwark. This was south of the Thames just off the southern end of London Bridge, and close to Southwark Cathedral.
Sometimes people talk of being put in “The Clink”, meaning “prison”, and not far from the Church in which young Josiah grew up is The Clink Prison. Today close by is London Bridge Railway Station. and the London Dungeon.
It was a busy area of commerce, a major route into the City, and on the opposite bank stands “The Monument” a tall slender tower you can walk up by many steps with fine views of London, and cheaper than the London Eye, though not so tall. It was erected to commemorate the Great Fire of London. On both sides of the river were the London Docks.
To this busy area of London came William Andrew Nichols a young man aged about 20 in 1809. He worked for his Dad and had come on a business trip for him, who was now a deacon of the Walden Church and in 1809 had taken on the unpaid job of Church Secretary. The first thing William Nichols did was to establish a weekly prayer meeting which continued into the 1960’s and at it’s peak in the mid 19th century attracted around 150 people.
A supply preacher had recommended William Nichols senior, to secure the services of Josiah Wilkinson, an exceptionally fine young preacher, a bachelor of 23 but they did not know where he lived . So that was William Andrew’s other task, Find, interview and invite him to Walden.
They met and being roughly the same age they got on well immediately and became firm friends. Josiah agreed to make the journey probably by stage coach to meet the church here.
He accepted a call to the pastorate on July 23rd 1809 and was ordained and inducted here in October The officiating ministers included Rev W Cafver of Melbourn, Rev J Bowers of Haverhill, Rev J Bain of Potter Street, Rev William Button who later became one of the joint secretaries of the Baptist Union and helped publish many of Josiah’s sermons. He preached from Ephesians 4 v 12, and Rev John Geard of Hitchin preached from Philippians 1 v 27 . Concluding prayers were made by Rev William Clayton of Abbey Lane Congregational Church. In the evening a Rev Dobson preached from Matthew 18 v 3.on
So in 1809 Josiah became our Third Minister, and probably lived in Bridge Street.
Of the children of William Nichols, William Andrew, James and Henry all later joined the Church. Henry was later expelled for sexual immorality. James married a young woman called Priscilla, and had two children, James and Sarah Ann.
William Andrew was baptised by Josiah on July 7th 1813 and joined the Church. However 5 years later he left with other young men over a two year period to become founder members of a new Strict Baptist Church, established by 18 yearold John Dane Player, that met at Park Place and built the London Road Chapel in 1822.
The Walden church from the 1760’s was known as a Mixed Church which means they accepted into membership Baptists who had been baptised as believers by total immersion in water. and Paedobaptists who were baptised as babies at a font by sprinkling water on their heads.
But that was not the kind of Baptist Church Josiah was used to, for he was a Calvinist who believed that men and women were chosen by God before they were born to become Christians and from Dec 19th 1809 until May the 30th 1847 the Walden Church became a closed Particular Baptist Church. The only people allowed to take part in Communion services were the Church Members, and you could only be a Church member if you had been baptised totally in water as a Believer.
A Believer is a person who understands what he or she is doing. That is the basic founding principle of a real Baptist Church
From May 1847 onwards we have opened our table for communion more widely and receive to it anyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. We also accept people baptised as babies, and people not baptised at all, but the only kind of baptism we exercise is Believers Baptism by total immersion.