"//r///y/f///// •^^aMM////////M/////y/M:j 9)mmimnmmmmmm Aw«««Min«VI '_ JdJf**i/e*ft^ffrf^j^fifi. IF' ««^ M c* LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. .^^..^ w rm«, LIFE AND WORK%'^^'-®'''^' REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON BEING A Graphic Account of the Greatest Preacher of Modern Times! His Boyhood and Early Life ; Wonderful Success in London ; Preaching to Vast Audiences at the Crystal Palace, Surrey Music Hall and in the Open Air; Famous Metropolitan Tabernacle ; Pastor's College, Orphanage, etc., etc. CONTAINING Personal Anecdotes, Vivid Descriptions of his Appearance and Characteristics; Last Sickness and Death; Magnificent Tributes, etc., etc.. TO WHICH IS ADDED A VAST COLLECTION OF HIS ELOQUENT SERMONS, BRILLIANT WRITINGS, AND WITTY SAYINGS. By HENRY DAVENPORT*^ORTHROP, D. D., Author of " Earth, Sea and Sky," " Beautiful Gems," etc., etc. Embellished with Numerous Fine Illustrations. PHILADELPHIA, PA.: THE THOMPSON PUB'G CO., Entered according to Act of Congress, in ihe year 1890, by J. R. JONES, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C, PREFACE. This volume contains a graphic account of the Life and Labors of Rev. C. H. Spurgeon. It portrays the brilHant career of the most celebrated preacher of mod- ern times, his matchless eloquence, his tender pathos, his ready wit, and his wonderful mastery over the human heart. It is an interesting narrative of Mr. Spurgeon's life, and is enriched with the choicest of his sermons and lectures, and with a large collection of extracts from his most famous writincrs. This comprehensive volume is divided into three parts. Book I. contains the great preacher's history. It relates the incidents of his early life, shows you the boy preacher at the age of sixteen, and traces his marvellous successes in the great metropolis. It de- scribes the immense Metropolitan Tabernacle and its vast throngs, among whom were not only the poor and illiterate, but the most famous persons of the realm, including Gladstone, Bright, Shaftesbury, and multitudes of others. Mr. Spurgeon was not merely a popular preacher; he was a sunny, genial, witty, great-hearted man. He was bold as Luther or Knox, yet possessed deep sym- pathies, fiery zeal, loving charity, and carried on many enterprises for the welfare of the poor and unfortb- nate. This work describes his College, where hun- dreds of poor young men were educated, and his Orphanage, which sheltered thousands of homeless children. (iii) iV PREFACE. His last, lingering illness ; the religious world watching at his bedside ; the eagerness with which reports were awaited; his removal to the south of France in hope of recovery ; and the final scene when he breathed his last, and both hemispheres were startled by the news, all are depicted in this volume. Book II. contains Mr. Spurgeon's most celebrated sermons and lectures. These are plain, pithy, ex- pressed in vigorous Saxon, and go right to the heart. Young and old alike are interested in them. He was a master of the art of illustration, and had the rare faculty of making use of the scenes, facts and inci- dents he met with in his ordinary every-day life. There is, therefore, scarcely a dull page in his ser- mons or writings. He always had something practi- cal and interesting to say, which secured for him a multitude of hearers and readers. Book III. comprises a very interesting collection of witty, wise, pathetic, eloquent extracts from the famous preacher's writings. These are illustrated, and are very captivating. Gems from the Spurgeon " Note- Book," quaint sayings of "John Ploughman," beautiful figures and weighty moral lessons, enrich this volume. Mr. Spurgeon's death removes the most conspicu- ous figure in the religious world, and one of the most remarkable men of his time. His deeds will live after him. His noble record is made. Whatever monu- ment of bronze or marble may be erected to his mem- ory, his finest tribute will be the glowing words he spoke, the myriads of souls he moved, the grand bat- tle he fought and the brilliant achievements which cannot die. CONTENTS. BOOIC I. CHAPTER I. Birtli and Ancestry. PAa« World-wide Fame. — Unprecedented Success. — The Greai PreacLei^s Ak- cestors. — Good Old Grandfather. — Pen-picture of a Country Minister.-— Buckled Shoes and Silk Stockings. — John, Father of Charles, — A Good Mother. — Reply of " Charley " to his Mother. — Countiy Boys. — House- hold Influence. — Thirst for Knowledge. — An Industrious Youth. — A Remarkable Prophecy. — " Old Bonner " // CHAPTER II. Mr. Spurgeon's Account of his Conversion and Early Pi'eacliing-. A Desponding Penitent. — Visit to a Primitive Methodist Chapel. — " Look, Look!" — Preaching in the Old Place. — Happy Days Light in Dark- ness.— Profession of Faith. — Mission Work. — Boy Preacher. — The First Sermon. — Cottage and Open-air Services. — Escaping College. — Poem . 34 CHAPTER in. The Young: Preacher in Loudon. Speech at Cambridge. — Invitation to London. — Willing Hearers. — Interest- ing Letters to New Park Street Church. — Visitation of Cholera. — Labors among the Dying. — Publication of Sermons. — Eagerness of the Public to (Obtain the Printed Discourses. — Description of the Youthful Preacher. — Thronging Crowds. — Birthday Sermon. — Preaching in Scotland. — Good News from Printed Sermons. — Reports of Many Conversions . . .54 CHAPTER IV. A Wife and a New Tabernacle. Mr. Spurgeon's Marriage.. — Twelve Sermons Weekly. — Not an Aacetic— > (V) Vi CONTENTS. PAOS Surrey Gardens Music Hall. — The Great Metropolitan Tabernacle. — Praying among Bricks and Mortar. — Preaching to the Aristocracy. — Note from Mr. Gladstone. — Offer from an American Lecture Bureau. — How the Preacher Appeared in his Pulpit.— Pastors' College. — Poem Addressed to Mrs. Spurgeon.— Revivals and Colportage. — Talk of Founding a New Sect. — Visit to Paris. — Preaching to Colter-mongers , , , • 71 CHAPTER V. Successful Labors. Orphan Houses.— Impressive Spectacle.—" On my Back."— Liberal Gifts. — Illness of Mrs. Spurgeon.— Silly Tales —" A Black Business."— Laid Aside by Illness. — New Year's Letter. — The Pastor Prostrate. — Discus- sion Concerning Future Punishment.— The Bible and Public Schools.— A Victim to Gout. — Visit to the Continent. — Pastors' College. — Ingather- ings at the Tabernacle. — Colored Jubilee Singers. — Pointed Preaching.—. Great Missionary Meeting. — A New Corner- Stone yt CHAPTER VI. The Pastors' College. The First Student. — Call for Preachers to the Masses, — A Faithful Instructor. — Growth of the College. — Efforts to Secure Funds. — Generous Gifts.— Unknown Benefactor. — Provision for Students. — Opinion of Earl Shaftes- bury.— New Churches Founded. — Mr. Spurgeon's Annual Report. — Milk and Water Theology. — Rough Diamonds. — Course of Study. — Earnest Workers. — A Mission Band. — Interesting Letters. — Help for Neglected Fields Ill CHAPTER VII. Stockwell Orphanage. A Large Gift. — New Home for Children. — Process of Building. — Laying the Corner-Stone. — The Little Ones Happy. — Generous Givers. — Daily Life in the Orphanage. — What Becomes of the Boys. — Rules of Admis- sion.—Not a Sectarian Institution. — Successful Anniversary . . . t^a CONTENTS. "^ CHAPTER VIIL Annual Report of Stockwell Orphanage. A Devoted Woman. — Faith Insures Success. — Story of an Old Puritan. — Need of a Double Income. — Health of the Orphanage. — An' Appeal Hard to Resist. — Young Choristers. — Spontaneous Charity. — A Notable Year. — Enlarging the Bounds. — Girls' Orphanage. — Liberal Response to Appeals for Help.— The Miracle of Faitl. and Labor . . . .160 CHAPTER IX. The Great Preacher's Last Illness and Death. Alarming Reports. — Messages of Sympathy.— Cheering Words from the Christian Endeavor Convention of the United States. — Message from International Congregational Council. — Letters from the Prince of Wales and Mr. Gladstone. — Rays of Hope. — Anxiety and Fervent Prayers. — Glowing Eulogies. — Removal to Mentone. — Unfavorable Reports. — The Closing Scene. — Immense Literary Labors 177 BOOI?Z II. Sermons and L,ectures by Rev. C. H. Spurg^eon. Hands Full of Honey i93 Glory 219 The Luther Sermon at Exeter-Hall . . . . . 244 The Best War-Cry 261 Lecture on Candles 287 vm CONTENTS. Lecture to Students on the Blind Eye and Deaf Ear . 324 Short Sermons on Practical Subjects ..... 352 BOOIC III. Choice Selections from the "Writings of Rev. C. H. Spurg^eon. John Ploughman's Talk and Pictiu-es 361 Feathers for Arrows, or Life Thoughts of Rev, C. H. Spurgeon 447 Tributes to Rev. C. H. Spurgeon 4*6 BOOK I. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE AND LABORS. CHAPTER I. Birth and Ancestry. World-wide Fame.— Unprecedented Success.— The Great Preacher's Ancestors. —Good Old Grandfather.— Pen picture of a Country Minister.— Buckled Shoes and Silk Stockings.— John, Father of Charles.— A Good Mother.— Reply of " Charley " to his Mother.— Country Boys.— Household Influence. —Thirst for Knowledge.— An Industrious Youth.— A Remarkable Prophecy. — " Old Bonner." The fame of Rev. C. H. Spurgeon has filled the world. His name is known among all civilized peoples, and his sermons and writings have been translated into many languages. No other man of modern times preached to such muldtudes of peo- ple ; no other possessed a combination of gifts so rare. If success is the standard of merit, the great London preacher was the Saul among the prophets, standing head and shoulders above others. Charles Haddon Spurgeon descended from the Essex branch of the same family. Early in his minis- try in London, he was introduced, at a book-store m Paternoster Row, to Mr. John Spurgeon, a descendant 2 (17) 18 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. of the Norwich branch of the family; and on com- paring notes of their respective ancestors, piety, up- rightness, and loyalty were found alike in both. The same spirit of religious intolerance which sent the immortal Bunyan to Bedford Jail for preaching the gospel also sent, in 1677, Job Spurgeon to Chelms- ford Jail, where, for conscience' sake, he lay on a pallet of straw for fifteen weeks, in extremely severe winter weather, without any fire. The great-grandfather of Pastor Spurgeon was contemporary with the opening period of the reign of King George III. The record preserved of his memory is, that he was a pious man, and ordered his household according to the will of God. From that day to this, the family has never wanted a man to stand before God in the service of the sanctuary. A Good Old Grandfather. James, the grandfather of Pastor C. H. Spurgeon, was born at Halstead, in Essex, September 29, 1776. As a boy he was seriously inclined, and whilst yet a youth became a member of the Independent church at Halstead. Whilst an apprentice at Coggeshall he was accepted as a member of the church there under the pastoral care of the Rev. S. Fielding. Following business pursuits till he was twenty-six years of age, his mind at that period was directed entirely to the work of the ministry, and in 1802 he entered Hoxton Academy. After two years' study, an application from Clare, in Suffolk, was made to him to try and raise a congregation which was very low ; and in this BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 19 he succeeded so far, that in September, 1806, he was appointed pastor, aud the church prospered under his pastorate. The protracted ministry of Mr. Beddow in the Independent church at Stambourne, in Essex (a church which had only four ministers during the course of two hundred years), having terminated in 1 8 10, Mr. Spurgeon received a unanimous call to the oversight of that church, which he accepted, and in May, 181 1, he was recognized as their pastor. Him- self the fourth of a succession of long-lived pastors in that village, he remained pastor over the church more than half a century, during which period he was peaceful, happy, and successful in his labors. He frequently remarked, when more than fourscore years old, "I have not had one hour's unhappiness with my church since I have been over it." Invitations from other churches were sent to him, but the love, har- mony, and prosperity which prevailed between pastor and people induced him to decline them all, and he remained true to the people of his choice. Pen-picture of a Coul. ry Minister. It is a recorded fact, worthy of perpetuation, that the venerable James Spurgeon never preached in any place away from his own church, but God fulfilled his promise, and gave him to hear of some good being done to persons in the congregation. He had a large head, and much that was good in it. He had a good voice, and was very earnest and practical in preaching the glorious truths of the gospel. The great useful- 20 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. ness of his life-long ministry will be known only in eternity. He was known widely in Essex as a man of the old school — staid, quiet, and uniform in his dress and habits. He was the very picture of neat- ness, and in many particulars resembled John Wesley, especially in his manners and stature. He wore a dress cravat, a frilled shirt, and had a vest with deep pockets, as if provided for large collections. He was seldom without a packet of sweets, which he gave generously to the children wherever he went, so that they gathered round him and attached themselves to him with a firmness which riper years did not shake. Last Days. He was always happy in the company of young people. He wore the breeches, buckled shoes, and silk stockings which marked the reign of George III., and he really looked to be a venerable Nonconformist minister of a past age. For more than half a century his life corresponded with his labors. His gentle manners, his sincere piety, and his uniformity of con- duct secured for him the eood will of his neighbors, md he was as friendly with the parochial clergymen IS with his attached Nonconformist frieiids. He often went to the parish church to hear the sermon when the prayers were over, especially when the cause of missions was to be advocated. He was blessed with a wife whose piety and useful labors made her a valuable helpmeet to her husband in every good word and work. In his last illness he was sustained by divine grace, and the desire he had BIKTH AND ANCESTRY. 21 SO often expressed, that he might speak of Christ on his dying bed, was granted to him. He said the gospel was his only hope ; he was on the Eternal Rock, im- mutable as the throne of God. Those who were privileged to witness his departure from earth will never forget his joy and peace, and the glorious pros- pect he had of heaven. The Senior Spurg-eon. John Spurgeon, the father of Charles, was born at Stambourne in 1811. He was the second of ten children. He was a portly-looking man, a good speci- men of a country gentleman, and was nearly six feet in height. For many years he was engaged in busi- ness at Colchester ; but, with so excellent an example of a minister as was his father, it is not strange that his mind should have run in the same direction, though he did not fully enter on the ministry till he had reached the prime of lite. For sixteen years he preached on Sundays to a small Independent church at Tollesbury, being occupied with business during the week. He next accepted a call to the pastorate of the Independent church at Cranbrook, Kent, a village of three thousand persons, where he remained five years. The popularity of his son Charles in London was not without its influence on the father, whose personal worth and whose ministerial ability were not unknown in the metropolis, as he had spoken occasionally at meetings held by his son. The pastorate of the Independent church in Fetter Lane, Holborn, became 22 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. vacant, and was offered to and accepted by Mr. Spur- geon ; but his stay there was not long. A sphere more in accordance with his years and position was offered and accepted by him, and for some time he was pastor of the Independent church worshipping- in the Upper Street, Islington. That position he resigned at the end of the year 1876. He did good work in that locality, and was much beloved by the people. His preaching was plain, earnest, and pointed, and he manifested an affectionate solicitude for all under his pastoral care, especially the young people. A Good Mother. There are many large places of worship in the locality, and preachers of distinction are numerous in that populous suburb; but even there Mr. Spurgeon gathered a large and important congregation twice on the Sabbath, to whom his preaching was both accept- able and beneficial. The various branches of church work were carried on with energy and fidelity ; and those which required female agency were fostered and watched over with affectionate solicitude by Mrs. Spurgeon, whose motherly affection secured for her a welcome in the families of the church. Mr. John Spurgeon has passed to his reward. Mrs. John Spurgeon was the youngest sister of Charles Parker Jervis, Esq., of Colchester, in which town her husband carried on business for many years. Wherever she has resided she has been known and esteemed for her sincere piety, her great usefulness BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 23 and humility. She is low in stature, and in this re- spect her son Charles takes after her, but not in features, in which particular the other son, James Archer Spurgeon, assimilates more to his mother. The prayerful solicitude with which she trained her children has been rewarded by each one of them making a public profession of their faith in Christ. Two of her sons occupy foremost places in the me- tropolis as preachers of the gospel ; and one of her daughters, the wife of a minister, not only assists her husband in the preparation of his sermons, but occa- sionally delivers addresses to small audiences. Speaking one day to her son Charles of her solici- tude for the best interests of all her children, Mrs. Spurgeon said, "Ah, Charley, I have often prayed that you might be saved, but never that you should become a Baptist." To this Charles replied, " God has answered your prayer, mother, with His usual bounty, and given you more than you asked." Both Mr. and Mrs. Spurgeon made great sacrifices of personal comfort to give a good education to their children, and the children were taught habits of thrift and self-denial. The care thus bestowed on their training when young has been to the parents a source of much satisfaction ; the good results of that care are manifested in the happy home lives of their chil- dren. When, at some future period, the historian of the Metropolitan Tabernacle and of the Stockwell Orphanage is considering the primary causes of those great enterprises, the care which Mrs. Spurgeon be- 24 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. Stowed on the early training of her family must be counted as a valuable auxiliary in preparing- the way for such exemplary conduct. The Coimtry Boys. The villages of England, more than the towns, have the honor of producing our great men. In the vil- lage the faculties develop themselves as nature forms them, while in the large towns a thousand delusive influences are continually diverting the minds of the young into channels of danger and error. The parents of Pastor Spurgeon were residing at the village of Kelvedon, in Essex, when on June 19, 1834, their son Charles was born. The population of the place is only two thousand souls, and the resident clergyman, at the time just stated, the Rev. Charles Dalton, lived long enough to celebrate his jubilee as minister in that parish. The Spurgeon family be- longed to the Nonconformists, under whose teaching they were all brought up. Charles and James Spur- geon were much separated during their early years. Charles was of a larger and broader build than James, and the boys of the village are said to have given them names desigfnative of character, which also indi- cated friendship or attachment. Charles had as a boy a larger head than his brother, and he is repre- sented as taking in learning more readily than James, whilst the latter excelled more in domestic duties. Besides the brothers there are six sisters living, two of whom are said to resemble Charles in mental energy. !^rp^5*B-*^ i-mmmmtmmmm*,,.^. \Uu^^yyu^^ ""III, -v///i,///"ll" REV. JAMES A. SPURGEON, CO-PASTOR. 26 26 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. Household Nurture. As the children were growing up, the father, Hke many professional and public men, feared his frequent absence from home would interfere with the reliofious education of the little ones. But happily for him he had a true helpmeet to co-operate with him in this important work, and happily for those children they had a noble mother who lived for them, and sought to build them up in true Christian character. Nor has she lived unrewarded for her pains. Oh, that all mothers learned the lesson well ! Hear the good man speak thus of his wife ; I had been from home a great deal, trying to build up weak congregations, and felt that I was neglecting the religious training of my own children while I was toilinor for the orood of others. I returned home with these feelings. I opened the door and was surprised to find none of the children about the hall. Going quiedy upstairs, I heard my wife's voice. She was engaged in prayer with the children ; I heard her pray for them one by one by name. She came to Charles, and specially prayed for him, for he was of high spirit and daring temper. I listened till she had ended her prayer, and I felt and said, " Lord, I will go on with Thy work. The children will be cared for." The Diligent Youth. When just old enough to leave home, Charles was removed to his grandfather's house at Stambourne, where, under the affectionate care of a maiden aunt BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 27 and directed by the venerable pastor, he soon de- veloped into the thoughtful boy, fonder of his book than of his play. He would sit for hours together gazing with childish horror at the grim figures of "Old Bonner " and " Giant Despair ; " or tracing the ad- ventures of Christian in the "Pilgrim's Progress," or of " Robinson Crusoe." The pious precocity of the child soon attracted the attention of all around. He would astonish the (jrave deacons and matrons who met at his grrand father's house on Sabbath evenino-s, by proposing subjects for conversation, and making pertinent remarks upon them. At that early period in life he gave indications of that decision of character and boldness of address for which he has since be- come so remarkable. In the spring of 1840, and before he was six 3'ears old, seeing a person in the village who made a pro- fession of religion standino- in the street with others known to be of doubtful character, he made up to the big man, and astonished him by asking, " What doest thou here, Elijah ? " In 1 841 he returned to his father's house, which was then at Colchester, that he might secure what improved advantages in education a town could supply. His mental development was even then considerably in advance of his years ; and his moral character, especially his love of truth, was very conspicuous. Spending the summer vacation at his grandfather's, in 1844, when he was just ten years old, an incident occurred which had a material intiiience on the boy 28 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. at the time, and even more so as Divine Providence opened his way. Mr. Spurgeon's grandfather first related the incident to the writer, but it has since been written by Mr. Spurgeon himself, with title of " The Rev. Richard Knill's Prophecy." The account is as follows : A Puzzling Question. " When I was a very small boy," writes Charles H. Spurgeon, " I was staying at my grandfather's, where I had aforetime spent my earliest days ; and, as the manner was, I read the Scriptures at family prayer. Once upon a time, when reading the passage in the Book of Revelation which mentions the bottomless pit, I paused and said, ' Grandpa, what can this mean ? ' The answer was kind but unsatisfactory : ' Pooh, pooh, child, go on.' The child intended, however, to have an explanation, and therefore selected the same chapter morning after morning, Sunday included, and always halted at the same verse to repeat the inquiry. At length the vc^nerable patriarch capitulated at discretion, by saying, ' Well, dear, what Is it that puzzles you ? ' Now, the child had often seen baskets with very frail bottoms, which in course of wear became bottom- less, and allowed the fruit placed therein to fall upon the ground. " Here, then, was the puzzle : If the pit aforesaid had no bottom, where would all the people fall who dropped out at its lower end ? — a puzzle which rather startled the propriety of family worship, and had to be laid aside for explanation at a more convenient BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 29 season. Questions of the like simple and natural character would frequently break up into paragraphs at the family Bible- reading, and had there not been a world of love and license allowed to the inquisitive reader, he would soon have been deposed from his office. As it was, the Scriptures were not very badly rendered, and were probably quite as interesting as if they had not been interspersed with original and curious inquiries." A Walk Before Breakfast. On one of these occasions Mr. Knill, whose name is a household w^ord, whose memory is precious to thousands at home and abroad, stayed at the minister's house on Friday, in readiness to preach at Stambourne for the London Missionary Society on the following Sunday. He never looked into a young face without yearning to impart some spiritual gift. He was all love, kindness, earnestness, and warmth, and coveted the souls of men as misers desire the ofold their hearts pine for. He heard the boy read, and commended : a little judicious praise is the sure way to a young heart. An agreement was made with the lad that on the next morning, Saturday, he would show Mr. Knill over the garden, and take him for a walk before break fast: a task so flattering to juvenile self-importance was sure to be readily entered upon. There was a tap at the door, and the child was soon out of bed and in the garden with his new friend, who won his heart in no time by pleasing stories and kind words, 30 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. and giving him a chance to communicate in return. The talk was all about Jesus, and the pleasantness of loving him. Nor was it mere talk ; there was plead- ing too. Into the great yew arbor, cut into the shape of a sugar-loaf, both went, and the soul-winner knelt down; with his arms around the youthful neck, he poured out vehement intercession for the salvation of the lad. The next mornino- witnessed the same in- struction and supplication, and the next also, while all day long the pair were never far apart, and never out of each other's thoughts. The mission sermons were preached in the old Puritan meeting-house, and the man of God was called to go to the next halting- place in his tour as deputation for the Society. Singular Prophecy. But he did not leave till he had uttered a most remarkable prophecy.. After even more earnest prayer with his little protege, he appeared to have a burden on his mind, and he could not go till he had eased himself of it. " In after years," writes Mr. Spurgeon, " he was heard to say he felt a singular interest in me, and an earnest expectation for which he could not account. Calling the family together, he took me on his knee, and I distinctly remember his saying, ' I do not know how it is, but I feel a solemn presentiment that this child will preach the gospel to thousands, and God will bless him to many souls. So sure am I of this, that when my little man preaches in Rowland Hill's chapel, as he will do one day, I BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 31 should like him to promise me that he will give out the hymn commencing — God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. This promise was of course made, and was followed by another — namely, that at his express desire I would learn the hymn in question, and think of what he had said. *'The prophetic declaration was fulfilled. When I had the pleasure of preaching the Word of Life in Surrey Chapel, and also when I preached in Mr. Hill's first pulpit at Wootton-under-Edge, the hymn was sung in both places. Did the words of Mr. Knill help to bring about their own fulfilment? I think so. I believed them, and looked forward to the time when I should preach the Word. I felt very powerfully that no unconverted person might dare to enter the ministry. This made me the more intent on seeking salvation, and more hopeful of it ; and when by grace I was enabled to cast myself on the Saviour's love, it was not long before my mouth began to speak of his redemption. How came that sober-minded minister to speak thus to and of one into whose future God alone could see ? How came it that he lived to rejoice with his younger brother in the truth of all that he had spoken ? The answer is plain. But mark one particular lesson : would to God that we were all as wise as Richard Knill in habitually sowing beside all waters. Mr. Knill might very 32 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. naturally have left the minister's little grandson on the plea that he had other duties of more importance than praying with children ; and yet who shall say that he did not effect as much by that simple act of humble ministry as by dozens of sermons addressed to crowded audiences ? To me his tenderness in considering the little one was fraught with everlasting consequences, and I must ever feel that his time was well laid out." "Old Bonner.'* During the fostering care of his aunt Ann — his father's unmarried sister at Stambourne — an attach ment grew up which was as sincere in affectionate regard as that which usually exists between parent and child. This aunt had charge of the infant Spurgeon during most of the first six years of his life. He was the first grandchild in the family. Care was taken by his aunt to instruct him gradually as the mind was capable of receiving impressions ; but from his child- hood his mind seems to have been framed after nature's model. The book he admired at his grand- father's, which had for one of its illustrations the portrait of Bonner, Bishop of London, was the cause of his mind receiving its first impressions against tyranny and persecution ; and being told of the perse- cuting character of Bonner, the child manifested a great dislike to the name, and called the picture which represented the bishop " Old Bonner." Even at that early period, of life, before he was six years old, he BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 33 exhibited a marked attachment to those who were known as the children of God, Four years of the boy's Hfe were spent at a school at Colchester, where he studied Latin, Greek, and French. He was a diligent student, always carrying the first prize in all competitions. In 1849 he was placed under the care of Mr. Swindell, at Newmarket. There he learned to practise much self-denial. The privations he voluntarily submitted to at that time showed how decided were his purposes to acquire knowledge, and as far as he knew to try and serve God. But the struggle which was going on in his mind, preparatory to his giving his heart fully to God, can only be described in his own touching words, as recorded in one of his sermons. Speaking of a free- thinker, he remarks : " I, too, have been like him. There was an evil hour in which I slipped the anchor of my faith : I cut the cable of my belief: I no longer moored myself hard by the coast of Revelation : I allowed my vessel to drift before the wind, and thus started on the voyage of infidelity. I said to Reason, Be thou my captain ; I said to my own brain, Be thou my rudder ; and I started on my mad voyage. Thank God it is all over now ; but I will tell you its brief history: it was one hurried sailing over the tem- pestuous ocean of free thought." The result was, that from doubting some things, he came to question everything, even his own existence. But soon he conquered those extremes to which Satan often drives the sinner who is really repenting. CHAPTER II. Mr. Spurgeon's Account of his Conversion and Early Preaching. A Desponding Penitent. — Visit to a Primitive Methodist Chapel. — " Look Look ! " — Preaching in the Old Place. — Happy Days. — Light in Darkness.^ Profession of Faith. — Mission Work. — Boy Preacher. — The First Sermon.— Cottage and Open-air Services. — Escaping College. — Poem. I WILL tell you how I myself was brought to the knowledge of the truth. It may happen the telling of that will bring some one else to Christ. It pleased God in my childhood to convince me of sin, I lived a miserable creature, finding no hope, no comfort, think- ing that surely God would never save me. At last the worst came to the worst — I was miserable ; I could do scarcely anything. My heart was broken in pieces. Six months did I pray — prayed agonizingly with all my heart, and never had an answer. I resolved that, in the town where I lived, I would visit every place of worship in order to find out the way of salvation. I felt I was willing to do anything and be anything if God would only forgive me. I set off, determined to go round to all the chapels, and I went to all the places of worship ; and though I dearly venerate the men that occupy those pulpits now, and did so then, I am bound to say that I never, heard them once fully preach the gosoel. 1 mean by (34) CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 35 that, they preached truth, great truths, many good truths that were fitting to many of their congregation — spiritually-minded people ; but what I wanted to know was, How can I get my sins forgiven ? And they never once told me that. I wanted to hear how a poor sinner, under a sense of sin, might find peace with God ; and when I went I heard a sermon on '* Be /not deceived : God is not mocked," which cut me up worse, but did not say how I might escape. Earnestly Seeking-. I went again another day, and the text was some- thinof about the o^lories of the risfhteous : nothinor for poor me. I was something like a dog under the table, not allowed to eat of the children's food. I went time after time, and I can honestly say, I don't know that I ever went without prayer to God, and I am sure there was not a more attentive hearer in all the place than myself, for I panted and longed to understand how I mio^ht be saved. At last, one snowy day — it snowed so much, I could not go to the place I had determined to go to, and I was obliged to stop on the road, and it was a blessed stop to me — I found rather an obscure street, and turned down a court, and there was a little chapel. 1 wanted to go somewhere, but I did not know this place. It was the Primitive Methodists' chapel. I had heard of these people from many, and how they sang so loudly that they made people's heads ache ; but that did not matter. I wanted to know how I mio^ht be saved, and if they made my head ache ever so much 36 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. I did not care. So, sitting down, the service went on, but no minister came. At last a very thin-looking man came into the pulpit and opened his Bible and read these words: "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Just setting his eyes upon me, as if heknew me all by heart, he said: "Young man, you are in trouble." Well, I was, sure enough. Says he, " You will never get out of it unless you look to Christ." "It is Only Look." And then, lifting up his hands, he cried out, as only, I think, a Primitive Methodist could do, " Look, look, look ! It is only look ! " said he. I saw at once the way of salvation. Oh, how I did leap for joy at that moment ! I know not what else he said : I did not take much notice of it — I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, they only looked and were healed. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard this word " Look ! " what a charming word it seemed to me. Oh, I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away ! and in heaven I will look on still in my joy unutterable. I now think I am bound never to preach a sermon without preaching to sinners. I do think that a minister who can preach a sermon without addressing sinners does not know how to preach. Preaching in the Old Place. On Oct. II, 1864, the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle preached a sermon to five hundred hearers CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 37 in the chapel at Colchester (in which he was con- verted), on the occasion of the anniversary in that place of worship. He took for his text the memorable words, Isaiah xlv. 22, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved," etc., and the preacher said, "That I heard preached from in this chapel when the Lord converted me." And pointing to a seat on the left hand, under the gallery, he said : "/ was sittifig in that pew when I was converted^ This honest confession produced a thrilling effect upon the congregation, and very much endeared the successful pastor to many hearts. Best of All Days. Of his conversion Mr. Spurgeon spoke on every fit- ting opportunity, hoping thereby to benefit others. As an example of the advantage which he takes, under the title of "A Bit for Boys," he says, in "The Sword and the Trowel : " " When I was just fifteen, I believed in the Lord Jesus, was baptized, and joined the church of Christ. This is twenty-five years ago now, and 1 have never been sorry for what I then did ; no, not even once. I have had plenty of time to think it over, and many temptations to try some other course, and if I had found out that I had been deceived, or had made a gross blunder, I would have made a change before now, and would do my best to prevent others from falling into the same delusion. "I tell you, boys, the day I gave myself up to the Lord Jesus, to be His servant, was the very best day of my life. Then I began to be safe and happy ; then I found out the secret of living; and had a 38 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. worthy object for my life's exertions and an unfailing comfort for life's troubles. Because I would wish every boy to have a bright eye, a light tread, a joyful heart, and overflowing spirits, I plead with him to con- sider whether he will not follow my example, for I speak from experience." Dawn of a New Life. Early in the month of January, 1856, Mr. Spurgeon preached a sermon to his own congregation on Sun- day morning, which is entitled " Sovereignty and Salvation." In that sermon he says : " Six years ago to-day, as near as possible at this very hour of the day, I was ' in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity,' but had yet, by divine grace, been led to feel the bitterness of that bondage, and to cry out by reason of the soreness of its slavery. Seeking rest and finding none, I stepped within the house of God, and sat there, afraid to look upward, lest I should be utterly cut off, and lest his fierce wrath should consume me. The minister rose in his pulpit, and, as I have done this morning, read this text: 'Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none else.' "I looked that moment; the grace of faith was vouchsafed to me in that instant ; and " • Ere since by faith I saw the stream His flowing wounds supply Redeeming love has been my theme. And shall be till I die.' CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 39 T shall never forget that day while memory holds its place ; nor can I help repeating this text whenever I remember that hour when first I knew the Lord. How strangely gracious ! How wonderfully and marvellously kind, that he who heard these words so little time ago, for his own soul's profit, should now ad- dress you this morning as his hearers from the same text, in the full and confident hope that some poor sinner within these walls may hear the glad tidings of salvation for himself also, and may to-day be 'turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ! ' " A Public Profession. All the tetters he sent home at that period were full of the overflowings of a grateful heart ; and, although so young in years, he describes the operations of divine grace on the heart and life, and the differences between the doctrines of the gospel and the forms of the church, in terms so precise and clear, that no merely human teaching could have enabled him so to do. Brought up, as he had been, among the Indepen- dents, his own views on one point of church ordi- nances now assumed a form differing materially from what his parents had adopted. Having experienced a change of heart, he felt it to be laid upon him as an imperative duty to make a full and public confession of the change by public baptism. He had united himself formally wath the Baptist people the year before ; now he felt constrained to 40 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. fully cast in his lot and become one of them entirely. He wrote many letters home to his father, asking for advice and information, but striving to enforce his own conviction for making a public profession of his faith in Christ. At length the father was satisfied that his son had no faith in the dogma of baptismal regeneration ; that his motives for seeking to be publicly recognized as a follower of the Lord Jesus were higher than those he had feared ; therefore no further opposition was made, and the necessary steps were taken for his immersion. All the arrangements having been made, the young convert walked from Newmarket to Isleham, seven miles, on May 2d, and staying with the family of Mr. Cantlow, the Baptist minister there, he was by that gentleman publicly baptized in that village on Friday, May 3, 1 85 1, being in his sixteenth year. He thus proceeds in his letter to his father : " It is very pleas- ing to me that the day on which I shall openly profess the name of Jesus is my mother's birthday. May it be to both of us a foretaste of many glorious and happy days yet to come." School Duties and Mission Work. Having thus publicly devoted himself to the service of God, he was more earnest than ever in his efforts to do orood. Besides havinof himself revived an old society for distributing tracts, he undertook to carry out this good work in Newmarket thoroughly. When- ever he walked out he carried these messengers of mercy with him; he was instant in season, and, indeed, REV. JOHN Si'URGEON, FATHER OF C. H. SPURGEON. CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 41 was seldom out of season, in his efforts to do good His duties in school occupied him three hours daily, the remainder of his time being spent in his closet or in some work of mercy. The Sunday-school very soon gained his attention, and his addresses to the children were so full of love and instruction that the children carried the good tidings home to their parents ; and soon they came to hear the addresses in the vestry of the Independent chapel in that town. The place was soon filled. The Boy Preacher. At one of the examinations of the school he had consented to deliver an oration on missions. It was a public occasion, and in the company was a clergyman. During the examination the clergyman heard of the death of his gardener, and suddenly left for home. But on his way he thus reasoned with himself: The gardener is dead ; I cannot restore his life ; I will return and hear what the young usher has to say on missions. He returned, heard the oration, and was pleased to show his approval by presenting Mr. Spurgeon with a sovereign. Having at once identified himself as a membei of tlie Baptist church in Cambridge he soon found occupa- tion suitable to his mind. His addresses to children, and afterwards to parents and children, had produced a love of the work, and he soon was called to exhort a village congregation. He was then sixteen years old. Connected with the Baptist church meeting in St. Andrew's street, Cambridge, formerly under the 42 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. pastoral care of the late learned Robert Hall, there existed a society entitled " The Lay Preachers' Asso- ciation." Although so young in years, Mr. Spurgeon was accepted as a member of this association. Here he at once found the occupation which his mind most desired ; and he was soon appointed to address a congregation. As this was one of the most important steps in Mr. Spurgeon's life, the reader will be glad to learn from his own pen the circumstances which led to his first attempted sermon. In introducing the text, " Unto you therefore which believe. He is precious," i Peter ii. 7, Mr. Spurgeon remarks, in 1873: "I remember well that, more than twenty-two years ago, the first attempted sermon that I ever made was from this text. First Sermon. " I had been asked to walk out to the village of Taversham, about four miles from Cambridge, where I then lived, to accompany a young man whom I sup- posed to be the preacher for the evening, and on the way I said to him that I trusted God would bless him in his labors. ' Oh, dear,' said he, * I never preached in my life ; I never thought of doing such a thing. I was asked to walk with you, and I sincerely hope God will bless you in your preaching.' * Nay,' said I, 'but I never preached, and I don't know that I could do anything of the sort' We walked together till we came to the place, my inmost soul being all in a trouble as to what would happen. When we found w n o H > O M ?3 M C >) o w o s; TJ ?^ > n W M O I— I I— I 5« CO (48) 44 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. the congregation assembled, and no one else there to speak of Jesus, though I was only sixteen years of age, as I found that I was expected to preach, I did preach, and the text was that just given." Considering the results which have followed that sermon, it will be interesting to glance at some of the incidents belonging to that early period of his ministry. Early Promise. In the summer of 1875, from inquiries made in the locality, a correspondent of the "Baptist" newspaper reports as follows : "A gentleman informed me that he heard Mr. Spurgeon preach his first sermon when about sixteen years of age ; and he then read, prayed, and ex- pounded the Word, being attired in a round jacket and broad turn-down collar, such as I remember to have been in fashion at that period. " Mr. Spurgeon was then living near Cambridge, and his mode of preaching afforded promise that he would become a powerful and popular preacher. " Mr. C, the schoolmaster of the village in 1850, was impressed with the precocious talent of the young preacher, and his style of preaching." Having once entered on this most solemn duty, and finding acceptance with the people, he laid himself out for one service every evening, after attending to his duties in school during the day. From an aged and experienced Christian, who heard Mr. Spurgeon preach before his call to London, we learn that his addresses were very instructive, and CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 45 often included illustrations derived from history, geography, astronomy, and from other branches of school occupation, evidently adapted from his daily duties, and thus made to serve as instruments in religion, as well as in training and informing the mind. His early ministry was not only gratuitous, but often attended with demands on his small salary, which he willingly gave to God — not to be seen of men, did he help the needy. In Cottages and the Open Air. In some of the thirteen village stations around Cambridge and Waterbeach, to which Mr. Spurgeon devoted all his evenings, the preaching was held, in a cottage, in others a chapel, and occasionally the open common could furnish the accommodation re- quired. At the village of Waterbeach, Mr. Spurgeon was received in a marked manner of approval. In most of the places in which he had preached the effect was very much alike, in the large numbers attracted to hear the Word of God, and in the success which God was pleased to bestow on his labors. Even at that early period of his ministerial career, invitations to preach special sermons in towns and villages at a distance soon rapidly increased. At Waterbeach, however, the little church saw in the young man a suitability to their wants, and they gave him an invitation to become their pastor. He was well received by the people, and soon became quite popular. During the few months of his pastorate iR KEV. CHARLES H. SPtJRGEON. there, the church members were increased from forty to nearly one hundred. Pastorate at Waterbeacli. Mr. Spurgeon has himself supplied an interesting reminiscence of his ministry at that village, which is worth preserving : " When we had just commenced our youthful pas- torate at Waterbeach, in 1852, Cornelius Elven, as a man of mark in that region, was requested to preach the anniversary sermons in our little thatched meeting-house, and right well we remember his hearty compliance with our desire. We met at the station as he alighted from a third-class carriao^e which he had chosen in order to put the friends to the least possible expense for his travelling. His bulk was stupendous, and one soon saw that his heart was as large in proportion as his body. " He gave us much sage and holy advice during the visit, which came to us with much the same weio^ht as Paul's words came to Timothy. He bade us study hard, and keep abreast of the foremost Christians in our litde church, adding as a reason, that if these men, either in their knowledge of Scripture or their power to edify the people, once outstrip you, the temptation will arise among them to be dissatisfied with your ministry ; and, however good they are, they will feel their superiority, and others will perceive it too, and then your place in the church will become very difficult to hold. His sermons were very homely, and pre- eminently practical. He told anecdotes of the use- CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 47 fulness of addressing individuals one by one about their souls." Not Spoiled by Colleges. It has been remarked a hundred times, by those not well informed on the matter, that Mr. Spurgeon was an uneducated man, and had no college instruc- tion. The experience of a quarter of a century has demonstrated how erroneous were these remarks. Is there in England a man of education who has done more for the extension of the kingdom of Christ by the publication of numerous valuable theological and instructive books than Mr. Spurgeon ? Let the list of his works determine. On the question of not going to college there is also some misconception. The exact facts are worthy of being placed on record. Mr. Spurgeon has him- self so clearly stated the case in an article he wrote some time ago in his own magazine, that the reader will be glad to see it here; it is curious and interest- ing: "Soon after I had begun, in 1852, to preach the Word in Waterbeach, I was strongly advised by my father and others to enter Stepney, now Regent's Park College, to prepare more fully for the ministry. Knowing that learning is never an incumbrance and is often a great means of usefulness, I felt inclined to avail myself of the opportunity of attaining it; although I believed I might be useful without a college training, I consented to the opinion of friends, that I should be more useful with it. 48 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. An Appointment not Kept. " Dr. Angus, the tutor of the college, visited Cam- bridge, where I then resided, and it was arranged that we should meet at the house of Mr. Macmillan, the publisher. Thinking and praying over the matter, I entered the house at exactly the time appointed, and was shown into a room, where I waited patiently for a couple of hours, feeling too much impressed with my own insignificance and the greatness of the tutor from London to venture to ring the bell and inquire the cause of the unreasonably long delay. "At last, patience having had her perfect work, the bell was set in motion, and on the arrival of the servant, the waiting young man of eighteen was in- formed that the doctor had tarried in another room, and could stay no longer, so had gone off by train to London. The stupid girl had given no information to the family that any one called and had been shown into the drawing-room, consequently the meeting never came about, although designed by both parties. I was not a little disappointed at the moment; but have a thousand times since then thanked the Lord very heartily for the strange providence which forced my steps into another and far better path. Strange Impressions. " Still holding to the idea of entering the Collegiate Institution, I thought of writing and making an immediate application ; but this was not to be. That afternoon, having to preach at a village station, I walked slowly in a meditating frame of mind over CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 49 Midsummer Common to the little wooden bridge which leads to Chesterton, and in the midst of the common I was starded by what seemed to me to be a loud voice, but which may have been a singular illu- sion : whichever it was, the impression it made on my mind was most vivid ; I seemed very distinctly to hear the words, * Seekest thou great things for thyself, seek them not ! ' " This led me to look at my position from a different point of view, and to challenge my motives and inten- tions. I remembered my poor but loving people to whom I ministered, and the souls which had been given me in my humble charge ; and although at that time I anticipated obscurity and poverty as the result of the resolve, yet I did there and then renounce the offer of collegiate instruction, determining to abide for a season, at least, with my people, and to remain preaching the Word so long as I had strength to do it. Had it not been for those words, I had not been where I am now. Although the ephod is no longer worn by a ministering priest, the Lord guides His people by His wisdom, and orders all their paths in love ; and in times of perplexity, by ways mysterious and remarkable. He says to them : ' This is the way ; walk ye in it.' " The Tummg- Point. One or two extracts from his letters, written at the same time, it is desirable to give to show how anx- iously the matter was considered. In his reply to his father, dated March 9, 1852, Mr. Spurgeon writes: "I 60 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. have all alonor had an aversion to college, and nothinof but a feeling that I must not consult myself, but Jesus, could have made me think of it. It appears to my friends at Cambridge, that it is my duty to remain with my dear people at Waterbeach ; so say the church there unanimously, and so say three of our deacons at Cambridge." During the summer his decision was taken, in the way previously related ; and in a letter he sent to his mother in November following, he says : " I am more and more elad that I never went to collegfe. God sends such sunshine on my path, such smiles of grace, that I cannot regret if I have forfeited all my pros- pects for it. I am conscious I held back from love to God and His cause ; and I had rather be poor in His service than rich in my own. I have all that heart can wish for ; yea, God giveth more than my desire. My conCTreoration is as great and lovingf as ever. Durino- all the time I have been at Waterbeach, I have had a different house for my home every- day. Fifty-two families have thus taken me in ; and I have still six other invitations not yet accepted. Talk about the people not caring for me because they give me so little ! I dare tell anybody under heaven 'tis false ! They do all they can. Our anniversary passed off grandly ; six were baptized ; crowds on crowds stood by the river ; the chapel afterwards was crammed both to the tea and the sermon." By these and other exercises of mind, God was CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING. 5^ preparing his young servant for greater plans of use- fulness and a wider sphere of action. The following stanzas were written by Mr Spur- geon, at the age of eighteen : IMMANUEL. When once I mourned a load of sin ; When conscience felt a wound within j When all my works were thrown away ; When on my knees I knelt to pray, Then, blissful hour, remembered well, I learned Thy love, Immanuel. When storms of sorrow toss my soul ; When waves of care around me roll ; When comforts sink, when joys shall flee; When hopeless griefs shall gape for me. One word the tempest's rage shall quell — That word. Thy name, Immanuel. When for the truth I suffer shame ; When foes pour scandal on my name ; When cruel taunts and jeers abound ; When " Bulls of Bashan " gird me round, Secure within Thy tower I'll dwell — That tower. Thy grace, Immanuel. When hell enraged lifts up her roar j When Satan stops my path before; When fiends rejoice and wait my end| When legioned hosts their arrows send, Fear not, my soul, but hurl at hell Thy battle-cry, Immanuel. When down the hill of life I go ; When o'er my feet death's waters flow. When in the deep'ning flood I sink ; When friends stand weeping on the brink, I'll mingle with my last farewell Thy lovely name, Immanuel. 52 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. When tears are banished from mine eye ; When fairer worlds than these are nigh ; When heaven shall fill my ravished sight; When I shall balhe in sweet delight, One joy all joys shall far excel. To see Thy face, Immanuel. C H. SPURGEON AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE. (53) CHAPTER III. The Young Preacher in London. * Speech at Cambridge. — Invitation to London. — Willing Hearers. — Interesting Letters to New Park Street Church. — Visitation of Cholera. — Labors among the Dying. — Publication of Sermons. — Eagerness of the Public to Obtain the Printed Discourses. — Description of the Youthful Preacher. — Thronging Crowds. — Birthday Sermon. — Preaching in Scotland. — Good News from Printed Sermons. — Reports of Many Conversions. The anniversary meeting of the Cambridge Union of Sunday-schools in 1853 was held at Cambridge, on which occasion Mr. Spurgeon was called upon to speak. The part he took was of remarkable signifi- cance. There was nothingf In his manner or his re- marks which was cpecially attractive to his audience ; but there was an unseen agency at work with the speaker as well as In the audience. There was pres- ent at that meeting a gentleman from Essex, on whose mind the address dehvered by Mr. Spurgeon made a lasting impression. Shortly afterwards he met In London with one of the deacons of the Baptist church of New Park Street, Southwark, a church which had once flourished like the ancient cedars of Lebanon, but which was then so far shorn of its former glory as to give cause of serious consideration. Anxiously did the thoughtful deacon tell his tale of a scattered church and a dimin- (54) THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 55 ished congregation. Fresh upon the mind of his hearer was the effect of the speech of the young min- ister at Cambridge, and he ventured to speak of the youthful evangelist of Waterbeach as a minister likely to be the means of revivino- interest in the declinine church at New Park Street. The two friends sepa- rated, the deacon not much impressed with what he had heard ; and things grew worse. Invited to London. But finally a correspondence was commenced be- tween Deacon James Low and Mr. Spurgeon, which soon resulted in the latter receiving an invitation to come to London and preach before them in their large chapel. The work was altogether of God, man only made the arrangements. The motto of Julius Csesar maybe modified to express the results of the visit: Mr. Spurgeon came ; he preached ; he conquered. For some months the pulpit had been vacant, the pews forsaken, the aisles desolate, and the exchequer empty. Decay had set in so seriously that the deacons lost heart, and, until Mr. Spurgeon arrived, the cause seemed hopeless. In the autumn of 1853 he first oc- cupied New Park-street pulpit. The chapel, capable of holding twelve hundred people, had about two hundred occupants at the first service. The preacher was a young man who had just passed his nineteenth year. In his sermon he spoke with the freedom and boldness which evinced that he believed what he preached, and believed that his message was from God. Some were disappointed ; others resolved to 56 REV. CHARLES H. SPtEGEON. oppose, and did oppose ; but by far the greater pro- portion were disposed to hear him again. Instant Success. The result of the first sermon was proved, In a few hours, to have been a success. The evening congre- gation was greatly increased, partly from curiosity, pardy from the youth of the preacher and his unusual style of address. Mr. Spurgeon was again invited to take the pulpit on another Sunday as early as possible, for a feeling of excitement was created, and it re- quired to be satisfied. After consulting with his church at Waterbeach, he arranged to supply the New Park-street pulpit during three alternate Lord's days. The desire to hear the young preacher having greatly extended, it was determined to invite Mr. Spurgeon from his rustic retreat to undertake the heavy respon- sibility of pastor of one of the most ancient Baptist churches in London, and formerly the most influential ; and he entered on that duty In the month of April, 1854. We are permitted to give two of Mr. Spurgeon's letters to the church at the time of his appointment, which will most clearly state the facts relating to his coming- to London. The first of the followinor letters was written to Deacon Low shortly before Mr. Spur- ofeon left Cambridpfe, and the second Is dated from his first lodgings immediately after his permanent arrival In London. It will be seen that these letters exhibit a wisdom and maturity scarcely to be expected from a youth of twenty. THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 57 No. 60 Park Street, Cambridge, Jan. 27, 1854. To James Low, Esq. My dear Sir, — I cannot help feeling intense grati- fication at the unanimity of the church at New Park Street in relation to their invitation to me. Had I been uncomfortable in my present situation, I should have felt unmixed pleasure at the prospect Providence seems to open up before me ; but having a devoted and loving people, I feel I know not how. One thing I know, namely, that I must soon be severed from them by necessity, for they do not raise sufficient to maintain me in comfort. Had they done so I should have turned a deaf ear to any request to leave them, at least for the present. But now my Heavenly Father drives me forth from this little Gar- den of Eden, and while I see that I must go out, I leave it with reluctance, and tremble to tread the un- known land before me. When I first ventured to preach at Waterbeach, I only accepted an invitation for three months, on the condition that if in that time I should see good reasons for leaving, or they on their part should wish for it, I should be at liberty to cease supplying, or they should have the same power to request me to do so before the expiration of the time. With regard to a six months' invitation from you, I have no objection to the length of time, but ratlier ap- prove of the prudence of the church in wishing to have one so young as myself on an extended period of approbation. But I write after well weighing the 58 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. matter, when I say positively that I cannot — I dare not — accept an unquahfied invitation for so long a time. My objection is not to the length of time of probation, but it ill becomes a youth to promise to preach to a London congregation so long, until he knows them and they know him. I would engage to supply for three months of that time, and then, should the con- gregation fail, or the church disagree, I would reserve to myself liberty, without breach of engagement, to retire ; and you would on your part have the right to dismiss me without seeming to treat me ill Should I see no reason for so doing, and the church still retain their wish for me, I can remain the other three months, either with or without the formality of a further invi- tation ; but even during the second three months I should not like to regard myself as a fixture, in case of ill success, but would only be a supply, liable to a fortnio^ht's dismissal or resignation. Perhaps this is not business like, — I do not know ; but this is the course I should prefer, if it would be agreeable to the church. Enthusiasm and popularity are often the crackling of thorns, and soon expire. I do not wish to be a hindrance if I cannot be a help. With regard to coming at once, I think I must not. My own deacons just hint that I ought to finish the quarter here : though, by ought, they mean simply, — pray do so if you can. This would be too long a delay. I wish to help them until they can get supplies, which is only to be done with great difficulty ; and, as I have given you four Sabbaths, I hope you will allow me to THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 59 give them four in return. I would give them the first and second Sabbaths in February, and two more in a month or six weeks' time. I owe them much for their kindness, although they insist that the debt lies on their side. Some of them hope, and almost pray, that you may be tired in three months so that I may be ao^ain sent back to them. Thus, my dear sir, I have honestly poured out my heart to you. You are too kind. You will excuse me if I err, for I wish to do right to 3^ou, to my people, and to all, as being not mine own, but bought with a price. I respect the honesty and boldness of the small minority, and only wonder that the number was not greater. I pray God that if He does not see fit that I should remain with you, the majority may be quite as much the other way at the end of six months, so that I may never divide you into parties. Pecuniary matters I am well satisfied with. And now one thing is due to every minister, and I pray you to remind the church of it, namely, that in private, as well as public, they must all wrestle in prayer to God that I may be sustained in the great work. I am, with the best wishes for your health, and the greatest respect, Yours truly, C. H. Spurgeon. Call to Xew Park- Street Chapel. Viewed in the light of subsequent results, it will not surprise the reader to learn that it did not take the church six months to determine their part of the con- 60 RET. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. tract. Before three months had passed away "the small minority " had been absorbed into the majority, and the entire church united in giving their young minister, not yet twenty years old, an invitation to accept the pastorate, both cordial and unanimous. Mr. Spurgeon's second letter at this period will best explain the real facts : — 75 Dover Road, Borough, April 28, 1854. To the Baptist Church of Christ worshipping in New Park-street Chapel, Southivark : Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus — I have received your unanimous invitation, as contained in a resolu- tion passed by you on the 19th instant, desiring me to accept the pastorate among you. No lengthened reply is required ; there is but one answer to so loving and cordial an invitation. I accept it. I have not been perplexed as to what my reply shall be, for many things constrain me thus to answer. I sought not to come to you, for I was the minister of an obscure but affectionate people : I never solicited advancement. The first note of invitation from your deacons came to me quite unlooked for, and I trem- bled at the idea of preaching in London. I could not understand how it came about, and even now I am filled with astonishment at the wondrous Providence I would wish to give myself into the hands of our cov- enant God, whose wisdom directs all things. He shall choose for me ; and so far as I can judge this is His choice. THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 61 I feel it to be a high honor to be a pastor of a peo- ple who can mention glorious names as my predeces- sors, and I entreat of you to remember me in prayer, that I may realize the solemn responsibility of my trust. Remember my youth and inexperience ; pray that these may not hinder my usefulness. I trust, also, that the remembrance of these may lead you to forgive the mistakes I may make, or unguarded words I may utter. Blessed be the name of the Most High ! if He has called me to this office He will support me in it; otherwise, how should a child, a youth, have the pre- sumption thus to attempt a work which filled the heart and hands of Jesus ? Your kindness to me has been very great, and my heart is knit unto you. I fear not your steadfastness ; I fear my own. The gospel, I believe, enables me to venture great things, and by faith I venture this. I ask your co-operation in every good work, — in visiting the sick, in bringing in inquir- ers, and in mutual edification. Oh, that I may be no injury to you, but a lasting benefit ! I have no more to say, only this : that if I have expressed myself in these few words in a manner unbecoming my youth and inexperience, you will not impute it to arrogance, but forgive my mistake. And now, commending you to our covenant-keeping God, the triune Jehovah, I am yours to serve in the gospel, C. H. Spurgeon. Before three months of the new pastorate had ex- 62 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. pired the fame of the young mhiister had spread over the metropoHs, crowds of people flocked to his chapel at every service, and the newspapers, week by week for some time, were asking: Who is this Spurgeon? For a long time that question was a puzzle to many minds ; but one thing was certain, he had secured the ear and the attention of the public, who waited upon his ministry by thousands. The Black Flag. The summer of 1854 will long be remembered for the frightful scourge of Asiatic cholera with which the great city was visited. The black flag could be seen stretched across streets to warn strangers of the close o proximity of plague-stricken dwellings. On all sides there was anxious foreboding, sorrow, or bereavement. The young pastor's services were eagerly sought for, his time and strength taxed to their utmost ; but he discharged the duties of the emergency with a true and manly courage, A para- graph from his ** Treasury of David," on Psalm xci., most graphically describes this trying period : "In the year 1854, when I had scarcely been in London twelve months, the neighborhood in which I labored was visited by Asiatic cholera, and my congre- gation suffered from its inroads. Family after family summoned me to the bedsides of the smitten, and almost every day I was called to visit the grave. I gave myself up with youthful ardor to the visitation of the sick, and was sent for from all corners of the district by persons of all ranks and religions. I be- THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 63 came weary in body and sick at heart. My friends seemed falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I was sickeninor like those around me. A little more o work and weeping would have laid me low among the rest. I felt that my burden was heavier than I could bear, and I was ready to sink under it. As God would have it, I was returning mournfully home from a funeral, when my curiosity led me to read a paper which was wafered up in a shoemaker's window in the Dover Road. It did not look like a trade announce- ment, nor was it ; for it bore in a good bold hand- writing these words : ' Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation ; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. " The effect upon my heart was immediate. Faith appropriated the passage as her own. I felt secure, refreshed, girt with immortality. I went on with my visitation of the dying in a calm and peaceful spirit ; I felt no fear of evil, and I suffered no harm. The Providence which moved the tradesman to place those verses in his window I gratefully acknowledge, and in the remembrance of its marvellous power I adore the Lord my God." Publishing Sermons. In the autumn of the first year's pastorate he preached a sermon from the words, " Is it not wheat harvest to-day ? " The sermon attracted attention, was much talked about by his hearers, and during the following week it appeared under the title of " Harvest 64 KEY. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. Time," and had a large sale. This led the publisher shordy afterwards to print another of his sermons, under the title of " God's Providence." The public at once took to these sermons, and by the end of the year about a dozen had thus been issued. This greatly increased his popularity : for many who had not heard him, read those sermons, were interested in them, and soon found opportunity to go and hear him. The demand for his sermons being considerably greater than for the sermons of other ministers then being published, Mr. Spurgeon made arrangements with the first friend he met in London, who was a printer, and a member of his church, to commence the publication of one sermon of his every week, begin- ning with the new year, 1855. Through the good providence of God the sermons have appeared con- tinuously, week by week, without interruption, for more than twenty-seven years, with a steady, improv- ing, and large circulation, which is in itself a marked indication of divine favor. No other minister the world has ever known has been able to produce one printed sermon weekly for so many years. The work still goes on with unabated favor and unceasing in- terest. The Preacher Described. The following description of the preacher's style at this period is one of the earliest we have met with : " His voice is clear and musical; his language plain; his style flowing, but terse ; his method lucid and or- THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 65 derly; his matter sound and suitable; his tone and spirit cordial ; his remarks always pithy and pungent, sometimes familiar and colloquial, yet never light or coarse, much less profane. Judging from a single ser- mon, we supposed that he would become a plain, faith- ful, forcible, and affectionate preacher of the gospel in the form called Calvinistic ; and our judgment was the more favorable, because, while there was a solidity beyond his years, we detected little of the wild luxuri- ance naturally characteristic of very young preachers." Want of order and arrangement was a fault the preacher soon found out himself, and he refers to it when he says : " Once I put all my knowledge together in glorious confusion ; but now I have a shelf in my head for everything ; and whatever I read or hear I know where to stow it away for use at the proper time." Intense Interest Excited. Among^st the multitudes who assembled to hear the popular preacher was a member of the Society of Friends, who, being deeply impressed by what he saw and heard, wrote a lengthened article on the subject. The writer observes : " The crowds which have been drawn to hear him, the interest excited by his ministry, and the conflicting opinions expressed in reference to his qualifications and usefulness, have been alto- gether without parallel in modern times. It was a re- markable sight to see this round-faced country youth thus placed in a position of such solemn and arduous responsibility, yet addressing himself to the fulfilment 66 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. of its onerous duties with a gravity, self-possession and vigor that proved him well fitted for the task he had assumed." Within one year, New Park-street Chapel had to be enlaroed, Durino- the enlargrement, Exeter Hall was taken, and it was filled to overflowing every Sabbath morning to hear the young preacher. The chapel, which had been enlarged to the fullest extent of the ground, was soon found to be far too circumscribed for the thousands who flocked to hear him ; and by the end of the summer it became necessary to seek for a much larger place to satisfy the demand of tlie public. Twenty-first Birthday. On the 19th of June, 1855, Mr. Spurgeon came of age, and he improved the occasion by preaching a ser- mon relating thereto. A larore concrrecration heard it, and it was printed with an excellent likeness of the young preacher, pale and thin as he then was. The sermon was published with the title, "Pictures of Life, and Birthday Reflections." It had a large sale. That was the first portrait of him which had been issued. At that period the first attempt to issue a penny weekly newspaper was made by Mr. C. W. Banks, and the " Christian Cabinet" was a very spirited pubHca- tion. The value of a pure and cheap press was fully appreciated by Mr. Spurgeon, who generously fur- nished articles for the columns of that serial during nearly the whole of its first year's existence. They THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 67 show a clear and sound judgment on many public events passing more than twenty years ago, and they are the first buddings of that genius which has since ripened so fully, and yielded such an abundant harvest of rich mental food. The books which have since come from Mr. Spurgeon's pen are equally marvellous ,for their number, variety, and usefulness, and some of 'them have had most unprecedentedly large sales. Visit to Scotland. In July of this year, 1855, he paid his first visit to Scotland, and a lively description of his congregation and preaching was printed in the " Cabinet." On the bright evening of the 4th of September, Mr. Spurgeon preached to about twelve thousand people in a field in King Edward's Road, Hackney. The ser- mon was printed under the title of " Heaven and Hell," and had a very large sale, doing at the same time a lar^e amount of ijood. The sermon was closed by the preacher giving the following account of his own conversion, which had a good effect on his audi- ence, proving that experience is the best teacher. There were thousands of young people present who were astonished at what they heard, and many turned that night from their sins. The preacher said : "I can remember the time when my sins first stared me in the face. I thought myself the most accursed of all men. I had not committed any very great open transgression against God ; but I recollected that I had been well trained and tutored, and I thought my sins were thus greater than other people's. I cried to God 68 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. to have mercy, but I feared that He would not pardon me. Month after month 1 cried to God, but He did not hear me, and I knew not what it was to be saved. Sometimes I was so weary of the world that I desired to die ; but I then recollected that there was a worse world after this, and that it would be an ill matter to rush before my Maker unprepared. At times I wickedly thought God a most heartless tyrant, because He did not answer my prayer ; and then at others I thought, ' I deserve His displeasure ; if he sends me to hell. He will be just.' " But I remember the hour when I stepped into a place of worship, and saw a tall, thin man step into the pulpit : I have never seen him from that day, and probably never shall till we meet in heaven. He opened the Bible, and read with a feeble voice : ' Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth ; for I am God, and beside Me there is none else.' Ah ! thought I, I am one of the ends of the earth ; and then, turning round, and fixing his gaze on me, as if he knew me, the minister said : ' Look, look, look ! ' Why, I thought I had a great deal to do, but I found it was only to look. I thought I had a garment to spin out for myself; but I found that if I looked, Christ could give me a garment. Look, sinner, that is the way to be saved. Look unto Him, all ye ends of the earth, and be saved." Preaching is the ordained means for the salvation of sinners : the power of appeal by the human voice is greater than any other ; but there is another influ- THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON. 69 ence which is potent. Before Mr. Spurgeon had is- sued more than half a year's sermons from the press, letters reached him from far-off places recording the good which had been effected by reading them. On one of Mr. Spurgeon's visits to Scodand he was taken to visit Anne Sims, an aged saint living at the Brae of Killiecrankie, far away up the mountains, who had ex- pressed intense delight in reading his sermons, and prayed for his success in the work, litde thinking that in her mountain solitude, and in her ninetieth year, she should ever see the preacher himself, whose visit was to her like that of an angel. It would be difficult to chronicle the results which have followed the reading of the sermons. Tiding^s of Good Done. In the first ardcle in "The Sword and the Trowel" for 1872, the editor himself says: " Our ministry has never been without large results in conversion." Twenty conversions have been reported to him by letter in one week. The last Sunday sermon he preached in 1855, with which the first volume of his printed discourses is closed, had special reference to the war in the Crimea, and it commanded a large sale ; its title was, " Healing for the Wounded." It con- tributed materially to allay public anxiety about the war. Mr. Spurgeon closed the year by holding a Watchnight Service in his chapel. It was a happy and memorable service, and it was afterward repeated at the close of every year ; the last hours of the closing year and the first moments of the opening new year 70 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. being devoted to the worship of God, in acts of per sonal consecration. It is a gratifying fact, not generally known, that from the first year of Mr. Spurgeon's ministry in Lon- don several clergymen have used his sermons weekly, with a little adaptation, in their own churches. This testimony has been given by the clergymen them- selves, in person and by letter, to the writer. Some are using the sermons in that way at the present time, and though delivered second-hand in this man- ner, yet they are not without fruit. CHAPTER IV. A Wife and a New Tabernacle. Mr. Spurgeon's Marriage. — Twelve Sermons Weekly. — Not an Ascetic. — Sur- rey Gardens Music Hall. — The Great Metropolitan Tabernacle. — Praying among Bricks and Mortar. — Preaching to the Aristocracy. — Note from Mr. Gladstone. — Offer from an American Lecture Bureau. — How the Preacher Appeared in his Pulpit. — Pastors' College. — Poem addressed to Mrs. Spur- geon. — Revivals and Colportage. — Talk of Founding a New Sect. — Visit to Paris. — Preaching to Coster-mongers. The year 1856 was a remarkable one in the life of Mr. Spurgeon. It was the year of his marriage ; the year in which he preached his grandfather's jubilee sermon, and one of the centenary sermons in Whit- field's Tabernacle in Tottenham Court Road. During the first week of the year Mr. Spurgeon was delior'tning- larcre audiences at Bath. The second week was made memorable by a service held in his own chapel, in which the young people, more particu- larly, took a very lively interest. Early in the fore- noon of January 8th Mr. Spurgeon was married to Miss Susanna Thompson, daughter of Mr. Robert Thompson, of Falcon Square, London. Twin boys, Charles and Thomas Spurgeon, are the only additions to their family. Both are now settled pastors. At this period Mr. Spurgeon was daily in the pul- pit, often travelling many miles between the services held ; and for months together he preached twelve sermons weekly, with undiminished force and unflag- (71) 72 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGJION. ging zeal. In the achievement of such herculean taslcs he has doubtless been indebted to an excellent consti- tution and to his simple habits of living. He is the very embodiment of nature, without the usual make- up of art. He throws himself on the tide of social intercourse with the freedom of one who has no tricks to exhibit and no failings to conceal. He is one of the most pleasant of companions: pious without any of the shams of piety ; temperate without a touch of asceticism ; and devout without the solemnity of the devotee. Preaching for his poorer brethren in the country, he declined to receive any contribution to- wards his personal outlay, excepting only in cases where the church could well afford to pay his travel- ling expenses. Preaching- in Surrey Music Hall. New Park-street Chapel when enlarged soon be- came utterly inadequate to receive the crowds which flocked to hear Mr. Spurgeon, and the deacons found it necessary to take the largest available building in London — the Royal Surrey Gardens Music Hall — and in October, 1856, Mr. Spurgeon commenced to preach every Sabbath in that vast audience-room, continuing the morning service there till the great Metropolitan Tabernacle was opened. What is known as the Surrey Gardens catastrophe we need not do more than allude to. On October 19th a sad and fatal accident had wellnigh put an end to the large Sabbath gatherings drawn to hear Mr. Spurgeon ; but that fatality was overruled for good. A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE. 73 Previous to this Mr. Spurgeon knew not what illness was ; but this calamity, joined with the wicked calum- nies of a portion of the press, laid prostrate even the stronof man. SURREY MUSIC HALL. In October, 1856, the first meeting was held for considering the steps necessary to be taken for erect- oreat Tabernacle. The proposal was very mgr a heartily taken up by Mr. Spurgeon's friends and in 74 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. every part of the country sympathy was largely shown with the movement. There were many who laughed at the idea of erecting as a place of worship an edifice to hold five thousand persons. Regardless of these objections the work went on, Mr. Spurgeon travelling all over the land, preaching daily, with the promise of half the proceeds of the collection being devoted to the new Tabernacle. The foundation-stone of the great building was laid by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, August 1 6, 1859. Strange Place for a Prayer Meeting* During the progress of the work Mr. Spurgeon met on the ground, one evening after the workmen had left, one of his deacons. After some consultation and meditation, surrounded by planks, piles of timber and bricks, in the dim twilight, they both knelt down where no eye could see them but that of God ; and with only the canopy of heaven for their covering, the pastor and his friend each poured out most earnest supplications for the prosperity of the work, the safety of the men engaged on the building, and a blessing on the church. Their prayers were not offered in vain, but were abundantly answered. Out of so large a number of men engaged on the work, not one of them suffered harm. In 1860 a large and enthusiastic meeting was held in the building before it was finished, at which much money was given and more promised. Great prepara- tions were made during the winter for the holding of a large bazaar in the spring, which was probably one GEORGE ROGERS, TUTOR AT THE PASTORS' COLLEGE. 75 76 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. of the largest and most productive of the kind ever held in London. The opening services were com- menced on March 25, 1861, and were continued with- out interruption for five weeks. As the result of all these efforts, the great Tabernacle, to hold five thou- sand people, was free from debt at the end of the special services, and ^155,000 of free-will offerings had been poured into the hands of the treasurer. Since then various improvements have been made in the audience-room, and, using every facility modern invention could suggest, seats have been provided for 5,500 persons and standing room for 1,000 more — total, 6,500. Immense Congregations. Large as is the accommodation provided, the Taber- nacle has always been filled. All the prophets of evil have been found false prophets, and the spirit of faith with which the work was begfun has had its full reward in results even greater than ever had been anticipated. When the church removed from New Park Street, in 1861, it numbered 1,178 members. In ten years from the commencement of his ministry Mr. Spurgeon has received into fellowship by baptism 3,569 persons. During the period in which Mr. Spurgeon was preaching in the Surrey Music Hall large numbers of the aristocracy attended his ministry; amongst whom were Lord Chief Justice Campbell, the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London, Earl Russell, Lord Alfred Paget, Lord Panmure, Earl Grey, Earl Shaftes- bury, the Marquis of Westminster, the Duchess of A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE. 77 Sutherland, Lord Carlisle, Earl of Elgin, Baron Bramwell, Miss Florence Nightingale, Lady Roths- child, Dr. Livingstone, and many other persons of learning and distinction, some of whom sought and obtained interviews with the preacher. It was during that interim that Mr. Spurgeon paid one of his visits to Holland, was privileged to preach before the Dutch Court, and had a lengthened interview with the queen of that country. It was reported that some members of the English Royal Family also occasion- ally attended on his preaching, and not a few distin- guished clergymen and professors. Gladstone and Spurgeon. On one occasion Mr. Gladstone and his son formed part of the congregation, and a mutual interview was held at the close of the service between the great premier and the humble pastor. Mr. Gladstone has often spoken very highly of Mr. Spurgeon, calling him " the last of the Puritans." During Mr. Spurgeon's illness In 1891, Mr. Gladstone, in a letter to Mrs. Spurgeon, said: "In my own home, darkened at the present time, I read with sad interest the accounts of Mr. Spurgeon's illness. I cannot help conveying to you an earnest assurance of my sympathy and of my cordial admiration, not only for his splendid powers, but still more for his devoted and unfailing character. I humbly commend you and him In all contingencies to the infinite stores of divine love and mercy." Mrs. Spurgeon replied with a note of thanks, a 78 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. postscript to which was traced by Mr. Spurgeon, as follows : " Yours is a word of love such as those only write who have been into the King's country and seen much of his face. My heart's love to you." Dr. Livingstone, the great African explorer, said, on one occasion after hearing Mr. Spurgeon, that no religious service he ever remembered had so deeply impressed his own mind as that he had witnessed and participated in that morning; adding, that when he had retired again into the solitudes of Africa, no scene he had ever witnessed would afford him more conso- lation than to recall the recollection that there was one man God had raised up who could so effectively and impressively preach to congregated thousands, whilst he should have to content himself by preaching to units, or at most tens, under a tropical sky in Africa; implying at the same time, that Mr. Spurgeon's sphere of religious influence was a hundred times "greater than that of the great and good traveller. No Time To L'ho have taken them have been most gratifying. With few exceptions, those who have left keep up communication with the home. Summing up these results, a recent report says: "Almost every boy who has gone into a situation has given satisfaction. Where failure has occurred it has arisen from a craving for the sea, or from the interference of an unwise mother. Some of the lads are in good posi- tions, and command the esteem of their employers." STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 159 Nearly all the boys have sent a portion of their first earnings as a donation to the orphanage, in sums varying from one dollar to five dollars, thus manifest- ing a spirit of gratitude. Some of the letters received from them are read to the boys, and produce on their minds beneficial results. Many of the boys have, be- fore they have left, become decided Christians, and some have made public confession of their faith by baptism. The head master himself was publicly bap- tized in 1874, ^^^ ^^^ °f ^^^ boys joined him in the same act of dedication. Successful Anniversary. Others have become members of Christian churches in the towns and villages where they have gone to re- side. One of the first boys converted is now devoting his evenings and Sundays to missionary work in South London, and showed so much talent for preaching that he was received into the College In January, 1876. It is gratifying to be able to record that the health of the inmates has been graciously maintained, with but little interruption, through the several years of its existence. The 1875 anniversary of the schools was held at the Orphanage on the pastor's birthday, June 19th, which was preceded by a bazaar. The attendance was so numerous that it was necessary to hold two public meetings to accommodate the large number of per- sons present. The Earl of Shaftesbury was present, and spoke at both the services. The contributions added two thousand five hundred dollars to the funds. CHAPTER VIII. Annual Report of Stockwell Orphanage. A Devoted Woman. — Faith Insures Success. — Story of an Old Puritan. — Need of a Double Income. — Health of the Orphanage. — An Appeal Hard to Re- sist.— Young Choristers. — Spontaneous Charity. — A Notable Year. — Enlarg- ing the Bounds. — Girls' Orphanage. — Liberal Response to Appeals for Help. — The Miracle of Faith and Labor. In issuing the twelfth annual report of the Stock- well Orphanage the Committee writes : With pro- found gratitude to our Heavenly Father we issue the Twelfth Report of the Stockwell Orphanage, and our gratitude will be shared, we doubt not, by all who have oriven of their substance towards the mainte- nance and development of the institution. We there- fore invite all our readers to "rejoice with us" in the tokens of the divine favor which has crowned our labors during another year. "The Lord hath been mindful of us : He will bless us." When we remember how this gracious work began by the consecrated thought of a holy woman, and then grew into an actual gift from her hand, and further developed, by the large help of others, into houses and schools, infirmary and dining-hall, and all manner of provision for destitute children, we feel bound to cry, " What hath God wrought ! " Our God has sup- plied all our need according to His riches in glory by (160) STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 161 Christ Jesus. The story of the Stockwell Orphanage will be worth telling in heaven when the angels shall learn from the Church the manifold wisdom and good- ness of the Lord. Unfailing Friends. Incidents which could not be published on earth will be made known in the heavenly city, where every secret thing shall be revealed. How every need has been supplied before it has become a want; how guidance has been given before questions have be- come anxieties ; how friends have been raised up in unbroken succession, and how the One Great Friend has been ever present, no single pen can ever record. To care for the fatherless has been a work of joyful faith all along, and in waiting upon God for supplies we have experienced great delight. The way of faith in God is the best possible. We could not have car- ried on the work by a method more pleasant, more certain, more enduring. If we had depended upon annual subscribers we should have had to hunt them up and pay a heavy poundage, or perhaps fail to keep up the roll ; if we had advertised continually for funds our outlay might have brought in a scanty return; but dependence upon God has been attended with no such hazards. Watchful Care. We have done our best as men of business to keep the Orphanage before the public, but we have desired in all things to exercise faith as servants of God. Whatever weakness we have personally to confess 11 162 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. and deplore, there is no weakness in the plan of faith in God. Our experience compels us to declare that He is the living God; the God that heareth prayer; the God who will never permit those who trust in Him to be confounded. The business world has passed through trying times during the last few years, but the Orphanage has not been tried ; men of great enter- prise have failed, but the home for the fatherless has not failed; for this enterprise is in the divine hand, an eye watches over it which neither slumbers nor sleeps. Let the people of God be encouraged by the fact of the existence and prosperity of the Stockwell Orphanage. Miracles have come to an end, but God goes on to work great wonders. The rod of Moses is laid aside, but the rod and staff of the Great Shep- herd still compass us. Story of an Old Puritan. The son of an old Puritan rode some twenty miles to meet his father, who came a similar distance to the half-way house. " Father," said the son, " I have met with a special providence, for my horse stumbled at least a dozen times, and yet it did not fall." " Ah," replied the father, " I have had a providence quite as remarkable, for my horse did not stumble once all the way." This last is the happy picture of the Orphan- age for some time past, and, indeed, throughout its whole career; we have never had to issue mournful appeals because of exhausted resources, and in this we must see and admire the gfood hand of the Lord. We now enter more fully upon a fresh stage of our STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 163 existence; we shall need to double the amount of our present income, and we shall have it from the ever- opened hand of the Lord our God. Friends will be moved to think of our great family, for our Great ONE OF THE SCHOOL-ROOMS. Remembrancer will stir them up. The duty of each Christian to the mass of destitute orphanhood is clear enough, and if pure minds are stirred up by way of remembrance there will be no lack in the larder, no 164 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. want in the wardrobe, no failing in the funds of our Orphan House. We labor under one great difficulty. Many people say, " Mr. Spurgeon will be sure to get the money, and there is no need for us to send." It is clear that if everybody talked so, our president's name would be a hindrance instead of a help. He will be the means of finding money for our institution, for the Lord will honor his faith and hear his prayers, and be glorified in him ; but there will be no thanks due to those who fabricate an excuse for themselves out of the faithful- ness of God. Give Ye Them to Eat. This difficulty, however, does not distress us. We go forward, believing that when we have twice our present number of children the Lord will send us double supplies. We cannot entertain the suspicion that the girls will be left without their portion, for we, being evil, care as much for our daughters as for our sons, and our Heavenly Father will do the same. It is well, however, to remind our friends of this, that each helper of the Orphanage may try to interest an- other generous heart, and so enlarge the circle of our friends. It may be that by such means the Great Provider will supply us; for we know that when our Lord fed the multitude He first said to His disciples, " Give ye them to eat." The sanitary condition of the Orphanage has been all that we could desire. Considerinof that so lar^e a proportion of the children come to us in a delicate STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 165 condition, and some widi die taint of hereditary dis- ease, it is a matter for devout thankfulness that their general health is so good, and that so few deaths have occurred. Out of the entire number who have left, only one boy was unable to enter upon a situation in consequence of an enfeebled consdtudon. We owe it to an ever-watchful Providence that, during the pre- vailing epidemic, not a single case of fever or small- pox has occurred in the institution. Keligious Culture. Family worship is conducted twice daily, before the morning and evening meals, by the head master or his assistants, the service being taken occasionally by the president, or a member of the committee, or a visitor to the institution who may happen to be pres- ent. The Word of God is read and expounded, hymns sung, and prayer offered, and the whole of the boys repeat a text selected for the day. A service is con- ducted for the elder boys every Wednesday evening by Mr. W. J. Evans, when addresses are given by ministers and other friends. Durinsf their term of residence in the institution all the boys are total abstainers, no alcoholic liquors being allowed except by order of the doctor, but most of them are pledged abstainers, with the approval of their friends. Band of Hope meetings are held every month, when the children receive instruction from competent speakers ; and lectures are given at intervals during the winter months. 166 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. The Cry of the Orphan. The operations of the institution reveal to the managers the wide-spread necessity which exists. The cry of the orphan comes from every part of our beloved land, and the plea of the widow for Christian sympathy and help is restricted to no one class of the community. Faces once radiant with smiles are sad- dened with grief, for the dark shadow which death casts falls everywhere. How true are the lines of the poet: " There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended. But has one vacant chair." It is a constant joy to the president and the committee that they are able to mitigate to such a large extent the misery and need which are brought under their notice ; and it must be an equal joy to the subscribers to know that their lovino- contributions furnish the sinews for this holy war. As our Sunday-school is affiliated to the Sunday- school Union, we allow the boys who desire to do so to sit for examination. Of the candidates who were successful at the last examination, three gained prizes, twelve first-class certificates, and thirty-eight second- class certificates. Yoiiiig- Choristers. During the year the boys took part in the Crystal Palace Musical Festivals, arranged by the Band of Hope Union and the Tonic Sol-fa Association. In order to make the character and claims of the institution more widely known, the head master and the secretary have held meetings in London and the STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 167 provinces, and the success which has crowned their efforts is of a very gratifying character. The boys who accompany them to sing and to recite furnish a powerful appeal by their appearance and conduct, and commend the institution to which they owe so much. The local papers speak in terms of the highest praise of their services, and thus a most effective advertise- ment is secured without any cost to the institution. So far as the boys are concerned these trips have an educational value, for they get to know a great deal of the products and industries of different parts of the country, besides securing the advantage of being brought into contact with Christian families where they reside during their visit. The amount realized during the year, after defraying all expenses, is $3,320, and our thanks are hereby tendered to all who assisted in any way to secure such a splendid result. Spontaneous Benevolence. The committee record with thankfulness that there has been no lack in the funds contributed for the efficient maintenance of the institution. Friends pre- fer to give donations rather than pledge themselves to send annual subscriptions, and the benevolence thus manifested is purely spontaneous. The admirable custom of making shirts for the boys is still continued by the young ladies of an educational establishment, who send in a supply of two hundred shirts every year. Their efforts are supplemented by several working associations, but the supply is not yet equal 168 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. to the demand, and we cordially invite the co-operation of others, to whom we shall be glad to send samples and patterns. The work of caring for the widow and the fatherless is specially mentioned by the Holy Spirit as one of the most acceptable modes of giving outward expres- tion to pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, and therefore the Lord's people will not question that they should help in carrying it out. Will it need much pleading ? If so, we cannot use it, as we shrink from marrinnf the willinofhood which is the charm of such a service. The work is carried on in dependence upon God, and as His blessing evidently rests upon it, we are confident the means will be forthcominor as the need arises. While commendinor the work to our Heavenly Father in prayer, we deem it right to lay before the stewards of His bounty the necessities and claims of the institution. A Memorable Year. The year iS8o will be a memorable one in the history of the institution, and we record with gratitude the fact that the foundation-stones of the first four houses for the Girls' Orphanage were laid on the 2 2d of June, when the president's birthday was celebrated. It was a joy to all present that Mrs. Spurgeon was able to lay the memorial stone of " The Sermon House, the gift of C. H. Spurgeon and his esteemed publishers, Messrs. Passmore and Alabaster." The memorial stone of another house, the gift of Mr. W. R. Rickett, and called " The Limes, in tender memory STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 16^ of five beloved children," was laid by C. H. Spurgeon, who made a touching allusion to the sad event thus commemorated. Mrs. Samuel Barrow laid the memo- rial stone of the house called " The Olives," the amount for its erection having been given and collected by her beloved husband. The trustees of the institution, having subscribed the funds for the erection of a house, the treasurer, Mr. William Higgs, laid, in their name, the memorial stone which bears the inscription, " Erected by the Trustees of the Orphanage to express their joy in this service of love." Plans for Enlarged Usefulness. At the present moment the buildings of the Orphan- age form a great square, enclosing a fine space for air and exercise. Visitors generally express great sur- prise at the beauty and openness of the whole estab- lishment. Much remains to be done before the institution is completely accommodated ; there is needed an infirmary for the girls, and till that is built one of the houses will have to be used for that pur- pose, thus occupying the space which would otherwise be filled by thirty or forty children ; this should be attended to at an early date. Baths and washhouses will be urgently required for the girls, and we propose to make them sufficiently commodious for the girls to do the washing for the entire community of five hundred children, thus in- structinor them in household duties and savine consid- erable expense. We would not spend a sixpence needlessly. No money has been wasted in lavish 170 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. ornament or in hideous ugliness. The buildings are not a workhouse or a county jail, but a pleasant resi- dence for those children of whom God declares him- self to be the Father. The additional buildinofs which we contemplate are not for luxury, but for necessary uses ; and as we endeavor to lay out money with judicious economy, we feel sure that we shall be trusted in the future as in the past. Honored Names. Are there not friends waiting to take a share in the Stockwell Orphanage Building ? They cannot better commemorate personal blessings, nor can they find a more suitable memorial for departed friends. No storied urn or animated bust can half so well record the memory of beloved ones as a stone in an Orphan House. Most of the buildings are already appropri- ated as memorials in some form or other, and only a few more will be needed. Very soon all building operations will be complete, and those who have lost the opportunity of becoming shareholders in the Home of Mercy may regret their delay. At any rate, none who place a stone in the walls of the Stockwell Orphanage will ever lament that they did this deed of love to the little ones for whom Jesus cares. Honored names are with us already engraven upon the stones of this great Hostelry of the All-merciful ; and many others are our co-workers whose record is on hieh, though unknown among men. Who will be the next to join us in this happy labor ? STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 171 When the whole of the buildings are complete, the institution will afford accommodation for five hundred children, and prove a memorial of Christian gener- osity and of the loving-kindness of the Lord. The Girls' Orphanage. The following description of the Girls' Orphanage is from Mr. Spurgeon's own pen : In our address at the presentation of the late testi- monial, we disclaimed all personal credit for the existence of any one of the enterprises over which we preside, because each one of them has been forced upon us. " I could not help undertaking them," was our honest and just confession. This is literally true, and another illustration of this fact is now to come before the Christian public. Several of us have long cherished the idea that the time would come in which we should have an Orphan- age for girls as well as for boys. It would be hard to conceive why this should not be. It seems ungallant, not to say unrighteous, to provide for children of one sex only, for are not all needy litde ones dear to Christ, with whom there is neither male nor female ? We do not like to do such things by halves, and it is but half doing the thino- to leave the eirls out in the cold. We have all along wished to launch out in the new direction, but we had quite enough on hand for the time being, and were obliged to wait. The matter has been thought of, and talked about, and more than half promised, but nothing has come of it till this present, and now, as we believe at the exact moment, 172 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. the hour has struck, and the voice of God in provi- dence says, " Go forward." The Work Beg-iin. The fund for the Girls' Orphanage has commenced, and there are about a dozen names upon the roll at the moment of our writing. The work will be car- ried on with vigor as the Lord shall be pleased to send the means, but it will not be unduly pushed upon any one so as to be regarded as a new burden, for we want none but cheerful helpers, who will count it a privilege to have a share in the good work. We shall employ no collector to make a percentage by dunning the unwilling, and shall make no private appeals to individuals. There is the case : if it be a good one and you are able to help it, please do so ; but if you have no wish in that direction, our Lord's work does not require us to go a-begging like a pauper, and we do not intend to do so. We have never been in debt yet, nor have we had a mortgage upon any of our buildings, nor have we even borrowed money for a time, but we have always been able to pay as we have gone on. Our prayer is that we may never have to come down to a lower platform and commence borrowing. Abundance of Girls. It has often happened that we have been unable to assist widows in necessitous circumstances with large families, because there did not happen to be a boy of the special age required by the rules of our Boys' Orphanage. There were several girls, but then 174 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. we could not take girls, and however deserving the case, we have been unable to render any assistance to very deserving widows, simply because their children were not boys. This is one reason why we need a Girls' Orphanage. Everywhere also there is an outcry about the scarcity of good servants, honest servants, industrious servants, well-trained servants. We know where to find the sisters who will try to produce such workers out of the little ones who will come under their care. We have succeeded by God's grace and the diligent care of our masters and matrons in training the lads so that they have become valuable to business men : why should not the same divine help direct us with the lassies, so that domestics and p^overnesses should eo forth from us as well as clerks and artisans? We believe that there are many friends who will take a special interest in the girls, and that there are some whose trades would more readily enable them to give articles sutiable for girls than those which are useful to boys. Help for Mary and Magg^ie. Here is a grand opportunity for Christian people with means to take their places among the first foun- ders of this new institution, and if they judge that such a work will be good and useful, we hope that they will without fail, and without delay, come to our assistance in this fresh branch of service. We cannot afford to lose a single penny from the funds for the boys, but this work for the girls must be somethinor STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. 175 extra and above. You helped Willie and Tommy; will you not help Mary and Maggie ? It is very needful to add that foolish persons often say : Mr. Spurgeon can get plenty of money, and needs no help. If all were to talk in this fashion, where would our many works drift to ? Mr. Spurgeon does get large sums, but not a penny more than the various works require, and he gets it because God moves His people to give it, as he hopes, good reader, He may move you. We have no personal end to serve ; we do not, di- rectly or indirectly, gain a single penny by the Or- phanage, College, or any other societies over which we preside ; neither have we any wealthy persons around us who are at loss to know how to dispose of their property; but our hard-working church keeps continually consecrating its offerings, and our friends far and near think upon us. Our treasury is the bounty of God ; our motto is : The Lord will Provide. Past mercy forbids a doubt as to the future, and so in the name of God we set up our banners. Work, not Miracles. The girls* part is not yet fully complete, but it soon will be so, and then we must take in the girls. Now it occurs to me to let my friends know the increased need which has arisen, and will arise from the doub- ling of the number of children. The income must by some means be doublen. My trust is in the Lord alone, for whose sake I bear this burden. I believe that He has led me all along in the erection and carry- 176 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. ing on of this enterprise, and I am also well assured that His own hand pointed to the present extension, and supplied the means for making it. I therefore rest in the providence of God alone. But the food of the children will not drop as manna from heaven, it will be sent in a way which is more beneficial, for the graces of His children will be dis- played in the liberality which will supply the needs of tl\p orphans. God will neither feed the children by angels nor by ravens, but by the loving gifts of His people. It is needful, therefore, that I tell my friends of our need, and I do hereby tell them. The institu- tion will need, in rough figures, about one thousand dollars a week. This is a large sum, and when I think of it I am appalled if Satan suggests the question : " What if the money does not come in ? " But it is nothing to the Lord of the whole earth to feed five hundred little ones. He has kept two hundred and fifty boys for these years, and He can do the like for the same number of girls. Only let not His stewards say that there is no need at Stockwell, for there is great and crying need that all my friends should inquire whether they may not wisely render me much more aid than they have done. The build- ings are not all finished yet, nor the roads made, but this will soon be accomplished, and then the institution will be in full operation, and its requirements will be great. I have written these lines with a measure of reluctance ; and I hope that it is not in unbelief, but as a reasonable service, that I have thus stated the case. CHAPTER IX. The Great Preacher's Last Illness and Death. Alarming Reports. — Messages of Sympathy. — Cheering Words from the Christian Endeavor Convention of the United States. — Message from International Congregational Council. — Letters from the Prince of Wales and Mr. Glad- stone.— Rays of Hope. — Anxiety and Fervent Prayers. — Glowing Eulogies.— Removal to Mentone. — Unfavorable Reports. — The Closing Scene. — Immense Literary Labors. Early in July, 1891, alarming reports became current concerning Mr. Spurgeon's health. It was known that for a lonof time he had been a sufferer from gout and kidney complaint, and the gravest fears were felt lest these complaints should undermine his otherwise strong constitution, and end his great work. Daily reports were issued from the sick-chahiber ; all the newspapers throughout Christendom contained references to the illustrious sufferer, and amone all classes of persons profound sympathy was awakened ; while thousands besides Mr. Spurgeon's own congre- gation prayed earnestly for his recovery. On the 1 6th of July the Christian World, the leading relioious newspaper of London, reported as follows : The condition of Mr. Spurgeon is now regarded as quite beyond human aid. Last evening he had further relapsed, and there was much difficulty in getdng him to take nourishment. 12 (177) 178 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. On Thursday Mr. Spurgeon was in a very critical condition. The bulletin issued on Friday stated that although the kidneys were acting more freely, the delirium continued, and he was still very prostrate. On Saturday Mrs. Spurgeon considered him " no RESIDENCE OF C. H. SPURGEON. worse." The report of Sunday afternoon showed a sliofht change for the better. Unfavora'ble Reports. On Monday night the doctors considered his con- dition less favorable. Tuesday's bulletin was as fol- lows: "Rev. C..H. Spurgeon has had a very /estless niofht, with delirium. The waste of albumen from the kidneys suddenly increased, and the prostration of LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 179 Strength Is very great." The next clay's official bulletin was still more alarming: "After a restless night, Mr. Spurgeon is very weak this morning. The heart's action is becoming more feeble, and the amount of nourishment taken is less." The intense interest felt in Mr. Spurgeon's condition Is shown by the messages of sympathy that literally pour In on Mrs. Spurgeon. On Friday the telegraph office at Beulah Hill was completely blocked for a considerable part of the day. The committee of the Baptist Missionary Society, the Nonconformist min- isters of Wrexham, the South London Presbytery, the Primitive Methodist General Committee, the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, an assembly of ministers at Grimsby, a meeting of the Loyal Orange Institution at Netley Abbey, the London Wesleyan Council, the Chesham Sunday-school Alliance, the Lambeth Auxili- ary of the Sunday-school Union, and the Council of the Evanorellcal Alliance have all sent teleoframs. Messages of Synipatliy. Letters and telegrams have also been received from Chicago, Ontario, IMassachusetts, and many other places. General Booth sent a message : " Four thou- sand officers of the Salvation Army, assembled In council at Congress Hall, Clapton, assure you of their hearty sympathy and united prayers for Mr. Spurgeon's recovery." The rector of Newlngton, the parish in which the Tabernacle is situated, between whom and Mr. Spur- geon the most kindly feeling has existed, wrote to 180 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. Mrs. Spurgeon expressing his sympatliy, and hoping that her husband's hfe, so precious to her and his flock, might be spared. The Bishop of Rochester telegraphed: "As I am myself ill and unable to call and inquire for Mr. Spurgeon, I am anxious to express to you my warm sympathy in your anxiety." Kind Words from the United States. The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, in convention, more than 12,000 strong, sent "love and prayers " from Minneapolis, U. S. A. M. le Pasteur Saillens, of Paris, telegraphed : " We offer constant prayers for your dear husband and yourself" Dr. Mac- lagan, Archbishop-Designate of York, sent "prayer- ful sympathy." The International Congregational Council sent an expression of profound affection for, and tender sympathy with, Mr. and Mrs. Spurgeon, before commencing business at the Memorial Hall. During the opening services of the Council earnest prayer was offered for the recovery of Mr. Spurgeon, and after the elections had been disposed of, a resolu- tion expressive of sympathy with Mrs. Spurgeon, and the earnest prayers of the Assembly that the valuable life of her husband might be spared to the churches. The hearty manner in which the resolution (which was forwarded by telegram) was carried, showed how brotherly feeling could dominate denominational dis- tinctions and theological differences. Letter From Mrs. Spurgeon. Later, the following letter was heard with sympa- thetic interest: — LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 181 Mrs. Spurgeon is very grateful for the sympathy^ and Christian love expressed in the resolution passed by the International Council of Congregationalists. The way is very dark just now, but the light of God's love is beyond the darkness. The prayers of all are still needed, for the dear patient's condition is still very critical. Nothing is impossible with God, and we still hope, saying with all our hearts, "God's will be done." Please to accept the warmest thanks of Mrs. Spurgeon and of yours sincerely, ^ Spurgeon. Most kindly allusion was made by Canon Sinclair on Sunday afternoon at St. Paul's Cathedral to Mr. Spurgeon's protracted illness, and the prayers of the conofreoation were asked. Amono- those who made personal calls during the week were Mrs. Benson, who left the Archbishop's card with her. Prayer meetings were held through the week at the Tabernacle, and were largely attended. On Mon- day Dr. Clifford, Rev. Newman Hall, Rev. Arthur Mursell, and Mr. Cuff were among those present. On Tuesday numbers of people were waiting as early as half-past six for the seven o'clock prayer meeting, many of these being old pensioners from the neigh- boring almshouses. The loving sympathy of friends from all parts of the world is greatly appreciated, not only by Mrs. Spurgeon and Rev. J. A. Spurgeon, but by the church deacons, who expressed their gratitude in a statement issued on Sunday. Inquiries from the Prince of Wales. By command of the Prince of Wales Colonel Knol- 182 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. lys wrote to Dr. Kidd, making inquiries concerning Mr. Spurgeon's condition, asking the doctor, in the event of his having an opportunity, to convey the expression of His Royal Highness' sympathy to Mr. Spurgeon in his illness. Dr. Kidd read that letter at his patient's bedside yesterday morning, when Mr. Spurgeon remembered having on a former occasion received a communication from the Heir-Apparent. Mrs. Spurgeon has been enabled to keep up so well that she seems to have been specially strengthened for the ordeal she has been passing through. Those only to whom he has been accustomed have been allowed to be in attendance on Mr. Spurgeon. One of these is the faithful man-servant known to all visitors as George, while the other men-servants have taken turns by night. Mr. Spurgeon has never been unconscious, nor has he all along ever been delirious in the sense of not knowing those about him. He has often asked for his private secretary ; he has sometimes been attended by his other secretary, Mr. Keys ; and when visited by Dr. Russell Reynolds he remembered hav- ing seen the Doctor on a certain occasion at Mentone. One Catholic priest in charge of a garden party prayed for Mr. Spurgeon's permanent recovery ; and Ritualists have likewise remembered him in their devotions. Letter from Mr. Gladstone. Mrs. Spurgeon has received the following letter from Mr. Gladstone: LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 18S Corton, Lowestoft, July 16. My dear Madam, — In my own home, darkened at the present time, I have read with studied interest daily accounts of Mr. Spurgeon's illness, and I cannot help conveying- to you the earnest assurance of my sympathy with you and with him, and of my cordial admiration not only of his splendid powers, but still more of his devoted and unfailing character. May I humbly commend you and him, in all contingencies, to the infinite stores of Divine love and mercy, and sub- scribe myself, my dear Madame, faithfully yours, W. E. Gladstone. Mrs Spurgeon sent the following reply, the post- script being in her husband's handwriting: Westwood, Upper Norwood, July 18, 1891. Dear Mr. Gladstone, — Your words of sympathy have a special significance and tenderness coming from one who has just passed through the deep waters which seem now to threaten me. I thank you warmly for your expression of regard for my beloved husband, and with all my heart 1 pray that the consolations of God may abound toward you even as they do to me. Although we cannot consider the dear patient out of danger the doctors have to-day issued a somewhat more hopeful bulletin. I feel it an honor to be allowed to say that I shall ever be your grateful friend. S. Spurgeon. P. S. — Yours is a word of love such as those only write who have been in the King's country, and have seen much of His face. My heart's love to you. C. H. Spurgeon. U < Pi w < H Is <; H o o (^ h (184) REV. C. H. SPURGEON IN HIS PULPIT. LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 185 A Gleam of Hope. On giving the news of Mr. Spurgeon's condition to the congregation on Sunday morning, Mr. Stott said that hope of the pastor's recovery was being strength- ened, but they must keep on praying rather than yield to too pleasurable excitement ; for Mr. Spurgeon was not yet " out of the wood." Under the most happy circumstances, it would still be some time before the patient could become convalescent. Rev. W. Stott presided at the Monday evening prayer meeting in the Tabernacle. Rev. J, A. Spur- geon, who had a sore throat and a voice weak from cold, said that he had seen his brother in the course of the day, and although he was seriously ill, he did not look like a dying man. Weak as he was, he might yet be restored. Still he was very seriously ill, and their hope was only in God, who could restore him. When at prayer concerning his brother, he had had a a struggle, but he had at last left it in God's hands. Tliey left all to God, but when they had done that, they felt that they could not let Him go until they had their pastor back. Mr. James Spurgeon went on to say that his brother was happy in his mind and was contented. Notwith- standing all that they had heard about his wanderings, his heart had not wandered from Christ. He was not in trouble, and not in much pain, and God was to be thanked that in that respect he was as he was. They wanted him back, but would still say, "Thy will be done." The Lord has never made a mistake, and 186 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. never would do so. How many were thinking of the sick pastor, and how many were reading his sermons who had not done so for years. Thus good would come out of the affliction. A Voice to the Nation. If in the end prayers did not avail, and the physi- cians found that that they could do nothing more, then they would have to believe that it was as the pastor had himself hinted some time ago, namely, that his time was come, and that his work was done. The numbers of letters and telefjrams received at Westvvood was marvelous. God was speaking to the nation, and it might be to the Church ; people now saw what a servant England had in C. H. Spurgeon. If he was raised up again to preach the Gospel, per- haps the nation would learn more to appreciate his testimony. As regarded the prayer-meetings they were hold- ing, they could not fail to be a mighty lesson to those who took part in them, apart from Mr. Spurgeon. How little earth seemed in comparison with eternal things ! God might have a purpose in dealing with them as He was doing. Then what a wonderful spirit of prayer was manifest. There had been one hun- dred and fifty prayers offered on the preceding Monday, and one hundred had been offered in their meetings of that day. It was decided that their meetings should be continued until there was a decided change in their pastor's condition one way or LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 187 the Other — till their Father in Heaven should say, " It is enouo^h." Clieeriiig News. Shortly before nine o'clock a telegram arrived from Westwood orivinor the cheerinir news of a slisjht im- provement in Mr. Spurgeon's general state. The internal congestion was somewhat diminished, the gout was less painful, while the delirium was milder, intervals of accurate memory occurring. The condi- tion was one of grave danger, but there was said to be some hope. Words of Appreciation. One of the foremost journals of the metropolis gave expression to the public sympathy, and voiced the estimate of Mr. Spurgeon's life and work, as follows : " While there is life there is hope," and we rest in confidence that unless the will of God our Saviour see that the kingdom of his dear Son will be better served by this his true and faithful servant being removed to the sanctuary above, our beloved and honored brother, C. H. Spurgeon, will be raised up to continue his labors in the gospel on earth. But if he should be taken up, a crowning testimony will have been given to the profound impression made upon his fellow-Christians and upon his fellow- men througliout the world, of all denominations and of all shades of thought, by his long and faithful witness to the truth. Men and women of all sects and creeds, of every rank and position have, from 188 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. all parts of the world, written, telegraphed, or called to express their deep sympathy ; and tens of thou- sands expect with eager interest the morning paper, and the first thing they look for is the bulletin de- scribing Mr. Spurgeon's condition. Why the People are Moved. This phenomenal interest is not due alone to personal affection for a beloved brother or father in Christ ; to admiration of his fearless character, his marked individuality, his English tenacity ; to Christian reverence for one who has scattered the gospel broadcast throughout the world, largely by his voice, and far more largely by the press ; to regard for the orphans' friend, to respect for the gifted evangelist, pastor and teacher, who has exer- cised his God-given gifts of perfecting other men for the work of ministerino- though all these ele- o' o ments are included in it. But lying beneath them all is a conviction of the truth of the gospel which he has ministered — the gospel of the atonement ; the good tidings of the kingdom of God ; the unwavering witness of a man true to the core to " the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, by whom we believe in God who raised him up from the dead, and gave. him glory that our faith and hope may be in God." The Highest Praise. No higher honor could be accorded to a man than that, lying helpless, suffering, delirious, upon his bed LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 189 of death, the world was moved with sympathy and tender love, because, like Daniel, he was found faithful to his God ; because he chose to have the gospel pure and plain, as pulse and water, rather than spiced with delicacies for the oreat and wise. Yet though we speak of the possibility of his being taken, we fervently unite in the universal, loving prayer that God may restore his servant to years of better health and greater usefulness than before he was laid so low. Removal to France. Mr. Spurgeon continued to improve and was finally able to make the journey to Mentone, where the climate and surroundings had proved on several occa- sions to be highly beneficial to his health. Here he spent the last months of 1891, apparently gaining strength, yet very slowly, and hopes were entertained that he would ultimately recover. He became well enough to correct the proofs of his sermons, the pub- lication of which w^as continued, but his progress towards recovery was so slow as to be scarcely per- ceptible. Suddenly in the latter part of January, 1892, news came that he had met with a serious relapse. At once the fears of his multitude of friends and admir- ers were revived. For several days reports were received which were far from reassuring. The follow- ing despatch relates the story of his death : " Mentone, France, Jan. 3 1 . — The celebrated divine, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, died here fifteen minutes 190 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. before midnight to-night. Mrs. Spurgeon, his private secretary, and two or three friends were present at the last moment. He was unconscious when the end came, and had not spoken for some hours. " Mr. Spurgeon did not recognize his wife through- out the day ; he refused all food, and although milk was wiven him it was not retained. A laro-e number of telegrams of inquiry and sympathy were received by the pastor's family." Thus ended the life of the celebrated divine, whose voice had held listening thousands spell-bound, and whose influence had been felt in all the earth. Enornions Literary Work. Glancing at Mr. Spurgeon's work it will be seen that it was enormous. Besides editing- and furnishingf most of the matter for his monthly magazine, The Sword and Trowel, since January i, 1865, he wrote "The Saint and His Saviour," " The Treasury of David, an Exposition of the Psalms,'' in seven octavo volumes ; " The New Park Street Pulpit," and the " Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit," which contains about two thousand of his weekly sermons, from 1855 to 1889, making thirty large volumes. Also " Lectures to My Students," " Commenting and Commentaries,'' "John Ploughman," the "Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith," and various other publications. Many of these have been translated into various tongues. In October, 1887, Mr. Spurgeon withdrew from the Baptist Union, In announcing his decision to with- draw, and replying to his critics, he said: "To pursue LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 191 union at the expense of the truth is treason to Jesus. To tamper with His doctrines is to become traitors to Him. We have before us the wretched spectacle of professedly orthodox Christians publicly avowing union with those who deny the faith, and deny the personality of the Holy Ghost." Mr. Spurgeon had long been contemplating the act of secession. He announced his determination of withdrawino- if certain other clergymen, who were for some reason distaste- ful to him, were not excommunicated. This, of course, the Union refused to do. The resignation which he tendered was accepted, and the great church which he had built up went with him without question. Mr. Spiirgeoii's Obsequies. Upon the death of the celebrated divine, the news- papers throughout the world, both secular and re- ligious, contained lengthy obituary notices which were highly eulogistic of the man and his work. He had died at the very height of his power and usefulness, yet his life had been so busy that the labor of half a dozen ordinary men had been condensed into it. It was difficult for his congregation to believe that they never would again hear the rich, magnetic voice of their beloved pastor. There were demonstrations of sorrow on every hand ; the great heart of the public was moved and throbbed with sympathy and grief. The announcement was made at once that the body would be removed from Mentone to London, and that a public funeral would be held. The obse- quies were attended by thousands of all religious 192 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON. denominations, and all classes of people. Such a demonstration has seldom been witnessed even in the great metropolis. Every evidence of the respect in which Mr. Spurgeon was held was manifested, while all expressed sincere sorrow that his wonderful life-work was finished. It was gratifying to know that his last days were cheered by the tender ministries of his family and friends, while he expressed his unfaltering faith in the great truths he had taught, and his uncom- plaining submission to the will of that gracious provi- dence which has a purpose even in the sparrow'?, fall. He desired further life only that he might carry on the work to which all his powers had been devoted. As he had spoken by his living voice to myriads, so by his death he gave a more impressive lesson to the world. At the age of fifty-seven he was called up higher, and "all the trumpets of heaven sounded," and his work, which was not to be measured merely by years, was ended. And now the great champion of the evangelistic faith, the flaming zealot, the magnetic orator, the pro- lific author, the one man who more than any other affected the whole religious world, is laid to his final rest. Peace to his honored ashes ! May his rest be as sweet and satisfying, as his life was laborious and crowned with suffering. BOOK II. SERMONS AND LECTURES BY REV. C. H. SPURGEON. HANDS FULL OF HONEY. "And Samson turned aside to see the j:arcase of the lion : and, twniold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion." — Judges xiv, S, 9, It was a sineular circumstance that a man unarmed should have slain a lion in the prime of its vigor; and yet more strange that a swarm of bees should have taken possession of the dried carcase, and have filled it with their honey. In that country, what with beasts, birds and insects, and the dry heat, a dead body is soon cleansed from all corruption, and the bones are clean and white: still the killinof of the lion and the finding of the honey make up a remarkable story. These singular circumstances became after- wards the subject of a riddle ; but with that riddle we have no concern at this time. Samson himself is a riddle. He was not only a riddle-maker; but he was himself an enigma very difficult to explain : with his personal character I have at this time little or nothing to do. We are not to-day resting at the house of **Gaius, mine host," where the pilgrims ^ 193 194 SERMONS AND LECTURES. amused themselves with a dish of nuts after dinner; but we are on the march, and must attend to the more important matter of refreshing and inspiriting those who are in our company. Neither are we going to discuss difficukies ; but as Samson took the honey with- out being stung, so would we gain instruction without debate. We have in these days so much to do, that we must make practical use of every incident that comes before us in the word of God. My one design is to cheer the desponding and stir up all God's people to greater diligence in his service. I conceive that the text may legitimately be employed for this purpose. By the help of the Divine Spirit, even after this lapse of time, we may find honey in the lion. The particular part of the incident which is recorded in these two verses appears to have been passed over by those who have written upon Samson's life : I suppose it appeared to be too inconsiderable. They are taken up with his festive riddle, but they omit the far more natural and commendable fact of his brinor- ing forth the honey in his hands and presenting it to his father and mother. This is the little scene to which I direct your glances. It seems to me that the Israelitish hero with a slain lion in the background, standing out in the open road with his hands laden with masses of honeycomb and dripping with honey, which he holds out to his parents, makes a fine picture worthy of the greatest artist. And what a type we have here of our Divine Lord and Master, Jesus, the conqueror of death and hell. He has destroyed the HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 195 lion that roared upon us and upon him. He has shouted "victory " over all our foes. " It is finished " was His note of triumph ; and now he stands in the midst of his church with his hands full of sweetness and consolation, presenting them to those of whom he says, " these are my brother, and sister, and mother." To each one of us who believe in him he gives the luscious food which he has prepared for us by the overthrow of our foes; he bids us come and eat that we may have our lives sweetened and our hearts filled with joy. To me the comparison seems wonderfully apt and suggestive : I see our triumphant Lord laden with sweetness, holding it forth to all his brethren, and inviting them to share in his joy. But, beloved, it is written, "As he is, so are we also in this world." All that are true Christians are, in a measure, like the Christ whose name they bear, and it is to his image that we are finally to be conformed. When he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is ; and meanwhile, in proportion as we see him now, " we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." The Samson type may well serve as the symbol of every Christian in the world. The believer has been helped by divine grace in his spiritual conflicts, and he has known " the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith." He has thus been made more than a conqueror through him that loved us, and now he stands in the midst of his fellow-men invitingf them to Jesus. With the honey in his hands, which he con- 196 SERMONS AND LECTURES. tinues still to feast upon, he displays the heavenly sweetness to all that are round about him, saying, "O taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in him." I have before now met with that popular artist Gus- tave Dore, and suggested subjects to him. Had he survived among us, and had another opportunity oc- curred, I would have pressed him to execute a statue of Samson handing out the honey: strength distribut- ing sweetness ; and it might have served as a per- petual reminder of what a Christian should be — a Conqueror and a Comforter, slaying lions and distrib- uting honey. The faithful servant of God wrestles wuth the powers of evil ; but with far greater delight he speaks to his friends and companions, saying, "Eat ye that which is good, and let your souls delight them- selves in sweetness." Set the statue before your mind's eye, and now let me speak about it. Three touches may suffice. First, the believer's life has its cojiflicts ; secondly, the believer s life has its sweets ; and, thirdly, the believe?^' s life leads him to com- municate of those sweets to others. Here is room for profitable meditation. I. First, then, the believer's life has its conflicts. To become a Christian is to enlist for a soldier. To become a believer is to enter upon a pilgrimage, and the road is often rough : the hills are steep, the valleys are dark, giants block the way, and robbers lurk in corners. The man who reckons that he can glide into heaven without a struggle has made a great HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 197 mistake. No cross no crown : no sweat no sweet : no conflict no conquest. These conflicts, if we take the case of Samson as our symbol, begin early m the life of the believer. While Samson was a child, the Spirit of the Lord moved him in the camps of Dan — see the last verse of the thirteenth chapter; and as soon as he was on the verge of manhood, he must match himself with a lion. God who intended that his servant should smite the Philistines, and should check their proud oppression of his people Israel, began early to train the hero for his life's conflict. So, when Samson was going to seek a wife, he turned aside into the vineyards of Timnath, and a lion roared upon him. Yes, and the young believer, who as yet has not wrestled with the powers of darkness, will not be long before he hears the roar of the lion, and finds himself in the presence of the great Adversary. Very soon we learn the value of the prayer, " Deliver us from the evil one ! " Most of the Lord's servants have been men of war from their youth up. Without are fightings even when within there are no fears. This early combat with the savage beast was intended by God to let him know his strength when under the influence of the Spirit, and to train him for his future combats with Israel's enemies. He that is to smite the Philistines hip and thigh with a great slaughter, until he has laid them heaps on heaps by his single prowess, must begin by rending a lion with his naked hands. He was to learn war in the same school as another and a greater hero, who afterwards said, 198 SERMONS AND LECTURES. " Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them." Soldiers are made by war. You cannot train veter- ans or create victors except by batdes. As in the wars of armies so is it in spiritual contests : men must be trained for victory over evil by combat with it. Hence " it is good for a man that he bare the yoke in his youth ; " for it will not gall his shoulders in after years. It is assuredly a dangerous thing to be altogether free from trouble : in silken ease the soldier loses his prowess. Look at Solomon, one of the greatest and wisest, and yet, I might say, one of the least and most foolish of men. It was his fatal privi- lege to sit upon a throne of gold and sun himself in the brilliance of unclouded prosperity, and hence his heart soon went astray, and he fell from his high places. Solomon in his early days had no trouble, for no war was then raging, and no enemy worth notice was then living. His life ran smoothly on, and he was lulled into a dreamy sleep, the sleep of the voluptuous. He had been happier far had he been, like his father, called from his earliest days to trial and conflict; for this miofht have tauo-ht him to stand fast upon the pinnacle of glory whereon the prov- idence of God had placed him. Learn, then, O young brother, that if, like Samson, you are to be a hero for Israel, you must early be inured to suffering and daring, in some form or other. When you step aside and seek for meditation in the quiet of the vine- yard a young lion may roar upon you ; even as in the HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 199 earliest days of your Lord and Master's public service he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. These conflicts, dear friends, may often be very terrible. By a young lion is not meant a whelp, but a lion in the fulness of its early strength ; not yet slackened in its pace, or curbed in its fury by growing years. Fresh and furious, a young lion is the worst kind of beast that a man can meet with. Let us expect as followers of Christ to meet with strong temptations, fierce persecutions, and severe trials, which will lead to stern conflicts. Do not reckon, thou that art yet putting on thy harness, that thou shalt soon put it off, or that when thou puttest it off it will be quite as bright as it is to-day. It will be dimmed with blood and dust, and battered by many a blow ; perhaps thy foe may find a way to pierce it, or at least to wound thee between its joints. I would have every man begin to be a soldier of the cross, but I would at the same time have him count the cost; for it is no child's play, and if he thinks it will be such, he will be grievously disappointed. A young believer will, on a sudden, have a doubt suggested to him of which he never heard before ; and it will roar upon him like a young lion ; neither will he see all at once how to dispose of it. Or he may be placed in singular circumstances where his duty seems to run counter to the tenderest instincts of his nature ; here, too, the young lion will roar upon him. Or, one for whom he has an intense respect may treat him ill because he is a follower of Christ, and the affection 200 SERMONS AND LECTURES. and respect which he feels for this person may make his opposition the more grievous : in this also it is with him as when a lion roareth. Or he may suffer a painful bereavement, or sustain a severe loss ; or he may have a disease upon him, with consequent pains and depressions, and these may cast the shadow of death upon his spirits; so that again a young lion roars upon him. Brother, sister, let us reckon upon this, and not be dismayed by it, since in all this is the life of our spirit. By such lessons as these we are taught to do service for God, to sympathize with our fellow-Christians, and to value the help of our gracious Saviour. By all these we are weaned from earth and made to hunger for that eternal glory which is yet to be revealed, of which we may truly say, " No lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon." These present evils are for our future good: their terror is for our teaching. Trials are sent us for much the same reason that the Canaan- ites were permitted to live in the Holy Land, that Israel might learn war, and be equipped for battle against foreign foes. These conflicts come early, and they are very terrible ; and, moreover, they happen to us when we are least prepared for them. Samson was not hunting for wild beasts ; he was enofaofed on a much more tender business. He was walking in the vineyards of Timnath, thinking of anything but lions, and "behold," says the Scripture, "a young lion roared against him." It was a remarkable and startling w u < w m < H O Ph O ci W ■ H HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 201 occurrence. He had left his father and mother and was quite alone ; no one was within call to aid him in meeting his furious assailant. Human sympathy is ■exceedingly precious, but there are points in our spintual conflict in which we cannot expect to receive it. To each man there are passages in life too narrow for walking two abreast. Upon certain crags we must stand alone. As our constitutions differ, so our trials, which are suited to our constitutions, must differ also. Each individual has a secret with which no friend can intermeddle ; for every life has its mys- tery and its hid treasure. Do not be ashamed, young Christian, if you meet with temptations which appear to you to be quite singular : we have each one thought the same of his trials. You imagine that no one suffers as you dOf whereas no temptation hath hap- pened unto you but such as is common to man, and God will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. Yet for the time being you may have to <^nter into fellowship with your Lord when he trod the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with him. Is not this for your good ? Is not this the wa)) to strength ? What kind of piety is that which is dependent upon the friend- ship of man ? What sort of religion is that which cannot stand alone ? Beloved you will have to die alone, and you need therefore grace to cheer you in solitude. The dear wife can attend you weeping to the river's brink, but into the chill stream she cannot go with you ; and if you have not a religion which ^2 SERMONS AND LECTURES. will sustain you in the solitudes of life, of what avail will it be to you in the grim lonesomeness of death ? Thus I reckon it to be a happy circumstance that you are called to solitary conflict that you may test your faith, and see of what stuff your hope is made. The contest was all the worse for Samson, that in addition to being quite alone, "there was nothing in his hand." This is the most remarkable point in the narrative. He had no sword or hunter's spear with which to wound the lordly savage: he had not even a stout staff with which to ward of his attack. Sam- son stood an unarmed, unarmored man in the pres- ence of a raging beast. So we in our early temp- tations are apt to think that we have no weapon for the war, and we do not know what to do. We are made to cry out, "I am unprepared! How can I meet this trial ? I cannot grasp the enemy to wrestle with him. What am I to do ? " Herein will the splendor of faith and glory of God be made manifest, when you shall slay the lion, and yet it shall be said of you '• that he had nothing in his hand " — nothing but that which the world sees not and values not. Now, go one step further, for time forbids our linger- ing here. I invite you to remember that it zvas by the Spirit of God that the victory was won. We read, "And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid." Let the Holy Spirit help us in our trouble and we need neither company nor weapon ; but without him what can we do ? Good Bishop Hall says, " If that roaring HANDS FULL OF HONET. 203 lion, that goes about continually seeking whom he may devour, find us alone among the vineyards of the Philistines, where is our hope ? Not in our heels, he is swifter than we: not in our weapons, we are naturally unarmed; not in our hands, which are weak and lan- guishing; but in the Spirit of God, by whom we can do all things. If God fight in us, who can resist us ? There is a stroncjer lion in us than that against us." Here is our one necessity — to be endowed with power from on high : the power of the Holy Ghost. Helped by the Spirit of God, the believer's victory will be complete: the lion shall not be driven away but rent in pieces. Girt with the Spirit's power, our victory shall be as easy as it will be perfect : Samson rent the lion as though it were a little lamb, or a kid of the goats. Well said Paul, " I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me." Sin is soon overcome, temptations are readily refused, affliction is joyfully borne, persecution is gladly endured, when the Spirit of glory and of peace resteth upon us. *' With God all things are possible ; " and as the be- liever is with God, it cometh to pass that all things are possible to him that believeth. If we were surrounded by all the devils in hell we need not fear them for an instant if the Lord be on our side. We are mightier than all hell's leo-ions when the Spirit is mightily upon us. If we were to be beaten down by Satan until he had set his foot upon our breast, to press the very life out of us, yet if the Spirit of God helped us we would reach out 204 SERMONS AND LECTURES. our hand, and grasp the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and we would repeat the feat of Christian with Apollyon, when he gave the fiend such grievous wounds that he spread his dragon wings and flew away. Wherefore fear not, ye tried ones, but trust in the Spirit of God, and your conflict shall speedily end in victory. Sometimes our conflict is with past sin. We doubtfully inquire, " How can it be forgiven?" The temptation vanishes before a sight of the dying Redeemer. Then inbred lust roars acrainst us, and we overcome it througrh the blood of the Lamb, for " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Sometimes a raoringf cor- ruption, or a strong habit wars upon us, and then we conquer by the might of the sanctifying Spirit of God, who is with us and shall be in us evermore. Or else it is the world which tempts, and our feet have almost gone ; but we overcome the world through the victory of faith : and if Satan raises against us the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, all at once, we are still delivered, for the Lord is a wall of fire round about us. The inward life bravely resists all sin, and God's help is given to believers to pre- serve them from all evil in the moment of urgent need ; even as he helped his martyrs and confessors to speak the right word when called unprepared to confront their adversaries. Care not, therefore, oh thou truster in the Lord Jesus, how fierce thine enemy may be this day ! As young David slew the lion and the bear, and smote the Philistine too, even so shalt HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 205 thou go from victory to victory. " Many are the afflic- tions of the righteous, but the Lord deHvereth him out of them all." Wherefore, with a lion-Hke spirit, meet lions which seek to devour you. II. Now, then, we come to our second head, which is : THE believer's life has its sweets. We are not always killing lions, we are sometimes eating honey. Certain of us do both at a time ; we kill lions and yet cease not to eat honey : and truly it has become so sweet a thing to enter into conflict for Christ's sake, that it is a joy to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The same Lord who hath bidden us "quit yourselves like men ; be strong," has also said, " Rejoice in the Lord alway ; and again I say, rejoice." The believer's life has its sweets, and these are of the choicest : for what is sweeter than honey ? What is more joyful than the joy of a saint ? What is more happy than the happiness of a believer? I will not condescend to make a comparison between our joy and the mirth of fools ; I will go no further than a contrast. Their mirth is as the crackling of thorns under a pot, which spit fire, and make a noise and a flash, but there is no heat, and they are soon gone out: nothing comes of it, the pot is long in boil- ' ing. But the Christian's delight is like a steady coal fire. You have seen the grate full of coals all burn- ing red, and the whole mass of coal has seemed to be one great glowing ruby, and everybody who has come into the room out of the cold has delighted to 206 SERMONS AND LECTURES. warm his hands, for it gives out a steady heat and warms the body even to its marrow. Such are our joys. I would sooner possess the joy of Christ five minutes than I would revel in the mirth of fools for half a century. There is more bliss in the tear of repentance than in the laughter of gaiety ; our holy sorrows are sweeter than the worldling's joys. But, oh, when our joys grow full, divinely full, then are they unspeakably like those above, and heaven begins below. Did you never cry for joy ? You say, per- haps, " Not since I was a child." Nor have I ; but I have always remained a child as far as divine joy is con- cerned. I could often cry for joy when I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him. Ours is a joy which will bear thinking over. You can dare to pry into the bottom of it and test its foun- dation. It is a joy which does not grow stale ; you may keep it in your mouth by the year together, and yet it never cloys; you may return to it again, and again, and again, and find it still as fresh as ever. And the best of it is there is no repentance after it. You are never sorry that you were so glad. The world's gay folk are soon sick of their drink ; but we are only sorry that we were not gladder still, for our gladness sanctifies. We are not denied any degree of joy to which we can possibly attain, for ours is a healthy, health-giving delight. Christ is the fulness of joy to his people, and we are bidden to enjoy him to the full. HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 207 Christians have their sweets, and those are as honey and the honeycomb, the best of the best. Of these joys there is ple7ity ; for Samson found, as it were, a living spring of honey, since he discovered a swarm of bees. So abundant was the honey that he could take huge masses of the comb and carry it in his hands, and go away with it, bearing it to others. In the love of Christ, in pardoned sin, in acceptance in the Beloved, in resting in God, in perfectly acquiesc- ing in his will, in the hope of heaven, there is such joy that none can measure it. We have such a living swarm of bees to make honey for us in the precious promises of God, that there is more delight in store than any of us can possibly realize. There is infinitely more of Christ beyond our comprehension than we have as yet been able to comprehend. How blessed to receive of his fulness, to be sweetened with his sweetness, and yet to know that infinite goodness still remains ! Perhaps some of you have enjoyed so much of Christ that you could hardly bear any more ; but your largest enjoyments are only as tiny shells filled by a single wave of the sea, while all the boundless ocean rolls far beyond your ken. We have exceeding great joy, yea, joy to spare. Our Master's wedding feast is not so scantily furnished that we have to bring in another seat for an extra guest, or murmur to ourselves that we had better not invite at random lest we should be incommoded by too great a crowd. Nay, rather the pillared halls of mercy in which the King doth make his feast are so vast that it will be our lifelong 208 SERMONS AND LECTURES. business to furnish them with guests, compelling more and more to come in that his house may be filled, and that his royal festival may make glad ten thousand times ten thousand hearts. Dear friends, if you want to know what are the elements of our joy, I have already hinted at them, but I will for a moment enlarge thereon. Our joys are often found in the former places of our conflicts. We gather our honey out of the lions which have been slain for us or by us. There is, first, our sin. A horrible lion that! But it is a dead lion, for grace has much more abounded over abounding sin. Oh, brothers, I have never heard of any dainty in all the catalogue of human joys that could match a sense of pardoned sin. Full forgive- ness ! Free forgiveness ! Eternal forgiveness ! See, it sparkles like dew of heaven. To know that God has blotted out my sin is knowledge rich with unutter- able bliss. My soul has begun to hear the songs of seraphim when it has heard that note, " I have blotted out thy sins like a cloud, and as a thick cloud thine iniquities." Here is choice honey for you ! The next dead lion is conquered desire. When a wish has arisen in the heart contrary to the mind of God, and you have said — " Down with you ! I will pray you down. You used to master me ; I fell into a habit and I was soon overcome by you ; but I will not again yield to you. By God's grace I will conquer you ; " — I say, when at last you have obtained the victory, such a sweet contentment perfumes your heart HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 209 that you are filled with joy unspeakable ; and you are devoutly grateful to have been helped of the Spirit of God to master your own spirit. Thus you have again eaten spiritual honey. When you are able to feel in your own soul that you have overcome a strong temptation, the fiercer it was and the more terrible it was, the louder has been your song and the more joyful your thanksgiving. To go back to Mr. Bunyan again ; when Christian had passed through the Valley of the Shadow of Death during the night, and when he had come entirely out of it and the sun rose, you remember he looked back. (A pause.) He was long in taking that look, I war- rant you. What thoughts he had while looking back ! He could just discern that narrow track with the quagmire on one side and the deep ditch on the other; and he could see the shades out of which the hobgoblins hooted and the fiery eyes glanced forth. He looked back by sunlight and thought within him- self, "Ah me ! What goodness has been with me ! I have gone through all that, and yet I am unharmed 1 " What a happy survey it was to him ! Ah, the joy of having passed through temptation without having defiled one's garments! How must Shadrach, Mesh- ach, and Abednego have felt when they stepped out of the fiery furnace, and were not even singed, neither had the smell of fire passed upon them. Happy men were they who have lived in the centre of the seven- times-heated furnace where everything else was con- sumed. Here again is " a piece of an honeycomb.'' 14 210 SERMONS AND LECTURES. We find honey again from another slain lion ; namely, our troubles after we have been enabled to endure them. This is the metal of which our joy- bells are cast. Out of the brass of our trials we make the trumpets of our triumph. He is not the happy man who has seen no trouble ; but " blessed is he that endureth temptation, for when he is tried he shall receive a crown of life that fadeth not away." Death, too. Oh, the honey that is found in dead death. Death is indeed dead. We triumph over him, and are no more afraid of him than little children are of a dead lion. We pluck him by the beard, and say to him, " O death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ? " We even look forward to the time of our departure with delight, when we shall leave this heavy clay and on spirit wings ascend unto our Father and our God. You see there is rich store of honey for God's people ; and we do not hesitate to eat it. Let others say as they will, we are a happy people, happy in Christ, happy in the Holy Spirit, happy in God our Father. So that believers have their sweets. III. But the third is the point I want to dwell upon : THE believer's life leads him to communicate OF THESE SWEETS. As soon as we have tasted the honey of forgiven sin and perceived the bliss that God has laid up for his people in Christ Jesus, we feel it to be both our duty and our privilege to communi- cate the good news to others. Here let my ideal statue stand in our midst ; the strong man, conqueror HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 211 of the Hon, holding forth his hands full of honey to his parents. We are to be modelled according to this fashion. And, first, we do this immediately. The moment a man is converted, if he would lee himself alone, his instincts would lead him to tell his fellows. I know that the moment I came out of that little chapel wherein I found the Saviour, I wanted to pour out my tale of joy. I could have cried with Cennick — " Now will I tell to sinners round. What a dear Saviour I have found; I'll point to thy redeeming blood. And say, • Behold the way to God ! " I longed to tell how happy my soul was, and what a deliverance I had obtained from the crushing burden of sin. I longed to see all others come and trust my Lord and live ! I did not preach a sermon, but I think I could have told out all the gospel at that first hour. Did not you, my friend, feel much the same ? Did not your tongue long to be telling of what the Lord had done for you? Perhaps you are one of those proper and retiring people who are greatly gifted at holding their tongues ; and therefore you left the feet of Jesus in silence, — silence which ang-els wondered at. Is that why you have held your tongue ever since ? Perhaps if you had begun to speak then you would have con- tinued your testimony to this day. I repeat my asser- tion that it is the instinct of every new-born soul to communicate the glad tidings which grace has pro- claimed in his heart. Just as Samson had no sooner 212 SERMONS AND LECTURES. tasted of the honey than he carried a portion of it to his father and mother, so do we hasten to invite our neighbors to Christ. My dear young friend, as soon as ever you know the joy of the Lord, open your mouth in a quiet, humble way, and never allow your- self to be numbered with the deaf and dumb. Let no one stop you from unburdening your heart. Do not follow the bad example of those who have become dumb dogs because of their cowardice at the begin- ning. The believer will do X^^xs first to those who are nearest to him, Samson took the honey to his father and mother who were not far away. With each of us the most natural action would be to tell a brother or a sister or a fellow-workman, or a bosom friend. It will be a great joy to see them eating the honey which is so pleasant to our own palate. It is most natural in a parent at once to wish to tell his children of divine love — have you all done so? You pray for your chil- dren, but many of you would be the means of answer- ing your own prayers if you would talk with them one by one. This may appear difficult, but once com- menced it will soon grow easy : and, indeed, if it be difficult we should aspire to do it for that very reason. Should we not do many a difficult thing for him who overcame all difficulties for us ? At the least, do not deny to your own children the personal testi- mony of their father or their mother to the surpassing power of grace and the unutterable sweetness of divine love. Tell it to those who are nearest to you. HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 213 The believer will do this as best he can. Samson, you see, brought the honey to his father and mother in a rough and ready style, going on eating it as he brought it. If I wished to give honey to my father and mother I should do it up rather daintily: I would at least put it in as respectable a dish as our kitchen could afford : but there were no plates and dishes out there in that Timnath vineyard, and so his own hands were the only salvers upon which Samson could present the delicacy, — " he took thereof in his hands, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat." Perhaps you think, •' If I am to speak to any person upon true religion, I should like to do it in poetry." Better do it in prose, for perhaps they will take more notice of your verse than of your subject. Give them the honey in your hands, and if there is no dish they cannot take notice of the dish. "Ay, but I should like to do it very properly," says one ; '• it is a very important matter ; I should like to speak most correctly." But my judgment is, that, as you will not be likely to attain to correct speech all in a hurry, and your friends may die while you are learning your grammar and your rhetoric, you had better tell them of Jesus according to your present ability. Tell them there is life in a look at Jesus. Tell them the story simply, as one child talks to another. Carry the honey in your hands, though it drip all round: no hurt will come of the spilling ; there are always little ones wait- ing for such drops. If you were to make the gospel drip about everywhere, and sweeten all things, it would 214 SERMONS AND LECTURES. be no waste, but a blessed gain to all around. There- fore, I say to you, tell of Jesus Christ as best you can, and never cease to do so while life lasts. But then Samson did another thing, and every true believer should do it too : he did not merely tell his parents about the honey, but he took them some of it. I do not read, "And he told his father and mother of the honey,'' but I read, "and he took thereof in his hands." Nothing is so powerful as an exhibition of grace itself to others. Do not talk about it, but carry it in your hands. " I cannot do that," says one. Yes, you can, by your life, your temper, your spirit, your whole bearing. If your hands serve God, if your heart serves God, if your face beams with joy in the service of God, you will carry grace wherever you go. and those who see you will perceive it. You will hardly have need to say, " Come and partake of grace ; " for the grace of God in you will be its own invitation and attraction. Let our lives be full of Christ and we shall preach Christ. A holy life is the best of sermons. Soul-winning is wrought by a win- ning life more surely than by winning words. Take note, also, that Samson did this with great modesty. We have plenty of people about nowadays who could not kill a mouse without publishing it in the Gospel Gazette ; but Samson killed a lion and said nothing about it. He holds the honey in his hand for his father and mother — he shows them that ; but we are specially informed that he told not his father or his mother that he had taken it out of the carcase of HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 215 the Hon. The Holy Spirit finds modesty so rare that he takes care to record it. In telling your own experi- ence be wisely cautious. Say much of what the Lord has done for you, but say little of what you have done for the Lord. You need not make much effort to be brief on that point, for I am afraid that there is not much of it, if all were told. Do not utter a self- glorifying sentence. Let us put Christ to the front, and the joy and blessedness that comes of faith in him ; and as for ourselves, we need not speak a word except to lament our sins and shortcomings. The sum of what I have to say is this, — if we have tasted any joy in Christ, if we have known any conso- lation of the Spirit, if faith has been to us a real power, and if it has wrought in us peace and rest, let us communicate this blessed discovery to other*-. If you do not do so, mark you, you will have missed the very object for which God has blessed you. I heard the other day of a Sunday-school address in America which pleased me much. The teacher, speaking to the boys, said, " Boys, here's a watch, what is it for? " The children answered, " To tell the time." " Well," he said, " suppose my watch does not tell the time, what is it good for?'' "Good-for-nothing, sir." Then he took out a pencil. ''What is this pencil for?" "It is to write with, sir." " Suppose this pencil won't make a mark, what is it good for ? " " Good-for-nothing, sir." Then he took out his pocket-knife. " Boys, what is this for ? " They were American boys and so they shouted, — "To whittle with," — that is, to experiment on any 216 SERMONS AND LECTURES. substance that came in their way by cutting a notch in it. "But," said he, "suppose it will not cut, what is the knife good for?" "Good-for-nothing, sir." Then the teacher asked, "What is the chief end of man ? " and they replied, " To glorify God." " But suppose a man does not glorify God, what is he good for?" "Good-for-nothing, sir." That brings out my point most clearly ; there are many professors of whom / will not say that they are good-for-nothing, but methinks if they do not soon stir themselves up to glorify God by proclaiming the sweetness of God's love it will go hard with them. Remember how Jesus said of the savourless salt, "henceforth it is good for nothing." What were you converted for ? What were you forgiven for? What were you renewed for? Wha have you been preserved on earth for but to tell to others the glad tidings of salvation and so to glorify God ? Do, then, go out with your hands full of the honey of divine love and hold it out to others. You must assuredly do good by this ; you cannot possibly do harm. Samson did not invite his father and mother to see the lion when he was alive and roaring, — he might have done some hurt in that case by frightening them, or exposing them to injury; but he settled the lion business himself, and when it came to honey he knew that even his mother could not be troubled about that ; therefore he invited them both to share his gains. When you get into a soul-conflict, do not publish your distress to all your friends, but fight manfully in God's name ; but when you possess the HANDS FULL OF HONEY. 217 joy of Christ and the love of the Spirit, and grace is abundant in your soul, then tell the news to all around. You cannot do any hurt by such a proceeding: grace does good, and no harm, all its days. Even if you blunder over it you will do no mischief. The gospel spilled on the ground is not lost. Good, and only good, must come of making known salvation by Jesus Christ. It will be much better for you to tell of the sweets of orodliness than it will be to make riddles about the doctrine of it. Samson afterwards made a riddle about his lion and the honey ; and that riddle ended in fighting and bloodshed. We have known certain Christians spend their lives in making riddles about the honey and the lion, by asking tough doctrinal questions which even angels cannot answer: "Riddle me this," they say, and then it has ended in a fight, and brotherly love has been murdered in the fray. It is much better to bring your hands full of honey to those who are needy, and present it to them that they may eat of it, than it is to cavil and discuss. No hurt can come of tellino- what the Lord has done for your soul, and it will keep you out of mischief. There- fore, I would stir up all Christian people to continue from day to day exhibiting to needy sinners the blessedness of Christ, that unbelievers may come and eat thereof. By doing this you will be blessing men far more than Samson could bless his parents, for our honey is honey unto eternity, our sweets are sweets that last to 218 SERMONS AND LECTURES. heaven, and are best enjoyed there. Call upon others to taste and see that the Lord is good, and you shall have therein much joy. You shall increase your own pleasure by seeing the pleasure of the Lord prosper- ing in your hand. What bliss awaits useful Christians when they enter into heaven, for they shall be met there by many who have gone before them whom they were the means of turninof to Christ. I do often in- wardly sing when I perceive that I can scarce go into any town or village but what somebody hunts me up to say to me, " Under God I owe my salvation to your sermons or to your books." What will be the felici- ties of heaven when we shall meet those who were turned to righteousness by our holding forth the word of life ! Our heaven will be seven heavens as we see them there. If you have done nothing but exhibit in your lives the precious results of grace you will have done well. If you have presented to your companions truths that were sweetness itself to you, and tried to say in broken accents, " Oh that you knew this peace ! " it shall give you joy unspeakable to meet those in glory who were attracted to Christ by such a simple means. God make you all to be his witnesses in all the circles wherein you ir'^ve. GLORY. 219 GLORY! Who hath called us unto his eternal glory." — I Peter v. to. A FORTNIGHT ago, whcn I was only able to creep to the front of this platform, I spoke to you concerning the future of our mortal bodies. "We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a buildine of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." On the next Sabbath day we went a step further, and we did not preach so much about the resurrection of the body as upon the hope of glory for our entire nature, our text being, " Christ in you, the hope of glory." Thus we have passed through the outer court, and have trodden the hallowed floor of the Holy Place, and now we are the more prepared to enter within the veil, and to gaze a while upon the glory which awaits us. We shall say a little — and oh, how little it will be — upon that glory of which we have so sure a prospect, that glory which is prepared for us in Christ Jesus, and of which he is the hope ! I pray that our eyes may be strengthened that we may see the heavenly light, and that our ears may be opened to hear sweet voices from the better land. As for me, I cannot say that I will speak of the glory, but I will try to stammer about it ; for the best lancruaee to which a man can reach concerninor alorv must be a mere stammerinof. Paul did but see a lit of it for a short time, and he confessed that he heard things that it was not lawful for a man to utter ; and I doubt not that he felt utterly nonplussed as to describ- 220 SERMONS AND LECTURES. inor what he had seen, Thouorh a grreat master of language, yet for once he was overpowered ; the grandeur of his theme made him silent. As for us, what can we do, where even Paul breaks down ? Pray, dear friends, that the spirit of glory may rest upon you, that he may open your eyes to see as much as can at present be seen of the heritage of the saints. We are told that " eye hath not seen, neither hath ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Yet the eye has seen wonderful things. There are sunrises and sunsets, Alpine glories and ocean marvels which, once seen, cling to our memories throughout life ; yet even when nature is at her best she cannot give us an idea of the supernatural glory which God has prepared for his people. The ear has heard sweet harmonies. Have we not enjoyed music which has thrilled us? Have we not listened to speech which has seemed to make our hearts dance within us ? And yet no melody of harp nor charm of oratory can ever raise us to a conception of the glory which God hath laid up for them that love him. As for the heart of man, what strange things have entered it ! Men have exhibited fair fictions, woven in the loom of fancy, which have made the eyes to sparkle with their beauty and brightness ; imagination has re- velled and rioted in its own fantastic creations, roam-, ing among islands of silver and mountains of gold, or swimming in seas of wine and rivers of milk ; but imagination has never been able to open the gate of GLORT. 221 pearl which shuts in the city of our God. No, it hath not yet entered the heart of man. Yet the text goes on to say, " but he hath revealed it unto us by his Spirit." So that heaven is not an utterly unknown reofion, not altogether an inner briorhtness shut in with walls of impenetrable darkness. God hath revealed joys which he has prepared for his beloved ; but mark you, even though they be revealed of the Spirit, yet it is no common unveiling, and the reason that it is made known at all is ascribed to the fact that " the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." So we see that the glory which awaits the saints is ranked among the deep things of God, and he that , would speak thereof after the manner of the oracles of God must have much heavenly teaching. It is easy to chatter according to human fancy, but if we would follow the sure teachino- of the word of God we shall have need to be taught of the Holy Spirit, without whose anointing the deep things of God must be hidden from us. Pray that we may be under that teaching while we dwell upon this theme. There are three questions which we will answer this morning. The first is, what is the destiny of the saints? — " Eternal glory," says the text. Secondly, wherein doth this glory consist? I said we would an- swer the questions, but this is not to be answered this side the pearl-gate. Thirdly, what should be the hiflu- ence of this prospect upon our hearts? What manner of people ought we to be whose destiny is eternal 222 SERMONS AXD LECTURES. glor>' ? How should we live who are to live forever in the glory of the Most High ? I. First, WHAT THEN IS THE DESTINY OF THE SAINTS? Our text tells us that God has " called us unto his eter- nal glory!' " Glory! " does not the ver}^ word astound you? "Glor}'!" surely that belongs to God alone! Yet the scripture says "glory," and glory it must mean, for it never exaggerates. Think of glor)' for us who have deserved eternal shame ! Glor}' for us poor creatures who are often ashamed of ourselves ! Yes, I look at my book again, an dit actually says "glor)'" — nothing less than glory. Therefore so must it be. Now, since this seems so amazingr and astonishinof a thing, I would so speak with you that not a relic of incredulit)' may remain in your hearts concerning it. I would ask you to follow me while we look through the Bible, not quoting every passage which speaks of glory, but mentioning a few of the leading ones. This glory has been pro77iised. What said David ? In the sevent\'-third Psalm and twenty-fourth verse we meet with these remarkable words : " Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterAvard receive me to glory." In the original Hebrew there is a trace of David's recollection of Enoch's being translated ; and, though the royal Psalmist did not expect to be caught away without dying, yet he did expect that after he had followed the gnidance of the Lord here below the great Father would stoop and raise up his child to be with himself forever. He expected to be received into glory. Even in those dim days, when as yet the GLORY. 223 light ot the gospel was but in its dawn, this prophet and king was able to say, " Thou shalt afterward re- ceive me to glory." Did he not mean the same thing when in the eighty-fourth Psalm, verse eleven, he said, " The Lord will give grace and glory : no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprighdy ? " Not only no good thing under the name of grace will God withhold from the upright, but no good thing under the head of glory. No good of heaven shall be kept from the saints ; no reserve is even set upon the throne of the great King, for our Lord Jesus has graciously promised, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." "No good thing," not even amongst the infinitely good things of heaven, will God " withhold from them that walk uprightly." If David had this persuasion, much more may we walk in the light of the gospel. Since our Lord Jesus hath suffered and entered into his glory, and we know that we shall be with him where he is, we are confident that our rest shall be elorious. Brethren, it is to this glory that we have bee7i called. The people of God having been predestinated, have been called with an effectual callinor — called so that they have obeyed the call, and have run after him who has drawn them. Now, our text says that he has "called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." We are called to repentance, we are called to faith, we are called to holiness, we are called to perseverance, and all this that we may afterwards attain unto glory. We 224 SERMONS AND LECTURES. have another scripture of like import in i Thessa- lonians ii. 12: — "Who hath called you unto his king- dom and glory." We are called unto his kingdom according to our Lord's word, " Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." We are called to be kinoes, called to wear a crown of life that fadeth not away, called to reign with Christ in his glory. If the Lord had not meant us to have the glory he would not have called us unto it, for his calling is no mockery. He would not by his Spirit have fetched us out from the world and sep- arated us unto himself if he had not intended to keep us from falling and preserve us eternally. Believer, you are called to glory ; do not question the certainty of that to which God has called you. And we are not only called to it, brethren, but glory is especially joined with justification. Let me quote Romans viii. 30: — "Moreover whom he did predesti- nate, them he also called : and whom he called, them he also justified : and whom he justified, them he also glorified." These various mercies are threaded to- gether like pearls upon a string : there is no breaking the thread, no separating the precious things. They are put in their order by God himself, and they are kept there by his eternal and irreversible decree. If you are justified by the righteousness of Christ, you shall be glorified through Christ Jesus, for thus hath God purposed, and so must it be. Do you not remem- ber how salvation itself is linked with glory? Paul, in 2 Timothy ii. 10, speaks of "the salvation which GLORY. 225 is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." The two things are riveted together, and cannot be separated. The saved ones must partake of the glory of God, for for this are they bemg pj^epared every day. Paul, in the ninth of Romans, where he speaks about the predesti- nating will of God, says in the. twenty-third verse : " The vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory." This is the process which commenced in regeneration, and is going on in us every day in the work of sanctification. We cannot be glorified so long as sin remains in us; we must first be pardoned, re- newed, and sanctified, and then we are fitted to be glorified. By communion with our Lord Jesus we are made like to him, a^ saith the apostle in 2 Corinthians iii. 18: — "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." It is very wonderful how by the wisdom of God everything is made to work this way. Look at the blessed text in 2 Corinthians iv. 17, where Paul says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a mo- ment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eter- nal weight of glory ; " where he represents that all that we can suffer, whether of body or of mind, is pro- ducing for us such a mass of glory that he is quite unable to describe it, and he uses hyperbolical language in saying, "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Oh, blessed men, whose very losses are their gains, whose sorrows produce their joys, whose griefs are big with heaven ! Well may we be content to suf- 15 226 SERMONS AND LECTURES. fer if so it be that all things are working together for our good and are helping to pile up the excess of our future glory. Thus, then, it seems we are called to glory, and we are being prepared for it ; is it not also a sweet thought \\\2X our present fellowship with Christ is the guarantee of it? In Romans viii. 17 it is said, "If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glori- fied together." Going to prison with Christ will bring us into the palace with Christ ; smarting with Christ will bring us into reigning with Christ ; being ridiculed, and slandered, and despised for Christ's sake will bring us to be sharers of his honor, and glory, and immortality. Who would not be with Christ in his humiliation if this be the guarantee that we shall be with him in his glory ? Remember those dear words of the Lord Jesus, " Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath ap- pointed unto me." Let us shoulder the cross, for it leads to the crown. " No cross, no crown : " but he that has shared the battle shall partake in the victory. I have not yet done, for there is a text, in Hebrews ii. 10, which is well worthy of our consideration: we are to be brought to glory. It is said of our Lord that it " became him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." See, beloved, we are called to glory, we are being prepared for it, and we shall be brought to it. We might despair of GLORY. 227 ever gettlngr into the glory land if we had not One to bring us there, for the pilgrim's road is rough and be- set with many foes ; but there is a " Captain of our salvation," a greater than Bunyan's Greatheart, who is conducting the pilgrim band through all the treach- erous way, and he will bring the " many sons " — where ? — " unto glory^' nowhere short of that shall be \\\€\r ultimatum. Glory, glory shall surely follow upon grace ; for Christ the Lord, who has come into his glory, has entered into covenant engagements that he will bring all the " many sons " to be with him. Mark this, and then I will quote no more Scriptures : this glory will be for our entire manhood, for our body as well as for our soul. You know that text in the famous resurrection chapter; in i Cor. xv. 43 Paul speaks of the body as being " sown in dishonor," but he adds, " it is raised in glory ; " and then, in Philip- plans iii. 21, he says of our divine Lord at his coming, "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" What a wonderful chano^e that will be for this frail, feeble, suffering body ! In some respects it is not vile, for it is a wonderful product of divine skill, and power, and goodness ; but inasmuch as it hampers our spiritual nature by its appetites and in- firmities, it may be called a " vile body." It is an un- handy body for a spirit: it fits a soul well enough, but a spirit wants something more ethereal, less earth- bound, more full of life than this poor flesh and blood 228 SERMONS AND LECTURES. and bone can ever be. Well, the body is to be changed. What alteration will it undergo ? It will be rendered perfect. The body of a child will be fully developed, and the dwarf will attain to full stat- ure. The blind shall not be sightless in heaven, neither shall the lame be halt, nor shall the palsied tremble. The deaf shall hear, and the dumb shall sing God's praises. We shall carry none of our de- ficiencies or infirmities to heaven. As good Mr. Ready-to-Halt did not carry his crutches there, neither shall any of us need a staff to lean upon. There we shall not know an aching brow, or a weak knee, or a failing eye. " The inhabitant shall no more say, I am sick." And it shall be an impassive body, a body that will be incapable of any kind of suffering : no palpitating heart, no sinking spirit, no aching limbs, no lethargic soul shall worry us there. No, we shall be perfecdy delivered from every evil of that kind. Moreover, it shall be an immortal body. Our risen bodies shall not be capable of decay, much less of death. There are no graves in glory. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, for their bodies shall rise never to know death and corruption a second time. No smell or taint of corruption shall remain upon those whom Jesus shall call from the tomb. The risen body shall be greatly increased in power: it is "sown in weak- ness," says the Scripture, but it is "raised in power." I suppose there will be a wonderful agility about our renovated frame : probably it will be able to move as GLORY. 22^ swiftly as the lightning flash, for so do angels pass from place to place, and we shall in this, as in many things else, be as the angels of God. Anyhow, it will be a"*" glorious body," and it will be " raised in glory," so that the whole of our manhood shall participate of that wonderful depth of bliss which is summed up in the word—" glory." Thus I think I have set before you much of what the word of God saith upon this matter. II. Secondly, may the Holy Spirit help me while I try very hesitatingly and stammeringly to answer the inquiry, Wherein doth this destiny consist ? Do you know how much I expect to do ? It will be but litde. You remember what the Lord did for Moses when the man of God prayed—" I beseech thee show me thy glory !" All that the Lord himself did for Moses was to say, " Thou shalt see my back parts ; but my face shall not be seen." How litde, then, can we hope to speak of this glory ! Its back parts are too bright for us : as for the face of that crlory, it shall not be seen by any of us here below, though by-and-by we shall behold it. I suppose if one who had been in glory could come straight down from heaven, and occupy this platform, he would find that his discoveries could not be communicated because of the insufficiency of language to express such a weight of meaning. The saints' destiny is glory. What is glory, breth- ren ? What is it, I mean, among the sons of men ? It is generally understood to be fame, a great repute, 230 SERMONS AND LECTURES. the sound of trumpets, the noise of applause, the sweets of approbation among the crowd and in high places. The Queen of Sheba came from afar to see the glory of Solomon. What was that glory, breth- ren ? It was the glory of a rare wisdom excelling all others ; it was the glory of immense riches expended upon all manner of magnificence and splendor. As for this last glory the Lord says of it that a lily of the field had more of it than Solomon ; at least " Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Yet that is what men mean by glory — rank, position, power, conquest — things that make the ears of men to tingle when they hear of them — things extraordinary and rare. All this is but a dim shadow of what God means by glory ; yet out of the shadow we may ob- tain'a little inkling of what the substance must be. God's people shall be wise, and even famous, for they shall "shine as the stars for ever and ever." God's people shall be rich ; the very streets of their abode are paved with gold exceeding rich and rare. God's people shall be singularly honored ; there shall be a glory about them unrivalled, for they shall be known as a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, a race of beings lifted up to reveal their Maker's character be- yond all the rest of his works. I reckon that glory to a saint means, first of all, purified chai'acter. The brightest glory that really can come to any one is the glory of character. Thus God's glory among men is his goodness, his mercy, his justice, his truth. But shall such poor creatures GLORY. 23i as we are ever have perfect characters? Yes, we shall one day be perfectly holy. God's Holy Spirit, when he has finished his work, will leave in us no trace of sin : no temptation shall be able to touch us, there will be in us no relics of our past and fallen state. Oh, will not that be blessed ? I was going to say it is all the glory I want — the glory of being per- fect in character, never sinning, never judging unjusdy, never thinking a vain thought, never wandering away from the perfect law of God, never vexed again with sin which has so long been my worst enemy. One day we shall be glorious because the devil himself will not be able to detect a fault in us, and those eyes of God, which burn like fire and read the inmost secrets of the soul, will not be able to detect anything blame- worthy in us. Such shall be the character of the saints that they shall be meet to consort with Christ himself, fit company for that thrice Holy Being before whom angels veil their faces. This is glory ! Next, I understand by "glory" our perfected manhood. When God made Adam he was a far superior being to any of us. Man's place in creation was very remark- able. The Psalmist says, " For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things under his feet : all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field ; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." No king among men in these days could rival 232 SERMONS AND LECTURES. Adam in the garden of Eden : he was indeed monarch of all that he surveyed, and from the lordly lion down to the tiniest insect all living creatures paid him willing homage. Can we ever rise to this last honor ? Brethren, listen, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when Christ shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Is there any limit to the growth of the mind of a man? Can we tell what he may reach ? We read of Solomon that God gave him largeness of heart as the sand of the sea : God will give to his people glory that will include in it more largeness of heart than Solomon ever knew. Then shall we know even as we are known by God. Now we see, but it is " through a glass darkly," but then we shall see " face to face." You have met with men of great intellect and you have looked up to them : but assuredly the smallest babe in Christ when he shall reach heaven shall have a greater intellect than the most profound philosopher who has ever astounded mankind by his discoveries. We shall not always be as, we are to-day, contracted and hampered because of our little knowledge, and our slender faculties, and our dull perceptions. Our ignorance and prejudice shall vanish. What a man will become we can scarcely tell when he is remade in the image of God, and made like unto our divine Lord who is " the first-born among many brethren." Here we are but in embryo: our minds are but the seeds, or the bulbs, out of which shall come the flower and glory of a nobler manhood. Your body is to be GLORY. 233 developed into something infinitely brighter and better than the bodies of men here below : and as for the soul, we cannot guess to what an elevation it shall be raised in Christ Jesus. There is room for the largest expectation here, as we conjecture what will be the full accomplishment of the vast intent of eternal love, an intent which has involved the sacrifice of the only-be- gotten Son of God. That can be no mean design which has been carried on at the expense ot the best that heaven itself possessed. Further, by " glory " and coming to glory I think we must understand complete victory. Dwelling in the age of the Romans, men said to themselves, as they read the Scriptures, "What does the apostle mean by 'glory?'" and they could scarcely help connecting it with conquest, and the return of the warrior in triumph. Men called it glory in those days when valiant warriors returned from fields of blood with cap- tives and spoil. Then did the heroes ride through the streets of Rome, enjoying a triumph voted them by the senate. Then for the while the men of war were covered with glory, and all the city was glorious be- cause of them. As Christians, we hate the word "glory " when it is linked with wholesale murder, and girt in garments rolled in blood ; but yet there is a kind of fighting to which you and I are called, for we are soldiers of the cross; and if we fight valiantly under our great Captain, and rout every sin, and are found faithful even unto death, then we shall enter glory, and receive the honor which belongs to men who have 234 SERMONS AND LECTURES. fought a good fight, and have kept the faith. It will be no small glory to obtain the crown of life which fadeth not away. Is not this a full glory if we only place these three things together, a purified character, a perfected nature, and a complete victory? An invaluable ingredient in true glory is the divine approval. " Glory " among men means approbation: it is a man's glory when he is honored of his Queen, and she hangs a medal on his breast, or when his name is mentioned in the high court of Parliament, and he is ennobled for what he has done. If men speak of our actions with approval, it is called fame and glory. Oh, but one drop of the approbation of God has more glory in it than a sea full of human praise ; and the Lord will reward his own with this holy favor. He will say, " Well done, good and faithful servant," and Christ before the universe will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father." Oh, what glory that will be ! They were despised and rejected of men, they "wan- dered about in sheepskins and goatskins ; destitute, afflicted, tormented ; " but now God approves them, and they take seats among the peers of heaven, made noble by the approbation of the Judge of all. This is glory with an emphasis — substantial glory. One approving glance from the eye of Jesus, one accept- ing word from the mouth of the Father, will be glory enough for any one of us, and this we shall have if we follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. But this is not all : children of God will have the glory of rejiecting the glory of God. When any of GLORY. 235 God's unfallen creatures shall wish to see the orreat- ness of God's goodness, and mercy, and love, they that dwell in heaven will point out a glorified saint. Whenever any spirit from far-off regions desires to know what is meant by faithfulness and grace, some angel will reply, "Go and talk with those who have been redeemed from among men." I believe that you and I will spend much of eternity in making known to principalities and powers the unsearchable riches of the grace of God. We shall be mirrors reflecting God ; and in us shall his glory be revealed. There may be myriads of races of pure and holy beings of whom we have never heard as yet, and these may come to the New Jerusalem as to the great metropolis of Jehovah's universe, and when they come there they will gaze upon the saints as the highest instances of divine grace, wisdom, power, and love. It will be their highest pleasure to hear how eternal mercy dealt with us unworthy ones. How we shall delight to re- hearse to them the fact of the Father's eternal purpose, the story of the incarnate God —the God that loved and died, and the love of the blessed Spirit who sought us in the days of our sin, and brought us to the cross foot, renewing us in the spirit of our minds, and making us to be sons of God. Oh, brothers and sisters, this shall be our glory, that God shall shine through us to the astonishment of all. Yet I think glory includes somewhat more than this. In certain cases a man's glory lies in his relationships. If any of the royal family should come to your houses 236 SERMONS AND LECTURES. you would receive them with respect ; yes, and even as they went along the street they would be spied out, and passers-by would say, " That is the prince ! " and they would honor the son of our good Queen. But royal descent is a poor business compared with being allied to the King of kings. Many angels are ex- ceeding bright, but they are only servants to wait upon the sons. 1 believe that there will be a kind of awe upon the angels at the sight of men ; when they see us in our glory they will rejoice to know our near re- lation to their Lord; and to fulfil their own destiny as ministering spirits appointed to minister to the heirs of salvation. No pride will be possible to the per- fected, but we shall then realize the exalted position to which by our new birth and the divine adoption we have been raised. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God." Sons of God ! Sons of the Lord God Almighty ! Oh what glory this will be! Then there will be connected with this the fact that we shall be connected with Jesus in everything. For do not you see, brethren, it was because of our fall that Christ came here to save men ; when he wrought out a perfect righteousness, it was all for us ; when he died, it was all for us ; and when he rose again, it was all for us ? And what is more, we lived in Christ, we died in him, we were buried in him and rose in him, and we shall ascend into heaven to reign with him. All our glory is by Christ Jesus and in all the glory of Christ Jesus we have a share. We are members of GLORY. 237 his body ; we are one with him. I say, the creatures that God has made, when they shall come to worship in the New Jerusalem will stand and gaze at glorified men, and with bated breath will say one to another, " These are the beings whose nature the Son of God assumed ! These are the chosen creatures whom the Prince of heaven bought with his own blood." They will stand astonished at the divine glory which will be manifested in beings emancipated from sin and hell and made heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Will not even angels be surprised and awed as they look on the church and say to one another, "This is the bride, the Lamb's wife ! " They will marvel how the Lord of glory should come to this poor earth to seek a spouse and that he should enter into eternal union with such a people. Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land ! Now we are getting near to the centre of it. I feel inclined, like Moses, to put off my shoes from off my feet, for the place whereon we stand is holy ground, now that we are getting to see poor bushes like ourselves aglow with the indwelling God, and changed from glory unto glory. And yet this is not all, for there in heaven we shall dwell in the im7jtediate presence of God. We shall dwell with him in nearest and dearest fellowship ! All the felicity of the Most High will be our felicity. The blessedness of the triune Jehovah shall be our blessedness for ever and ever. Did you notice that our text says, "He hath called us unto his glory?" This outshines everything: the glory which the saints 238 SERMONS AND LECTURES will have is the same glory which God possesses, and such as he alone can bestow. Listen to this text: — "Whom he justified, them he also glorified." He glorifies them, then ! I know what it is to glorify God, and so do you; but when we poor creatures glorify God it is in a poor way, for we cannot add anything to him. But what must it be for God himself to glorify a man ! The glory which you are to have for ever, my dear believing brother, is a glory which God himself will put upon you. Peter, as a Hebrew, per- haps uses a Hebraism when he says " his glory : " it may be that he means the best of glory that can be, even as the Jews were wont to say — " The trees of God," when they meant the greatest trees, or " the mountains of God," when they intended the highest mountains ; so by the glory of God Peter may mean the richest, fullest glory that can be. In the original the word "glory" has about it the idea of "weight," at which the apostle Paul hints when he speaks of a *' weight of glory." This is the only glory that has weight in it, all else is light as a feather. Take all die glories of this world and they are outweighed by the small dust of the balance. Place them here in the hollow of my hand, all of them : a child may blow them away as thistledown. God's glory has weight ; it is solid, true, real, and he that gets it possesses no mere name, or dream, or tinsel, but he has that which will abide the rust of ages and the fire of judgment. The glory of God ! How shall I describe it 1 I must set before you a strange Scriptural picture. GLORY. i239 Mordecai must be made glorious for his fidelity to his king, and singular is the honor which his monarch or- dains for him. This was the royal order. " Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head : and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honor, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor." Can you not imagine the surprise of the Jew when robe and ring were put upon him, and when he found himself placed upon the king's horse. This may serve as a figure of that which will happen to us: we shall be glorified with the glory of God. The best robe, the best of heaven's array, shall be appointed unto us, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Highest of all our glory will be ^/le enjoyment of God himself. He will be our exceeding joy: this bliss will swallow up every other, the blessedness of God. " The Lord is my portion," saith my soul. " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Our God shall be our glory. Yet bear with me, I have left out a word again : the text has it, " Unto his eternal glory." Ay, but that is the gem of the ring. The glory which God has in re- serve for his chosen will never come to an end : it will 240 SERMONS AND LECTURES. Stay with us, and we shall stay with it, for ever. It will always be glory, too ; its brightness will never be- come dim ; we shall never be tired of it, or sated with it. After ten thousand thousand millions of years in heaven our happiness shall be as fresh as when it first began. Those are no fading laurels which surround immortal brows. Eternal glory knows no diminution. Can you imagine a man being born at the same time that Adam was created and living all these thousands of years as a king like Solomon, having all he could desire ? His would seem to be a glorious life. But if at the end of seven thousand years that man must needs die, what has it profited him ? His glory is all over now, its fires have died out in ashes. But you and I, when we once enter glory, shall receive what we can neither lose nor leave. Eternity ! Eternity ! This is the sweetness of all our future bliss. Rejoice, ye saintly ones ! Take your harps down from the willows, any of you who are morning, and if you never sang before, yet sing this mourning — "God has called us unto his eternal glory," and this is to be our portion world without end. III. I can only find time for a few words upon the concluding head, which is — what influence should ALL THIS HAVE UPON OUR HEARTS ? I think, first, it ought to excite desire in many here present that they might attain unto glory by Christ Jesus. Satan, when he took our blessed Lord to the top of an exceeding high mountain, tempted him to worship him by offering him the kingdoms of the GLORY. 241 world and all the glories thereof. Satan is very clever, and I will at this time take a leaf out of his boolc. Will you not fall down and worship the Lord Jesus when he can give you the kingdom of God and all the glory thereof, and all this, not in pretence, but in reality ? If there was any force in the temptation to worship Satan for the sake of the glory of this world, how much more reason is there for urging you to worship the Son of God that you may obtain his sal- vation with eternal glory ! I pray the Holy Ghost to drop a hot desire into many a poor sinner's breast this morning that he may cry, " If this glory is to be had, I will have it. and I will have it in God's way, for I will believe in Jesus, I will repent, I will come to God, and so obtain his promise." Secondly, this ought to move us to the feeling of fear. If there be such a glory as this, let us tremble lest by any means we should come short of it. Oh, my dear hearers, especially you that are my fellow- members, brother church officers, and workers asso- ciated with me, what a dreadful thing it will be if any one of us should come short of this glory ! Oh, if there were no hell, it would be hell enough to miss of heaven ! What if there were no pit that is bottomless, nor worm undying, nor nre unquenchable, it would be boundless misery to have a shadow of a fear of not reaching to God's eternal glory? Let us therefore pass the time of our sojourning here in fear, and let us watch unto prayer and strive to enter in at the 16 242 SERMONS AND LECTURES. Strait gate. God grant we may be found of him at last to praise and honor ! If we are right, how this ought to move us to grati- tude. Think of this, we are to enjoy *' his eternal glory ! " What a contrast to our deserts ! Shame and everlasting comtempt are our righteous due apart from Christ. If we were to receive according to our merits, we should be driven from his presence and from the glory of his power. Verily, he hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us accord- ing to our iniquities ; for, after all our transgressions, he has still reserved us for glory, and reserved glory for us. What love and zeal should burn in our bosoms because of this ! Last of all, it should move us to a dauntless courage. If this glory is to be had, do we not feel like the heroes in Bunyan's picture? Before the dreamer there stood a fair palace, and he saw persons walking upon the top of it, clad in light, and singing. Around the door stood armed men to keep back those who would enter. Then a brave man came up to one who had a writer's ink-horn by his side, and said, " Set down my name ; " and straightway the warrior drew his sword, and fought with all his might, until he had cut his way to the door, and then he entered, and tha-y within were heard to sing — " Come in, come in, Eternal glory thou shalt win." Will you not draw your swords this morning, and GLORY. 243 fight against sin, till you have overcome it? Do you not desire to win Christ, and to be found in him ? Oh, let us now begin to feel a passion for eternal glory, and then in the strength of the Spirit, and in the name of Jesus, let us press forward till we reach it. Even on earth we may taste enough of this glory to fill us with delight. The glory which I have described to you dawns on earth, though it only comes to its noon- tide in heaven : the glory of sanctified character, the glory of victory over sin, the glory of relationship to God, the glory of union with Christ — these are all to be tasted in a measure here below. These o-lories send their beams down even to these valleys and low- lands. Oh, to enjoy them to-day and thus to have earnests and foretastes of glory. If we have them, let us go singing on until we reach the place where God's eternal glory shall surround us. Amen. 244 SERMONS AND LECTURES. THE LUTHER SERMON AT EXETER-HALL. " For in Jesus Christ neither ciicumcision availeth anything, nor uncircum- cision ; but faith which worketh by love." — Galatians v. 6. Paul makes a clean sweep of that trust in the externals of religion which is the common temptation of all time. Circumcision was a great thing with the Jew, and oftentimes he trusted in it; but Paul declares that it availeth nothing. There might be others who were glad that they were not Jews, but Paul declares that their uncircumcision availeth no more than its op- posite. Certain matters connected with godliness are external, and yet they are useful in their places : espec- ially is that the case with baptism and the Lord's sup- per, the assembling of ourselves together, the reading of the word, and public prayer and praise. These things are proper and profitable; but none of them must be made in any measure or degree the ground of our hope of salvation ; for this text sweeps them all away, and plainly describes them as availing nothing if they are made to be the foundations of our trust. In Luther's day superstitious confidence in external observances had overlaid faith in the gospel ; cere- monies had multiplied excessively, and the plain and simple way of salvation was obscured. There was need of some sturdy soul who, seeing the truth himself, should show it to others. When God raised up Martin Luther, who was born four centuries ago, he bore emphatic testimony against salvation by outward forms and by the power of priestcraft, affirming that salvation is by faith, and that the church of God is THE LUTHER SERMON. 245 a company of priests, every believer being a priest unto God. God's Clergy. If Luther had not affirmed it, the doctrine would have been just as true, for the distinction between clergy and laity has no excuse in Scripture, which calls the saints, " God's kleros " — God's clergy, or heritage. Again we read, " Ye are a royal priesthood." Every man that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is anointed to exercise the Christian priesthood, and therefore he need not put his trust in another, seeing the supposed priest is no more than any other man. Each man must be accountable for himself before God. Each one must read and search the Scriptures for himself, and must believe for himself, and when saved, he must offer up himself as a living sacrifice unto God by Jesus Christ, who is the only High Priest of our profession. So much for the negative side of the text, which is full of warninof to this Ritualistic ao^e. The chief testimony of our great Reformer was to the justification of a sinner in the sight of God by faith in Jesus Christ, and by that alone. He could fidy have taken this for his motto, " In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircum- cision ; but faith which worketh by love." He was in the Augustinian monastery at Wittenberg troubled and perturbed in mind; and he read there, in an old Latin Bible, this text, — "The just shall live by faith." It was a new idea to him, and by its means spiritual light entered his soul in some degree ; but such were 246 SERMONS AND LECTURES. the prejudices of his up-bringing, and such the dark- ness of his surroundings, that he still hoped to find salvation by outward performances. Long Fasting:. He therefore fasted long, till he was found swooning from hunger. He was exceedingly zealous for salva- tion by works. At last he made a pilgrimage to Rome, hoping to find there everything that was holy and helpful : he was disappointed in his search, but yet found more than he looked for. On the pretended staircase of Pilate, while in the act of climbing it upon his knees, the Wittenberg text again sounded in his ear like a thunder-clap : "The just shall live by faith." Up he started and descended those stairs, never to grovel upon them again. The chain was broken, the soul was free. Luther had. found the light ; and hence- forth it became his life's business to flash that light upon the nations, crying evermore, "The just shall live by faith." The best commemoration which I can make of this man is to preach the doctrine which he held so dear, and you who are not saved can best assist me by believing the doctrine, and proving its truth in your own cases. May the Holy Ghost cause it to be so in hundreds of instances. I. First, let us inquire what is this faith? We are always talking about it; but what is it? Whenever I try to explain it, I am afraid lest I should confuse rather than expound. Story of Biinyan. There is a story told concerning John Bunyan's THE LUTHER SERMON. 247 " Pilgrim's Progress." Good Thomas Scott, the Commentator, wrote notes to it ; he thought the " Pilgrim's Progress " a difficult book, and he would make it clear. A pious cottager in his parish had the book, and she was reading it when her minister called. He said to her, " Oh, I see, you are reading Bunyan's * Pilgrim's Progress.' Do you understand it ? " She answered innocently enough, " Oh, yes, sir, I understand Mr. Bunyan very well, and I hope that one day I shall be able to understand your ex- planations." I am afraid lest you should say when I have done, "I understand what faith is, as I find it in the Bible, and one day, perhaps, I may be able to understand the preacher's explanation of it." Warned by this, I will speak as plainly as I can. And first, it is to be remembered that faith is not a mere creed-holding. It is very proper to say, " I be- lieve in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth," and so forth ; but you may repeat all that and be no " believer " in the Scriptural sense of that term. Though the creed be true, it may not be true to you ; it would have been the same to you if the opposite had been true, for you put the truth away like a paper in a pigeon-hole, and it has no efifect upon you. "A very proper doctrine," you say, "a very proper doctrine," and so you put it to sleep. It does not influence your heart, nor affect your life. Do not imagine that the professing an orthodox creed is the same thing as faith in Christ. A truthful creed is desirable for many reasons ; but if it be a 248 SERMONS AND LECTURES. dead, inoperative thing, it cannot bring salvation. Faith is belief of the truth ; but it is more. Important Distinction. Again, faith is not the mere belief that there is a God, thouofh that we must have, for we cannot come to God except we " believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." We are to believe in God — that he is good, blessed, true, right, and therefore to be trusted, confided in, and praised. Whatever he may do, whatever he may say, God is not to be suspected, but believed in. You know what it is to believe in a man, do you not ? to believe in a man so that you follow him, and confide in him, and accept his advice ? In that same way faith believes in God — not only believes that he is, but finds rest in his character, his Son, his promise, his covenant, his word, and everything about him. Faith livingly and lovingly trusts in her God about everything. Especially must we believe in what God has revealed in Scripture — that it is verily and indeed a sure and infallible testimony to be received without question. We accept the Father's witness concerning Jesus, and take heed thereto " as unto a light that shineth in a dark place." Faith has specially to believe in him who is the sum and substance of all this revelation, even Jesus Christ, who became God in human flesh that he might redeem our fallen nature from all the evils of sin, and raise it to eternal felicity. W^e believe in Christ, on Christ, and upon Christ ; accepting him because THE LUTHER SERMON. 249 of the record which God has given to us concern- ing his Son, that he is the propitiation for our sins. We accept God's unspeakable gift, and receive Jesus as our all in all. If I wanted to describe saving faith in one word, I should say that it is trust. It is so believing God and so believine in Christ that we trust ourselves and our eternal destinies in the hands of a reconciled God. II. In the second place we will consider, why faith IS SELECTED AS THE WAY OF SALVATION ? I would remind you that if we could not answer this question it would not matter ; for since the Lord has appointed believing as the way of grace it is not ours to challeno-e his choice. Beo^crars must not be choos- ers ; let us trust, if so the Lord ordains. No Help for Past Defects. But we can answer this question in a measure. First, it is clear that 7io other way is possible. It is not possible for us to be saved by our own merits, for we have broken the law already, and future obedience, being already due, cannot make up for past defects. " Could my tears for ever flow, Could my zeal no respite know, All for sin could not atone : Thou must save, and tliou alone." The road of good works is blocked up by our past sins, and it is sure to be further blocked up by future sins ; we ought therefore to rejoice that God has commended to us the open road of faith. 250 SERMONS AND LECTURES. God has chosen the way of faith that salvation might be by grace. If we had to do anything in order to save ourselves, we should be sure to impute a meas- ure of virtue to our own doings, or feehngs, or prayers, or almsofiviuCTs, and we should thus detract from the pure grace of God. But salvation comes from God as a pure favor — an act of undeserved generosity and benevolence, and the Lord will, therefore, only put it into the hand of faith since faith arrogfates nothinof to herself. Faith, in fact, disowns all idea of merit, and the Lord of grace therefore elects to place the treasure of his love in the hand of faith. Pride Crucified. Again, it is of faith that thei^e may be no boasting ; for if our salvation be of our doingrs or feelingfs, we are sure to boast ; but, if it be of faith, we cannot glory in self. " Where is boasting then ? It is ex- cluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith." Faith is humble, and ascribes all praise to God. Faith is truthful, and confesses her obligation to the sovereio^n orrace of God. I bless the Lord that he has chosen this way of faith, because zV e'j- so suitable for poor sinners. Some among us to-night would never have been saved if salvation had only been prepared for the good and righteous. Suppose that you were in the last article of death, what good works could you do ? Yonder dying thief found it a happy thing that by faith he could trust the Crucified One, and before set of sun could be with him in Paradise. Faith is a way suitable THE LUTHER SERMON. 261 for sinners, and especially for sinners who are soon to die ; in some sense we are all in that condition, and some of us peradventure are especially so ; for what man among us knows that he will see to-morrow's dawn? I bless God again that the way of salvation is by faith, because it is a way open to the most unleaimed. What fine theology we get nowadays — deep thinking they call it. The men go down so deep into their subjects, and so stir the mud at the bottom, that you cannot see them and they cannot see themselves. I apprehend that teachers of a certain school do not themselves know what they are talking about. Now, if salvation were only to be learned by reading through huge folios, what would become of multitudes of poor souls in Bow, and Bethnal Green, and Seven Dials? If the gospel had consisted of a mass of learning, how could the unlearned be saved ? But now we can go to each one of them and say, " Jesus died." " There is life in a look at the Crucified One ; There is life at this moment for thee." III. Now, I am going to finish in a way suitable to this Luther memorial. You have heard a great deal about 1 uther's preaching salvation by faith alone. Now LET us TURN TO Luther's LIFE, and see what Luther himself meant by it. What kind of faith did Luther himself exhibit by which he was justified ? First, in Luther's case, faith led him to an open avowal of what he believed. Luther did not mean to go up to heaven by the back stairs, as many young 252 SERMONS AND LECTURES. men hope to do. You wish to be Christians on the sly, so as to escape the offence of the cross. Luther did not refuse to confess Christ and take up his cross and follow him. He knew that he who with his heart believeth, must also with his mouth make confession, and he did so right nobly. He began teaching and preaching the truth which had enlightened his own soul. One of his sermons displeased Duke George of Saxony ; but as it saved a lady of high rank Luther did not fret. He was not the man to conceal truth because it was dangerous to avow it. It cost him something to stand up boldly for a pure and simple gospel, but he believed the testimony he gave was worth much more than it cost. "Without Money and Without Price." The river of life is as free as any river that flows to the sea, and all the world may stoop down and drink. Luther wished the people to have free access to the Bible. He was not always excessively polite in his speech ; he was too earnest for that. He spoke from the heart, he was all on fire, and his words were heated sevenfold. " without money and without price," and he did not conceal his convictions. He nailed his theses to the church door where all might read them. When astronomers require a new constellation in the heavens let it be "the hammer and nails." O you who make no profession, let this man's outspoken faith rebuke you ! His dauntless valor for truth caused him to be THE LUTHER SERMON. 253 g^reatly hated in his own day with a ferocity which has not yet died out. It has always been so, and always will be so. Light has no fellowship with darkness ; oil and water will not unite ; there is no concord be- tween Christ and Belial. Yet Luther would not sac- rifice his convictions for the sake of the applause of men. Feeling that he was right he went ahead, and did not stop to count the consequences. Ridicule, mal- ice, even the dark dungeon could not turn him aside, nor daunt his holy courage. Appeal to Youug- Men. Young men, I do not know what your ambition may be ; but I hope you do not wish to be in this world mere chips in the porridge, giving forth no flavor whatever. My ambition does not run in that line. I know that if I have no intense haters, I can have no intense lovers ; and I am prepared to have both. When right-hearted men see honest love of truth in a man, they cry, " He is our brother. Let him be our champion." When the wrong-hearted reply, " Down with him !" we thank them for the unconscious homage which they thus pay to decision of character. No child of God should court the world's approbation. Certainly Luther did not. He pleased God, and that was enough for him. His faith was of this kind also — that it moved him to a hearty reverence for what he believed to be Holy Scripture. I am sorry that he was not always wise in his judgment of what the Bible contains ; but yet to him Scripture was the last court of appeal. If any had 254 LECTURES AND SERMONS. convinced Luther of error out of that book, he would gladly have retracted ; but that was not their plan, they simply said, " He is a heretic : condemn him or make him retract." A Fool for a Client. To this he never yielded for an instant. Alas, in this age numbers of men are setting up to be their own inspired writers. I have been told that every man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client ; and I am inclined to think that, when any man sets up to be his own Saviour and his own revelation, much the same thinor occurs. That conceited idea is in the air at this present : every man is excogitating his own Bible. Not so Luther. He loved the sacred book ! He fought by its help. It was his battle-axe and his weapon of war. A text of Scripture fired his soul ; but the words of tradition he rejected. He would not yield to Melancthon, or Zwingle, or Calvin, or whoever it might be, however learned or pious ; he took his own personal faith to the Scripture, and according to his light he followed the word of the Lord. May many a Luther be in this place ! The next thing I note was the intense activity of his faith. Luther did not believe in God doing his own work, so as to lie by in idleness himself. Not a bit of it. A disciple once said to Mahomet, " I am going to turn my camel loose, and trust in providence." " No," said Mahomet, "trust in providence, but tie up your camel carefully." This resembled Oliver Cromwell's Puritan precept, " Trust in God, but keep your powder THE LUTHER SERMON. 255 dry." Luther believed above most men in keeping his powder dry. How he worked ! By pen, by mouth, by hand ; he was energetic almost beyond belief. Many Men in One. He seemed a many-handed man. He did works which would have taxed the strength of hundreds of smaller men. He worked as if everything depended upon his own activity, and then he fell back in holy trust upon God as though he had done nothing. This is the kind of faith which saves a man both in this life and in that which is to come. Again, Luthe7'-''s faith abounded in pi^ayer. What supplications they were ! Those who heard them tell us of his tears, his wrestlings, his holy arguments. He would go into his closet heavy at heart, and remain there an hour or two, and then come forth singing, "I have conquered, I have conquered." "Ah," said he one day, " I have so much to do to-day that I cannot get through it with less than three hours' prayer." I thought he was going to say, " I cannot afford to give even a quarter of an hour to prayer ; " but he increased his prayer as he increased his labor. This is the faith that saves — a faith that lays hold on God and prevails with him in private supplication. Dukes could not Stop Him. His was a faith that delivered him entirely from the fear of man. Duke George is going to stop him. " Is he?" said Luther. "If it were to rain Duke Georges I would go." He is exhorted not to go to Worms, for he will be in danger. If there were as many devils in 256 SERMONS AND LECTURES. Worms as there are tiles on the house-tops he would be there. And he was there, as you all know, playing the man for the gospel and for his God. He committed himself to no man, but kept his faith in God pure and unmingled. Dukes, emperors, doctors, electors were all as nothing to Luther when they stood against the Lord. Be it so with us also. His was a faith that made him risk all for the truth. There seemed no hope of his ever coming back from Worms alive. He was pretty sure to be burned like John Huss ; and the wonder is that he escaped. His very daring brought him safety from peril. He ex- pressed his regret that the crown of martyrdom would, in all probability, be missed by him ; but the faith which is prepared to die for Jesus was within him. He who in such a case saves his live shall lose it, but he that loses his life for Christ's sake shall find it unto life eternal. Relig-ion in a Glass Case. This was the faith that made Luther a man among men, and saved him from priestly affectation. I do not know whether you admire what is thought to be very superior religion : it is a thing of beauty, but not of use ; it ought always to be kept in a glass case ; it is made up for drawing-rooms and religious meetings, but would be out of place in a shop or on a farm. Now, Luther's religion was with him at home, at the table as well as in the pulpit. His religion was part and parcel of his common life, and that life was free, open, bold, and unrestraine