hey were to have a Chapel in Berry Brow. The meeting was held, and
the decision taken in favour of the movement. They would arise and
build, so in God's name they began the work.

It was a serious undertaking for them, as most of the members were poor
working people, but they were in earnest, and at once opened a
subscription list, each of them promising something to the fund before
they went outside to solicit help from any one else. They then
obtained further promises from others, and arranged to gather the money
by weekly instalments, some being as little as a penny. Then, in order
to save cost as much as possible, the men themselves went and delved in
the quarry for stones, and borrowed horses and carts of the farmers to
remove the material to the chapel site, and when it sometimes happened
that they could not obtain the use of horses, they got the loan of
carts, and the men, old and young, took the horse-work themselves, and
drew the stones to the building place.

In all this Abe was a foremost worker, toiling early and late, and
asking any one and every one to come to their help, by which means they
got many of the wild young men of the village to assist in the work.
This did not, however, meet with universal approval; there were some
few very good people, who mostly employed themselves in looking on,
giving directions, and finding fault, who said it was not right to
bring a lot of ungodly young men into a work so sacred; they
expostulated with Abe on the subject, he being the chief cause of their
enlistment, but he replied, "Not roight for them to help in building
th' Lord's haase! It must be roight; if they soil th' stones with
their fingers, God will put them roight again when He gets into it. I
wouldn't care if th' devil hissen were to come and drag stones for th'
place, if only Jesus is preached in it afterwards;" so the croakers
didn't gain anything by their complaints, except rejoinders from Abe,
which taught them a little good sense, and they went on with the
building.

The foundation stone was laid on Shrove Tuesday 1824, and the chapel
was opened for religious services on Good Friday 1825. The Rev. Thomas
Allin preached on that occasion with his usual extraordinary ability.
From that time until now the cause has never looked back, but has
maintained a steady onward course. Seasons of trial and depression
have occasionally gathered over it like dark clouds, but the earnest
band of Christian peo