POTP 02

Later in the book we have an interesting quotation from a letter sent from Bourton to the Association meeting in Oxford.

Since your former meeting, the Lord has added 17 to our number (the 14 mentioned last year as proposed, and three besides), most of these, however, had been some years before brought to God, but were prevented coming forward by the very unhappy condition of the church.
One (Thomas Kitchen) spoke of a sermon preached 20 years before by Mr Beddome, as the means of his conversion. He had never so much desired baptism as since he witnessed the baptism of 14 persons by Mr Coles, October 3, 1802. On that occasion he "wished himself among them." He, with two others, was baptised, April 3, and the most striking incident in connection with this service, was the contrast in the ages of two of the candidates. Thomas Kitchen was 75, and Elizabeth Wood 16 years of age. "We sang," says Mr Coles, "the following verse

To thee, the hoary head

Its silver honours pays;

To thee, the blooming youth

Devotes his brightest days;

And every age their tribute bring,

And bow to thee, all-conquering king!
(by Elizabeth Scott it was No 358 in Ash and Evans's Baptist Collection of Hymns, 1769, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines and by 'S')