་ MEMOIR OF THE REV. STAFFORD BROWN. CHAPTER I. Early Life. STAFFORD BROWN, born November 27, 1814, in Pulteneystreet, Bath, was the eldest child of Isaac Stafford and Frances Brown, of Stainley Hall, Yorkshire. The early years of his life were passed in moving from place to place, as his father, though a man of property, preferred to have no settled home. The family eventually consisted of two sons and two daughters, of whom the latter died in their infancy. When quite young, the subject of this Memoir, by the death of his mother, was left with an only brother to share his father's affection. Mr. Brown, being a good classical scholar, educated his son Stafford until he went to the School at Shrewsbury. There was little, however, in his early education, to call out that spiritual life which was so vigorous in after years. These deeper feelings must, under God's blessing, be traced to his residence with the Rev. Dr. Davies, the present Rector of Gateshead, who was then living at Chichester, with whom he was placed after leaving Shrewsbury. The remembrance of Mr. and Mrs. Davies' kindness has never B been obliterated. The following letter is inserted with Dr. Davies' permission: "My Dear Mrs. Brown, "Gateshead Rectory, August 15, 1860. "Yesterday morning I received and read with deep and affectionate interest your letter, intimating your intention to publish a brief Memoir of your late husband, my old and much esteemed pupil, Stafford Brown. "In preparing such a Memoir you ask me to supply you with any little reminiscences of him while he resided in my house, about thirty years ago. "I am the more ready, as far as the lapse of time permits, to comply with this request, from your stating your distinct recollection of his telling you that it was during that period he heard the whole scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ explained.' It was a very singular, and I think he was justified in regarding it a providential, circumstance which brought him into such close connection with me. Being slightly acquainted with his family I met him one day on one of the public walks at Chichester, where he then resided, when he was a young lad; and the result of that passing interview was, that he expressed a particular wish to his father that he should be permitted to become one of my pupils, for the purpose of being prepared for college, and with the ultimate view of entering into the Church. "Having been accordingly received into my house, he very soon displayed a very unusual quickness of apprehension, retentiveness of memory, and general versatility of talent, but at the first, though remarkably steady and well conducted, manifesting no special religious impression. Having large and ample expectations he chose the Church as what he considered an easy, honourable, and gentlemanly profession, intending to hold ecclesiastical preferment, and to engage a curate to perform the more laborious portion of its duties. "Within a few months, however, he began to exhibit a very remarkable seriousness and attention during Divine service at church, and on one occasion, when a very solemn and impressive hymn was sung, commencing 'When Thou my righteous Judge shall come,' he afterwards remarked that the question at the end of the verse 'Shall such a worthless worm as I, Who sometimes am afraid to die, came home with extraordinary power and solemnity to his conscience. "It was my practice at that time to require of him and others on the Monday morning to produce a written epitome of the sermon which they had heard on the preceding Sunday, and I have frequently known him, by the wonderful power of his memory, aided by his fixed and unwavering attention, present a verbatim report of the discourse to which he had listened. "During the period of his continuance under my care and instruction, nothing of a very marked character, beyond the rapid development of his various powers, and a steady growth in seriousness and thoughtfulness occurred. "When the time for entering on his University career arrived, on the morning that he was going to leave us, he remarked to Mrs. Davies, with deep solemnity, When I first came here, I had chosen the Church as the easiest profession, but now consider it as the most arduous and responsible.' "Soon after commencing his residence at College, being of a very sociable temperament, and having ample means at his disposal, he yielded to the fascinations of the place, and for several years I almost entirely lost sight of him. "After he had taken his degree at Cambridge, and had attended the Theological Course at the University of Durham, the first circumstance which again brought him under my notice, was also remarkable. A sermon of mine. in one of the religious periodicals, The Church of England Magazine,' caught his eye, and, after reading it, he wrote me a letter, one of the most touching and affecting I ever read, referring to his past course, and expressing a desire that, if opportunity occurred, I should direct him to a title for Holy Orders. "Within a very short time I succeeded in obtaining a title and a Curacy for him in the Isle of Wight, where I was then sojourning with my family in broken health. "In that arduous post he manifested the same energy of character, and extraordinary facility of composition, which I had observed in him at an earlier period of life. "It was at that time, and in our own house, as you truly remind me, that he became first acquainted with yourself; and, from that date to the close of his brief but energetic course, you have had, of all others, the best opportunity of observing and depicting his noble character. "In compliance with your request, I have mentioned a few salient and most instructive points, which in his earlier days fell under my own personal notice. "If you are enabled and deem it expedient to accomplish your plan of publishing a brief Memoir of Stafford Brown, I hope and pray, that beyond the object you have more immediately in view, your proposed little work will, under God's blessing, be useful in directing, warning, and stimulating others, and above all, that it may be the means of unfolding and explaining to others The Whole Scheme of Revelation by Jesus Christ.' With these wishes and assurances, and with the most affectionate regard for your late revered husband, I am, dear Mrs. Brown, "Most truly yours, "JOHN DAVIES." |