The Tweedsmuir History
of Brownsville
Book 2
Pg. 32
In Memoriam of Reverend William J. Hay Brown
By his son, Dr. W. Gordon Brown
They called the youngest of seven William, after one uncle who was a preacher, James after another; Hay was his mother's maiden name, and Brown - there were Browns aplenty about Brownsville, Ontario. Indeed, that village was named after grandfather, Brinton Paine Brown, who had, as a U.E. Loyalist, come with an oxcart to the new Canada with its British flag. A minister's wife there thought they called the boy's father "By Nature" Brown, but it was really Benajah Brown! So his life began on the old farm in 1875. It was just two or three miles to "Rat College", they called the old red schoolhouse, to learn the three R's, and only a few more to Tillsonburg to attend high school.
Before he could spell it out, Mother Brown read him Isiah 53, and explained that the Suffering One endured it all for him. The picture broke the heart of boy, then about seven, and he turned in faith to the children's Saviour.
In his last days we asked him, "How did you take up the ministry as your life's work?" Here is the story he told:
When I was a small boy, say twelve years of age, an old deacon, the father of Roger Hawkins, one day in church laid his hand on my head as I stood in the aisle, and said "This boy will some day be a minister," Then Mother used to talk to me about it, but I did not want it. I said I had an impediment in my speech; but I guess the impediment was in my heart! I had no deep Christian experience at that time.......I have felt sometimes that my pastors might have meant more to me than they did....But undoubtedly the call of God was upon me to preach the Gospel, and I just hewed my own way. I went back to the ninth concession of Dereham, got a schoolhouse, went around the neighbourhood and told them there was going to be a preaching service, and invited them to come along. They came, and I got up and said: "My Brethren, we'll rise and sit down and sing number sixty six"! I preached my sermon first to the rates in the granary. My brother Ed. said it was pretty good!.....
Then Mother stood back of me, and I went in the fall to Woodstock College. Father was among the Brethren - I don't think there has ever been an atom of resentment in my heart over this matter - but he did not believe in educating his sons for the ministry. From Woodstock I went out and supplied during my college course. One summer I was assistant pastor at Springfield to my cousin G. B. Brown. I had had no training for that work, but we worked together and had a very good time.
They invited me back a second summer, and I went. Then later on I worked with my future father-in-law, Rev. J. B. Moore. That was at Blenheim, and they if I am not mistaken, invited me back a second time. I had a good time there, too. I used to go from there to Shrewsbury to an afternoon appointment to preach for the coloured people, and I loved them very much.
Then I graduated from Woodstock in 1895, and went to Kalamazoo, near Chicago, to school for a while. It was a Baptist school. My sister Claire and her husband were living in Dundee, Michigan, and I was called there to a pastorate. From there I went to McMaster University for two years and part of a third. But, oh, I think of it with indignation: why did not some strong older man win my confidence and give me some sanctified advice about continuing my course? What foolishness that I did not get all that our schools had to offer! (by this time in his story Father had become so tired that he had to leave off). We shall endeavour to sketch the sequel.
In 1902, Mr. Brown married Elizabeth Greenwood Moore, a high school teacher. Her quiet strength was a moulding, steadying influence back of his ministry, according to the text she often quoted, "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." The groom succeeded his father-in-law in the home church in Brownsville, - a most difficult thing to do. Then he moved to Brantford, Ontario, Shenstone Memorial and then only to a Sunday School, but the Lord blessed the young pastor's efforts and in a short time a prospering church was established.
Hamilton called, and the young couple with their infant son moved to the larger city. Barton Street (later Emmanuel) Baptist Church was in a rather bad way. In the East End of the city, they had been raising money by such methods as minstrel shows. Indeed, when Mr. Brown moved there, tickets had been sold for such a social; but he stood firm; he would have none of that: "If you do not call in those tickets, I will not unpack my furniture." The tickets came back, and that first year the church gave more to missions than ever before, in addition to carrying home burdens.
In 1909 there was a church in West Toronto - the Junction was the old name - which through an unfortunate division, was in a weakened condition. Would the Hamilton pastor undertake the job? Twenty three years later he was just resigning from Annette Street Baptist Church, and his influence, always on the side of Evangelical Christianity, had grown with the development of that section of Toronto.
How shall we estimate this pastorate of the nearly a quarter of a century in a time of short ministries? Rev. James W. Boyd is a true Timothy to his Paul. He is now pastor of Dovercourt Road Baptist Church, Toronto. Let him speak: "I am deeply grateful for the privilege that has been accorded to me, of expressing, in this simple fitting way, my heartfelt tribute to my beloved Pastor, Rev. J. H. Brown. He exercised a large spiritual influence on my life. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh".
"The Christianity of Pastor Brown was transparently real. Like Moses of old, he "Wist not that the skin of his face shone" with the light of one who had seen the face of God". During the years of sunshine and shadow, he moved in the performance of his duties with a character that was universally acknowledged to to be genuine and gracious and good. He had an enviable reputation for integrity and reality. But he spoke of himself as a sinner saved by grace.
"He was freely acknowledged by those who heard him, an able and earnest preacher of the Gospel. As it was said of Rowland Hill, so of him, "His ideas came hot from the heart." He never preached as a dying man to dying men. " He was not a cold, calculating theologian, not the imperturbable controversialist. He was supremely a preacher pleading the cause and pressing the claims of his Lord. He was a teacher, too and those who sat under his preaching enjoyed a rich teaching ministry; but his teaching was simply a means to an end, namely, to stir his people to greater zeal for souls. It was a sermon in itself to hear Mr. Brown give out such a hymn as "Rescue the Perishing, care for the dying." One immediately felt that there was a man who really cared for the lost, a man who was dead in earnest about this great business of winning men to Christ.
His preaching, though intensely sincere, was seldom, if ever harsh. There was a prevailing winsomeness about his delivery that never failed to touch his hearers. His sermons were truly messages from God's Word. He never doubted the inspiration of the Word of God, and freely quoted Scripture as the final proof of the truths that he preached. He was apt in the use of illustrations. At times his Sunday evening sermons saw him dramatizing some Bible character or event much to the enjoyment an profit of his congregation. One was not disposed to sleep when Pastor Brown was preaching. His sermons had a prevailing happy note in them. Touches of wholesome humour were not infrequent. Even when preaching from notes, his style seldom lacked spontaneity and simplicity.
"Pastor Brown's message was Christo-centric. Many recall the familiar words for years inscribed over the baptistry of the Annette Street Church: "We preach Christ crucified",. Those who remember are witnessed to the fact that he was true to this great message of redemption. He loved to preach about heaven and about the coming of the Lord Jesus. He believed profoundly in the preaching of the Gospel. He looked for immediate results in conversions. His own fruitful ministry stands as a monument to his faith in the power of the Gospel to save souls.
"As a personal worker, Pastor Brown was probably unexcelled among his fellow ministers in Toronto. He was a master of the art of individual soul-winning. His tactful, human approach seldom, if ever, offended, and often resulted in the soul yielding to Christ on the spot.
"He was essentially a man of prayer. And God did answer his prayers. The Annette Street Church became conspicuous for its evangelistic zeal and Missionary vision.
"Mr. Brown was ever a pastor. He thoroughly believed that a minister should be both a preacher and a pastor, and that a house-going minister makes a church-going people. This proved to be so in his own ministry, as the large Sunday evening congregation who came to hear him attested. It was in these happy personal contacts with that his people learned to know him best. What cheer he brought, what comfort in sorrow, what hope in sickness, what patience in difficulties, what kindly council in perplexity! His nature was warm and sympathetic. Children were glad when he spoke to them, as he often did. He was God's man ready to do God's work willingly, cheerfully and heartily, for Christ's sake.
Pastor Brown was very human. Humility sat close to his heart. He had a warm Christian affection for this fellow ministers and other Christian workers. He was the friend of every cause that truly exalted the Lord Jesus. He rejoiced at the sound of every voice that proclaimed the name of Jesus. He disdained anything that looked like ministerial affection. He was conscious of his imperfections, quick to forgive an injury, and as quick to make amends where he felt he had offended. He truly exhibited in his life the Spirit of Christ. One could not always agree with the Pastor's judgment in some matters, but one never could doubt his sincerity. When convinced of a mistake, there was no hesitation in his frank and humble acknowledgment. It was this humility and frankness that made one so ready to overlook misunderstandings. Those who know him best will recognize the truth of these words, and will bear witness to the fact that he loved with warm Christian affection all the members of the flock to which he had ministered through the years.
"The fortitude and hope that filled his soul during the long weary weeks of suffering speak for themselves. To the very last he rejoiced in his Saviour. The end came quietly on Monday morning, October 28, 1935. As it was said of another, so for Pastor Brown, greatly beloved "He passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side."
The author, son of William James Hay, Dr. W. Gordon Brown, veteran Fellowship Pastor and educator, passed away July 16, 1979, while on a visit to England. Born in Brownsville, 1904.