<< Back to the A-Z Index
[ transcription of Obituary Notice in the Year Book of the Congregational Union of England & Wales for 1884, page 316, from a copy in Dr Williams's Library, London ]
MORGAN, James Hughes
. . . was the son of the Rev. D. Morgan, Congregational Minister at Machynlleth, in the county of Montgomery, where he was born December 27th, 1819. At an early age he became a member of his father's church. In 1836 he removed with his family to Manchester, where his father had undertaken the pastorate of the Welsh Congregational Church, Gartside-street, Manchester. After studying for some time under the superintendence of the Rev. James Gwyther, he entered Airedale College as a student in 1839. Before leaving college in 1844, Mr Morgan received a call to the pastorate in Manchester-street Chapel, Leeds. Here he began his ministry on the 4th of August, and was publicly ordained on the 12th of September.
The young pastor and his wife had to struggle with difficulties for several years. There were only forty-four persons in church fellowship, and only one of them occupied a social position higher than that of artisan. His first sermon was preached to fifty hearers, and the revenue of the place was proportionately small. Mr Morgan never asked what salary he was to have, and he never saw cause to regret having left that to the honour and liberality of his people. With their growth in number and means, his own position improved from the beginning, and during his entire pastorate, oppositions and contentions were unknown. He never sought another place, and it was never heard that his people wished to be without him.
When he had completed something over twenty-eight years of service, failing health made it necessary for him to retire, but he still had the esteem and love of the people whom he had served in the Gospel for so long a time. He was never able to fill the chapel with a congregation as he could have wished, and he never supposed that his life and labours were perfect. While he could labour, and when he had to be still and suffer the will of God, his one confidence was "By grace are ye saved, through faith . . . not of ourselves, lest any man should boast." Whenever his words were of any use to anybody, he was glad, and gave thanks to God. From the time of his accepting the invitation to the time of his retirement, he received into the church 412 members.
Mr Morgan excelled as a secretary. The Churches of Leeds and indeed all the Congregational Churches in the West Riding of Yorkshire owe much to his long-continued labours as a secretary both for Home and Foreign Missions. For many years his secretarial work added greatly to the strain of ministerial and pastoral work. Those who knew him best could see that this was one thing that made him prematurely old. If he had not sat at his desk till midnight so often, he might have been able to work on for a greater number of years. Of course, the work had to be done by someone, and he liked it, and only gave it up when he could do it no longer.
After eleven years of weakness and patient endurance, he fell asleep in Jesus on the 30th May, 1883, aged sixty-four years. At his funeral many gathered round the grave. The service was conducted by the Revs. Dr Conder and W. Thomas, the latter preaching a funeral sermon at Marshall-street on the following Lord's-day.
End of File. Return to Top . . .
<< Back to the Biographies A-Z Index
<< Back to the Obituaries A-Z Index
(The Rejoice & Sing Enchiridion:edited by David Goodall; last amended 20/12/03)