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[ transcription of Obituary Notice in the Year Book of the Congregational Union of England & Wales for 1892, page 177, from a copy in Dr Williams's Library, London ]
GUEST, William, F.G.S.
. . . was born at Hanley, in Staffordshire, in June, 1818. Six weeks before his birth his mother was bereaved of her husband, and therefore his entrance into life may be said to have been of the most gloomy character. No doubt this had much to do with the grave demeanour which characterised him all through his earthly life. To him life was evidently a serious reality. Well however was it for him that his mother was a godly woman to whom religion brought all its beauty and its brightness. Against fearful odds she nobly struggled, and we can imagine the joy of her pious heart as day by day she dedicated her son unto the Lord. Morning, noon, and night we are told did she bow his little head before the throne of grace, and tenderly commend her fatherless boy to the merciful protection of heaven and the loving guidance of the Parent above.Very much, too, was he indebted, morally as well as materially, to his maternal uncle, Mr. Hannersley, who took a deep interest in his early years, and helped to turn his youthful feet into the way of righteousness.
It is not, therefore, to be wondered at that very soon he became the subject of deep religious impressions, which resulted, at the age of fifteen, in his conversion to God, and in his subsequent dedication of himself to the work of Christian ministry. Feeling that now he was not his own, but His who had purchased him with His blood, love to Christ constrained him to devote his entire life to the salvation of others. Accordingly he became a teacher in the Sunday-school, always faithful at his post; an evangelist among the poor, dropping here and there welcome words and doing kindly acts; and a preacher in the open air, drawing large audiences and interesting and influencing them for good by the eloquence and elevation of his speech, until his godly minister, discerning in him the making of a Congregational pastor, advised him to apply for admission into Spring Hill College, Birmingham. There he studied for six years under such distinguished tutorship as that of Henry Rogers, until in 1845, having received a pressing invitation to undertake the pastorate of the Congregational Church at Bilston, he commenced his ministry in the very heart of "the Black Country".
From the outset of his ministry, Mr Guest experienced the disadvantage of a feeble state of health,. and illness, no less than three times, compelled him to suspend his ministerial duties. Having been partially restored and refusing an invitation from Queen Street, Chester, he went to Reading, and there set to work in the most indefatigable manner to erect and organise Trinity Chapel, which, through the blessing of God, has been one of the largest and most prosperous churches in Berkshire. Next, on the counsel of the Rev. Thomas Adkins and the Rev. John Angell James, he went to Queen Street Church, Leeds, where, during a ministry of more than ten years he was successful in raising a congregation from a state of depression and hopeless division to one of remarkable efficiency in all Christian agencies, gaining for himself by the self-denying and sagacious course he pursued, not only the affection of his own people but the warm esteem of his fellow-ministers of all denominations
From Leeds, after eight months' rest, he went to Taunton, where he laboured assiduously and successfully for four years in the pastorate of Paul's Meeting House, and during the whole of his time in his own church in the town, and in all the neighbourhood, he was held in the highest esteem for his worth, work, and Christian spirit.
Leaving Taunton, Mr Guest spent upwards of three delightful years of prosperity at Claremont Chapel, Pentonville. Out of an election of deacons there arose in the church a state of feeling with which he felt he had not sufficient strength to deal, and so he removed to Princes Street Chapel, Gravesend. Here he conceived the idea of forming a College for the daughters of his poorer ministerial brethren. The carrying out of this generous and beneficent scheme strained all his energies to the utmost, and the founding of Milton Mount College may undoubtedly be said to have constituted the great work of his life. If Mr Guest had done nothing else he would by it have earned the lasting gratitude of his brethren. May Milton Mount College become more and more the priceless boon to the families of the poorer ministers of Congregationalism it was in the heart of its founder to make it, and to the realisation of which he contributed much thoughtful kindness, much self-denying zeal, and all the influence he could command!
In 1872, Mr Guest became the minister of a new church at Milton-on-Thames, which he and his friends erected at a cost of many thousands of pounds. He laboured hard and long at the work, amid much that was calculated to depress the mind and chill the heart, but buoyed up by the love and sympathy of a loyal, devoted, and increasing congregation, until having freed the church from debt and conquered most of his difficulties, he resigned his charge in 1880, and retired to spend the declining years of his life in quietness and peace at Tunbridge Wells. Of course, to a man of Mr Guest's temperament and Christian zeal his ten years sojourn in Tunbridge Wells was not all rest, for he was ever ready to render a helping hand in every social and religious movement in the town and neighbourhood. Frequently he preached in many of the churches of Kent and the surrounding counties.
His, too, was at all times the pen of a ready writer, and in addition to his little works on "Stephen Grellet," "Fidelia Fisk," "Rest from Sorrow," &c., &c., many were the timely articles and biographical sketches which he contributed, all proving that he was a writer of no mean powers of research, observation, and description.
Mr Guest was not what would be called a brilliant preacher, and the sensational was simply abhorrent to him. But he was what was much better than brilliant, he was earnest, instructive, Scriptural, and thoughtful. The impression which he gave all who came into contact with him by his preaching, prayers, and conversation, was that he was a man in downright earnest. This earnestness, combined with his transparent goodness of heart, commanded confidence and respect. In all his pastorates he drew around him an increasing number of thoughtful and devout men and women, and his long life of ministerial service has made his name precious to multitudes and his death sincerely and widely regretted.During the last twelve months of his life he suffered from a distressing internal malady, and a week or so before his death he went up to London to consult a specialist. Having undergone a very searching examination, he returned home, the Thursday before he died, in a very exhausted condition, though still hopeful that rest and care would prolong his life for some time longer. On the following Saturday, May 30th, 1891, about noon, he had dressed and gone downstairs by the aid of his loving and devoted wife, when, leaning back on the sofa, feeling faint, in a moment he was gone.
Longfellow, in his "Golden Legend," makes the old abbot say :-
- "Time has laid his hand
- Upon my heart, gently, not smiting it,
- But as a harper lays his open palm
- Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations."
Numerous were the resolutions and letters of condolence received by Mrs Guest on the occasion of the death of her husband, particularly from the Victoria Institute, of which Council he was "a valuable and esteemed member," and from a meeting of the Maidstone District of Ministers and Delegates, at which the Chairman of the County Association, the Rev. R. H. Lovell and the General Secretary, the Rev. T. Sissons, were present.
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(The Rejoice & Sing Enchiridion:edited by David Goodall; last amended 20/12/03)