Hearne History - Page 802

[Continued from page 801]

yan is buried and stood by the beautiful tomb built over him in recent years. Nearby I noticed gravestones of Susannah Wesley, mother of Rev, John and Charles. Isaac Watts the sweet hymn writer, Daniel Defoe, better known as author of Robinson Crusoe, Richard Cromwell, Rev. John Gill, the great commentator, and many others of note. What follows is from the regular press dispatches:

London, July 25, 1912.Ä'John Bunyan gains his reward at last." A memorial window for John Bunyan was unveiled in Westminster Abbey this afternoon, 224 years after his death. The window illustrates scenes from "Pilgrim's Progress." The dedication ceremony was attended by a large gathering of public men, and many dignitaries of both Church and State. Inception of the memorial was due to American Baptists, who during the World's Baptist Congress held in London. 1905, commented strongly on the fact that there was no Bunyan memorial in Westminster Abbey. The British people were stirred to action, and started a fund for the purpose of inserting a memorial window in the Abbey, America and Great Brittian contributing. My! my! I can but exclaim again, how times have changed for the better.

While in London one Sunday, I went by underground railway (called tubes), to Spurgeon's Tabernacle, and heard a sermon by the Pastor, Rev. Archibald Brown, to 3500 people. the 1500 orphans, and many members being off on summer vacations. There was no organ or other musical instrument. Simply a young man stood on the platform near the preacher and led the singing, in which all the congregation joined, I was forcibly reminded of the great Spurgeon, who when announcing a hymn, said: "Let all the people sing." I must not omit to mention here, my trip our from London one hundred and twenty miles, to Bristol, where are located the great "Ashley-Down Orphan Houses," founded by George Muller about 1834. There are five immense and substantial buildings of stone, complete in every detail, and housing over 2000 (actual count, May 1909, 2157), orphans, who are being cared for daily from funds sent entirely in answer to prayer; not one penny has ever been asked for either direct or indirect. Mr. Muller lived to the age of 93 years, dying some dozen years ago, and these orphanages are

[Continued on page 803]


Notes:

Thanks to Henry Hearn for providing an image of this page.
Thanks to Ida Olroyd for indexing this page.


Copyright (c) 1999, 2007 Brian Cragun.