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«• »,;

UFE A N D WORKS

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURGE0N

BEING A

Graphic Account of the Greatest Preacher
of Modern Times:

His Boyhood and Early Life; Wonderful Success in London;

Preaching to V&st 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 NORTHROP, D. D..

Author of " Earth. Sea and Sky," " Beautiful Genu," etc., etc.

Embellished with Numerous Fine Illustrations.

BRADLEY, GARRETSON & CO.,

BR.ANIFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA.

wmm

■wj

.:^*

Entered according to Act of Cong;ress, in the 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
brilliant 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 writings.

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;
jhe was a sunny, genial, witty, great-hearted man. He
[was bold as Luther or Knox, yet possessed deep sym-
)athies, fiery zeal, loving charity, and carried on manv
interprises for the welfare of the poor and unfortb-
late. This work describes his College, where hun-
Ireds of poor young men were educated, and his
Orphanage, which sheltered thousands of homeless
:hildren.

(iii)

rr FREFAOE.

His last, lingering illness; the reilgious 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
fepoke, the myriads of souls he moved, the grand bat*
tie he fought and the brilliant achievements which
canoot die.

CONTENTS.

book: I.

CHAPTER I.
Birth and Ancestry.

World'wide Fame.--Unprecedented Success.— The Great Preftcikw's Av
cestors. — Good Old Grandfather. — Pen>picture of a Cottittiy Minuter.-*
Buckled Shoes and Silk Stockings. — ^John, Father of Charles. — A Good
Mother. — Reply of ** Charley " to his Mother. — Countty Boyi. — Hooie-
hold Influence. — Thirst for Knowledge. — An Industrious Youth.— A
Remarkable Prophecy. — ^" Old Bonner"

CHAPTER 11.
Mr. Spnrgeon's Account of his ConTerslon and Early

Preachingr.

A Desponding Penitent.— Visit to a Primitive Methodist Chapel.—" Look,
Look I "—Preaching in the Old Place.— Happy Days Light in Dark-
ness. — Profession of Faith. — Mission Work. — Boy Preacher.— The Firrt
Sermon.-^Cottage and Open-air Services. — Escaping College.— Poem .

CHAPTER IIL
The Young- Preacher in liondon.

Speech at Cambridge.— Invitation to London. — ^Willing Hearers.- Interest-
ing Letters to New Park Street Church. — Visitation of Cholera. — Labors
among the Dying. — Publicition 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 . . •

CHAPTER IV.
A Wife and a New Tahemacle.

Mr. Spurgeon*M Marriager— T\i\relve Sennpn* Weekly.— Not an AiMde<—

CONTENTS.

tMOM

Surrey Gardens Mustc Hall.— The Great Metropolitan Tabernacle. —
Praying among Bricks and Mortar.— Preaching to the Aristocracy. — Note
from Mr. Gladatone. — Offer from an American Lecture Bureau.— How the
Preacher Appeared in his Pulpit.— Pastors' College.— >Poem Addressed to
Mrs. Spurgeon.— Revivals and Colpoitage.— Tallc of Founding • New
Sect— A^sit to Paris.— Preaching to Coster-mongers • t • • |l

CHAPTER V.
Successful Labors.

Orphan Houses. — Impressive Spectacle. — " On my Back.** — Liberal Gifts.—
Illness of Mrs. Spurgeon.— Silly Tales.—*' A Black Business.'*- Ldd
Aside by Illness.— New Year's Letter. — ^The Pastor Prostrate. — Discus*
rion Concerning Future Punishment. — The Bible and Public Schools.—
A Victim to Gout.— Visit to the Continent.— Pastors' College.— Tngather-
ingsat the Tabernacle. — Colored Jubilee Singers. — Pointed Preaching.-^
Great Missionary Meeting. — A New Corner-Stone . . • . • f*

CHAPTER VI.
The Pastors' Collegre.

The First Student. — Call for Preachers to the Masses. — A Faithful Instructor.
— Growth of the College. — Efforts to Secure Funds. — Generous GiAs.—
Unknown Benefactor. — Provision for Students.— Opinion of Earl Shaftes*
bary.-.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 HI

CHAPTER VII.

Stockwell Orphanage.

A. Large Gift.— New Home for Children.— Process of Building.— Laying
the Comer-Stone.— The Little Ones Happy.— Generous Givers.— Daily
Life in the Orphanage.— What Becomes of the Boys. — Rules of Admis-
non. — ^Not a Sectarian Institution,— Successful Anniversary . • , »4»

_-■«%»■■

OONTBNnL vH

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 Resist. — Young Choristers. — Spontaneous Charity. — A NoUbli
Year. — Enlarging the Bounds. — Girls' Orphanage. — Liberal Response if
Appeals for Help.— The ^ -.iracle of Faith and Labor • • • « 69

CHAPTER IX.
The Great Preacher's Last Ilhiess and Death.

Alarming Reports. — Messages of Sympathy. — Cheering Words from th«
Christian Endeavor Convention of the United States. — Message from
International Congregational Council. — Letters from the Prince of Wales
and Mr. Gladstone. — Kays of Hope. — Anxiety and Fervent Prayers.—
Glowing Eulogies. — Removal to Mentone. — Unfavorable Reports. — The
Closing Scene. — Immense Literary Labors • • • • . •If

Sermons and I«ectares by Rev. C^ XL

Spui^eon.

Hands Full of Honey 193

Glory •••••319

The Luther Sermon at Exeter-Hall . • • • • 144

The Best War-Cry 361

Lecture on Candles ....••••. aSy

▼ai CONTENTS.

Lecture to Studeuta on the Blind Kye aiul Deat' Ear . 3^4
Short Scrmou8 on Practical Subjects 3S>

Choice Selections Urom the WiitlnsA of
Rev* C. H. Spurseon.

John Plof ffhman'H Talk and Pictures 3^1

Feathers for Arrows, or Life Thoughts of Rev. C. H.
SpuTgeon 447

a»ibutestoBev. O. H. SpursreoB 4^

BOOK I.

I(eY. Cli&^rle$ H. Spur^eon :

THE STORY OP HIS LIFE AND LABORS.

CHAPTER I.

Birth and Ancestry.

World-widfi Fame. — Uiipfv^^i dented Success. — The Great Preacher*! At>. esfi.ii.
— Good Old Orandfather. — Pen-picture of a Country Minister. — liuultled
Shoes and Silk Stockings. — John, Father of Charles. — A (Jood Molhei.--
Reply of " Charley " to his Mother. — Country Boys.— Household Influcace.
— 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 multitudes 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 in
Paternoster Row, to Mr. John Spurgeon, a descendant

2 (17)

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

/■ I-

-I

of the Norwich branch of the family; and on com-
paring notes of their respective ancestorL, 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.

he succeeded so far, tlttt in September, 1806, he was
appointed pastor, ai^ 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 pastoif
and people induced him to decline them all, and he
remained true to the people of his choice.

Pen-pictiire of a Country 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 practic?^ in preaching
the glorious truths of the gospel. The great useful-

T-

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

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 good will of his neighbors,
md he was as friendly with the parochial clergymen
as 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

BIRTH AND ANCESTRT.

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
aever forget his joy and peace, and the glorious pros*
pect he had of heaven.

The Senior Spurgreon..

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 life. 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 wis
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

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 locaHty, 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. Mrs. John
Spurgeon has passed to her 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.

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-

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 Country 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 t .vo 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 teachin":
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 designative 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.

iff

li-

REV. JAMES A. SPURGEON. CO-PASTOk.

2{»

RKV. CHARLES U. SrURGEON.

IIouHchold Nurture.

As the children were growing up, the father, like
many professional and public men, feared his frequent
absence from home would interfere with the religious
education of the little ones. But happily for him lie
had a true helpmeet to co-operate with him in this
important work, and happily fomhose 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

toiling for the good 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

quietly 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 Diligrent 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 ANCESTKT.

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
13onner " 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 a!i around. He
would astonish the grave deacons and matrons who
met at his grandfather's house on Sabbath evenings,
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 years
old, seeing a person in the village who made a pro-
fession of religion standing 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 1S41 he returned to his father's house, which
was tiien 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 ^^ was just ten years old, an incident
occurred which had a material influence on the boy

REV. CHARLES B. SPURGEON.

at the time, and even more so as Divine Providence

opened h\^ 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 PiiKzllng Que8tlon.

" 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 venerable 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

BIKTU AND ANCESTRT.

season. Questions of the like simple and natural
eharacter would frequently break up into para<jraphs
at the family Bible-reading, and had there not been a
world of love and license allowed to the ''nquisitive
reader, he would soon have been deposed *'rom 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 BreakfaRt.

On one of these casions Mr. Knill, whose name
is a household word, 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 gold 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,

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 morning 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.

Singriilar Prophecy.

But he did not leave till he had uttered a mi 6t
remarkable prophecy. After even morv: earnrst
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 souU.
bo sure am I of this, that when my little man preaches
in Rowland Hill's chapel, as he will do one day, I

BIRTH A\t ANCESTRY.

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
hdp 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

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."

«*01d 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

BIBTH AND ANCESTRY.

exhibited a marked attachment to those who were'
known as the children of God.

Four years of the boy's life 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 vvas
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 gospel I mean by
(84)

CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING.

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 Seekingr.

I went again another day, and the text was some-
thing about the glories of the righteous : nothing 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 might 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 might be
saved, and if they made my head ache ever so much

BEV^ €HJLRLES H. SFUROEON.

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 he knew 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 IiOok.»'

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
sf'i'i' *n^'* not know how to preach.

Preaching: in the Old Place.

Cv! \"'l' ii, 1864, the pastor of the Metropolitan

Tabernacle preached a sermon to five hundred hearers

CX)NVERSTCV AND EARLY PREACHING.

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 sitting 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 I
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 fo be safe and happy ;
then I found out the secret of living; and had a

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, ? joyful
heart, and overflowing spirits, I plead with him to con-
sider whether he will not follow my example, for I
speak from experience."

I>awii 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,
Apd shall be till I d^^.'

CONVERSION AND EARLY PREACHING.

I shall never forget that day while memory holds its
place ; nor can I help repeating this text whenever I
remember that hour ^vhen first I knew the Lord.
How strangely gracii)us ! How wonderfully and
marvellously kind, that he who heard these words so
litde 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 letters 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 frop
what his parents had adopted. Having experience-
a change of heart, he felt it to be laid upon nim as an
imperative duty to make a full and public confession
of the change by public baptism.

He had united himself formally with the Baptist
p-eople the year before ; now he felt constrained to

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

I !fl

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 satisfiea
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 good. Besides having 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,

f "" ■ I' I II nmAMI"> * tVf..'."i,«J,m " ' ■11 ^'" "' ■ W^H ^' ■ "WI ' W

KEV. JOHN SI'URGEON, FATHER OF C. H. SrUKCiEOiN.

t
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CONVERSION AND BARLY PREACIIINO.

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 sjn'nt 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 lull 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
the 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

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 villacre of
Tp.versham, 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 bkss him
in his labors. * Oh, dear,' said he, * I never preached
in my life ; I n er 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 woqld happen. When we found

I sup-
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ached

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thing.

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hope

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in a
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(a)

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEOK.

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.

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 litde 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

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

there, the church members were increased from forty
to nearly one hundred.

Pastorate at Waterbeach.

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 Waterbeacii, 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 carriage 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 weight as
Paul's words came to Timothy. He bade us study
hard, and keep abreast of the foremost Christians in
our little 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-

GONYERSION AND EARLY PREACHING.

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 bo
more useful with it

BEV. CHARLES H. SPURGEOK.

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 hiiv iiig had her perfect work, the
bell was set in 'rotion, and on the arrival of the
servant, the waiting yo^^ng 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 ihanked the Lord
very heartily for the strange providence which forced
my steps into another and far better path.

Strang-e 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.

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, * Seeker>t 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 Turiiingr 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

(

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

hav«: all along had an aversion to cf»llege, and nothing
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 glad that I never went to college. 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 havo all that heart can
wish for ; yea, God giveth more than my desire. . My
congregation is as great and loving as ever. During
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.

preparing his young servant for greater plans of use-
fulness and a wider sphere of action.

The following stanzas were written by Mt. Spur-
geon, at the age of eighteen :

IMMANUEL.

When once I mourned a load of sin ;

When conscience felt a wound within ;

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 gaj)e 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 anows 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 flowj
When in the deep'ning flood I sink ;
When friends stand weeping on the briakt

I'll mingle with my last farewell

Thy lovely name, Immanuel.

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

i \

When tears are banished from mine eye ;

When fairer worlds than these are nigh ;

When heaven shall (ill my ravislied sight;

When I shall batlie in sweet delight,
One joy all joys shall far excel,
To see Thy face, Immanuel.

C U. SPURGEON AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-OMM.

(68)

CHAPTER III.

The Young Preacher in London.

i»j/Bech 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.

1 HE 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 signin^
cance. There was nothing in his manner or his re-
marks which was specially 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 ai that meeting a gentleman from Essex, on
whose mind the address delivered 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,
Southwaik, 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 dtmin-
(54)

THE TOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON.

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 Watcrbeach as a minister likely
c the means of reviving interest in the declining
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

ie the arrangements. The motto of Julius Csesar
i..^y be 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 disappoint*^'^ ; others resolved to

REV. CHARLES H. SPtiRGEON.

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 following letters
was written to Deacon Low shortly before Mr. Spur-
geon left Cambridge, 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.

ter pro-

n a few
congre-
iriosity,
jnusual
i^ited to
ossible,
1 it re-
ith his
he New
s days,
greatly
urgeon
•espon-
Baptist

ential ;

April,

geon's
itment,

to his
letters

Spur-
Dm his
irrival

xhibit

from

;5
o
w
o

fa
o

w
u

H
Pi

1lil !

THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON.

No. 60 Park Street, Cambrifge, Jan. 27, 185^

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 rather 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

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

II Jill

matter, when I say positively that I cannot — I dare not
— accept an unqualified 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
fortnight'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.

lare not
a time,
jbation,
:h to a
s them
)ply for
he cun-
reserve
lent, to
right to
Jhould I
11 retain
months,
ler invi-
lonths I
in case
Die to a

t know ;
ould be
pularity
pire. I
help.
lUst not.
lish the
mply,—
a delay.
s, which
s I have
V me to

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
again 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 you, 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 New 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-

REV. 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
• X plain 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 Hi«
choice.

THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON.

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«

REV. CHAALES H. SPURGi^OK.

pired the fame of the young minister had spread over
the metropolis, 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
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 frbm 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. F'amily 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
disiri'^t by persons of all ranks and religions. I be-

THE YOUNG PREACHER IN LONDON.

came weary in body and sick at heart. My friends
seemed falling one by one, and I felt or fancied that I
was sickening like those around me. A little more
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 locrtc 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."

Publishingr 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

«EV. CHARLES II. SPURGEON.

Time," and had a large sale. This led the publisher
shordy afterwards to print another of his sermons,
under the tide 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 qf 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.

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. Ji>dging 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.
Amongst 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

•■,.{.

REY. CHARLES H. SPUKGEON.

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
enlarged. During the enlargement, 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 the
public.

Twenty-first Birtlulay.

On the 19th of June, 1855, Mr. Spurgeon came of
age, and he improved the occasion by preaching a ser-
mon relating thereto. A large congregation heard it,
and it was printed with an excellent likeness of the
young preacher, pale and tliin 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 publica-
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

TIIK YOUNG rKKACUEK IN LONDON.

show a clear ami sound judgment on many public
events passiii;^ more than twenty years ago, and they
are the first biiddin*'-s of that ir<^nius 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 larofe amount of jjood. 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 :

" 1 call remember the time when my sins first stared
ii(! in the face. I thought myself the most accursed
of all m. n. I had not committed any very great open
t' iiisgression against God ; but I recollected that I had
been well trained and tutored, and ! thought my sins
were thus greater than other people's. I cried to God

REV. CHARLES II. Sl'UKGKON.

•

' n I

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 v/as a worse
world after this, and that it would be an ill matter to
rush before my Maker unprepared. At times 1
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 thit 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 yo 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 f und
it was only to /ook. I thought I hadagarnent to spin
out for myself; but T found that if I looked, Christ
could give me a garment. Lool:, sinner, that is the
way to be saved. Look unto llim, all ye ends of the
earth, and be saved."

Preachinv 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.

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
jrood which had been effected by reading them. Ot\
one of Mr. Spurgeon's visits to Scotland 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, little thinking that
in her mountain solitude, and in her ninedeth 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,

Tidin.ars of Good Done.
In the first article 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
VVatchnJght 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

REV. CHARLES H. SPUKGEON.

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.

lis man-

A Wife and a New Tabernacle.

Mr. Spurgcon'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 Fulpit. — Pastors' College. — Poem addressed to Mrs. Spur-
geon. — Revivals and Coiportage. — 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 delighting large 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. Spurgeor 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)

REV. CIIAliLES II. SPURG30N.

ging zeal. In the achievement of such herculean tasTcs
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 failinos 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.

Preachiiig" 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 Gard(Mis 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 welhiigh put an end
to the laree Sabbath trathcrinofs drawn to hear Mr.
Spurgeon ; but that fatality was overruled for good.

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A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

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

strong man.

SURREY MUSIC HALL.

In October, 1856, the first meeting was held lor
considering the steps necessary to be taken for erect-
ing a great Tabernacle. The proposal was very
heartily taken up by Mr. Spurg eon's friends and in

KEY. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

h I

Hill

'a a I

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' '' 111'!

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 tc
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 Mcetiiigf.

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, surround- i 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 laro^e and enthusiastic meetinor was held
In the building before it was finished, at whicli 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.

KEV. 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 jfii 55,000 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 Cong^regratioiis.

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 begun has had its full reward
in results even greater than ever had been anticipated.

When the church removed from New Park Street,
in 1 861, 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.

Sutherland, Lord Carlisle, Earl of Elgin, Baron
Ikamwell, 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 cpngregation, 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,
hut 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

REV. CHARLES U. SrUKOEON.

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 renienibered had so deeply
impressed his own mind as that he had witnessed and
participated in that morning; adding, that when he
had retired attain 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 <jreater than
that of the great and good traveller.

No Time To Ijectiirc in Aiiiericii.

Mr. Spurgeon has often been invited to lecture in
this country, but has always declined. The managers
of the Redpath Lyceum Bureau having noticed a
paragraph in the Boston papers stating that Mr. Spur-
geon was about to visit the United States, enclosed it
to him and wrote as follows :

Boston, Mass., June 22, 1876.

Dear Sir, — Is the above paragraph true ? We have
tried so long and so hard for many years to secure you

A WIKK AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

that we thoiiij^ht it im|)()ssibl{^ and lon<^ since gave up
all hope. We are the exclusive agents of all the lead-
ing lecturers in America. We will give you a thousand
dollars in gold for every lecture you deliver in America,
and pay all your expenses to and from your home, and
place you under the most popular auspices in the
( ountry. Will you come ?

To this invitation Mr. Spurgeon returned the follow-
ing reply : —

Clai'Ham, L(ind()N, England, July 6.

Gentlemen, — I cannot imagine how such a para-
graph should appear in your papers, except by
c'eliberate invention of a hard-up editor, for I never
had any idea of leaving home for America for some
time to come. As I said to you before, if I could come, I
am not a lecturer, nor wotdd I receive money for
preaching.

In the year 1857 M^* Spurgeon preached two ser-
mons — one in the ordinary course of his ministrations,
the other on a special occasion — both of which com-
manded a sale of more than a hundred thousand
copies. The first, preached in the autumn, was en-
titled " India's Ills and England's Sorrows," and had
reference to the mutiny In India. The second was
preached In the Crystal Palace at Sydenham on the
fast day relating to the war in India, when probably
not less than twenty thousand formed the preacher's
audience.

it f

I ■ ■ 1 1

y: 1 I

REV. CIlAliI.ES II. SrUKGEON.

Marvellous Gifts.

It will doubtless interest many to learn something
of the personal appearance of the preacher as he
stood before that vast audience. One who had some
skill in depicting- natural life wrote of him as follows :

" He is of medium height, at present quite stout,
has a round and beardless face, not a high forehead,
dark hair, parted in the centre of the head. His ap-
pearance in the pulpit may be said to be interestirtg
radier than commanding. He betrays his youth, and
still wears a boyish countenance. His figure is awk-
ward — his manners are plain — his face (exce^Jt when
illumined by a smile) is admitted to be heavy. His
voice Seems to be the only personal instrument he
possesses, by which he is enabled to acquire such a
marvellous power over the minds and hearts of his
hearers. His voice is powerful, rich, melodious, and
under perfect control. Twelve thousand have dis-
tinctly heard every sentence he uttered in the open
air, and this powerful instrument carried his burning
words to r?.ii audience of twenty thousand gathered in
the Crystal Palace. * Soon as he commences to
speak,' ^r\ys an English critic, * tones of richest melody
are heard. A voice, full, sweet, and musical, falls on
every ear, and awakens agreeable emotions in every
soul in which there is a sympathy for sounds. That
most excellent of voices is under perfect control, and
can whisper or thunder at the wish of its possessor."

"Then there is poetry in every feature and every
movement, as well as music in the voice. The coun-

A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

tenan^e speaks, the entire form sympatliizes. The
action is in complete unison with the sentiments, arid
the eye listens scarcely less than the ear to ihe
sweetly flowing oratory.' To the influence of this
powerful voice he adds that of a manner character-
ized by great freedom and fearlessness, intensely
earnest, and strikingly natural. When to these we
add the influence of thrilling description, touching
anecdote, sparkling wit, starding episodes, striking
similes, all used to illustrate and enforce the deep,
earnest home-tiuths of the Bible, we surely have a
combination of elements which must make up a
preacher of wonderful attraction and of marvellous
power."

Pastors* College.

Amidst his incessant duties and almost daily jour-
neys and sermons, the devoted pastor still found time
to give instruction to the young men he kept under
his careful ministry. With Mr. Spurgeon it was work
almost night and day, and all day long, with but little
intermission, for several years in succession. The
orerms of what is now known as Pastors' Colleofe were
never absent from his mind, and frequently occupied
his attention' when in London. In 1857 the first
student was sent out in charge of a cluirch ; in 1858
Mr. Silverton went forth; in 1859 Mr. Davies and
Mr. Genders followed, both of whom have left their
mark on society.

Cn Jan. i, 1865, appeared the first number of" The
Sword and the Trowel;" a record of combat with

REV. CHARLES II. SPUKGEON.

sin, and labor for the Lord. It had an ornamental cover
representing a Jewish doorway of stone, and beyond
and within were seen the zealous Jews at work re
building the walls of Jeiusalem, tlie sword in one
hand, the trowel in the other. The work was so
wisely planned, and it has been so ably conducted, that
it now occupies a prominent, if not a foremost place
amongst the periodical literature of the land, and has
a circulation of several thousand copies monthly, with
a steady advancement.

Literary Ijiibors.

Besides the other works daily undertaken by Mr.
Spurgeon himself, and all his journeys in the country
to preach special sermons, he found time to write no
less than nineteen articles for the first year's volume
of his magazine. At the end of the year the editor
was ill at home, but he informed his friends, through
the magazine, that he had finished writing his new
book, " Morning by Morning," by which means he
hoped to hold hallowed communion with thousands
of families all over the world, every morning at the
family altar. He has since added to it a companion
volume, " Evening by Evening," both of which works
have had a large sale. Amongst his articles in 1865
were two poems, one entitled " The Fall of Jericho ; "
the other will find a fitting [)lace in these pages. It
was written while on a visit to Hull, in Yorkshire,
during the summer, and tenderly expresses the young
pastor's love to his wife.

A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

MARRIED LOVE— TO MY WIFE.

Over the space that parts us, my wife,

I'll cast me a bridge of song,
Our hearts shall meet, O joy of my life,

On its arch unseen, but strong.

The wooer his new love's name may wear

Engraved on a precious stone ;
But in my heart thine image I wear,

That heart has long been thine own.

The glowing colors on surface laid,

Wash out in a shower of rain ;
Thou need'st not be of rivers afraid,

For my love is dyed ingrain.

And as every drop of Garda's lake

Is tinged with sapphire's blue,
So all the powers of my mind partake

Oi joy at the thought of you.

The glittering dewdrops of dawning love

Exhale as the day grows old.
And fondness, taking the wings of a dove.

Is gone like a tale of old.

But mine for thee, from the chambers of joy,
With strength came forth as the sun,

Nor life nor death shall its force destroy,
Forever its course shall run.

All earth-born love must sleep in the grave,

To it ■ native dust return ;
What God hath kindled shall death out-brave.

And in heaven itself shall burn.

Beyond and above the wedlock tie

Our union to Christ we feel ;
Uniting bonds which were made on high,

Shall hold us when earth shall reel.

iNv

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

Though He who chose us all worlds before.
Must nign in our hearts alone,

We fondly lielieve that we shall adore
Together before His throne.

si 'A
V %
I! 'i

, ;

During the year 1865 Mr. Spurgeon held in the

Fabernacle united meetings for prayer through one

entire week, attended by over six thousand persons,

which were a sourccof so much blessing to those

attending them that a second series followed a month

later.

Revival Services.

Conscious of the power of prayer the pastor com-
menced the year 1866 with a month's continuous re-
vival services, at which one hundred md twenty minis-
ters and students were present. Knowing that he
should have the sympathy and co operation of his
church in conducting them, in September the whole
church had a day of fasting and prayer.

An important work, which had for a long time
occupied Mr. Spurgeon's attention, was brought out
this year, under the title of '' Our Own Hymn Book."
The preparation of a new collection of psalms and
hymns for congregational use was felt to be an urgent
necessity, but there was a nervous fear about the suc-
cess of such a work. It was prepared with great care,
and no pains were spared to make it complete in
every respect, giving correct text, author's name to
each hymn, with date of first publication, and other
interesting particulars in the large edition of the book.
The public at once saw the value of the collection,

A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

and since that time it has had a very large sale, having
been adopted by and is now in use in scores if not
hundreds of congregations.

ColportJiffe Association.

As a student of the times in which Puritanism began
to take hold of the mind of the English people, Mr.
Spurgeon knew how great a work was accomplished
by the Nonconformists by book hawking. He had
learned by several visits to Scotland how useful and
valuable that agency was in the north of England.
He therefore, in January, 1866, issued a circular stat-
ing his intention to establish a system of colportage,
by which his sermons and other works of a moral and
religious character might be more widely distributed.

At first it was intended to be confined to London
and the neglected villages and small country towns
around, where access to religious literature was diffi-
cult. The result of the appeal made in January led to
the formation of The Colportage Association in
October, which has ever since been one of the impor-
tant agencies of the Tabernacle, and which is every
year increasing its operations and usefulness. It
employs colporteurs, whose whole time is directed to
the work, and who are paid a moderate salary ; also
book agents, who are constantly delivering books to
purchasers, for which service they receive a liberal
discount on sales, and by which they are enabled to
make a satisfactory living. The wisdom of the course
taken by Mr. Spurgeon in this matter has since been
abundantly demonstrated. That association has been

',.

■1

ii ]i

I i

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

a blessing^ to thousands, and has done a noble work
in very needy locaHties.

Not a Sectarian.

At this time there was a feehng abroad which mani-
fested itself in several articles in public papers, and
notably in a New York religious weekly, that Mr.
Spurgeon, by means of his College and the large num-
ber of new chapels being erected all over the land for
his students, was aiming at founding a sect, after the
example of Wesley. So soon as this notion reached
Mr. Spurgeon, he took the earliest opportunity of
repudiating the idea. In a short article entitled
'* Spurgeonism," he thus records his views:

"There is no word in the world so hateful to our
heart as that word Spurgeonism, and no thought fur-
ther from our soul than that of forminof a new sect.
Our course has been, and we hope ever will be, an
independent one ; but to charge us with separating
from the general organization of the religious world,
and even of the Baptist denomination, is to perpetrate
an unfounded libel. We preach no new gospel, we
desire no new objects, and follow them in no novel
spirit. We love Christ better than a sect, and truth
better than a party, and so far are not denomina-
tional ; but we are in open union with the Baptists for
the very reason that we cannot endure isolation. He
who searches all hearts knows that our aim and object
is not to gather a band around self, but to unite a
company around the Saviour. 'Let my name perish,
but let Christ's name last forever,' said George Whit-

A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

field; and so has Charles Spurgeon said a hundred
times.

We aid and assist the Baptist churches to the full
extent of our power, although we do net restrict our
enerc-ies to them alone, and in this those churches are
far enough from blaming us. Our joy and rejoicing
is o-reat in the fellowship of all believers, and the form
incr of a fresh sect is work which we leave to the devil,
whom it befits far more than ourselves. It is '..(i^
that it has long been in our power to commence a
new denomination, but it is not true that it has ever
been contemplated by us or our friends. V'"e desire
as much as possible to work with the existing agencies,
and when we commence new ones our friends must
believe that it is with no idea of organizing a fresh
community."

Work in Paris.

The closing days of the year 1866 Mr. Spurgeon
spent in Paris, in a successful effort to get the Baptist
church in that city brought out of an obscure corner,
in which property could not be respected, into.a place
of prominence, where there was hope of its becoming
known and being useful. This effort had long exer-
cised the mind of Pastor Spurgeon, and he had the
joy of seeing the work he aimed at fully accomplished.
He spent his Christmas in Paris, getting rest for him-
self and doing a good work for the Parisians.

Reinvigorated by his short trip to the Continent,
he returned to his duties at the Tabernacle with re-

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEOW.

ii '1j

newed energy and a stronger faith, having gained
fresh courage from his success in France.

The month of February, 1867, witnessed the usual
week of prayer, which that year was marked, on the
1 8th, by a whole day of fasting and prayer, commenc-
ing at seven in the morning and continuing, without a
pause or breaking up for meals, until nine at night—
a day of prayer, in which the Holy Spirit was mani-
festly present all day. The account of the services
held during that week reads like a new chapter of the
Acts of the Apostles.

Itcacliiiigr the Coiiiiiion People.

The readiness with which Mr. Spurgeon can adapt

himself to his audience, whether that audience consists
of the educated or affluent, the poor or the ignorant,
was never more distinctly seen than when, in the
Evangelists' Tabernacle, Golden Lane, City, he
preached to a congregation of costermongers. Mr.
Orsman, the missionary there, had distributed tickets
among the street dealers in Whitecross Street, so as
to secure the class for whom the service was intended.
An amusing article might be written to describe the
singulaf variety of countenances and callings of those
present. The hymns were heartily sung ; the prayer
'won the hearts of the audience when Mr. Spurgeon
• offered supplication for those who had bodily aches
and pains, and whose poverty deprived them of many
desired comforts ; many deep sighs followed those
prayers.

The sermon was preached from St. John iv. 1 5, and

A WIFE AND A NEW TABERNACLE.

it was illustrated by allusions to the habits aivd manner
of life of his congrej^ation, whose acuteness relished
the anecdotes and homely hits which the preacher so
freely used. A costermonger's living depends much
upon his voice. After the service the costers were
free in their commer.ts on the preacher's voice, which
was described as " Wot a woice ! " " Wonderful ! "
" Stunnin' ! " " I never ! " " Would make a fine coster ! "
etc. After the sermon about two hundred remained
to be prayed with, and much spiritual good was done
that night.

Great Assemblies in Agricultural Hall

Six years having elapsed since the Tabernacle was
opened, the building had suffered much from the
massive congregations which had assembled there,
and it became necessary to close it for several weeks
for repairs. During that period Mr. Spurgeon
preached to immense congregations in the Agricultural
Hall, Islington. The first of the five special services
was held on Sunday, March 24, 1867, when about
twelve thousand persons were present. The preacher's
delivery was slow, "measured, and emphatic; nothing
labored ; and his voice lost none of its accustomed
music. Many thousands heard the gospel at that
time who were not accustomed to attend any place of
worship. More than twenty thousand were in attend-
ance on the final day.

The heavy responsibilities which rested on the
pastor of the Tabernacle in the early part of the year
made it necessary for him to seek a little recreation,

J r

I
!

■I J

REV. CUAULES U. SPUKGEON,

and with that he blended a friendly service for his
esteemed friend Pastor Oncken, by preaching- for him
at tlie opening of his new Baptist church at Hamburg.
He included in his travels a visit to Heligoland, which
furnished for his ready and fertile pen most interesting
matter for au article, which contains information both
curious and v^Uiable, not to be found elsewhere.

CHAPTER V.
Successful Labors.

Orphan Houses. — Impressive Spectacle. — "On My Back." — Liberal Gifts. —
Illness of Mrs. Spuryeon. — Silly Tales. — "A Black Business." — Laid Aside
by Illness. — New Year's Letter. — The Pastor Prostrate. — Discussion Concern-
ing; Future Punishment. — The Bible and Public Schools. — A Victim to Gout.
— Visit to the Continent. — Pa.stors' College. — Ingatherings at the Tabernacle.
—Colored Jubilee Singers. — Pointed Preaching. — Great Missionary Meeting.
— A New Corner-stone.

Returning home, the industrious pastor found
abundance of important work awaiting him. During
the April previous the land had been secured* at
Stock well for the Orphan Houses. The work of
preparation for their erection had been so far advanced
that a great festival was arranged, and on Monday,
September 9, 1867, a party of .some four thousand
persons assembled at Stockwell, a large proportion
of the company being collectors; and it was part of
the programme for the foundation-stones of three of
the houses to be laid, and for the numerous collectors
to lay on the stones their respective contributions.
It was an auspicious day for Mr. Spurgeon, for his
deacons and church-members. A widely extended
interest had been felt in the work, and the occasion
became a grand holiday in that southern suburb of
London. Three of the houses were thus far advanced
in their progress, namely, the Silver Wedding House,

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BEY. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

the Merchants' House, and the Workmen's House.
The united sum the collectors laid upon the stones
amounted to eleven thousand dollars.

A Homo for Orphans.

The entire spectacle was both novel and touching.
Prayers were offered on the occasion, the influence of
which it is believed will be felt throughout all time
Appropriate hymns were sung, each ceremony being
conducted with verses specially prepared, the first of
which was as follows :

Accept, O Lord, toe grateful love

Which yields this house to Thee;
And on the Silver Wedding House

Let blessingr ever be.

It was announced at the close of the ceremony that
in addition to the one hundred thousand dollars given
by Mrs. Hillyard, the money in hand was then twenty-
seven thousand five hundred dollars. The assembly
returned home highly delighted with the service and
the glad tidings they had heard, whilst the pastor,
worn out with fatigue and anxiety, retired home to
rest.

The mental and physical strain of such heavy re-
sponsibilities was too much for Mr. Spurgeon, who
was soon after laid aside quite ill Although physically
prostrate, his mind was in active exercise ; and after
being a sufferer for two months, he wrote an article
for his magazine entitled, " On My Back," in which he
submissively said, that after two months of ill health
and severe pain, yet he believed there was a limit to

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

sicJrness, and that Jesus knew all about it, feeling
assured that the design of sickness was divinely good.
This long absence from the pulpit led to the appoint-
ment of his brother, James Archer Spurgeon, as co-
[)astor to the church at the Tabernacle, and he
olificially entered on those duties in January, 1868.

Bu8y Mritli Pen and Voice.

Although the year 1868 did not furnish occasion
for such important events as the preceding one, yet
was there much earnest work done by Mr. Spurgeon
at his Tabernacle. Not able to do so much physical
work, he used his pen very freely. He wrote two
articles for his maqrazine to advocate the claims of
the Colportage Association. In March he delivered
at the Tabernacle a lecture on "Our History and
Work," with Mr. W. McArthur, M.P., in the chair.
He also wrote an interestinof article relatin": incidents
in the life of his grandfather. In the month of May
he preached the Sermon to Young Men at Mr. Mar-
tin's Chapel, Westminster, on behalf of the London
Missionary Society — a service rendered the more
cheerfully, remembering, as he did, the prophetic
words of good Richard Knill, that he would preach
in the largest chapel in London. That was probably
the largest chapel he had preached in, excepting his
own. During the same month he spoke at the Break-
fast Meeting of the Congregational Union.

Generous Donations.

In the month of March a generous friend sent to
the pastor five thousand dollars for the College and

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

ii!

11 7

IIS

I ■'\

five thousand dollars for the Orphanage — such in-
stances of liberality amply testifying the high estima-
tion in which the noble enterprises of Mr. Spurgeon
were held by the public. On his birthday, June 19th,
a great meeting was held, and liberal contributions
made for the Orphanage.

Bright as are these spots in the life of the pastor,
and in his work at the Tabernacle and its belongings,
yet there hung over his home all the time a dark
shadow which Divine Providence saw fit to place there.
Mrs. Spurgeon had long been a great sufferer, and to
alleviate her sorrows, if possible, a very painful opera-
tion had to be undertaken. The most skilful surgeons
of the land were engaged, under the direction of Sir
James Simpson, of Edinburgh. Prayer was made
for her by the whole church, and, by the blessing of
God, the operation was so far successful that her
sufferings were alleviated and her life prolonged ; but
it has been a life of pain and weakness, though with
less of anguish.

A Jubilant Note.

A gratifying fact is recorded by Mr. Spurgeon this
year, who publicly acknowledges the kindness of Dr.
Palfrey, of Finsbury Square, for his gratuitous and
generous professional atte'idance on the poor members
of the Tabernacle.

At Christmastide, and at the opening of the year,
the claims of Mr. Spurgeon's benevolent agencies were
remembered by his many friends, who sent him of
their worldly substance with generous hands, so that

ich in-
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REV. CllARLKS H. SPUUGEON.

!!^

he commences the first number of " The Sword and
the Trowel " for 1869 with a most jubilant note : " Bless
the Lord, O my soul ! "

He also made the announcement that a gentleman
in Australia had written to say he intended to reprint
his sermons weekly in that far-off land, to give them
a yet wider circulation.

F'roiii the very commencement of his ministry
strange tales had been put into circulation by his
detractors, most of which Mr. Spurgeon passed by in
silence. Several very ludicrous speeches were
attributed to him soon after he became popular in
London. In the midst of his work, at the opening of
the year 1869, tire voice of the slanderer was again
heard, and many were troubling the busy pastor to
know how true were the statements in circulation re-
specting him.

Absurd Stories.

Ill reply to all these, unc'er the head of •' Silly Tales,"
he wrote in his majjazine : " Friends who write us about
silly tales may save themselves the trouble. We
have been enabled in our ministry and in our walk
before God so to act, through grace, that we have given
no occasion for the slanderers, save only that we have
kept the faith, and been very jealous for the Lord God
of Israel. Many of the absurd stories still retailed
everywhere are the very same libels which were re-
peated concerning Rowland Hill and others long gone
to their rest."

Having seen much of the folly too frequently

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

exhibited at funerals, he published his views, with the
apt title, " Funerals ; or a Black Business," in which,
after exposing the folly of using feathers and gold-
headed sticks in carrying a dead body to the grave, he
observes : " I would sooner be eaten by crows than
have pride and pomp feeding on my litde savings,
which are meant for my bereaved wife and children,
and not for unsuitable, untimely, and unholy show.

Nbw Pamc S-msn' Cii.

I have heard that more than four millions of money
arc squandered every year in funeral fopperies. The
money buys or hires silk scarfs, brass nails, feathers
for horses, kid gloves and gin for the mutes, and white
satin and black cloth for the worms. It seems to me
to be mighty fine nonsense, more for the pride of the
living than the honor of the dead, more for the profile,
of the undertaker than any one else/'

BEY. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

Attack of 8mall-poz.

In June of that year the first report of the Orphan-
age was issued, which plainly set forth how earnestly
the work had been carried on for it in having the
houses erected and in getting them furnished and
occupied. Twenty-nine boys were then in residence,
one of whom was the son of one of the workmen who
had assisted in building the Workmen's House, the
father having died after the house was erected.

Taking a short holiday in July, Mr. Spurgeon, ac-
companied by a friend, climbed the summit of Hind-
head, in the South of England, then paid a brief visit
to the Continent. Soon after his return home, in
October, he was entirely laid aside from pastoral work
by a slight attack of small-pox. His friends became
seriously anxious about him, and special prayer was
made again and again for his recovery. It came
slowly, but in anticipation thereof the first article in
the magazine for November was "A Sermon from a
Sick Preacher." Possessed of such mighty faith in
God, and with such indomitable courage. Pastor Spur-
geon found opportunities for doing good, whilst others
are considering what had best be done. He even
wrote directions " How to Bear Afifliction."

New Year's Letter.

During the progress of his recovery he wrote a
New Year's Letter to his ministering brethren, which
commences his magazine for 1870, in which, with much
affectionate earnestness, he urges them, even by special
means, if ordinary ones fail, to aim at the salvation of

SUCOESSFUCi LABORS.

the souls of their congregations, enforcing this duty
upon them by the example of the Ritualists, who are
zealous, working to spread their delusions, especially
amongst the poor, with whom they know how to
succeed by bribes of bread and clothing. He says he
writes as a sick man, but feels the urgency and im-
portance of soul-winning.

^ The prostrate condition of the pastor's health for
nearly three months made it necessary for him to
appeal with his pen for the aid of his friends in sus-
taining the benevolent works of the Tabernacle. In
March, 1870, his appeal took the following form :
" The pastorate of a church of four thousand members,
the direction of all its agencies^ the care of many
churches arising from the College work ; the selection,
education, and guidance in their settlements of the
students ; the oversight of the Orphanage, the editing
of a magazine, the production of numerous volumes,
the publication of a weekly sermon, an immense cor-
respondence, a fair share in public and denominational
action, and many other labors, besides the incessant
preaching of the Word, give us a right to ask of our
friends that we be not allowed to have an anxious
thought about the funds needed for our enterprises."

Future Punishment.

This remarkable picture of energy and activity will
scarcely be surpassed by any man living, if indeed it
can be equalled by more than one in a million, even
in this industrious age. But there were other duties
pressing on Mr. Spurgeon's mind at the time, w2u( h

.'t

m I

100

KEY. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

he could not throw off. For some months previously
a controversy had been warmly carried on in the
columns of the " Christian World " newspaper, advo-
cating a curious system of future punishment ending
in annihilation. The editor of the paper prohibited in
his columns the publication of any letters on the oppo-
site side, excepting only what Mr. Spurgeon might
write. Mr. Spurgeon wiote to the editor, pointing out
that his conduct was not quite frank, and declining
on his part to help the agitation, telling him that the
words of our Lord — "These shall go away into ever-
lasting punishment " — finally settled the point ; and
he held that the publication of views which are op-
posed to that declaration, and the views themselves,
were equally dangerous.

A Controversy.

Greatly were the funds of the college aided by the
lectures which its President gave from time to time on
its behalf. After one of his visits to Italy Mr. Spurgeon
delivered a very interesting and lively lecture on
" Rome, and what I saw and heard there.'* Some of
the reporters for the daily press — not a few of whom
are Jesuits — misrepresented some very material por-
tions of the lecture in their abridged account. Mr.
Spurgeon was obliged to defend himself; and what
he said against such insidious foes in the pages of his
own magazine led to another kindred topic being
brought before the public about the same time, when
these same reporters misled the public mind by apply-
ing to King Virtor Immanuel of Italy a prayer which

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

101

belonged only to Iminanuel, Victor over sin, the man
Christ Jesus.

In May, 1870, Mr. Spurgeon sent forth a new work
entitled " Feathers for Arrows," intended to supply
preachers and teachers with useful material for filling
up their sermons, lectures, and addresses. Ten thou-
sand copies of the book were sold in three months.

The Bible hi the Public Seli(>ol§.

The public mind was considerably agitated at that
time by the action of the School Board in reference-
to religious teaching in their schools ; some wanting
to exclude the reading of the Bible from them, and so
deprive the upgrowing population of the use of the
best book in the language. A large meeting was
held In Exeter Hall, in July, in defence of the Bible
being daily read in elementary schools. Mr. Spur-
geon took the chair on the occasion. The result of
the meeting was, the Bible retains its place as a daily
school book. The wisdom of the decision then made
has been abundantly manifested since, and especially
so by the great gathering of Board-School children in
the Crystal Palace in July, 1877, when some thousands
of prizes were publicly given to the pupils for pro-
ficiency in knowledge of the Bible, and when it was
most convincingly shown that parents in London (ex-
cepting only a few Jews) do not object to tlieir chil-
dren being taught daily from the Word of God.

The special religious services held in February, at
the Tabernacle, were seasons of much blessing. More
than one hundred members were added to the church

102

BEV. CHARLES U. |PURG ON.

in one month. The peopU went to the services
expecting to receive good, an*, they vere not disap-
pointed.

Severe Attack of Spoilt.

Soon after the annual College jkUp^>er, which was
held in March, 187 1, at which the sum uf seven thou-
sand five hundred dollars was given, Mr. Spurgcon
was laid aside by a more than usually severe attack of
gout, which confined him indoors for three long, weary
months ; yet in the midst of all his pain and suffering
he wrote in July of the great mercies he had received
from the hand of God, and by the bounty of his friends
to the Orphanage and the College. It was at the close
of this protracted attack of bodily pain that he was
privileged to preach the sermon which forms No.
1,000 of his published discourses. Its second title is
" Bread enough and to spare," and it is based on
Luke XV. 1 7. It was the delight of the pastor to re-
ceive from a friend five thousand dollars on behalf of
the College, in honor of the event just named. Who
would not pray that God's blessing may rest forever
on that friend ?

Taking the advice of his friends, Mr. Spurgeon pro-
ceeded to the Continent for a short tour and for rest.
His observant eye was constantly discovering some
passing beauty which his ever-ready pencil recorded
in his note-book, a book which contains a stove of
incidents which serve to enrich his conversation and
fill- up his magazine. Accordingly, taking Jersey and
Guernsey on his way, we find before the end of the

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

108

year an Interesting article from his pen, on St Bre-,

lade*s Bay.

Pilgrimage to Sunny Italy.

As the cold raw winter weather set in, the beloved
pastorwas urged by his friends to seekawarmerclimate.
Illness in a severe form again overtook him, on the
second day of which he received a telegram from Boston,
America, offering most liberal terms to him if he would
go to that country and deliver a series of lectures. So
large a sum would have been a strong temptation to
most men, but not so to this minister of Jesus Chiist,
"/hose prompt reply was, " he had neither time nor
strength to go to America." Instead of journeying
westward for pCiSohal gain, he started on a pilgriniaje
to sunny Italy and the South of France, taking what
he designated a Scriptural holiday, a forty days' rest.
Accordingly, leaving gloomy December in England,
he spent that month in visiting Pompeii, Venice, Flor-
ence, Rome, Naples, and France — a fitting holiday
after having completed nineteen years' labor in Lon-
don.

In taking a survey of the work of the year, for the
preface to his magazine, Mr. Spurgeon sums up the
record by saying it had been a year of spiritual drought
in the churches generally, but at the Tabernacle they
had witnessed much prosperity, and the trained pas-
tors who had gone out from them had been also
blessed in like manner. Eleven students were
appointed to pastoral duty during 1872. During this
year, also, Archibald G. Brown opened his large

104

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

Tabernacle in the East of London. It is a building
for extent and variety of Christian work second only
to Mr. Spurgeon's. Mr. Brown is one of the most
successful students trained in the Pastors' College.

Results of Overwork.

In the hope that the genial sunshine of Southern
Europe, in which he has passed out of the old into the
new year, would have established his health for re-
newed efforts, the pastor appeared once more at the
Tabernacle, and at the church meeting in January,
1873, he had the gratification of finding one hundred
and thirty-five new members to be received into fellow-
ship, thus demonstrating that there was life, in the
church, though its chief pastor had been away. The
cold, raw, damp weather continuing with the new year,
he was again prevented from leaving his own home,
and for many weeks he was unable to preach on the
Sabbath. How great a trial that silence was to the
preacher, none so well knew as himself. Sorrowing
greatly at the privation both to himself and his church,
he yet submitted without murmur to the will of God.

Shut in from the outer world, he had an opportunity
of surveying the progress of the work which was be-
ing done at the Tabernacle. The College reports ex-
hibited the outposts which had already been reached
by the students, one of whom was laboring to set
forth Jesus as the only Saviour of sinners, in China;
one in Sydney, one in Tasinania, one in Adelaide, two
in Madrid, one in Ontario, one in Ohio, one in Phila-
delphia, one in South Africa, and one in Toronto,

V v\

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

105

What a vast prospect of work to be done in the inter-
mediate spaces between each one of those missionary
accents and the Tabernacle !

Thousands of Church Menihers.

At the Annual Church Meeting held in February,
1873, the total membership was reported at 4,417.
The losses during the previous year had been 263,
the additions were 571, leaving a net increase for the
year of 308 living members. Well might both pastor
and deacons rejoice at the presence of the Lord God
in their midst. At this date came a renewed applica-
tion from the United States to come over and lecture.
Note the preacher's reply : "An American firm offer
Mr. Spurgeon twenty-five thousand dollars to deliver
twenty-five lectures in that country, at one thousand
dollars each, and further arrangements can be made
for one hundred lectures. Although the remuneration
offered is very far beyond anything our beloved peo-
ple are likely to give us, we prefer to have the gospel
according to our Lord's words preached freely, rather
than to use the Lord's time for earning money for our
own purse."

Fisk Jubilee Singrers.

Always sympathizing with the oppressed, it did not
surprise any one to learn that the Fisk Jubilee Singers
received an early invitation from the pastor and dea-
cons to give one of their concerts in the Metropolitan
Tabernacle. It wouid be difficult to determine which
party experienced the most delight, the colored sing-
ers to go and see and hear Mr. Spurgeon speak in his

106

KEY. CHARLES H. SPUBOEON.

own church, or his congregation to welcome, with all
the heartiness they could manifest, those liberated
slaves, whose vocal powers had by anticipation pre-
ceded their visit, to insure them a hearty greeting. It
was indeed a pleasant hour, that which introduced the
singers to the vast mass of people which crowded
every inch of space in the building to hear them. In-
deed, hundreds had to go away, unable to crowd in
anywhere within sight or hearing. And the collection
which followed it was right royal in amount' They
cleared about eleven hundred dollars for their Univer-
sity by singing at the Tabernacle alone.

The effect on the mind of the pastor himself, he
thus describes in his own magazine : " The melodies
were rendered by our emancipated friends in a man-
ner altogether unique : we have never heard anything
like it; pure nature untrammelled by rule, pouring
forth its notes as freely as the wild birds in the spring.
The people were charmed : our intercourse with the
choir was very pleasant.*' As soon as the singers
arrived in London on their second tour, they received
an earnest invitation to repeat their visit to the Metro-
politan Tabernacle.

Pointed Preaching'.

As the practical pastor was again charged with be-
ing too personalitin preaching, in one of his articles
on "Personal preaching," Mr. Spurgeon remarks:
" We aim at speaking personally and pointedly to all
our hearers ; and they are the best judges whether
we accomplish it, and also as to whether we use Ian-

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

107

\f with all
liberated
tion pre-
eting. It
luced the
crowded
lem. In-
crowd in
:ollection
t. They
r Univer-

mself, he
melodies
n a man-
anything

pouring

e spring.

with the

singers

received
e Metro-

with be-
» articles
emarks :
Uy to all
whether
use lan-

guage at which any man ought to be offended. Very
seldom does a week occur without our receiving let-
ters from persons unknown to us, thanking us for
advising or comforting them in our sermons, the par-
ties evidently being under the impression that some
friend had communicated their cases to us, though,
indeed, we knew nothing whatever of them. Fre-
quently we have had apologetic notes acknowledging
the justice of the rebuke, and correcting us in some
minor details of a description supposed to refer to a
special sinner; whereas we were unaware of the writer's
existence. We have ceased to regard these incidents
as curious, for we remember that the Word of God
is 'a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the

heart.' "

A Bally for Missions.

Strange and interesting facts have often reached
him. At the commencement of Mr. Spurgeon's min-
istry he related having received a letter from a poor
shoemaker during the week, who said that he was the
man who had kept his shop open on the Sunday, who
had sold only one pair of old boots for one-and-eight»
pence, and that, having broken the Sabbath for so
small a sum and been so publicly exposed, none but
God could have told the facts to the preacher, he had
resolved to break the Sabbath no loHger. He became
converted, and joined the church ; but the preacher
had no knowledge of the man till he wrote about him-
self.

During the spring weather of '73 Mr. Spurgeon

X -

108

REY. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

i 11

! ■ ii

did not recover his accustomed health, neither did he
give up his accustomed work, excepting when' really
unable to leave home. At the end of April he
preached one of the annual sermons before the Wes-
leyan Missionary Society, in Great Queen-street
Chapel, to the largest congregation ever assembled
on a similar occasion, at the close of which the collec-
tion reached an amount greater than had ever before
been made for that object.

In June he took part in the services connected with
laying memorial stones for a new Baptist chapel near
his own residence at Clapham. He state' I that it had
long been in his heart to build a chapel in that locality,
and he had laid aside one thousand dollars to com-
mence the work, but all his efforts had failed. He
was glad that others were doing what he had not been
able to do. He had himself been delighted that year
to preach for the Wesleyans, and to speak for the In-
dependents ; but he urged all Baptists residing in that
district to give to the church which intended to assem-
ble in that new erection. In the early part of the year
Mr. Spurgeon had made a collection at the Tabernacle
on behalf of the new Surrey Chapel for Mr. Newman
Hall, which reached five hundred dollars.

Laying a Corner Stone.

In taking a survey of the literary work of " The
Sword and the Trowel '' for the year, the editor in his
preface for 1873 remarks: "I have been hunting up
topics of interest with no small degree of anxiety,
sending forth the magazine with earnest desires to win

SUCCESSFUL LABORS.

109

a hearing and to produce good results of all kinds. I
edit the periodical most conscientiously, giving it my
personal attention, and I spare no pains, to make it as
good as I can."

The applications made to the College for pastors
during 1873 were more numerous than had before
been made. Thirty of these were supplied. Out of
that number two were sent to Spain, one to India, one
to China, one to Prince Edward Island, one to Ireland,
and one to Scotland. On the 14th of October the
foundation-stone of the new College buildings was
laid by the President, It was a day which will long
be remembered with delight. The people on the oc-
casion gave five^ thousand dollars, and the students
gave fifteen hundred more ; but the chief joy of the
day was the whole-day prayer-meeting which the stu-
dents held, that the divine blessing might rest on the
work, and upon all connected with the College.

The month of January, iS/Q, will long be remem-
bered. Having completed the twenty-fifth year of his
pastorate, it was decided to celebrate the occasion,
which was termed The Pastoral Silver Wedding, by
presenting Mr. Spurgeon with a liberal testimonial.
The amount proposed to be raised was twenty-five
thousand dollars. A large bazaar was opened, which
was well supported, and with the subscription lists the
proceeds exceeded the amount originally proposed.

With his usual large-heartedness he declined accept-
ing the amount for his private benefit. There was
one important institution connected with the Taber

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

nacle that needed to be placed on a surer footing, and
this was a fitting opportunity for securing that end
The Almshoyses, affording homes for nineteen poor
widows, required a more permanent support, and all
the proceeds of the " Pastoral Silver Wedding Fund "
were devoted to this laudable object, thereby insv^ring
Its future maintenance.

CHAPTER VI

The Pastors' College.

Th« 6rst Student. — Call for Preachers to the Masses. — A Faithful Iratruaor.-*
Growth of the College. — Efforts to* Secure Funds. — Generous Gifts. — Un<
known Benefactor. — Provision for Students. — Opinion of E^rl Shaftesbury.—*
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.

In the early part of his career Mr. Spurgeon
founded a school for the education of young men fof
the ministry. It has been a very successful institution,
the training place of a large number who have gone
forth, some of them even to the ends of the earth, bear-
ing the " glad tidings." The object, methods and results
of the school are stated by Mr. Spurgeon as follows :

The College was the first important institution com-
menced by the pastor, and it still remains his first-born
and best-beloved. To train ministers of the gospel
is a most excellent work, and when the Holy Spirit '
blesses the effort, the result is of the utmost impor-
tance both to the Church and to the world.

The Pastors' College commenced in 1856, and dur-
ing this long period has unceasingly been remembered
of the God of heaven, to whom all engaged in it offer
reverent thanksgiving. When it was commenced, I

had not even a remote idea of whereunto it would

(111)

112

RET. CHARLES U. SPUR6E0N.

grow. There were springing up around me, as my
own spiritual children, many earnest youn^" men who
felt an irresistible impulse to preach the gospel, and
yet with half an eye it could be seen that their want
of education would be a sad hindrance to them. It
was not in my heart to bid them cease preaching, and
had I done so, they would in all probability have
ignored my recommendation. As it seemed that
preach they would, though their attainments were very
slender, no other course was open but to give them
an opportunity to educate themselves for the work,

A Youugr Apollos.

The Holy Spirit very evidently had set His seal

upon the work of one of them, by conversions
wrought under his open-air addresses; it seemed
therefore to be a plain matter of duty to instruct this
youthful Apollos still further, that he might be fitted
for wider usefulness. No college at that time ap-
peared to me to be suitable for the class of men that
the providence and grace of God drew around me.
They were mostly poor, and most of the colleges in-
volved necessarily a considerable outlay to the student;
for even where the education was free, books, clothes,
and other incidental expenses required a considerable
sum per annum. Moreover, it must be frankly ad-
mitted that my views of the gospel and of the mode of
training preachers were and are somewhat peculiar.
I may have been uncharitable in my judgment, but
I thought the Calvinism of the theology usually
taught to be very doubtful, and the fervor of the

e, as my
lien who
spel, and
leir want
hem. It
ling, and
ity have
led that
ere very
ve them
work.

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versions

seemed

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e fitted

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nd me.

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tudent;
clothes,
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eculiar.
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o
u

9tf

114

REV. CUAKLES H. SPURGEON.

generality j! the students to be far behind their liter-
ary attainnents.

Preachers for the Masses.

It seemed to me that preachers of the grand old
truths of the gospel, ministers suitable /or the masses,
were more likely to be found in an institution where
preaching and divinity would be the main objects, and
not degrees and other insignia of human learning. I
felt that, without interfering with the laudable objects
of other colleges, I could do good in my own way.
These and other considerations led me to take a few
tried young men, and to put them under some able
minister, that he might train them in the Scriptures,
and in other knowledge helpful to the understanding
and proclamation of the truth. This step appeared
plain; but how the work was to be conducted and
supported was the question — a question, be it added,
solved almost before it occurred.

Two friends, both deacons of the church, promiseq
aid, which, with what I could give myself, enabled me
to take one student, and I set about to find a tutor.
In Mr. George Rogers, God sent us the very best
man. He had been preparing for such work, and was
anxiously waiting for it.

- An Able Tutor.

This gentleman, who has remained during all this
period our principal tutor, is a man of Puritanic stamp,
deeply learned, orthodox in doctrine, judicious, witty,
devout, earnest, liberal in spirit, and withal juvenile ih
heart to an extent most remarkable in one of his years.

THE PASTORS (X)LLEGE.

116

My connection with him has been one of uninter
rupted comfort and delight. The most sincere affec-
tion exists between us ; we are of one mind and of
one heart ; and, what is equally important, he has in
every case secured not merely the respect but the
filial love of every student. Into this beloved minis-
ter's house the first students were introduced, and for
a considerable period they were domicileJ as members
of his family.

Encouraged by the readiness with which the young
men found spheres of labor, and by their singular
success in soul-winning, I enlarged the number; but
the whole means of sustaining them came from my
own purse. The large sale of my sermons in America,
together with my dear wife's economy, enabled me to
spend from three thousand dollars to four thousand
dollars in a year in my own favorite work ; but on a
sudden, owing to my denunciations of the then exist-
ing slavery in the States, my entire resources from
that " brook Cherith " were dried up.

Sliunning' Debt.

I paid as large sums as I could from my own in-
come, and resolved to spend all I had, and then take
the cessation of my means as a voice from the Lord
to stay the effort, as I am firmly persuaded that we
ought under no pretence to go into debt. On one
occasion I proposed the sale of my horse and car-
riage, although these were almost absolute necessities
to me on account of my continual journeys in preach-
ing the Word. This my friend Mr. Rogers would not

116

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

hear of, and actually offered to be the loser rather than
this should be done.

Then it was that I told my difficulties to my people,
and the weekly offering commenced ; but the incom-
ings from that source were so meagre as to be hardly
worth calculating upon. I was brought to the last
pound, when a letter came from a banker in the City,
informing n)e that a lady, whose name I have never
been able to discover, had deposited a sum of one
thousand dollars, to be used for the education of
young men for the ministry. How did my heart leap
for joy! I threw myself then and henceforth upon
the bounteous care of the Lord, whom I desired with
my whole heart to glorify by this effort. Some weeks
after, another five hundred dollars came in, from the
same bank, as I was informed, from another hand.

The College Grows.

Soon after Mr. Phillips, a beloved deacon of the
church at the Tabernacle, began to provide an annual
supper for the friends of the College, at which con-
siderable sums have from year to year been given. A
dinner was also given by my liberal publishers, Messrs.
Passmore and Alabaster, to celebrate the publishing
of my five-hundredth weekly sermon, at which twenty-i
five hundred dollars were raised and presented to the
funds. The College grew every month, and the
number of students rapidly advanced from one to
forty. Friends known and unknown, from far and
near, were moved to give little or much to my work,

THE PASTORS COLLEGE.

117

and so the funds increased as the need enlarged.
Then another earnest deacon of the church espoused
as his special work the weekly offering, and by the
unanimous voice of the church under my care the
College was adopted as its own child. Since that
hour the weekly offering has been a steady source of
income, till in the year 1869 the amount reached ex-
actly ;^ 1,869 ($9,345)-

The Trial of Faith.

There have been during this period times of great
trial of my faith; • it after a season of straitness,
never amounting to a.jsolute want, the Lord has always
interposed and sent me large sums (on one occasion
five thousand dollars) from unknown donors. When
the Orphanage was thrust upon me, it did appear
likely that this second work would drain the resources
of the first, and it is very apparent that it does attract
to itself some of the visible sources of supply; but
my faith is firm that the Lord can as readily keep
both works in action as one. My own present in-
ability to do so much, by way of preaching abroad,
occasions naturally the failure of another great source
of income ; and as my increasing labors at home will
I in all probability diminish that stream in perpetuity,
there is another trial of faith.

Yet, if the Lord wills the work to be continued. He
will send His servant a due portion of the gold and
silver, which are all His own ; and therefore as I wait
upon Him in prayer, the All-sufficient Provider will

i ■

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I '^

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1 i

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118

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

supply all my needs. About twenty-five thousand
dollars is annually required for the College, and the
same sum is needed for the Orphanage; but God will
move His people to liberality, and we shall see greater
things than these.

Au Unknown Benefactor.

While speaking of pecuniary matters, it may be
well to add that, as many of the young men trained
in the College have raised new congregations and
gathered fresh churclies, another need has arisen —
namely, money for building chapels. It is ever so in
Christ's work ; one link draws on another, one effort
makes another needed. For chapel-building, the
College funds could do but little, though they have
freely been used to support men while they are col-
lecting congregations ; but the Lord found for me one
of His stewards, who, on the condition that his name
remains unknown, has hitherto, as the Lord has pros-
pered him, supplied very princely amounts for the
erection of places of worship, of which more than
forty have been built, or so greatly renovated and en-
larged as to be virtually new structures. Truly may
it be said, " What hath God wrought ! "

Pecuniary needs, however, have made up but a
5mall part of our cares. Many have been my per-
sonal exercises in selecting the men. Candidates
have always been plentiful, and the choice has been
wide ; but it is a serious responsibility to reject any,
and yet more to accept them for training. When

THE pastors' college.

119

thousand

, and the

God will

;e greater

: may be
n trained
tions and
arisen —
i^er so in
me effort
:ling, the
ley have
J are col-
r me one
his name
has pros-
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ore than
1 and en-
ruly may

ip but a
my per-
indidates
las been
ject any,
. When

mistakes have been made, a second burden has been
laid upon me in the dismissal of those who appeared
to be unfit. Even with the most careful management,
and all the assistance of tutors and friends, no human
foresight can secure that in every case a man shall be
what we believed and hoped.

Weak Brethren. *

A brother may be exceedingly useful as an occa-
aional preacher; he may distinguish himself as a
diligent student ; he may succeed at first in the min-
istry; and yet, when trials of temper and character
occur in the pastorate, he may be found wanting. We
have had comparatively few causes for regret of this
sort, but there have been some such, and these pierce
us with many sorrows. I devoudy bless God that He
has sent to the College some of the holiest, soundest,
and most self-denying preachers I know, and I pray
that He may continue to do so ; but it would be more
than a miracle if all should excel.

While thus speaking of trials connected with the
men themselves, it is due to our gracious God to bear
testimony that these have been comparatively light,
and are not worthy to be compared with the great
joy which we experience in seeing so many brethren
still servinqr the Lord accordlnqr to their measure of
gift, and all, it is believed, earnestly contending for
tlie faith once delivered unto the saints; nor is the
joy less in remembering that eleven have sweetly
fallen asleep after having fought a good fight. At

120

KEV. CliAULteS 11. SPURG1E0K.

this hour some of our most flourishinor Baptist
churches are presided over by pastors trained in our
College, and a*^ years shall add ripeness of experience
and stability of character, others will be found to
stand in the froni^ rank of the Lord's host.

Separate JjOilgriiigrs.

The young brethren are boarded generally, in twos
and threes, in the bouses of our friends around the
Tabernacle, for which the College pays a moderate
weekly amount. The plan of separate lodging we
believe to be far preferible to having all under one
roof; for, by the latter mode, men are isolated from
general family habits, ^vid are too apt to fall into
superabundant levity. The circumstances of the
families who entertain our young friends are generally
such that they are not elevated above the social
position which in all probability they will have to
occupy in future years, but are kept in connection
with the struggles and conditions of every-day life.

Devotional habits are cultivated to the utmost, and
the students are urgfed to do as much evangelistic work
as they can. The severe pressure put upon them to
make the short term as useful as possible, leaves small
leisure for such efforts, but this is in most instances
faithfully economized. Although our usual period [3
two years, whenever it is thought right the term of
study is lengthened to three or four years; indeed,
there is no fixed rule, all arrangements being ordered
by the circumstances and attainments of e;»rl> -pdi.
vidua].

TflE PASTORS* COLLEGE.

121

Fields White tor tlie Harvest.

As before hinted, our numbers have greatly grown,
and now range from eighty to one hundred. Very
promising men, who are suddenly thrown in our way,
are received at any time, and others who are selected
from the main body of applicants come in at the com-
mencement of terms. The church at the Tabernacle
continues to furnish a large quota of men, and as these
have usually been educated for two or more years in
our Evening Classes, they are more advanced and
better able to profit by our two years of study. We
have no difficulty in finding spheres for men who are
ready and fitted for them. There is no reason to be-
lieve that the supply of trained ministers is in advance

of the demand.

Able Educators.

Even on the lowest ground of consideration, there
is yet very much land to be possessed ; and when men
break up fresh soil, as ours are encouraged to do, the
field is the world, and the prayer for more laborers is
daily more urgent. If the Lord would but send us
funds commensurate, there are hundreds of neighbor-
hoods n'^edingthe pure gospel, which we could by His
ijrace chancre from deserts into orardens. How far
this is a call upon the reader let him judge as in the
sight of God. Shall there be the gifts and graces of
the Spirit given to the Church, and shall there not
also be sufficient bestowed of the earthly treasure?
How much owest thou unto my Lord ?

The College was for some little time aided by the

122

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

I .

zealous services of Mr. W. Cubitt, of Thrapstone,
who died among us, enjoying our highest esteem.
Mr. Gracey, the classical tutor, a most able brother, is
one of ourselves, and was in former years a student,
though from possessing a solid education he needed
little instruction from us except in theology. In him
we have one of the most efficient tutors living, a man
fitted for any post requiring thorough scholarship and
aptness in communicating knowledge. Mr. Fergusson,
in the English elementary classes, does the first work
upon the rough stones of the quarry, and we have
heard, from the men whom he has taught in the Even-
ing Classes, speeches and addresses which would have
adorned any assembly, proving to demonstration his
ability to cope with the difficulties of uncultured and
ignorant minds. Mr. Johnson, who zealously aids in
the evening, is also a brother precisely suited to the
post which he occupies.

These Evening Classes afford an opportunity to
Christian men engaged during the day to obtain an
education for nothing during their leisure time, and
very many avail themselves of the privilege. Nor
must I forget to mention Mr. Selway, who takes the
department of physical science, and by his interesting
experiments and lucid descriptions gives to his listen-
ers an introduction to those departments of knowledge
which most abound with illustrations. Last, but far
from least, I adore the goodness of God which sent
me so dear and efficient a fellow-helper as my brother
in the flesh and in the Lord, J. A. Spurgeon. His

THE PASTORS' COLLEGE.

123

work has greatly relieved me of anxiety, and his su-
perior educational qualifications have tended to raise
the tone of the instruction given.

Earl of Shaftesbury's Testimony.

As to the quality of the preachers whom we have
been enabled to send forth, we need no more impartial
witness than the good Earl of Shaftesbury, who was
kind enough to express himself publicly in the follow-
ing generous terms ;

" It was an utter fallacy to suppose that the people
of England would ever be brought to a sense of order
and discipline by the repetition of miserable services,
by bits of wax candle, by rags of Popery, and by gym-
nastics in the chancel ; nothing was adapted to meet
the wants of the people but the Gospel message
brought home to their hearts, and he knew of none
who had done better service in this evangelic work
than the pupils trained in Mr. Spurgeon's College.
They had a singular faculty for addressing the popu-
lation, and going to the very heart of the people."

Each year the brethren educated at the Pastors*
College are invited to meet in conference at the Taber-
nacle, and they are generously entertained by our
friends. The week is spent in holy fellowship, prayer,
and intercourse. By this means men in remote vil-
lages, laboring under discouraging circumstances and
ready to sink from loneliness of spirit, are encouraged
and strengthened : indeed, all the men confess that a
stimulus is thus given which no other means could
confer.

124

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

Breaking up Xew Soil.

All things considered, gratitude and hope are su*
preme in connection with the Pastors' College ; and
with praise to God and thanks to a thousand friends,
the president and his helpers gird up the loin? of their
minds for yet more abundant labors in the future To
every land we hope yet to send forth the gospel in its
fulness and purity. We pray the Lord to raise up
missionaries among our students and make every one
a winner of souls. Brethren, remember this work ii>
your prayers, and in your allotment of the Lord's por
tion of your substance.

When the necessity for new college buildings was
plainly indicated, a friend in May, 1873, sent $5,000
towards that object. On October 14, 1873, the foun-
dation-stone of those buildings was laid, when the
people contributed ^{^5,000, the students gave $1,500,
and undertook to raise the amount to $5,000. In 1874
Messrs. Cory and Sons, of Cardiff, sent for the benefit
of the fund $5,000 worth of paid-up shares in their
colliery company. In July, 1875, the president re-
ceived $25,000 for the same object as a legacy from
the late Mr. Matthews. These are named as examples
of the various ways in which God has answered
prayer and rewarded the faith of His servant in that
important work.

ineii

Founding Churches.

i; vjrfore the new College buildings were com'

^ \ r

Spurgeon, by an article in " The Sword

THE PASTORS COLLEGE.

125

and the Trowel," directed public attention to the insti-
tution. The following extract will suffice :

The supply of men as students has been always
large, and at this time more are applying than ever.
Our one aim has been to train preachers and pastors.
The College is made into a home missionary society
for the spread of the gospel. One of our students,
Mr. F. E. Suddard, was first, in 1872, among seven
competitors for one of Dr. Williams* scholarships at
the Glasgow University. In the metropolis alone,
forty-five churches have been founded.

One of the students has commenced a cause in

Turk's Island ; he is now carrying on evangelistic

work in St. Domingo, where, if he is spared, he is

likely to become the apostle of that island, and also

of Hayti. One brother has gone to serve the Lord

in China, two others are laboring in Spain. Several

are doing a good work in Canada, and more than

twenty brethren have become pastors in America, and

seven others are gone as far south as Australia. One

is a missionary in India, and another in Prince Edward

Island.

How the Money Came.

The suitable and commodious new buildings, which
have been erected and furnished, cost about ^75,000,
all of which is paid. Here we have a fine hall, exc<l-
lent class-room, a handsome library, and, in fact, all
that a college can require. The way in which the
money was raised was another instance of divine
goodness ; 515,000 was given as a memorial to a dear

126

KEY. CHARLES H. SFUR6E0N.

if: „

1 |!i

and lamented husband ; Ji 10,000 was a legacy to the
College from a reader of the sermons. The ministers
%vliO had been formerly students came to our help in a
princely fashion. Large amounts were made up by
the unanimous offerings of Tabernacle friends on days
when the pastor invited the members and adherents
to be his guests at the College. In answer to prayer,
the gold and the silver have been ready when needed.
How our heart exults and blesses the name of the
Lord.

The Evening Classes are in a high condition of
prosperity, there being about two hundred men in
regular attendance, and a considerable number among
them of hopeful ability. Out of this class city mis-
sionaries, lay preachers, writers for the press, and col-
porteurs are continually coming. It is an eminently
useful part of the College work.

There are now hundreds of men proclaiming the
gospel who have been trained in the College. We are
daily expecting more missionaries to be raised up
among us.

One of Mr. Spurgeon's Annual Reports of the College.

Our statistics, which are far from being complete,
show that these brethren baptized 20,676 persons in
ten years (1865-74), that the gross increase to their
churches was 30,677, and the net increase 19,498.
iAus Deo.

On enquiring the other day for the secretary of one
of our largest societies, I was informed that he had

THE pastors' college.

127

gone to the seaside for a month, in order that he
might have quiet to prepare the report. I do not
wonder at this if he has aforetime written many de-
scriptions of the same work, for every year increases
the difficulty unless a man is prepared to say the same
thing over and over again.

Very few can, like Paganini, perform so admirably
on one string that everybody is charmed with the
melody. The task grows still harder when the year
has been peaceful and successful. It has been truly
said, " Happy is the nation which has no history," be-
cause it has been free from changes, wars, convulsions,
and revolutions ; but I may remark, on the other hand,
unhappy is the historian who has to produce a record
of a certain length concerning a period which has been
innocent of striking events, — making bricks without
straw is nothing to it.

No Milk and Water Theology.
^The Pastors* College has of late maintained the
even tenor of its way, knowing little of external at-
tack and nothing of internal strife. Regular in its
work and fixed in its purpose, its movement has been
calm and strong. Hence there are no thrilling inci-
dents, painful circumstances, or striking occurrences
with which to fill my page and thrill my reader's soul.
Gratitude writ large is about the only material at hand
out of which to fashion my report. " Bless the Lord,
O my soul ! " is my one song, and I feel as if I could
repeat it a thousand times.
The College started with a definite doctrinal basis.

128

li .1!

■ ■ i

."il

ill

tU. Mm

REV. CUARLES U. SPURGEON.

I never affected to leave great questions as moot
points to be discussed in the hall, and believed or not
believed, as might be the fashion of the hour. The
creed of the College is well known, and we invite
none to enter who do not accept it. The doctrines of
grace, coupled with a firm belief in human responsi-
bility, are held with intense conviction, and those who
do not receive them would not find themselves at
home within our walls. The Lord has sent us tutors
who are lovers of sound doctrine and zealous for the
truth. No uncertain sound has been given forth, at
any time, and we would sooner close the house than

have it so.

An Army of Prophets.

Heresy in colleges means false doctrine throughout
the churches ; to defile the fountain is to pollute the
streams. Hesitancy, which might be tolerated in an
ordinary minister, would utterly disqualify a teacher
of teachers. The experiment of Doddridge ought ^o
satisfy all godly men that colleges without dogmatic
evangelical teaching are more likely to be seminaries
of Socinianism than schools of the prophets. Old
Puritanic theology has been heartily accepted by those
received into our College, and on leaving it they have
almost with one consent remained faithful to that
which they have received. The men are before the
public in every part of the country, and their t:;sti-
mony well known.

This institution has now reached its twenty-fifth
year, and its object, spirit»and manner of work remain

THE PASTORS COLLEGE.

129

the same. It was intended from the first to receive
young men who had been preaching for a sufficient
time to test their abilities and their call to the work of
the ministry; and such young men have been forth-
coming every year ingrowing numbers. Somebodies
of Christians have to lament that their ministry is not
adequately supplied : I know of one portion of the'
Church which is sending up to heaven bitter lamenta-
tions because as the fathers depart to their rest there
is scanty hope that their places will be filled ; but
among the Baptists the candidates for* the ministry
are, if possible, too plentiful.

Object of the CoUegre.

This is a new state of things, and is to be inter-
preted as indicating growth and zeal. Certainly the
applicants are not tempted by rich livings, or even by
the prospect of competent support ; or, if they are, I
take abundant pains to set before them the assured
truth that they will fi/id our ministry to be a warfare
abounding in long marches and stern battles; but
equally notable for meagre rations. Still they come,
and it needs a very hard heart to repel them, and to
refuse to eager brethren the drill and equipment which
they covet so earnestly. If it were wise to increase
the number of students, another hundred of suitable
men could at once be added to those who are already
under tuition.

From the commencement our main object was to
help men who from lack of funds could not obtain an
education for themselves. These have been supplied

180

HEY. GUAKLES U. SPUHGEON.

not only with tuition and books, gratis, but with board
and lodging, and in some cases with clothes and pocket-
money. Some very successful brethren needed every-
thing, and if they had been required to pay, they must
have remained illiterate preachers to this day. Still,
year by year, the number of men who arc ready to
support themselves in whole or in part has increased,
and I believe that it is increasing and will increase.

As a college we have had to* struggle with a repute
based upon falsehood and created by jealousy ; hul
this has not injured us to any great extent; for men
come to us from America, Australia, and the Cape, and
applications have frequently been made from foreign
countries. German students have attended our classes
during their own vacations, and members of other
colleges are usually to be seen at our lectures. The
institution never deserved to be charged with giving a
mere apology for an education ; and if ever that re'
proach could have been justly cast upon us, it is
utterly undeserved now that the time of study has be-
come more extended, and a fuller course of training
has thus become possible.

Diamonds in the Rougrh.

Scholarship for its own sake was never sought and
never will be within the Pastors' College ; but to help
men to become efficient preachers has been and evef
will be the sole aim of all those concerned in its man'
agement. I shall not, in order to increase our pres-
tige, refuse poor men, or zealous young Christians
whose early education has been neglected. Prid^

THE r/STORS' COLLEGE.

131

would suggest that we take *' a better class of men ; **
but experience shows that they are' not better, that
eminently useful men spring from all ranks, that dia-
monds may be found in the roun^h, and that some who
need most pains in the polishing reward our labor a
thousandfold.

My friends will still stand by me in my desire to aid
•the needy but pious brother, and we shall rejoice to-
gether as we continually see the ploughman, the fish,
erman, and the mechanic taught the way of God more
perfectly, and enabled through divine grace to pro-
claim in the language of the people the salvation of

our God.

Period of Preparation.

During the past year about one hundred and twenty
men have been with us ; but as some have come and
others have gone, the average number in actual resi-
denre has averaged one hundred. Of these a few
have been with us three years, and more have entered
upon the third year. The rule is that a man's usual
period terminates at the end of two years, and his re-
maining longer depends upon the judgment formed
of him. Certain men will never get beyond an
English education, and to detain them from their work
is to repress their ardor without bestowing a compen-
satory advantage.

In other cases, the longer the period of study the
better. Probably the third year is to many a student
more useful than the other two, and he goes forth to
his life-work more thoroughly prepared. I could not

?9B^^S^B!CHnR!

132

REV. CUAKLES H. SPURGEON.

lengthen the course in former days, when churches
tempted the brethren away before the proper time, as
they too often did. They told these raw youths that
it was a pity to delay, that if they left their studies
souls might be saved, and I know not what besides ;
and some were induced to run away, as Rowland Hill
would have said, before they had pulled their boots on.,
If I constrained them to remain, the good deacons of
the eager churches thought me a sort of a harsh
jailer, who locked up his prisoners and would not give
them up at the entreaty of their friends.

Not a Donkey.

One wrote and bade me loose the brother, for the

Lord had need of him, and I would have let the young
man go if I had thought that he was one of the don-
keys to whom the passage referred. That a number
of brethren may have entered upon their ministry
prematurely was no fault of mine, but of those who
tempted them to quit their classes too soon. How-
ever, there have been periods in which there is a lull
in the demand of the churches for ministers, and then
we have been able to retain the men for a longer
3eason. Such a time is passing over us just now, and
I do not regret it, for I am persuaded it is good to
give the brethren a longer space for preparatory
study.

I have been very ill through the greater part of the
past year, and have therefore been unable to give so
much personal service to the College as I have usually
done. This has been a sore trial to me, but it has

THE pastors' O^t/leGB.

133

Lirches
me, as
IS that
itudies
isides ;
id Hill
ots on.,
ons of
harsh
ot give

for the
young
le don-
lumber
linistry
ise who
How-
is a lull
nd then
L longer
ow, and
good to
)aratory

t of the

give so

usually

t it has

been much alleviated by my beloved brother, J. A.
Spurgeon, the vice-president, who has looked after
everything with great care; and I have also been
gready comforted by the knowledge that the tutors
are as deeply concerned about the holy service as
ever I can be.

Dig^ging^ up the Weeds.

It has been my joy to learn that the College was
never in a better state in all respects than now, and
that the men under training give promise of becoming
useful preachers. I have had very little weeding work
to do on my coming back to my place, and those
whom I have removed were not chargeable with any
fault, but their capacity was questioned by the tutors.
All through the year this painful operation has to be
carried on, and it always causes me much grief; but
it is a necessary part of my official duty as president.

Young men who come to us loaded with testimo-
nials are occasionally found after a while to be lacking
in application or in spiritual power ; and after due ad-
monishment and trial they have to be sent back to the
place from whence they came. Others are as good
as gold, but their heads ache, and their health fails
under hard study, or from lack of mental capacity they
■'cannot master the subjects placed before them. These
must be kindly but firmly set aside ; but I always

dread the task.

An Earnest Band.

This thinning-out process is done with conscientious-
ness, under the guidance of the tutors ; but this yeat

184

REV. CHARLES H. SPI7R6EON.

i^i •!;

there has been little need of it, and I have rejoiced in
the fact, since frequent depression of spirit has made
it undesirable to have much trying work to do. I am
glad to say that very rarely have I had to deal with a
case of moral failure. Bad young men have crept in
among us, and no men are perfect ; but I have great
comfort in seeing the earnest and prayerful spirit
which has prevailed among the brotherhood.

Foremost among our aims is the promotion of a
vigorous spiritual life among those who are preparing
to be under-shepherds of Christ's flock. By frequent
meetings for prayer, and by other means, we labor to
maintain a high tone of spirituality. I have en-
deavored in my lectures and addresses to stir up the
holy fire ; for well I know that if the heavenly flame
burns low, nothing else will avaiL The earnest action
of the College Missionary Society has been a source
of great joy to me ; for above all things I desire to
see many students devoting themselves to foreign
work. The Temperance Society also does a good
work, and tends to keep alive among the men a burn-
ing hatred of England's direst curse.

The Divine Anointing'.

We need the daily prayer of God's people thati
much grace may be with all concerned in this impor-
tant business ; for what can we do without the Holy
Spirit? How few ever pray for students ! If minis-
ters do not come up to the desired standard, may not
the members of the churches rebuke themselves for
having restrained prayer on their account? When

THE PASTORS' COLLEGfc.

135

of a

thati

does a Christian worker more need prayer than in his
early days, when his character is forming and his heart
is tenderly susceptible both of good and evil influences ?
I would beseech all who have power with God to re«
member our colleges in their intercessions.

The solemn interests involved in the condition of
these schools of the prophets compel me to entreat,
even unto tears, that the hopeful youth of our ministry
may not be forgotten in the supplications of the saints.
For us also, who have the responsible duty of guiding
the minds of these young men, much prayer is re-
quested, that we may have wisdom, love, gentleness,
firmness, and abounding spiritual power. It is not
every man who can usefully influence students, nor
can the same men have equal power at all times. The
Divine Spirit is needed, and He is given to them that
ask for His sacred teaching.

A Missionary Society.

In Great Britain hundreds of our former students
^re preaching the Word, some in the more prominent
pulpits of the denomination, and others in positions
where their patience and self-denial are severely
tested by the present depression in trade, and the con-
sequent inability of rural congregations to furnish
them with adequate support. The College has reason^
to rejoice not only in the success of her most honored
sons, but in the faithfulness and perseverance of the
rank and file, whose services, although they are little
noticed on earth, will receive the " well done " of the
Lord,

,i| :.,i

< i!l

kiiii ;i|;i

136

KEV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

This institution is not alone a College, but a Home
and Foreign Missionary Society. Our three evange-
lists have traversed the land with great diligence, and
the Lord has set His seal to their work.

It is my greatest pleasure to aid in commencing
new churches. The oftener brethren can create their
own spheres the more glad shall I be. It is not need-
ful to repeat the details of former reports ; but many
churches have been founded through the College, and
there are more to follow. I announced at the begin-
ning of this enterprise that it was not alone for the
education of ministers, but for the general spread of
the gospel ; and this has been adhered to, a part of
the income being always expended in that direction.

An Interestingr Letter.

A very considerable number of Pastors' College
men are to be found at the Antipodes. I cannot for-
get that there I have a beloved son ; but next to that
in nearness to my heart is the fact that so many of my
spiritual sons are there, prospering and bringing glory
to God. It was with no little delight that I received
the following letter from some of them. Readers
must kindly excuse expressions of affection which are
'so natural from friends; I could not cut them out
without destroying the spirit of the letter :

Melbourne, Victoria, Nov. 2, 18S0.

Rev. C. H. Spurgeon.

Honored and Beloved President, — A number of
former students of the College being met together at

Home
ivange-
ce, and

lencing
:e their
t need-
t many
ye, and
begin-
for the
•ead of
part of
ction.

College
lot for-
to that
I of my
g glory
eceived
readers
lich are
em out

i8So.

fiber of
;ther at

BOYS' HOME— STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

THE PASTORS COLLEGE.

137

this metropolis of the Antipodes, it was most heartily
agreed that we should send you an expression of our
warm love. For truly we can say that instead of dis-
tance or even time causing any abatement of love
towards you personally, or towards the institution
which we may with truth style our Alma Mater, we
find it intensified and hallowed.

The meetings of the Victorian Baptist Association
are now being held in this city, which has brought
most of us together ; but the Melbourne Exhibition
has brought to us Brother Harry Woods from South
Australia, and Brother Harrison from Deloraine, Tas-
mania. Our Brother A. J. Clarke's house is the ren-
dezvous for all the brethren, and the cheery hospitality
of himself and wife prove them to be called to the
episcopate. Though all the brethren, so far as we
know, have had blessing this year, some of them won-
derfully so, yet our Brother A. J. Clarke, here at West
Melbourne, has experienced a year of toil and harvest-
ing in which we all rejoice, and which exercises a
stimulating effect upon all who hail from " the College."

When a number of us were bowing in prayer to-
gether, we felt how thoroughly you would have been
with us in spirit, as we prayed that we might oppose,
in the might of God, the awful world-spirit of this
region, and that our souls might be kept wholly loyal
to King Jesus, having no " fellowship with the unfruit-
ful works of darkness."

Finally, beloved servant of God, we hail you in the
name of our Triune Jehovah ! No words of ours can

^mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

138

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

express our personal obligation to you. But by fidel-
ity to Christ and to truth, by manifesting that we have
caught the spirit of burning love to souls which burns
in your own breast, and by serving to our utmost
ability, and to the last day of life, in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus, we hope to show that all your care^
and that of the tutors and friends of the Tabernacle
has not been ill-bestowed. We remain,
Yours, in the bonds of eternal love,

Wm. Christr. Bunning, Geelong.

William Clark, Ballarat.

Alfred J. Clarke, West Melbourne.

H. H. Garrett, Brighton.

Henry Marsden, Kew.

J. S. Harrison, Delorain. , Tasmania.

Harry Woods, Saddleworth, S. Australia.

F. G. Buckingham, Melbourne.

Similarly in Canada the Lord has been with those
who have gone from the College. My brother, J. A.
Spurgeon, during his visit to Canada, formed a branch
of our Conference there, and from it the annexed
loving epistle has lately come :

567 York Street, London, East Ontario,
Canada, April 6, 1881.

Beloved President, — We, the members of the
Canadian branch of the Pastors* College Brotherhood,
herewith greet you lovingly (and our brethren through

TBI pastors' college.

139

you) on the occasion of your Annual Conference,
which we hope may surpass even the best of by-gone
gatherings, in all holy joy and such spiritual refreshing
as may fit all for more abundant service.

Need we say how deeply we feel for all the suffer-
ings by which our President is made to serve, the
while we gratefully recognize "the peaceable fruit'*
of those sufferings in such enriched utterances as wel
have lately read ? We love our dear President as of
yore, remembering days of prayerful tryst in which
we heard him sigh and groan his longings for our
course.

During another year we have been " kept by the
power of God," and used in service ; and although we
are in some cases separated even here by many dreary
miles of continent, we still hold and are held to arid
by the old-time kindness ; and, better still, " the form
of sound words."

We " shake hands across the vast " loved President
and brethren, and wish you every joy in Conference.
For the Canadian Brethren.

Yours affectionately,

Joseph Forth,
President of the Canadian Branch of the
Pastors' College Brotherhood.

A point of great interest, to which I hope the Lord
may turn the attention of many of His servants, is
that of English evangelists for India. Mr. Gregson,
the well-known missionary, has urged upon me the

140

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

great utility of sending out young men who should
preach the gospel to those in India who understand
the English language, whether British, Eurasian, or
educated Hindoo.

Help for the Heathen.

He advises that the men should be sent out for five

years, and therefore be subjected to no remark should
they return at the end of that period. He thinks it
probable that they would acquire a language and re-
main abroad as missionaries ; but if not, they would
be missionary-advocates on their return home, and
arouse among our churches fresh enthusiasm. It is
believed that in many cities churches could be gathered
which would support these men as their ministers, or
that at least a portion of their expenses would be
found on the spot. I have determined to enter upon
this field as God shall help me; and Mr. H. R.
Brown, who has been for years the pastor of the
church at Shooter's Hill, has reached Calcutta, on his
way to Darjeeling in the hill country. If the Lord
shall prosper him there, I hope he will live long in
that salubrious region, build up a church, and become
the pioneer of a little band of evangelists.

The Engrlish Tongue.

Our native tongue is sure to spread among the edu-
cated Hindoos, and hence many a heathen may be
brought to Jesus by evangelists who do not under-
stand any of the languages of the East ; and mean-
while our countrymen, too often irreligious, may be
met with by divine grace, and find Christ where the

THE I'ASTOKS COLLEGE.

141

most forget Him. I hope many friends will take an
interest in this effort, and assist me to carry it out.

Funds have come in as they have been needed ; but
apart from a legacy, now nearly consumed, the ordi-
nary income has not been equal to the expenditure of
the year. The balance at the banker's is gradually
disappearing; but I do not mention this with any re-
gret, for He who has sent us supplies hitherto will
continue His bounty, and He will move His stewards
to see that this »vork is not allowed to flag from want
of the silver and the gold. With a single eye to His
glory I have borne this burden hitherto, and found it
light ; and I am persuaded from past experience that
He will continue to keep this work going so long as it
is a blessing to His Church and to the world.

A Ijcgacy Lost.

! am greatly indebted to the generous donors at
the annual supper, and quite as much to the smaller
weekly gifts of my own beloved congregation, which,
in the aggregate, have made up the noble sum of
5J^9,ioo. I am sorry to say that a considerable legacy
left to the College will in all probability be lost through
the law of mortmain. This is a great disappointment ;
but if one door is shut another will be opened.

Into the hands of Him who worketh all our works
in u« we commit the Pastors' College for another year.

CHAPTER VII
Stockwell Orphanage.

\ Large Gift.- -New Home for Children. — Process of Building. — Ikying th*
Corner-Stone. — The Little Ones Happy. — Generous Givers. — Daily Life in
the Orphanage. — What Becomes of the Boys.— ^ulcs of Admission.- -Nof
a Sectarian Institution. — Successful Anniversary.

It is the Lord's own work to care for the fatherless.
Those who have faith in God never need be without
success in undertaking the care of the orphan. God
helps the helpless ; but he uses man as his agent in
arranging details. Soon after "The Sword and the
Trowel " was commenced Mr. Spurgeon indicated in
one of his articles published in its pages several forms
of Christian usefulness, and amongst them the care
of the orphan.

Shordy afterwards, in September, 1866, Mr. Spur-
geon received a letter from a lady, offering to place at
his command the sum of 5(^100,003, with which to com-
mence an orphanage for fatherless boys. At first he fell
disposed to avoid the onerous responsibilities of such
a work ; and, calling at the address given by the lady,
tried to prevail upon her to give the money to Mr,
Muller, of Bristol. The clairns of London for such
an institution were urged ; and, unable to refuse the
request of the generous donor, the money was accepted
on trust for the purpose named. Mrs. Hillyard, tho

(142^

com'

ne fell

such

lady,

lo Mr,

such

e the

epted

d, tho

'43

144

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

widow of a clergyman of the Church of England^
was the lady whose benevolence thus originated the
Orphanage. The money was in railway debentures,
which were not at that time available for use other-
wise than as an investment.

Birth of the Orphsinagre.

After consulting with the leading friends at the

labernacle, a body of twelve trustees was chosen, in
whose names the money was invested, and a resolu-
tion was agreed upon to purchase a suitable plot of
land at Stockwell, on which to erect an orphanage.
In March, 1867, the deed of incorporation was signed
by the trustees, and in May the claims of the pro-
jected buildings were urged with so much force and
urgency that the people belonging to the Tabernacle
took up the case with loving zeal and energy. By
the month of August 5^5,350 were in hand, and the
whole church at the Tabernacle was engaged in col-
lecting on this behalf. Prayer, faith, and prompt,
energetic action were all combined in the efiforts
made, and pastors, trustees, and congregation were of
one mind in their purpose to make the work a success.

Friends of the Children.

Within the space of a year the plan of the Orphan-
age was matured, the foundations laid, the work was
making rapid progress, and a large amount of money
was in hand for the purpose. Donations from $5 to
^^1,250 had been generously forwarded to help on the
work, and a great meeting was held in September
1867, when the public generally had an opportunit)'

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

145

of showing their symprthy with the proceedings.
Previously to that large meeting the foundation-stones
of three of tb*; houses were laid under circumstances
of more than usual interest.

Mrs. Tyson, a lady who had often aided Mr. Spur-
geon in the work of the College, and in other enter-
prises, had been spared to see the twenty-fifth anni-
versary of her marriage day, on which occasion her
beloved husband, a wealthy merchant, presented her
with $2,500. This money the lady at once took to
Mr. Spurgeon to be dedicated to God for the erection
of one of the orphan houses, to be called Silver-
Wedding House. About the same time a merchant
in the city called upon the pastor at the Tabernacle,
and, after transacting some business with him, left
with Mr. Spurgeon's secretary a sealed envelope, in
which was $3,000, to be used in building another
house which, it was afterwards determined, should be
called Merchant's House, as the donor refused to
have his name given.

Noble-hearted Workmen.

The way in v/hich God was answering the prayers
of His people was further shown by an offer made by
the workmen who had built the Tabernacle to giv(-
the labor necessary for erecting a third house, whilst
their employer volunteered to give the necessary
material : this to be called the Workmen's House.

Such manifest tokens of the divine favor attending
the work greatly encouraged the pastor and the trus-
tees, and on Monday afternoon, August 9, 1867, the
10

146

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEOK.

foundation stones of the three houses named were
laid — one by Mrs. Hillyard, one by Mr. Spurgeon, and
one by Mr. Higgs. The scene presented at Stockwell
on that day was exceedingly picturesque and intensely
interesting. At the monster tea-meeting which fol-
lowed, the tables extended three hundred and thirty
feet in length, and the bright sunshine made the scene
one of joy and delight which will long be remembered,
though the rain, which came down so bountifully just
as tea was over, caused much discomfort.

The subscriptions brought in that day reached
$ 1 3,000. 7n " The Sword and the Trowel " for October
the names of 1,120 collectors are printed, with the
amounts on their cards, stated to be ^14,010. Amongst
the collectors were members of the Church of England,
Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists, and others,
so general had been the sympathy which was felt in

the work.

The Work Grows.

The faith of the pastor and trustees of the Orphan-
age was greatly strengthened by the wonderful man-
ner in which God had answered their prayers and
rewarded their efforts. It was announced that eiiiht
houses were contemplated, to provide for not less than^
one hundred and 6fty orphans, requiring an outlay of'
$15,000 per annum. Messrs. Olney & Sons gavej
^2,500 to erect a fourth house, to be called, after the*
sainted and venerable Mrs. Olney, Unity House.

By the end of the year 1867 the trustees had no
less than two hundred names of orphans from whom

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

to select fifty in the following April. The pressing
need of providing for these children made the way
more easy for extending the work. Accordingly, at
the meeting of the Baptist Union, early in 1868, it was
resolved that an effort should be made to raise the
funds necessary for erecting two houses, at a cost of
$3,000 each.

Whilst these efforts were being made amongst the
Baptists, Mr. Thomas Olney, as the Superintendent
of the Tabernacle Sunday-school, aided by the teachers
and scholars, was collecting the funds necessary for
erecting a house to represent the young children.
Simultaneously with that effort was another amongst
the students at the college, who had resolved to show
*.heir affection for their pastor by raismg money suffi-
cient to erect a house on their behalf, and to perpetu-
ate their institution by having it named the College
House.

Layingf a Corner-Stone.

Two meetings were held at the Orphanage in June,
1868 — one on the ist of June, when the venerable
Thomas Olney, Sr., laid the foundation-stone of the
building which was to form the lecture and dining-
liall, the master's house, and the entrance gateway. It
was a gladsome sight to witness the joy of the vener^
able man, who had for nearly threescore years been
connected with the church worshipping at the Taber-
nacle, as he performed the pleasing duty assigned
to him.

On the same day the Rev. John Aldis, of Reading,

148

REY. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

and Alexander B. Goodall, Esq., each laid one of the
foundation-stones of the two Testimonial Houses, sub-
scribed for by the Baptist churches as a token of
regard to Mr. Spurgeon. A monster tea-meeting
followed the proceedings, after which addresses were
delivered by the Revs. Thomas Binney, Dr. Raleigh^
J. T. Wigner, W. Brock, D. D., W. Howieson, A.
Mursell, Henry Varley, VV. Scott, S. H. Booth, G
Gould, J. Raven, J. H. Millard, John Spurgeon, Sr., C.
H. Spurgeon, and James A. Spurgeon. Mr. Wigner
presented to the pastor an address of affectionate
sympathy from the Baptist churches, which was signed
by Mr. Goodall and himself on behaK of the subscribers
to the fund, and with the address was the sum ot
^6,000. That sum was afterwards increased to ^8,720,
so as to include the furniture and fittings for the two
houses, that the offering might be in every respect
complete in all its parts.

Happy Children.

The meeting held on June 19th, thirty-fourth birth-
day of Mr. Spurgeon, was, if possible, a more joyous
and enthusiastic one than any of the preceding. On
that day Mr. Thomas Olney, Jr., surrounded by a
huee mass of children formincr the Tabernacle Sunday-
schools, laid the foundation-stone of the Sunday school
house, amidst the enthusiastic applause of the delighted
children. It was a time of joy tliey will all long re-
member. Dear Mrs. Spurgeon, so long a suffering
invalid, was there to witness the happiness of the as-
sembly, and by request from the students at the col-

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

149

lege, and the ministers who had gone from it, she was
induced to lay the foundation-stone of the College
House. She was graciously upheld on the occasion,
although the surpassing kindness displayed was
enough to overcome one of a stronger frame.

After the stone-laying was over, twenty-six sweet
little girls in white advanced one by one, and presented
Mrs. Spurgeon with purses which their parents had
subscribed as a token of their affectionate rejoicing at
her temporary restoration. It was a touching, beau-
tiful, and unexpected sight, which deserves to be re»
corded. A large sum of money was presented to Mr.
Spurgeon as a birthday offering, which he put into the
Oypha7iage treastiry.

Funds Flow In.

Another incident occurred at that period which
deserves to be placed on record. The Baptist church
at Liverpool, over which the Rev. Hugh Stowell
Brown presides, was about to be reopened, and Mr.
Spurgeon consented to preach the sermon. He did
so ; but the church and conofreg^ation resolved to
defray the cost of the repairs, and gave to Mr. Spur-
geon for the Orphanage the whole of the collection,
which amounted to «fii,25o.

The manner in which the funds have been contrib*
uted, first to erect the Orphanage buildings, and since
then to maintain the children and officers, and keep
the whole establishment in continuous operation,
most clearly indicates that from the commencement of

IfiO

ftEV. CHARLES U. SPURQEON.

the work, up to the present time, the hand of God
has been dircctinLT the whole.

Each house was occupied as soon as it was finished ;
but unable to wait unul the first was ready, so soon as
the plan of the Orphanage was matured and trustees
appointed, four orphans were selected and placed
under the charge of a sister in her own house. A;^
money came in others were added to them. To man-
ifest still further the interest which Mrs. Hillyard took
in the work, when she found several orphans already
in charge of a matron, she sold some household plate
to give the money for their support.

Thousands of Dollars for Charity.

Thus encouraged, by the month of July, 1867, before
the foundation stones were actually laid, seven boys
were chosen by the trustees as a commencement. It
was wonderful how the money was sent in. One day,
just as Mr. Spurgeon finished his sermon in the open
air, a lady put Into his hand an envelope containing
^icx) for the Orphanage and ^100 for the College.
In January, 1868, Mr. Spurgeon announced in his
magazine that an unknown gentleman had given him
;fi5,ooo towards two of the houses. In March another
sum of $5,000 was announced, and in June the Bap-
tist churches sent in $6,000. In September, a year
after the work began, a great bazaar was held, which
brought in a net profit of $7,000.

How many loving hearts and willing hands were
employed to bring about such a result, it would be
impossible to tell, though tb'*-e wer** but few of the

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

151

eleven hundred collectors, who so nobly came forwaK>J
at the first meeting a year before, who did not lend ,i
helping hand to the bazaar. By the end of the ye tt

the president announced in his magazine that only
$5,000 more was required to complete the eight houses.
"And this,*' says he, "will surely be sent in; for the
Lord will provide." And so it came to pass.

152

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

The Bight Man iu the Biffht Place.

In January, 1869, fifty children had been chosen to
occupy the houses as soon as they should be ready, but
up to the month of June only twenty-nine orphans
were in residence. The chief difficulty which for
some time had given anxiety to the trustees was to
6nd a suitable superintendent. Several persons had
presented themselves, but not one had satisfied the
claims of the institution. When the difficulty seemed
to be the greatest, Divine Providence sent the right
man.

Vernon J. Charlesworth, who had been for seven
years co-pastor at Surrey Chapel with Newman Hall,
offered his services and they were accepted. Mr.
Charlesworth was at once appointed : and the ability
which he has manifested in manacrincr the affairs of
the institution is very satisfactory evidence that he is
the rjo^ht man in the right place. By his influence
within the Orphanage, and by his pen outside, b** Has
shown himself to be the orphan's friend.

Up to the spring of the year 1870 one hundred and
fifty-four orphans had been admitted, six of whom had
been removed, leaving one hundred and forty-eight in
residence. In 1877 the resident orphans numbered
two hundred and thirty.

How the Children Live.

Each of the eight houses forms a separate family,
that plan having after mature consideration been
resolved upon as the best. Each family is complete
in '•^s own arrangements ; each dwelling having a large

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

153

ete
rge

sitting and four lofty bed-rooms for the boys, with
lockers, which, when closed, form handy seats in the
middle of the room ; and a sitting-room, bed-room,
and kitchen for the matron in charge. A large cov-
ered play-room adjoins the houses on the east, and
separate from that is the infirmary, forming the east
{ nd of the quadrangle. At the west end is the school
room and dining-hall, the master's house and entrance
gateway : and in the rear of the dining-hall is the suite
of offices for cooking and other domestic purposes.

In selecting the most needy boys for the benefits
of the institution, the trustees are in no way influenced
by the religious opinions of their parents. Those
showing the most pressing want have the preference.

A Bigr Family.

A judicious writer has said of the Stockwell Or-
phanage : " How superior any real approach to the
family ideal is to the barrack system was apparent to
us on a mere glance at these fatherless lads. The
families are large, about thirty boys in each house ;
but they are under the care of affectionate and diligent
matrons, and everything is done to compensate for
the loss of parental rule and training. There is more
of the * home * than of the ' institution * in the atmos-
phere. To encourage home ideas, and for the sake
of industrial training, the boys In turn assist In the
domestic work during the morning of the day ; each
boy's period of service being restricted to one week
in six servants being entirely dispensed with. A

154

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

working cook superintends the kitchen, aided by the
boys.

"No regimental uniform is suffered. The boys differ
in the clothes they wear, in the cut of the hair, and
show all the variety of a large family. The boys do
not look like loosely connected members of a huge
and miscellaneous crowd, but sons and brothers. No
traces of ill-disguised dissatisfaction, as though in
perpetual restraint, always under orders, were appar-
ent ; but a free, healthy, and vigorous homeliness, as
if under the genial and robust influence of love, made
itself everywhere manifest.

What Becomes of the Lads.

"With all the care of a Christian father, situations
ai*e chosen for the lads, where their spiritual interests
will not be in danger; and when they have been
passed into them the master corresponds with them,
and gives them counsel and assistance as they need.
Like a true home, its benediction follows every inmate
throughout his life. W*^ were specially pleased with
our visit to the school. The boys are well drilled in
elementary knowledge, reading, writing, arithmetic,
grammar, history, geography, vocal music, Latin,
shorthand, science of common things, and Scripture.
A French class is held for the elder boys. Military
drill is given daily. Drawing is successfully taught,
and many boys excel in it. The singing-class did very
great credit to its instructor — singing at sight, with
great accuracy and sweetness, music of some diffi-
culty." Two <jf Her Majesty's Inspectors were deputed

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

15&

from the Local Government Board to visit the institu-
tion, and they gave the following report, which reflects
the highest credit upon Mr. Spurgeon for his wisdom
and prudence: "An admirable institution, ^ood in
design, and, if possible, better in execution."

Not a Sectarian IiiMtitiitioii.

The children are admitted between the ages of six'
and ten years, and they remain until they are fourteen.
From an abstract drawn up by the master in 1873 it
was found that the creeds of the parents of the chil-
dren admitted to that date were in the following pro-
portions: sixty-nine were members of the Church
of England; twenty-six Independent; nineteen
Wesleyan ; fifty-one Baptist ; four Presbyterian ;
one Catholic ; and thirty-five made no profession of
religion.

In the management of the Orphanage will be found
one of its chief attractions, and one which ought to
commend its plans to other similar institutions. The
author of a book called *' Contrasts" cites the Stock-
well School as a specimen of admirable administra-
tion, proving that large expenditure in some public
institutions does not sfuarantee thorouQrh satisfaction.
In some orphan schools and pauper schools the rate
of expense per head is from one hundred and fifteen
to one hundred and forty-five dollars, whilst in the
Stockwell Orphanage, with complete organization and
highly satisfactory results in each department, the
cost is only seventy-two dollars per head, inclusive of

156

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

everything. This is the highest testimonial which
could be given of its efficiency.

UulcH of AdiiiisKluii.

Looking over the list of applications which are
entered in the books at Stockwell it was ascertained
that two only out of every dozen cases could be
f t'ceived. What becomes of the other ten ? " Think
jf widows, some of them sickly and unable to work,
with four or five children ; families of orphans de-
prived of both parents ; and yet the Stockwell trus-
tees had to decline them because there were more
necessitous cases. But there was one comfort, they
had not to pay any election expenses."

On that subject Mr. Spurgeon has written the fol-
lowing judicious remarks : '* No widow ever goes away
lamenting over time, labor, and money spent in vain.
The worst that can happen is to be refused because there
is no room, or her case is not so bad as that of others.
Not a shilling will have been spent in purchasing
votes, no time lost in canvassing, no cringing to obtain
patronage. Her case is judged on its merits, and the
most necessitous wins the day. We have now so
many applicants and so few vacancies, that women
•with two or three children are advised not to apply,
for while there are others with five, six, or seven chil-
dren depending upon them, they cannot hope to
succeed." A dozen orphanages as large as the one
at Stockwell could be filled at once with children
needing such help.

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

167

A Good Investment.

The economy with which the Orphanage has been
managed has excited the admiration of many who are

Ihil-

)ne

Iren

familiar with che details of kindred institutions. Those
who honor Mr. Spurgeon with their contributions
•^s»ke a ofood investment, and will share in the

158

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

blessediteijs of the return. The office expenses are
reduced to a minimum, and no paid crxnvassers are
employed. Offerings find their way into the exchequer
from all parts of the globe, and though at times there
has been a little tightness felt, the children have never
lacked a meal.

' Mr. Spurgeon is a man of unwavering faith in the
living God, and though his faith has been put to the
severest test, it has never failed him. Friends who
have not been able to giv^ money have sent gifts in
kind. Flour and potatoes, meat and preserves, are
always gladly received. One manufacturer has given
all the coverlets for the beds, and the proprietors and
pupils of a young ladies' school have endeavored to
keep the boys supplied with shirts.

Gratityingr Results.

The Orphanage has now existed long enough to
form a correct opinion of its merits in everj^ depart-
ment. Hundreds of boys have left the school and
entered on the duties of life. The reports which
have been received annually from those business
men who have taken them have been most gratifying.
With few exceptions, those who h?ve 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

boy
ion.
m a
an

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, ^"^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ 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 given 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

U60)

our
who
.inte-
lere-
the
our
ecn

,'oran

ises
mer

to
>up-

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 fall 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 ^o confess
11

162

BEY. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

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 uiournful
appeals because of exhausted resources, and in this
we must see and admire the good hand of the Lord.

We now enter more fully upon a Iresh stage ol oui

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

16d

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 ot 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, lo

184

BEV. CHARLES H. SFUROEON.

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 oui
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. Considering that so large a
proportion of the children come to us in a delicate

STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

165

our

condition, and some with the taint of hereditary dis-
ease, it is a matter for devout thankfuhiess 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 constitution. 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.

Beligrious 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.

During their term of residence in the institution all
the boys are total abstainers, no alcoholic liquors being
jallowed 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
ispeakers ; and lectures are given ^t intervals during
(he winter months.

166

REV. CHARLES H. SPURQEON.

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 ./hich are brought under their
notice ; and it must be an equal joy to the subscribers
to know that their loving 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.

Young- Choristers.

During the year the boys took part in the Crysta
Palace Musical Festivals, arranged by the Band d
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

the

and

the

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 anyway 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
yirorking associations, but the supply is not yet ecjual

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 marring the willinghood 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
forthcoming as the need arises. While commending
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 1880 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 22d
of June, when the president's birthday was celebrated.
It was a joy to all present that Mrs. Spurgeon waa
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&

lour

22d

ted.
Iwaa
ion
led
^he
|W.
ory

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 theii
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 Enlargred Usefulness.

At the present moment the buildings of th.. 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-
structing them in household duties and saving consid-
erable expense. We would not spend a sixpence
peedlessly. No money has been washed in lavish

170

BEY. CHARLES H. SPHROEON.

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 buildings
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 litde 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 high, though
unknown among men. Who will be the n^xt to joir^
US in thisi happy la^bor ?

8T0CKWELL ORPHANAOB.

171

ills
lat
for
I us
:at
ire

>in

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 Qirls* 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 little 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 thing to leave the girls 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, «is we believe sit the e^^act moment,

172

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

the hour has struck, and the voice of God in provi-
dence says, " Go forward."

The Work Begun.

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,
fo: 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 h.'i\e 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
doy of the special age required by the rules of our
Poys' Orphanage. There were several girls, but then

174

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

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 litde ones who wil! 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 governesses should go
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 anrt Maggie.

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 tnat
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 v. rk for the girls must be something

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 looli:>h 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
va* jus works require, and he gets it because God
moves His people to give it, as he hopes, good reader.
He may move you.

We havo no personal end to serve ; we do not, di-
rectly or indirectly, gain a single penny by the Or-
phanacre. College, or any other societies over which
we pre'iide ; 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 girl''' 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

R£V. CHARLfiS fl. SftRGEOK.

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 ctiildren will be dis-
played in the liberality which will supply the needs of
the 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
^is 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.

<■»

I be
of
as

Ise.

CHAPTER IX.
The Great Preacher's Last Illness and Death.

A\arming Reports. — Messages of Sympathy. — Cheering Words from the Christiav
Endeavor Conventton of the United States. — Message from International
Congregational c'omicil. — 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.

Eariy in July, 1891, alarmingr reports became
current concerning- Mr. Spurgeon's health. It was
known that for a long time he had been a sufferer
from gont and kidney complaint, and the gravest fears
were felt lest these complaints should undermine his
otherwise stronof constitution, and end his ereat work.

Daily reports were issued from the sick-chamber ;
all the newspapers throughout Christendom contained
references to the illustrious sufferer, and among all
classes of persons profound sympathy was awakened ;
while thousands be.^ides Mr. Spurgeon's own congre-
gation prayed earnestly for his recovery. On the
.'6th of July the Chnstian World, the leading religious
newspaper of London, reported as follows :

The condition of Mr. Spurgeon is now regarded as
quite beyond luiman aid. Last evening he had further
relapsed, and there was much difficulty in getting him
to take nourishment

u (m)

tTS

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

On Tliursday 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 PUROEON.

worse." The report of Sunday afternoon showed a
blight change for the better.

Unfavorable 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 restless
night, with delirium. The waste of albumen from the
kidneys suddenly increased, and the prostration of

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

179

fol
les9
the
of

strength is very great." The next day'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, an.d the amount of
nourishment taken is less."

The intense interest felt in Mr. Spurgeon's condition
is shown by the messages of sympathy thai Jlierally
pour in on Mrs. Spurgeon. On Friday the t^flegraph
office at Beulah Hill was completely blocked for a
considerable part of the day. The co:.imittee 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 Evangelical Alliance have all sent telegrams.

Messag^cs of Sympathy.

Letters and telegrams have also been received from
Chicago, Ontario, Massachusetts, 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 Newington, the parish in which the
Tabernacle is situated, between whom and Mr. Spur-
geon the most kindly feeling has existed, wrote to

180

KEY. CHARLES H. SPUSGEOK.

Mrs. Spurgeon expressing his sympathy, and hoping
that her husband's life, 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 1 2,000 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.

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.

Ipa-

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
congregation were asked. Among 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'clocl: 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 gready 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 f^om tlie 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 ilhiess. 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 flrom Mr. Gladstone.

Mrs. Spurgeon has received the following letter
from Mr. Gladstone:

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

183

Corton, Lowestoft, July i6.
My dear Madam, — In my own home, darkened at
vne 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 1
humbly commend you and him, in all contingencies, to
the infinite stores of Divine love and mercy, and sub-
scribe myself, my dear Madam, faithfully yours,

W. E. Gladstone.

Mrs. Spurgeon sent the following reply, the post-
icript being in her husband's handwriting :

Westwood, Upper Norwood, July i8, 1891.
Dear Mr. Gladstone, — Your words of sympathy
iiave 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 I 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.

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REV. C. H. SPURGEON IN HIS PULPIT.

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

185

A Oletini 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 h inr^s.
They 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

BBY. 0HABLB8 H. SPUROION.

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 Natlo::.

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 telegrams received at
Westwood 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 AKO DEATH.

l87

the other — till their Father in Heaven should say,
" It is enough."

Cheerinir Kewi.

Shortly before nine o'clock a telegram arrived from
Westwood giving the cheering news of a slight im-
provement in Mr. Spurgeon's general state. The
internal con'^estion 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'3 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 throughout 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 evanjeiist, pastor and teacher, who has exer-
cised his Gcd-given gifts of perfecting other men
for the work of ministering, though all these ele-
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 biemisli 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 Hisrhest 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 great 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 ke would ultimately recover. He became well
enough to correct the proofs of his sermons, the pub-
lication of which was 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. 31 . — The celebrated divine,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, died here fifteen minutes

190

BEY. OHABLKS H. 8PUR0B0N.

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 given him it was not retained. A large 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.

Enormous Literary Work.

Glancing at Mr. Spurgeon's work it will be seen
that it was enormous. Besides editing and furnishing
most of the matter for his monthly magazine, Ttu
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 1 889, 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 Unioa In announcing his decision to with-
draw, and replying to his critics, he said : " To pursue

LAST ILLNESS AND DBATH.

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 G'lost." Mr. Spurgeon had
long been contemplating the act of secession. He
announced his determination of withdrawing if certain
other clergymen, who v»ere 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. Spurg^eon's Obsequieii.

Upon the death of tlie celebrated divine, the news-
papers througiiout 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 bad 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

BIY. OHABLES H. SPUROEOIT.

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
aflected 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 tbe carcase of the lion : and, bkiiold, there
was a swa'm of bees and honey in the carLa^e of the lion. And he t^»ok ihcrt- f
in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and .ic
gave them, and they did eat: l>ut lio lold not (hem that he had taken the lioney
out of the carcase of the lion." — Judges xiv, 8, 9.

It was a sinijular 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 killinor 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 "Gains, mine host," where the pilgrims
^ 193

194

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

amused themselves with a dish oi' 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 difficulties ; but as Samson took the honey with-
out being stung, so would we gain instruction without
Jebate. 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 brino-
ing forth the honey in his hands and presenting it to
his father and mother. This is the little scene to
v/hich I direct your glances. It seems to me that the
Israelitish hero with a slain lion in the backorround,
standing out in the open road with his hands laden
with masses of honeycoiiib 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

HANIJS FULL O!*' IIUNEY.

195

the

we
the
the

Hon that roared upon us and upon him. He ha*
sliouted " victory " over all our foes. " It is finished '^
was His note of triumph ; and now he stands in the
midst of his church witli his hands full of sweetness
and consolation, presenting them to those of whom
he says, " thcst^ arv. my brother, and sister, and
mother." To eacli 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, holdinof 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 thry 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 m 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, rnd now he
stands in the midst of his fellow-men inviting them to
Jesus. With the honey in his hands, which he con-

f¥

196

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

! I

tinues still to feast upon, he displays the heavenly
sweetness to all that are round about him, savintr, "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
with 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, tJie believer's life
has its co7iflicts ; secondly, the believers life has its
sweets ; and, thirdly, the believer 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 soldi(;r. 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 wlio 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
Llie case of Samson as our symbol, begin early \n tiie
life of the believer. While Samson was a child, the
S[jirit of the Lord moved him in the camps of Dan-
see the last verse of the thirteenth chapter; and
IS soon as he was on the verge of manhood, he must
match himself with a lion. God who intended that
iiis 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 fiehtin^rs 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 futur*":
combats with Lsrael'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 liis naked
hands. He was to learn war in the sanu! school as
another and a greater hero, who afterwards said,

198

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

I'M

" Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and
this uncirciimcised Philistine shall be as one of them."
Soldiers are made by war. You cannot train veter-
ans or create victors except by battles. 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 slioulders in after
years. It is assuredly a dani^erous thing to be
altogether free from trouble : in silken ease the soldier
loses his prowess. Look at Solomon, one c ' 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 mi<jht have taun-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

earliestdaysof 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 nr
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

SKRMONS AND LECTUUES.

and respect vvliich lie 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, oi' 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 dismay('d 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 s^ood: their terror is for our teachinor. 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 batth:
a<iainst foreio^n foes.

These conflicts come early, and they are very
terrible ; and, moreover, they happen to us what wc
are least prepared for tJicm. Samson was not hunting
for wild beasts ; he was engaged 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 Hon roared

airam

St h

im.

It was a remarkable and stardini?

>re

O
<

•<

O
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»— 1

K
H

HANDS FULL OP 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 do,, 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 maybe 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 way 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 hare to die
alone, and you need therefore g'*ace to cheer you in
solitude. The dear wife can attend yov. weeping to
the river's brink, but into the chill strcajn she cannot
go with you ; and if you have not a religion which

202

SEKMONS AND LECTUKES.

III!

Mil!

will sustain you in the solitudes of life, of what avail
will it be to you in the grim louesomeness 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 ir
his hand." This is the most remarkable point in the
narrative. lie 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 hirri. 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 was by the
Spirit of God that the victory tvas 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 HONKY.

203

lion, that jLjoes about continually seekino^ whom he
may devour, fiiul 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 wea^c and lan-
guishing; but in the Spirit of God, by whom we can
do all thin<rs. If God fi^du in us, who can resist us :
There is a strou'-er lion in us than that a^jainst 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 wt;
need not fear them for an instant if the Lord be oiy
our side. We are mightier than all hell's legions
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

'TT-

^Hi

201

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

our hand, and grasp the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of Ciod, and we would repeat the feat of
Christian with A poll yon, when he <;ave the fiend such
grievous wounds that he spread his dragon wings and
ttew 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
against us, and we overcome it through the blood of
the Lamb, for " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin." Sometimes a raging 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 i» 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 OP HONET.

2^)5

thou go from victory to victory. •• Many arc liie afllic-
tions of the rij^htcoiis, but the Lord deHvercth him
out of them all." Wherefore, with a lion-like spirit,
meet lions which seek to devour you.

II. Now, then, we come to our second head, which
is : THK believer's life has its sweets. We are not
always killing lions, we are sometimes eating hon('\ .
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 iv « 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 alvvay ; and again 1
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
condesce.nd 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 cracklinof 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 deiicrhted to

200

SEiiMOiVS AND LECTURES.

warm his hands, for it g^ives oi't 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 tar as divine joy is con-
cerned. I could often cry for joy wlien 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. Vou
can dare to pry into the bottom ot* it and test its foun-
dation. It is a joy which docs 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.

1 ou

foLin-

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I the

are

only
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oy to

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full.

HANDS FULL OP HONEY.

207

Christians have their sweets, and those are as honey
and the honeycomb, the best of the best.

Of these joyo ^/lere is plenty ; 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 pa''doned sin, in acceptance in
the Beloved, in rv^sting 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
thar 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 come 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
limes ten thousand hearts.

Dear friends, if you want to know what are the
elements of our joy, I have already hinted at them,
but 1 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 Hon 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 noxt 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
vict®ry, such a sweet contentment perfumes your heart

HANDS FULL OF HONEY

200

tliat you are filled with joy unspeakable ; and you are
dcvoudy grateful to have been helped of the Spirit of
God to master your own spirit. Thus you have a^aln
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 ]\li'. Bunyan again ; when Christian had
passed through tlie 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.) fie was long in taking that look, I war-
rant you. What thoughts he had v/hile 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 widiin him-
self, "Ah me ! What goodness has been with me! I
have gone through all that, and yet I am unharmed ! "
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 w'hen they stepped out
of the fiery furnace, and were not even singed, neither
had the smell of fire passed upon them. I lappy 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.''

210

SKRMONS AND LECTURFS.

|! !

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 thai
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 let himself alone, his
instincts would lead him to tell his fellows. I know
that the moment I came out of that little chapeJ
.wherein I found the Saviour, I wanted to pour out my
tale of joy. I could have cried with Cennick —

•• Now will I tell lo 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 angels wondered at. Is that
vhy 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 Samsoi* had no sooner

• II I

212

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

tasted of the honey than he carried a portion of it to
bis 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 doofs because of their cowardice at the begin-

ning.

The believer will do \\\\?, first to those who are nearest
to him. Samson took the honey to his lather 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 o'"' ame all difficulties for us? At the least,
vio nC '" y i our own children the personal testi-
mony Ci i,. '•• \' ■ er or their moiher to the surpassing
power of grac,- cind the unutterable sweetness of
iivine love. Tell it to th*^-'- 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 inother 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 iii your hands, and if there is no
dish they cannot take notice of the dish. "Ay, but I
should like to do it very properl)^" 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

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SERMONS AND LECTUKES.

I I

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 tJiem 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. " 1 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 o-f 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 Clirist. 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

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HANDS FULL OF IIONhY.

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 no^
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 othe'*". 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
ibr?" "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 i^ood 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 f/ia^ ; 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 UONEY.

217

joy of Christ and the love of the Spirit, and nrpacc; is
abundant in your soul, then tell the news to all around.
You cannot do any hurt by such a proceeding': jjrace
docs orood, 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 godliness 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 wliich 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 tellin<2- what the Lord has done for
your soul, and it will keep you out of mischief. There-
fore, I would stir up all Christian peo[)le to continue
from day to day (-xhibiting 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 bb^ss his parents, for our honey is
honey unto eternity, our sweets are sweets that last to

218

SEKMONS 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 turning to Christ. I do often in-
wardly sing when I perceive that I can scarce go into
any town or xiliage but what somebody hunts me up
to say to me, " UiuUn* 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 liolding forth the word
of life! Our h(,*aven 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 [)resented to yourcompanions
truths that were sweetness itself to you, and tried to
say in broken accf-nts, '• Oh tliat you knew this pc-ace ! "
it shall give yuu joy unspeakable to meet those in
glory who were attracted to Christ by such n simple
means. . .

God make you all to be his witnesses in all the
circles wherein you IT -^ve.

GLORY.

219

GLORY!

Who hath called us unto his etcrniil glory." — i Peter v. lo.

A FORTNIGHT ago, when I was only able to creep to
the tront 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 building 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 trod^ltn 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 s« 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 strengdiened
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
language to which a man can reach concerning glory
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-

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220

SEI?.MONS AND LECTURES.

ing whar he had seen. Though a great master of
language, yet for once lie 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 . an, 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

GLORY.

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
recrion, not altocrether an inner briofhtness 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 trie deep tilings 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 \% what is the destiny of the
saints? — " Eternal glory," says the text. Secondly,
luJicreiri 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 influ-
ence of this prospect upon our hearts? What manner
of people ought we to be whose destiny is eternal

222

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

III

lory ? 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 Ats eter-
nal glory!' " Glory! " does not the very word astound
yon? "Glory!" surely that belongs to God alone!
Yet the scripture says "glory," and glory it must
mean, for it never exaggerates. Think of glory for us
who have deserved eternal shame ! Glory for us poor
creatures who are often ashamed of ourselves ! Yes,
I look at my book again, an dit actually says "glory"
— nothing less than glory. Therefore so must it be.

Now, since this seems so amazing and astonishing
a thing, I would so speak with you that not a relic of
incredulity 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 promised. What said David ? In
the seventy-third Psalm and twenty-fourth verse we
meet with these remarkable words : " Thou shalt guide
me with thy counsel, and afterward 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 guidance of the Lord here below the
great P^ather 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

Ho^ht 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, !ie
said, *' The Lord will give grace and glory : no good
thing will lie withhold from them that walk uprightly? "
\()t 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
L^ood 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,
end we know that we shall be with him where he is,
we are confident that our rest shall be glorious.

Brethren, it is to this glory that we Jiave been called.
The. people of God having been predestinated, have
been called with an effectual calling — called so that
rhey 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, v/e are
called to holiness, we are called to perseverance, and
all this that we may afterwards attain unto glory. We

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224

SERMONS AND LlXl'UKES.

have another scripture of like import In i Thejisa-
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
kinordom." We are called to be kincrs, 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
cf that to which God has called you.

And we are not only called to it, brethren, but glory
is especially joined iviiJi 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 being prepared 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> as 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 eurnal weight of
glory." Oh, blessed men, whose very losses are their
gains, whose sorrows produce their joys, whose griefs
are big with heaven 1 Well may we be content to suf-

226

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

ii 1 1
I

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•I

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 s^veet
^ thought \}i\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 .ei^, ing with Christ ; being
ridiculed, and slandered, and despised for Christ's
sake will bring us to be ."^i "^ret., 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 cfov/n : " 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 getting 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 tliaii Bunyan's Greatheart, who
is conducting the pilgrim band through all the treach-
erous way, and he vill

brinor

the

many sons —

where ? — " unto glory" nowhere short of that shall be
\h€\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-
pians 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 change 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 ' ody 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 perfectly
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.

229

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 little. 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 little,
then, can we hope to speak of this glory ! Its back
parts are too bright for us : as for the face of that
glory, 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,

2.')0

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 th^ 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 ly glory — rank, position,
power, conquest — tilings 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 character. 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.

231

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 usv
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.
feet in character, never sinning, never judging unjustly,
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
litde 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 tlic trarckn of lulcn : he was indeed monarch
of all that he survt>ycd, and from die lordly lion down
to the tiniest insect all living creatures paid him
williniT homacre. 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 larn^eness 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
sonl, we cannot guess to what an elevation it shall be
r; -i in Christ Jesus. There is rooixi 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 of the best
that heaven itself possessed.

Further, by " glory " and coming to glory I think we
must understand complete victory. Dwelling ir the
age of the Romans, men said to themselves, as they
re *:he Scriptures, "What does the apostle mean by
'gioty?'" 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 belonfjs to men who have

i '

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 tilings 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, thry "wan-
dered about in sheepskins and goatskins ; destitute,
afflic<;ed, 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 reflecting the glory of God. When any of

GLORY.

235

God's Uiifallen creatures Jiall wish to see the j^^rcat-
ness of God's goodness, and mercy, and love, they
that dwell in 1 javen will point out a glorified saint.
Whenever any spirit from far-off re?gions 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

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

n ill

i''i I
iiHi

GLORY.

237

id even
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hey see
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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 wliom 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
divell in the immediate 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

||..n^

■111

^11

:ii!ll

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 /le also glorified." He
glorifies them, then ! I know what it is to glorify God,
atvl 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 " /lis 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 " weigiit,"
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 the
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 ! I
must set before you a strange Scriptural picture.

GLORY.

239

«(

the

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 royai 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 the 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.

sta) 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 yoars in
heaven our happiness shaij 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 ran 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

rLORT,

241

3 our

world and all the glories thereof. Satan is very clever,
and I will at this time take a leaf out of his book.
Will you not fall down and worship the Lord Jt sus
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, 1 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 1 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

tmmmmmn

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 comtemptare our righteous due apart
from Christ. If we were to receive accordincr 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 straiglifrway 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 they
within were heard to sing —

** Come in, come in,
Eternal glory thou shall win."

Will you not draw your swords this morning, and

GLORT.

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 tlien 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 glories
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 tlie place wher«j
God's eternal glory shall surround us. Amen.

244

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

•i ii

THE LUTHER SERMON AT EXETER-HALL

" For in Jesus Ctirisl iieitlier ciiciimciijiun avuilctli aiiythiiig, nor uncircum*
cision: but faitli wliicli tvorketh 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 ^rusted in it; but Paul declarer
that it availeth nothing. There might be others who
were glad that they were not Jews, but Paul declares
that their uncircmncision availeth no more than its op-
posite. Certain matters connecu2d 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.

Go<rs Clergy,

If Liitlier 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 ir 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 hims'^.vf, 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 neorative side of the text, which is full
of warning to this Ritualistic age.

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
jnelther circumcision avalleth anything, nor uncircum-
clsion ; but faith which worketh by love." He was in
the Augustlnian 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

TT"

246

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

the prejudices of his up-bringino^, and such the dark-
ness ot his surroundings, that he still hoped to find
salvation by outward performances.

liMiij^ 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 Buuyan.
There is a story told concerning John Bunyan's

iff

THE LUTHER SERMON.

247

'• Pilgrim^s Progress." Good Thomas Scott, the
ComirenUtor, wrote notes to it ; he thought the
" Piltrrim's Pro^rress " 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 readin
Dunyan's • Pilgrim's Progress.' Do you understan
it } " She answered innocendy 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
\\\e Bible, and one day, perhaps, I may be able to
vmderstand 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
opposiu. had been true, for you put the truth away
ake a j^iper in a pigeon-hole, and it has no effect
upon )uu. "A very proper doctrine," you sa)^
" L 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 Distiuctiou.

Aofain, faith is not the mere belief that there is a
God, though 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 lieed thereto ''as un*:o 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 himian flesh that he miofht
redeem our fallen nature from all the evils of sin,
and raise it to eternal felicity. We believe m Christ,
on Christ, and upon Christ ; accepting him because

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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 believing in Christ that wa 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 1

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 challenofe his choice. Beofaars 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 no 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 thou 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
comrnended to ws the open road of faith.

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SERMONS AND LECTURES.

God has chosen the \s ay 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 feelings, or prayers,
or almsgivings, 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 anJ
benevolence, and the Lord will, therefore, only put It
into the har.J! of faith since faith arroofates nothlnor to
herself. Faith, In fact, disowns all Idea of merit, and
the Lord of grace therefore elects to plac-e the treasure
of his love In the hand of faith.

Pride Crucified.

Again, It is of faith that there may be no boasting ;
tor if our salvation be of our doings or feelings, we
are sure to boast; but, if it be of faith, we cannot
gJory 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 oblic^ation
^o the soverelon crrace of God.

I bless the Lord that he has chosen this way of
Jaith, because // /j so statable 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 ihe last article
of death, what good works could you do ? Yonder
dying thief found it a happy thin'^ 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.

251

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 tJie most unlearned.
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,
\i 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
^o each one of them and say, " Jesus died."

" There is life in a look at the Cruc 'ed One ;
There is life at this moment for tiice."

III. Now, I am going to finish in a way suitable to
this Luther memorial. You have heard a great deal
about Luther'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 paved 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
V/orth 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

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THE LUTHER SERMON.

253

'*■ him

jrreatly 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 ;
o«l 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 Young Men.

Young men, I do not know wliat 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 homaire
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
ScHpture. 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.

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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 thing 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, "Trurt in God, but keep your powder

THE LUTU£U SEUMON.

255

dry." Luther believed above most men in keeping
his powder dry. How he worked ! By pen, by
moutli, 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
mailer 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, Luther s faith abounded i7i prayer. 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
f^ven 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 tlie
fear of man. Duke George is going to stop him. " Is
he ? " said Luther. " If it were to rain Duke Georcres
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 LhXTUKES.

iiii'ii

Worms as there are tiles on the house-tops he would
be there. And he was there, as you all know, playing
the man Ibr 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 trutli.
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 cown 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.

Itelig-ioii 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
jp 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<i

T&£ LUTHER SERMOH.

257

It is easy to find fault with him from the superfine
standpoint, for he lived in an honest unguardedness.
My admiration kindles as I think of the hearty open-
ness of the man. I do not wonder that even ungodly
Germans revere him, for he is all a German and all a
man. When he speaks he does not take his words
out of his mouth to look at them, and to ask Melanc-
thon whether they will do ; but he hits hard, and he has
spoken a dozen sentences before he has thought
whether they are polished or not. Indeed, he is utterly
indifferent to criticism, and speaks what he thinks and
feels. He is at his ease, for he feels at home : is he
not everywhere in his great Father's house ? Has he
not a pure and simple intent to speak the truth and do

the right ?

Luther's Home Life.

I like Luther with a wife and children. I like to
«ee him with his family and a Christmas-tree, mak-
ing music with little Johnny Luther on his knee.
I love to hear him sing a little hymn with the chil-
dren, and tell his pretty boy about the horses in
heaven with golden bridles and silver saddles. Faith
had not taken away his manhood, but sanctified it
to noblest uses. Luther did not live and move as
if he were a mere cleric, but as a brother to our
common humanity.

After all, brethren, you must know that the greatest

divines have to eat bread and butter like other

people. They shut their eyes before they sleep,

and they open them in the morning, just like other
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366

gEBMONS AND LECTURES.

folks. This is matter of fact, though some stilted
gentlemen might like us to doubt it. They feel
and think like other men. Why should they seem
as if they did not ? Is it not a good thing to eat
and drink to the glory of God, and show people
that common things can be sanctified by the word
of God and prayer? What if we do not wear
canonicals, and so on ? The best canonicals in the
world are thorough devotion to the Lord's work ;
and if a man lives aright, he makes every garment
a vestment, every meal a sacrament, and every house
a temple. All our hours are canonical, all our days
holy days, every breath is incense, every pulse music
for the Most High.

Luther's Charity.

They tell us that Luther ignored good works. It
is true he would not allow good works to be spoken
of as the means of salvation ; but of those who pro*
fessed faith in Jesus he demanded holy lives. Luther
abounded in prayer and charity. What an almsgiver
Luther was ! I fear he did not at all times duly
regard the principles of the Charity Organization
Society. As he goes along, if there are beggars he
empties his pockets for them. Two hundred crowns
have just come in, and, though he has a family about
him, he cries, " Two hundred crowns ! God is giving
me my portion in this life." " Here," says he to a
poor brother minister, " take half. And where are
the poor? Fetch them in. I must be rid of this!"

I am afraid that his Catherine was forced at times

THB LUTHER SERMON.

259

Stilted
;y feel
seem
to eat
people
5 word
; wear
in the
work ;
arment
' house
ir days
: music

ks. It
spoken
lo pro*
Luther
isgiver
;s duly
lization

ars he
crowns
J about

giving
le to a
;re are

this ! "

t times

to shake her head at him ; for, in truth, he was not
always the most economical husband that might be.
In almsgiving he was second to none, and in all the
duties of life he rose far beyond the level of his age.
Like all other men he had his faults; but as his
enemies harp on that string, and go far beyond the
truth, I need not dwell upon his failings. I wish that
the detractors of Luther were half as good as he.
All the glory of his grand career be unto the Lord
alone.

Lasdy, Luther's faith was a faith that helped him
under struggles that are seldom spoken of. I suppose
that never man had orreater soul-conflict than Luther.
He was a man of heights and depths. Sometimes
he went up to heaven and he sang his hallelujahs;
and then he went down again into the abyss with
his " misereres." I am afraid that, great, vigorous
man that he was, he had a bad liver. He was
grievously afflicted in body in ways which I need not
mention ; and he was sometimes laid aside for
months together, being so racked and tortured that
he longed to die. His pains were extreme, and we
wonder how he endured them so well. But ever
between the attacks of illness Luther was up again
preaching the word of God. Those desperate strug-
gles with the devil would have crushed him but for
his faith. The devil seems to have been constantly
assailing him, and he was constantly assailing the
devil. In that tremendous duel he fell back upon his

51 1

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200

SKRMONS AND LECTURES.

Lord, and, trusting in Omnipotence, he put Satan to
rout.

Young men, I pray that a Luther may spring up
from your ranks. How gladly would the faithful wel-
come him 1 I, who am more a follower of Calvin than
of Luther, and much more a follower of Jesus than of
either of them, would be charmed to see another
Luther upon this earth.

God bless you, brethren, for Christ's sake. Amen.

THE BEST WXR-CST,

THE BEST WAR-CRY.

<* The Lord hU God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them."^
Numbers xxiii. 21.

It was a singular spectacle to see the king of Moab
and his lords climbing to the tops of the craggy rocks,
accompanied by that strange being, the Eastern
prophet Balaam. They are seeking to look upon
Israel with the evil eye, and flash down curses upon
her tents in the plain beneath. You see them gazing
down from the mountains upon the encampment in the
wilderness below, like vultures from aloft spy out their
prey. They watch with keen and cruel eyes. Cunning
and malice are in their countenances. How Balak
longs to crush the nation which he fears ! They are
secretly endeavoring by spell and enchantment to
bring evil upon the people whom Jehovah has chosen
and led into the wilderness.

You see them offering their seven bullocks and
their seven rams upon the seven altars which they have
set upon Pisgah's rocks ; and Balaam retires to wait
until the afflatus shall come upon him, and he shall be
able to prophesy. In all probability Moses knew
nothing about this at the time ; and certainly the people
below knew nothing of the foul conspiracy. There
lay the tribes in the valley, unaware that mischief was
brewing, and quite unable to meet the dark design
even if they had been aware of it. What a mercy it was
for them that they were guarded by a Watcher, and a
Holy One, whose eyes can never slumber. How true

262

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

|l!

it is — " I the Lord do keep it ; I will water it every

moment : lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.'

The Lord's eyes are fixed upon Balaam the hireling,

and Balak the Son of Zippor : in vain do they weave

the enchantmenc and work the divination ; they shall

be utterly ashamed and confounded. They were baf-

tied in their machinations, and utterly defeated in their

schemes, and that for one single reason : it is written,

"Jehovah Shammah — the Lord is there." God's

presence in the midst of bis people is as a wall of fire

round about them, and a glory in their midst. The

Lord is their light and their salvation, whom shall they

fear ?

Crafty Intrigues.

At this present time God has a people, a rem.nj^nt
according to the election of grace, who still dwell like
sheep in the midst of wolves. When, as a part of the
Lord's church, we look at our surroundings, we see
much that might cause us alarm ; for never, either day
or night, is Satan quiet. Like a roaring lion he goeth
about, seeking whom he may devour: he plots in
secret his crafty devices : if It were possible he would
deceive even the very elect, This prince of darkness has
on earth many most diligent servants, compassing sea
and land to make proselytes, laying out all thei;
strength, and using all their craft and cunning if by
any means they may destroy the kingdom of God, and
blot out the truth from under heaven.

It is saddest of all to see certain men who know the
truth in some degree, as Bat,iam did, entering intQ

THE BEST WAR-CRT.

268

into

league with the adversary against the true Israel.
These combine their arts, and use all possible means
that the gospel of the grace of God, and the church
that holds it, may utterly be destroyed. If the church
be not destroyed it will be no thanks to her enemies,
for they would swallow her up quick. When we look
upon the signs of the times our hearts grow heavy ;
for iniquity abounds, the love of many waxes cold,
many false spirits have gone abroad into the earth,
and some whom we looked upon as helpers are proving
themselves to be of another order. What then ? Are
we dismayed ? By no means, for that same God who
was in the midst of the church in the wilderness is in
the church of these last days.

The Immortal Church.
Again shall her adversaries be defeated. Still will
he defend her, for the Lord has built his church upon
a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
her. The reason of her safety is this :

" God in the midst of her doth dwell
Nothing shall her remove ;
The Lord to her a helper shall.
And that right early, prove."

Our text declares the grand safeguard of the church
of God, ensuring her against every peril known and
unknown, earthly or Satanic; — "Jehovah his God is
with him, and the shout of a king is among them."

May the Holy Spirit help me while I try to speak
first rpon God's presence with his people ; secondly,
upon tht results of that presence ; and, thirdly, upon

264

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

i if ''

how, by the grace of God, that presence may be preserved

continually amongst us.

I. First, let me speak a little upon God's presence

AMONG HIS PEOPLE. It is an extraordinary presence, for

God's ordinary and usual presence is everywhere.

Whither shall we flee from his presence ? He is in

the highest heaven and in the lowest hell : the hand

of the Lord is upon the high hills, and his power is in

all deep places.

A Peculiar Presence.

This knowledge is too high and wonderful for us :
yet everywhere is God, for in him we live and move
and have our being. S^Hl there is a peculiar presence ;
for God was among his people in the wilderness as he
was not among the Moabites and the Edomites their
foes, and God is in his church as he is not in the
world. It is a peculiar promise of the covenant that
God will dwell with his people and walk among them.
By the gift of the Holy Spirit the Lord is with us and
in us at this hour. He saith of his church, *• Here
will I dwell, for I have dt sired it." This is much
more than God's being about us ; it includes the favor
of God towards us, his consideration of us, his work-
ing with us. An active nearness to bless is the pres-
ence of which we speak.

Here we may say with great reverence that God is
with his people in the entireness of his nature. The
Father is with rs, for the Father himself loveth us.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the ^.ord pitieth
them that fear him. He is near to us, supplying our

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265

needs, guiding our steps, helping us in time, and
tutoring us for eternity. God is where his children
are, hearing every groan of their sorrow, marking
every tear of their distress. The Father is in the
midst of his family, acting a father's part towards
them. '* Lord, tliou hast been our dwelling-place in
all q^e crations." He is never far from any into whose
breasts he has put the spirit of adoption whereby we
cry, " Abba, Father ! " Come, ye children of God,
rejoice in ihis : your heavenly Father has come unto
you, and abides with you.

«'Lo, I am with Yoii.*»

We bavj: also the presence of the divine Son of
God. Said he not to his apostles, " Lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world ? " Have we
not this for our joy whenever we come together, that
we meet in his name, and that he still says, " Peace
be unto you," and manifests himself unto us as he
doth not unto the world? Many of you know most
delightfully what it is to have fellowship with God, for
** truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his
Son, Jesus Ch/ist;" and this fellowship were not ours
if we H'ere not made nigh by his precious blood.
Very near are we to the heart of Christ; he dwells
with us ; yea, he is one with us.

Peculiarly this presence relates to the Holy Ghost.
It is he who represents the Lord Jesus who has gone
from us. We have a double portion of Christ's spirit,
because we see him now that he is taken up ; even as
Elisha had a double portion of Elijah's spirit, according

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LECTURES AND SERMONS.

to the prophet's saying, " If thou see me when I am
taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee ;" that is, a
double portion of my spirit shall rest upon thee. It
was expedient that our Lord and Master should go,
that the Spirit might be given. That Spirit once out-
poured at Pentecost has never been withdrawn. He
is still in the midst of this dispensation, working,
guiding, quickening, comforting, exercising all the
blessed office of the Paraclete, and being for us and
in us God's advocate, pleading for the truth, and

for us.

The Glory of the Church.

Yes, dear friends, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit are in the midst of the true church of God when
that church is in a right and healthy state ; and if the
triune God be gone away from the church, then her
banners must trail in the dust, for her warriors have
lost their strength. This is the glory of the church of
God — to have the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God the Father, and the communion of the
Holy Ghost to be her never-failing benediction. What
a glory to have Father, Son, and Holy Spirit manifest-
ing the Godhead in the midst of our assemblies, and
blessing each one of us.

For God to dwell with us : what a condescending
presence this is ! And will God in very truth dwell
among men ? If the heaven of heavens cannot contain
him, will he abide among his people ? He will ! He
will ! Glory be to his name ! " Know ye not that
your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost?"

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267

God dwelleth in us. Wonderful word! Who can
fathom the depth of this grace ? The mystery of the
incarnation is equalled by the mystery of the indwell-
ing. That God the Holy Ghost shall dwell in our
bodies is as extraordinary as that God the Sen should
inhabit that body which was born of the blessed virgin.
Strange, strange is this, that the Creator should dwell
in his creatures, that the Infinite should tabernacle in
finite beings. Yet so it is, for he has said, '* Certainly

I will be with thee."

True Worship.

What an awe this imparts to every true church of
God ! You may go in and out of certain assemblies,
and you may say, " Here we have beauty ! here we have
adornment, musical, ecclesiastical, architectural, orator-
ical, and the like ! " but to my mind there is no worship
like that which proceeds from a man when he feels —
the Lord is here. What a hush comes over the soul !
Here is the place for the bated breath, the unsandalled
foot, and the prostrate spirit. Now are we on holy
ground. When the Lord descends in the majesty of
his infinite love to deal with the hearts of men, then it
is with us as it was in Solomon's temple when the
priests could not stand to minister by reason of the
glory that filled the place. Man is set aside, for God
is there.

In such a case the most fluent think it better to be
silent ; for there is at times more expressiveness in
absolute silence than in the fittest words. " How
dre?i(lful is this place ! this is noi^e oth^r but the house

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268

LECTURES AND SERMONS.

of God, and this is the gate of heaven." For why?
Because Jacob had said, " Surely the Lord is in this
place." We regard the lowliest assemblies of the
most illiterate people with solemn reverence if God be
there ; we regard the largest assemblies of the wealth-
iest and most renowned with utter indifference if God

be not there.

Nothing Without God.

This is the one necessary of the church ; the Lord
God must be in the midst of her, or she is nothing. If
God be there, peace will be within her walls, :ind pros-
perity within her palaces ; but if the Lord be not there
woe unto the men that speak in his name, for they
shall cry in bitterness, "Who hath believed our report ? "
Woe unto the waiting people, for they shall go away
empty ! Woe unto the sinners in a forsaken Zion, for
them comes no salvation ! The presence of God makes
the Church to be a joyful, happy, solemn place : this
brings glory to his name and peace to his people ;
but without it, all faces are pale, all hearts are heavy.

Brethren, this presence of God is clearly discernedhy
the gracious, though others may not know it. Yet
methinks even the ungracious in a measure perceive
it, — coming into the assembly they are struck with a
secret something, they know not what ; and if they do
not immediately join in the worship of the present
God, yet a deej- impression Is made upon them beyond
any that could be caused by the sound of human
speech, or by the grandeur of outward show. They
feel "awed, and retire abashed.

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The Great Enemy.

Certainly the devil knows where God is, — none
better than he. He hates the camp of which Jeliovah
is the leader ; against it he doubles his enmity, multi-
plies his plots, and exercises all his power. He knows
where his kingdom finds its bravest assailants, i^i^d he
therefore attacks their head-quarters, even a.* did
Balaam and Balak of old.

Let us look at Balaam for a momen'. May we
never run in the way of Balaam for a reward ; but let
us stand in his way for a moment that he may be our
beacon. This man had sold himself for gold, and
though he knew God and spoke under inspiration, yet
he knew him not in his heart, but was willing to curse
God's people for hire. He was thwarted in his design
because God was there. It is worth our while to see
what kind of a God Jehovah is in Balaam's estimation.
He describes our God in verse nineteen, — " God is not
a man that he should lie ; neither the son of man that
he should repent ; hath he said, and shall he not do it?
or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ? '*
Balaam perceived that the God who was in the midst
of his people is not a changeable God, not a false God,
not one who promises and forgets, or promises and
eats his words, or promises what he cannot and will
not perform.

The Sure Promises.

The God of Israel Is faithful and true, Immutable
unchanging: everyone of his promises shall be ful
filled : none of his words shall fall to the ground

270

LECTURES AND SERMONS.

"Hath he said, and shall he not do it? — hath he
spoken, and shall it not come to pass ? " What a joy
it is to have such a God as this among us, — a promise-
making and a promise-keeping God ; a God at work
for his people, as he has declared he would be ; a God
comforting and cheering his people, and fulfilling in
their experience that which his word had led them to
expect. This God is our God for ever and ever ; he
shall be our guide even unto death.

My dear friends, we sometimes hear men talk of
the failure of the church. We are afraid that some
churches do fail. Wherever failure occurs, the bottom
of it is the absence of the Lord of hosts, for he cannot
fail. I heard one, speaking of the district in which he
lives, say, " We are a religious people ; almost all the
people attend a place of worship, but," he added, " I
am bound to add that of spiritual life we have few
traces. One church has given up its prayer-meetings;
another feels that its entertainments are more impor-
tant than its worship, and another is notorious for
worldliness." This is a testimony as terrible as it is

common.

Dead Christians.

The worst thing that can be said of any Christian
community Is this : " Thou hast a name to live and art
dead." " Thou art neither cold nor hot." Our Lord
Jesus says, " I would thou wert cold or hot. So then
because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,
I will spew thee out of my month." A church without
life and zeal makes Christ sick ; he cannot bear it. He

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can put up with downright godlessness sooner than
with a profession of religion out of which the Hfe and
the power are gone, since it has cooled down into
lukewarmness. This, then, we should pray for contin-
ually — the presence of God in the midst of his people.

" Great Shepherd of thine Israel
Who didst between the cherubs dwell,
And ledd'st the tribes, thy chosen sheep.
Safe through the desert and the deep •

Thy church is in the desert now ;

Shine from on high, and guide us through ;

Turn us to thee, thy love restore ;

We shall be saved, and sigh no more."

II. To whet your desire for this let me pass on to
the second head of my subject, which is briefly to
describe the results of this divine presence. Some
of these results are mentioned ifi the context. One of
the first is leading — "God brought them out of Egypt"
(verse 22). The best criticj give us another render-
ing : " God is bringing them out of Egypt." When
God is in the midst of his people he is leading them,
so that we may cheerfully sing that song-, " He leadeth
me ; he leadeth me," and go on with David to word it,
" He leadeth me beside the still waters." We want no
other leader in the church when we have God; for his
eye and arm will guide his people.

Human Inefficiency.

I am always afraid of having human rules in a
church, and equally fearful of being governed by human
precedents. I am afraid of power being vested in one,
or two, or twenty men ; the power must be in the Lord

272

tJERMONS AND LECTURES.

himself. That church which has God in the midst of
it rules itself, and goes right without any other guid-
ance but that which comes of the Holy Spirit's work-
ing. Such a church keeps together without aiming at
uniformity, and goes on to victory even though it
makes no noise. That movement is right which is led
by God, and that is sure to be all wrong which is led
in the best possible way if God be absent. Organiza-
tion is all very well, but I sometimes feel inclined to
join with Zwingle in the battle when he said, " In the
name of the Holy Trinity let all loose : " for when
everybody is free, if God be present, everybody is
bound to do the right. When each man moves
according to the divine instinct in him there will be
little need of regulations: all is order where God

rules.

Empty Sclienies and Systems.

Just as the atoms of matter obey the present power
of God, so do separate believers obey the one great
impelling influence. Oh, for God to be in the church
to lead it : and it shall be rightly guided. Do not fall
in love with this particular system or that, my brother ;
do not cry up this scheme of working or that ! Get
the Spirit of God, and almost any shape that spiritual
life takes will be a form of energy suitable for the
particular emergency. God never leads his people
wrongly. It is for them to follow the fiery, cloudy
pillar ; though it lead them through the sea, they shall
traverse it dry-shod ; though it lead them through a
desert, they shall be fed ; though it bring them into a

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273

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[loudy
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thirsty lane' they shall drink to the full of water from
'the rock. We must have the Lord with us to guide
us into our promised rest.

The next blessing is strength. " He hath as it were
the strength of an unicorn" (verse 22). It is gener-
ally agreed that the creature here meant is an extinct
species of urus or ox, most nearly represented by the
buflfalo of the present period. This gives us the sen-
tence, — " He hath as it were the strength of a buffalo."
When God is in a church, what rugged strength, what
massive force, what irresistible energy is sure to be
there !

Backbone Wanting'.

And how untamable is the living force ! You can-
not yoke this buffalo to everybody's plough : it has its
own free way of living, and it acts after its own style.
When the Lord is with a church her power is not in
numbers, though very speedily she will increase; her
power is not wealth, though God will take care that
the money comes when it is needed : her power lies in
God, and that power becomes irresistible, untamable,
unconquerable. Force and energy are with the Lord.

I do fear me that what many bodies of Christian
people need is this force.

Examine yonder religious body : it is huge, but it
lacks muscle ; it is a fine-looking organization, but soul,
sinew, backbone are wanting. Where God is there is
sure to be life-force. When the Spirit of God de-
scended upon the first saints they began to speak with
wondrous power ; and though they were persecuted,

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SERMONS AND LECTURES.

they were not subdued. No bit could be put into their
mouths to hold them in, for they went everywhere-
preaching the word. Of the true Israel it shall be
said — his strength is as the strength of the buffalo : it
cannot be controlled or conquered.

The next result is safety. " Surely there is no en-
chantment against Jacob, neither is there any divina-
tion against Israel." The presence of God quietly baf-
fles all the attempts of the evil one. 1 have noticed,
dear brethren, in this church, where we have had God's
presence in a great measure, that all around us people
have gone off to this opinion and to the other fancy, yet
our members as a rule have stood firm.

Skepticism to be Ignored.

Persons say to me, " Do you not sometimes answer
the scepticisms of the day ? " I answer. No. They
do not come in my way. " Do not modern opinions
trouble your church? " They have not done so, Why ?
because God is there, and spiritual life in vigorous ex-
ercise does not fall a victim to disease. A gracious
atmosphere does not agree with modern doubt.
When people fall into that evil they go where the thing
«is indulged, or at least where it is combated ; where
'kw some way or other they can develop their love of
novelty and foster the notion of their own wisdom.
Infidelity, Socinianism, and modern thought can make
no headway where the Spirit is at work. Enchant-
ment does not lie against Israel, and divination does
not touch Jacob.

If a church will keep to truth, keep to God, and do

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275

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its own work, it can live like a lamb m the midst of
wolves without being torn in pieces. Have God with
you, and not only the evil of doctrinal error but every
other shall be kept far from you. There was even when
Christ was in the Church a Judas in the midst of it ;
bind even in the apostles' days there were some that
went out from them because they were not of them,
for if they had been of them doubtless they would
have continued with them ; hence we may not expect
to be without false brethren. But the true safety of
the church is not a creed, not an enactment for ex-
pelling those who violate the creed ; the presence of
God alone can protect his people against the cunning
assaults of their foes.

Useless Nonsense.
Upon these words " there is no enchantment against
Jacob, no divination against Israel," suffer a few sen-
tences. There are still a few foolish people in the
world who believe in witchcraft and spells, but ye, be-
loved, if you love the Lord, throw such nonsense to the
winds. Do you not hear people talk about this being
lucky and that unlucky ? This notion is heathenish
and unchristian. Never utter such nonsense. But
(^ven if there were such things as witchcraft and div*.-
nation, if this house were full of devils and the
air swarmed with invisible sprites of an evil sort, yet
if we be the people of God, surely there is no enchant-
ment against us. Divination cannot touch a child of
God ; the evil one is chained. Wherefore be of good
courage: if God be for us, who can be against us?

^76

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

* '::l

Further than that, God gives to his people the next,
blessing, that is of his so working among them as to make
them a wonder, and cause outsiders to raise inquiries
about them. " According to this time it shall be said
of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought ? '
Is not that a singular thing ? Here is Balaam with
his seven altars, and seven bullocks, and seven rams,
and here is Balak, and they are all going to compass
sonic dreadful evil against Israel.

Signs and Wonders.

The prophet is a man of great skill in the occult
arts : and what does God say ? In effect he says, —
From this hour in which you try to curse them I will
bless them more than ever, until I will make them
say, and their enemies say, "What hath God wrought? "
Brethren, there is another question, " What hath Israel
wrought ? " I am glad that Israel's work is not my
subject just now, because I should make a very
wretched sermon out of it ; we have better music in
the words, " What hath God wrought ? " Let me tell
not what / have done, but what God has done ; not
what human nature is, but what God's nature is, and
what the grace of God will work in the midst of his
people.

If God be with us we shall be signs and wonders,
until those about us shall say, " What is this that God
is doing? " Yes, in you, poor Jacob, wrestling, halting
on your thigh, men shall see marvels and cry, " What
hath God wrought ? " Much more shall it be so with
you, my brother Israel, you who have prevailed and

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877

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won the blessing ; you are as a prince with God, and

you shall make men inquire, "What hath God

wrought ? "

The Invincible lion.

When God is with his people he will give them
power of a destructive kind. Do not be frightened.
Here is the text for it : " Behold, the people shall rise
jp as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young
lion " — that is, as a lion in the fulness of his vigor,—
" he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and
drink the blood of the slain." God has put into his
church, when he is in it, a most wonderful destructive
power as against spiritual wickedness.

A healthy church kills error, and tears in pieces
evil. Not so very long ago our nation tolerated slav-
ery in our colonies. Philanthropists endeavored to
destroy slavery ; but when was it utterly abolished ?

It was when Wilberforce roused the church of God,
and when the church of God addressed herself to the
conflict, then she tore the evil thing to pieces. I have
been amused with what Wilberforce said the day after
they passed the Act of Emancipation. He merrily
said to a friend when it was all done, " Is there not
something else we can abolish ? " That was said play-
fully, but it shows the spirit of the church of God.
She lives in conflict and victory ; her mission is to de-
stroy everything that is bad in the land. See the fierce
devil of intemperance, how it devours men ! Earnest
men have been laboring against it, and they have done
something for which we are grateful, but if ever in-

278

SEBMONS AND LECTURES.

temperance is put down, it will be when the entire
church of God shall arouse herself to protest against
it. When the strong lion rises up the giant of drunk-
enness shall fall before him. " He shall not lie down
until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the

slain."

A Hopeftil Prophecy.

I augur for the world the best results from a fully
aroused church. If God be in her there is no evil
which she cannot overcome. This crowded London
of ours sometimes appals me, — the iniquity which
reigns and rages in the lower districts, the general
indifference and the growing atheism of the people, —
these are something terrible ; but let not the people
of God be dismayed. If the Lord be in the midst of
us we shall do with this as our sires have done with
other evils : we shall rise up in strength, and not lie
down till the evil is destroyed. For the destructions,
mark you, of God's people, are not the destructions
of men and women ; they consist in the overthrow of
Bin, the tearing in pieces of systems of iniquity. This
it is which God shall help his church to do, he being
in the midst of her.

Once more : the results of God's presence are to be
seen, not only in the context, but in other matters
which we have personally experienced and hope to ex-
perience more fully still. Note them. When God is
in a church there is a holy awe upon the hearts of his
people; there is also childlike trustfulness and hope-
fulness, and consequent courage and joy.

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279

DeliKhtfkil Ordinances.

When the Lord is in the midst of his people the or-
dinances of his house are exceeding sweet ; baptism
and the Lord's Supper become divinely painted pic-
tures of our burial in Christ, and of our life through
him ; the preaching of the word drops as dew and
distils as the rain ; the meetings for prayer are fresh,
aid fervent; we want to stay in them hour after houi, '
we feel it such a happy thing to be there. The very
house wherein we meet grows beautiful to us; we
love the place where our Lord is wont to meet with
us. Then work for Christ is easy, nay, delightful ;
God's people never want urging on, they are eager
for the fray when the Lord is with them. Then, too,
suffering for Christ becomes pleasant, yea, any kind
of suffering is easily borne.

" I can do aU things, or can bear
All sufferings, if my Lord be there t
Sweet pleasures mingle with the paint,
While his left hand my head sustains."

Then prayer grows abundant all over the church,
both in private and in public. Then life is made
vigorous ; the feeblest becomes as David, and David
like the angel of the Lord. Then love is fervent ;
unity is unbroken ; truth is esteemed, and the living
of truth in the life is sought after by all the people of
God. Then effort is successful ; the church enlarges
the bounds of her tent, for she breaks forth on the
right hand and on the left. Then her seed inherits
the Gentiles, and the desolate places are inhabited.
Then God gives unto her the holy energy with which

I m

280

SERMOyi AND LECTURES.

she vanquishes nations. When God is with her she
becomes like a sheaf of fire in the midst of the stubble,
and consumes her adversaries round about. " Fair as
the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army
with banners/* is a church which has God in her midst.

The King's Battle-Cry.

But now notice one thing in my text, and with that
I close this description. Where God is, we are told,
" T/te shout of a king is among them.*' What is the
shout of a king ? When great commanders are known
to have come into a camp what a thrill of joy it causes
among their trusty warriors! When the soldiers
have been much dejected it has been whispered in
their tents^

** The king has come to marshal ni,
All in his armor dressed,"

and from that moment every man is cheered up. At
the sight of the king as he comes riding into the camp
the host raises a great shout. What means it ? It is
a shout of loyal love — they are glad to welcome their
leader. So it is when we sing —

*' The King himself comes near ; **

we are all as glad as glad can be. Those who cannot
come out to see their prince, because they are lying
on their sick beds in hospitals, clap their hands, while
even the little children in their mothers* arms join in
the general joy. " The king is come," say they, and
his presence kindles their enthusiasm till they make
the hills ring again.

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camp
It is
their

Cromwell and Heroes.

You know how the stern Ironsides felt when Crom-
well came along ; every man was a hero when he led
the way. They were ready for any adventure, no
matter how difficult, as long as their great chief was
there. That enthusiasm which was inspired by Alex-
ander, and by Napoleon, ^and by other great com-
manders, is the earthly image of the spiritual fervoi
felt by the church when the Lord Jesus is in her midst

What next ? When the King comes and they hav*
received him with enthusiasm, he cries, " Now is th(
hour of battle ; " and at once a shout goes up from his
warriors who are eager for the fight. When a clan
of Highlanders was led to the battle by their chief
he had only to show them the enemy and with one
tremendous shout they leaped upon them like lions.
It is so with the people of God. When God is with us
then are we strong, resolute, determined. The charge
of the servants of God is as the rush of a hurricane
against a bowing wall and a tottering fence. In God
is our confidence of victory. With God present no
man's heart fails him ; no doubt enters the host. " Be
strong, and quit themselves like men," is the word
that is passed round, for their king's eye makes them
brave and the presence of his majesty secures them
triumph.

The Great Need.

My brethren, let us cry to God, entreating him to be
among us. This it is that you want in your Sunday-
schools, in your mission halls, in your street preaching

■>'

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

in your tract distributing; it is this that I want beyond
everything when I have to speak to you in this vast
house. If I could hear the sound of my Master's feet
behind me I would speak though I were lying upon
the borders of the grave ; but if God be gone I am
bereft of power. What is the use of words without
the Spirit ? We might as well mutter to the whistling.'
winds as preach to men without the Lord. O God, if
thou be with us then the shout of a King is among us,
but without thee we pine away.

III. Thirdly, let us look at a very important point,
and a very practical one too : What can be done for

THE SECURING AND PRESERVING OF THE PRESENCE OF GoD

WITH THE CHURCH ? This is a matter that would
require several sermons to cliscuss it fully ; but I notice
that there is something even in the confirmation of a
church to secure this. God is very tolerant, and he
bears with many mistakes in his servants and yet
blesses them ; but depend upon it, unless a church is
formed at the very outset upon scriptural principles
and in God's own way, sooner or later all the mistakes
of her constitution will turn out to be sources of weak-
ness.

Power of the Bible.

Christ loves to dwell in a house which is built
according to his own plans, and not according to the
whims and fancies of men. The church ought not to
set up as her authority the decrees of men, either living
or dead; her ruler is Christ. Associations formed
otherwise than according to Scripture must fail m the

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288

long run. I wish Christians would believe this. Chil-
lingworth said, " The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the
religion of Protestants." That is not true.

Certain Protestants have tacked many other things
to the Bible ; and they are suffering as the result of
their folly, fo.* they cannot keep their church from
becoming formal. Of course they cannot : they have
admitted a little unhealthy leaven, and it will leaven
the whole lump. The dry rot in one part of the house
will spread throughout the whole fabric sooner or
later. Let us be careful to build on the foundation of
Christ, and then let every man take heed how he build
thereon ; for even if the foundation is good, yet if he
build with hay and stubble the fire will cause him
grievous loss.

But next, God will not only dwell with a church
which is full of life. The living God will not inhabit
a dead church. Hence the necessity of having really
regenerated people as members of the church. We
cannot secure this in every case with all our watching;
tares will grow among the wheat. But if the admis-
sion of unregenerate men is usual, and there are no
restrictions, then the Lord will be grieved and leave
us. God dwelleth not in temples made with hands ,
He has nothing to do with bricks and mortar; He
dwells in living souls. Remember that text : " God is
not the God of the dead, but of the living," and it
bears this sense among others, that He is not the God
of a church made up of unconverted people. Oh that

284

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till

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

we may all live unto God, and may that life be past

all question.

Helpless Paralysis.

That being supposed, we next notice that to have
God among us we must be /u// of faith. Unbelief
gives forth such a noxious vapor that Jesus Himself
could not stop where it was. His strength was para-
lyzed ; " He could not do mighty works there because
of their unbelief." Faith creates an atmosphere in
which the Spirit of God can work. Meanwhile the
Spirit of God Himself creates that faith, so that it is
all of His own working from first to last. Brothers,
sisters, do you believe your God ? Do you believe up
to the hilt? Alas! too many only believe a little.
But ^^o you believe His every word ? Do you believe
His grandest promises? Is he a real God to you,
making His words into facts every day of your lives ?
If so, then the Lord is among us as in the holy place.
Faith builds a pavilion in which her King delights to
sit enthroned.

With that must cova^ prayer. Prayer is the breath
of faith. I do not believe God will ever be long with
a church that does not pray, and I feel certain that
when meetings for prayer, when family prayer, when
private prayer, when any form of prayer comes to be
at a discount, the Lord will leave the people to learn
their weakness.

Fervent Prayer Wanted.

Want of prayer cuts the sinews of tWe church for

practical working; she is lame, feeble, impotent, if

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285

for
it. if

prayer be gone. If anything be the matter witli the
lungs we fear consumption. Prayer-meetings are the
lungs of the church, and anything the matter there
means consumption to the church, or at best, a gradual
decline, attended with general debility. Oh, my
brothers, if we want to have God with us, pass the
watchword round, " Let us pray." Let us pray after
the fashion of the widow who was importunate and
would not be repulsed ; remember, it is written, " Men
ought always to pray, and not to faint." Where prayer
is fervent God is present.

Supposing • there is this faith and prayer, we shall
also need holiness of life. You know what Balaam
did when he found he could not curse the people.
Satanic was his advice. He bade the king of Moab
seduce the men of Israel by the women of Moab that
were fair to look upon. These were to fascinate them
by their beauty, and then to invite them to their idola-
trous rites, which rites were orgies of lust ; he hoped
that the lewdness of the people would grieve the
Lord and cause Him to leave them, and then Moab
could smite them. He sadly succeeded.

Phineas and His Javelin.

If it had not been for Phineas who in holy wrath
drove his javelin right through a man and woman in
the very act of sin, sparing none in the vehemence of
his zeal, Israel had been quite undone. So in a
church. The devil will work hard to lead one into
licentiousness, another into drunkenness, a third into
dishonesty, and others into worldliness. If he can

286

SERMONS AND LECTUBES.

only get the goodly Babylonish garment and the

wedge of gold buried in an Achan's tent, then Israel

will be chased before her adversaries. God cannot

dwell in an unclean church. A holy God abhors the

very garments spotted by the flesh. Be ye holy as

Christ is holy. Do not take up with this German-silver

electrotype holiness, which is so much boasted of

nowadays.

A Dangerous Delusion.

Do not be deluded into self-righteousness, but seek
after real holiness ; and if you do find it you will never
boast about it : your life will speak, but your lips will
never dare to say, " See how holy I am." Real holi-
ness dwells with humility, and makes men aspire after
that which yet lies beyond them. Be holy, upright,
just, straight, true, pure, chaste, devout. God send us
this behavior, and then we shall keep him among us
as long as we live.

Lastly, when we have reached to that, let us have
practical consecration, Go(? will not dwell in a house
which does not belong to him. No, the first thing
with any one of us is to answer this question : — Dost
thou give thyself up to Christ, body, soul, and spirit,
to live for him and to die for him ? Wilt thou give
him all that thou hast of talent and ability, and sub-
stance, and time, and life itself? Where there is a
church made up of consecrated people, there God will
remain, and there he will make a heaven below, and
there the shout of a king shall be heard, and there
his strength shall be revealed, and there his glory shall

THE BEST WAR-CBT.

be seen even as it is beheld on high. The Lord send
us this, for Jesus' sake. Amen and Amen.

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

Candles were far more familiar objects in my boy-
hood than in these days of gas and electricity. Now,
fathers show their boys and girls how to make gas at
the end of a tobacco pipe ; but in my time the greatest
of wonders was a lucifer-match. Our lights were so
few that they justified the wit who declared that the
word " luxury *' was derived from lux^ the Latin for
light. Assuredly, a good light is a high form of
luxury. I can never forget the rushlight, which dimly
illuminated the sitting-room of the old house ; nor the
dips, which were pretty fair when there were not too
many of them to the pound ; nor the mould candles,
which came out only when there was a party, or some
special personage was expected. Short sixes were
very respectable specimens of household lights. Com-
posites have never seemed to me to be so good as the
old sort, made of pure tallow ; but I dare say I may
be wrong. Nevertheless, I have no liking for compo-
sites in theology, but prefer the genuine article without
compromise.

Once I thoughtlessly hung a pound of tallow candles
on a clothes-horse. This construction was moved
near the fire, and the result was a mass of fat on the
floor, and the cottons of the caudles almost divested
of tallow: a lesson to us all not to expose certain

288

SERMONS AND LEOTtTRES.

things to a great heat, lest we dissolve them. I fear
that many a man's good resolutions only need the
ordinary fire of daily life to make them melt away.
So, too, with fine professions, and the boastings of
perfection which abound in this age of shams.

Joke on Youngsters.

In my early days it was a youthful joke to send a
boy to the shop for a pound of cotton rushes. The
grocer, if of an angry sort, was apt to make a rush
at the lad, who thus appeared to mock him. It was
in these times that we heard the story of the keeper
of the chandler's-shop, who told her customers that
" candles was riz." " Riz ? " said her neighbor, " every-
thing is riz except my wages. But why have they
riz ? " " They tell me," said the other, " that tallow
has gone up because of the war with Russia." " Well,"
replied the customer, " that is a queer story. Have
they begun to fight by candle-light?" That woman
had some inkling of the law of supply and demand.
She may never have read "Adam Smith," but it is pos-
sible that she was a Smith herself.

Those were the days when a wit is Represented as
saying to his tradesman, " I hope these candles will be
better than the last." " I am sure I don't know, sir ;
was anything the matter with those I sent you?"
" Matter enough," replied the wit ; " they burned very
well till they were about half gone, and then they
would burn no longer." The catch is that, of course,
they burned shorUr,

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

fear

the

Lway.

s of

;nd a
The
rush
it was
eeper
s that
every-
i they
tallow
Well/'
Have
voman
mand.
is pos-

The Oancllo Box.

I have here a case for candles, a casket for those
jewels of light. Look well at this curiosity, ye dwell-
ers in cities ; for I do not suppose that any of you have
such a pi*::ce of furniture in your houses. It is a
candle-box, Ivell-fashioned and ncady japanned. Here
at the back are two plates with holes in them by which
to hang up the box against the wall. It closes very
neatly, opens very readily, and keeps its contents out
of harm's way. I can assure you that I have within
it a number of the very best candles, from the most
notable makers. Wax, stearine, palmatine, and so
forth : there could not be a handsomer assortment
than I now exhibit to you. Let no one despise this
display : here we have capacity, elegance, preparation,
and plenty of each.

But snppose that we were in this room without the
gas, and I were simply to exhibit the candle-box and
its contents, and say, " Here is brilliance ! You need
no electric lighting: this box abundantly suflfices for
the enlightenment of this large assembly I " You
would reply, " But we see none the better for your
boasted illumination. The candles are shut up in
their box, and yield no single beam of light." Herein
detect a resemblance to many a church. We could
readily find communities of Christian people, who are
shut up to themselves, and are without the living fire
of the Spirit of God. What is the good of them ?
Dying- of Respectability.

This is a very respectable candle-box; is it not?
1»

290

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

if
ill I

It could hardly be more respectable. Even so, yondei
is a highly respectable congregation ! Very refined
and select ! The minister is a " man of high culture
and advanced thought." He can confound a text of
Scripture with any living man. He attracted at least
five horses to his place of preaching last Sunday
They say it takes a great deal of ability to draw a
horse to church ! As for his hearers, they are all the
cream of the cream. Don't you know that the doctor,
and the brewer, and the lawyer, and the auctioneer all
attend that most honored sanctuary ? What with an
M. D., and a D. D., and an F. R. S., two wealthy dow-
agers, a colonel, a county councilman, and a professor,
it is worth while for a fellow to go to that church for
the sake of the social distinction which it will bestow
upon him.

The people are so very respectable that they do not
know one another, and never think of shaking hands.
They are all so very select, that they float about in
distinguished isolation, like so many icebergs in the
Atlantic. The families walk up the aisles with the
most becoming dignity, and they walk down the aisles
with the most proper decorum. They can do without
warmth, brotherly love, sympathy, and co-operation r
for their eminent " respectability " suffices for every
need. Of course, they can do nothing more ; for it
costs them all their time, talent, thought, and spare
cash to maintain their superior respectability. Like
the gentleman with his well-brushed hat, no wonder

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

291

that they look so superior, for they give their whole
minds to it.

Charmins: Variety.

I see before me quite an array of candles. Variety
is charming, and number is cheering. The more the
merrier, and especially of such reputable and notable
light-givers as these. We may consider that we are
having quite an illumination. With so many lumin-
aries we need hardly regret the set of sun. But is it
so ? I, for one, am none the better for these promis-
ing lights ; are you ? I put on my spectacl<;s. But
there is no improvement. I can see nothing ; and yet
there are candles enough and to spare ! There is no
mystery about it — the candles are not lighted: and
until they are lighted they cannot remove our dark-
ness. Grace is needed to make gifts available for the
service of God.

Let us look more closely into our ccllection of
lights. Here is one which I should suppose to be an
archbishop at the least. This specimen is a Doctor
of Divinity. These are gentry, and these are mer-
chants, and those are "cultured** individuals; but
without the light from on high they are all equally

jinserviceable.

A Grand Rushlight.

A poor converted lad in a workshop will be of more
spiritual use than a parliament of unregenerate men.
I introduce to you a lighted rushlight, and there is
more to be seen by this ignoble luminary than by all
the rest Little ability, set on fire by the light of God,

292

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

may produce greater results than ten talents without
the divine power. "A living dog is better than a
dead lion ; " a zealous but illiterate Christian may be
worth twenty lifeless philosophers.

Herein is great encouragement, dear friends, that
If you once get a light, it will spread from one to
another without end. This one lighted candle would'
suffice to set a hundred candles shining. It may light
a much finer candle than itself.

Fire is one of those things for which there is no
accounting as to what may come of it. Its spread is
not to be measured even by leagues when it once gets
firm hold, and the wind drives it on. Piety in a cotta je
may enlighten a nation. If the church of God were
reduced to one person, it might, within an incredibly
short time, become a great multitude.

How One lAght Kindles Another.

There is a true apostolical succession in the kingdom
of grace. Office has the pretence of it, but grace
gives the reality. At Mr. Jay's Jubilee, Timothy East,
of Birmingham, told how, by the youthful ministry of
William Jay, a thoughtless youth was converted and
became a minister. Under the preaching of that man,
Timothy East himself was led to repentance ; and then
by a sermon from Timothy East, John Williams, who
became the martyr of Erromanga and the apostle of
the South Sea Islands, was savingly impressed. See
how the light goes from Jay to another, from that
other to East, from East to Williams, and from Wil-
liams to the savages of the Southern Seas I

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

A family tree of an equally interesting character

has been traced with regard to books as surely as with

living witnesses for God. A Puritan tract, old and

torn, was lent by a poor man to Baxter's father. It

was called Bunny s Resolutions, Through rtiading this

litde book, Richard Baxter, afterwards, the great

preacher of Kidderminster, received a real change of

heart.

Some WonderAil Books.

Baxter wrote The Saint's Everlasting Rest, which
was blessed to the conversion of Doddridge. He
wrote The Rise and Progress, which was the means of
the conversion of Legh Richmond, and he wrote his
Dairyman's Daiighter, which has been translated into
more than fifty languages, and has led to the conver-
sion of thousands of souls. How many of these con-
verted ones have in their turn written books and tracts
which have charmed others to Jesus, eternity alone
will reveal. We can never see the issues of our acts.
We may strike a match, and from that little flame a
street may be lighted.

Give a light to your next door neighbor, and you
may be taking the nearest way to instruct the twen-
tieth century, or to send the gospel to Chinese Tartary,
or to overthrow the popular science fetish of the hour.
A spark from your kitchen candle may, in its natural
progression from one to another, light the last gener-
ation of men ; so the word of the hour may be the light
of the age, by which men may come in multitudes to

294

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

see their Saviour and Lord. Let thy light shine, and
what will come of it thou shalt see hereafter.

** I Saw a Light.'*

Coming one Thursday in the late autumn from ao
engagement beyond Dulwich, my way lay up to the
top of the Heme Hill ridge. I came along the level
out of which rises the steep hill I had to ascend
While I was on the lower ground, riding in a cab, 1
saw a light before me, and when I came near the hill,
I marked that light gradually go up the hill, leaving a
train of stars behind it. This line of new-born stars
remained in the form of one lamp, and then another,
and another. It reached from the foot of the hill to
its summit. I did not see the lamplighter. I do not
know his name, nor his age, nor his residence ; but I
saw the lights which he had kindled, and these
remained when he himself had gone his way. As I
rode along I tliought to myself, " How earnesdy do I
wish that my life may be spent in lighting one soul
after another with the sacred flame of eternal life ! I
would myself be as much as possible unseen while at
my work, and would vanish into the eternal brilliance
above when my work is done." ^

The taper which I hold in my hand is in itself a poor
thing as an illuminator, but it has created quite a
splendor in the room by the light which it has com-
municated to others. Andrew was not a very great
personage, but he called his brother Peter, and led
him to Jesus, and Peter was a host in himself. Never
mind how small a taper you may be ; burn on, shine

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

295

at your best, arid God bless you. You may lead on to
grand results despite your feebleness.

Unknown Great Ones.

He that called Dr. John Owen is forgotten: I
might almost say was never known : he was a small
taper — but what a candle he lighted ! Those holy
women who talked together as they sat in the sun at
Bedford were a blessing to John Bunyan ; but we know
not the name of even one of them. Everywhere the
hidden ones are used of the Lord as the means of
lighting up those who shine as stars in the churches.

In the service of God we find the greatest expansion
of our being. It makes the dead man speak, and it
also makes a single living man spread himself over
a province. Our forefathers were fond of riddles. I
cannot say that they were very witty ones, but there
was solidity in them. Here is one — What is that of
which twenty could be put into a tankard, and yet one
would fill a barn ? Twenty candles unlighted would
scarce fill a jug ; but one when it is lighted will bene-
ficially fill a barn with light, or viciously fill it with fire
and smoke. A man, what is he ? A man of God, what
is he not ? Our influence may enlighten the world
and shine far down the ages, if the Holy Spirit's fire
shall kindle us.

The Wrong- Candlestick.

Here is a candle which has never given any light

yet, and never will as it now is. Hear its reason for

not giving light ! It is so unfortunate that it cannot

find a proper candlestick, in which to stand upright

296

SERMONS AMD L£CTUK£S.

and fulfil the purpose for which it was made. Let us
try to accommodate it. Here is a fine church candle-
stick, and we set our candle in the socket. Does it
shine ? No. Shall we try a lower place ? It does not
shine any better. We will put this candle in the most
enviable position — in this real silver candlestick, of
the most elaborate workmanship. It does not shine
one whit the more. Neither high nor low places will
make a man what he is not.

I know persons who cannot get on anywhere ; but,
according to their own belief, the fault is not in them-
selves, but in their surroundings.

No Church Good Enough for him.

I could sketch you a brother who is unable to do
any good because all the churches are so faulty. He
was once with us, but he came to know us too well,
and grew disgusted with our dogmatism and want of
taste. He went to the Independents, who have so
much more culture, breadth, and liberality. He grew
weary of what he called " cold dignity." He wanted
more fire, and therefore favored the Methodists with
his patronage. Alas ! he did not find them the flaming
zealots he had supposed them to be : he very soon
outgrew both them and their doctrines, and joined our
most excellent friends, the Presbyterians. These
proved to be by far too high and dry for him, and he
became rather sweet upon the Swedenborgians, and
would have joined them had not his wife led him
among the Episcopalians.

Here he might have even grown into a churchwar-

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

297

[War-

den ; but he was not content ; and before lon^ I heard
that he was an Kxchisive Brother! There I leave
him, hoping that he may be better in his new hne than
he has ever been in the old ones. " The course of
nature could no further go:" if he has not fallen
among a loving, united people no v, where will he find
them ? Yet I expect, that as Aclam left Paradise, so
will he ultimately fall from his high estate.

A Rolling Stone.

He reminds me of a very good man who changed
his religious views so often, that I once asked him,
"What are you now?" He told me, and I went on
my way ; but when I met him next, and made the same
inquiry, he was something else. At our next meeting
my reverend brother was grieved because I said to
him the third time, " What are you now ? " He re-
proved me for it ; but when I somewhat impenitently
repeated the query, and pressed it home, I found that
he really had entered another denomination since I
had last seen him. What a pity that the churches
should be so bad, that when a man has gone the com-
plete round he finds none which quite comes up to his
mark ! If some of these brethren go on their way to
heaven alone, they will increase the heaven below of
those who are not forced to put up with them.

The same illustration suggests to me to ask you
whether you know the young man who cannot serve
God as an apprentice, but is going to do wonders
when he is out of his time ? Yes, he only wants to
be put into another candlestick. So bethinks: but

208

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

we know better. When he is out of his time, and
has become a journeyman, he will postpone his grand
plans of usefulness till he has started as a master on
his own account. Alas I when he is a master, he will
wait till he has made money and can retire from busi-
ness. So, you see, the candle does not shine, but it
imputes its failure to the candlesticks ! The candle-
sticks are not to be blamed.

The Sclt'-iittliigr Cancllo.

Poor Dick Miss-the-Mark believes that he ought to

have been Oliver Cromwell ; but as that character is
hardly in season in this year of grace, Richard is un-
able to be Cromwell, and therefore he is not himself
at all. That wart over the eye, and other Cromwel-
lian distinctions, are a dead loss in his case. He can-
not develop his genius for want of a King Charles
and a Prince Rupert. The proper candlestick is not
forthcoming, and so this fine candle cannot shine.

Here is a very simple affair — Field's Self-fitting
Candle ; but it is very handy. You see, owing to the
shape of its lower end, the candle will fit into any
candlestick, whether it be large or small. A man of
this sort makes himself useful anywhere. In poverty
he is content; in wealth he is humble. Put him in a
village, and he instructs the ignorant; place him in a
city, and he seeks the fallen. If he can preach, he
will do so ; and if that is beyond his capacity, he will
teach in the Sabbath-school. Like the holy mission-
ary Brainerd, if he cannot convert a tribe, he will,
even on his dying bed, be willing to teach a poor child

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

299

child

his letters. It is a great thing not only to be able to

fit in to all kinds of worlc, but to cope with all sorts

of people.

Rldinfif any Kind of a Horso.

The power of adaptation to high and low, learned
and ignorant, sad and frivolous, is no mean gift. If,
like Nelson, we can lay our vessel side by side with
the enemy, and come to close quarters without de-
lay, we shall do considerable execution. Commend
me to the man who can avail himself of any conversa-
tion, and any . )i-*, to driv;:; home saving truth upon
the conscience and heart. Ke wlio can ride a well-
trained horse, properly saddled, does well ; but the
fellow who can leap upon she wild horse of the prairie,
and ride him bare-backed, is a genius indeed. "All
things to all men," rightly interpreted, is a motto
worthy of the great apostle of the Gentiles, and of
all who, like him, v/ould win souls for Jesus.

It is a pity v/hen a man is too big for his
position —as some candles are too big to fit in
certain candfesticks. Don't I know some Jacks-in-
Office who are a world too erreat to be of the sHorhtest
use to anybody? Don't ask them a question unless
you desire to be eaten up alive. On the other hand,
it is not pretty to see a candle with paper round it to
keep it in Its place ; nor is it nice to see a little man
padded out to make him fill up an important office.
Do Your Work Anywhere.

Some men in prominent positions are like the small
toy on the high horse ; they need a deal of holding

300

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

on. Be fit for yoin* office, or find one for which you
are fit. It is not a very great invention to make a
candle self-fitting, but the result is very pleasant.
Though the expression, " the right man in the right
place," is said to be a tautology, I like it, and 1 like
best of all to see it in actual life. Try to fit yourself
to whatever comes in your way.

Hearty service, rendered from pure motives, is
acceptable to God, even when persons of education
and taste have just cause to find fault with it« imper-
fections. If we cannot bear witness for the gospel in
grammatical language, we may be thankful that we
can do it at all, and we may be encouraged by the
unquestionable fact that God blesses the most unpol-
ished utterances. When you go to do a bit of car-
pentering in the shed, and need a -'^ht, you are some,
times on the look-out for the means of setting up youi
bit of candle in a handy way. Here is the great
invention in which your researches usually end.

Curious Candlestick.

You see I have stuck a candle into a ginger-beer
bottle, and the light which comes from it is quite as
clear as if I had a fine-plated candlestick. Here is a
popular implement, and it is both handy and cheap.
kVVho would find any fault with it if he were in the
dark, and wanted to find something in a hurry ? If
you have no fitter candlestick, a ginger-beer bottle
does mightily well. How often our Lord has used
men of scanty education, or of none at all ! How
useful he has made the things which i.\re despised !

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

801

Yet, at the same time, if it were left to me to make
my choice as to how I would have my candle set up,
I should not object to have it in a more presentable
stand. I would not quarrel even if the candle given
to me to go to bed with were in a silver candlestick.

For use I would sooner have a ginger-beer bottle
with a bright candle in it than a plated candlestick with
a dead candle in it, which I could not light. Who
would object to be rid of the guttering and the hot-
dropping tallow, and to handle a concern which would
noi dirty his hands ? A thing of beauty and of bright-
ness is a joy for ever.

That Fatal Bxtiugruisher.

Have you ever heard of a person who, in real
earnest, did the very foolish thing which I am attempt-
ing in pretence ! I have a candle here, and I want to
light it. What shall I do ?

Before me I see a candle burning very brightly, and
I will take a light from it for this other candle. I have
not succeeded. How is it that I have altogether failed ?
I am of a very persevering turn of mind ; I will give
it a fair trial. I cannot succeed in lighting my candle,
and you are all laughing at me, and you whisper that
I must be over-much stupid to try to light a candle
while an extinguisher is upon it. I subside.

Do you not think that very many persons go with
an extinguisher on to hear a minister preach ? Listen
to yonder young lady : — " Well, I will go to hear him,
Mary Anne, because you press me, but I am sure I
shall not like him." Is she not very like a candle

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

covered with an extinguisher? Why our nameless
friend does not like the preacher she has not told us ;
but probably her prejudice will be the more intense in
proportion as she is unable to give a reason for it.
Prejudice is a blind and deaf judge, who decides a case
before he has seen or heard tlie evidence. " Hansf
iheni first, and try them afterwards," is one of his sage
observations. Remember the old lines about unrea-
sonable dislikes : —

•• I do not like you, Dr. Fell,
The reason why I cannot tell;
But this I know and know ful! well,
I do not like you. Dr. Fell."

Just so. That is a very effective extinguisher.

Our young lady friend showed the prejudice of
ignorance, but there is such a thing as the prejudice
of learning, and this is a very effectual extinguisher.
Dr. Taylor, of Norwich, once said that he had read
the Bible through — I think it was ten times — and he
could not anywhere find the Deity of Christ in it.
Honest John Newton observed, " Yes, and if I were
to try ten times to light a candle with an extinguisher
on it, I should not succeed." Once make up your
mind to refuse a doctrine or a command, and you will
not see it where God himself has written it as with a
sunbeam. Kick against a truth, and the arguments
for it will seem to have no existence. Let prejudice
of any sort wholly cover the candle of your mind, and,
whatever you do, there is no likelihood of your re-
ceiving the light. There are none so deaf as those
who will not hear.

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

303

"Wide- Awake Hearers.

The only case in which I am willing to bear with
prejudice is when a dislike of me leads people to watch
the more carefully what I have to say. If they will,
during a sermon, be wide awake that they may find
fault, I will forgive their object out of respect to their
action. Of all devils, the worst is the devil of slum-
ber. He haunts places of worship, and it is not easy
to chase him away, especially in warm weather. I
greatly fear lest my people should become so used to
me, that, like the miller, they can go to sleep all the
easier for the grinding of the wheels — I mean, all the
quicker for the sound of my voice.

Butchers, it seems, are accustomed to do their work
with a candle fastened upon their foreheads in this
fashion. As I s^ not one of those gentlemen "who
kills his own," you Wi!l excuse me if I have not man-
aofed the affair in an orthodox manner. There is an
old story of one who had lost his candle, and travelled
all round his premises searching for it by its own light.
If is told as a jest, and it must have been a mirthful
incident where it happened. I remember an old gen-
tleman .no could see very little without spectacles,
but w( nt up and down the house searching for hi«
glasses, looking through them all the time.

The Candle on the Forehead.

The parable is this : a person full of doubts and
fears about his personal condition before God is search*
in^ for grace within, by the light of that very grace
for which he is looking. He is fearfully anxious be«

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

■

cause he can see no trace of gracious anxiety in his
mind. He feels sad because he cannot feel sad. He
repents because he cannot repent. He has the candle
on his forehead, and is seeing by the light of it, and
yet he is searching for that very light, without which
he could not search at all. Many a time a man
laments that he does not feel, and all the while he is
overwhelmed with pain through the impression that'
he does not feel pain as he should.

Some seem to have a great capacity for denying light
to their fellows, i have known persons almost glory
in their reticence with their own children. " I never
spoke to him about religion," was the complacent con-
fession of an old professor as to his son. Some of
these hide away in the dark themselves, lest they
should be called upon to work. A prospectus of a
Burial Ch'b began, " Whereas many persons find it
difficult to bury themselves.'' Alas ! to my knowledge
many persons bury themselves most easily, and one
of my constant labors is to fetch them out of the sep-
ulchre of their indolence, i wish they would respond
to my call, and not lie in their coffins and grumble at
my disturbing them. Again, dark lantern, I must turn
you on !

Here is a candle which is in a lantern of a tolerably
respectable sort : at least, it was respectable long ago,
and you might not now have noticed its forlorn con-
dition if it had not been for the candle within.

Faults Show Tlieiuselves.
So soon as you \ l^^g^^t within, the imperfections

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

805

of the lantern are shown up ; and it is the same with
human characters. Many a man would have seemed
a dere/it sort of fellow if he had not professed to be
a Chrbtian ; but his open confession of religion fixed
many eyes upon him, and his imperfections were at
once observed of all observers. He who unites with
a church, and takes upon himself the name of Christ,
claims a higher character than others ; and if he is
not true to his profession, his inconsistency is marked;
and very justly so. How often do we see that an un-
converted man may steal a horse, but a Christian must
not look over the hedge at it ! That which is winked
at in a man of the world, is a grave fault in a Chris-
tian. It is no more than natural and just that great
professors should be expected to be better than oth-
ers. It is inevitable that the very light they have
should reveal their faults and flaws.

Brethren, let us not exhibit our candle in a dirty
lantern, nor our religion in a doubtful character. I
have heard of a minister who was a capital preacher,
but he bought a wig of one of his hearers and forgot
to pay for it. A bad habit that. Not to pay at all is
worst of all ; but even to be long-winded is objection-
able. When the barber came home from the meeting-
he said, " That was a beautiful discourse ; but his wig
spoiled it. I like his deep expositions, but, oh, that
wig ! Will he ever pay for that wig ? " A friend who
heard me tell this story remarked that " the wig stuck
in the man's throat."

306

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

Jewel of Consistency.

Let us pay for our wigs if we wear such invccitions,
and let us see to it that there is nothing else about
our person or character which may bring the gospel
into discredit. We have heard of a wonderful
preacher, of whom they said that he preached so well
ind lived so badly, that when he was in the pulpit
they thought he ought never to come oui of ir ; but
when he was out of the pulpit they changed their
minds, and sorrowfully concluded that iie ought !iever
to go into it again.

In the case of this other lantern, little or no light
would come from it if it were not lor its cracks and
rents. The light passes through the broken places.
Do you not think that the sicknesses and infirmities
of many godly people have been the making of them,
and that the light divine has gleamed through the
rifts in their tenements of clay ? Do not light-givers
sometimes shine the better for sickness ? Some min-
isters preach the better for being afflicted. Do not
wish your minister to be ill or to be tried ; but I can'
not doubt the fact that the trials of ministers are the
best part of their education. One who was rather a
critic in sermons used to ask, " Has the doctor been
'11 within the last six months ? For he is not worth
hearing else."

An Old Scotch Woman's Saying*.

. \ '. old Scotch woman found that when h'^r ministei
.r I his sight he could not read his diy old manu
scripts, and was therefore forced to preach cxten?po«

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

807

raneously. Perhaps she was a little cruel when she
said, " Praise be to God. It would have been well if
he had lost his sight twenty years ago." To her
mind the sermons were so much better when they
came forth from his heart than when he read them
from the sapless manuscript, that to her the good
man's loss of sight was a gain. If, in any way, you
are able to tell out a sweeter experience, and so afford
greater comfort to others through your body being
like a broken lantern, be thankful for it. Happy are
we if our losses are the gains of others. So long as
our soul shines out with holier radiance we will glory
in infirmities.

Honored among women be the memory of Florence
Nightingale ! Her name and fame gave an impetus
to the movement for trained nurses, which has been
so fraught with comfort to thousands. Our young
ladies who devote themselves to this sacred service
deserve all the encouragement we can give them.
God bless you, gentle night-lights !

Our night-light is set in water to make it quite safe.
We do well to guard ourselves against the personal
dangers of our position : even when doing good we
'must be on our watch lest we fall into temptation.

Night-Lights.

Night-lights are marked to burn just so many hours,
and no more ; and so are we. Long may you each
one shine and yield comfort to those around you ; but,
whether your hours be few or many, may you burn
steadily to the end ! If we may but fulfil our mission

808

SERMONS AXD LECTURES.

it will be enough. May none of us take fire in a wrong
way, blaze into a shameful notoriety, fill the air with an
ill savor, and then go out in darkness ere half our
work is done !

There is room for fresh forms of candle still, and
we should not wonder if the article once more became
the subject of advertising, as soap is at present. In
other lands, as, for instance, on the north-west coast of
America, candles have a singular originality about
them ; for there they burn a fish, a species of smelt,
which grows nearly a foot long and is full of fat.
We should rather think the smelt smelleth, when they
put a rush or a piece of bark down the centre of him,
and make a natural candle of him. The light must be
rather fishy ; but so is everything else in that region,
and therefor»& it does not matter much.

Fire-flies and Glow-worms.

There is, in China and the East Indies, a candle fly ;
but though it bears the name, we do not suppose that
it serves the purpose of a candle. We have heard of
reading by the light of glow-worms in our hedges, but
we doubt whether ordinary type could thus be deci-
phered. Glow-worms remind us of most expositors,
of whom Young says,

■•* The commerttators each dark passage shun,
And hold thtir failing candles to the sun."

Fire-flies might serve our turn better, for they are like
living lamps. They had a great charm for us when we
saw them for the first time by the Italian lakes. The
night-light is a sober night-comforter: may it be long

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

309

before any of you learn its value in long hours of
sufferins: !

Here is a candle which is as good as candle can
well hope to be. The light is clear and pure. Speak-
ing popularly, the candle is pa-fed, and is giving forth
a bright light. Yet, if you knew it better, you would
take another view of it. It is disseminating black
smoke as well as clear light. Here is a sheet of bright
tin plate. Just hold it over the candle, and you will
see that it is yielding something other than light. Of
course, there will be nothing on the bright tin but that
which comes out of the candle.

Will one of you be so good as to put his finger on
this tin, and then touch the tip of his nose and his fore-
head with it ? I cannot persuade any of you to try
the effect ; but if you did so, you would prove to us
all that the best of candles does not yield unmingled
light. I am told that a man may be perfect. Well,
no doubt we ought to be so, and in the biblical sense
I hope many are so. But if all possible tests were
applied to them, a measure of imperfection would be
found in the brightest of the saints. It is as old Mas-
ter Trapp says, "We may be perfect, but not perfectly
perfect." Grace makes us perfect after our kind;
but only in glory will the last remains of sin be alto-
gether removed.

I should not care to be like this sheet of tin, used to
expose the faults of others, when it would be better to
leave them unnoticed. Some Peeping Toms have the
gift of detecting the imperfections of good mea, I dp

810

iOSHMONS AND LECTURES.

not covet their talent. In the process, these prying
folk, like this tin, grow very sooty themselves. Do
not attempt to imitate them.

In the next similitude you have a simpler re»~iinder
of the imperfections to which men are liable. A can-
dk. needs snuffers, and men need chastisements, for
th »y are both of them subject to infirmity. In the
temple of Solomon there were snuffers and snuff
d shes ; but they were all of gold.

Snuffers of Gold.

God's rebukes are in love, and so should ours be ;
fioly reproofs in the spirit of affection are snuffers of
i^old. Never use any other, and use even these with
discretion, lest you put out the flame which it is your
aim to improve. Never reprove in anger. Do not
deal with a small fault as if it were a great crime. If
you see a fly on your boy's forehead don't try to kill
it with a sledge-hammer, or you may kill the boy also.
Do the needful but very difficult work of reproof in
the kindest and wisest style, so that the good you aim
at may be attained.

It was a shocking habit of bad boys to snuff the
candle, and then open the snuffers and let the smoke
and the smell escape. The snuffers are made on pur-
pose to remove the snuff, or consumed wick, and then
to quench it by pressure, and prevent any offensive
smoke ; but young urchins of a mischievous sort
would set the snuffers wide, and let the filthy smoke
fill the room with its detestable odor. So do some
who hear of a brother's faults, make them known, and

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

811

seem to take pleasure in filling society with unsavory
reports. I pray you, do not so. If the candle has
something wrong with it, touch it carefully, snuff it
with discretion, and shut up the obnoxious matter
very carefully.

Straiij^c that the Secret Got Out.

Let us be silent about things which are a discredi
to Christian character. Keep an ill report secret*,
and do not be like the young lady who called in a
dozen friends to help her keep a secret, and yet, strange
to say, it got out. Remember, you may yourself de-
serve rebuke one of these days; and as you would
like this to be done gently and privately, so keep your
remarks upon others within the happy circle of tender
love. To rebuke in gentle love is difficult, but we
must aim at it till we grow proficient. Golden snuffers,
remember; only golden snuffers. Put away those old
rusty things — those unkind, sarcastic remarks. They
will do more harm than good, and they are not fit
things to be handled by servants of the Lord Jesus.

See how precious material runs to waste if the light

is not trimmed ! There is a thief in the candle, and

so it takes to guttering and running away, instead of

yielding up its substance to be used for the light. It

is sad when a Christian man has some ill habit, or,

sinister aim.

Wasted Lives.

We have seen fine lives wasted through a love of
wine. It never came to actual drunkenness, but it
lowered the man and spoiled his influence. So it is

S12

SfiftMONS AND LECTURES.

with a hasty temper, or a proud manner, or a tendency
to find fault. How many would be grandly useful but
for some wretched impediment! Worldliness runs
away with many a man's energies ; love of amuse-
ment makes great gutters in his time ; or fondness for
feasts and gilded society robs him of his space for
^ service. With some, political heat runs away with the
zeal which should have been spent upon religion, and
in other cases sheer folly and extravagance cause a
terrible waste of energy which belonged to the Lord.
You see there is tire, and there is light ; but some-
thing extraneous and mischievous is at work, and it
needs to be removed. If this is your case, you may
well desire the Lord to snuff you, however painful the
operation may be. Depend upon it, we have no life-
force to spare, and everything which lessens our con-
secrated energy is a robbery of God.

The Spiittcrlngr Candle.

Here is a sputtering candle. You can light the
thing, but it seems to spit at you, and crackle as if in
a bad temper. Never mind : it is ic^ pretty way, and
it will get over it, and burn comfortably by-and-by.
We once had among us a good brother — it is years
ago, and he is now beyond our censure — he would
always give, and give liberally, too ; but he took the
money out in grumbling. He thought there were too
many appeals ; he thought the thing ought to be pro-
vided for in another way; he thought — in fact he
seemed to be full of discontented thoughts; but ho

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

813

ended up by saying, " There's my share of it." It was
a pity, for he was real cfood.

If any of you have the sputtering habit, I would
advise you not to spend much pains in cultivating it:
it is not pretty, and does not commend a man to those
ibout him. Wiien a candle has been so long in the
.:f.*Ilar that it has become thoroughly damp, it is apt to
spit and sputter a little ; but there is no reason why
you and I should keep in the cellar, and be sick of
the bhics ; let us abide in the sunnier side of the house,
and then we shall burn and shine with a happy cheer-
fulness. I hope we are not cut-on-the-cross, nor born
like Attila to be" the scourge of mankind." I suppose
it needs all sorts of people to make up a world; but
the fewer of the grizzling, complaining sort, the better
(or those who have to live with them.

Clir<»nic Growlers.

Our sputtering candle has now got over his weak-
ness, for he has burned out his damp bit; and when-
ever you and I come to a cantankerous half-hour, may
we get through it as fast as possible, and keep our-
selves to ourselves all the time, that nobody may know
that we have been in the sulks. Go into your growU
ery, and get it over: better still, ^\ into your closet
uid get it under.

We have seen a courteous contrivance at some
tobacco shops for giving a light to passers-by. It may
serve as a suggestion to ourselves for far higher pur-
poses. If we know the divine truth, let us be ready
to communicate :l, and by our winning manner con-

ii.S

814

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

stantly say, ''Take a lights* Let us be approachable

in reference to spiritual things, and we shall soon have

the joy of seeing others taking a light from us. We

know people to whom no one would ever speak in the

hour of trial ; as well might they make a pillow of a

thorn-bush. If people to whom they have never been

introduced were to intrude their personal sorrows,

they would be looked at with one of those searchers

which read you from top to toe, and at the same time

wither you up. On the other hand, there are faces

which are a living advertisement running thus: Good

Accommodation for Man and Grief. You are sure

of a friend here.

"Take a Light."

Certain persons are like harbors of refuge, to which
every vessel will run in distress. When you want to
ask your way in the street, you instinctively shun the
stuck-up gentleman of importance; and you most
readily put the question to the man with the smiling
face and the open countenance. In our church we
have friends who seem to say to everybody, Take a
LiGHi ; may their number be greatly multiplied !

It should be a joy to hold a candle to another. It
will uOl waste our own light to impart it. Yet holding
a candle to another has a bitter meaning, as in these
lines :—

** Some say compared to Buononcini
That My hear Handel's but a ninny i
Others aver that he to Handel •

Is scarcely fit to hold a candle."

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

315

This candle is upside down, and it cannot be long
before it puts itself out. When in our hearts the lower
nature is uppermost, and the animal dominates the
spiritual, the flame of holy light cannot be long kept
alight. When the world is uppermost, and eternal
things have a low place in the heart, the sacred life is
in serious jeopardy.

When the intellect crushes down the affections, the
soul is not in an upright state. It needs that matters
be quickly righted, or the worst consequences must
ensue. Our prayer should rise to God that this
happen not to ourselves ; and when we see that it is
so with others, we should be full of prayerful concern
that they may be turned by the hand of God into a
true and upright condition.

Wasting the Tallow.

Some men who are not quite upright waste much of
their influence. To such we might apply the old and
almost obsolete word — candle-waster. It is a pity to
lose life in harmful or unprofitable ways.

Here is a very important-looking candle. Its
dimensions are aldermanic. You expect great
things from so portly an illuminator. Look at the
size of it. But when I light it, the illuminating power
is very small. Can you see any light coming from it ?
It is a star of the smallest magnitude. We have here
the maximum of tallow and the minimum of light.
The fact is, that only a little of the fat juj^t near the
centre ever gets melted. This makesi a little well of
hot grease, but the rest is as hard and pold aii if there

316

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

were no burning wick in the middle. Thus it is with
men of more talent than heart: the chief part rf them
is never used.

Many a great and learned minister, with any quan-
tity of Latin and Greek tallow, is but very little useful
because his ability is not touched by his heart. He
remains cold as to the bulk of him. Many a greatj
rich man, with any amount of the fat of wealth, never
o^ets warmed throuQrh: he is melted to the extent of a
shilling or two, but his thousands are unaffected.
Partial consecration is a very doubtful thing ; and yet
how much we have of it 1 What is wanted is " grace
more abundant," to fuse the whole man, and make
every part and parcel of him subservient to GocVs
great design of light-giving.

A Sou of Tliniiaer.

The main business is to have plenty of heart. I
have noticed that speakers produce an effect ujion
their audiences rather in proportion to their hearts
than their heads. I was present at a meeting where
a truly solid and instructive speaker succeeded in
mesmerizing us all, so that in another half minuta we
should all have been asleep. His talk was as good
as gold, and as heavy. He was followed by a gentle
man who was " all there," what there was of him.
He was so energetic that he broke a chair, and made
us all draw in our feet, for fear he should come down
upon our corns. How the folks woke up ! The gal-
leries cheered him to the echo. I do not know what
it was all about, and did not know at the time : but it

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

317

was very wonderful. An express at sixty miles an
hour is nothing to that orator. He swept past us like
— well, like nothing at all. He meant it, and we felt
that he deserved to be cheered for such zealous inten-
tions. He was all ablaze, and we were willing for a
season to rejoice in his light.

Powder Needs Shot.

Ido not hold him up as an example, for in warfare
we need shot as well as powder ; but I could not help
seeing that a warm heart and an energetic manner
will carry the day, where a cold ponderosity affects
nothing. My friend was like the cobbler's candle with
two wicks. His blaze was very large in proportion to
the material which sustained it.

In our labor to do good we must not let our learn-
ing remain cold and useless. Dr, Manton was one of
the best of preachers, being both instructive and simple.
On one occasion, however, he preached before an
assembly of the great, and he very naturally used a
more learned style than was his wont. He felt greatly
rebuked wlien a poor man plucked him by the gown,
and lamented that, whereas he had often been fed
under his ministry, there had been nothing for him on
that occasion. The fire had not been so fierce as the
tallow had been cold. It is a dreadful thing when
hearers have more use for a dictionary than for a Bible
under a sermon. A preacher may pile books on his
head and heart till neither of them can work. Give
me rather the enthusiastic Salvationist bearing a burn-

318

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

\ng testimony, than your cultured philosopher prosing
with chill propriety.

The Safety Lantern.

Here is what your wise aunt in the country used to
give you at night when you went down to the old farm-
house, and time had come for bed. You said, " Aunt,
*vhat is this cage for ? Is this a mad candle, that it
needs to be thus straidy shut up ? " " No,** she said,
"we have had young people here who have been so
wicked as to read in bed, and you know how dangerous
it is. Why, they might set all the bed-curtains alight,
and so the house might take fire, and all your uncle's
ricks would soon be blazing, and soon the whole village
would go like a bunch of matches.

" So I put the candle in a guard to prevent mischief. '
Still, after all your aunt's lucid explanation, you did
not like the look of this muzzled candle; and I should
not wonder if you took it out of its prison, and did a
bit of reading by its naked light. Young people are
so venturesome ! Now, it is very proper to be on
your guard, in what you say, and what you do. In all
companies it is well to be guarded in your behavior.
But is there not a way of being on your guard without
diminishing tlie light of your cheerfulness ? May you
not be careful without being suspicious ? Here is just
as effectual a guard for a candle as tha^ wire cage ;
but it is far more bright and attractive.

Sugar Versus Vinegar.

Let your prudence be always mated to your cheep
fulness. Be on the watch, but don't look as if yoy had

LECTURES ON CANDLES.

319

Dsing

led to

farm-

Aunt,

hat it

; said,

len so

rerous

alight,

ancle's

village

jchief. '
ou did
should
did a
►le are
be on
In all
lavior.
ithout
ay you
is just
cage;

cheer*
lou had

been drinking a quart of vinegar. Guard against sin,
but do not check everything that would make life
bright and happy. Don't put out the candle for fear
of burning down the house.

In the matter of being on your guard against impos-
tors who seek your charity, use common-sense but not
harshness. I had rather be taken in every now and
then than be always suspicious. One does not care to
go about in armor all day and all night ; one is glad to
get his head out of the helmet, and lay it down on a
pillow. It may be useful to us to be taken in some-
times, that we may see how weak we are — I mean the
shrewdest of us.

This second guard, so pleasant and bright, is my
ideal. Here you have care without anxiety, and
prudence without gloom. Be it so with us, that with
a mortal hatred to all sin, we have a delight in all that
is glad, and joyous, and pure.

Here is an hour-<rlass and a candle. As the hour-
glass runs, and the candle burns, we mark how the
time passes away. In the old Puritan pulpits there
used to be an hour-glass, and the preacher was ex-
pected to preach as long as the sand of the hour-glass
was running; which, of course, was just an hour,

A Long-winded Brother.

A witty preacher, havini; on one occasion only
reached to " Eighteenthly " when the hour-glass had
run out, and having thirty heads to dilate upon, turned
the machine over and cried, " Brethren, let us have
another glass." When you hear of the length of

820

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

time that your ancestors gave to hearing discourses,
be ashamed at the grumbling about long sermons, and
do try to take in every scrap of the poor pennyworth
which we are allowed to give you in three poor quar-
ters of an hour. Whether we preach, or hear, time
is hastening on. Our sands of life will soon run out.
Just as we are being borne along irresistibly every
moment as the earth speeds in her orbit, so are we
being carried a'vay by the resistless course of time.
How it flies tc a v. -^n of middle a^e ! How exceed-
ingly fast to the aged ! We may say of the hours, as
of the cherubim, " each one had six wings." If every-
thing is made secure by faith in the Lord Jesus, we
need not wish it to be otherwise ; for the faster time
passes, the sooner shall we be at home with our Father
and our God.

We feel, as we watch the decreasing candle and
the falling sand, that we, at least, have no time which
needs killincr. What we have is all too little for our
high and holy purposes. We want not cards, and dice,
and scenic displays for a pastir.ie : our time passes all
too rapidly without such aids. Those who kill time
will soon find that time kills them, and they would
gladly give worlds, if they had them, to win back a
single hour. Remember the story of Queen Eliza-
beth's last moments, and take care to spend each hour
as carefully as if you had no other hour to follow it.

Burning^ the Candle at Both Ends.

The next illustration is a, warning, and not an

example. You have often heard it said of such and

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

321

such a person, "he is burning the candle at both
ends." Spendthrifts waste both capital and interest ;
and by both neglecting business and wasting their
substance on expensive pleasures, they burn the
candle at both ends. The vicious not only exhaust
their daily strength, but they draw upon the future of
their constitutions, so that when a few years have gone
tliey are old men before their time. Beware of burn^
ing the candle at both ends. It will gc fast enough if
you burn it only at one end ; for your stock of strength
and life is very limited.

If there is any one here who is sinning on the right
hand and on the left, let him forbear, and not be in
such fearful haste to endless ruin. Let this candle
cast a light upon the folly of prodigality, and may the
prodigal hasten home before his candle is burned out.
Did you ever see a candle used in that way? You do
not live with folks so mad ; but if you look abroad in
the wide world, you may see how thousands are
squandered and lives are cut short by burning the
candle at both ends.

Some good people are unreasonable towards min-
isters and evangelists, and want them to be worked
to death. Many a valuable man of God has been
lost to the church by his burning his candle at both

ends.

• Candle Meteors.

This candle has fallen upon evil times. I have a
bottle here full of a black material, which is to fall
upon the flame of this candle. When I tell you that

322

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

this bottle contains a quantity of steel-filings, you will
at once prophesy that the light will be put out.

Let us see what will happen ! Why, well, instead
of putting the candle out, I am making it disport itself
as candle never did before ! Here we have fireworks,
which, if they do not quite rival those of the Crystal
Palace, have a splendor of their own. Do you not
think that often when Satan tries to throw dust upon
a Christian by slander, he only makes him shine the
brighter? He was bright before, but now he corus-
cates, and sends forth a glory and a beauty which we
could not have expected from him, for it never could
have come from him if it had not been for the tempta-
tions, trials and spiritual difficulties with which he has
been assailed. God grant U.dt it may be so with us
in all time of our tribulation ! May we turn the filings
of steel into flashes of light!

United Splendor.

We will conclude as they do at open-air entertain-
ments — with the greatest display of our fireworks.

Here are many candles uniting their brilliance ;
they all hang upon one support, and shine by the
same light. May they not represent the church of
.Christ in its multiplicity, variety and unity ? These
candles are all supported upon one stem, they are all
giving forth the same light, and yet they are of all
manner of sorts, sizes and colors. A great way off
they would seem to be but one light. They are many,
and yet but one. I happened one evening to say that
nobody could tell which was the " U. P.." and which

ch of
These
re all
of all
ly off
any,
that
iwhich

LECTURE ON CANDLES.

328

was the Free Church, or which was the Wesleyan, or
the Primitive, or the Salvation Army, or the Baptists,
and so on ; but one strong old Baptist assured me
that the " Dips " gave the best light.

Another said the Presbyterians were, on the whole,
cast in the best mould ; and a third thought the Eng-
lish Church was made of the truest wax. I told them
,'that some of the Baptists would be the better if they
had another Baptism. The Free Churches might be
none the worse for being more established in the
faith ; and even the Methodists might improve their
methods. The main question is possession of the one
light and fire of God, the flame of divine truth. Those
who shine by divine grace are all one in Christ Jesus.

What a glory will there be in the one church when
all her members shine, and all are one I May such a
day come quickly ! Amen.

Have I not proved that a world of illustration may
he found in a candle ?

824

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

LECTURE TO STUDENTS ON THE BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR.

Having often said in this room that a minister ought
to have one blind eye and one deaf ear, I have excited
the curiosity of several brethren, who have requested
an explanation ; for it appears to them, as it does also
to me, that the keener eyes and ears we have the
better. Well, gentlemen, since the text is somewhat
mysterious, you shall have the exegesis of it.

A part of my meaning is expressed in plain lan-
guage by Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes (vii.
2i): "Also take no heed unto all words that are
spoken ; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee." The
margin says, " Give not thy heart to all words that are
spoken ; " — do not take them to heart or let them
weigh with you, do not notice them, or act as if you
heard them. You cannot stop people's tongues, and
therefore the best thing is to stop your own ears and
never mind what is spoken.

There is a world of idle chit-chat abroad, and he who
takes note of it will have enough to do. He will find
that even those who live with him are not always sing-
ing his praises, and that when he has displeased his
most faithful servants they have, in the heat of the
moment, spoken fierce words which it would be better
for him not to have heard. Who has not, under tem-
porary irritation, said that of another which he has
afterwards regretted ? It is the part of the generous
to treat passionate words as if they had never been

BLIND EYE ANb «mAF EAR.

325

Uttered. When a man is in an angry mood it is wise

to walk away from him, and leave off strife before it

be meddled with ; and if we are compelled to hear

hasty language, we must endeavor to obliterate it from

the memory, and say with David, *' But I, as a deaf

man, heard not. I was as a man that heareth not, and

in whose mouth are no reproofs." Tacitus describes

a wise man as saying to one that railed at him, " You

are lord of your tongue, but I am also master of my

ears " — you may say what you please, but I will hear

what I choose.

Yillagre Gossips.

We cannot shut our ears as we do our eyes, for we
have no ear lids, and yet, as we read of him that
" stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood," it is, no
doubt, possible to seal the portal of the ear so that
nothing contraband shall enter. We would say of the
general gossip of the village, and of the unadvised
words of angry friends — do not hear them, or if you
must hear them, do not lay them to heart, for you also
have talked idly and angrily in your day, and would
even now be in an awkward position if you were called
to account for every word that you have spoken, ev en
about your dearest friend. Thus Solomon argued as
he closed the passage which we have quoted, —
" For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that
thou thyself likewise hast cursed others."

In enlarging upon my text, let me say first, — when
you commence your ministry make up your mind to
begin with a clean sheet ; be deaf and blind to the long

826

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

standing differences ivJdch may survive in the church.
As soon as you enter upon your pastorate you may
be waited upon by persons who are anxious to secure
your adhesion to their side in a family quarrel or church
dispute; be deaf and blind to these people, and
assure them that bygones must be bygones with you,
and that as you have not inherited your predecessor's
cupboard you do not mean to eat his cold meat. If
any flagrant injustice has been done, be diligent to set
it right, but if it be a mere feud, bid the quarrelsome
party cease from it, and tell him once for all that you
will have nothing to do with it.

People With Larg^e Feet.

The answer of Gallio will almost suit you : " If it
were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye
Jews, reason would that I should bear with you ; but
if it be a question of words and names, and vain jang-
lings, look ye to it ; for I will be no judge of such
matters." When I came to New Park Street Chapel
as a young man from the country, and was chosen
pastor, I was speedily interviewed by a good man who
had left the church, having, as he said, been "treated
shamefully." He mentioned the names of half a dozen
persons, all prominent members of the church, who'
had behaved in a very unchristian manner to him, he,
poor innocent sufferer, having been a model of patience
and holiness. I learned his character at once from
what he said about others (a mode of judging which
has never misled me), and I made up my mind how
to act. I told him that the church had been in a sadly

BLIND ETE AND DEAF EAR.

327

unsettled state, and that the only way out of the snarl
was for every one to forget the past and begin again.
He said that the lapse of years did not alter facts,
and I replied that it would alter a man's view of them
if in that time he had become a wiser and better man.
However, I added, that all the past had gone away
with my predecessors, that he must follow them to
their new spheres, and setde matters with them, for I
would not touch the affair with a pair of tongs. He
waxed somewhat warm, but I allowed him to radiate
until he was cool again, and we shook hands and
parted. He was a good man, but consiructed upon
an uncomfortable principle, so that he came across the
path of others in a very awkward manner at times,
and if I had gone into his narrative and examined his
case, there would have been no end to the strife. I
am quite certain that, for my own success, and for the
prosperity of the church, I took the wisest course by
applying my blind eye to all disputes which dated pre-
viously to my advent

Bribed l»y Flattery.
It is the extreme of unwisdom for a young man fresh
from college, or from another charge, to suffer himself
to be earwigged by a clique, and to be bribed by
kindness and flattery to become a partisan, and so to
ruin himself with one-half of his people. Know noth-
ing of parties and cliques, but be the pastor of all the
flock, and care for all alike. Blessed are the peace-
makers, and one sure way of peacemaking is to let the
Are of contention alone. Neither fan it, nor stir it,

828

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

nor add fuel to it, but let it go out of itself. Begin
your ministry with one blind eye and one deaf ear.

/ should recommend the use of the same faculty^ or
want of faculty^ with regard to finance in the matter of
your own salary. There are some occasions, espe-
cially in raising a new church, when you may have no
deacon who is qualified to manage that department,
and, therefore, you may feel called upon to undertake
it yourselves. In such a case you are not to be cen-
sured — ^you ought even to be commended.

Many a time also the work would come to an end
altogether if the preacher did not act as his own deacon,
and find supplies both temporal and spiritual by his
own exertions. To these exceptional cases I have
nothing to say but that I admire the struggling worker
and deeply sympathize with him, for he is over-
weighted, and is apt to be a less successful soldier for
his Lord because he is entangled with the affairs of
this life. In churches which are well established, and
afford a decent maintenance, the minister will do well
to supervise all things, but interfere with nothing.

Preachers Must Eat.

If deacons cannot be trusted they ought not to be
deacons at all, but if they are worthy of their office
they are worthy of our confidence. I know that in-
stances occur in which they are sadly incompetent,
and yet they must be borne with, and in such a state
of things the pastor must open the eye which other-
wise would have remained blind. Rather than the
management of church funds should become a scan

LLliVD EYE AND DEAF EAR.

329

Begin
ar.

Uyy or
'ter of
espe-
Lve no
tment,
ertake
e cen-

end
ieacon,
by his
I have
ivorker

over-

lier for

lairs of

;d, and

o well

»g-

It to be
office
[hat in-
petent,
la state
other-
Ian the
scan

dal, we must resolutely interfere, but if there is no
urgent call for us to do so, we had better believe in
the division of labor, and let deacons do their own
work.

We have the same right as other officers to deal
with financial matters if we please, but it will be our
wisdom as much as possible to let them alone, if oth-
ers will manage them for us. When the purse is
bare, the wife sickly, and the children numerous, the
preacher must speak if the church does not properly
provide for him ; but to be constantly bringing before
the people requests for an increase of income is not
wise. When a minister is poorly remunerated, and
he feels that he is worth more, and that the church
could give him more, he ought kindly, boldly and
firmly to communicate with the deacons first, and if
they do not take it up, he should then mention it to
the brethren in a sensible, business-like way, not as
craving a charity, but as putting it to their sense of
honor, that the " laborer is worthy of his hire." Let him
say outright what he thinks, for there is nothing to be
ashamed of, but there would be much more cause for
shame if he dishonored himself and the cause of God
by plunging into debt : let him therefore speak to the
point in a proper spirit to the proper persons, and
there end the matter, and not resort to secret com-
plaining.

A Shrewd Kind of Faith.

Faith in God should tone down our concern about
temporalities, and enable us to practice what we preach,

dSSO

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

namely — "Take no thought, saying, What shall we
eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall
we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things." Some who
have pretended to live by faith have had a very shrewd
way of drawing out donations by turns of the indirect
corkscrew, but you will either ask plainly, like •^'^n,
or you will leave it to the Christian feeling of ^ our
people, and turn to the items and modes of church
finance a blind eye and a deaf ear.

TAe blind eye and the deaf ear will come in exceed-
ingly well in connection with the gossips of the place.
Every church, and, for the matter of that, every vil-
lage and family, is plagued with certain Mrs. Grundys,
who drink tea and talk vitriol. They are never quiet,
but buzz around to the great annoyance of those who
are devout and practical. No one needs to look far
for perpetual motion, he has only to watch their

tongues.

The Minister's Wife's Bonnet.

At tea meetings, Dorcas meetings and other gath-
erings, they practise vivisection upon the characters of
their neighbors, and of course they are eager to try
their knives upon the minister, the minister's wife, the
mlnlster'r children, the minister's wife's bonnet, the
dress of the minister's daughter, and how many new
ribbons she has worn for the last six months, and so
on ad infinitum. There are also certain persons who
are never so happy as when they are " grieved to the
heart" to have to tell the minister that Mr. A. is a

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR.

331

Biiake in the grass, that he is quite mistaken in think-
ing so well of Messrs. B. and C, and that they have
heard quite " promiscuously " that Mr. D. and his wife
are badly matched.

Then follows a long string about Mrs. E., who says
that she and Mrs. F. overheard Mrs. G. say to Mrs..
H. that Mrs. J. should say that Mr. K. and Miss L.'
were going to move from the chapel and hear Mr. M.,
and all because of what old N. said to young O. about
that Miss P. Never listen to such people. Do as
Nelson did when he put his blind eye to the telescope
and declared that he did not see the signal, and there-
fore would go on with the battle.

Busy Mrs. Grundy.

Let the creatures buzz, and do not even hear thiem,
unless indeed they buzz so much concerning one per-
son that the matter threatens to be serious ; then it
will be well to brinof them to book and talk in sober
earnestness to them. Assure them that you are
obliged to have facts definitely before you, that your
memory is not very tenacious, that you have many
things to think of, that you are always afraid of mak-
ing any mistake in such matters, and that if they wouldi
be good enough to write down what they have to say
the case would be more fully before you, and you could
give more time to its consideration. Mrs. Grundy will
not do that ; she has a great objection to making clear
and definite statements ; she prefers talking at random.

I heartily wish that by any process we could put
down gossip, but I suppose that it will never be done so

332

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

long as the human race continues what it is, for James

tells us that " every kind of beasts, and of birds, and

of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed and hath

been tamed of mankind ; but the tongue can no man

tame ; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

What can't be cured must be endured, and the best

way of enduring it is not to listen to it. Over one of

our old castles a former owner has inscribed these

lines —

They say.

What do they say ?

Let them say.

Thin-skinned persons should learn this motto by heart.
The talk of the village is never worthy of notice, and
you should never take any interest in it except to
mourn over the malice and heartlessness of which it is
too often the indicator.

Killiugr a Duck for a Feather.

Mayow in his " Plain Preaching " very forcibly says,
" If you were to see a woman killing a farmer's ducks
and geese, for the sake of having one of the feathers,
you would see a person acting as we do when wq
speak evil of any one, for the sake of the pleasure w^
feel in evil speaking. For the pleasure we feel is not
worth a single feather, and the pain we give is often
greater than a man feels at the loss of his property."
Insert a remark of this kind now and then in a sermon,
when there is no ::pecial gossip abroad, and it may be
of some benefit to the more sensible : I quite despair
of the rest.

BLIND ETE AND DEAF EAR.

333

Above all, never join in tale-bearing yourself, and
beg your wife to abstain from it also. Some men are
too talkative by half, and remind me of the young
man who was sent to Socrates to learn oratory. On
being introduced to the philosopher he talked so
incessantly that Socrates asked for double fees. "Why
charge me double ? " said the young fellow. *' Because,"
said the orator, " I must teadi you two sciences : the
one how to hold your tongue and the other how to
speak." The first science is the more difficult, but
aim at proficiency in it, or you will suffer greatly, and
create trouble without end.

Avoid with your whole soul that spirit of suspicion
which sours some men's lives, and to all things froni
which you might harshly draw an unkind inference turn
a blind eye and a deaf ear. Suspicion makes a man a
torment to himself and a spy towards others. Once
begin to suspect and causes for distrust will multiply
around you, and your very suspiciousness will create
the major part of them. Many a friend has been
transformed into an enemy by being suspected.

People who are Suspicious.

Do not, therefore, look about you with the eyes of
mistrust, nor listen as an eaves-dropper with the quick
ear of fear. To go about the congregation ferreting
out disaffection, like a game-keeper after rabbits, is a
mean employment and is generally rewarded most
sorrowfully. Lord Bacon wisely advises " the provi-
dent stay of inquiry of that which we would be loath
to find." When nothing is to be discovered which will

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

help US to love others we had better cease from the
inquiry, for we may drag to light that which may be
the commencement of years of contention.

I am not, of course, referring to cases requiring dis-
cipline, which must be thoroughly investigated and
boldly dealt with, but I have upon my mind mere per-
sonal matters where the main sufferer is yourself;
here it is always best not to know, nor wish to know,
what is being said about you, either by friends or foes.
Tiiose who praise us are probably as much mistaken
as those who abuse us, and the one may be regarded
as a set off to the other, if indeed it be worth while
taking any account at all of man's judgment. If we
have the approbation of our God, certified by a placid
conscience, we can afford to be indifferent to the
opinions of our fellow-men, whether they commend or
condemn. If we cannot reach this point we are babes

and not men.

Angry at Honest Criticism.

Some are childishly anxious to know their friend's
opinion of them, and if it contains the smallest
element of dissent or censure, they regard him as an
enemy forthwith. Surely we are not popes, and do
not wish our hearers to regard us as infallible ! We
have known men become quite enraged at a perfectly
fair and reasonable remark, and regard an honest friend
as an opponent who delighted to find fault ; this mis-
representation on the one side has soon produced heat
on the other, and strife has ensued. How much bet-
ter is gentle forbearance ! You must be able to bear

BLIND KYE AND DEAF EAR.

335

md's
illest
Is an
do
We
fectly
•lend
mis-
heat
bet-
Ibear

criticism, or you are not fit to be at the head of a
congregation ; and you must let the critic go without
reckoning him among your deadly foes, or you will
prove yourself a mere weakling.

It is wisest always to show double kindness where
you have been severely handled by one who thought
it his duty to do so, for he is probably an honest man
and worth winning. He who in your early days hardly
thinks you fit for the pastorate may yet become your
firmest defender if he sees that you grow in grace,
advance in qualification for the w^ork ; do not, there-
fore, regard him as a foe for truthfully expressing his
doubts ; does not your own heart confess that his fears
were not altogether groundless ? Turn your deaf ear
to what you judge to be his harsh criucism, and en-
deavor to preach better.

Uneasy Hearers.

Persons from love of change, from pique, from ad-
vance in their tastes, and otbtr causes, may become
uneasy under our ministry, and it is well for us to
know nothing about it. Perceiving the danger, we
must not betray our discovery, but bestir ourselves to
improve our sermons, hoping that the good people
will be better fed and forofet their dissatisfaction. If
they are truly gracious persons, the incipient evil will
pass away, and no real discontent will arise, or if it
does you must not provoke it by suspecting It.

Where I have known that there existed a measure
of disaffection to myself, I have not recognized it,
unless it has been forced upon me, but have, on the

836

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

contrary, acted towards the opposing person with all
the more courtesy and Iriendliness, and I have never
heard any more of the matter. If I had treated the
good man as an opponent, he would have done his
best to take the part assigned him, and carry it out to
his own credit: but 1 felt that he was a Christian man,
and had a right to dislike me if he thought fit, and that
if he did so I ought not to think imkindly of him ; and
therefore I treated him as one who was a friend to my
Lord, if not to me, gave him some work to do which
implied confidence in him, made him feel at home, and
by degrees won him to be an attached friend as well
as a fellow-worker.

Out at the Elbows.

The best of people are sometimes out at elbows and

say unkind things ; we should be glad if our friends
could quite forget what we said when we were peev-
ish and irritable, and it will be Christlike to act towards
others in this matter as we would wish them to do
towards us. Never make a brother remember that
he once uttered a hard speech in reference to yourself.
If you see him in a happier mood, do not mention the
former painful occasion ; If he be a man of right spirit
he will In future be unwilling to vex a pastor who has
treated him so generously, and if he be a mere boor
it Is a pity to hold any argument with him, and there
fore the past had better go by default.

It would be better to be deceived a hundred times
than to live a life of suspicion. It is Intolerable. The
miser who traverses his chamber at midnight and hears

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR.

337

Itimes
The
Ihears

a burglar in every falling leaf is not more wretched

than the minister who believes that plots are hatching

against him, and that reports to his disadvantage are

being spread.

1 remember a brother who believed that he was

being poisoned, and was persuaded that even the seat

he sat upon and the clothes he wore had, by some

subde chemistry, become saturated with death ; his

life was one perpetual scare, and such is the existence

of a minister when he mistrusts all around him. Nor

is suspicion merely a source of disquietude, it is a

moral evil, and injures the character of the man who

harbors it.

Human Spiders.

Suspicion in kings creates tyranny, in husbands
jealousy, and in ministers bitterness ; such bitterness
as in spirit dissolves all the ties of the pastoral relation,
eating like a corrosive acid into the very soul of the
office and making it a curse rather than a blessing.
When once this terrible evil has curdled all the milk
of human kindness in a man's bosom, he becomes
more fit for the detective force than for the ministry ;
like a spider, he begins to cast out his lines, and
fashions a web of tremulous threads, all of which lead
up to himself and warn him of the least touch of even
the tiniest midcje.

There he sits in the centre, a mass of sensation, all
nerves and raw wounds, excitable and excited, a self-
immolated martyr drawing the blazing fagots about
him, and apparently anxious to be burned. The most

338

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

faithful friend is unsafe under such conditions. The
most careful avoidance of offence will not secure
immunity from mistrust, but will probably be construed
into cunning and cowardice. Society is almost as
much in danger from a suspecting man as from a mad
dog, for he snaps on all sides without reason, and
scatters right and left the foam of his madness. It is
vain to reason with the victim of this folly, for with
perverse ingenuity he turns every argument the wrong
way, and makes your plea for confidence another
reason for mistrust.

It is sad that he cannot see the iniquity of his ground-
less censure of others, especially of those v/ho have
been his best friends and the firmest upholders of the
cause of Christ.

•* I would not wrong
Virtue so tried by the least shade of doubt s
Undue suspicion is more abject baseness
Even than the guilt suspected."

No one ought to be made an offender for a word ; but,

when suspicion rules, even silence becomes a crime.

Brethren, shun this vice by renouncing the love of

self. Judge it to be a small matter what men think or

say of you, and care only for their treatment of your

Lord.

How to Treat Busybodies.

If you are naturally sensitive do not indulge the
weakness, nor allow others to play upon it. Would
it not be a great degradation of your office if you were
to keep an army of spies in your pay to collect in-
formation as to all that your people said of you ? And

ULINO EYE AND DEAF EAR.

331)

yet it amounts to this if you allow certain busybodies
to bring you all the gossip of the place. Drive the
creatures away. Abhor those mischief-making, tat-
tling hand-maidens of strife. Those who will fetch
will carry, and no doubt the gossips go from your
house and report every observation which falls from
your lips, with plenty of garnishing of their own.

Remember that, as the receiver is as bad as the
thief, so the hearer of scandal is a sharer in the guilt
of it. If there were no listening ears there would be
no tale-bearing tongues. While you are a buyer of
ill wares the demand will create the supply, and the
factories of falsehood will be working full time. No
one wishes to become a creator of lies, and yet he
who hears slanders with pleasure and believes them
with readiness will hatch many a brood into active life.

Solomon says, "A whisper separateth chief friends."
(Prov. xvi. 28.) Insinuations are thrown out and
jealousies aroused till " mutual coolness ensues, and
neither can understand why ; each wonders what can
possibly be the cause. Thus the firmest, the longest,
the warmest, and most confiding attachments, the
sources of life's sweetest joys, are broken up perhaps
for ever." This is work worthy of the arch-fiend him-
self, but it could never be done if men lived out of the
atmosphere of suspicion.

Mischievous Seaiidal-Mongrers.

As it is the world is full of sorrow through this
cause, a sorrow as sharp as it is superfluous. This is
grievous indeed. Campbell eloquently remarks, " The

340

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

ruins of old friendships are a more melancholy spec-
tacle to me than those of desolated palaces. They
exhibit the heart, which was once lighted up with joy,
all damp and deserted, and haunted by those birds of
ill-omen that nesde in ruins." O suspicion, what
desolations thou hast made in the earth !

Learn to disbelieve those who have no faith in their
brethren. Suspect those who would lead you to sus-
pect others. A resolute unbelief in all the scandal-
mongers will do much to repress their mischievous
energies. Matthew Pool, in his Cripplegate Lecture,
says: "Common fame hath lost its reputation long
since, and I do not know anything which it hath done
in our day to regain it ; therefore it ought not to be
credited. How few reports there are of any kind
which, when they come to be examined, we do not
find to be false ! For my part, I reckon, if I believe
one report in twenty, I make a very liberal allowance.
Especially distrust reproaches and evil reports, because
these spread fastest, as being grateful to most persons
who suppose their own reputation to be never so well
grounded as when it is built upon the ruins of other
men's.'' Because the persons who would render yiu
mistrustful of your friends are a sorry set, and be
suspicion is in itself a wretched and tormenting i^e,
resolve to turn towards the whole business your blind
eye and your deaf ear.

Detestable Eavesdroppers.

Need I say a word or two about the wisdom of
never hearing what was not meant for you. The eaves-

BLIND EVE AND DEAF EAR.

841

dropper is a mean person, very little if anything bet-
ter than the common informer ; and he who says he
overheard may be considered to have heard over and
above what he should have done.

Jeremy Taylor wisely and justly observes, "Never
listen at the door or window, for besides that it con*
tains in it a danger and a snare, it is also invading my
neighbor's privacy^ and a laying that open, which ha
therefore encloses that it might not be open." It is a
well-worn proverb that listeners seldom hear any good
of themselves. Listening is a sort of larceny, but the
goods stolen are never a pleasure to the thief. Infor^
mation obtained by clandestine means must, in all but
extreme cases, be more injury than benefit to a cause.
The magistrate may judge it expedient to obtain
evidence by such means, but I cannot imagine a case
in which a minister should do so. Ours is a mission
of grace and peace ; we are not prosecutors who
search out condemnatory evidence, but friends whose
love would cover a multitude of offences. The peep-
ing eyes of Canaan, the son of Ham, shall never be
in our employ ; we prefer the pious delicacy of Shem
ind Japhet, who went backward and covered the
hame which the child of evil had published with glee.

Do Not be Thin-skinned.

To opinions and remarks abont yourself turn also as
a genera ' rule the blind eye and the deaf ear. Public
men must expect public criticism, and as the public
cannot be regarded as infallible, public men may expect
to be cnticised in a way which is neither fair nor

342

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

pleasant. To all honest and just remarks we are
bound to give due measure of heed, but to the bitter
verdict of prejudice, the frivolous faultfinding of men
of fashion, the stupid utterances of the ignorant, and
the fierce denunciations of opponents, we may very
safely turn a deaf ear. We cannot expect those to
approve of us whom we condemn by our testimony
against their favorite sins ; their commendation would
show that we had missed our mark.

We naturally look to be approved by our own
people, the members of our churches, and the adher-
ents of our congregations, and when they make
observations which show that they are not very great
admirers, we may be tempted to discouragement if no^
to anofer : herein lies a snare. When I was about tc
leave my village charge for London, one of the old
men prayed that I might be " delivered from the bleat-
ing of the sheep." For the life of me I could not
imagine what he meant, but the riddle is plain now,
and I have learned to offer the prayer myself. Too
much consideration of what is said by our people,
whether it be in praise or in depreciation, is not good
for us. If we dwell on high with " that great Shepherd
of the sheep," we shall car- little for all the confused
bieatings around us, but if we become "carnal, and
walk as men," we shall have litde rest if we listen to
this, that, and the other which every poor sheep may
bleat about us.

Mrs. Clack and her Brood.

Perhaps it is quite true that you were uncommonly

BUND ETE AND DEAF EAR.

8i8

only

dull last Sabbath morning, but there was no need that
Mrs. Clack should come and tell you that Deacon
Jones thought so. It is more than probable that hav-
ing been out in the country all the previous week,
your preaching was very like milk and water, but
there can be no necessity for your going aroundl
among the people to discover whether they noticed it
or not. Is it not enough that your conscience is uneasy
upon the point ? Endeavor to improve for the future,
but do not want to hear all that every Jack, Tom, and
Mary may have to say about it.

On the other hand, you were on the high horse in
your last sermon, and finished with quite a flourish of
trumpets, and you feel considerable anxiety to know
what impression you produced. Repress your curi-
osity : it will do you no good to inquire. If the people
should happen to agree with your verdict, it will only
feed your pitiful vanity, and if they think otherwise
your fishing for their praise will injure you in their
esteem. In any case it is all about yourself, and this
is a poor theme to be anxious about ; play the man,
and do not demean yourself by seeking compliments
I like little children when dressed in new clothes, who
say, " Sets my pretty frock." Have you not by this
time discovered that flattery is as injurious as it is
pleasant ? It softens the mind and makes you more >
sensitive to slander. In proportion as praise pleases
you censur6 will pain you.

Besides, it is a crime to be taken off* from your great
object of glorifying the Lord Je^^us by petty consider-

344

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

ations as to your little self, and, if there were no other
reason, this ought to weigh much with you. Pride is
a deadly sin, and will grow without your borrowing
the parish water-cart to quicken it. Forget expres-
sions which feed your vanity, and if you find yourself
relishing the unwholesome morsels confess the sin
with deep humiliation.

Water Cannot Quench Pride.

Payson showed that he was strong in the Lord when
he wrote to his mother, " You must not, certainly, my
dear mother, say one word which even looks like an
intimation that you think me advancing in grace. I
cannot bear it. All the people here, whether friends
or enemies, conspire to ruin me. Satan and my own
heart, of course, will lend a hand; and if you join too,
I fear all the cold water which Christ can throw upon
my pride will not prevent its breaking out into a
destructive flame. As certainly as anybody flatters
and caresses me my heavenly Father has to whip me :
and an unspeakable mercy it is that he condescends
to do it. I can, it is true, easily muster a hundred
reasons why I should not be proud, but pride will not
mind reason, nor anything else but a good drubbing.
Even at this moment I feel it tingling in my fingers*
ends, and seeking to guide my pen." Knowing some-
thing myself of those secret whippings which our good
Father administers to his servants when he sees them
unduly exalted, I heartily add my own solemn warn-
ings against your pampering the flesh by listening to

BLIND ETE AND DEAF EAR.

345

the praises of the kindest friends you have. They are
injudicious, and you must beware of them.

A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticize you
from week to week will be a far greater blessing to
you than a thousand undiscriminating admirers if you
have sense enough to bear his treatment, and grace
snough to be thankful for it.

A HelpiU Critic.

When I was preaching at the Surrey Gardens, an
unknown censor of great ability used to send me a
weekly list of my mispronunciations and other slips
of speech. He never signed his name, and that was
my only cause of complaint against him, for he left
me in a debt which I could not acknowledge. I take
this opportunity of confessing my obligations to him,
for with genial temper, and an evident desire to ben-
efit me, he marked down most relentlessly everything
which he supposed me to have said incorrectly. Con-
cerning some of these corrections he was in error
himself, but for the most part he was right, and his
remarks enabled me to psrceive and avoid many
mistakes.

I looked for his weekly memoranda with much
'interest, and I trust I am all the better for them. If
I had repeated a sentence two or three Sundays before,
he would say, "See same expression in such a ser-
mon," mentioning number and page. He remarked
on one occasion that I too often quoted the line,

" Nothing in my hands I brin*;,"

and he added, " we are sufficiently informed of the

d46

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

vacuity of your hands." He demanded my authority
for calling a man covechus; and so on.

Profitable Corrections.

Possibly some young men might have been discour-
aged, if not irritated, by such severe criticisms, but
they would have been very foolish, for in resenting
such correction they would have been throwing away
a valuable aid to progress. No money can purchase
outspoken honest judgment, and when we can get it
for nothing let us utilize it to the fullest extent. The
worst of it is that of those who offer their judgments
few are qualified to form them, and we shall be
pestered with foolish, impertinent remarks, unless we
turn to them all the blind eye and the deaf ear.

In the case of false reports against yourself for the
most part use the deaf ear. Unfortunately liars are not
yet extinct, and, like Richard Baxter and John Bunyan,
you may be accused of crimes which your soul abhors.
Be not staggered thereby, for this trial has befallen
the very best of men, and even your Lord did not es-
cape the envenomed tongue of falsehood. In almost
all cases it is the wisest course to let such things die a
natural death.

A great lie, if unnoticed, is like a big fish out of
water, it dashes and plunges and beats itself to death
in a short time. To answer it is to supply it with its
element, and help it to a longer life. Falsehoods
usually carry their own refutation somewhere about
them, and sting themselves to death. Some lies
especially have a peculiar smell, which betrays their

BLIND ETE AND DEAF EAR.

847

rottenness to every honest nose. If you are disturbed
by them the object of their invention is partly answered,
but your silent endurance disappoints malice and gives
you a partial victory, which God in his care of you
will soon turn into a complete deliverance.

Defence of a Blameless Life.

Your blameless life will be your best defence, and
those who have seen it will not allow you to be con-
demned so readily as your slanderers expect. Only
abstain from fighting your own battles, and in nine
cases out of ten your accusers will gain nothing by
their malevolence but chaorrin for themselves and con-
tempt from others. To prosecute the slanderer is very
seldom wise.

I remember a beloved servant of Christ who in his
youth was very sensitive, and, being falsely accused,
proceeded against the person at law. An apology was
offered, it withdrew every iota of the charge, and was
most ample, but the good man insisted upon its being
printed in the newspapers, and the result convinced
him of hi J own unwisdom. Multitudes, who would
otherwise have never heard of the libel, asked what
it meant, and made comments thereon, generally con-
cluding with the sage remark that he must have done
something imprudent to provoke such an accusation.
He was heard to say that so long as he lived he would
never resort to such a method again, for he felt that
the public apology had done him more harm than the
slander it/5elf. Standing as we do in a position which
makes 'j'j choice targets for the devil and his allies, our

348

SERMONS AND LECTUliKS.

best course is to defend our innocence by our silence
and leave our reputation with God.

Enemies must Sometimes be Answered.

Yet there are exceptions to this general rule. When
distinct, definite, public charges are made against a
man hie is bound to answer them, and answer them in
the clearest and most open manner. To decline all
investigation is in such a case practically to plead
guilty, and whatever may be the mode of putting it,
the general public ordinarily regard a refusal to reply
as a proof of guilt. Under mere worry and annoy-
ance it is by far the best to be altogether passive, but
when the matter assumes more serious proportions,
and our accuser defies us to a defence, we are bound
to meet his charges with honest statements of fact. In
every instance counsel should be sought of the Lord
as to how to deal with slanderous tongues, and in the
issue innocence will be vindicated and falsehood con-
victed.

Some ministers have been broken in spirit, driven
from their position, and even injured in character by
taking notice of village scandal. I know a fine young
man, for whom I predicted a career of usefulness, who
fell into great trouble because he at first allowed it to
be a trouble and then worked hard to make it so. He
came to me and complained that he had a great griev-
ance ; and so it was a grievance, but from beginning
to end it was all about what some half-dozen women
had said about his procedure after the death of his
wife. It was originally too small a thing to deal with,

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR.

349

ling

his
rith,

^a Mrs. Q. had said that she should not wonder if
the minister married the servant then living in his
house ; another represented her as saying that he
ought to marry her, and then a third, with a malicious
ingenuity, found a deeper meaning in the words, and
construed them into a charge.

If You Can't Pray, Whistle.

Worst oi all, the dear sensitive preacher must needs
trace the matter out and accuse a score or two of
people of spreading libels against him, and even
threaten some of them with legal proceedings. If he
could have prayed over it in secret, or even have whis-
tled over it, no harm would have come of the tittle-
tattle ; but this dear brother could not treat the slander
wisely, for he had not what I earnestly recommend to
you, namely, a blind eye and a deaf ear.

Once more, my brethren, the blind eye and the deaf
ear will be useful to you in relation to other churches
and their pastors. I am always delighted when a
brother in meddling with other people's business
burns his fingers. Why did he not attend to his own
concerns and not episcopize in another's diocese ? ,
I am frequently requested by members of churches to
meddle in their home disputes ; but unless they come
to me with authority, officially appointing me to be
umpire, I decline.

Alexander Cruden gave himself the name of " the
Corrector," and I have never envied him the tide.
It would need a peculiar inspiration to enable a man
to settle all the controversies of our churches, and as

350

SERMONS AND LECTURES.

a rule those who are least qualified are the most eager
to attempt it. For the most part interference, how-
ever well-intentioned, is a failure. Internal dissensions
in our churches are very like quarrels between man
and wife : when the case conies to such a pass that
they must fight it out, the interposing party will be
the victim of their common fury.

Officious Mr. Verdant Green.

No one but Mr. Verdant Green will interfer;^ tn a
domestic battle, for the man of course resents '.t, and
the lady, though suffering from many a blow, will say,
" You leave my husband alone ; he has a right to beat
me if he likes." ' however great the mutual animosity
of conjugal combatants, it seems to be forgotten in
resentment against intruders; and so, amongst the
very independent denomination of Baptists, the per-
son outside the church who interferes in any manner
is sure to get the worst of it.

Do not consider yourself to be the bishop of all the
neighboring churches, but be satisfied with looking
after Lystra, or Derbe, or Thessalonica, or whichever
church may have been allotted to your care, and leave
Philippi and Ephesus in the hands of their own pas-
tors. Do not encourage disaffected persons in finding
fault with their minister, or in bringing you news of
evil in other congregations. When you meet your
brother ministers do not be in a hurry to advise them;
they know their duty quite as well as you know yours,
and your judgment upon their course of action is
probably founded upon partial information supplied

BLIND EYE AND DEAF EAR.

85)

from prejudiced sources. Do not grieve your neigh-
bor by your meddlesomeness. We have all enough
to do at home, and it is prudent to keep out of all
disputes which do not belong to us.

Washing Dirty Linen at Home.

We are recommended by one of the world's prov-
erbs to wash our dirty linen at home, and I will add
another line to it, and advise that we do not call on
our neighbors while their linen is in the suds. This
is due to our friends, and will best promote peace.
•• He that passeth by and meddleth with strife belong-
ing not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the
ears " — he is very apt to be bitten, and few will pity
him. Bridges wisely observes that "Our blessed
Master has read us a lesson of godly wisdom. He
healed the contentions in his own family, but when
called to meddle with strife belonging not to him, he
gave answer, ' Who made me a judge or a divider
over you?*" Self-constituted judges win but little
respect ; if they were more fit to censure they would
be less inclined to do so.

Many a trifling difference within a church has been
fanned into a great flame by ministers outside who
had no idea of the mischief they were causing. They
gave verdicts upon ex parte statements, and so egged
on opposing persons who felt safe when they could
say that the neighboring ministers quite agreed with
them. My counsel is that we join the " Knownoth-
ings," and never say a word upon a matter till we
have heard both sides ; and, moreover, that we do our

352

SHORT SERMONS

best to avoid hearing either one side or the other if
the matter does not concern us.

Is not this a sufficient explanation of my declaration
that I have one blind eye and one deaf ear and that
they are the best eye and ear I have ?

SHORT SERMONS ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

LADIES' DRESS.
I will that women adorn themselves in modest apparel. — I TiM. ii. 8, 9.

On the nth of April, in the course of an action
brought by the well-known modiste, " Madame Rosa-
lie," against a gentleman of property to compel him
to pay a debt contracted by his wife, it was stated in
evidence that from $2,500 to $10,000 a year might be
considered a reasonable sum for a lady moving in good
society to expend on dress. The gentleman's wife, In
the witness-box, repudiated with lofty scorn the idea
that the former amount was sufficient The lady is an
invalid, has never been presented at court, and is not
called into company, and yet was indebted for millinery
to a very large amount.

Is it, then, a fact that so large a sum is considered
needful for the clothing of one human form ? Surely
the luxury of the old Roman Empire is infecting our
beloved country : may God grant that it may not, in
our case also, be a sign of the decay of the nation.
Women should be too considerate of the n^Qds of the

ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

353

sick and suffering to spend dieir money so wastefully.
A blanket placed on die bed of a poor old woman
would be a better ornament to a lady's character than
all the lace a dukedom could purchase. Yet so it is;
but — tell it not in Gath — a lady cannot be dressed
under ;j§ 10,000 a year !

Attempt to Conceal Ug:Iines8.

The only excuse we can think of for some dressy
women is that they think themselves very ugly. What
deformity must exist if it needs ten thousand a year
to cover it ! If these persons accurately gauge their
lack of personal charms, they must be suffering under
a fearful measure of uncomeliness. vVhy, ten or
twenty families could be reared in comparative com-
fort upon the amount thus expended in wastefulness;
and as matters go with the agricultural laborers in
many of the shires, forty of the families owned by
Hodge and his companions, including all the father
Hodges and their wives, could be decently provided
for upon ten thousand a year. It will not bear think-
ing of. Yet many women professing godliness are
shockingly extravagant, and can never be happy till
their heads are tricked out with stranore eear and
their bodies with fashionable millinery. They litde
think how much they degrade themselves and grieve
the Spirit of God.

Wicked Extravajjance.

A forgiven sinner decked out in the flaunting gar-
ments of a worldling, casts suspicion upon her own
pardon ; if she had ever been renewed in heart, would

354

SHORT SERMONS

she, could she, adorn herself after the manner of a
Jezebel ? It is hard to think of a disciple of the Lord
wasting her substance upon personal decoration.
Does the lowly Jesus keep company with persons who.
spend hours at the glass, adorning, if not adoring, their
own llesh ? Can extravagance and fashionableness
^be pleasing to the Lord ? No. Assuredly not.

We are not judging that " neat handsomeness "
which George Herbert says " doth bear the sway," but
we are sorrowful when we see those who set them-
selves up as examples, and move in a position where
no outward show is required, going beyond ordinary
worldly women in extravagance. It is the bane of
society and the disgrace of religion.

THE RACE AND ITS SPECTATORS.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weij;lit, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. — IIeu. xii. i.

In an article upon the University boat-race of April
13, the " Times " alludes to the dense throng upon the
banks of the river, and to the interest which every-
body seemed to feel in the struggle, and it then very
truthfully adds :

" Nor do the competitors themselves fail to gain
much from the sight of the vast crowds which attest
the strength of the popular interest. The rivalry
would hardly be so keen if the race were to be rowed
amid the comparative privacy of a provincial stream
or lake. Some years ago this was kept out of sight

ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

855

in a high and mighty way, by the suggestion that, to
prevent the contest from being vulgarized, or for some
other reason, it ought to be held at some quieter place
than the neighborhood of London. Loch Maree, in
the wilds of Ross-shire, would afford charming tran-
quility and a few scores of cool spectators. But tho
stimulus of a great public competition would be gone,
and, if we may venture to assume that undergraduates
are made of the same stuff as other human beings,
that stimulus is essential to such muscular exertion
as we see at Oxford and Cambridge."

31yrhuls of Hoavoiily Spectators.

This excellently illustrates the meaning of the
apostle when he represents believers as running for a
prize, witii saints, apostles, and martyrs looking on.
The stimulus communicated by spectators is his prom-
inent idea. No doubt the young oarsmen find a
stimulus in every eye that gazes upon them, and if the
crowd were thinned they would take less interest in
their task. The crowds which line the Thames may
well be compared to clouds, so completely do they
darken the banks from end to end of the course ; and
much more may those who gaze upon the Christianas
life be thus spoken of.

Myriads lean from heaven, or look from earth, or peer
upward from the pit. Holy men of all ages, now
with God, join with a great host still abiding here
below. Angels and principalities and powers unite as
one vast army and observe us intently ; and frowning
demons of the pit in their dread array all gaze with

356

SHORT SERMONS

interest upon the Christian's work and way. Sliould
not every glance animate us to do our utmost ?

And what eyes there are among those wlio obscve
us ! Had the queen been present, we could imagine the
young athletes straining themselves even more than
they had done, for the glance of royalty quickens en-
ergy to the utmost. In our case, the King of kingMl
looks down upon us, and the Prince of Life with ten-
der sympathy watches our progress. What manner
of race should ours be under the Lord's own eye!

Wrestling: for Vict rv.

Competitors of former years were at the boat race
to see whether the newcomers would maintain the
honor of their universitv. Even so the worthies of
ancient times, who counted not their lives dear unto
them, take pleasure in the efforts of those who to-day
are wrestling for victory, as they themselves did in
ages past. The approving glances of prophets and
apostles may well stir our souls. Dear ones who have
gone before also mark our behavior in ihe race. A
motliier In heaven takes delicrht in the ardor of her
son ; brothers " gone over to the majority " are se-
renely glad as they see their brothers pushing forward
in the noble cause. Our leaders in the faith, oarsmen
who taught us how to fly over the waves, regard us
with anxious interest, and joy in our successes. These
things should quicken us, and lend us arguments for
unabated energy.

ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

RELIGIOUS SLUGGARDS.

An American paper has the following in its corner
of wit and anecdote: "A Sunday-school boy at Mays-
ville, Kentucky, was asked by the superintendent the
other day if his father was a Christian. ' Yes, sir,* he
replied, ' but he is not working- at it much. ' "

In too many cases the same statement might be
made, for multitudes have a name to live and are dead,
and the love of m.any has waxed cold. Religion is a
profession with them, but it is not accompanied by
practice. Now, of all pursuits in the world, the Chris-
tian profession requires the most energetic action, and
it utterly fails where diligence and zeal are absent.
What can a man do as a farmer, a merchant, a carpen-
ter, or even as a beggar, unless he follows up his
calling with activity and perseverance ? A sluggard
desireth and hath nothing, whatever his trade may be.
What, then, can he hope to win who calls himself a
Christian, and neither learns of Christ as his Teacher,
nor follows him as his Master, nor serves him as his
Prince ? Salvation is not by works, but it is salvation
from idleness. We are not saved because we are
'earnest ; but he who is not earnest has great reason
to question whether he is saved.

Not Worth a Shilling.

Do you know a Christian who never attends week-
day services, and only comes to public worship once
on a Sunday ? " He is not working at it much." Do

358

FHORT SERMONS

P ..V

you know a professor who Is not engaged in the Sab-
bath-school, the Visiting Society, the Tract Associa-
tion, or in any other form of usefuhiess? "He is not
working at it much." Do you know a man who gives
little or nothing to the work of the Lord, neglects
family prayer, never says a word for Jesus, and never
intercedes for perishing souls ? " He is not workin^^
at it much." Perhaps he Is the best judge of his reli«;^-
Ion, and does not think It worth being diligent about.

We heard of one who said his religion did not cost
him a shilling a year, and a friend observed that he
thought it was riiore than It was wordi ; and in the
present case wc may conclude that a man's religion
is a very poo: affair when "he does not work at It
much."

Our Lord does not set before us the Christian life
as a dainty repose, but as a warfare and a struggle.
He bids us " strive to enter in at the strait eate," and
never suggests to us that we can enter into his rest if
we are not willing to bear his yoke. Faith saves us,
but it is the faith whicli worketh by love ; all our sal-
vation is wrought iu us by the Lord both as to willing
and doing, but yet we are to work It out with fear and
trembling; which also by his grace we will hence-
forth do.

" Sure I must fight if I would reign :
Increase my couirgc, Lord !
I'll bear tlie toil, endure the pain,

Supported by tliy Word." »

ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.

859

THE EVIL WROUGHT BY ONE MAN.

One sinner destroyeth much giod. — Eccles. ix. l8.

Av Ameyican paper contains the following para-
graph : " An oiLtrain of forty oil-tanks ran into a heavy
freight'train nf^ar Slatington, Pennsylvania. The engi-
neer of the latter train had been compelled to stop tc
cool off a hot *joori:al/ but the conductor had sent no
one back to warn following trains of danger. Several
per ons were killed and about forty injured, — the
result of one man's carelessness."

Amid the blaze of the oil, the screams of burning
itnen and women, and the charred remains of the
unhappy victims, we see h.ow great a calamity may
arise out of a little neglect, and how much the destiny
of others may hang upon the acts o( one man. Have
we a due sense of our own personal responsibility?
Have we ever reflected that om* own conduct may
influence others for good or evil throughout eternity?
We may have no wicked Intent, and yet our careless-
ness and indifference may be as fatal to immortal souls
as if we had been profane or profligate.

Moral virtues, apart from religion, may suggest to
our children that godliness is needless:; was not their
Father an excellent man, and yet he was unconverted :
Thus may generation after generation be kept in spir-
itual death by an argument fetched from the irreligion
of one who was in other respects a model character.
Who amon<T us would desire this?

Even if we hope that we are ourselves saved, it

SfiO

SHORT SERMONS.

should cause us grave question if we are not bringing
others to Jesus. A destroyer of souls will have an
awful doom at the last, and he who failed to do his
best to save his fellows will not be held guildess before
the Lord.

THE WITHERING OF UNBELIEF.

Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which wilhcreth afore it groweth
up. — Ps. cxxix. 5, 6, 7.

" Notwithstanding the humidity of the season, the
grass crop on Wandsworth Bridge will not be cut this
year." This witty paragraph, taken from the " South
London Press," an interesting local paper, of May 25,
refers to a bridge upon which there is little traffic.
Of course the grass will not be mown, for it has no
depth of earth to grow upon, and is of no value.

The text which we -have quoted here finds an illus-
tration. It is true, a bridge is not a house-top, but in
scantiness of soil it is much the same. The opponents
of the Gospel are very numerous, but they never come
to anything; they are always confounded before they
can well establish their tlieories. Various orders of
infidels have sprung up suddenly, and have almost as
isuddenly disappeared, and even those which have
^endured for a longer season have ultimately passed
away, leaving scarcely any memorial behind them.

an
his

BOOK III.

CHOICE SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS
OF REV. C. H. SPURGEON.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK AND PICTURES.

A HAND-SAW IS A GOOD THING, BUT NOT TO

SHAVE WITH.

Our friend will cut more than he will eat, and shave
off something more than hair, and then he will blame
the saw. His brains don't lie in his beard, nor yet in
the skull above it, or he would see that his saw will
only make sores. There's sense in choosing }'ouf
tools, for a pig's tail will never make a good arrow,
nor will his ear make a silk purse. You can't catch
rabbits with drums, nor pigeons with plums. A good
thing is not good out of its place. It is much the
same with lads and girls ; you can't put all boys to
one trade, nor send all cfirls to the same service. One
hap will make a London clerk, and another will dc
better to plow and sow, and reap and mow, and be a
farmer's boy. It's no use forcing them; a snail will
n-ever run a race, nor a mouse drive a wagon.

" Send a boy to the well against liis will.
The pitcher will break and the water spill."

. '

; :

(361)

862

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

With unwilling hounds it is hard to hunt hares. To
go against nature and inclination is to row against
wiad and tide. They say you may praise a fool till
yv make him useful : I don't know so much about

that, but 1 do know that if I ^et a bad knife I crener-
ally cut my finger, and a blunt axe is more trouble
than profit. No, let me shave with a razor if I shave
at all, and do my work with the best tools I can get.

The Wrong Occupation.

Never set a man to work he is not fit for, for he will
never do it well. They say that if pigs fly they always
go with their tails forward, and awkward workmen are
much the same. Nobody expects cows to catch crows,

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

363

will
vays

are
lows,

or hens to wear hats. There's reason in roasting eggs,
and there should be reason in choosinof servants.
Don't put a round peg into a square hole, nor wind
up your watch with a corkscrew, nor set a tender-
hearted man to whip wife-beaters, nor a bear to be a
relieving-cfficer, nor a publican to jiK\,ve of the licens-
ing laws. Get the right man in the right place, antl
then all goes as smooth as skates on ice ; but the
wrong man puts all awry, as the sow did when she
folded the linen.

It is a temptation to many to trust them with money:
don't put them to take care of it if you ever wish to
see it again. Never set a cat to watch cream, nor a
pig to gather peaches, for if the cream and the peaches
go a-missing you will have yourself to thank for it. It
is a sin to put people where they are likely to sin. If
you believe the old saying, that when you set a beggar
on horseback he will ride to the devil, don't let him
have a horse of yours.

Be Your Own Errand Boy.

If you want a thing well done, do it yourself, aiir
pick your tools. It is true that a man must row witi.
such oars as he has, but he should not use the boat-
hook for a paddle. Take not the tongs to poke the
fire, nor the poker to put on the coals. A newspaper
on Sundays is as much out of place as a warming-pan
on the first of August, or a fan on a snowy day : the
Bible suits the Sabbath a Jeal better.

He who tries to make money by betting uses a
wrong tool, and is sure to cut his fingers. As well

864

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

hope to grow golden pippins on the bottom of the sea
as to make gain among gamblers if you are an honest
man. Hard work and thrifty habits are the right
razor, gambling is a handsaw.

Killing' Flies With SIcdgc-Haiiuiicrs.

Some things want doing gently, and telling a man
'of his faults is one of them. You would not fetch a
hatchet to break open an egg, nor kill a fly on your
boy's forehead with a sledge-hammer, and so you
must not try to mend your neighbor's little fault by
blowing him up sky-high. Never fire off a musket to
kill a midge, and don't raise a hue and cry about the
half of nothing.

Do not throw away a saw because it is not a razor,
for it will serve your turn another day, and cut your
ham-bone if it won't shave off your stubble. A whet-
stone, though it cannot cut, may sharpen a knife that
will. A match gives little light itst^lf, but it may light
a candle to brighten up the room. Use each thing
and each man according to common-sense, and you
will be uncommonly sensible. You don't milk horses
nor ride cows, and by the same rule you must make
of every man what he is meant for, and the farm will
be as right as a trivet.

Everything has its use, but no one thing is good for
all purposes. The baby said, " The cat crew, and the
cock rocked the cradle; '' but old folks knew better:
the cat is best at mousing, and the cock at rousing.
That's for that, as salt is for herrings, and sugar for
gooseberries, and Nan for Nicholas. Don^t choose

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

865

r for
oose

your tools by their looks, for that's best which does
best. A silver trowel lays very few bricks.

Pri^tty Tools but Poor.

You cannot curry a horse with a tortoise-shell comb,
or fell oaks with a penknife, or open oysters with a
gold toothpick. Fine is not so good as /// when work
is to be done. A good workman will ^k^X on pretty
well with a poor tool, and a brave soldier never lacks
a weapon ; still, the best is good enough for me, and
John Ploughman does not care to use a clumsy tool
because it looks pretty. Better ride on an ass that
carries you than on a steed which throws you ; it is far
better to work with an old-fashioned spade which suits
your hand than with a new-fangled invention you don't
understand.

. In trying to do good to your fellow-men the Gospel
is out of sight the best instrument to work with. The
new doctrine which they call " modern thought " is
nothing better than a handsaw, and it won't work a bit.
This fine new nothing of a gospel would not save a
mouse, nor move the soul of a tomtit ; but the glorious
Gospel of Jesus Christ is sui-ec to man's need, and by
God's grace does its work famously. Let every
preacher and teacher keep to it, for they will never
find a better. Try to win men with its loving words
and precious promises, and there's no fear of labor in
vain.

Some praise the balm of Gilead, or man's morality ;
many try the Roman salve, or the oil of Babylon ; and
others use a cunning ointment mixed by learned phi-

866

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

losophers ; but for his own soul's wounds, and for the
hurts of others, John Ploughman knows but one cure,
and that is given gratis by the Good Physician to all
who ask for it. A humble faith in Christ Jesus will
soon bring you this sovereign remedy. Use no other
for no other is of use.

HE LIVES UNDER THE SIGN OF THE CAT'S FOOT,

The question was once asked, When should a man
marry ? and the merry answer was, that for young men it
is too soon, and for old men it is too late. This is all very
fine, but it will not wash. Both the wisdom and the folly
of men seem banded together to make a mock of this

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

367

)0T,

man

lenit

very

folly

If this

doctrine. Men are such fools that they must and will
marry, even if they marry fools. It is wise to marry when
we can marry wisely, and tiien the sooner the better.
How many show their sense in clioosin^ a partner it is
not for me to say, but I fear that in many cases love is
blind, and makes a very blind choice. I don't suppose
that some people would ever get married at all if love
had its wits about it.

It is a mystery how certain parties ever found part-
ners ; truly there's no accounting for tastes. However,
as they make their bed they must lie on it, and as
they tie the knot they must be tied by it. If a man
catches a tartar, or lets a tartar catch him, he must
take his dose of tartaric acid, and make as few ugly
faces as he can. If a three-legged stool come flying
through the air, he must be thankful for such a plain
token of love from the woman of his choice, and the
best thing he can do is to sit down on it and wait for
the next litde article.

Twenty of One and a Score of the Other.

When it is said of a man, " He lives under the sign
o( the cat's foot," he must try and please his pussy,
that she may not scratch him more than such cats
generally do. A good husband will generally have a
good wife, or make a bad wife better. Bad Jack
makes a great noise about bad Jill, but there's gener-
ally twenty of one where there's a score of the other.
They say a burden of one's own choosing is never felt
to be heavy ; but I don't know, some men are loaded

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868

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

with mischief as soon as they have a wife to carry.
Vet

A good woman is worth, if she were sold,
The fairest crown that's made of gold.

She is a pleasure, a treasure, and a joy without measure.
A good wife and health are a man's best wealth ; and
he who is in such a case should envy no man's place.
Even when a women is a little tart, it is better than if
she had no spirit, and mide her house into a dirt pie.
A shrew is better than a slut, though one can be quite
miserable enough with either. If she is a good house-
wife, and looks well a^ter the children, one may put
up with a Caudle lecture now and then, though a
cordial lecture wo»"^ld be a deal better.

A husband is in a pickle indeed if he gets tied up
to a regular scold ; he might as well be skinned and
set up to his neck in a tub of brine. Did you ever
hear the scold's song? Read it, you young folks who
think of committing matrimony, and think twice before
you get married once.

When in the morn I ope mine eyes

To entertain the day,
Jiefore my husband e'en can rise,

I scold him, — then I pray. *

When I at table take my place.

Whatever be the meat,
I first do scold, — and then say graoi^

If so disposed to eat.

Too fat, too lean, too hot, too cold,

I always do complain ;
Too raw, too roast, too young, too cU —

Faults I will And or feign.

JOHN PLOUGUMAK*S TALK. ^^

Let it be flesh, or Towl, or fish.

It never shall be said
But I'll find fault with meat or dish.

With master or with maid.

Bnt when I go to bed at night

I heartily do weep,
That I must part with my delight^—

I cannot scold and sleep.

However, this doth mitigate
And much abate my sorrow,
• That though to-night it be too late,

I'll early scold to-morrow.

When the husband is not a man, it is not to be
wondered at if the wife wears the top-boots : the mare
may well be the best horse when the other horse is a
donkey. Well may a woman feel that she is lord and
master when she hits to earn the livingr for the family,
as is sometimes the case. She ought not to be the
head, but if she has all the brains, what is she to do?

Shiftless Husbands.

What poor dawdles many men would be without
their wives ! As poor softy Simpkins says, if Bill's
wife becomes a widow, who will cut the pudding up
for him, and will there be a pudding at all ? It is
^rand when the wife knows her place, and keeps it
and they both pull together in everything. Then she
is a helpmeet indeed, and makes the house a home.
Old friend Tusser says, —

" When husband is absent let housewife be chief,
And look to their lal>or who live from their sheaf;
The housewife's so named for she keepeth the house,
And must tend on her profit as cat on a mouse."

B70

CHOICE SJLECTI0N8.

He is very pat upon it that much of household aftairs
must rest on the wife, and he writes ;

" Both out, not allow,
Keep home, houMwife thou."

Like the old man and woman in the toy which shovr&

the weather, one must be sure to be in if the other

goes out. When the king is abroad the queen must

reign at home, and when he returns to his throne he

is bound to look upon her as his crown, and prize her

above gold and jewels. He should feel, " If there's

only one good wife in the whole world, I've got her."

John Ploughman has long thought just that of his own

wife, and after five and twenty years he is more sure

of it than ever. He never bets, but he would not

mind wagering a farthing cake that there is not a better

woman on the surface of the globe than his own, very

own beloved.

A Taste of Tongue.

Happy is the man who is happy in his wife. Let
him love her as he loves himself, and a little better,
for she is his better half.

Thank Gn<\ that hath so Mest thee,
And sit down John, and r£St thee.

There is one case in which I don't wonder if the
wife does put her mate under the cat's foot, and that is
when he slinks off to the public and wastes his wages.
Even then love and gentlenesa is the best way of get-
ting him home ; but, really some topers have no feel-
ing, and laugh at kinchiess, and therefore nobody can
be surprised if the poor wife l/iistles up and gives her

JOHN ILOLGHMANS TALK.

lord and master a taste of tongue. Nuihing tries
married love more than the pothouse. Wai^^es wasted,
wife neglected, children in rags: if she gives it him
hot and strong, who can blame her ? Pitch into him,
good woman, and make him ashamed of himself, if
you can. No wonder that you lead a cat-and-dog life
while he is such a sorry dog.

Still, you might as well go home and set him a bet-
ter example, for two blacks will never make a
white, and if you put him in hot water he's sure to get
some spirits to mix with it.

A GOOD WORD I-OR WIVES.

We pulled up the horses at the sign of the " Good
Woman ; " and as there is good entertainment for man,
if not for beast, under that sign, we will make a stay
of it, and dip our pen into some of that superfine ink
which has no galls in it. When he writes on so fair a
subject, John Ploughman must be on his best behavior.

It is astonishing how many old sayings there are
against wives : you may find nineteen to the dozen of
them. The men years ago showed the roiigli side ok
their tongues whenever they spoke of their spouses.
Some of these sayings are downright shocking ; as for
instance, that very wicked one, " Every man has two
good days with his wife, — the day he marries her and
the day he buries her ; " and that other, " He that
loseth his wife and a farthing, has a great loss of the
farthing."

872

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Quaint Old Balltul.

I recollect an old ballad that Gaffer Brouks used to
sing about a man's being better hung than married ;
it shows how common it was to abuse the married life.
It is almost too bad to print it ; but here it is as near
as 1 remember it : —

•* There was a victim in a cart.
One day for ^ be banged,
And his reprieve was granted,
And tlie cait made fur to stand.

** * Come, marry a wife and save your lift/
The judge aloud did cry ;
* Oh, why should I corrupt my life ?
The victim did reply.

•* • For here's a crowd of every sort,

And wliy should I prevent their sport ?
The l)argain's had in every part,
The wife's the worst, — drive on the cart.***

Now this rubbish docs not prove that the women
are bad. but that their husbands are good for nothing,
or else they would not make \\\) such abominable
slanders about their partners. The rottenest bough
cracks first, and it looks as if the male side of the
house was the worse of the two, for it certainly has
made up the most grumbling proverbs.

Aiigrelic Women.
There have, no doubt, been some shockingly bad
v/ives in the world, who have been provoking enough
to make a man say : —

" If a woman were as little as she is good,

A peashell would make her a gown and a hood.'*

But how many thousands have there been of true

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

373

helpmeets, worth far more than their weight in gold !
There is only one Job's wife mentioned in the Bible
and one Jezebel, but there are no end of Sarahs
and Rebekahs. I am of Solomon's mind, that, as a
rule he that findeth a wife findeth a good thing. If
there's one bad shilling taken at the grocer's, all the
n^ 'ghbors hear of it, but of the hundreds of good ones
report says nothing. A good woman makes no noise,
and no noise is made about her; but a shrew is noted
all over the parish. Taking them for all in all, they
are most angelical creatures, and a great deal too good
for half the husbands.

It is much to the women's credit that there are very
few old saymgs against husbands, although in this case
sauce for the goose would make capitai sauce for the
gander ; and the m^re has as good reasons for kicking
as the horse has. They must be very forbearing, or
they would have given the men a Roland for every
Oliver. Pretty dears, they may be rather quick in
their talk, but is it not the nature of bells and belles to
have tongues that swing easy?

Henpecked Husbands.

They cannot be so very bad after all, or they would

have had their revenge for the many cruel things
^ which are said against them ; and if they are a bit
masterful, their husbands cannot be such very great
victims, or they would surely have sense enough to
hold their tongues about it. Men don't care to have
it known when they are thoroughly well henpecked,
and I feel pretty certain that the old sayings are notH

874

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

ing but chaff, for if they were true, men would never
dare to own it.

A true wife is her husband's better half, his lump of
delight, his flower of beauty, his guardian angel, and
his heart's treasure. He says to her: "I shall in thee
most happy be. In thee, my choice, I do rejoice. In
thee I rind content of mind. God's appointment is m)»
contentment." In her company he finds his earthly
heaven ; she is the light of his home, the comfort of his
soul, and (for this world) the soul of his comfort
Whatever fortune God may send him, he is rich so
long as she lives. His rib is the best bone in his body.

The man who weds a loving wife,
Whate'er bctidelh him in life.
Shall bear up under all ;
• But he that Bnds an evil mate,
No good can come within his gate.
His cup is fill'd with gall.

A good husband makes a good wife. Some men
can neither do without wives nor with them ; they are
wretched alone in what is called single blessedness,
and they make their homes miserable when they get
married ; they are like Tompkln's dog, which could not
bear to be loose, and howled when it was tied up.
Happy bachelors are likely to be happy husbands, and
a happy husband is the happiest of men.

Birds of Paradise.

A well-matched couple carry a joyful life between
them, as the two spies carried the cluster of Eshcol.
They are a brace of birds of Paradise. They multiply
their joys by sharing them, and lessen their troubles

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

375

by dividing them : this is fine arithmetic. The wagon
of care rolls lightly along as they pull together ; and
when it drags a little heavily, or there's a hitch any-
where, they love each other all the more, and so
lighten the labor.

When a couple fall out, there are always faults or
both sides, and generally there is a pound on one and
sixteen ounces on the other. When a home is miser-
able, it is as often the husband's fault as the wife's.
Darby is as much to blame as Joan, and sometimes
more. If the husband won't keep sugar in the cup-
board, no wonder his wife gets sour.

Want of bread makes want of love ; lean dogs fight.
Poverty generally rides homes on the husband's back,
for it is not often the woman's place to go out working
for wages. A man down our parts gave his wife a
ring with this on it : " If thee don't work, thee sha'nt
eat." He was a brute. It is no business of hers to
bring in the grist, — she is to see it is well used and not
wasted ; therefore, I say, short commons are not her
fault. She is not the bread-winner, but the bread-
maker. She earns more at home than any wages she
can get abroad.

STICK TO IT AND DO IT.

Set a stout heart to a stiff hill, and the wagon will
get to the top of it. There's nothing so hard but a
harder thing will get through it; a strong job can be
managed by a strong resolution. Have at it and have
it. Stick to it and succeed. Till a thing is done, men

876

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

wonder that you think it can be done, and when you
have done it they wonder it was never done before.

In fhy picture the wagon is drawn by two horses ;
but I would have every man who wants to make his
way in Hfe pull as if all depended on himself. Very
little is done right when it is left to other people,
The more hands to do work the less there is done.
One man will carry two pails of water for himself; two
men will only carry one pail between them ; and three
will come home with never a drop at all. A child with
several mothers will die before it runs alone. Know
your business and give your mind to it, and you will
find a buttered loaf where a sluggard loses his last
crust.

In these times it's no use being a farmer if you
don't mean work. The days are gone by for gentle-
men to make a fortune off of a farm by going out
shooting half their time. If foreign wheats keep on
coming in, farmers will soon learn that,—

** He who by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive."

_ Going to Australia is of no use to a man if he
carries a set of lazy bones with him. There's a living
to be got in old England at almost any trade if a fellow
will give his mind to it. A man who works hard
|and has his health and strength is a great deal hap-
pier than my. lord Tom Noddy, who does nothing
and is always ailing. Do you know the old song of
" The Nobleman's Generous Kindness ? " You should
hear our Will sing it I recollect some of the verses.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

377

The first one gives a picture of the hurd-worVIng
laborer with a large family, —

*' Thus cireful and cunsiant, each murning he went« ,
Unto hU (kiy luWor wiih joy and content ;
So jocular and juily he'd whi>tl0 and sing,
As blithe and as brisk as the birds in the spring."

The other lines are the plouji^hman's own stoiy of how
he spent his life, and I wish that all countryroei^i could
say the same, —

** I reap and T mow, T harrow and T •ow,
Sometimes a-hedging and ditching I go ;
No work comes amiss, for I thrash and I plough,
IThus my bread I do earn by the sweat of my brom

^8 CHOICE SELECTIONS.

* My wife she h willing to pull in a yoke,

We live like two lambs, nor each other pFOVol(t|
We both of Uii strive^ like the laliorin^ ant,
And do our endeavors to keep us from want.

** And when I come home from my labor at night*
To my wife and my children in whom I delight,
1 see them come round me with prattling noiie.
Now these arc the riclic!> a poor man enjoys.

** Though I am us weary as weary may be,
The youngc -t I cuinmunly dance on my kncv,
I find in cuntc:it a continu;tl feast,

• And never rejiine at my lot in tlic least.'

So, you see, the poor labi^ref may work hard and
be happy all the same; ar.ci surely those who are in
higher stations iT\ay do the Tke if they like.

He is a sorry dog who wants game and will not
hunt for it; let us never lie down in idle despair, but
follow on till we succeed.

'•Ltttlo Sweat, Little Sweet."

Rome was not built in a day, nor much else, unless
it be a dog-kennel. Things which cost no pains are
slender gains. Where there has been little sweat
there will be little sweet. Jonah's gourd came up in
a night, but then it perished in a night. Light come,
light go ; that which flies in at one window will be
likely to fly cut at another. It's a very lean hare that
hounds catch without running for it, and a slieep that
is no trouble to shear has very litde wool. For this
reason a rnan who cannot push on against wind and
weather stands a poor chance in tlifs world.

Perseverance if> the main ihipof in life. To hold on,
^nd hold out to the eiid, is the chief matter. If the

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

879

race could be won by a spurt, thousands would wear
the blue ribbon ; but tlicy are short-vvintied, and pull
up after the first gallop. They begin with Hying, and
end in crawling backward. Wlu ii it conies to collar
work, many horses turn to jibbing. If the apples do
not fall at the first shake of the tree, your hasty folks
are too lazy to fetch a ladder, and in too much of a
hurry to wait till the fruit is ripe enough to fall of
itself.

The hasty man is as hot as fire at the outset, and
as cold as ice at the end. He is like the IrLhman's
saucepan, which had many good points about it, b it
it had no bottom. He who cannot bear the burden
and heat of the day is not worth his salt, much less
his potatoes.

Before you begin a thing, make sure it is the right
thing to do : ask Mr. Conscience about it. Do not
try to do what is impossible: ask Common Sense. It
is of no use to blow against a hurricane, or to fish for
whales in a washing-tub. Better give up a foolish
plan than go on and burn your fingers with it: better
bend your neck than knock your forehead,

Bragr and Perseverance.

But when you have once made up your mind to ^o
X certain road, don't let every molehill turn you oiii
of the path. One stroke fells not an oak. Chop away,
axe, you'll down with the tree at last ! A bit of iron
does not soften the moment you put it into the fire.
Blow, smith ! Put on more coals ! Get it red hot and
hit hard with the hammer, and you will make a plough-

380

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

share yet. Steady does it. Hole' on, and you have
it ! Brag is a fine fellow at crying " TaHy-ho !" but
Perseverance brings home the brush.

We ought not to be put out of heart by difficulties:
they are sent on purpose to try the stuff we are made
of; and depend upon it they do us a world of good.
There's a sound reason why there are bones in our
fmeat and stones in our land. A world where every-
thing wa» easy would be a nursery for babies, but not
at all a fit place for men. Celery is not sweet till ir
has felt a frost, and men don't come to their perfection
till disappointment has dropped a half-hundredweight
or two on their toes.

Who would know good horses if there were no
heavy loads ? If the clay was not stiff, my old Dapper
and Violet would be thouo^ht no more of than Tom-
kin's donkey. Besides, to work hard for success makes
us fit to bear it: we enjoy the bacon all the more
because we have got an appetite by earning it. When
prosperity pounces on a man like an eagle, it often
throws him down. If we overtake the cart, it is a fine
thing to get up and ride; but when it comes behind
us at a tearing rate, it is very apt to knock us down
and run over us, and when we are lifted into It we
find our leg is broken, or our arm out of joint, ai>d we
cannot enjoy the ride.

Patient Waitiiigf.

Work ifi always healthier for us than idleness ; it is

always better to wear out shoes than sheets. I some-
times think, when I put on my considering cap, that

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

381

you have
-ho !" but

fficultles ;
are made
, of good,
es in our
:re every-
;s, but not
^eet till ir
perfection
•ed weight

were no

Id Dapper
han Tom-
ess makes
the more
it. When
e, it often
it is a fine
es behind
us down
into It we
Int, ai>d we

ness; it is
. I some-
r cap, that

success in life is something like getting married : there's
a very gre:it deal of pleasure in the courting, and it is
not a br.d thing when it is a moderate time on the
road. Therefore, young man, learn to wait, and work
on. Don't throw away your rod, the fish will bite
some time or other. The cat watches long at the hole,
but catches the mouse at last.

The spider mends her broken web, and the flies are
taken before long. Stirk to your calling, plod on and
be content; for, make sure, if you can undergo you
shall overcome.

i If liad be your prospects, don't sit still and cry,

But jump up, and say to yourself, " I vil! try."

Miracles will never cease ! My neighbor, Simon
Gripper, was taken generous about three months ago.
The "Story is well worth telling. He saw a poor blind
man, led by a little girl, playing on a fiddle. His
heart was touched, for a wonder. He said to me,
"Ploughman, lend me a penny, there's a good fellow."
1 fumbled in my pocket, and found two halfpence, and
handed them to him. More fool I, for he will never
pay me again. He gave the blind fiddler one of those
halfpence, and kept the other, and I have not seen
either Gripper or my penny since, nor shall I get the
money back till the gate-post outside my garden
grows Ribstone pippins. There's generosity for you !

Poor as a Church Mouse.

The old saying which is put at the top of this bit of

talk brought him into my mind, for he sticks to it most
certainly : he lives as badly as a church mouse, and

1- ;

382

CHOICE BELECTIONS.

works as hard as if he was paid by tlie piece and had
twenty children to keep ; but I would no more hold
him up for an example than I would show a toad as a
specimen of a pretty bird. When I talk to you young
people about getting on, I don't want you to think that
hoarding up money is real success ; nor do I wish you
to rise an inch above an honest ploughman's lot. if i^
cannot be done without being mean or wicked. The
workhouse, prison as it is, is a world better than a
mansion built by roguery and greed.

If you cannot get on honestly, be satisfied not to get
on. The blessing of God is riches enough for a wise
man, and all the world is not enough for a fool. Old
Gripper's notion of how to prosper has, I dare say, a
great deal of trudi in it, and the more's the pity. The
Lord deliver us from such a prospering, I say. That
old sinner has often hummed these lines into my ears
when we have got into an argument, and very pretty
lines they are not, certainly :

" To win the prize in the world's great race,
A man should have a brazen face ;
An iron arm to give a stroke,
And a heart as Fturdy as an oak;
Eyes like a cat, good in the dark,
And teeth as piercinfj as a shark ;
Ears to hear the gentlest sound,
Like moles that burrow in the grotind;
A mouth as close as patent locks,
And stomach stronger than an ox;
His tongue should be a razor-blade,
His conscience india-rubber madei
His blood as cold as uular ice.
His hand as gris|nng 9S a vien.

nd had
re hold
ad as a

ycung
nk that
ish you
Idt. if iv
I. The

than a

)t to get
r a wise
)1. Old
i say, a
ty. The
. That
y ears
pretty

JOHN ploughman's TALK. *^

His shoulders should be adequate

To bear a •ouple thousand «.eight ; «

His legs, like pillars, firm and strong,

To move the great machine along;

With supple knees to cringe and crawl,

And cloven feel placed under all."

It amounts to this : Be a devil in order to be happy.
Sell yourself outright to the old dragon, and he will
^ive you the world and the glory thereof. But remem-
ber the question of the old Book : " What shall it
profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his
own soul ? **

ALL IS LOST THAT IS FOURED INTO A CRACKED

DISH.

Cook is wasting her precious liquor, for it runs out
almost as fast as it runs in. The sooner she stops
that game the better. This makes me think of a good
deal of preaching; it is labor in vain, because it does
not stay in the minds of the hearers, but goes in at
one ear and out at the other. When men <::o to market
they are all alive to do a trade, but in a place of wor-
ship they are not more than half awake, and do not
seem to care whether they profit or not by what they
hear.

I once heard a preacher say, "Half of you are asleep,
half are inattentive, and the rest — " He never
finished that sentence, for the people began to smile,
and here and there one burst out laughing. Certainly,
many only go to meeting to stare about

<84

CHOICE SELi:CT10NS.

** Attend your church, the parson ciiesj
To church each fair one yocs ;
The old ones go to close their eyes,
'1 he young to eye their clollies."

You might as well preach to the stone images in the
old church as to people who are asleep. Some old
fellows come into our meeting, pitch into their corner.

and settle themselves down for a quiet snooze as
knowingly as if the pew was a sleeping-car on the rail
way. Still, all the sleeping at service is not the fault
of the poor people, for some parsons put a lot of
sleeping stuff into their sermons. Will Shepherd says
they vtesnierize the people. (I think that is the right
word, but I'm not sure.) I saw a verse in a real live

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

385

book, by Mr. Cheales, the vicar of Brockham, a place
which is handy to my home. I'll give it you : —

" The ladies praise our curate's eyes ;
I never see their light divine,
For when he prays he closes them,
And when he preaches closes mine."

Well, if curates are heavy in style, the people wil-
soon be heavy in sleep. Even when hearers an:
awake, many of them are forgetful. It is like pouring
a jug of ale between the bars of a gridiron, to try and
teach them good doctrine. Water on a duck's back
does have some effect, but sermons by the hundred
are as much lost upon many men's hearts as if they
had been spoken to a kennel of hounds. Preaching
to some fellows is like whipping the water or lashing
the air. As well talk to a turnip, or whistle to a dead
donkey, as preach to these dull ears. A year's ser-
mons will not produce an hour's repentance till the
grace of God comes in.

''Ai^ifyingr " About Doctrine.

We have a good many hangers-on who think that

their duty to God consists in hearing sermons, and

that the best fruit of their hearing is to talk of what

they have heard. How they do lay the law down when

they get argifying about doctrines ! Their religion all

runs to ear and tongue ; neither their heart nor their

hand is a scrap the better. This is poor work, and

will never pay the piper. The sermon which only gets

as far as the ear is like a dinner eaten in a dream. It

is ill to lie soaking in the gospel like a bit of coal in

A milkpan, never the whiter for it all.
26

186

OHOIGE SELECTIONS.

What can be the good of being hearers only ? li
disappoints the poor preacher, and it brings no bless-
ing to the man himself. Looking at a plum won't
sweeten your mouth, staring at a coat won't cover your
back, and lying on the bank won't catch the fish in
tthe river. The cracked dish is never the better for all
that is poured into it ; it is like our forgetful heart, it
(wants to be taken away, and a new one put instead
of it.

A BLACK HEN LAYS A WHITE EGG.

The egg is white enough, though the hen is bfack
as a coal. This is a very simple thing, but it has

JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S tXLK.

887

? u

pleased the simple mind of John Ploughman, and
made him cheer up when things have gone hard with
him. Out of evil comes good, through the great good-
ness of God. From threatening clouds we get refresh,
ing showers ; in dark mines men find bright jewels ;
and so from our worst troubles come our best bless
ings. The bitter cold sweetens the ground, and the
rough winds fasten the roots of the old oaks. God
sends us letters of love in envelopes with black bor-
ders. Many a time have I plucked sweet fruit from
bramble-bushes, and taken lovely roses from among
prickly thorns. Trouble is to believing men and
women like the sweetbrier in our hedges, and where
it grows there is a delicious smell all around, if the dew
do but fall upon it from above.

Cheer up, mates, all will come right in the end.
The darkest night will turn to a fair morning in due
time. Only let us trust in God, and keep our headii
above the waves of fear. When our hearts are right
with God everything is right. Let us look for tht
silver which lines every cloud, and when we do not se<
it let us believe that it is there. We are all at school,
and our great Teacher writes many a bright lesson on
the blackboard of affliction.

Scant fare teaches us to live on heavenly bread,
sickness bids us send off for the good Physician, fosi
of friends makes Jesus more precious, and even thf
sinking of our spirits brings us to live more entirely
upon God. All things are working together for the
good of those who love God, and even death itself

OHOIOE SELECTIONS.

v^ill bring them their highest gain. Thus the black
hen lays a white egg.

*' Since all that I meet shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet, the medicine is food ;
Though painful at present, 'twill cease before long.
And then, oh how pleasant the conqueror's song ! "

HE HAS GOT THE FIDDLE, BUT NOT THE STICK.

It often comes to pass that a man steps into
another's shoes, and yet cannot walk in them. A poor
t^jol of a parson gets into a good man's pulpit, and

takes the same texts, but the sermons are chalk, and
not cheese. A half-baked young swell inherits his
lather's money, but not his generosity, his barns, but

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

389

not his brains, his title, but not his sense, — he ha^ the
fiddle without the stick, and the more's the pity.

Some people imagine that they have only to get
hold of the plough-handles, and they would soon beat
John Ploughman. If they had his fiddle they are sure
they could play on it. J. P. presents his compliments,
and wishes he may be there when it is done.

" That I fain would see,
Quoth blind George of Hollowc*.*'

However, between you and me and the bedpost, there
is one secret which John does not mind letting out.
John's fiddle is poor enough, but the stick is a right
good one, too good to be called a fiddlestick. Do you
want to see the stick with which John plays his fiddle ?
Here it is — Looking to God for help, John always tries
to do his best, whatever he has to do, and he has
found this to be the very best way to play all kinds of
tunes. What little music there is in John's poor old
fiddle comes out of it in that way. Listen to a scrape
or two:

If I were a cobbler, I'd make it my pride

The best of all cobblers to be ;
If I were a tinker, no tinker beside

Should mend an old kettle like me.

And being a ploughman, I plough with the beit.

No furrows run straighter than mine ;
I waste not a moment, and stay not to rest.

Though idlers to tempt me combine.

Yet I wish not to boast, for trust I have noQO

In aught I can do or can be ;
I rest in my Saviour, and what He has doa*

To ransom poor sinners like me.

100

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

" GREJ^T CRY AND LITTLE WOOL," AS THE MAN SAID
WHO CLIPPED THE SOW.

Our friend Hodge does not seem to be making
much of an out at shearing. It will take him all his
time to get wool enough for a blanket, and his neigh-
bors are telling him so : but he does not heed them,
Cor a man never listens to reason when he has made

Uf his mind to act unreasonably. Hodge gets plenty
of music of a sort : Hullah's system is nothing to it,
and even Nebuchadnezzar's flutes, harps, sackbuts,
and dulcimers could not make more din. He gets
" cry " enough to stock a Babylon of babies, but not
wool enough to stop his ears with.

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

891

Its,
its
lot

Now is not this very like the world with its notions
of pleasure? There is noise enough: laughter and
shouting and boasting; but where is the comfort
which can warm the heart and give peace to the spirit?
Generally there's plenty of smok?. and very litde fire
in what is called pleasure. It pro^^nises a nag and
gives an egg, Gayety is a sort of fiash in the pan, a
fifth-of-November squib, all fizz and bang and done
for. The devil's meat is all bran, and the world's wine
turns to vinegar. It is always making a great noise
over nutshells. Thousands have had to weep over
their blunder in looking for their heaven on earth ;
but they follow each other like sheep through a gap,
not a bit the wiser for the experience of generations.

It seems that every man must have a clip at his own
particular pig, and cannot be made to believe that,
like all the rest, it will yield him nothing but bristles.
Men are not all of one mind as to what is best for
them ; they no more agree than the clocks in our vil-
lage, but they all hang together in following after van-
ity, for to the core of their hearts they are vain.

One shears the publican's hog, which is so fond of
the swill-tub, and he reckons upon bringing home a
wonderful lot of wool ; but everybody knows that he
who goes to the " Woolpack " for wool will come home
shorn; the "Blue Boar" is an uncommonly ugly
animal to shear, and so is the " Red Lion." Better
sheer off as fast as you can ; it will be sheer folly to
stop. You may loaf about the tap of the " Half-moon "
till you get the full moon in your noodle, and need a

892

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

keeper ; it is the place for men whose wits go wool-
gathering, but wool there is none.

Another is covetous, and hopes to escape misery by
being a miser ; his greedy mind can no more be filled
than a lawyer's purse ; he never lias enough, and so
he never has a feast. He makes money with his
teeth, by keeping them idle. That is a very lean hog
to clip at, for poverty wants some things, luxury many
things, but covetousness wants all things. If we could
hoard up all the money in t-he world, what would it be
to us at last ? To-day at good cheer, to-morrow on
the bier ; in the midst of life we are in death.

Some, like old Mrs. Too-good, go in for self-right-
eousness, and their own mouths dur them saints.
They are the pink of perfection, .he cr^.m of creation,
the gems of their generation, and yet a sensible man
would not live in the same house with them for all the
money you could count.

A Saint Abroad and a Devil at Home.

They are saints abroad, but ask their maids what

they are at home. Great cry and little wool is common
enough in religion : you will find that those who crack
themselves up are generally cracked, and those who
despise their neighbors come to be despised them-
selves.

Many try wickedness, and run into bad company,
and rake the kennels of vice. I warrant you they may
shear the whole sty-ful of filthy creatures and never
find a morsel of wool on the whole lot of them. Loose
characters* silly amusements, gambling, wantonnesa,

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

893

And such like, are swine that none but a fool will try
his shears upon. I don't deny that there's plenty of
swinish music, — who ever expected that there would
be silence in a piggery ? But then noise cannot fill
the heart, nor laughter lighten the soul.

John Ploughman has tried for himself, and he knows
by experience that all the world is nothing but a hog
that is not worth the shearing: "Vanity of vanities,
all is vanity." But yet there is wool to be had : there
are real joys to ^e got for the asking if we ask aright
Below, all thin^ , deceive us, but above us there is a
true Friend. "Wherefore do ye spend your money
for that which is not bread, and your labor for thai
which Ratisfieth not ? " This is John Ploughman's
verdict which he wishes all his readers to take note
of—

«« Faith in Jesus Christ will give
Sweetest ple&sui es while we live |
Faith in Jesus must supply
Solid comfort when we die.**

YOU CAN'T CATCH THE WIND IN A NET.

Some people get windmills in their heads and go in
for all sorts of silly things. They talk of ruling the
nation as if men were to be driven like sheep, and
they prate of reforms and systems as if they could cut
out a world in brown paper with a pair of scissors.
Such a body thinks himself very deep, but he is as
shallow as a milkpan. You can soon know him as
well as if you had gone through him with a lighted
candle, and yet you will not know a great deal after

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

all. He has a great head, and very little in it He
can talk by the dozen or the gross, and say nothing.
When he is fussing and boasting of his fine doings,
you soon discover that he makes a long harvest of
very litde corn. His tongue is Hke a pig's tail, going
all day long and nothing done.

Falling into the Ditch.

This is the man who can pay off the national debt,
and yet, in his little shop he sells two apples in three
days; he has the secret of high farming, and loses
more at it than any man in the county. The more he
studies the more he misses the mark ; he reminds me
of a blind man on a blind horse, who rode out in the
middle of a dark night, 'tnd the more he tried to keep
out of ditches the more he fell in.

When they catch live red herrings on Newmarket
Heath he will bring out a good thing, and line his
pockets with gold ; up till now, he says, he has been
imlucky, and he believes that if he were to make a
man a coffin he would be sure not to die. He is going
to be rich next year, and you will then see what you
shall see : just now he would be glad of half a crown
on account, for which he will give you a share in his
invention for growing wheat without ploughing or

sowmg.

It is odd to see this wise man at times when his wits
are all up in the moon : he is just Hke Chang the Chi-
naman, who said, " Here's my umbrella, and here's my
bundle ; but where am If* He cannot find his spec-
-^cles, though he is looking through them ; and when

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

he is out riding on his own ass, he pulls up and says,
** Wherever is that donkey ? "

I havt heard of one learned man who boiled his
watch and stood looking at the egg, and another who
forgot that he was to be married that day, and would

have lost his lady if his friend had not fetched him out
of his study. Think of that, my boy, and don't fret
yourself because you are not so overdone with leacn-
ing as to have forgotten your common sense.

Always Laying and Never Hatch I ng-.

The regular wind-catcher is soft as silk and as green
as grass, and yet he thinks himself very long-headed;
and so indeed he would be if his eafs were taken into

896

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

the measurement. He is going to do — well — there's
no telling what. He is full of wishes but short of
will, and so his buds never come to flowers or fruit.
He is like a hen that lays eggs, and never sits on them
long enough to hatch a single chick.

Moonshine is the article our friend deals in, and it
is wonderful what he can see by it. He cries up his
schemes, and it is said that he draws on his imagina-
tion for hrs facts. When he is in full swing with one
of his notions, he does not stick at a trifle. Will
Shepherd heard one of these gentry the other day
telling how his new company would lead all the share-
holders on to Tom Tiddler's ground to pick up gold
and silver ; and when all the talk was over, Will said
to me, " That's a lie with the lid on, and a brass handle
to take hold of it." Rather sharp this of Will, for I
do believe the man was caught on his own hook, and
believed in his own dreams ; yet I did not like him,
for he wanted us poor fellows to put our little savings
into his hands, as if he could afford to fly kites with

laborers' wages.

Wonderful Schemes.

What a many good people there are who have re*
ligious crazes ! They do nothing, but they have won-
derful plans for doing everything in a jiffy. So many
thousand people are to give half a crown each, and
so many more a crown, and so many more a sovereign,
and the meeting-house is to be built just so, and no-
how else. The mischief is that the thousands of people
do not rush forward with their money, and the minister

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

897

i«nd a few hard-working friends have to get it together
litde by litde in the old-fashioned style, while your
wonderful schemer slinks out of the way and gives
nothing.

I have long ago found out that pretty things on pa
per had better be kept there. Our master's eldest
son had a plan for growing plum-trees in our hedges
as they do in Kent; but he never looked to see
whether the soil would suit, and so he lost the tree?:
which he put in, and there was an end of his damsons.

" Circumstances alter cases ;
Different ways suit different places."

New brooms sweep clean, but they mostly sweep
up dirt. Plough with what you please, I stick to the
old horses which have served me so well. Fine
schemes come to nothing ; it is hard work that does it,
whether it be in the world or in the Church.

" In the laboiious husbandman you see
Wiiat all true Christians are or ought to be."

NEVER STOP THE PLOUGH TO CATCH A MOUSE.

There's not much profit in this game. Think of a
man and a boy and four horses all standing still for
the sake of a mouse ! What would old friend Tusser
say to that ? I think he would rhyme in this fashion :

A ploughman deserveth a cut of the whip,
If for idle pretence he let the hours slip.

Heaps of people act like the man in our picture. They
have a great work in hand which wants all their wits.

898

GHOIGE SELECTIONS.

and they leave it to squabble over some pretty nothing,
not worth a fig. Old Master Tom would say to them ;

No more tittle-tattle, go on with your cattle.

He could not bear for a farmer to let his horses out

for carting even, because it took their work away from

, the farm, and so I am sure he would be in a great stew

if he saw farmers wasting their time at matches and
hunts and the like. He says :

" Who slacketh his tillage a carter to I)e,
For groat got abroad, at home shall lose three ;
For sure by so doing he brings out of heart
Both land for the com and horse for the cart."

The main chance must be minded, and the little things
must be borne with. Nobody would burn his house

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

899

lings
louse

down to kill the black beetles, and it would never
answer to kill the bullocks to ieed the cats. If our
baker left off making bread for a week while h*^
cracked the cockroaches, what should we all do for
breakfast ? If the butcher sold no more meat till he
had killed all the blowflies, we should be many a day
without mutton. If the water companies never gave
the Londoners a drink till they had fished every gud-
geon out of the Thames, how would the old ladies
make their tea? There's no use in stopping your
fishing because of the seaweed, nor your riding because

of the dust.

A Grand Mouse Hunt.

Now, our minister said to me the other day: "John,
if you were on the committees of some -of our societies
you would see this mouse-hunting done to perfection.
Not only committees, but whole bodies of Christian
people go mouse-hunting." " Well," said I, " minister,
just write me a bit, and I will stick it in my book ; it
will be beef to my horse-radish." Here's his writing :

"A society of good Christian people will split into
pieces over a petty quarrel, or mere matter of opinion,
while all around them the masses are perishing for
want of the gospel. A miserable little mouse, which
no cat would ever hunt, takes them off from their
Lord's work. Again, intelligent men will spend
months of time and heaps of money in inventing and
publishing mere speculations, while the great field of
the world lies unploughed.

"They seem to care nothing how many may perish

100

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

SO long as they can ride their hobbies. In other mat-
ters a little common sense is allowed to rule, but in
the weightiest matters foolishness is sadly conspicuous.
As for you and me, John, let us kill a mouse when it
nibbles our bread, but let us not spend our lives over .
it. What can be done by a mousetrap or a cat should^
not occupy all our thoughts.

" The paltry trifles of this world are much of the
same sort. Let us give our chief attention to the
chief things, — the glory of God, the winning of souls
for Jesus, and our own salvation. There are fools
enough in the world, and there can be no need that
Christian men should swell the number. Go on with
your ploughing, John, and I will go on with my preach-
.ing, and * in due season we shall reap if we faint not.' "

DON'T CUT OFF YOUR NOSE TO SPITE YOUR FACE.

Anger is a short madness. The less we do when
we go mad the better for everybody, and the less we
go mad the better for ourselves. He is far gone who
hurts himself to wreck his vengeance on others. The
old saying is : " Don't cut off your head because it
aches;" and another says: "Set not your house on
fire to spite the moon, " If things go awry, it is a poor
way of mending to make them worse, as the man did
who took to drinking because he could not marry the

l-ked.

I K^.

MZt be a fool who cuts off his nose to spite his
L , c . yet this is what Dick did when he had
vexed his old master, and because he was chid must

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

401

needs give up his place, throw himself out of work,
and starve his wife and family. Jane had been idle,
and she knew it; but sooner than let her mistress
speak to her, she gave warning, and lost as good a
service as a maid could wish for. Old Griggs was
wrong, and could not deny it ; and yet because the
parson's sermon fitted him rather close, he took the

«ulks, and vowed he would never hear the good man
again. It was his own loss, but he wouldn't listen to
reason, but was as wilful as a pig.

Do nothing when you are out of temper, and then
you will have the less to undo. Let a hasty man's
passion be a warning to you : if he scalds you, take

402

OHOICE SELECTIONS.

heed that you do not let your own pot boil over.
Many a man has given himself a box on the ear in his
blind rage ; ay, and ended his own life out of spite !
He who cannot curb his temper carries gunpowder in
his bosom, and he is neither safe for himself nor his
neighbors.

When passion comes in at the door, what little sense
there is indoors flies out at the window. By and by
a hasty man cools and comes to himself, like Mac-
Gibbon's gruel when he put it out of the window ; but
if his nose is off, in the mean time, who is to put it on
again ? He will only be sorry once, and that will be
all the rest of his life. Anger does a man more hurt
than that which made him angry. It opens his mouth
and shuts his eyes, and fires his heart and drowns his
sense, and makes his wisdom folly.

Don't Hiint for a Lost Temper.

Old Tompkins told me that he was sorry that he
lost his temper, and I could not help thinking that the
pity was that he ever found it again, for it was like an
old shoe with the sole gone and the upper leathers
worn out, only fit for a dunghill. A hot-tempered
^man would be all the better for a new heart and a
right spirit. Anger is a fire which cooks no victuals
and comforts no household ; it cuts and curses and
^kills, and no one knows what it may lead to ; there-
fore, good reader, don't let it lodge in your bosom,
and if it ever comes there, pass the vagrant on to tli©
next parish.

Gently, gently, little pot ;
Why so hasty to be hot?

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

408

It he
Lt the
:e an

lers
)ered
ind a
:tuals

and

Ihere-

>som,

lo tlie

Over you will surely boil,

And I know not what you'll spoil. *

The old gent in our picture has a fine nose of his
own, and though he will be a fool to cut it off, he would
be wise to cut off the supplies which have made it
such a size. That glass and jug on the table are the
paint-pots that he colors his nose with, and everybody
knows, whether he knows it or knows it not, that his
nose is the outward and visible sign of a good deal of
inward and spirituous drink, and the sooner he drops
his drops the better. So here we will cut off not our
nose, but the present subject.

BEWARE OF THE DOG I

John Ploughman has not wearied his friends by
preaching; but he makes bold to try his hand at a
sermon, and hopes he will be excused if it should
prove to be only a ploughman's preachment.

If this were a regular sermon — preached from a
pulpit, of course — I should make it long and dismal,
like a winter's night, for fear people should call me
eccentric. As it is only meant to be read at home, I
will make it short, though it will not be sweet, for I
have not a sweet subject. The text is one which has
a great deal of meaning in it, and is to be read on
many a wall. " Beware of the Dog !" You know
what dogs are, and you know how you beware of
them when a bull-dog flies at you to the full length of
his chain ; so the words don't want any clearing up.

It is very odd that the Bible never says a good word

404

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

for dogs ; I suppose the breed must have been bad in
those eastern parts, or else, as our minister tells me, they
were nearly wild, had no master in particular, and were
left to prowl about half-starved. No doubt a dog is very
like a man, and becomes a sad dog when he has him-
self for a master. We are all the better for having
somebody to look up to ; and those who say they care
for nobody and nobody cares for them, are dogs of
the worst breed, and, for a certain reason, are never

likely to be drowned.

Dirty Dogs.

Dear friends, I shall have heads and tails like other
parsons, and I am sure I have a right to them, for they
are found in the subjects before us.

Firstly, let us beware of a dirty dog, — or, as the
grand old Book calls them, " evil workers," — those who
love filth and roll in it. Dirty dogs will spoil your
clothes, and make you as foul as themselves. A man
is known by his company ; if you go with loose feU
lows your character will be tarred with the same brush
as theirs.

People can't be very nice in their distinctions ; if
they see a bird always flying with the crows, and feed-
ing and nesting with them, they call it a crow, and
ninety-nine times out o^ a hundred they are right. If
you are fond of the kennel, and like to run with the
hounds, you will never make the world believe that
you are a pet lamb. Besides, bad company does a
man real harm, for, as the old proverb has it, if you
lie down with dogs you will get up with fleas.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

406

>ad in
J, they
I were
svery
i him-
laving
y care
)gs of
never

; other
)r they

IS the

56 who

your

man

e feU

brush

ms; H

feed-

r, and

It. If

th the

that

loes a

f you

You cannot keep too far off a man with the fever
and a man of wicked Ufe. If a lady in a fine dress
sees a big dog come out of a horse-pond, and run
about shaking himself dry, she is very particular to
keep out of his way ; and from this we may learn a
lesson — when we see a man half gone in liquor,
^sprinkling his dirty talk all around him, our best place
^is half a mile off at the least

Unpleasant Growlers.

Secondly, beware of all snarling dogs. There are
plenty of these about ; they are generally very small
creatures, but they more than make up for their size
by their noise. They yap and snap without end. Dr.
Watts said —

" Let dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God has made them so."

But I cannot make such an excuse for the two-legged
dogs I am writing about, for their own vile tempers
and the devil together have made them what they are.
They find fault with anything and everything. When
they dare they howl, and when they cannot do that
they He down and growl inwardly. Beware of these
creatures !

Make no friends with an angry man ; as well make
A bed of stinging-netdes or wear a viper for a neck-
lace. Perhaps the fellow is just now very fond of
you ; but beware of him, for he who barks at others
to-day without a cause will one day howl at you for
nothing. Don't offer him a kennel down your yard
unless he will let you chain him up.

406

CHOIGE SELECTIONS.

Chronic FaultfluderH.

When you see that a man has a bitter spirit, and
gives nobody a good word, quiedy walk away and
keep out of his track if you can. Loaded guns and
quick-tempered people are dangerous pieces of furni-
ture ; they don't mean any hurt, but tiiey are apt to go
off and do mischief before you dream of it. Better
go a mile out of your way than get into a fight ; better
sit down on a dozen tin tacks with their points up than
dispute with an angry neighbor.

Thirdly, beware of fawnhig dogs. They jump up
upon you and leave the marks of their dirty paws.
How they will lick your hand and fondle you as long
as there are bones to be got: like the lover who
said to the cook, "Leave you, dear girl? Never,
while you have a shilling! " Too much sugar in the
talk should lead us to suspect that there is very little
in the heart. The moment a man praises you to your
face, mark him, for he is the very gentleman to rail at
you behind your back.

Fawning: Puppies.

If a fellow takes the trouble to flatter he expects to
be paid for it, and he calculates that he will get his
wages out of the soft brains of those be tickles. When
people stoop down it generally is to pick somethinf;
up, and men don't stoop to flatter you unless they
reckon upon getting something out of you. When
you see too much politeness you may generally smell
a rat if you give a good sniff. Young people need to
be on the watch against crafty flatterers. Young

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

-lOr

women with pretty faces and a little money should
especially beware of puppus.

Fourthly, deware of a p-eedy dog, or a man who never
has enough. Grumblin>^ is catching ; one discontented
man sets others complaining, and this is a bad state
of mind to fall into. Folks who are greedy are not
always honest, and if they see a chance they will put
their spoon into their neighbor's porridge ; why not
into yours ? See how cleverly they skin a flint ; be-
fore long you will find them skinning you, and as you
are not quite so used to it as the eels are, you had
better give Mr. Skinner a wide berth. When a man
boasts that he never gives anything away, you may
read it as a caution, " Beware of the dogi '*

Swallowiiigr Farms and Houses.

A liberal, kind-hearted friend helps you to keep
down your selfishness, but a greedy grasper tempts
you to put an extra button on your pocket. Hungry
dogs will wolf down any quantity of meat, and then
look out for more ; and so will greedy men swallow
farms and houses, and then smell around for some-
thing else. I am sick of the animals — I mean both
the dogs and the men. Talking of nothing but gold,
and how to make money and how to save it ; why,
one had better live with the hounds at once, and howl
over your share of dead horse. The mischief a
miserly wretch may do to a man's heart no tongue
can tell ; one might as well be bitten by a mad dog,
for greediness is as bad a madness as mortal can be
tormented with. Keep out of the company of screw*

408

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

drivers, tight-fists, hold-fasts, and bloodsuckers : " Be-
ware of dogs."

Fifthly, beivare of a yelping dog. Those who talk
much tell a great many lies, and if you love truth you
had better not love them. Those who talk much are
likely enough to speak ill of their neighbors, and of
yourself among the rest; and therefore, if you do not
want to be town talk, you will be wise to find other

friends.

Lodgers in Clack Street.

Mr. Prate-apace will weary you out one day, and
you will be wise to break off his acquaintance before
it is made. Do not lodge in Clack street, nor next door
to the Gossip's Head. A lion's jaw is nothing com-
pared to a tale-bearer's. If you have a dog which is
always barking, and should chance to lose him, don't
spend a penny in advertising for him. Few are the
blessings which are poured upon dogs •vv'hich howl all
night and wake up honest householders, but even
these can be better put up with than those incessant
chatterers who never let a man's character rest either
day or night.

Sixthly, beware of a dog that zvorries the sheep. Such
p;-et into oux churches, and cause a world of misery.
Some have new doctrines as rotten as they are new ;
others have new plans, whims, and crotchets, and
nothincr will eo ricrht till these are tried ; and there
is a third sort which are out of love with everybody
and everything, and only come into the churches to
see if they can mak<j a nnv. Mark tliese, and keep

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

409

kich
[ery.
lew;
land
here

boc

teep

clear of them. There are plenty of humble Christians
who only want leave to be quiet and mind their own
business, and these troublerc are their plague.

Too Many *«01ogries.»'

To hear the gospel and to be helped to do good is
all that the most of our members want; but these
worries come in with their " ologies " and puzzlements
and hard speeches, and cause sorrow upon sorrow.
A good shepherd will soon fetch these dogs a crack
of the head ; but they will be at their work again if
they see half a chance. What pleasure can they find
in it ? Surely they must have a touch of the wolf in
their nature. At any rate, beware of the dog.

Seventhly, bczvare of dogs who have returned to their
voviit. An apostate is like a leper. As a rule, none
are more bitter enemies of the cross than those who
once professed to be followers of Jesus. He who can
turn away from Christ is not a fit companion for any
honest man. There are many abroad now-a-days who
have thrown off religion as easily as a ploughman puts
off his jacket. It will be a terrible day for them when
the heavens are on fire above them, and the world is
ablaze under their feet. If a man calls himself my
friend, and leaves the ways of God, then his way and
mine are different ; he who is no friend to the good
cause is no friend of mine.

Ho|;^.s ill a Flower Garden.

Lastly, finally, and to finish up, beu)are of a dog that
has no master. If a fellow makes free with the Bible
a.id the laws of his country and common decency, it \%

410

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

time to make free to tell him we had rather have his
room than his company. A certain set of wonderfully
wise men are talking very big things, and putting their
smutty fingers upon everything which their fathers
thought to be good and holy. Poor fools, they are
not half as clever as they think they are. ^

Like hogs in a flower-garden, they are for rootin^,'
up everything; and some people are so frightened
that they stand as if they were struck, and hold up
their hands in horror at the creatures. When the
hogs have been in my master's garden, and I have had
the big whip handy, I warrant you I have made a clear-
ance, and I only wish I was a scholar, for I would lay
about me among these free-thinking gentry, and make
them squeal to a long-metre tune. As John Plough-
man has other fish to fry and other tails to butter, he
must leave these mischievous creatures, and finish his
rough ramshackle sermon.

" Beware of the dog ! " Beware of all who will do
you harm. Good company is to be had ; why seek
bad ? It is said of heaven, " without are does." Let
us make friends of those who can go inside of heaven,
for there we hope to go ourselves. We shall go to
our own company when we die ; let it be such that we
shall be glad to go to it.

HOME.

That word home always sounds like poetry to me.
It rings like a peal of bells at a wedding, only more
soft and sweet, and it chimes deeper into the ears of

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

411

OfO to

lat we

to me.

Irs of

my heart. It does not matter whether it means
thatched cottage or manor-house, home is home, be it
ever so homely, and there's no place on earth like it.
Green grow the houseleek on the roof for ever, and
let the moss flourish on the thatch. Sweetly the spar-
rows chirrup and the swallows twitter around the
chosen spot which is my joy and rest.

Every bird loves its own nest ; the owl thinks the
old ruins the fairest spot under the moon, and the fox
is of the opinion that his hole in the hill is remarkably
cosey. When my master's nag knows that his head is
towards home he wants no whip, but thinks it best to
put on all steam ; and I am always of the same mind,
for the way home, to me, is the best bit of road in the
country. I like to see the smoke out of my own
chimney better than the fire on another man's hearth ;
there's something so beautiful in the way in which it
rurls up among the trees.

Your Own is Always the Best.

Cold potatoes on my own table taste better than
roast meat at my neighbor's, and the honeysuckle at
my own door is the sweetest I ever smell. When you
are out, friends do their best, but still it is not home.
" Make yourself at home," they say, because everybody
knows that to feel at home is to feel at ease.

" East and west,
Home is best."

Why, at home you are at home, and what more do
you want? Nobody grudges you, whatever your
appetite may be ; and you don't get put into a damp

412

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

bed. Safe in his own castle, like a king in his palace,
a man feels himself somebody, and is not afraid of
being thought proud for thinking so. Every cock
may crow on his own dunghill ; and a dog is a lion
when he is at home. A sweep is master inside his
own door. No need to guard every word because
some enemy is on the watch, no keeping the heart
under lock and key ; but as soon as the door is shut it
is liberty hall, and none to peep and pry. *

I cannot make out why so many workingmen spend
their Evenings at the public house, when their own
fireside would be so much better, and cheaper too.
There they sit, hour after hour, boozing and talking
nonsense, and forgetting the dear good souls at home,
who are half-starved and weary with waiting for them.
Their money goes into the publican's till, when it ought
to make their wives and children comfortable ; as for
the beer they get, it is just so much fool's milk to
drown, their wits in. Such fellows ought to be horse-
whipped ; and those who encourage them and live on
their spendings deserve to feel the butt end of the

whip.

England's Curse.

Those beershops are the curse of this country ; no
good ever can come of them, and the evil they do no
tongue can tell. The publics were bad enough, but
the beershops are a pest : I wish the man who made
the law to open them had to keep all the families that
they have brought to ruin. Beershops are the ene-
mies of home, and therefore the sooner their licenses

JOHN PLObGHMANS TALK.

413

' the

are taken away, the better. Poor men don't need
such places, nor rich men either ; they are all worse
and no better, like Tom Norton's wife. Anything that
hurts the home is a curse, and ought to be hunted
down as gamekeepers do the vermin in the copses.
■ Husbands should try to make home happy and holy.
It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest, a bad man who
makes his home wretched. Our house ought to be
a little church, with holiness to the Lord over the door;
but it ought never to be a prison, where there is plenty
of rule and order, but little love and no pleasure.
Mar* -d life is not all sugar, but grace in the heart
'Arill keep away most of the sours. Godliness and love
can make a man, like a bird in a hedge, sing among
<:horns and briers, and set others a-singing too.
It should be the husband's pleasure to please his
wife, and the wife's care to care for her husband.
He is kind to himself who is kind to his wife.

Husband and Wife Well Yoked.
I am afraid some men live by the rule of self, and
when that is the case home happiness is a mere sham.
When husbands and v/ives are well yoked, how light
their load becomes ! It is not every couple that is a
pair, and the more's the pity. In a true home all the
strife is which can do the most to make the family
happy. A home should b^ a Bethel, not Babel. The
husband should be the house-band, binding all together
like a corner-stone, but not crushing everything like
9. millstone. Unkind and domineering husbands ought

414

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

not to pretend to be Christians, for they act clean cot^
trary to Christ's demands.

Yet a home must be well ordered, or it will become
a Bedlam, and be a scandal to the parish. If the
father drops the reins, the family coach will soon be
in the ditch. A wise mixture of love and firmness
will do it ; but neither harshness nor softness alone
'*will keep home in happy order. Home is no home
where the children are not in obedience : it is rather
a pain than a pleasure to be in it. Happy is he who
is happy in his child: ..., and happy are the children
who are happy in their father. All fathers are not
wise. Some are ■ike. EL. and spoil their children.
Not to cross our children is the way to make a cross
of them. Those who never give their children the
rod must not wonder if their children become a rod
to them. Solomon says : " Correct thy son, and he
shall give thee rest ; yea, he shall give delight to thy
soul." I am not clear that anybody wiser than Solo-
mon lives in our time, though some think they are.

The Home May be a Hell.

Young colts must be broken in, or they will make
wild horses. Some fathers are all fire and fury, filled
widi passion at the smallest fault ; this is worse than
tlve other, and makes home a little hell instead of a
heaven. No wind makes the miller idle, but too much
upsets the mill altogether. Men who strike in their
anger generally miss their mark. When God helps
us to hold the reins firmly, but not to hurt the horses*
mouths, all goes well. When home is ruled according

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

416

Imake
filled
than
of a
luch
their
lelps
irses*
rding

to God's Word, angels might be asked to stay a night
with us, and they would not find themselves out of
their element.

Wives should feel that home is their place and theif
kingdom, the happiness of which depends mostly
upon them. She is a wicked wife who drives her hus-
band away by her long tongue. A man said to his
wife the other day, "Double up your whip*' He
meant, keep your tongue quiet: it is wretched living
with such a whip always lashing you. When God
gave to men ten measures of speech, they say the
women ran away with nine, and in some cases I am
afraid the saying is true. A dirty, slatternly, gossiping
wife is enough to drive her husband mad ; and if he
goes to the public-house of an evening, she is the
cause of it.

• Some Women Ought to be Deaf and Dumb.

It is doleful living where the wife, instead of rever-
encing her husband, is always wrangling and railing at
him. It must be a good thing when such women are
hoarse, and it is a pity that they have not as many
blisters on their tongues as they have teeth in their
)jaws. God save us all from wives who are angels in
the streets, saints in the church, and devils at home !
I have never tasted of such bitter herbs, but I pity
from my very heart those who have this diet every day
of their lives.

Show me a loving husband, a worthy wife, and good
children, and no pair of horses that ever flew along the
road could take me in a year where I could see a more

416

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

pleasing sight. Home is the grandest of all institu-
tions. Talk about parliament, give me a quiet little
parlor. Boast about voting and the Reform Bill if
you like, but I go in for weeding the little garden and
teaching the children their hymns. Franchise may be;
a very fine thing, but I should a good deal sooner get
the freehold of my cottage, if I could find the money
to buy it. Magna Charta I don't know much about ;
but if it means a quiet home for everybody, three
cheers for it.

. LIKE CAT LIKE KIT.

Most men are what their mothers made them. The
father is away from home all day, and has not half the
influence over the children that the mother has. The.
cow has most to do with the calf. If a ragged colt
grows into a good horse, we know who it is that
combed him. A mother is therefore a very responsi-
ble woman, even though she may be the poorest in the
land, for the bad or the good of her boys and girls very
much depends upon her. As is the gardener, such is
the garden ; as is the wife, such is the family. w--

Samuel's mother made him a little coat every year,
but she had done a deal for him before that: Samuel
would not have been Samuel if Hannah had not been
Hannah. We shall never see a better set of men till
the mothers are better. We must have Sarahs and
Rebekahs before we shall see Isaacs and Jacobs. Grace
does not run in the blood, but we generally find that
the Timothies have mothers of a goodly sort.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

417

istitu-
little
Bill if
n and
lay be
er get
noney
ibout ;
three

. The
lalf the
The,
ed colt
is that
jponsi-
in the
s very
isuch is

y year,
3amuel
)t been
Hen till
■is and
Grace
id that

Spoiled Cliililreii.

Little children give their mother the headache ; but
if she lets them have their own way, when they
grow up to be great children they will give her
the heartache. Foolish fondness spoils many, and
letting faults alone spoils more. Gardens that are
never weeded will grow very little worth gathering;
all watering and no hoeing will make a bad crop. A
child may have too much of its mother's love, and in
the long run it may turn out that it had too little.

Soft-hearted mothers rear soft-hearted children ; they
hurt them for life because they are afraid of hurting
them when they are young. Coddle your children, and
they will turn out noodles. You may sugar a child
till everybody is sick of it. Boys' jackets need a little
dusting every now and then, and girls' dresses are all
the better for occasional trimming. Children without
chastisement are fields without ploughing. The very
best colts want breaking in. Not that we like severity ;
cruel mothers are not mothers, and those who are
always flogging and fault-finding ought to be flogged
themselves. There is reason in all things, as the mad-
man said when he cut off his nose.

Good mothers are very dear to their children.
There's no mother in the world like our own mother.
My friend Sanders, from Glasgow, says, " The mith-
er's breath is aye sweet." Every woman is a hand-
some woman to her own son. That man is not worth
hanging who does not love his mother. When good
women lead their little ones to the Saviour, the Lord

418

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Jesus blesses not only the children, but their mothers
as well. Happy are they among women who see their
sons and their daughters walking in the truth.

Sous Who Turn Out Fools.

He who thinks it easy to bring up a family never
had one of his own. A mother who trains her chil-
dren aright had need be wiser than Solomon, for his
son turned out a fool. Some children are perverse
from their infancy : none are born perfect, but some
have a double share of imperfections. Do what you
will with some children, they don't improve. Wash a
dog, comb a dog, still a dog is but a dog : trouble
seems thrown away on some children. Such cases
are meant to drive us to God, for he can turn blacka-
moors white, and cleanse out the leopard's spots.

It is clear that whatever faults our children have,
we are their parents, and we cannot find fault with
the stock they came of. Wild geese do not lay tame
ecras. That which is born of a hen will be sure to
scratch in the dust. The child of a cat will hunt after
mice. Every creature follows its kind. If we are
black, we cannot blame our offspring if they are dark
too. Let us do our best with them, and pray the
mighty Lord to put his hand to the work. Children
of prayer will grow up to be children of praise ;
mothers who have wept before God for their sons
will one day sing a new song over them. Some colts
often break the halter, and yet become quiet in har-
ness. God can make those new whom we cannot
mend, therefore let mothers never despair of their

A'HN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK.

41i)

thers
their

lever
r chil-
3r his
verse
some
t you
'ash a
•ouble
cases
flacka-

have,
with
tame
ure to
t after
jG are
2 dark
ly the
lildren
►raise ;
r sons
e colts
n har-
:annot
their

children as long as they live. Are they away from
you across the sea ? Remember, the Lord is there as
well as here. Prodigals may wander, but they are
never out of sight of the Great Father, even thougli
they may be ** a great way off."

Happy H«;iiies.

Let mothers labor to make home the happiest place
in the world. If they are always nagging and grum-
bling they will lose their hold on their children, and
the boys will be tempted to spend their evenings away
from home. Home is the best place for boys and
men, and a good mother is the soul of home. The
smile of a mother's face has enticed many into the
right path, and the fear of bringing a tear into her
eye has called off many a man from evil ways. The
boy may have a heart of iron, but his mother can
hold him like a magnet. The devil never reckons a
man to be lost 'so long as he has a good mother alive.
Oh, woman, great is thy power ! See to it that it be
used for him who thought of his mother even in the
agonies of death.

VERY IGNORANT PEOPLE.

I HAVE heard tell of a man who did not know a
great A from a bull's foot, and I know a good iwiny
who certainly could not tell what great A, or little A
either, may mean ; but some of these people are not
the most ignorant in the world for all that. For in-
stance, they know a cow*s head from its tail, and one of
the election gentlemen said lately that the candidate from

420

CHOICE SELECTIONS,

London did not know that. They know that turnips
don't grow on trees, and they can tell a mangel-wurzel
from a beet-root, and a rabbit from a hare, and there
are fine folk who play on pianos who could hardly
know as much as that. If they cannot read they can
plough and mow, and reap and sow, and bring up
seven children on ten shillings a week, and yet pay'
their way ; and there's a sight of people who are much
too ignorant to do that.

The Worst Ignorance.

Ignorance of spelling-books is very bad, but ignor-
ance of hard work is worse. Wisdom does not al-
ways speak Latin. People laugh at smock-frocks, and
indeed they are about as ugly garments as could well
be contrived ; but some who wear them are not half
such fools as people take them for. If no ignorant
people ate bread but those who wear hobnail shoes,
corn would be a fine deal cheaper. Wisdom in a poor
man is like a diamond set in lead, only judges can see
its value. Wisdom walks often in patched shoes, and
men admire her not ; but I say, never mind the coat,
give me the man : nutshells are nothing, the kernel is
everything. You need not go to Pirbright to find ig-
noramuses, there are heaps of them near St. Paul's.

I would have everybody able to read and write and
cipher ; indeed, I don't think a man can know too
much ; but, mark you, the knowing of these things is
not education, and there are millions of your reading
and writing people who are as ignorant as neighbor
Norton's calf, that did not know its own mother.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

481

il'i

iding
hbor
then

This is as plain as the nose on your face, if you only

think a little.

Horses not Intended to Fly.

To know how to read and write is like having tools
to work with ; but if you don't use tliese tools, anJ
your eyes and your ears too, you will be none the
better off. Everybody should know what most con
cerns him and makes him most useful. It is little use
for a horse to know how to Hy, it will do well enough
if it can trot. A man on a farm or.ohj to learn all that
belongs to farming, a blacksmith si ould study a horse's
foot, a dairymaid should be well vip in skimming the
milk and making the butte., and a labonr's wife should
be a good scholar in the sciences of boiling and bak-
ing, washing and mending ; and John Ploughman
ventures to say that those men and women who have
not learned the duties of their callings are very ignor-
ant people, even if they can tell the Greek name for
a crocodile, or write an ode on a black-beetle. It is
too often very true —

" Jack has been to school
To learn to be a fool."

When a man falls into the water, to know how to
swim will be of more use to him than all his mathe-
matics ; and yet how very few boys learn swimming.
Girls are taught dancing and French, when stitching
and English would be a hundred per cent, more use
to them. When men have to earn their livings in
these hard times, a good trade and industrious habits
will serve their turn a world better than all the classics

422

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

in Cambridge and Oxford; but who now-a-days
advocates practical training at our schools ? School-
masters would go into fits if they were asked to teach
poor people's boys to hoe potatoes and plant cauli-
flowers.

Blacking^ Shoes and Scwiiigr Buttons.

If yoii want a dog to be a pointer or a setter, you
train him accordingly: why ever don't they do the
same with men ? It ought to be, " Every man for his
business, and every man master of his business." Let
Jack and Tom learn geography by all means, but don't
forsfet to teach them how to black their own boots and
put a button on to their own trousers ; and as for Jane
and Sally, let them sing and play the music if they
like, but not till they can darn a stocking and make a
shirt. When they bring on the new act for general
education, I hope they will put in a clause to teach
children practical common-sense home duties, as well
as the three R's and the folderols which I think they
call " accomplishments."

There's poor Gent with six girls, and about fifty
pounds a year to keep his family on, and yet not one
of them can do a hand's turn, because their mother
would go into fits lest Miss Sophia Elfrida should
have chapped hands through washing the family linen,
or lest Alexandra Theodora should spoil her com-
plexion in picking a few gooseberries for a pudding.
It's enough to make a cat laugh to hear the poor
things talk about fashion and etiquette, when they are
not half so well off as the higgler's daughters down

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

423

the lane, ivho ecrn their own living, and are laying
money by against the time when some young farmer
will pick them up.

Marry ingr a Wax Doll.

Trust me^ he who marries these high ty-tighty young
ladies will have as bad a bargain as if he married a .
wax doll. How the fat would be in the fire if Mis
Gent heard me say it ! but I do say it for all that : she
and the girls are ignoraiit, very ignorant, because they
do not know what would be of most service to them.

Every sprat now-a-days calls itself a herring ; every
donkey thinks itself fit to be one of the queen's horses ;
every candle thinks itself the sun. But when a man
with his best coa^, on, and a paper collar, a glass in
his eye, a brass chain on his waistcoat, a cane in his
hand, and emptiness in his head, fancies that people
cannot see through his swaggers and brags, he must
be ignorant, very ignorant, for he does not know him-
self. Flats, dressed up to the top of the fashion,
think themselves somebodies, but nobody else does.
Dancing-masters and tailors may rig up a fop, but
they cannot make a nothing into a man. You may
color a millstone as much as you like, but you cannot
improve it into a cheese.

When tradesmen put their earnings into companies
and expect to see it again ; when they take shares in
railways and look for dividends ; when they lend money
at high interest and think to make their fortunes, they
must be ignorant^ very ignorant. As well hang a

424

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

wooden kettle over the fire and get ready for tea, or
sow beans in a river and look for a fine crop.

Plucked Gosliug^s.

When men believe in lawyers and money-lenders
(whether Jews or Gentiles), and borrow money and
speculate, and think themselves lucky fellows, they are
shamefully ignorant. The very gander on the com
mon would not make such a stupid of himself, for he
knows when anyone tries to pluck him, and won't lose
his feathers and pride himself in the operation.

The man who spends his money with the publican,
and thinks that the landlord's bows and " How do ye
do, my good fellow ? " mean true respect, is a perfect
natural ; for with them it is —

If you have money, take a seat ;
If you have none, take to your feet.

The fox admires the cheese, not the raven. The bait
is not put into the trap to feed the mouse, but to catch
him. We don't light a fire for the herring's comfort,
but to roast him.

He who believes in promises made at elections has
long ears, and may try to eat thisdes. Mr. Plausible
has been round asking all the working men for their
votes, and he will do all sorts of good things for them.
Will he ? Yes, the day after to-morrow, a little later
than never. Poor men who expect the "friends of
the working man " to do anything for them must be
ipiorant, very ignorant. When they get their seats,
of course they cannot stand up for their principles,
except when it is to their interest to do so.

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

425

es,

Stupid as a Donkey.

To lend umbrellas and look tc have diem sent home,
to do a man a good turn and expect another from him
when you want it, to hope to stop some women's
tongues, to try to please everybody, to hope to hear
gossips speak well of you, or to get the truth of a
story from common report — is all evidence of great
ignorance. Those who know the world best trust it
least; those who trust it at all are not wise; as well
trust a horse's heel or a dog's tooth.

Trusting to others ruins many. The mouse knows
when the cat is out of the house, and servants know
when the master is away. No sooner is the eye of
the master gone than the hand of the workman
slackens. " I'll go myself," and " I'll see to it," are
two good servants on a farm. Those who lie in bed
and reckon that their trade will carry on itself are
ignorant^ very ignoraftt.

When I see a young lady with a flower garden on
her head and a draper's shop on her body, tossing her
head about as if she thought everybody was charmed
with her, I am sure she must be ignorant, very ignorant.
Sensible men don't marry a wardrobe or a bonnet-
box ; they want a woman of sense, and these dress
sensibly.

Shallow Blusterers.

To my mind, those who sneer at religion and set
themselves up to be too knowing to believe in the
Bible are shallow fellows. They generally use big
words and bluster a great deal ; but if they fancy they

42G

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

can overturn the faith of thinkinjr people, who have
tried and proved the power of the grace of God, they
must be ignorant^ very ignorant. He who looks at the
sunrise and the sunset, and does not see the footprints
of God, must be inwardly blinder than a mole, and
only fit to live under ground. God seems to talk tO|
me in every primrose and daisy, to smile upon me
from every star, to whisper to me in every breath of
morning air, and call aloud to me in every storm.

They say that man is the god of the dog : that man
must be worse than a dog who will not listen to the
voice of God, for a dog follows at his master's whistle.
They call themselves philosophers, don't they ? Their
proper name is fools, for the fool hath said in his
heart, "There is no God." The sheep know when
rain is coming, the swallows foresee the winter, and
even the pigs, they say, can see the wind ; how much
worse than a brute must he be who lives where God
is everywhere present, and yet sees Him not ! So
you see a man may be a great hand at learning, and
yet be ignorant, very ignorant.

HE LOOKS ONE WAY AND PULLS THE OTHER.

He faces the shore, but he is pulling for the ship.
This is the way of those who row in boats, and also
of a great many who never trust themselves on the
water. The boatman is all right, but the hypocrite is
all wrong, whatever rites he may practice. I cannot
endure Mr. Facing-both-ways, yet he has swarms of
cousins.

•

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

427

It is ill to be a saint without and a devil within — to te
a servant of Christ before the world in order to serve
the ends of self and the devil, while inwardly the heart
hates all good things. There are good and bad of all
classes, and hypocrites can be found among plough-
men as well as among parsons. It used to be so in
the olden times, for I remember an old verse which
draws out just such a character. The man says :

♦• I'll have a reliijion all of my own,

VVhetlier Papist or rroleslant shall not he known ;
And if it proves troublesome I will have none."

In our Lord's day many followed him, but it was

only for the loaves and fishes. They do say that some

In our parish <don't go quite so straiglit as; the Jews

did, for they go to the church for the loaves, and then

go over to the Baptist chapel for the fishes. I don't

want to judge, but I certainly do know some who, if

they do not care much for faith, are always following

after charity.

A Wolf ill a Sliecpskin.

Better die than sell your soul to the highest bidder.
Better be shut up in the workhouse than fatten upon
hypocrisy. Whatever else we barter, let us never try
to turn a penny by religion, for hypocrisy is the mean-
est vice a man can come to.

It is a base thing to call yourself Christ's horse, and
yet carry the devil's saddle. The worst kind of wolf
is that which wears a sheep's skin. Jezebel was never
so ugly as when she had finished painting her face.
Above all things, then, brother laborers, let us be
straight as an arrow and true as a die, and never let

42«

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

US be timeservers or turncoats. Never let us carry
two faces under one hat, nor blow hot and cold with
the same breath.

RUNNING IN DEBT.

When I was a very small boy, in pinafores, and
went to a woman's scliool, it so happened that I wanted
a stick of slate-pencil, and had no money to buy it
with. I was afraid o^ being scolded for losing my
pencils so often, for I was a real careless little fellow,
and so did not dare to ask at home. What then was
John to do ?

There was a little shop in the place, where nuts and
tops and cakes and balls were sold by old Mrs. Dear-
son, and sometimes I had seen boys and girls get
trusted by the old lady. I argued with myself that
Christmas was coming, and that somebody or other
would be sure to give me a penny then, and perhaps
even a whole silver sixpence. I would therefore go
into debt for a stick of slate-pencil, and be sure to pay
at Christmas. I did not feel easy about it, but still I
screwed my courage up, and went into the shop. One
farthing was the amount, and as I had never owed
anything before, and my credit was good, the pencil
was handed over by the kind dame, and / 7vas in debt.
It did not please me much, and I felt as if I had done
wrong, but I little knew how soon 1 should smart for
it. How my father came to hear of this little stroke
of business I never knew, but some little bird or other

get

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

429

whistled it to him, and he was very soon down upon
me in right earnest. God bless him for it.

Powerful Lecture on the Side of the Head.

He was a sensible man, and none of your children-
spoilers ; he did not intend to bring up his children to
speculate and play at what big rogues call financing,
and therefore he knocl:ed my getting into debt on the
head at once, and no mistake. He gave me a very
powerful lecture upon getting into debt, and how like
it was to stealing, and upon the way in which people
were ruined by it ; and how a boy who would owe a
farthing might one day owe a hundred pounds, and
get into prison and bring his family into disgrace. It
was a lecture indeed ; I think I can hear it now, and
can feel my ears tingling at the recollection of it.

Then I was marched off to the shop like a deserter
marched into barracks, crying bitterly all down the
street, and feeling dreadfully ashamed, because I
thought everybody knew I was in debt. The farthing
was paid amid many solemn warnings, and the poor
debtor was set free, like a bird let out of a cage. How
sweet it felt to be out of debt ! How did my little
heart vow and declare that nothing should ever tempt
me into debt again ! It was a fine lesson, and I have
never forgotten it. If all boys were inoculated with
the same doctrine when they were young, it would be
as good as a fortune to them, and save them \vagon-
loads of trouble in after life.

God bless my father, say I, and send a breed of such
fathers into old England to save her from being eaten

430

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

up with villany ; for what with companies and schemes
and paper money, the nation is getting to be as rotten
as touch-wood.

Debt, Dirt, and the Devil.

Ever since that early sickening I have hated debt
as Luther hated the Pope, and if I say some fierce
things about it, you must not wonder. To keep debt,
dirt, and the devil out of my cottage has been my
greatest wish ever since I set up housekeeping ; and
although the last of the three has sometimes got in by
the door or the window, for the old serpent will wrig-
gle through the smallest crack, yet thanks to a good
wife, hard work, honesty, and scrubbing-brushes, the
two others have not crossed the threshold. Debt is
so degrading, that if I owed a man a penny I would
walk twenty miles, in the depth of winter, to pay him.
sooner than feel that I was under an obligation.

I should be as comfortable with ptas in my shoes,
or a hedgehog in my bed, or a snake up my back, as
with bills hanging over my head at the grocer's and
the baker's and the tailor's. Poverty is hard, but debt
is horrible ; a man might as well have a smoky house
and a scolding wife, which are said to be the two
worst evils of our life. We may be poor, and yet re-
spectable, which John Ploughman and wife hope they
are and will be; but a man in debt cannot even respect
himself, and he is sure to be talked about by the
neighbors, and that talk will not be much to his credit.

Everlastiugr Borrowers.
Some persons appear to like to be owing money;

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

431

but I would as soon be a cat up a chimney with the
fire alight, or a fox with the hounds at my heels, or a
hedgehog on a pitchfork, or a mouse under an owl's
claw. An honest man thinks a purse full of other
people's money to be worse dian an empty one ; he
cannot bear to eat other people's cheese, wear other
people's shirts, and walk about in other people's shoes,
neither will he be easy while his wife is decked out in
the milliner's bonnets and wears the draper's flannels.
The jackdaw in the peacock's feathers was soon
plucked, and borrowers will surely come to poverty
— a poverty of the bitterest sort, because there is
shame in it.

Living beyond their incomes is the ruin of many of
my neighbors ; they can hardly afford to keep a rabbit,
and must needs drive a pony and chaise. I am afraid
extravagance is the common disease of the times, and
many professing Christians have caught it, to their
shame and sorrow. Good cotton or stuff eowns are
not good enough now-a-days; girls must have silks
and satins, and then there's a bill at the dressmaker's as
long as a winter's night, and quite as dismal.

Great Show on an Empty Pocket.

Show and style and smartness run away with a
man's means, keep the family poor, and the father's
hose down on the grindstone. Frogs try to look as
big as bulls, and burst themselves. A pound a week
apes five hundred a year, and comes to the county
court. Men burn the candle at both ends, and then
say they are very unfortunate ; why don't they put the

432

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

saddle on the right horse, and say they are extravagant?
Economy is half the batde in life ; it is not so hardto
earn money as to spend it well. Hundreds would
never have known want if they had not first known
waste. If all poor men's wives knew how to cook,
how far a little might go !

Our minister says the French and the Germans beat
us hollow in nice cheap cookery. I wish they would
send missionaries over to convert our gossiping
women into good managers ; this is a French fashion
which would be a deal more useful than those fine
pictures l:i Mrs. Frippery's window, with ladies rigged
out in a new style every month.

Dainty People.
Dear me ! some people are much too fine now-a-

days to eat what their fathers were thankful to see on
the table, and so they please their palates with costly
feeding, come to the workhouse, and expect everybody
to pity them. They turned up their noses at bread
and butter, and came to eat raw turnips stolen out of
the fields. They who live like fighting-cocks at other
men's costs, will get their combs cut, or perhaps get
roasted for it one of these days. If you have a great
store of peas, you may put the more in the soup ; but
everybody should fare according to his earnings. He
is both a fool and a knave who has a shillingr cominof
in, and on the strength of it spends a pound which
does not belong to him. *

Cut your coat according to your cloth is sound ad-
vice ; but cutting other people's cloth by running into

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

488

but
He

•debt Is as like thieving as fourpence is like a groat. If
I meant to be a rogue I would deal in marine stores,
or be a pettifogging lawyer, or a priest, or open a loan
Dffice, or go out picking pockets, but I would scorn the
dirty art of getting into debt without a prospect of
being able to pay.

Debt and Deception.

Debtors can hardly help being liars, for they prom-
ise to pay when they know they cannot, and when
they have made up a lot of false excuses they promise
Again, and so they lie as fast as a horse can trot.

•' You have debts, and make debts still.
If you've not lied, lie you will."

Now if owing leads to lying, who shall say that it is
not a most evil thing? Of course there are excep-
tions, and I do not want to bear hard upon an honest
man who is brought down by sickness or heavy losses ;
but take the rule as a rule, and you will find debt to
be a great dismal swamp, a huge mud-hole, a dirty
ditch. Happy is the man who gets out of it after once
tumbling in, but happiest of all is he who has been by
God's goodness kept out of the mire altogether.

If you once ask the devil to dinner it will be hard to
get him out of the house again : better to have noth-
ing to do with him. Where a hen has laid one egg,
she is very likely to lay another ; when a man is once
in debt, he is likely to gef into it again ; better keep
clear of it from the first. He who gets in for a penny
will soon be in for a pound, and when a man is over

28 *n«:^;^-

434

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

shoes, he is very liable to be over boots. Never owe,
a farthing, and you will never owe a guinea.

Out of Debt, Out of Danger.

If you want to sleep soundly, buy a bed of a man
who is in debt; surely it must be a very soft one, or .
he never could have rested so easy on it. I suppose
jeopleget hardened to it, as Smith's donkey did when
its master broke so many sticks across its back. It
seems to me that a real honest man would sooner get
as lean as a greyhound than feast on borrowed money,
and would choke up his throat with March dust before
he would let the landlord make chalks against him
behind the door for a beer-score. What pins and
needles trademen's bills must stick in a fellow's soul !

A pig on credit always grunts. Without debt, with-
out care ; out of debt, out of danger: but owing and
borrowing are bramble-bushes full of thorns. If ever
I borrow a spade of my next-door neighbor I never
feel safe with it for fear I should break it ; I never can
dig in peace as I do with my own : but if I had a spade
at the shop and knew I could not pay for it, I think I
should set to dig my own grave out of shame. Scrip-
ture says, "Owe no man anything," which does not
mean pay your debts, but never have any to pay; and
my opinion is, that those who wilfully break this law
ought to be turned out of the Christian Church, neck
and crop as we say.

Rich Bankrupts.

Our laws are shamefully full of encouragement to
credit ; nobody need be a thief now ; he has only to

JOHN ploughman's TALC.

436

open a shop and make a fail of it, and it will pay him

much better ; as the proverb is, " He who never fails

will never grow rich." Why, 1 know tradesmen who

have failed five or six times, and yet think they are on

the road to heaven. The scoundrels, what would they

do if they got there ? They are a deal more likely to

go where they shall never come out till they have paid

the uttermost farthing. But people say, " How liberal

they are ! " Yes, with other people's money.

I hate to see a man steal a goose, and then give

religion the giblets. Piety by all means, but pay your

way as part of it. Honesty first, and then generosity.

But how often religion is a cloak for deceiving!

There's Mrs. Scamp as fine as a peacock, all the girls

out at boarding-school, learning French and the piano,

the boys swelling about in kid gloves, and G. B.

Scamp, Esq., driving a fast-trotting mare, and taking

the chair at public meetings, while his poor creditors

cannot get more than enough to live from hand to

mouth.

Genteel Swindlers,

It is shameful and beyond endurance to see how
genteel swindling is winked at by many in this country.
I'd off with their white waistcoats and kid gloves and
patent-leather boots, if I had my way, and give them
the county crop and the prison livery for six months.
Gentlemen or not, I'd let them see that big rogues
could dance on the treadmill to the same tune as little
ones I'd make the land too hot to hold such scamp-
entry if I were a member of Parliament or a

436

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

prime minister. As I've no such power, I can at least
write against the fellows, and let ofl the steam of my
wrath in that way.

My motto is : Pay as you go, and keep from small
scores. Short reckonings are soon cleared. Pay
what you owe, and what you're worth you'll know.
Let the clock tick, but no ''tick'' forme. Better go
to bed without your supper than get up in debt. Sins
and debt are always more than we think them to be.
Litde by litde a man gets over his head and ears. It
Is the petty expenses that empty the purse. Money
is round, an^l rolls away easily.

Buyinjir What You D<)ii*t Want.

Tom Thriftless buys what he does not want because
it is a great bargain, and so is soon brought to sell
what he does want, and finds it a very little bargain ;
he cannot say " No " to his friend who wants him to
be security. He gives grand dinners, makes many
holidays, keeps a fat table, lets his wife dress fine,
never looks after his servants, and by and by he Is
quite surprised to find the quarter-days cdne round so
very fast, and that his creditors bark so loud. He has
sowed his money in the field of thoughtlessness, and
now he wonders that he has to reap the harvest of
povertv. Still he hopes for something to turn up to
help him out of difficulty, and so muddles himself into
more trouble, forgetting that hope and expectations
are fools' Income. Being hard up, he goes to market
with empty pockets, and buys at whatever prices

JOHN ploughman's TALK.

437

,t least
of my

I small
, Pay
know.
Lter go
Sins
to be.
rs. It
Money

ecause
to sell
rgain ;
lim to

many
s tine,

he is

nd so

4e has

s, and

est of

up to
If into
ations
larket
prices

]

tradesmen like to charge him, and so he pays them
double, and gets deeper and deeper into the mire.

This leads him to scheming, and trying little tricks
and mean dodges, for it is hard for an empty sack to
stand upright. This is sure not to answer, for schemes
are like spiders' webs, which never catch anything
better than flies, and are soon swept away. As well
attempt to mend your sho»?s with brown pape", or
stop a broken window with a sheet of ice, as try to
patch up falling business with manoeuvring and
scheming. When the schemer is found out, he is like
a dog in church, whom everybody kicks at, and like a
barrel of powder, which nobody wants for a neighbor.

Paying bj Borrowing'.

They say poverty is a sixth sense, and it had need
be, for many debtors seem to have lost the other five,
or were born without common sense, for they appear
to fancy that you not only make debts, but pay them
by borrowing. A man pays Peter with what he has
borrowed of Paul, and thinks he is getting out of his
difficukies, when he is putting one foot in the mud to
pull his other foot out. It is hard to shave an egg, or
pull hairs out of a bald pate ; but they are both easier
than paying debts out of an empty pocket.

Samson was a strong man, but he could not pay
debts without money, and he is a fool who thinks he
can do it by scheming. As to borrowing money of
loan societies, it's like a drowning man catching at
razors ; both jews and Gentiles, when they lend
money, generally pluck the geese as long as they have

\S&

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

any feathers. A man must cut down his outgoings
and save his incomings if he wants to clear himself;
you can't spend your penny and pay debts with it too.
Stint the kitchen if your purse is bare. Don't believe
in any way of wiping out debts except b^ paying hard
cash. Promises make debts, and debts make promises,
but promises never pay debts ; promising is one
thing, and performing is quite another. A good man's
word should be as binding as an oath, and he should
never promise to pay unless he has clear prospect of
doing so in due time ; those who stave off payment
by false promises deserve no mercy. It is all very
well to say, " I'm very sorry," but

" A hundred years of regret
\ Pay not a farthing of debt."

Now I'm afraid all this sound advice mlorht as well
have been given to my master's cocks and hens as to
those who have got in the way of spending what is
not their own, for advice to such people goes in at one
ear and cut at the other. Well, those who won't lis-
ten will have to feel, and those who refuse cheap
advice will have to buy dear repentance ; but to young
people beginning life, a word may be worth a world,
and this shall be John Ploughman's short sermon, with
three heads to it — always live a little below your means,
rtever get into debt, and remember

*• He who goes a borrowing •

Goes a sorrowing."

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

43y

to^oinofs
limself ;
h it too.
believe
nor hard
•omises.

is one
i man's

should
pact of
layment
ill very

as well
IS as to
what is
1 atone
on't lis-
cheap
) young

world,
3n, with
means,

A MAN IN A PASSION RIIjES A HORSE THAT RUNS

AWAY WITH HIM.

When passion has run away with a man, who knows
where it will carry him ? Once let a rider lose power
over his horse, and he may go over hedge and ditch
and end with a tumble into the stone-quarry and a
broken neck. No one can tell in cold blood what he
may do when he gets angry ; therefore it is best to run
no risks. Those who feel their temper rising will be
wise if they rise themselves and walk off to the pump.
Let them fill their mouths with cold water, hold it there
ten minutes at the least, and then go indoors and keep
there till they feel cool as a cucumber.

If you carry lOose gunpowder in your pocket, you
had better not go where sparks are flying ; and if you
are bothered with an irritable nature, you should move
off when folks begin teasing you. Better keep out of
a quarrel than fight your way through it.

Nothing is improved by anger, unless it be the arch
of a cat's back. A ma.i with his back up is spoiling
his figure. People look none the handsomer for be-
ing red in the face. It takes a great deal out of a man
to get into a towering rage ; it is almost as unhealthy
as havinor a fit, and time has been when men have
actually choked themselves with passion, and died on
the spot. Whatever wrong I suffer, it cannot do me
half so much hurt as being angry about it; for pas-
sion shortens life and poisons pe^ce.

TT»"

i I

440

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Thiiiulcr-storius Ciirtllc Milk.

When once we give way to temper, temper will
claim a right of way, and come in easier every time.
He that will be in a pet for any little thing will soon
be out at elbows about nothing at all. A thunder-
storm curdles the milk, and so does a passion sour the
heart and spoil the character.

He who is in a tantrum shuts his eyes and opens
his mouth, and very soon says what he will be sorry
for. Better bite your lips now than smart for life. It
is easier to keep a bull out of a china shop than it is
to get him out again ; and, besides, there's no end of
a bill to pay for damages.

A man burninof with anijer carries a murderer in-
side his waistcoat ; the sooner he can cool down, the
better for himself and all around him. He will have
to give an account for his feelings, as well as for his
words and actions, and that account will cost him
many tears. It is a cruel thing to tease quick-tem-
pered people, for, though it may be sport to you, it is
death to them ; at least, it is death to their peace, and
may be something worse. We know who said, " Woe
to that man by whom the offence cometh."
Put Him ill au Iron Cage.

Shun a furious man as you would a mad dog ; but
do it kindly, or you may make him worse than he
would be. Don't put a man out when you know he
is out with himself. When his monkey is up be very
careful, for he means mischief.

r will

time.

•*

soon

; but
n he
>w he
very

JOHN ploughman's TALK. 4^1

••A man in a rage
Needs a great iron cage ;
He'll lear and Ijc'll dash
Till he comes to a smash ;
So let's out of his way
As quick as we may."

As we quietly move off, let us pray for the angry
person ; for a man in a thorough passion is as sad a
sight as to see a neighbor's house on fire, and no
water handy to put out the flames.

Let us wish the fellow on the runaway horse a soft
ditch to tumble in, and sense enough never to get on
the creature's back again.

EVERY BIRD LIKES ITS OWN NEST.

It pleases me to see how fond the birds are of their
little homes. No doubt each one thinks his owi*. nest
is the very best: and so it is for him, just as my home
is the best palace for me, even for me. King JoUn, the
king of the Cottage of Content. I will ask uo more
if Providence only continues to give me

"A little field well tilled,
A little house well filled,
And a little wife well wi'led."

An Englishman's house is his castle, and the true
Briton is always fond of the old roof-tree. Green
grows the houseleek on the thatch, and swc^et is the
honeysuckle at the porch, and dear are the giliy<iovvers
in the front garden; but best of all is the [.cod wife
within, who keeps all as neat as a new pin. French*

442

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

men may live in their coffee-houses, but an English-
man's best life is seen at home.

" My own house, though small,
Is the best house of all."

When boys get tired of eating tarts, and maids have
done with winning hearts, and lawyers cease to take
their fees, and leaves leave off to grow on trees, then
will John Ploughman cease to love his own dear home.
John likes to hear some sweet voice sing, —

" 'Mid pleasures ami palaces though we may roam,
, I^*^ 't '^ver so luimljle, there's no place like home;

A charm from the sky seems to halhnv us there,
Will. h, wherever we rove, is not met with elsewhere.
Himie! Home! sweet, swtet home!
There's no place like home ! "

People who take no pleasure in their own homes are
queer folks, and no better than they should be. Every
dog is a lion at his own door, and a man should make
most of those who make most of him. Women should
be housekeepers, and k^ep in the house.

Busy Mrs. Cackle.

That man is to be pitied who has married one of
the Miss Gadabouts. Mrs. Cackle and her friend
Mrs. Dressemout are enough to drive their husbands
into the county jail for shelter; there can be no peace
where such a piece of goods as either of them is lo be
found. OW Tusser said :

" 111 huswifery prickcth

Herself up with pride ;
Good huswifery tricketh

Her house as a bride. ' . : » "

JOHN ploughman's TALK. 443

*' 111 huswifery moveth
With gossip to spend ;
Good huswifciy loveth
Her household to tend."

■

The woman whose husband wastes his evenincrj;
with low fellows at the beershop is as badly off as a
slave ; and when the act of Parliament shuts up mosi
of these ruin-houses, it will be an act of emancipation
for her. Good husbands cannot have too much of
their homes, and if their wives make their homes com-
fortable they will soon grow proud of them. When
good fathers get among their children they are as
merry as mice in malt.

P<»or, Tired Soul !

Our Joe Scroggs says he is tired of his house, and
the house certainly looks tired of him, for it is all out
of windows, and would get out of doors if it knew how.
He will never be weary in well-doing, for he never
began. What a different fellow he would be if he
could believe that the best side of the world is a man's
own fireside ! I know it is so, and so do many more.

" Seek home for rest,
For home is best."

What can it be that so deludes lots of people who
ought to know better ? They have sweet wives and
nice families and comfortable houses, and they are
several cuts above us poor country bumpkins, and yet
they must be out of an evening. What is it for?
Surely it can't be the company; for the society of the
woman you love, who is the mother of your children,

444

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

is worth all the companies that ever met together. I
fear they are away soaking their clay, and washing all
their wits away. If so, it is a great shame, and those
who are guilty of it ought to be trounced. Oh ! that
drink, that drink ! *

I The Best Hoiiie-brewetl.

Dear, dear, what stuff people will pour into theii
insides ! Even if I had to be poisoned I should like
to know what I was swallowing. A cup of tea at
home does people a sight more good than all thr, mix-
tures you get abroad. There's nothing like the best
home-brewed, and there's no better mash-tub for mak-
ing it in than the old-fashioned earthenware teapot.
Our little children sing, " Please, father, come home,"
and John Ploug' man joins with thousands of little
children in that simple prayer, which every man who
is a man should be c^lad to answer. I like to see
husband and wife lonoinor to see each other.

" An ear that waits to catch
A hand upon the latch ;
A step that hastens its sweet rest to win.
A world of care without,
A world of strife shut out,
• A world of love shut in."

Fellow-workmen, try to let it be so with you and
fvour wives. Come home and bring your wages with
you, and make yourselves happy by making every one
happy around you. . ,

A Thankful Heart.

My printer jogs my elbow, and says, "That will
do ; I can't get any more in." Then, Mr. Passmore»

JOHN PLOUGHMAN S TALK.

415

:her. I
hing all
d those
h! that

:o their
uld like

tea at
hr, mix-
he best
or mak-
teapot,
home,"
)f litde
an who

to see

I must pass over many things, but I cannot leave off
without praising God for his goodness to me and mine,
and all my brother ploughmen, for it is of his great
mercy that he lets us live in this dear old country,
and loads us with so many benefits.

This bit of poetry shall be my finish. I mean every
word of it. Let us sing it together:

" What pleasant groves, what goodly fields 1
What fruitful hills and vales have we I
' IIow sweet an air our climate yields!

How blest with flocks and herds we be!
How milk and honey doth o'erflowl

How clear and wholesome are our springs!
How safe from ravenous beasts we go !
And oh, how free from poisonous things 1

... *' For these and for our grass, our corn,

For all that springs from blade or bough.
For all those blessings that adorn

Both wood and field, this kingdom through—
For all of these Thy praise we sing;

And humbly, Lord, entreat thee too,
That fruit to thee we forth may bring.

As unto us thy creatures do."

)u and
2s with
ry one

at will
smore»

TRY.

C)f all the pretty little songs I have ever heard my
youngsters sing, that is one of the best which winds,
up,—

" If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again."

I recommend it to grown-up people who are down
in the mouth, and fancy that the best thing they can
do is to give up. Nobody knows what he can do till
he tries. " We shall get through it now," said Jack to

446

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

H !

Harry, as they finished up the pudding. Everything
new is hard work, but a Httle of the '• Try " ointment
rubbed on the hand and worked into the heart makes
all things easy

Ca7it do it sticks in the mud, but Try soon drags
the wagon out of the rut. The fox said Try, and he
L^ot away from the hounds when they almost snapped
at him. The bees said Try, and turned flowers into
honey. The squirrel said Try, and up he went to the
top of the beech-tree. The snowdrop said Try, and
bloomed in the cold snows of winter. The sun said
Try, and the spring soon threw Jack Frost out of the
saddle. The young lark said Try, and he found his
new wings took him over hedges and ditches, and up
where his father was singing. The ox said Try, and
ploughed the field from end to end. No hill too steep
for Try to climb, no clay too stiff for Try to plough,
no field too wet for Try to drain, no hole too big for
Try to mend.

'♦ By little strokes
Men fell great oaks."

By a spadeful at a time the navvies digged the cut-
ting, cut a big hole through the hill, and heaped Mp
the embankment.

*' The stone is hard, and the drop is small,
But a hole is made by the constant fall.'*

:rything
•intment
t makes

IT drags
, and he
snapped
rers into
It to the
rry, and
sun said
It of the
ound his
, and up
Try, and
oo steep
plough,
big for

the ii:t-
aped MP

FEATHERS FOR ARROWS;

OR,

LIFE THOUGHTS OF REV. C. H. SPURGEON,

The Power of au Earnest Life.

The upper galleries at Versailles are filled with por^
traits, many of them extremely valuable and ancient.
These are the likenesses of the greatest men of all
lands and ages, drawn by the ablest artists. Yet most
visitors wander throutrh the rooms with little or no in-
terest; in fact, after noticing one or two of the more
prominent pictures, they hasten througli the suite of
chambers and descend to the other floors. Notice
the change when the sightseers come to fine paintings
like those of Horace Vernet, where the men and
women are not inactive portraits, but arc actively en-
gaged. There the warrior, who was passed by without
notice upstairs, is seen hewing his way to glory over
heaps of slain, or the statesman is observed delivering
himself of weighty words before an assembly of
princes and peers. Not the men but their actions en-
gross attention. Portraits have no charm when scenes
of stirring interest are set in rivalry with them. After
all, then, let us be who or what we may, we must be-
stir ourselves or be mere nobodies, chips in the por-
ridge, forgotten shells of the shore. If we would im-

:i1

\',f

448

REV. CHARLES R. SPURGEON.

iiih

1 11^

i '

press we must act. The dij^nity of stanclinj^ still will
never win the prize, we must run for it. Our influ-
ence over our times will arise mainly from our doin;^
and suffering the will of God, not from our office or
person. Life, life in earnfst, life for God, this will tell
on the age ; but mere orderliness and propriety, inac-
cive and passionless, will be utterly inoperative.

Trial of Fjiitli.

At the battle of Crecy, where Edward, the Black
Prince, then a youth of eighteen years of age, led the
van, the king, his father, drew up a strong party on a
rising ground, and there beheld the conflict in readi-
ness to send relief when it should be wanted. The
young prince being sharply charged, and in some dan-
ger, sent to his father for succor ; and as the king de-
layed to send it, another messenger was sent to crave
immediate assistance. To him the king replied, •' Go,
tell my son that I am not so inexperienced a com-
mander as not to know when succor is wanted, nor so
careless a father as not to send it." He intended the
honor of the day should be his son's, and therefore
let him with courage stand to it, assured that help
should be had when it might conduce most to his re-
nown. God draws forth his servants to fiirht in the
spiritual warfare, where they are engaged, not only
against the strongholds of carnal reason, and the ex-
alted imaginations of their own hearts, but also in the
pitched field against Satan and his wicked instruments.
But they, poor hearts, when the charge is sharp, are
ready to despond, and cry with Peter, " Save, Lord,

CHOICE SEI.ECTIONS.

449

Still will
)ur infill-
ir doiiv'
office or
s will tell
City, inac-
'e.

ic Black
J, led the
irty on a
in readi-
ed. The
ome dan-
king de-

to crave
ed, " Go,

i a com-
d, nor so
nded the

herefore
that help

his re-
ht in the
not only

1 the ex-
so in the
ruments.
larp, are
re, Lord,

we perish ; " but God is too watchful to overlook their

cxij.;encies, and too much a Father to neglect their

succor. If help, however, be delayed, it is that the

victory may be more glorious by the difficulty of

overcoming.

Gratitudo.

There is a very touching little story told of a poor
woman with two children, who had not a bed for them
to lie upon, and scarcely any clothes to cover them.
In the depth of winter they were nearly frozen, and
the mother took the door of a cellar off the hinges,
and set it up before the corner where they crouched
down to sleep, that some of the draught and cold
might be kept from them. One of the children whis-
pered to her, when she complained of how badly off
they were, " Mother, what do those dear little children
do who have no cellar door to put up in front of
them ? " Even there, you see, the little heart found
cause for thankfulness.

Growth In Grace.

The venders of flowers in the streets of London
are wont to commend them to customers by crying,
" All a blowinorand a ofrowinfr." It would be no small
praise to Christians if we could say as much for them,
but, alas ! of too many professors the cry would truth-
fully be, " All a stunting and a withering."

Grumblers.

A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country

lane by a team of oxen. The axle-trees groaned and

creaked terribly, when the oxen turning round, thus
29

460

REV. CHARLES H. SPTJRGEON.

addressed the wheels: "Halloa, there! why do you
make so much noise ? we bear all the labor, and we,
not you, ought to cry out ! " Those complain first in
our churches who have least to do. The gift of
grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have
no other talents, or who keep what they have wrapped
up in a napkin.

I>cstriictivc Power of Habits.

The surgeon of a regimeat in India relates the fol-
lowinir incident: — "A soldier rushed into the tent to
inform me that one of his comrad'^s was drowning in
a pond close by, and nobody could attempt to save him
in consequence of the dense weeds which covered the
surface. On repairing to the spot, we found the poor
fellow in his last struggle, manfully attempting to ex-
tricate himself from the meshes of rope-like grass
that encircled his body ; but, to all appearances, the
more he labored to escape, the more firmly they be-
came coiled round his limbs. At last he sank, and the
floating plants closed in, and left not a trace of the
disaster. After some delay, a raft was made, and we
put off to the spot, and sinking a pole some twelve
feet, a native dived, holding on by the stake, and
brought the body to the surface. I shall never forget
tne expression on the dead man's face — the clenched
teeth, and fearful distortion of the countenance, while
coils of long trailing weeds clung round his body and
limbs, the muscles of which stood out stiff and rigid,
whilst his hands grasped thick masses, showing how
bravely he had struggled for life."

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

451

do you
and we,
first in
gift of
ho have
vrapped

the fol-
2 tent to
vning in
save him
ered the
the poor
cr to ex-
:e grass
nces, the
they be-
, and the
:e of the

and we
e twelve
ike, and
er forget
clenched
ce, while
Dody and
ind rigid,
ving how

This heart-rending picture is a terribly accurate
representation of a man with a conscience alarmed by
remorse, struggling with his sinful habits, but finding
them too strong for him. Divine grace can save the
wretch from his unhappy condition, but if he be desti-
tute of that, his remorseful agonies will but make him
more hopelessly the slave of his passions. Laocoon,
in vain endeavoring to tear off the serpents' coils from
himself and children, aptly portrays the lorig-enslavcd
sinner contending with sin in his own strength. " Can
the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his

spots ? "

Power of Evil.

So long as a man is dead in trespasses and sin,
there is no iniquity which may not get the mastery of
him. Where the body is, thither will the vultures of
hell be gathered together. The devil, finding him
dead, calls up his hosts of temptations and his bands
of evils to feed on him. The great destroyer, who at
other times is as a lion, often plays the part of a jackal,
whose cry, when it finds its prey, is said to sound ex-
actly like the words —

" Dead Hindoo, dead Hindoo !
Where, wlifire, whfire, whfire ?
Here, here, here, here 1 "

Nothincr but the new life can secure a man from the
worst fiends in the Pandemonium of vice, for they
gather like a scattered pack to a feast when they hear
their master cry —

i 1 mi

i n

'!il!

i'illi

*^^2 REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

Dead sinner, dead sinner !
Where, where, where, where ?
Here, here, here, here !

Vices seldom come alone ; where there is room for
one devil, seven other spirits more wicked than him-

PUNISHMENT OF SIN— ADAM AND EVIi DRIVEN FROM PARADISE

self will find a lodging;. We may say of sins as Lon^j^
fellow of birds of prey, in his song- of Hiawatha;

" Never stoops the soaring vulture
On his quarry in the desert,
! On the sick or wounded bison, , .

But another vulture watching, . .

From his hii^h aerial h)ok-out
- .»■ Sees the downward plunge and follovnt) f-

And a third pursues the second, -j^

Coming froTn the invisible ether,
P^rst a speck, and tlien a vulture.
Till the air is dark w ith pinionC

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

453

com for
lan him-

r/tJ

rs- /

RADISE

as Long

tha:

Punish niciit of Siu.

What a diabolical invention was the " Virgin's kiss,"
once used by the fathers of the Inquisition ! The vic-
tim was pushed forward to kiss the image, when, lo,
its arms enclosed him in a deadly embrace, piercing
his body with a hundred hidden knives. The tempt-
ing pleasures of sin offer to the unwary just such a
virgin's kiss. The sinful joys of the flesh lead, even
in this world, to results most terrible, while in the
world to come the daggers of remorse and despair
will cuL and wound beyond all remedy.

u^ ^ Excuse for Sin.

A traveller in Venezuela illustrates the readiness of
jrieri to lay their faults on the locality, or on anything
rather than themselves, by the story of a hard drinker
who came home one night in such a condition that he
could not for some time find his hammock. When
this feat was accomplished, he tried in vain to get off
his big riding-boots. After many fruitless efforts he
lay down in his hammock, and soliloquized aloud,
" Well, I have travelled all the world over ; I lived five
years in Cuba, four in Jamaica, five in Brazil, I have
travelled through Spain and Portugal, and been in
Africa, but I never yet was in such an abominaW*^
country as this, where a man is obliged to go to bed
with his boots on."

Commonly enough are we told by evildoers in ex-
cuse for their sins that no man could do otherwise
were he in their position, that there is no livmg at their
trade honestly, that in such a street shops must be

•ill III

404

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

open on a Sunday, that their health reqiuredan excur-
sion to Brighton on the Sabbath because tlieir labors
were so severe, that nobody could be religious in the
house in which they were engaged, and so on, all to
the same effect, and about as truthful as the soliloquy
of the drunkard of Venezuela.

Doing: Good a Blcssiug^ to Ourselves.

If we view this microcosm, the human body, we
shall find that the heart does not receive the blood to
store it up, but while it pumps it in at one valve, it
sends it forth at another. The blood Is always circu-
lating everywhere, and is stagnant nowhere ; the same
is true of all the fluids in a healthy body, they are in a
constant state of expenditure. If one cell stores for
a few moments its peculiar secretion, it only retains it
till it is perfectly fitted for its appointed use in the
body ; for if any cell in the body should begin to store
up its secretion, its store would soon become the cause
of inveterate disease ; nay, the organ would lose the
power to secrete at all, if it did not give forth its pro-
ducts. The whole of the human system lives by giv-
ing. The eye cannot say to the foot, I have no need
of thee, and will not guide thee ; for if it does not
perform its watchful office, the whole man will be in
the ditch, and the eye will be covered with mire. If
the members refuse to contribute to the general stock,
the whole body will become poverty-stricken, and be
given up to the bankruptcy of death. Let us learn,
then, from the analogy of nature, the great lesson, that
to get, we must give ; that to accumulate, we must

. li!

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

455

d an excur-
heir labors
ous in the
3 on, all to
e soliloquy

[ body, we
le blood to
ne valve, it
[ways circu-
5 ; the same
[ley are in a
1 stores for
ly retains it
use in the
ofin to store
le the cause
Id lose the
)rth its pro-
ves by giv-
ive no need
it does not
n will be in
th mire. If
neral stock,
:en, and be
et us learn,
: lesson, that
te, we must

scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make
others happy ; and that to get good and become
spiritually vigorous, we must do good, and seek the
spiritual good of others.

Foolish DoiibtN.
A Christian once, in doubt and discouragement, con-
sidered the darkness that overspread her soul as a
proof that she was finally cast away. She stumbled
over mole-hills when sJie should have been removinor
mountains. To an old minister who was trying to
comfort her, with impassioned emphasis she said, " Oh !
I'm {i^ead, dead, twice dead, and plucked up by the
roots ! " After a pausts he replied, " Well, sitting in
my study the other day, I heard a sudden scream —

* John's in tlie well ! John's fallen into the well ! ' Be-
fore I could reach the spot, I heard the sad mournful
cry, 'John's dead — poor little Johnny's dead ! ' Beiid-
ing over the curb, I called out, 'John, are you dead? *

* Yes, grandfather,* replied John, ' I'm dead.' I was
glad to hear it from his own mouth."

Many doubts are so absurd that the only way to
combat them is by gentle ridicule.

Double-Miiulertiiess.

Faraday notes that whilst at breakfast at Llangollen,
he heard a Welsh harper playing in very excellent
style, and he adds, ** wishing to gratify myself with a
sigfht of the interestlne bard, I went to the door and
beheld — the bootblack ! I must confess I was sadly dis-
appointed and extremely baulked." It is no small
stumbling-block to souls when they observe that pro-

i ;

Ml i

^ lit

II t

456

liEV. CllAULES 11. SPURGKOJf,

fessors who preach and talk like men inspired, live as
meanly as worldlings diemselves.

Spiritual Dwarfs.
There was once in London a club of small men
whose qualification for membership lay in their not ex-
ceeding five feet in height ; these dwarfs held, or pre-
tended to hold, the opinion that they were nearer the
perfection of manhood than others, for they argued
that primeval men had been far more gigantic than the
present race, and consequently that the way of pro-
gress was to grow less and less, and that the human
race as it perfected itself would become as diminutive
as themselves. Such a club of Christians might be
established in most cities, and without any difficulty
might attain to an enormously numerous membership ;
for the notion is common that our dwarfish Christi-
anity is, after all, the standard, and many even imagine
that nobler Christians are enthusiasts, fanatical and
hot-blooded, while they themselves are cool because
they are wise, and indifferent because they are in-
telligent.

Money-Making Nothing but Play.

Mr. Ruskin, in his lecture on "Work," says: —
*' Whatever we do to please ourselves, and only for
the sake of the pleasure, not for an uldmate object, is
' play,' the ' pleasing thing,' not the useful thing. The
first of all English games is making money. That is
an all-absorbing game ; and we knock each other
down oftener in playing at that than at football, or any
other rougher sport; and it is absolutely without pur-

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

457

pose ; no one who engages heartily in that game ever
knows why. Ask a great money-maker what he wants
to do with his money — he never knows. He doesn't
make it to do anything with it. He gets it only that
he may get it. ' What will you make of what you
have got ? ' you ask. * Well, I'll get more,' he says.
Just as at cricket, you get more runs. There's no use
in the runs, but to get more of them tlvm other people
is the game. And there's no use in tLe money, but to
have more of it than other people is the game. So
all that great foul city of Lcrdon there — rattling,
growling, smoking, stinking — a ghastly heap of fer-
menting brickwork, pouring out poison at every pore
— you fancy it is a city of work ? Not a street of it !
It is a great city of play ; very nasty play, and very
hard play, but still play. It is only Lord's Cricket
Ground without the turf — a huge billiard-table without
the cloth, and with pockets as deep as the bottomless
pit, but mainly a billiard-table after all."

No Time for Makiugf Money.

A gentleman of Boston, an intimate friend of Pro-
fessor Agassiz, once expressed his wonder that a man
of such abilities as he (Agassiz) possessed should re-
main contented with such a moderate income. " I
have enough," was Agassiz's reply. " I have not time
to make money. Life is not sufficiently long to enable
a man to get rich, and do his duty to his fellow-men
at the same time." Christian, have you time to serve
your God and yet to give your whole soul to gaining
wealth ? The question is left for conscience to answer,

i!|

ill

4o3

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

The Moralist.

The dahlia would surely be a very empress among

flowers if it had but perfume equal to its beauty;
even the rose might need to look to her sovereignty
Florists have tried all their arts to scent this lovely
child of autumn, but in vain ; no fragrance can be de-

THE MONEY-CHANGERS DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE.

veloped or produced ; God has denied the boon, and
human skill cannot impart it. The reflecting mind
will be reminded of those admirable characters which
arc occasionally met with, in which everything of good
repute and comely aspect may be seen, but true re-
ligion, that sweet ethereal perfume of grace, is want-
iHg ; if they had but love to God, what lovely beings

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

459

imong
eauty ;
iignty
lovely
be de-

on, and
g mind
s which
)f good
rue re-
s want-
beings

they would be ; the best of the saints could not excel
them, and yet that fragrant grace they do not seek,
and after every effort we may make for their conver-
sion, they remain content without the one thing which
is needful for their perfection. O that the Lord would
impart to them the mystic sweetness of his grace by

the Holy Spirit !

Motives.

There are overshot water-wheels and undershot.
In the one case the motive power falls from above, in
the other the water turns the wheel from below; the
first is the more powerful. Men, like wheels, are
turned by forces from various sources, and too many
move by the undercurrent — mercenary desires and sel-
fish aims drive them ; but the good man's driving force
falls from above ; let him endeavor to prove to all
men that this is the most mighty force in existence.

Standing near the remarkable spring at Ewell, in
Surrey, and watching the uprising of the waters, one
sees at the bottom of the pool innumerable circles
with smaller circles within them, from which extremely
fine sand is continually being upheaved by the force
of the rising water. Tiny geysers upheave their little
founts, and from a myriad openings bubble up with
the clear crystal. The perpetual motion of the water,
and the leaping of the sand, are most interesting. It
is not like the spring-head in the field, where the cool-
ing liquid pours forth perpetually from a spout, all un-
seen, till it plunges into its channel ; nor like the river-
head, where the stream weeps from a mass of mossy

'!« I

4fiO

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

rock ; but here are the fountains of earth's hidden
deeps all unveiled and laid bare, the very veins of
lature opened to the public gaze.

How would it amaze us if we could in this fashion
peer into the springs of human character and see
whence words and actions flow ! What man would
wish to have his designs and aims exposed to every
onlooker? But why this aversion to being known
and read of all men ? The Christian's motives and
springs of action should be so honest and pure that
he might safely defy inspection. He who has nothing
to be ashamed of hasi nothing to conceal. Sincerity
can afford, like our first parents in Paradise, to be
naked and not ashamed.

If other men cannot read our motives, we ought at
least to examine them carefully for ourselves. Day
by day with extreme rigor must we search into our
hearts. Motive is vital to the goodness of an action.
He who should give his body to be burned might yet
lose his soul if his ruling passion were obstinacy, and
not desire for God's glory. Self may be sought under
many disguises, and the man may be utterly unaware
that thus he is losing all acceptance with God. We
must not impute ill motives to others, but we must be
equally clear of another more fascinating habit, namely,
that of imputing good motives to ourselves.

Severity in estimating our own personal character
very seldom becomes excessive ; our partiality is
usually more or less blinding to our judgment. We
will not suspect ourselves if we can help it ; evidence

CHOICE SELEOTHINS.

461

must be very powerful before it can convince us of
being governed by sordid aims. The stream of gen-
erosity does not always spring from gratitude to God.
Zeal is not at all times the offspring of deep-seated
faith. Even devotional habits may be fostered by
other than holy affections. The highest wisdom
suggests that we spend much patient and impartial
consideration upon a matter so fundamental as the
heart's intent in the actions which it directs. " If thine
eye be single, thine whole body shall be full of light."
Dear reader, stand by thine inner springs and watch,
and make faithful notes of what thou seest, lest thou

be deceived.

FooliHh QiicstioiiH.

The follies of the schoolmen should be a warning
to all those who would mingle metaphysical specula-
tions or prophetical theories with the simple doctrines
of the Bible. There was among those learned men
such a rage for Aristotle, that his ethics were fre-
quently read to the people instead of the gospel and
the teachers themselves were employed either in
wresting the words of Scripture to support the most
monstrous opinions, or in discussing the most trivial
questions. Think of men gravely debating whether
the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary in the
shape of a serpent, of a dove, of a man, or of a
woman ? Did he seem to be young or old ? In what
dress was he ? Was his garment white or of two
colors? Was his linen clean or foul ? Did he appear
in the morning, noon, or evening ? What was the

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4«2

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

color of tlie Virgin's hair? etc. Think of all this non-
sense veiled in learned terms and obscure phrases.

While human minds were engaged in weaving such
cobwebs as these, no progress was made in real
knowledge, and the gloom of the dark ages deepened
into ten-fold niHu. We are much in danjjer of the
same evil from another quarter. The reign of ob-
scure nonsense and dogmatic trifling may yet return.
An ultra-spiritual sect has arisen whose theological
language is a jargon, whose interpretations are mysti-
cal, whose prophetical hypotheses are ridiculous, and
whose arrogance is superlative. To leave the con-
sideration of well-known soul-saving truths to fight
over unimportant subtleties, is to turn our corn-fields
into poppy gardens. To imagine that the writers of
unintelligible mysticism are men of great depth, is to
find wisdom in the hootings of owls. True spirituality
shuns the obscure and the dilettanti, and delights in
the plain and practical ; but there is much to fascinate
in the superfine shams of the hour.

Quintilian justly observes that the obscurity of an
author is generally in proportion to his incapacity;
and we might add, that the ferocity of a bigot is fre*
quently in proportion to the absurdity of his belief.
Some are zealots for a certain theory of 666, and the
two witnesses, and the little horn, who would be far
better employed in training up their children in the
fear of God, or listening for their instruction to a
sober preacher of the word of God. It is a most
fitting thing to be looking for the coming of the Lord,

CHOICE SKLECTIONS.

463

but a most miserable waste of time to be spinning
theories about it, and allowing the millions around us
to perish in their sins. Ragged-schools, orphanages,
street-preaching, tract distributing, almsgiving, these
are the present and pressing questions for the Chris-
tian church ; whether the stream of the Euphrates is
likely to diminish, or the Dead Sea to flow into the
Mediterranean, may be settled in less needy times.

Reason and Faith.

An old writer says: — Faith and Reason may be
compared to two travellers : Faith is like a man in full
health, who can walk his twenty or thirty miles at a
time without suffering; Reason is like a little child
who can only, with difficulty, accomplish three or four
miles. " Well," says this old writer, " on a given day
Reason says to Faith, * O good Faith, let me walk
with thee ; * Faith replies, * O Reason, thou canst never
walk with me ! * However, to try their paces they set
out together, but they soon find it hard to keep com-
pany. When they come to a deep river, Reason says,
'I can never ford this,* but faith wades through it
singing. When they reach a lofty mountain, there is
the same exclamation of despair ; and in such cases.
Faith, in order not to leave Reason behind, is obliged
to carry him on his back ; and," adds the writer, " oh !
what a luggage is Reason to Faith ! "

The New Gun.

A raw countryman having brought his gun to the
gunsmith for repairs, the latter is reported to have ex-
amined it, and finding it to be almost too far gone for

464

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

repairing, said, "Your gun is in a very worn-out,
ruinous, ^H^oci-for-nothing condition ; what sort of re-
pairing do you want for it?" "Well," said the
countryman, *' I don't see as I can do with anything
short of a new stock, lock, and barrel ; that ought to
set it up again." " Why," said the smith, " you had
better have a new gun altogether." " Ah ! " was the
reply, " I never thought of that ; and it strikes me
that's just what I do want. A new stock, lock, and
barrel ; why that's about equal to a new gun alto-
gether, and that's what I'll have."

Just the sort of repairing that man's nature requires.
The old nature cast aside as a complete wreck and
good for nothing, and a new one imparted.

Kcligfioii must be Personal.

"A little girl, whom we will call Ellen, was some
time ago helping to nurse a sick gentleman, whom she
loved very dearly. One day he said to her, * Ellen, it
is time for me to take my medicine, I think. Will
you pour it out for me? You must measure just a
table-spoonful, and then put it in that wine-glass close
by.' Ellen quickly did so, and brought it to his bed-
side ; but, instead of taking it in his own hand, he
quietly said, * Now, dear, will you drink it for me ? *
'Me drink it! What do you mean? I am sure I
would, in a minute, if it would cure you all the same;
but you know it won't do you any good, unless you
take it yourself.* 'Won't it really? No, I suppose it
will not. But, Ellen, if you can't take my medicine
for me, I can't take your salvation for you. You must

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

465

rn-out,
of re-
el the
ything
ght to
)u had
as the
:es me
k, and
n alto-

iquires.
;ck and

5 some
om she
lien, it
Will
just a
s close
bed-
and, he
me?'
sure 1
same ;
ss you
pose it
edicine
m must

go to Jesus, and believe in him for yourself.* In this
way he tried to teach her that each human being must
seek salvation for himself, and repent, and believe, and
obey, for himself !'

The New Jerusalem.

" Who," saith an old divine, " chides a servant for
iaking away the first course at a feast when the second

THE NEW JERUSALEM.

consists of far greater delicacies?" Who then can
feel regret that this present world passeth away, when
he sees that an eternal world of joy is coming ? The
first course is grace, but the second is glory, and that
is as much better as the fruit is better than the blossom.

466

REV. riiA!:i.T:s n. spurgeon.

You will very often perceive in your rain-water cer-
tain ugly little things, which swim and twist about in
it, always trying if they can to reach the su»-face, and
breathe through one end of their bodies. What
makes these little things so lively, these innumerable
little things like very small tadpoles, why are they so
energetic ? Possibly they have an idtja of what they
are going to be. The day will come when all of a
sudden there will emerge from the case of the creature
which now navigates your basin, a long-legged thing
with two bright gauze-like wings, which will mount
into the air, and on a summer's evening will dance in
the sunlight. It is nothing more or less than a gnat
in one of its earliest stacres. Mark in that creature an

image of your present self; you are an undeveloped
being ; you have not your wings as yet, and are earth-
bound, and yet sometimes in your activity for Christ,
when the strong desires for something better are upon
you, you leap in foretaste of the bliss to come.

Julius Ctcsar coming towards Rome with his army,
and hearing that the senate and people had fled from
it, said, '* They that will not fight for this city, what
" city will they fight for ? '* If we will not take pains
for the kingdom of heaven, what kingdom will we
take pains for?

At heaven's gate there stands an angel with charge
to admit none but those who in their countenances
bear the same features as the Lord of the place.
Here comes a monarch with a crown upon his head.
The angel pays him no respect, but reminds him that

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

407

if cer-
out in
:, and
What
erable
liey so
t they
11 of a
eature
. thing
mount
nee in
a gnat
;ure an
eloped
I earth-
Christ,
e upon

army,

from

what

pains

vill we

charge
nances

place.

head,
n that

the diadems of earth have no value in heaven. A
company of eminent men advance, dressed in robes
of state, and others adorned with the gowns of learn-
ing, but to these no deference is rendered, for their
faces are very unlike the Crucified. A maiden comes
forward, fair and comely, but the celestial watcher sees
not in that sparkling eye and ruddy cheek the beauty
for which he is looking. A man of renown cometh up
heralded by fame, and preceded by the admiring
clamor of mankind ; but the angel saith, " Such ap-
plause may please the sons of men, but thou hast no
right to enter here." But free admittance is always
given to those who in holiness are made like their
Lord. Poor they may have been ; illiterate they may
have been ; but tne angel as he looks at them smiles
a welcome as he says, " It is Christ again ; a transcript
of the holy child Jesus. Come in, come in ; eternal
glory thou shalt win. Thou shalt sit in heaven with
Christ, for thou art like him."

Heaven— to be Shut Out of at IjRst.

Several years ago we heard an old minister relate

the following incident : — * He had preached the Word
for many a year in a wood liard by a beautiful village
in the Invernesshire Highlands, and it was his invari-
able custom, on dismissing his own congregation, to
repair to the Baptist chapel in this village to partake
of the Lord's Supper with his people assembled there.
It was then usual to shut the gates during this service,
in order that communicants might not be exposed to
any disturbance through persons going out or coming

468

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

,'!si

In h.

in. On one occasion the burden of the Lord pressed
upon his servant with more than ordinary severity,
and anxious to deliver it and clear his soul, he detained
his hearers a little beyond the time, and consequently
had to hurry to the chapel. As he drew near he
noticed the doorkeeper retire from the outer gate,
after having shut it. He called to him, quickening his
pace at the same time, but his cry was not heard, the
attendant retreated inside and the minister came up
•just in time' to see the door put to, and hear it
fastened from within. He walked round the chapel
looking up at the windows, but could gain no admit-
tance ; there was only one door, and that door was
shut. He listened and heard the singing, and thought
how happy God's people were inside, while he himself
was shut out. The circumstance made an impression
upon him at the time which he could never afterwards
forget, and he was led to ask himself the question,
Shall it be so at the last? Shall I come up to the
gate of heaven only in time to be too late, to find the
last ransomed one admitted, and the door everlast-
ingly shut? "

Prospect of Heaven.
One Palmer, of Reading, being condemned to die,
in Queen Mary's time, was much persuaded to recant,
and among other things a friend said to him, " Take
pity on thy golden years and pleasant flowers of
youth, before it be too late." His reply was as beauti-
ful as it was conclusive — " Sir, I long for those spring-
ing flowers which shall never fade away." When he

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

4C0

was in the midst of the flames he exhorted his com-
panions to constancy, saying, " We shall not end our
lives in the fire, but make a change for a better life;
yea, for coals we shall receive pearls." Thus do we
clearly see, that although " if in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable," yet
the prospect of a better and enduring substance en-
ables us to meet all the trials and temptations of this
present life with holy boldness and joy.

We cannot stay to read the catalogue now, but
heavenly joys shall be like the tree of life in the* New
Jerusalem, which brings forth twelve manner of fruits,
and yields her fruit every month. Robert Hall used
to cry, " O for the everlasting rest! " but Wilberforce
would sigh to dwell in unbroken love. Hall was a"
man who suffered — he longed for rest ; Wilberforce
was a man of amiable spirit, loving society and fellow-
ship — he looked for love. Hall shall have his res.t,
and Wilberforce shall have his love. There are joys
at God's right hand, suitable for the spiritual tastes of
all those who shall come thither. The heavenly
manna tastes to every man's peculiar liking.

My horse invariably comes home in less time, than
he makes the journey out. He pulls the carriage
with a hearty good will when his face is towards home.
Should not I also both suffer and labor the more
joyously because my way lies towards heaven and I
am on pilgrimage to my Father's house, my soul's
dear home and resting place ?

4Y(i

REV. CHARLES II. SrUliGEoN.

!..t

Influence of Novelty.

Yes, the people gathered in crowds around the
statue, and looked at it again and again. It was not
the finest work of art in the city, nor the most intrin-
sically attractive. Why, then, did the citizens of
Verona stand in such clusters around the effigy of
Dante on that summer's evening? Do you guess the
reason ? It was a fete in honor of the poet ? No,
you are mistaken ; it was but an ordinary evening,
and there was nothing peculiar in the date or the
events of the day. You shall not be kept in sus-
pense, the reason was very simple : the statue ivas neiVy
it had, in fact, only been unveiled the day before.
Every one passes Dante now, having other things to
think of; the citizens are well used to his solemn
visage, and scarcely care that he stands among them.
Is not this the way of men ? I am sure it is their way
with us ministers. New brooms sweep clean. What
crowds follow a new man ! how they tread upon one
another to hear him, not because he is so very wise
or eloquent, much less because he is eminently holy,
but he is a new man, and curiosity must gratify itself!
In a few short months, the idol of the hour is stale,
flat, and unprofitable ; he is a mediocrity ; there are
scores as good as he ; indeed, another new man, at
the end of the town, is far better. Away go the
wonder-hunters ! P'olly brought them, folly removes
them : babies must have new toys.

Obedience.

^ Sir," said the Duke of Wellington to an officer

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

471

of engineers, who urged the impossibility of execut-
ing the directions he had received, "I did not ask
your opinion, I gave you my orders, and I expect them
to be obeyed." Such should be the obedience of
every follower of Jesus. The words which he has
spoken are our law, not our judgments or fancies.
Even if death were in the way it is —

*• Not ours to reason why —
Ours but to dare and die ;

and, at ou« Master's bidding, advance through flood
or flame.

" I wish I could mind God as my little dog minds
me,*' said a little boy, looking thoughtfully on his
shaggy friend; "he always looks so pleased to mind,
and I don't." What a painful truth did this child
speak ! Shall the poor little dog thus readily obey
his master, and we rebel against God, who is our
Creator, our Preserver, our Father, our Saviour and
the bountiful Giver of everything we love ?

Omniscience.

A plate of sv;eet cakes was brought in and laid

upon the table. Two children played upon the
hearth-rug before the fire. " Oh, I want one of those;
cakes ! " cried the little boy, jumping up as soon as i
his mother went out, and going on tiptoe towards the '
table. " No, no," said his sister, pulling him back ;
* no, no; you must not touch." " Mother won't know
it; she did not count them," he cried, shaking her
off", and stretching out his hand. "If she didn't.

472

BEV. CHARLES II. SPURGKON.

perhaps God counted," answered the other. The
little boy's hand was stayed. Yes, children, be sure
that God counts !

Beauty iii Nature.
Linnaeus, the great Swedish botanist, observing the
beautiful order which reigns among flowers, proposed
the use of a floral clock, to be composed of plants
which open and close their blossoms at particular
hours ; as for instance the dandelion which opens its
petals at six in the morning, the hawk weed at seven,
the succory at eight, the celandine at nine, and so on;
the closing of the flowers being marked with an
equal regularity so as to indicate the progress of
the afternoon and the evening.

" Thus has each hour its own rich hue,
And its graceful cup or bell,
In whose colored vase may sleep the dew,
^ Like a |)earl in an ocean shell."

Would it not be a lovely thing if thus with flowers

of grace and blossoms of virtue we bedecked every

passing hour; fulfilling all the duties of each season

and honoring him who maketh the outgoings of the

morning and the evening to rejoice ! Thus with un-

deviating regularity to obey the influence of the Sun

of Righteousness, and give each following moment

its due, were to begin the life of heaven beneath the

stars.

Order of Gracious Operations.

A discussion arose between some members of a

Bible-class, in reference to the first Christian exercise

OHOICK SELKCTIONS.

47.1

of the converted soul. One contended that it was
penitence or sorrow ; another that it was, fear, ano^^^cr
love, another hope, another faith, for how could one
fear or repent without belief? Elder G , over-
hearing the discussion, relieved the minds of the dis-
putants with this remark : — " Can you tell which
spoke of the wheel moves first ? You may be look-
ing at one spoke, and think that it moves first, but
they all start together. Thus, when the Spirit of God
operates upon the human heart, all the gi ires begin
to affect the penitent soul, though the indivjaual may
be more conscious of one than another"

Peace of a Believer.

The believer's peace is like a river for continuance.
Look at it, rising as a little brook among the mosses
of the lone green hill ; by and by it leaps as a rugged
cataract ; anon it flows along that fair valley where
the red deer wanders, and the child loves to play.
With hum of pleasant music the brook turns the
village mill. Hearken to its changeful tune as it
ripples over its pebbly bed, or leaps adown the wheel,
or sports in eddies where the trees bend down their
branches to kiss the current. Anon the streamlet has
become a river, and bears upon its flood full many a
craft. Then its bosom swells, bridges with noble
arches span it, and, grown vaster still, it becomes an
estuary, broad enough to be an arm of old Father
Ocean, pouring its water-floods into the mighty main.

The river abides the lapse of ages, it is no evanes*

474

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

cent morning cloud, or transient rain-flood, but in all
its stages it is permanent.

** Men may come, and men may go,
But I flow on for ever."

Evermore, throughout all generations, the river
speedeth to its destined place. Such is the peace of
the Christian. He has always reason for comfort
He has not a consolation like a swollen torrent which
is dried up under the hot sun of adversity, but peace
is his rightful possession at all times. Do you inquire
for the Thames ? You shall find it flowing in its own
bed in the thick black night, as well as in the clear
bright day. You shall discover the noble river when
it mirrors the stars or sends back the sheen of the
moon, as well as when multitudes of eyes gaze upon
the pompous pageantry of civic procession at mid-
day. You may see its waves in the hour of tempest
by the lightning s flash, as well as in the day of calm
when the sun shineth brightly on them. Ever is the
river in its place. And even thus, come night, come
day, come sickness, come health, come what will, the
peace of God which passeth all understanding will
keep the Christian's heart and mind, through Jesus
Christ.

Nor must we exclude the idea of progress. You
can leap the Thames at Cricklade, for the tiny brook
is spanned by a narrow plank across which laughing
village girls are tripping ; but who thinks of laying
down a plrink at Southend, or at Grays? No, the

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

476

tinaU

nver
jace of
Dmfort.
t which
peace
inquire
its own
2 clear
r when
of the
e upon
it mid-
empest
)f calm
r is the
tv come
rill, the
ig will

Jesus

You
r brook
.ughing
laying
^o, the

river has grown — how deep ! At the mouth of it,
comparable to the sea — how broad! There go the
ships, und even leviathan might play therein.

Such \9. the Christian's peace. At the first, little
temptations avail to mar it, and the troubles of life
threaten to evaporate it. Be not dismayed, but quietly
wait. When the Christian is somewhat grown, and
has wandered for awhile along the tortuous course of
a gracio'vis experience, his peace will gather force like
a flowing stream. Wait twenty or thirty years, till he
has traversed yonder rich lowlands of fellowship with
Christ in his sufferings, and conformity to his death,
and you shall mark that the believer's rest will be like
a river deep and broad, for he shall know the peace
which was our Master's precioite legacy ; and he will
cast all his care upon God, who careth for him. True
peace will increase till it melts into the eternal rest
of the beatific vision, where

" Not a wave of trouble rolb
Across the peaceful breast."

False Peace.

Your peace, sinner, is that terribly prophetic calm
which the traveller occasionally perceives upon the
higher Alps. Everything is still. The birds suspend
their notes, fly low, and cower down with fear. The
hum of bees among the flowers is hushed. A horrible
stillness rules the hour, as if death had silenced all
things by stretching over them his awful sceptre,
perceive ye not what is surely at hand ? The tempest

476

OHOIGE SELECTIONS.

is preparing ; the lightning will soon cast abroad its
flames of fire. Earth will rock with thunder-blasts-,
granite peaks will be dissolved ; all nature will trem-
ble beneath the fury of the storm. Yours is that
solemn calm to-day, sinner. Rejoice not in it, for the
hurricane of wrath is coming, the whirlwind and the
tribulation which shall sweep you away and utterly

destroy you.

Rejoicings in Abasement.

When Latimer resigned his bishopric, Foxe tells

us that as he put off his rochet from his shoulders he

gave a skip on the floor for joy, " feeling his shoulders

so light at being discharged of such a burden." To

be relieved of our wealth or high position is to be

unloaded of weighty responsibilities, and should not

cause us to fret, but rather to rejoice as those who are

liorhtened of a ijreat load. If we cease from office in

the church, or from public honors, or from power of

any sort, we -.nay be consoled by the thought that there

is just so much the less for us to answer for at the

great audit, when we must give an account of our

stewardship.

Absence from Week-nigrht Services.

" Prayer-meeting and lecture as usual on Wednes-
day evening, in ,the lecture-room. Dear brethren, I
urge you all to attend the weekly meetings. ' For-
sake not the assembling of yourselves together.*"
Some of the " dear brethren " deported themselves in
this way : Brother A. thought it looked like rain, and
concluded that his family, including himself of course.

REY. CHARLES U. SPURGEON.

ATi

oad its
-blasts ;
1 trem-
is that
for the
ind the
utterly

:e tells
iers he
Dulders
." To
to be
jld not
^ho are
flice in
wer of
it there
at the
of our

ednes-
hren, I
«For-
ther.' "
Ives in
in, and
:otirse.

had better remain at home. On Thursday evening it
was raining very hard, and the same brother hired a
carriage, and took his whole family to the Academy of
Music, to hear M. Agassiz lecture on the " Intelligence
of the Lobster."

Brother B. thought he was too tired to go, so he
stayed at home and worked at the sledge he had
promised to make for Billy. Sister C. thought the
pavements were too slippery. It would be very dan-
gerous for her to venture out. I saw her next
morning, going down street to get her old bonnet
" done up." She had an old pair of stockings drawn
over her shoes. Three-fourths of the members stayed
at home. God was at the prayer-meeting. The pas-
tor was thtre, and God blessed them. The persons
who stayed at home were each represented by a vacant
seat. God don't bless empty seats.

Access to the Lord's Treasury.

There are many locks in my house and all with
different keys, but I have one master-key which upens
all. So the Lord has many treasuries and secrets all
shut up from carnal minds with locks which they can-
not open ; but he who walks in fellowship with Jesus
possesses the master-key wnich will admit him to all
the blessings of the covenant ; yea, to the very heart
of God. Through the Wellbeloved we have access
to God, to heaven, to every secret of the Lord.

Actirity a Help to Coiiragre.

Courage maintains itself by its ardent action, as
some birds rest on the wing. There is an energy

478

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

about agility that "will often give a man a fortitude
which otherwise he might not have possessed. We
can picture the gallant regiment at Balaclava riding
into the valley of death at a dashing gallop, but we
could scarcely imagine their marching slowly up to
the guns, coolly calculating all the deadly odds of the
adventure.

There is much in our obeying as our Lord did,
"straightway." When the Lord gives his servants
grace to follow out their convictions as soon as they
feel them, then they act courage >usly. First thoughts
are best in the service of God, they are like Gideon's
men that lapped. Second thoughts come up timor*
ously and limpingly, and incite us to make provision
for the flesh, they are like those men whom Gideon
discarded because they went down on their knees to
drink, they took things too leisurely to be fit for the
Lord's battles.

Aillietioii Attendant upon Honor.

In ancient times a box on the ear given by a master
to a slave meant liberty ; litde would the freedman care
how hard was the blow. By a stroke from the sword
the warrior was knighted by his monarch ; small
matter was it to the new-made knight if the royal
)hand was heavy. When the Lord intends to lift his
servants into a higher stage of spiritual life, he fre-
quently sends them a severe trial ; he makes his
Jacobs to be prevailing princes, but he confers the
honor after a night of wrestling, and accompanies it
with a shrunken sinew. Be it so, who among us

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

479

'titude
We

riding

Dut we

up to

of the

rd did,
irvantb
s they
oughts
ideon's
timop
ovision
Gideoo
lees to
for the

master
an care
: sword
small
i royal
lift his
he fre-
ces his
ers the
mies it
ong us

would wish to be deprived of the trials if they are the
necessary attendants of spiritual advancement ?

Affliction Awakening Gratitude.

Afflictions when sanctified make us grateful for
mercies which aforetime we treated with indifference.
We sat for half-an-hour in a calf's shed the other day,
quite grateful for the shelter from the driving rain, yet
at no other time would we have entered such a hovel.
Discontented persons need a course of the bread of
adversity and the water of affliction, to cure them of
the wretched habit of murmuring. Even things which
we loathed before we shall learn to prize when in
troublous circumstances.

We are no lovers of lizards, and yet at Pont St.
.Martin, in the Val D'Aosta, where the mosquitoes,
flies, and insects of all sorts drove us nearly to dis-
traction, we prized the little green fellows, and felt
quite an attachment to them as they darted out their
tongues and devoured our worrying enemies. Sweet
are the uses of adversitv, and this amonpr them — that
it brings into proper estimation mercies aforetime
lightly esteemed.

Affliction Endears the Promises.

We never prize the precious words of promise till
we are placed in conditions in which their suitability
and sweetness are manifested. We all of us value
those golden words, *' When thou walkest through the
fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame
kindle upon thee," but few if any of us have read them
with the delight of the martyr Bilney, to whom this

480

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

passage was a stay, while he was in prison awaiting his
execution at the stake. His Bible, still preserved in
the library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, has
the passage marked with a pen in the margin. Per-
haps, if all were known, every promise in the Bible
has borne a special message to some one saint, and
so the whole volume might be scored in the margin
with mementos of Christian experience, every one
appropriate to the very letter.

Effects of Affliction in Different People.

How different are summer storms from winter ones !
In winter they rush over the earth with their violence ;
and if any poor remnants of foliage or flowers have
lingered behind, these are swept along at one gust.
Nothing is left but desolation ; and long after the rail)
has ceased, pools of water and mud bear tokens of
what has been. But when the clouds have poured out
their torrents in summer, when the winds have spent
their fury, and the sun breaks forth again in glory, all
things seem to rise with renewed loveliness from their
refreshing bath. The flowers, glistening with rain-
bows, smell sweeter than before ; the grass seems to •
have gained another brighter shade of green ; and
the young plants which had hardly come into sight,
have taken their place among their fellows in the
border, so quickly have they sprung among the
showers. The air, too, which may previously have
been oppressive, is become clear, and soft, and fresh.

Such, too, is the difference when the storms of afflic-
tion fall on hearts unrenewed by Christan faith, and

REV. CHARLES H. SrURGEON.

481

iting his
;rved in
dge, has
n. Per-
le Bible
lint, and
i margin
'ery one

:er ones !
/iolence ;
ers have
3ne gust.
• the rail)
Dkens of
)u red out
Lve spent
glory, all
om their
rith rain-
seems to*
ten ; and
ito sight,
rs in the
ong the
I sly have
id fresh.
i of afflic-
*aith, and

on those who abide in Christ. In the former they
bring out the dreariness and desolation which may
before have been unapparent. The gloom is not
relieved by the prospect of any cheering ray to follow
it ; of any flowers or fruits to show its beneficence.
But in the true Christian soul, " though weeping may
endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning." A
sweet smile of hope and love follows every tear ; and
tribulation itself is turned into the chief of blessings.

Affliction an Incentive to Zeal.

There is an old story in the Greek annals of a
soldier under Antigonus who had a disease about him,
an extremely painful one, likely to bring him soon to
the grave. Always first in the charge was this sol-
dier, rushing into the hottest part of the fray, as the
bravest of the brave. His pain prompted him to fight,
that he might forget it ; and he feared not death, be-
cause he knew that in any case he had not long to
live. Antigonus, who gready admired the valor of
his soldier, discovering his malady, had him cured by
one of the most eminent physicians of the day ; but,
alas! from that moment the warrior was absent from
the front of the battle. He now sought his ease ; for,
as he remarked to his companions, he had something
worth living for — health, home, family, and other com-
forts, and he would not risk his life now as aforetime.

So, when our troubles are many, we are often by
grace made courageous in serving our God; we feel
that we have nothing to live for in this world, and we
are driven, by hope of the world to come, to exhibit

482

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

zeal, self-denial, and industry. But how often is it
otherwise in better times ! for then the joys and pleas-
ures of this world make it hard for us to remember
the world to come, and we sink into inglorious ease.

Afflictiuii Increased with Our Streiig:tli.

'• I had," said Latimer, describing the way in which
his father trained him as a yeoman's son, " my bows
bought me according to my age and strength ; as 1
increased in them so my bows were made bigger and
bigger." Thus boys grew into cross-bowmen, and by
a similar increase in the force of their tiials, Christians
become veterans in the Lord's host. The affliction
which is suitable for a babe In grace would little serve
the young man, and even the well-developed man
needs severer trials as his strength increases.

God, like a wise father, trains us wisely, and as we
are able to bear it, he makes our service and our suf-
fering more arduous. As boys rejoice to be treated
like men, so will we rejoice in our greater tribulations,
for here is man's work for us, and by God's help we
will not flinch from doing it.

Ambition Never Satisfied.

Ambition is like the sea, which swallows all the riv-
•crs and Is none the fuller; or like the grave, whose
insatiable maw forever craves for the bodies of men.
It is not like an amphora, which being full receives no
more, but its fulness swells it till a still greater vacuum
is formed. In all probability. Napoleon never longed
for a sceptre till he had gained the baton, nor dreamed
of being emperor of Europe till he had gained the

REV. CHARLES H. SrURGEON.

483

IS It

pleas-
imber
:ase.

which
' bows
; as 1

er and
ind by
istian?
diction
2 serve
d man

. as we

lur sLif-
reated
ations,
elp we

le nv-
whose
f men.
ves no
Iracuum
longed
•earned
led the

crown of France. Caligula, with the world at his feet,
was mad with a lonmn'"; for the moon, and could he
have ;e^ained it, the imperial lunatic would have coveted
the sun.

It is in vain to feed a fire which grows the more vo-
racious the more it is supplied with fuel ; he who lives
to satisfy his ambition has before him the labor of
Sisyphus, who rolled up hill an ever-rebounding stone,
and the task of the daughters of Danaus, who are
condemned forever to attempt to fill a bottomless ves-
sel with buckets full of holes. Could we know the
secret heart-breaks and weariness of ambitious men,,
we should need no Wolsey's voice crying, " I charge
thee, fling away ambition," but we should flee from it
as from the most accursed blood-sucking vampire
which ever uprose from the caverns of hell.

The Black Curtain.

In the long line of portraits of the Doges, in the

palace at Venice, one space is empty, and the sem-
blance of a black curtain remains as a melancholy
record of glory forfeited. Found guilty of treason
against the state, Marino Falieri was beheaded, and
his image as far as possible blotted from remem-
() ranee.

As we regarded the singular memorial we thought
of Judas and Demas, and then, as we heard in spirit
the Master's warning word, "One of you shall betray
me," we asked within our soul the solemn question,
'• Lord, is it I ? " Every one's eye rests longer upon
the one dark vacancy than upon any one of the many

484

CUOICE SELECTIONS.

fine portraits of the merchant monarchs ; and so the
apostates of the church are far more frt'qucinly the
theme of the world's talk than the thousands of good
men and true who adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things. Hence the more need of care
on the part of those of us whost; portraits are publicly
exhibited as saints, lest we should one day be paintcid
out of the church's gallery, and our persons only re>
membered as having been detestable hypocrites.

We Must Not Jiid^c by Apponrancc.

Whatever trudi there may be in phrenology, or in
Lavater's kindred science of physiognomy, we shall
do well scrupulously to avoid forming an opinion
against a man from his personal appearance. If we
so judge we shall often commit the greatest injustice,
which may, if we should ever live to be disfigured by
sickness or marred by age, be returned into our own
bosom to our bitter sorrow.

Plato compared Socrates to the gallipots of the
Athenian apothecaries, on the outside of which were
painted grotesque figures of apes and owls, but they
contained within precious balsams. All the beauty
of a Cleopatra cannot save her name from being infa-
mous ; personal attractions have adorned some of die
grossest monsters that ever cursed humanity. Judge
then no man nor woman after their outward fashion,
but with purified eye behold the hidden beauty of the
heart and life.

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURGE0N.

485

of ihe
Judoe

ashion,

of the

Bxaggeration.

In certain ancient Italian frescoes Mary Magda-
lene is drawn as a woman completely enveloped in
her own hair, which reaches to her feet and entirely
wraps up her body as in a seamless garment. These
(jiicer draughtsmen must needs exaggerate; granted
that the woman had long hair, they must enfold her
in it likq a silkworm in its owr silk. The practice
survives among the tribe of talkers, everything with
them is on the enlarged scale ; a man with ordinary
abilities is a prodigy, another with very pardonable
faults is a monster, a third with a few failings is a dis-
grace to humanity. Truth is as comely and beautiful
as a woman with flowing hair, but exaggeration is as
grotesque and ugly as the Magdalene, all hair from
head to foot.

Excuses.

Bishop W , we are told, was one day rebuking

one of his clergy for fox-hunting. •• My lord," was
the clergyman's answer, " every man must have some
relaxation. I assure you I never go to balls." "Oh,"
said the bishop, "I perceive you allude to my having

been to the Duchess of S 's party ; but I give you

my word that I was never in the same room with the
dancers!" "My lord," responded the clergyman,
•' my horse and I are getting old, and we are 7iever in
the same fields with the hounds ^ Thus each had satis-
fied his conscience, because of some point beyond
which he had not gone. What he had done was to be
overlooked on account of what he had not done. The

486

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

habit of making precisely similar excuses is all but
universal ; thoufj^h we see the absurdity of it in others
we continue to practice it ourselves.

Depth of Exporieiico.

In my house there is a well of extraordinary depth,
which reminds me of something better than the
boasted deep experience of certain censorious profes-
sors, who teach that to feel sin within is the main
thing, but to be delivered from it of small consequence.
When this well was conunenced, the owner of the
place resolved to have water, cost what it might. The
well-sinkers dug through mud, and clay, and stone,
but found no water; here was the deep experience of
the corruptionist, all earth and no living spring, the
filth revealed but not removed, the leper discovered
but not healed. Another hundred feet of hard dig-
ging deep in the dark, but no water — still deeper
experience.

Then a third hundred Icet, and still dirt, but no crys-
tal — the very finest grade of your deeply experimental
professor, who ridicules the joys of faith as being of
the llesh and presumptuous. Still on, on, on went the
workers, till one day leaving their tools to go to din-
ner, upon their return they found that the water was
rising fast, and their tools were drowned.

Be this last my experience — to go so deep as to
reach the springs of everlasting love, and find all my
poor doings and efforts totally submerged, because the
blessed fountains of grace have broken in upon me,
covering all the mire, and rock, and earth of my poor,
naturally evil heart.

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURGE0N.

487

ill but
others

depth,
,n the
profes-
: main
[uence.

of the
t. The

stone,
::nce of
ig, the
overed
-d dig-
deeper

crys-
mental

ing of
[int the
to din-
;er was

1 as to
all my
Use the
on me,
y poor,

Experionce Kecessary to a Mini§ter.

BUchsell says: "Orthodoxy can be learnt from
others ; Tving faith must be a matter of personal ex-
perience. The Lord sent out his disciples, saying, 'Ye
shall testify of me because ye have been with me from
the beginning.' He only is a witness who speaks of
what he has seen with his own eyes, heard with his
own ears, and handled with his own hands. Ortho-
doxy is merely another form of rationalism, if it be
learnt from without."

Variety of Experlenco.

Ruskin, thr.*, most accurate observer, says : " Break
off an elm-bough three feet long, in full leaf, and lay
it on the table before you, and try to draw it, leaf for
leaf. It is ten to one if in the whole bough (provided
you do not twist it about as you work) you find one
form of a leaf exactly like another ; perhaps you will
not even have one complete. Every leaf will be ob-
lique, or foreshortened, or curled, or crossed by an-
other, or shaded by another, or have something or
•other the matter with it; and though the whole bough
will look graceful and symmetrical, you will scarcely
be able to tell how or why it does so, since there is
not one line of it like another."

If such infinite variety prevails in creation, we may
reasonably expect to find the same in the experience
of the saints. Uniformity is no rule of spiritual life.
Let us not judge others because their feelings have
not been precisely similar to ours. All the saints are
led in a right way, but no two of them precisely in the

488

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

same way. Far be it from us to set up a standard
and expect all to be conformed to it; if we reject all
believers who labor under infirmities, or are marred
with faults, our fellowship will be scant indeed.

Faith Holds the Rope.

The stupendous Falls of Niagara have been spoken
of in every part of the world ; but while they are
marvellous to hear of, and wonderful as a spectacle,
they have been very destructive to human life, when
by accident any have been carried down the cataract.
Some years ago, two men, a bargeman and a collier,
were in a boat and found themselves unable to man-
age it, it being carried so swiftly down the current
that they must both inevitably be borne down and
dashed to pieces. At last, however, one man was
saved by floating a rope to him, which he grasped.
The same instant that the rope :ame into his hand,
a log floated by the other man. The thoughtless
and confused bargeman, instead of seizing the rope,
laid hold on the log. It was a fatal mistake, they
were both in imminent peril, but the one was drawn
to shore because he had a connection with the people
on the land, whilst the other, clinging to the loose,
floating log, was borne irresistibly along, and never
heard of afterwards.

Faith has a saving connection with Christ. Christ
is on the shore, so to speak, holding the rope,
and as we lay hold of it with the hand of our confi-
dence, he pulls us to shore ; but our good works hav-
ing no connection with Christ are drifted along down

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

489

tandafd
eject all
marred

spoken
ley are
)ectacle,
fe, when
:ataract.
1 collier,
to man-
current
wn and
lan was
rrasped.
is hand,
ughtless
le rope,
cc, they
5 drawn,
I people
t loose,
d never

Christ
i rope,
r confi-
ks hav-

down

to the gulf of despair. Grapple our virtues as tightly

as we may, even with hooks of steel, they cannot

avail us in the least degree ; they are the discon-

nectf^d log which has no holdfast on the heavenly

shore.

Worthless Habits of Formality.

That honored servant of Christ, Richard Knill,
notes in his journal the following amusing incident of
the force of habit, as exemplified in his horse: "Mr.
and Mrs. Loveless would have me live with them, but
they charged me very little for my board, whereby I
was enabled, with my salary, to support seven native
schools These were so situated that I could visit them
all in one day. My horse and gig were seen constantly
on the rounds ; and my horse at last knew where to
stop as well as I did. This nearly cost a Bengal offi-
cer his life.

" Captain Page, a godly man, who was staying with
us until a ship was ready to take him to the Cape, one
morning requested me to lend him my horse and gig
to take him to the city. The captain was driving of-
ficer-like, when the horse stopped suddenly, and nearly
threw him out He inquired * What place is this ? '
The answer was, * It's the Sailors' Hospital.' They
started again, and soon the horse stopped suddenly,
and the captain was nearly out as before. 'What's
this?* 'A school, sir,' was the reply. At last he
finished his business and resolved to return another
way. By doing this he came near my schools, and
again and again the horse stopped. When he got

490

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

home, he said, * I am glad that I have returned without
broken bones, but never will I drive a religious horse
again.

Persons who go to places of religious worship from
mere habit and without entering into the devotions of
the service, may here see that, their religion is only
such as a horse may possess, and a horse's religion
will never save a man.

Friendship of the World.

The vanity of all friendship which is not founded in
true principle, was never more plainly expressed than
in an honest but heartless sentence of one of Horace
Walpole's letters : " If one of my friends happens to
die, 1 drive down to St. James's Coffee-house, and
bring home a new one." The name of "friend" is
desecrated in a worldling's mouth — but tj^ere is a
friend.

Experience Teaching- the Value of Grace.

In the olden time when the government of England
had resolved to build a wooden bridge over the Thames
at Westminster, after they had driven a hundred and
forty piles into the river, there occurred one of the
most severe frosts in the memory of man, by means
of which' the piles were torn away from their strong
fastenings, and many of them snapped in two. The
apparent evil in this case was a great good ; it led the
commissioners to reconsider their purpose, and a sub-
stantial bridge of stone was erected.

How well it is when the fleshly reformations of un-

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

i91

i without
)us horse

?hip from
motions of
)n is only
5 religion

)unded in
ssed than
)f Horace
appens to
ouse, and
friend" is
J^ere is a

England
e Thames
idred and
ne of the
by means
;ir strong
wo. The

it led the
,nd a sub-

>ns of un-

regenerate men are broken to pieces, if thus they are
led to fly to the Lord Jesirs, and in the strength of His
Spirit arc brought to build solidly for eternity. Lord,
if Thou sufferest my resolves and hopes to be carried
away by temptations and the force of my corruptions,
grant that this blessed calamity may drive me to de-
pend wholly on Thy grace, which cannot fail me.

Frivolities Kender Men Callous.

"When Bonaparte put the Duke d'Enghien to death,
all Paris felt so much horror at the event that the
throne of the tyrant trembled under him. A counter-
revolution was expected, and would most probably have
taken place, had not Bonaparte ordered a new ballet to
be brought out, with the utmost splendor, at the Opera.
The subject he pitched on was * Ossian, or the Bards!
It is still recollected in Pans as perhaps the grandest
spectacle that had ever been exhibited there. The con-
sequence was that the murder of the Duke d'Enghien
was totally forgotten, and nothing but the new ballet
was talked of."

After this fashion Satan takes off men's thoughts
from their sins, and drowns the din of their consciences.
Lest they should rise in revolt against him, he gives
them the lusts of the flesh, and the vanities of pride,
the cares of this world, or the merriment of fools, to
lead away their thoughts. Poor silly men are ready
enough for these misleading gayeties, and for the sake
of them the solemnities of death and eternity are
forgotten.

492

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Generous Feeling Towards Brethren.

•'One incident gives high proof of the native gener-
osity of Turner's nature. He was one of the hanging
committee, as the phrase goes, of the Royal Acaderhy.
The walls were full when Turner's attention was at-
tracted by a picture sent in by an unknown provincial
artist by the name of Bird. * A good picture,' he ex-
claimed. ' It must be hung up and exhibited.' * Im-
possible ! ' responded the committee of academicians,
' The arrangement cannot be disturbed. Quite impos-
sible !' * A good picture,' iterated Turner, ' it must be
hung up ;' and, finding his colleagues to be as ob-
stinate as himself, he hitched down one of his own
pictures, and hung up Bird's in its place."

Would to God that in far more instances tlie like
spirit ruled among servants of the Lord Jesus. The
desire to honor others and to give others a fair oppor-
tunity to rise should lead ministers of distinction to
give place to less eminent men to whom it may be of
essential service to become better known. We are
not to look every man on his own things, but every
man also on the things of others.

Giving'.

A woman who was known to be very poor came to
a missionary meeting in Wakefield, and offered to sub-
scribe a penny a week to the mission fund. " Surely,"
said one, " you are too poor to afford this ?" She re-
plied, •' I spin so many hanks of yarn a week for my
living, and I'll spin one hank more^ and that wiW be "a
penny a week for the society."

REV. OHARLES H. SPURGEON.

498

God Actings as a Father.

A king is sitting with his council dehberating on
high affairs of state involving the destiny of nations,
when, suddenly he hears the sorrowful cry of his little
child who had fallen down, or been frightened by a
wasp ; he rises and runs to his relief, assuages his
sorrows and relieves his fears. Is there anything un-
kingly here? Is it not most natural? Does it not even
elevate the monarch in your esteem? Why then do
we think it dishonorable to the King of kings, our
heavenly Father, to consider the small matters of his
children ? It is infinitely condescending, but is it not
also superlatively natural that being a Father he
should act as such ?

Vague Coueeption of God.

One day, in conversation with the Jungo-kritu,
head pundit of the College of Fort William, on the
subject of God, this man, who is truly learned in his
own shastrus, gave me, from one of their books, this
parable : "In a certain country there existed a village
of blind men. These men had heard that there was an
amazing animal called the elephant, but they knew not
how to form an idea of his shape. One day an ele-
phant happened to pass through the place : the villagers
crowded to the spot- where the animal was standing.
One of them got hold of his trunk, another seized his
ear, another his tail, another one of his legs, etc. After
thus trying to gratify their curiosity they returned into
the village, and sitting down together they began to
give their ideas on what the elephant was like : the

494

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

man who had seized his trunk said he thought the
elephant was like the body of a plantain tree ; the
man who had felt his ear said he thought he was like
the fan with which the Hindoos clean the rice; the
man who had felt his tail said he thought he must be
like a snake, and the man who had seized his leg,
thought he must be like a pillar.

"An old blind man of some judgment was present,
who was greatly perplexed how to reconcile these
jarring notions respecting the form of the elephant ;
but he at length said, * You have all been to examine
this animal, it is true, and what you report cannot be
false : I suppose, therefore, that that which was like
the plantain tree must be his trunk ; that which was
like a fan must be his ear ; that which was like a snake
must be his tail, and that which was like a pillar must
be his body.' In this way the old man united all their
notions, and made out something of the form of the
elephant. Respecting God, added the pundit, we
are all blind ; none of us has seen him ; those who
wrote the shastrus, like the old blind man, have col-
lected all the reasonings and conjectures of mankind
together, and have endeavored to form some idea of
the nature of the Divine Being."

The pundit's parable may be appropriately applied
to the science of theology. Some Christians see one
truth and some another, and each one is quite sure
that he has beheld the whole. Where is the master-
jjTid who shall gather up the truth out of each creed,
..i.d seethe theology of the Bible in its completeness?

REV. CHARLES II. 8PUEQE0N.

495

;ht the
te ; the
^as like
:e; the
nust be
lis leg,

►resent,

: these

:phant ;

xamine

inot be

as like

ich was

1 snake

ir must

11 their

of the

it, we

who

ve col-

ankind

clea of

pplied
lee one
e sure
fiaster-
creed,
Eness?

— a sublimer sight than the believers in the isms have
yet been able to imagine.

JeHus the Sum of the Gospel.

In a village church in one of the Tyrolese valleys,
we saw upon the pulpit an outstretched arm, carved in
wood, the hand of which held forth a cross. We
noted the emblem as full of instruction as to what all
true ministry should be, and must be — a holding forth
of the ci-oss of Christ to the multitude as the only
trust of sinners. Jesus Christ must be set forth evi-
dently crucified among them. Lord, make this the
aim and habit of all our ministers!

Godliness no Burden to True Saints.

The Princess Elizabeth carried the crown for her
sister in the procession at Mary's coronation, and
complained to Noailles of its great weight. "Be
patient," was the adroit answer, "it will seem lighter
when on your own head." The outward forms of
godliness are as burdensome to an unregenerate man
as was the crown to the princess ; but let him be boni
again and so made a possessor of the good things of
divine grace, and they will sit easily enough upon his
head, as his glory and delight.

Gold in Kougrh Places.

Did the eye ever rest upon a more utter desolation
than that which surrounds the gold mines near
Goldau in the Hartz mountains ? It is worse than a
howling wilderness, it is a desert with its bowels torn
out, and scattered in horrid confusion. More or less

496

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

this is true of all gold-mining regions, and Humboldt,
when writing of the Pearl Coast, says that it presents
the same aspect of misery as the countries of gold
and diamonds. Is it so, then ? Are riches so near
akin to horror? Lord, let me set my affections on
better things, and seek for less dangerous wealth.

Duty of Spreadiogr the Gospel.

Huber, the great naturalist, tells us that if a single
wasp discovers a deposit of honey or other food, he
will , return to his nest and impart the good news to
his companions, who will sally forth in great numbers
to partake of the fare which has been discovered for
them. Shall we, who have found honey in the rock
Christ Jesus, be less considerate of our fellow-men
than wasps are of their fellow-insects? Ought we
not rather like the Samaritan woman to hasten to tell
the good news ? Common humanity should prevent
one of us from concealing the great discovery which
grace has enabled us to make.

Grace Equal to Our Day.

Whenever the Lord sets his servants to do extraor-
dinary work, he always gives them extraordinary
strength ; or if he puts them to unusual suffering, he
gives them unusual patience. When we enter upon
war with some petty New Zealand chief, our troops
expect to have their charges defrayed, and accordingly
we pay them gold by thousands, as their expenses may
require ; but when an army marches against a grim
monarch, in an unknown country, who has insulted the

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGKON.

497

umboldt,
presents
> of gold
so near
:tions on
salth.

a single

food, he
I news to
numbers
vered for

the rock
llow-men
lught we
en to tell

prevent
ry which

extraor-
ordinary
ring, he
er upon
troops
ardlngly
ses may
a grim
Ited the

British flag, we pay, as we know to our cost, not by
thousands but by millions. And thus, if God calls us
to common and ordinary trials, he will defray the
charges of our warfare by thousands, but if he com-
mands us to an unusual struggle with some tremen-
dous foe, he will discharge the liabilities of our war by
millions, according to the riches of his grace in which
he has abounded towards us through Christ Jesus.

Maturity in Grace.

Maturity in grace makes us willing to part with
worldly goods ; the green apple needs a sharp twist
to separate it from the bough; but the ripe fruit parts
readily from the wood. Maturity in grace makes it
easier to part with life itself; the unripe pear is scarcely
beaten down with much labor, while its mellow com-
panion drops readily into the hand with the slightest
shake. Rest assured that love to the thino^s of this
life, and cleaving to this present state, are sure indica-
tions of immaturity In the divine life.

Tlie Gospel Should be Preached Coustantly.

When Le Tourneau preached the Lent sermon at St.
Benoit, at Paris, Louis XIV. enquired of Boileau, " if
he knew anything of a preacher called Le Tourneau,
whom everybody was running after?" •' Sire," replied
the poet, "your Majesty knows that peoplealways run
after novelties ; this man preacher the gospel." Boil-
eau's remark as to the novelty of preaching the gospel
in his time, brings to mind the candid confession of a
Flemish preacher who, in a sermon delivered before
3a

;l' 'l'

§ 11'

s-,;l

\§ m

i I

498

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

an^ audience wholly of his own order, said, " We ar«#
worse than Judas ; he sold and delivered his Master,
we sell him too, but deliver him not."

Graces Should be Seasonable.

It is said in praise of the tree planted by the rivers
of water, that it bringeth forth its fruit m iis season;
good men should aim to have seasonable virtues. For
instance, a forgiving spirit is golden if it display itself
vn the moment when an injury is received ; it is but
silver if it show itself upon speedy reflection, and it is
mere lead if it be manifested after a long- f'rre for
cooling. The whole matter reminds us of the; War
wickshire estimate of swarms of bees :

"A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay ;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spune {spoon) ;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly."

Hearing: for Others. >

The negro preachers are often marked by great
shrewdness and mother wit, and will not only point
the truth, but barb it so that if once in it will stick fast.
One of these was once descanting with much earnest-
ness on different ways in which men lose their souls.
Under one head of remark, he said that men often
lose their souls through excessive generosity.
"What!" he exclaimed, "you say, ministers often tell
us we lose our souls for stinginess, and for being
covetous ; but who ever heard of a man that hurt

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

498

e ar«
aster,

rivers
mson :
. For
T itself
is but
iJ it is
re for
War

himself by going too far t'other way ? I tell you how
they do it. They sit down under the sermon, and
when the preacher touch this sin or that sin, they no

take it to themselves, but give this part of the sermon
to one brother, and that part to another brother. And
so they give away the whole sermon, and it do them
no good. And that's the way they lose their souls by
being too generous."

There is great truth in this remark. The want of
a self-applying conscience causes much of the best of
preaching to fall like rain upon a rock, from which it
soon runs off; or if a little is caught in a hollow, it
only stagnates, and then dries away, leaving no bless-
ing behind. A sermon, however true and forcible,
thus disposed of, does no good to those among whom
it is so silently distributed, while it leaves him who
squanders its treasures to perish at last in the poverty
and emptiness of his soul.

great
^ point
k fast,
irnest-

souls.

often
rosity.
:en tell

being

; hurt

Hope.

Once on a time, certain strong laborers were sent
forth by the great King to level a primeval forest, to
plough it, to sow it, and to bring to him the harvest.
They were stout-hearted and strong, and willing
enough for labor, and much they needed all their
strength and more. One stalwart laborer was named
Industry — consecrated work was his^ His brother
Patience, with thews of steel, went with him, and tired
not in the longest days under the heaviest labors. To
help them they had Zeal, clothed with ardent and in-

! I

600

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

domitahle energy. Side by side there stood his kins-
man S('ir denial, and his friend Importunity.

These went forth to their labor, and tliey took with
them, to cheer their toils, their well-beloved sister
I lope ; and well it was they did, for they needed the
music of her consolation ere the work was done, for
the forest trees were huge, and demanded many
sturdy blows of the axe ere they would fall prone
upon the ground. One by one the giant forest kings
were overthrown, but the labor was immense and
incessant. At night when they went to their rest, the
day's work seemed so light, for as they crossed
the threshold. Patience, wiping the sweat from his
brow, would be encouraged, and Self-denial would be
strengthened, by hearing the voice of Hope within
singing, "God will bless us, God, even our own God,
will bless us."

They felled the lofty trees to the music of that
strain ; they cleared the acres one by one, they tore
from their sockets the huge roots, they delved the
soil, they sowed the corn, and waited for the harvest,
often much discouraged, but still held to their work as
by silver chains and golden fettets by the sweet sound
of the voice which chanted so constantly, " God, even
our own God, will bless us." They never could re-
frain from service, for Hope never could refrain
from song. ^ They were ashamed to be discour-
aged, they were shocked to be despairing, for still the
voice rang clearly out at noon and eventide, ** God
will bless us, God, even our own God, will bless us."

KEV. CHARLES H. 8PUR0E0N.

601

s kins-

k with
sister
led the
ne, for
many
prone
t kings
se and
est, the
crossed
om his
ouid be
within
n God,

of that
ey tore
ed the
larvest,
vork as
t sound
d, even
uld re-
refrain
iscour-
till the
''God
jss us."

You know the parable, you recognize the voice; may
you hi;ar it in your souls to-day !

It is reported that in the Tamul language there is
no word for hope. Aias ! poor men, if we were all as
destitute of blessed comfort itself as these Tamul
speakers are of the word ! What must be the misery
of souls in h'jll where they remember the word, but
can never know hope itself !

lluniility.

Wise men know their own ignorance anrl are ever
ready to learn. Humility is the child of knowledge.
Michael Angelo was found by the Cardinal Farnese
walking in solitude amid the ruins of the Coliseum,
and when he expressed his surprise, thn great artist
answered, " I go yet to school that I may continue to
learn." Who among us can after this talk of finish-
ing our education ? We have need to learn of all
around us. He must be very foolish who cannot tell
us something ; or more likely we must be more foolish
not to be able to learn of him.

Hypocrisy,

In the olden times even the best rooms were usually
of bare brick or stone, damp and mouldy ; but over
these in great houses when the family was resi-
dent, were hung up arras or hangings of rich materials,
between which and the wall persons might conceal
themselves, so that literally walls had ears. It is to be
feared that many a brave show of godliness is but an
arras, to conceal rank hypocrisy ; and this accounts

502

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

for some men's religion being but occasional, since it
is folded up or exposed to view as need may demand.
Is there no room for conscience to pry between thy
feigned profession and thy real ungodliness, and bear
witness against thee ? Remember, if conscience do it
not, certainly " the watcher and the Holy One " will
make a thorough search within thee.

In the pursuit of pastoral duty, I stood a little while
ago in a cheesemonger's shop, and being in a fidgety
humor, and having a stick in my hand, I did what most
Englishmen are sure to do, I was not content with
seeing, but must nefeds touch as well. My stick came
gently upon a fine cheese in the window, and to my
surprise a most metallic sound emanated from it. The
sound was rather hollow, or one might have surmised
that all the tasteholes had been filled up with sover-
eigns, and thus the cheese had been greatly enriched,
and the merchant had been his own banker. There
was, however, a sort of crockery jingle in the sound,
like the ring of a huge bread or milk-pan, such as our
country friends use so abundantly ; and I came to the
very correct conclusion that I had found a very well
^ " t-up hypocrite in the shop window.

Mark, from this time, when I pass by, I mentally
whisper, "Pottery;" and the shams may even be ex-
changed for realities, but I shall be long in believing it.
In my mind the large stock has dissolved into pot-
sherds, and the fine show in the window only suggests
the potter's vessel. The homely illustration is simply
introduced because we find people of this sort in our

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

603

since it
emand.
^en thy
lid bear
ce do it
le" will

le while
. fidgety
lat most
nt with
ck came
d to my
it. The
^urmised
;h sover-
mriched,
There
e sound,
h as our
le to the
ery well

mentally
n be ex-
eving it.
nto pot-
suggests
s simply
•t in our

churches, looking extremely like what they should be,
yet having no substance in them, so that if, accidentally,
one happens to tap them somewhere or other with
sudden temptation or stern duty, the baked earth gives
forth its own ring, and the pretender is esteemed no
longer.

The shops in the square of San Marco were all re-
ligiously closed, for the day was a high festival ; we
were much disappointed, for it was our last day, and
we desired to take away with us some souvenirs of
lovely Venice ; but our regret soon vanished, for on
looking at the shop we meant to patronize, we readily
discovered signs of traffic within. We stepped to the
side door, and found when one or two other customers
had been served, that we might purchase to our heart's
content, saint or no saint. After this fashion too
many keep the laws of God to the eye, but violate
them in the heart. The shutters are up as if the man
no more dealt with sin and Satan ; but a brisk com-
merce is going on behind the scenes. From such
deceit may the Spirit of truth preserve us.

The counterfeit will always have some admirers,
from its cheapness in the market. One must dig deep
in dark mines for gold and silver ; the precious treas-
ure must be brought from far across the seas; it
must be melted down, it must pass through many
assays, and the dies must be worked with ponderous
engines before the coin can be produced ; all this to
the sluggish many is a heavy disadvantage. Hush!
hearken ! steal silently upstairs ; the spirit of deceit

itP

504

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

invites you to her chamber ; a little plaster of Paris, a
fire, a crucible, molten lead, the mould, and there is
your money, sir, without troubling Peru, Potosi, Cali-
fornia or the Mint. Slink out and change your fine
new shillings, and your fortune's made without the
ignoble wdste of sweat and labor. But be quiet, for a
detective may be near, a coarse-minded minion of un-
poetic law, who may cruelly block up your road, or
even lead you into prison. Short cuts to wealth have
brought many to the hulks ; and, let me add, there are
short cuts to godliness which have brought many to
perdition.

There was an age of chivalry, when no craven
courted knighthood, for it involved the hard blows, the
dangerous wounds, the rough unhorsings and the un-
gcnde perils of the tournament ; nay, these were but
child's play ; there were distant eastern fields, where
Paynim warriors must be slain by valiant hands, and
blood must flow in rivers from the Red-cross knights.
Then men who lacked valor preferred their hawks and
their jesters, and left heroes to court death and glory
on the battle-field. This genial time of peace breeds
carpet knights, who flourish their untried weapons, and
bear the insignia of valor, without incurring its incon-
venient toils. Many are crowding to the seats of the
heroes, since prowess and patience are no more re-
quired. The war is over, and every man is willing to
enlist.

When Rome commenced her long career of victory,
it was no pleasant thing to be a soldier in the Roman

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

506

'aven
s, the
e un-
i but
^here
and
ghts.
and
lory
eeds
, and
con-
f the
e re-
g to

|tory,
>man

legions. The power which smote the nations like a
rod of iron abroad, was a yoke of iron at home.
There were long tbrced marches, with hunger and cold
and weariness ; heavy armor was the usual load when
the legionary marched at ease ; but " ease " was a word
he seldom used. Rivers were forded ; mountains were
scaled ; barbarians were attacked ; proud nations were
assailed ; kingdoms were subdued. No toil too stern
for the scarred veteran, no odds too heavy, no on-
slaught too ferocious, no arms too terrible. Scarcely
were his wounds healed ere he was called to new
fields ; his life was battle ; his home the tent; his re-
past was plunder ; his bed the battle-field ; while the
eagle's bloody talons removed all need of sepulchre
for his slaughtered body.

But afterwards, when Rome was mistress of the
world, and the Praetorian cohorts could sell the impe-
rial purple to the highest bidder, many would follow
the legions to share their spoils. It is not otherwise
to-day. Into the triumphs of martyrs and confessors
few are willing to enter; in a national respect to
religion, which is the result of their holiness, even
ungodly men are willing to share. They have gone
before us with true hearts valiant for truth, and false
traitors are willing to divide their spoils.

• The Evils of Inactivity.

What a mournful sight the observer may see in some
of the outskirts of our huge city; row after row of
houses all untenanted and forlorn. The owners had
far bett:er let them ^t the lowest rent than suffer them

506

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

to remain empty, for the boys make targets of the
windows, enterprising purveyors for the marine store
shops rend off all the lead, thieves purloin every mov-
able fitting, damp swells the window frames and doors,
and mustiness makes the whole place wretched to all
the senses ; into the bargain the district gets a bad name
which it probably never loses. Better a poor tenant
than a house running to ruin unused.

The similitude may well suggest the desirableness of
an object and a service to those Christians whose time
is wasted in slothful ease. All sorts of mischief hap-
pen to unoccupied professors of religion ; there is no
evil from which they are secure ; better would it be
for them to accept the lowest occupation for the Lord
Jesus than remain the victims of inaction.

Inconsistency.

Mark Antony once yoked two lions together, and
drove them through the streets of Rome, but no
human skill can ever yoke together the Lion of the
Tribe of Judah and the Lion of the Pit. I did see a
man once trying to walk on both sides of the street
at one time, but he was undoubtedly drunk ; and when
we see a man laboring day by day to walk on both
sides of the street, morally — in the shady side of sin
and the sunny side of holiness, or reeling in the even-
ing, at one time towards the bright lights of virtue,
and anon staggering back to sin in dark places, where
no lamp is shining — we say of him, ** He is morally
intoxicated ;" and wisdom adds, " He is mad, and if
the Great Physician heal him not, his madness will
fjring him to destruction."

REV. CHAkLES H. 8PURGE0N.

507

of the
I store
J mov-
doors,
to all
I name
tenant

ness of
;e time
sf hap-
; is no
I it be
e Lord

r, and

)ut no

of the

see a

street

1 when

both
of sin

2 even-
virtue,
where

norally

and if

tss will

Shameful Sickness.

There once lived in Ghent a beggar, who was accus-
tomed to collect alms upon the pretence that he had a
secret disease lying in his bones and weakening his
whole body, and that he dared not for shame mention
the name of it. This appeal was exceedingly success-
ful, until a person in authority, more curious than the
rest, insisted upon following him and examining him
at home. At last the beggar confessed as follows :
*' That which pains me you see not ; but I have a shame-
ful disease in my bones, so that I cannot work ; some
call it sloth, and others term it idleness." Alas ! that
so many in our churches should be so far gone with

THIS SAME SICKNESS.

Invitations of the Gospel.

In the courts of law if a man be called as a witness,
no sooner is his name mentioned, though he may be
at the end of the court, than he begins to force his way
up to the witness-box. Nobody says, " Why is this
man pushing here ?" or, if they should say, " Who are
you ?" it would be a sufficient answer to say, " My
name was called." ** But you are not rich, you have
no gold ring upon your finger !" " No, but that is not
my right of way, but I was called." "Sir, you are not
a man of repute, or rank, or character !" " It matters
not, I was called. Make way." So make way, ye
doubts and fears, make way, ye devils of the infernal
lake, Christ calls the sinner. Sinner, come, for though
thou hast nought to recommend thee, yet it is written,
"Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."

608

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Use of Infirmities.

Some of the arable land along the shore on the
southeast coast of Sutherland is almost covered with
shore stones, from the si/e of a turkey's egg to eight
pounds weight. Several experiments have been made
to collect these off the land, expecting a better crop ;
but in every case the land proved less productive by
'removing them ; and on some small spots of land it
was found so evident, that they were spread on the
land again, to ensure their usual crop of oats or
pease.

We would fain be rid of all our infimities which, to
our superficial conv-eptions, appear to be great hin-
drances to our usefulness, and yet it is most question-
able if we should bring forth any fruit unto God with-
out them. Much rather, therefore, will I glory in in-
firmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Irascible Persons Not to be Provoked.

In the Jardin des Plantes we saw a hooded snake in
a most unamiable condition of temper. There was a
thick glass and a stout wire between us, and we did
nothing but look at him, yet he persisted in darting at
us with the utmost vehemence of malice, until the
keeper requested us to move away, with the advice
that it was not well to irritate such creatures.

When one meets with an irascible person, on the
lookout to pick a quarrel, ill conditioned, and out of
elbows with the whole world, it is best to move on,
and let him alone. Even if he can do you no harm,
and if his irritation be utterly unreasonable, it is best

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

509

to remove all exciting causes of provocation,, for it is

never wise to irritate vipers. You do not on purpose

walk heavily across the floor to teach a gouty man that

you have no respect for his* tender feelings since he

ought not to be so susceptible ; neither should you

vex those afflicted with a bad temper, and then plead

that they have no right to be so excitable. If our

neighbors' tempers are gunpowder, let us not play

with the fire.

Perverted Judgrnient.

When a traveller is newly among the Alps, he is
constantly deceived in his reckoning. One English-
man declared that he could climb the Rigi in a half
hour, but after several panting hours the summit was
still ahead of him ; yet when he made the boast, some
of us who stood by were much of his mind — the ascent
seemed so easy. This partly accounts for the mis-
takes men make in estimating eternal things : they
have been too much used to molehills to be at home
with mountains. Only familiarity with the sublimities
of revelation can educate us to a comprehension of
their heights and depths.

KiDgfdom of Christ— Its Glories.

The palace of Versailles, with its countless repre-
sentations of battles, sieges, stormings, surprises and
all other forms of wholesale and retail murder, is dedi-
cated, according to an inscription on its front," To all the
glories of France." Bah! As well consecrate a shambles
to all the glories of a butcher. But what a glorious
spiritual palace is the Church, and how truly is it dedi-

610

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

cated to all the glories of the Lord Jesus ! Within its
walls hang the memorials of battles far more worthy
of the historian's quill than those of Austerlitz or Wa-
gram ; victories are there commemorated which put
to the blush all the achievements of Charlemagne or
Napoleon ; for the contests are with evil principles,
and the conquests are triumphs over iniquity and re-
bellion ; there are no garments rolled in blood ; fire
and vapor of smoke are not there, but the efficacy of
atonement, the energy of grace, the Omnipotence of
the Holy Ghost, the puissance of eternal love, all these
are there, and happy are the eyes that see them. May
the life of each one of us contribute a new work of
celestial art to those which already represent to angels
and heavenly intelligeu'^^s "the glories of Christ."

Letharg^y of Soul.

Two of my hearers perished by a fire in their own
house. They were not consumed by the flames, but
they were suffocated by the smoke. No blaze was
ever visible, nor could any remarkable sign of fire be
seen from the street, yet they died as readily as if they
had been burned to ashes by raging flames. In this
way sin also is deadly. Comparatively few of our
hearers are destroyed by outrageous and flaming vices,
such as blasphemy, theft, drunkenness, or uncleanness ;
but crowds of them are perishing by that deadly
smoke of indifference which casts its stifling clouds of
carelessness around them, and sends them asleep into
everlasting destruction. O that they could be saved
from the smoke as well as from the flame !

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

511

lin its
rorthy
rWa-
:h put
;ne or
ciples,
nd re-
1; fire
:acy of
nee of
I these
May
ork of
angels

it.

r own

|es, but
;e was
Ifire be
if they
In this
)f our
vices,
Inness ;
[deadly
luds of
;p into
saved

Knowledsre Lien not in Mere Words.

I heard two persons on the Wengern Alp talking
by the hour together of the names of ferns ; not a
word about their characteristics, uses, or habits, but a
medley of crack-jaw titles, and nothing more. They
evidently felt that they were ventilating their botany,
and kept each other in countenance by alternate volleys
of nonsense. Well, friend, they were about as sensi-
ble as those doctrinalists who forever talk over the
technicalities of religion, but know nothing by experi-
ence of its spirit and power. Are we not all too apt
to amuse ourselves after the same fashion ? He who
knows mere Linnsean names, but has never seen a
flower, is as reliable in botany as he is in theology who
can descant upon supralapsarianism, but has never
known the love of Christ in his heart.

True religion's more than doctrine,
Something must be known and felt.

Spiritual Life.

How like to a Christian a man may be and yet pos-
sess no vital godliness! Walk through the British
Museum, and you will see all the orders of animals
standing in their various places, and exhibiting them-
selves with the utmost possible propriety. The rhino-
ceros demurely retains the position in which he
was set at first, the eagle soars not through the
window, the wolf howls not at night, every creature,
whether bird, beast or fish, remains in the particular
glass alloted to it ; but we all know that these are not
the creatures, but only the outward semblances of

512

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

thciii. Yet in what do they differ ? Certainly in
nothins^ which you could readily sec, for the well-
stuffed animal is precisely like what the livin<^ animal
vould have been ; and that eye of glass even appears
to have more of brightness in it than the natural eye
of the creature itself; there is a secret inward some-
thing lacking, which, when it has once departed, you
cannot rc^store.

So in the churches of Christ, many professors are
not living believers, but stuffed Christians. They pos-
sess all the externals of religion and every outward
morality that you could desire ; they behave with
great propriety, they keep their places, and there is no
outward difference between them and the true believer,
except upon the vital point, the life which no power
on earth can possibly confer. There is this essential
distinction, spiritual life is absent.

Longing^s of the Soul.

Have you never seen a caged eagle with its breast
or wing bleeding from blows received by dashing
against the wire of its cage? The poor creature
dreamed of the forest and the craggy rock, and, filled
with aspirations for sublimest flight, it stretched its
wings and flew upward, only to bring itself into sharp
contact with its prison.

Even thus the new-born nature, stirred in its inmost
depths with longings suitable to its celestial origin,
aspires after the joys of heaven, stretching all its wings
to soar toward perfection ; but alas ! we who are in
this body do groan, we find the flesh to be a prison,

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

518

and so the r ore we long the more we pine, and pining
we sigh and cry, and wound our hearts with insiitiable
desires and bleeding discontents. The pangs of strong
desire for the presence of the Lord in glory, who
among believers has not felt them ? Who among us
has not found our flight upward brought to a painful
pause by the stern facts of flesh and blood, and earth
and sin?

Little Thiners May Grow.

When the air balloon was first discovered, a mat-
ter-of-fact gentleman contemptuously asked Dr.
Franklin what was the use of it. The doctor an-
swered this question by asking another: " What is
the use of a newborn infant? It may become a man."
This anticipation of great springing from small begin-
nings should induce us to put into practice those holy
promptings which at certain seasons move our souls.
What if we ourselves and our work should be little in
Zion ; cannot the Lord cause the grandest issues to
proceed from insignificant beginnings? Who hath
despised the day of small things ?

The liovc of God.

Frequently at the great Roman games, the emperors,
in order to gratify the citizens of Rome, would cause
sweet perfumes to be rained down upon them through
the awning which covered the amphitheatre. Behold
the vases, the huge vessels of perfume ! Yes, but
there is nought here to delight you so long as the jars
are sealed ; but let the vases be opened, and the ves-
33

614

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

sels be poured out, and let the drops of perfumed rain
begin to descend, and every one is refreshed and
gratified thereby. Such is the love of God. There is
a richness and a fulness in it, but it is not perceived
till the Spirit of God pours it out like the rain of fra-
grance over the heads and hearts of all the living chil-
dren of God. See, then, the need of having the love
of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost !

A Good Man's Influence.

Alexander von Humboldt thus writes of the cow
tree : "On the barren flank of a rock grows a tree

with coriaceous and dry leaves. Its large woody roots

can scarcely penetrate into the stone. For severa)

months of the year not a single shower moistens its

foliage. Its branches appear dead and dried ; but

when the trunk is pierced there flows from it a sweet

and nourishing milk. It is at the rising of the sun that

this vegetable foundation is most abundant. The

negroes and natives are then seen hastening from all

quarters, furnished with large bowls to receive the

milk, which grows yellow, and thickens at its surface.

Some empty their bowls under the tree itself, others

carry the juice home to their children."

May not the earnest Christian ministering good on

ad sides be imagined in this marvellous tree? He is

ill his own esteem full often a withered and dead tree,

but there is within him a living sap, which wells up with

blessing to all around. His surroundingsare all against

him, the soil in which he grows is hostile to grace, yet

he not only lives on, but luxuriates. He derives noth-

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

515

n?g from earth, his fountain is from above, but he en-
riches the sons of earth with untold blessings, and
though they often wound him they experimentally
know his value. To him full many of the poor and
needy look up to as a friend in need, he is full of the
milk of human kindness; where he cannot give in
tjolden coin he distributes comfort in sympathy and
words of cheer.

Personal Effort Needed for SiieceHS.

According to Christ's law, every Christian is to h^
active in spreading the faith, which was delivered, not
to the ministers, but to the saints, ^o every one of
them, that they might maintain it, and spread it accord-
ing to the gift which the Spirit has given them.

Shall I venture a parable ? A certain band of war-
like knights had been exceedingly victorious in all
their conflicts. They were men of valor and oi
indomitable courage ; they had carried everything be
fore them, and subdued province after province fo^
their king. But on a sudden they said in the council-
chamber : " We have at our head a most valiant war-
rior, one whose arm is stout enough to smite down
fifty of his adversaries ; would it not be better if, leav-
ing a few such as he to go out to the fight, the mere
men-at-arms, who make up the ordinary ranks, were
to rest at home? We should be much more at our
ease ; our horses would not so often be covered with
foam, nor our armor be bruised ; the many would en-
joy abundant leisure, and great things would be done
by the valiant few."

516

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Now, the foremost champions, with fear and trem-
bling, undertook the task and went to the conflict, and
they fought well, as the rolls of fame can testify; to
the best of their ability they unhorsed their foes and
performed great exploits. But still, from the very hour
in which that scheme was planned and carried out no
city was taken, no province was conquered. Then the
knights met together and said, "How is this? Our
former prestige is departed, our ranks are broken, our
pennons are trailed in the dust; what is the cause
of it?"

When out spoke the champion and said : '* Doubtless
it is so, and for a reason clear and plain. How did you
ihink that a slender band could do the work of all the
thousands ? When you all went to the fight, and every
man took his share, we dashed upon the foe like an
avalanche, and crushed him beneath our tramp ; but
now that you stay at home, and put us, who are but a
handful, to fight every battle, how can you expect that
great things should be done ?" So each man resolved
to put on his helmet and his armor once again, and
hasten to the battle, and lo, the angel of victory re-
turned.

If we are to subdue the earth, every one of us must
join in the fight. We must not exempt a single sol-
dier of the cross, neither man nor woman, rich nor

IS accordin<r

poor;

figh

to his ability, that his kingdom may come, and that his
will may be done in earth even as it is in heaven. We
shall see great things when all agree to this and put it
in practice.

trem-
:t, and
fy; to
2S and
y hou r
out no
en the
Our
tn, our

cause

ubtless
lid you
all the
1 every
Ike an

; but

but a

;ct that

[solved

n, and

ry re-
must
Irle sol-
[h. nor

)rding

hat his

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

517

put

I once heard a story of an American, who declared
he could fight the whole British army, and when he
wad asked how he could draw so long a bow as that,
he said : " Why, this is what I would do. I know I am
the best swordsman in the world, so I would go and
challenge one Britisher, and kill him ; and take another,
and kill him. Thus," said he, " I only want time enough
and I will kill the whole British army." It was a ridic-
ulous boast, but there is something in it which I could
not bring out so well in any other way. If we
want to conquer the world for the Lord Jesus
Christ, rest assured we must do it in the Yankee's
fashion ; we must take men one by one, and these ones
must be brought to Christ, or otherwise the great mass
must remain untouched. Do not imagine for a mo-
ment that you are going to convert a nation at once;
you are to convert the men of that nation one by one,
through the power of God's Holy Spirit. It is not for
you to suit your machinery, and arrange your plans
for the moving of a mass as such, you must look to the
salvation of the units.

Divine Mercies.

If the Lord has enriched you in temporals, though
you have not feared him, have you not every reason
to expect that he will do as well for you in spirituals,
if you ask him to do so.^* You call at a friend's house
on horseback ; he takes your horse into the stable
and is remarkably attentive to it ; the creature is well
groomed, well housed, well fed; you are not at all
afraid thsit jyou will be shut out, there is surely a warm

(■

518

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

place in the parlor for the rider, where the horse is so
well accommodated in the stable. Now, your body,
which we may liken to the horse, has enjoyed tem-
poral prosperity in abundance, and surely the Lord
will take care of your soul if you seek his face ! Let
your prayer be, ** My God, my Father, be my guide.
Since thou hast dealt so well with me in thes external
matters, give me true riches, give me to lovd thy Son
and trust in him, and so be henceforth thy child."

A benevolent person gave Mr. Rowland Hill a hun-
dred pounds to dispense to a poor minister, and, think-
ing it was too much to send him all at once, Mr. Hill
forwarded five pounds in a letter, with simply these
words within the envelope, " More to follow." In a
few days' time, the good man received another letter
by the post — and letters by the post were rarities in
those days ; — this second messenger contained another
five pounds, with the same motto, "And more to fol-
low." A day or two after came a third and a
fourth, and still the same promise, "And more to fol-
low." Till the whole sum had been received the aston-
ished minister was made familiar with the cheering
words, "And more to follow."

Every blessing that comes from God is sent with the
self-same message, **And more to follow." "I forgive
you your sins, but there's more to follow." " I justify
you in the righteousness of Christ, but there's more to
follow." "I adopt you into my family, but there's
more to follow." " I educate you for heaven, but there's
more to follow." '* I give you grace upon grace, but

EEV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

519,

there's more to follow." ' I have helped you even to
old age, but there's still more to follow." " I will up-
hold you in the hour of death, and as you are passing
into the world of spirits, my mercy shall still continue
with you, and when you land in the world to come
there shall still be more to follow."

A man convicted of high treason and condemned to
die is not only pardoned, but taken into the favor of
his sovereign. He is riding in vhe royal carriage, and
on the road he sees some of his fellow-traitors pin-
ioned and manacled, led forth in the midst of officers
to die for the offence in which he had as deep a hand
as they. What think you, will he not entreat the gra-
cious monarch to extend his clemency to his fellow-
rebels ? Will not the tears stand in his eyes as he ad-
mires the difference which his sovereign's free mercy
has made? Will he not be moved with emotions im-
possible to describe, of mingled joy and grief, pity and
gratitude, wonder and compassion? Christian, see
your likeness here drawn to the life ; you must surely
feel ready to fall down on your knees and cry, " Lord,
why dost thou reveal thy mercy to me and not to these ?
Save them also, O Lord, for thy name's sake."

I remember well being taken one day to see a gor-
geous palace at Venice, where every piece of furniture
was made with most exquisite taste, and of the richest
material, where statues and pictures of enormous price
abounded on all hands, and the rioor of each room was
paved with mosaics of marvellous art and extraordinary
value. As I was shown from room to room, and allowed

520

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

to roam amid the treasures by its courteous owner, I felt
a considerable timidity ; I was afraid to sit anywhere,
nor did I hardly dare to put down my foot or rest my
hand to lean. Everything seemed to be too good for
ordinary mortals like myself; but when one is intro
duced into the gorgeous palace of infinite goodness
costlier and fairer far, one gazes wonderingly with rev-
erential awe at the matchless vision. " How excellent
is thy loving-kindness, O God !" "I am not worthy of
the least of all thy benefits. Oh ! the depths of the
love and goodness of the Lord."

Sclf-Bighteousuess.

A ship on her way to Australia met with a very ter-
rible storm and sprung a leak. As evils seldom come
alone, a little while after another tempest assailed her.
There happened to be a gentleman on board, of the
most nervous temperament, whose garrulous tongue
and important air were calculated to alarm all the pas-
sengers. When the storm came on, the captain, who
knew what mischief may be done by a suspicious and
talkative individual, managed to get near him with a
view to rendering him quiet.

The gentleman, addressing the captain, said in a tone
of alarm, "What an awful storm ; I am afraid we shall
go to the bottom, for I hear the leak is very bad."
"Well," said the captain, "as you seem to know it,
and perhaps the others do not, you had better not
mention it to any one, lest you should frighten the
passengers or dispirit my men. Perhaps, as it is a very
bad case, you would lend us yourvaluable help, an^

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

521

then we may possibly get through it. Would you have
the goodness to stand here and hold hard on this
rope ; pray do not leave it, but pull as hard as ever
you can till I tell you to let it go." So our friend
clenched his teeth, and put his feet firmly down, and
kept on holding this rope with all his might, till he
t;arnestly wished for a substitute.

The storm abated ; the ship was safe, and our friend
was released from his rope-holding. He expected a
deputation would bring him the thanks of all the pas-
sengers, but they were evidently unconscious of his
merits ; for it is too often the case that we forget our
greatest benefactors. Even the captain did not seem
very grateful ; so our hero ventured, in a roundabout
style, to hint that such valuable services as his, having
saved the vessel, ought to be rewarded at least with
some few words of acknowledgment ; when he was
shocked to hear the captain say, " What, sir, do you
\\\\n\!i you saved the vessel? Why, I gave you that
rope to hold to keep you engaged, that you might not
be in such a feverish state of alarm."

The self-righteous may here see how much men con'
tribute to their own salvation apart from Christ. They
think they can certainly save themselves, and there they
stand holding the rope with their teeth clenched and
their feet tightly fixed, while they are really doing no
more than our officious friend, who was thus befooled. If
ever you get to heaven, you will find that everything
you did towards your own salvation, apart from the
Lord Jesus, was about as useful as holding the rope ;

522

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

that, in fact, the safety of the soul lies somewhere else,
and not in you ; and that what is wanted with you is
just to get out of the way, and let Christ come in and
magnify his grace.

Perseverauce.

A poor woman had a supply of coal laid at her
door by a charitable neighbor. A very little girl came
out with a small fire-shovel, and began to take up a
shovelful at a time, and carry it to a sort of bin in the
cellar. I said to the child, "Do you expect to get all
that coal in with that little shovel ? " She was quite
confused at my question, but her answer was very
striking, "Yes, sir, if I ivork long enough. "

Humble worker, make up for your want of ability
by abundant continuance in well-doing, and your life-
work will not be trivial. The repetition of small
efforts will effect more than the occasional use of great

talents.

Perversion of Human Faculties.

According to the fable, the tail of the snake obtained
precedence of the head and led the way in the crea-
ture's journeying. Being altogether blind, the new
guide dashed against a stone at one moment, and the
next came violently against a tree, and at last drowned
both itself and the head in the river of death. Here
may be seen the unhappy condition of men in whom
their baser nature is dominant, the animal controlling
the intellectual. They invert the order of nature, they
rebel against common sense ; their course cannot but
be unwise and dangerous, and their end must be fatal.

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

523

God made man upright, and placed his dioughtful
facuhies aloft in the place of sovereignty, but man in
his folly permits the appedtes which he holds in com-
mon with the brute creation to reign supreme, while
the mind, which ought to rule, is degraded to meanest

servitude. , •

The Poor as Hearers. '

John Wesley always preferred the middling and
lower classes to the wealthy. He said : '* If I might
choose, I should still, as I have done hitherto, preach
the gospel to the poor." Preaching in Monktown
Church, a large, old, ruinous building, he says: " I sup-
pose it has scarce had such a congregation during
this century. Many of them were gay, genteel people,
so I spoke on the first elements of the gospel, but I
was still out of their depth. Oh, how hard it is to be
shallow enough for a polite audience."

Position no Barrier to Grace.

Grace makes itself equally at home in the palace and
the cottage. No condition necessitates its absence, no
position precludes its flourishing. One may compare
it in its power to live and blossom in all places to the
beaudful blue-bell of Scotland, of which the poetess
sings :

No rock is too high, no vale too low,
For its fragile and tremulous form to grow.

It crowns the mountain
With azure bells,

And decks the fountain

In forest dells.
It wreaths the ruin with the clusters gray,

Bowing and smiling the livelong day.

624

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Effectual Prayer.

A scholar at a boarding-school near London was
remarked for repeating her lessons well. A school
companion, who was idly inclined, said to her one day,
"■ How is it that you always say your lessons so per-
fectly?" Shejeplied, "I always pray that I may say
my lessons well." " Do you ?" replied the other,
"then I'll pray too." But, alas! next morning she
could not repeat one word of her lesson. Very much
confounded, she ran to her friend. " I prayed," said
she, **but I could not repeat a word of my lesson."
"Perhaps," rejoined the other, "you took no pains to
learn it." " Learn it ! learn it !" answered the first,
" I did not learn it at all. I didn't know I needed to
learn it, when I prayed that I might say it." She
loved her idleness, poor girl ; and her praying was
but a mockery.

Is it not a sad thing that we should think it wonder-
ful for God to hear prayer? Much better faith was
that of a little boy in one of the schools in Edinburgh,
who had attended a prayer-meeting, and at last said
to his teacher who conducted it, " Teacher, I wish my
sister could be got to read the Bible ; she never reads
it." " Why, Johnny, should your sister be taught to
read the Bible?" "Because if she should once read
it, I am sure it would do her good, and she would be
converted and be saved." '*Do you think so,
Johnny?" "Yes, I do, sir; and I wish the next time
there's a prayer-meeting, you would ask the people to
pray for my sister, that she may begin to read the
Bible." " Well, well, it shall be done, John."

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

526

So the teacher gave out that a little boy was very
anxious that prayer should be offered that his sister
might begin to read the Bible. John was observed to
get up and go out. The teacher thought it very rude
of the boy to disturb the people in a crowded room,
and so the next day when the lad came, he said, "John,
I thought it was very rude of you to get up in the
prayer-meeting and go out. You ought not to have
done so." " Oh, sir," said the boy, " I did not mean
to be rude ; but I thought I should just like to go home
and see my sister reading her Bible for the first time."

Thus we ought to believe, and watch with expecta-
tion for answers to our prayer. Do not say, "Lord,
turn my darkness into light," and then go out with
your candle as though you expected to find it dark.
After asking the Lord to appear for you, expect him
to do so, for according to your faith so be it unto you.

Sweet Uses of Prayer.

On the 1st of May, in the olden times, according to
annual custom, many inhabitants of London went into
the fields to bathe their faces with the early dew upon
the grass, under the idea that it would render them
beautiful. Some writers call the custom superstitious ;
it may have been so, but this we know, that to bathe
one's face every morning in the dew of heaven by
prayer and communion, is the sure way to obtain true
beauty of life and character.

Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings
above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell,
for they pray so languidly ; others give but an occa-

;

526

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

sional pluck at the rope ; but he who wins with heaven
is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls con-
tinuously with all his might.

Philip James Spener had a son of eminent talents,
hut perverse and extremely vicious. All means of
love and persuasion were without success. The father
could only pray, which he continued to do, that the
Lord might yet be pleased to save his son at any time
and in any way. The son fell sick ; and while lying
on his bed in great distress of mind, nearly past the
power of speech or motion, he suddenly started up,
clasped his hands, and exclaimed : ** My father's
prayers, like mountains, surround me ! " Soon after
his anxiety ceased a sweet peace spread over his face,
his malady came to a crisis, and the son was saved in
body and soul. He became another man. Spener lived
to see his son a respectable man, in public ofifice, and
happily married. Such was the change of his life after

his conversion.

Pride.

When men refuse to hear the gospel from the lips
of a gracious but uneducated preacher, they remind
us of the Spaniard in South America, who suffered
severely from the gout, but refused to be cured by an
Indian. "I know," said he, " that he is a famous man,
and would certainly cure me ; but he is an Indian, and
would expect to be treated with attentions which I
cannot pay to a man of color, and therefore I prefer
remaining as I am."

The petty sovereign of an insignificant tribe in

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

527

North America stalks out of his hovel, bids the sun
good-morrow, and points out to him with his finj^er the
course he is to take for the day. Is this arroi^ance
more contemptible than ours when we dictate to God
the course of his providence, and summon him to our
bar for his dealings with us? How ridiculous does
man appear when he attempts to argue with his God !

Promptness in Doings Good.

Quick must be the hand if an impression is to be
made upon the melted wax. Once let the wax cool
and you will press the seal in vain. Cold and hard it
will be in a few moments, therefore let the work be
quickly done. When men's hearts arc melted under
the preaching of the Word, or by sickness, or the loss
of friends, believers should be very eager to stamp the
truth upon the prepared mind. Such opportunities
are to be seized with holy eagerness. Reader, do you
know of such ? If you be a lover of the Lord Jesus,
hasten with the seal before the wax is cool.

The Vanity of Mere Profession,

Forget not that the pretence of religion without the
power of it is one of the most comfortless things in the
world. It is like a man who should call his servant,
and say to him, " Is the larder well stored ?" '' There
is nothing, sir, not even a mouldy crust." " Let the
cloth be laid," saith he ; and it is laid, and all the appur-
tenances thereof. "And now," he says, "I will sit
down to my meal and you shall wait upon me." The
empty dishes are brought in proper course ; from in-

528

CHOICE SELBCTIONS.

visible joints he cuts imperceptible slices, and from the
empty plates he lifts upon his fork mouthfuls of noth-
ingness and dainty morsels of vacuum. There, the
cloth can be removed, the feaster has finished the at-
mospheric banquet, and rises from the table free from
any charge of immoderate eating.

Now, this may be a very pleasant operation for once,
although its charms require a very poetic and imagina
tive mind to appreciate them ; but if continued several
days, this unsubstantial festival would, I conceive, be-
come somewhat undesirable and cheerless, and in
the end the guest might perish amid his empty
platters. Yet such must be the life of the man who
professes to feed on the bread of heaven and knows
not its sustaininor virtues, who boasts of drlnkin'^ the
water of life and has never sipped that heavenly
stream.

Artificial piety, like flowers in wax, droops not in the
hour of drought, but the fair lily of true grace hangs
its head if the rain of heaven be denied. True faith,
like fire, has its attendant smoke of unbelief, but pre-
sumption, like a painted flame, is all brightness. Like
ships at sea, true Christians have storms; but m^^rc
professors, like pictured galleys on the canva^- ^ on

an unruffled ocean. Life has its chancres ;

deatli

that abideth the same. Life has muscle, sinew, braiu,
spirit, and these vary in physical condition ; but the
petrified limbs of death lie still until the worm has
devoured the carcass. Life weeps as well as smiles,
but the ghastly grin of death relaxes not with anxiety
or fear.

RiCy. CHAKLE8 H. SPURriEON.

629

Moab hath no changes ; he is " settled upon his lees;
he has not been emptied from vessel to v^iisse!." '* They
are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued
like other men." As no weather can give ague to
marble, as no variation of temperature can bring fever
to iron, so to some men. the events of life, the tempta>
tions of prosperity, or the trials of adversity bring lit-
tle change. Yet were it better to ebb and (low forever
like the sea, than rot in endless stagnation of false
peace. Better to be hunted by the hounds of hell, and
so driven to the shelter of the cross, than to dwell at
ease and be fatteninor for the devil's shambles.

ProvideucCy Good and Kind.

An old authority assures us that " the Jews fancy,
concerning the cloud that conducted Israel through the
wilderness, that it did not only show them the way, but
also plane it ; that it did not only lead them in the way
which they must go, but also fit the way for them to go
upon it ; that it cleared all the mountains and smothered
all the rocks ; that it cleared all the bushes and removed
all the rubs."

What is probably a mere legend as to the type is
abundantly true of the providence of God, which it so
accurately represents. Our gracious God not only
leads us in the way of mercy, but he prepares our path
before us, providing for all our wants even before they
occur

That image in Lowell's poem of **The Changeling"
fascinates me. It is so much what I am and ever wish
to be :

530

CHOICE SEJ^ECTIONa

I feel as weak as a violet
Alone 'neath the awful sky.

Unable to defend myself and apparently undefended,
yet guarded by omnipotent love, I would fain pour out
a perfume of praise to the Great Invisible who watches
over me, and would feel that under the care of Provi-
dence I may claim the sweetness of the poet's next
stanza :

As weak, yet as trustful also ;

For the whole year long I see
All the wonders of faithful nature

Still worked for the love of me.
Winds wander and dews drip earthward.

Rains fall, suns rise and set,
Earth whirls, and all but to prosper

A poor little violet.

Suppose the mole should cry, ** How I could have
honored the Creator had I been allowed to fly ! " it
would be very foolish, for a mole flying would be a
most ridiculous object ; while a mole fashioning its
tunnels and casting up its castles, is viewed with ad-
miring wonder by the naturalise, who perceives its re-
markable suitability to its sphere. The fish of the sea
might say, " How could I display the wisdom of God
if I could sing, or mount a tree, like a bird;" but a
dolphin in a tree would be a very grotesque affair, and
there would be no wisdom of God to admire in trouts
singing in the groves ; but when the fish cuts the wave
with agile fin, all who have observed it say how won-
derfully it is adapted to its habitat, how exactly its
every bone is fitted for its mode of life.

Brother, it is just so with you. If you begin to say,

BEV. GHABLBB H. SPUBOEON.

631

ided,
r out
tches
Provi-
next

i have
!" it
be a
|ng its
ith ad-

to say,

"I cannot glorify God where I am, and as I am," I
answer, neither could you anywhere if not where you
are. Providence, which arranged your surroundings,
appointed them so that, all things being considered,
you are in the position in which you can best display
the wisdom and the grace of God.

Unity of Purpose.

It is said of Thomas Pett, the miser, that his pulse
rose and fell with the funds. He never lay down or
rose that he did not bless the inventor of compound
interest. His one gloomy apartment was never
brightened with coal, candle, or the countenance of a
visitor, and he never ate a morsel at his own expense.
Of course he made money, for he gave himself wholly
to it ; and we ought not to forget that the same single-
mindedness and self-denial would make Christians
rich towards God. What is wanted in the service of
Christ, is the same unity of purpose which has ruled
all men who have won the object for which they lived.
He who makes God's glory the one only aim before
which all other things bow themselves, is the man to
bring honor to his Lord.

When Audubon, the celebrated American ornithol-
ogist, was in Paris, he grew quite weary of it, and his
diary does not contain a cheerful word about that gay
city until he writes : '* The stock-pigeon roosts in the
trees of the garden of the Tuileries in great numbers;
blackbirds also do the same, and are extremely noisy
before dark ; some few rookr. and magpies are seen
there also. In the Jardin, or walks of the Palais

532

CHOICE SELECnONS.

I
I
\

Royal, common sparrows are prodigiously plentiful.
The mountain finch passes in scattered numbers over
Paris at this season, going northerly." So also when
in London, the great naturalist was quite out of his
element, and only seemed pleased when a flight of
wildfowl passed over the city. Here was the secret
of his success — his complete absorption in his one
study — birds alone had charms for him.

We who would attain to eminence in the service of
Christ must let the love of souls, in an equal way,
master and engross us. When writing a paper for
the Natural History Society upon the habits of *he
wild pigeon, Audubon says : *' So absorbed was my
wholG soul and spirit in the work, that I felt as if I
were in the woods of America, among the pigeons,
and my ears were filled with the sound of their rustling
wings." We should all write, speak and preach for
our Lord Jesus far more powerfully if our love to the
Lord were a passion so dominant as to make the great
realities of eternity vividly real and supremely com-
manding in our minds.

Evils of Prosperity.

Too long a period of fair weather in the Italian val-
leys creates such a superabundance of dust that the
traveller sighs for a shower. He is smothered, his
clothes are white, his eyes smart, the grit even grates
between his teeth and finds its way down his throat ;
welcome are the rain clouds, as they promise to abate
the nuisance. Prosperity long continued breeds a
plague of dust even more injurious, for it almost blinds

REV. CHARLES H. SPURQEON.

533

the spirit and insinuates itself into the soul ; a shower
or two of grief proves a mighty blessing, for it deprives
the things of earth somewhat of their smothering power.
A Christian making money fast is just a man in a
cloud of dust; it will fill his eyes if he be not careful.
A Christian full of worldly care is in the same condition,
and had need look to it lest he be choked with earth.
Afflictions might almost be prayed for if we never had
them, even as in long stretches of fair weather men beg
for rain to lay the dust.

Procrastination Deprecated.

Do any of you remember the loss of the vessel called
the " Central America ?" She was in a bad state, had
sprung a leak and was going down, and she therefore
hoisted a signal of distress. A ship came close to her,
the captain of which asked, through the trumpet,
'' What is amiss ?" " We are in bad repair, and are
going down ; lie by till morning," was the answer. But
the captain on board the rescue-ship said, " Let me
take your passenger? on board now." " Lie by till
morning," was the message which came back. Once
again the captain cried, " You had better let me take
your passengers on board now." "Lie by till morn-
ing," was the reply which sounded through the trum-
pet. About an hour-and-a-half after, the lights were
missing, and though no sound was heard, she and all
on board had gone down to the fathomless abyss. O
unconverted friends, for God's sake, do not say, *' Lie
by till morning." To-day, even to-day, hear ye the
voice of God.

634

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Besigrnation Sastained by Faith.

. The habit of resignation is the root of peace. A
godly child had a ring given him by his mother, and
he greatly prized it, but on a sudden he unhappily lost
his ring, and he cried bitterly. Recollecting himself,
he stepped aside and prayed ; after which his sister
laughingly said to him : ** Brother, what is the good of
pr?,ying about a ring — will praying bring back your
ring ?" *• No, sister," said he, " perhaps not, but pray-
ing has done this for me, it has made me quite willing
to do without the ring, if it is God's will ; and is not
that almost as good as having it ?" Thus faith quiets
us by resignation, as a babe is hushed in his mother's
bosom. Faith makes us quite willing to do without
the mercy which once we prized ; and when the heart
is content to be without the outward blessing, it is as
happy as it would be with it ; for it is at rest.

A lady who had lost a beloved child, was so op-
pressed with grief, that she even secluded herself from
the society of her own family, and kept herself locked
in her chamber, but was at length prevailed on by her
husband to come down stairs and take a walk in the
garden. While there, she stooped to pluck a flower,
but her husband appeared as though he would hinder
her. She plaintively said, " What ! deny me a flower !"
He replied, "You have denied God your flower, and
surely you ought not to think it hard, in me to deny
you mine." The lady suitably felt the gentle reproof,
and had reason to say, " A word spoken in season,
how good is it!"

EEV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

535

Resolution Overcoming Difficulties.

Look at that perpendicular mountain side — why, it
is worse than perpendicular, it overhangs the lake ;
yet the bold Tyrolese have carried a road right along
the bald face of the rock, by blasting out a gallery, or,
as it looks from below, by chiselling out a groove.t
One would have readily written down that feat as im-
possible, and yet the road is made, and we have trav-
elled it from Riva into the Tyrol, the Lago Garda lying
far below our feet. Henceforth that road shall be to
us a cheering memory when our task is more than
usually difficult. If anything ought to be done it shall
be done. With God in front, we shall soon leave diffi-
culties in the rear, transformed into memorials of
victory.

How to be Had in Remembrance.

Sir Bernard Burke thus touchingly writes in his
Vicissitudes of Families: "In 1850 a pedigree research
caused me to pay a visit to the village of Fyndern,
about five miles southwest of Derby. I sought for the
ancient hall. Not a stone remained to tell where it
had stood ! I entered the chui ch. Not a single record
of a Finderne was there ! I accosted a villager, hoping
to glean some stray traditions of the Finderncs.
•Findernes!' said he, 'we have no Findernes here,
but we have something that once belonged to them ;
wre have Findernes flowers.^ 'Show them me,' I
replied ; and the old man led me into a field which still
retained faint traces of terraces and foundations.
* There,* said he, pointing to a bank of ' garden flowers

536

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

grown wild,' ' there are th<: Findernes' flowers, brought
by Sir Geoffrey from the Holy Land, and do what we
will, they will never die !' "

So be it with each of us. Should our names perisK
may the truths we taught, the virtues we cultivated,
the good works we initiated, live on and blossom with
undying energy —

When time his withering hand hath laid
On battlement and tower.

Dang-crs of Riches.

Crossing the Col D'Obbia, the mule laden with ouf
luggage sank in the snow, nor could it be recovered
until its load was removed ; then, but not till then, it
scrambled out of the hole it had made and pursued
its journey. It reminded us of mariners casting
out the lading into the sea to save the vessel, and we
are led to meditate upon the dangers of Christians
heavily laden with earthly possessions, and the
wise way in which the gracious Father unloads them
by their losses, that they may be enabled to pursue
their journey to heaven, and no longer sink in the
snow of carnal-mindedness.

Do not be over-anxious about riches. Get as much
of true wisdom and goodness as you can ; but be satis-
fied with a very moderate portion of this world's good.
Riches may prove a curse as well as a blessing.

I was walking through an orchard, looking about
me, when I saw a low tree laden more heavily with
fruit than the rest. On a nearer examination, it ap-

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

537

peared that the tree had been dragged to the very
earth, and broken by the weight of its treasures.
" Oh ! '' said I, gazing on the tree, "here lies one who
has been ruined by his riches."

In another part of my walk, I came up with a shep-
herd, who was lamenting the loss of a sheep that lay
mangled and dead at his feet. On inquiry about the
matter, he told me that a strange dog had attacked
the flock, that the rest of the sheep had got away
through a hole in the hedge, but that the ram now dead
had more wool on his back than the rest, and the thorns
of the hedge held him fast and the dog worried him.
"Here is another,*' said I, "ruined by his riches."

At the close of my ramble, I met a man hobbling
along on two wooden legs, leaning on two sticks. " Tell
me, " said I, " my poor fellow, how you came to lose
your legs?" "Why, sir," said he, **in my younger
days I was a soldier. With a few comrades I attacked
a party of the enemy, and overcame them, and we be-
gan to load ourselves with spoil. My comrades were
satisfied with little, but I burdened myself with as much
as I could carry. We were pursued ; my companions
escaped, but I was overtaken and so cruelly wounded,
that I only saved my life afterwards by losing my legs.
It was a bad affair, sir ; but it is too late to repent of it
now. " " Ah, friend, " thought I, " like the fruit tree
and the mangled sheep, you may date your downfall to
your possessions. It was your riches that ruined you."

When I see so many rich people, as I do, caring so
much for their bodies, and so little for their souls, I pity

538

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

them from the bottom of my heart, and sometimes
think there are as many ruined by riches as by poverty.
"They that will be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which
drown men in destruction and perdition." The prayer
will suit you, perhaps, as well as it does me, " Give me
neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food conven-
ient for me : lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who
is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the
narrke of my God in vain."

Reward Sometimes Immediate.

Occasionally a benevolent action wrought in faith
brings with it an instantaneous recompense in kind;
therein P evidence is seen as smiling upon the deed.
The late John Andrew Jones, a poor. Baptist minister,
whilst walking in Cheapside, was appealed to by some
one he knew for help. He had but a shilling in the
world, and poised it in his mind, to give or not to give?
The greater distress of his acquaintance prevailed, and
he gave his all, walking away with a sweet remem-
brance of the promise, *' He that hath pity on the poor,
lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given,
will he pay him again." He had not gone a hundred
yards further before he met a gentleman who said,
"Ah, Mr. Jones, I am glad to see you. I have had
this sovereign in my waistcoat pocket this week past
for some poor minister, and you may as well have it."
Mr. Jones was wont to add, when telling the story, "If
I had not stopped to give relief I should have missed
the gentleman and the sovereign too."

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURGE0N.

539

Rcsurrcctiou.

The doctrine of the resurrection is full of joy to the
bereaved. It clothes the grave with flowers and
wreathes the tomb with unfading laurel. The sepul-
chre shines with a light brighter than the sun, and
death grows fair, as we say in full assurance of faith:
"I know that my brother shall rise again." Rent from
the ignoble shell the pearl is gone to deck the crown
of the Prince of Peace ; buried beneath the sod the
seed is preparing to bloom in the King's garden.
Altering a word or two of Beattie's verse we may even
now find ourselves singing :

Tis night, and the landscape is lovely no more ;

Yet ye beautiful woodlands, I mourn not for you ;
r or morn is approaching your charms to restore,

Perfumed with fresh fragrance.and glittering with dew.
Nor yet for the ravage of winter I mourn ;

Kind nature the embryo blossom will save ;
The spring shall yet visit the mouldering urn ;

The day shall yet dawn on the night of the grave.

Safety of Feeble Saints.

You can buy a complete set of all the flowers of the
;\lpine district at the hotel near the foot of the Rosen-
laui glacier, very neatly pressed and enclosed in cases.
Some of the flowers are very common, but they must
be included, or the flora would not be completely rep-
resented. The botanist is as careful to see that the
common ones are there, as he is to note that the rarer
specimens are not excluded. Our blessed Lord will
be sure to make a perfect collection of all the flowers
of his field, and even the ordinary believer, the every-

540

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

day worker, the common convert, will not be forgotten.
To Jesus' eye, there is beauty in all his plants, and
each one is needed to perfect the flora of Paradise.
May I be found among his flowers, if only as one out
of myriad daisies, who with sweet simplicity shall look
up and wonder at his love forever.

Saints Preserve the World,

We saw in Venice a picture of St. Mark and other
holy champions delivering the fair city from the devil,
who had resolved to raise a great storm in the Adri-
atic, flood the lagunes, and drown the inhabitants of
the "bride of the sea." All mere legend and lie, but
for all that capable of mirroring the truth that the in-
tercession of saints and God's peculiar regard for them
have oftentimes delivered the church.

A piece of plate may become battered and scratched,
so that its beauty is hopelessly gone, but it loses not
its real worth ; put it into the scale, and its weight and
not its fashion shall be the estimate of its precious-
ness ; throw it into the melting-pot and its purity will
show its actual value. So there are many outward
circumstances which may spoil the public repute in
which a Christian is held, but his essential preciousness
remains unchanged. God values him at as high a rate
as ever. His unerring balance and crucible are not
guided by appearances. How content may we be to
be vile in the sight of men if we are accepted of the
Lord!

In the Cathedral of St. Mark, in Venice — a marvel-
lous building, lustrous with an Oriental splendor far

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

641

beyond description — there are pillars said to have been
brought from Solomon's Temple ; these are of ala-
baster, a substance firm and durable as granite, and
yet transparent, so that the light glows through them.
Behold an emblem of what all true pillars of the
church should be — firm in their faith, and transparent
in their character ; men of simple mould, ignorant of
tortuous and deceptive ways, and yet men of strong
will, not readily to be led aside, or bent from their up-
rightness. A few such alabaster men we know; may

the great Master-builder place more of them in his
temple !

Salvation in Christ.

We lately read in the papers an illustration of the
way of salvation. A man had been condemned in a
Spanish court to be shot, but being an American citizen
and also of English birth, the consuls of the two coun-
tries interposed, and declared that the Spanish author-
ities had no power to put him to death. What did
they do to secure his life, when their protest was not
sufficient ? They wrapped him up in their flags, they
covered him with the Stars and Stripes and the Union
Jack, and defied the executioners. " Now fire a shot
if you dare, for if you do so, you defy the nations re-
presented by those flags, and you will bring the powers
of those two great empires upon you."

There stood the man, and before him the soldiery,
and though a single shot might have ended his life,
yet he was as invulnerable as though encased in triple
steel. Even so Jesus Christ has taken my poor guilty

542

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

soul ever since I believed in him, and has wrapped
around me the blood-red flag of his atoning sacrifice,
and before God can destroy me or any other soul that
III wrapped in the atonement, he must insult his Son,
and dishonor his sacrifice, and that he will never do,
blessed be His name.

It is said that some years ago a vessel sailing on the
northern coast of the South American continent, was
observed to make signals of distress. When hailed by
another vessel, they reported themselves as " Dying
for water!" "Dip it up then," was the response,
" you are in the mouth of the Amazon river." There
was fresh water all around them, and they had nothing
to do but to dip it up, and yet they were dying of thirst
because they thought themselves to be surrounded by
the salt sea. How often are men ignorant of their
mercies ? How sad that they should perish for want of
knowledge! Jesus is near the seeker even when he is
tossed upon oceans of doubt. The sinner has but to
stoop down and drink and live ; and yet he is ready to
perish, as if salvation were hard to find.

I have heard of a certain divine, that he used
always to carry about with him a little book. This
tiny volume had only three leaves in it; and truth to
tell, it contained not a single word. The first was a
leaf of black paper, black as jet ; the next was a leaf
of red-scarlet ; and the last was a leaf of white, with-
out spot. Day by day he would look upon this singu-
lar book, and at last he told the secret of what it
meant.

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURQE0N.

543

He said, " Here is the black leaf, that is my sin, and
the wrath of God which my sin deserves ; I look, and
look, and think it is not black enough to represent
my guilt, though it is as black as black can be. The
red leaf reminds me of the atoning sacrifice, and the
precious blood ; and I delight to look at it, and weep,
and look again. The white leaf represents my soul,
as it is washed in Jesus' blood and made white as
snow." The little book was fuller of meaning than
many a learned folio.

The Scriptures.

There is gold in the rocks which fringe the Pass of
the Spliigen, gold even in the stones which mend the
roads, but there is too little of it to be worth extracting.
Alas, how like too many books and sermons ! Not so
the Scriptures, they are much fine gold ; their very
dust is precious.

Lord Bacon tells of a certain bishop who used to
bathe regularly twice every day, and on being asked
why he bathed thus often replied, " Because I cannot
conveniently do it three times." If those who loved the
Scriptures were asked why they read the Bible so often,
they might honestly reply, *' Because we cannot find
time to read it oftener." The appetite for the Word
grows on that which it feeds on. We would say with
Thomas a Kempis, " I would be always in a nook with
a book."

The late William Jay, in his ** Practical Illustrations
of Character," says, " What a difference must a Chris-
tian and a minister feel, between the trammels of some

544

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

systems of divinity and the advantage of Scripture
freedom, the glorious Hberty of the sons oi God. The
one is the horse standing in the street in harness, feed-
ing indeed, but on the contents of a bag tossed up
and down ; the other, the same animal in a large, fine
rneadow where he lies down in green pastures and
beside the still waters.

Schools.

By order of Government the roads in Prussia are
lined on each side with frui<- trees. Riding once, early
in September, from Berlin to Halle, an American
traveller noticed that some of the trees had a wisp of
straw attached to them. He inquired of the coach-
man what it meant. He replied that those trees bore
choice fruits, and the straw was a notice to the public
not to take fruit from those trees without special per-
mission. " I fear," said the traveller, " that in my coun-
try such a notice would be but an invitation to roguish
boys to attack those very trees." " Haben sie keuie
Schulenf (*' Have you no schools? ") was his signifi-
cant rejoinder. Rest assured, dear reader, that next
to godliness, education is the mainstay of order.

Watchfulness over Self. ,

An old writer, speaking of men as stewards of Gotl,
urges upon them as wise traders and servants to look
to themselves carefully, and take care of four houses
which are under their charge, i. — Their warehouse,
or heart and memory, wherein they should store up
precious things, holy affections, grateful remembrances,

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

545

celestial preparations, etc. Without a good stock in
the warehouse there can be no good trade. 2. — Their
workhouse, or their actions, wherein they retail to
others, for God's glory, the grace entrusted to them;
teaching the ignorant, comforting the poor, visiting
the sick, etc. We must be active, or we cannot be
acceptable servants. 3. — Their clock-house, meaning
their speech, which must always, like a v;ell-timed bell,
speak the truth accurately ; and meaning also their
observance of time, redeeming it by promptly doing
the duties of every hour. We must use time well, or
our spiritual gains will be small. 4. — Their cowiting-
hotise, or their conscience, which is to be scrupulously
watched, and no false reckonings allowed, lest we
deceive our own souls. The Master will call for our
accounts : let us keep them honestly.

Self-Dissatisfaction;

'* During the nine years that I was his wife," says
the widow of the great artist Opie, 'T never saw him
satisfied with one of his productions, and often, very
often, have I seen him enter my sitting-room, and
throwing himself in an agony of despondence on the
sof?, exclaim, * I never, never shall be a painter as long
as I live !'" It was a noble despair, such as is never
felt by the self-complacent daubers of signboards, and
it bore the panting aspirant up to one of the highest
niches in the artistic annals of his country. The self-
same dissatisfaction with present attainments is a
potent force to bear the Christian onward to the most
eminent degree of spirituality and holiness.
35

546

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Self-Examination.

A Highlander who purchased a barometer under a
mistaken idea of its purpose, complained that he could
not see that it had made any improvement in the.
weather ; and those who use signs and evidences for
an intent which they will never answer, will be sure
to complain that their faith is not increased, though
they are always practising self-examination. Yet a
barometer has its uses, and so have evidences of grace.
To feel the pulse is an admirable thing; the mistake
is to put this in the place of strengthening food or
tonic medicine.

Self-Bigrhteousness.

The squirrel in his wire cage, continually in motion
but making no progress, reminds me of my own self-
righteous efforts after salvation, but the little creature
is never one-half so wearied by his exertions as I was
by mine. The poor chiffonier in Paris, trying to earn
a living by picking dirty rags out of the kennel, suc-
ceeds far better than I did in my attempts to obtain
comfort by my own works.

Dickens's cab-horse, which was only able to stand
because it was never taken out of the sliafts, was
strength and beauty itself compared with my starve-
ling hopes propped up with resolutious and regula-
tions. Wretches condemned to the galleys in the
days of the old Frerch kings, whose only reward for
incessant toils was the lash of the keeper, were in a
Tiore happy plight than I when under legal bondage.
Slavery in mines where the sun never shines must be

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

647

ider a

could

in the.

;es for

2 sure

;hough

Yet ;i

grace.

nistake

bod or

motion

wn self-

preature

IS I was

o earn

lel, suc-

obtain

stand
ts, was
starve-
regula-
in the
irard for
re in a
)ndage.
lust be

preferable to the miseries of a soul goaded by an
awakened conscience to seek salvation by its own
merits.

Some of the martyrs were shut up in a dungeon
called Little-ease ; the counterpart of that prison-house
I well remember. Iron chains are painful enough; but
what is the pain when the iron enters into the soul !
Tell us not of the writhings of the wounded and dying
on the battle-field; some of us when our heart was
riddled by the artillery of the law, would have counted
uounds and death a happy exchange. O blessed
Saviour, how blissful was the hour when all this horrid
midnight of the soul was changed into the day-dawn
of pardoning love !

'*A gentleman in our late civil wars," says Cowley,
"when his quarters were beaten up by the enemy, was
taken prisoner, and lost his life afterwards, only by
staying to put on a band, and adjust his periwig: he
would escape like a person of quality, or not at all,
and died the noble martyr o^ ceremony and gentility."
Poor fool ! and yet he is as bad who waits till he is
dressed in the rags of his own fancied fitness before
ho will come to Jesus. He will die a martyr to pride
and self-righteousness.

Sell-Seeking.

A certain king had a minstrel whom he commanded
to play before him. It was a day of high feasting ;
the cups were flowing, and many great guests were as-
sembled. The minstrel laid his fingers among the
strings of his harp, and woke them all to the sweetest

*648

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

melody, but the hymn was to the glory of himself. It
was a celebration of the exploits of song which the
bard had himself performed, and told how he had ex-
celled high-born Hoel's harp, and emulated soft Lle-
wellyn's lay. In high-sounding strains he sang him-
self and all his glories.

When the feast was over, the harper said to the
monarch, *' O king, give me thy guerdon ; let the min-
strel's needs be paid." Then the monarch replied,
"Thou hast sung unto thyself; pay thyself; thine own
praises were thy theme; be thyself the paymaster."
The harper cried, " Did I not sing sweetly ? O king,
give me thy gold ! " But the king answered, "So
much the worse for thy pride, that thou shouldst lavish
such sweetness upon thyself. Get thee gone, thou shalt
not serve in my train."

If a man should grow gray-headed in the perform-
ance of good works, yet when at the last it is known
that he has done them all for himself, that he may be
honored thereby, his Lord will say, "Thou hast done
well enough in the eyes of man, but so much the worse,
because thou didst it only to thyself, that thine own
praises might be sung, and that thine own name might
be extolled. "

Service, the Boad to Honor.

When the Spartan king advanced against the enemy,
he had always with him some one that had been crowned
in the public games of Greece. And they tell us that
a Lacedaemonian, when large sums were offered him
on condition that he would not enter the Olympic lists,

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

549

refused them. Having with much difficulty thrown his
antagonists in wrestling, one put this question to him,
" Spartan, what will you get by this victory ? " He an-
swered v/ith a smile, " I shall have the honor to fight
foremost in the ranks of my prince. "

The honor which appertains to office in the Church
of God lies mainly in this — that the man who is set
apart for such service has the privilege of being firstin
holiness of example, abundance of liberality, patience
of long-suffering, zeal in effort, and self-sacrifice in ser-
vice. Thou gracious King of kings, if thou hast made
me a minister or deacon in thy church, enable me to be
foremost in every good word and work, shunning no
sacrifice, and shrinking from no suffering.

Look at your miller on the village hill. How does
he grind his grist ? Does he bargain that he will only
grind in the west wind, because its gales are so full of
health? No, but the east wind, which searches joints
and marrow, makes the mill-stones revolve, and together
with the north and south it is yoked to his service.
Even so should it be with you who are true workers
for God ; all your ups and your downs, your successes
and your defeats, should be turned to the glory of God.

Of the old hero the minstrel sang —

" With his Yemen sword for aid ;

Ornament it carried none,

But the notches on the blade."

What nobler decoration of honor can any godly man
seek after than his scars of service, his losses for the
cross, his reproaches for Christ's sake, his being worn
ou( in his Master's service I

650

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

When Calvin was banished from ungrateful Geneva,
he said, " Most assuredly if I had merely served man,
this would have been a poor recompense ; but it is my
happiness that I have served him who never fails tore-
ward his servants to the full extent of his promise. "

Slander.

We saw in the Museum at Venice an instrument
with which one of the old Italian tyrants was accus-
tomed to shoot poisoned needles at the objects of his
wanton malignity ; we thought of gossips, backbiters
and secret slanderers, and wished that their mis-
chievous devices might come to a speedy end. Their
weapons of innuendo, shrug and whisper, appear to be
as insignificant as needles, but the venom which they
instil is deadly to many a reputation.

Some persons reported to the amiable poet Tasso
that a malicious enemy spoke ill of him to all the world.
•'Let him persevere," said Tasso ; " his rancor gives
me no pain. How much better is it that he should
speak ill of me to all the world, than -that all the world
should speak ill of me to him."

The Rev. B. Jacobs, of Cambrldgeport, could, when
necessary, administer reproof very forcibly, though
the gentleness of his character was always seen in the
manner in which it was done. Some young ladies at
his house were one day talking about one of thtir
female friends. As he entered the room he heard the
epithets *' odd," "singular," etc., applied. He asked
and was told the name of the young lady in question,
and then said, very gravely, " Yes, she is an odd young

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

551

lady ; she is a very odd young lady ; I consider her
extremely singular." He then added very impres-
sively, " She was never heard to speak ill of an absent
friend." The rebuke was not forgotten by those who

heard it.

Wide Consequences .1 Sin.

Sages of old contended that no sin was ever com-
mitted whose consequences rested on the head of the?-
sinner alone ; that no man c^uld do ill and his fellows
not suffer. They illustrated ii: thus : — *' A vessel sail-
ing from Joppa carried a passenger, who, beneath his
berth, cut a hole through in the ship's side. When the
men of the watch expostulated with him, * What dost
thou, O miserable man ?' the offender calmly replied,
' What matters it to you ? The hole I have made lies
under my own berth.' "

This ancient parable is worthy of the utmost con-
sideration. No man perishes alone in his iniquity ; no
man can guess the full consequences of his trans-
gressions.

Sin Aroused by the Law.

A contented citizen of Milan, who had never passed
beyond its walls during the course of sixty years,
being ordered by the governor not to stir beyond its
gates, became immediately miserable, and felt so
powerful an inclination to do that which he had so long
contentedly neglected that, on his application for a re-
lease from this restraint being refused, he became quite
melancholy, and at last died of grief.

How well this illustrates the apostle's confession

552

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

that he had not known lust, unless the law had said
unto him, "Thou shalt not covet!" "Sin," saith he,
"taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me
all manner of concupiscence." Evil often sleeps in the
soul, until the holy command of God is discovered,
and then the enmity of the carnal mind rouses itself to
oppose in every way the will of God. "Without the
law," says Paul, "sin was dead." How vain to hope
for salvation from the law when, through the perversity
of sin, it provokes our evil hearts to rebellion, and
works in us neither repentance nor love.

Insidious Nature of Sin.

In the gardens of Hampton Court you will see many
trees entirely vanquished and well-nigh strangled by
huge coils of ivy, which are wound about them like the
snakes around the unhappy Laocoon ; there is no un-
twisting the folds ; they are too giant-like and fast fixed,
and every hour the rootlets of the climber are sucking
the life out of the unhappy tree. Yet there was a day
when the ivy was a tiny aspirant, only asking a little
aid in climbing ; had it been denied then, the tree had
never become its victim, but by degrees the humble
weakling grew in strength and arrogance, and at last
it assumed the mastery, and the tall tree became the
prey of the creeping, insinuating destroyer.

The moral is too obvious. Sorrowfully do we re-
member many noble characters which have been
ruined little and little by insinuating habits. Drink
has been the ivy in many cases. Reader, see to it, lest

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

558

some slowly advancing sin overpower you : men who
are murdered by slow poisoning die just as surely as
those who take arsenic.

Theologry Ought Not to be Petrified Scripture.

Petrarch's works are said to have lain so long in the
roof of St. Mark's, at Venice, that they became
turned into stone ; by what process deponent sayeth
not. To many men it might well seem that the Word
of God had become petrified, for they receive it as a
hard, lifeless creed, a stone upon which to sharpen the
daggers of controversy, a stumbling-block for young
beginners, a millstone with which to break opponents'
heads, after the manner experienced by Abimelech at
Thebez. A man must have a stout digestion to feed
on some men's theology ; no sap, no sweetness, no life,
but all stern accuracy and fleshless definition. Pro-
claimed without tenderness, and argued without affec-
tion, the gospel from such men rather resembles a mis-
sile from a catapult than bread from a Father's table.

Teeth are needlessly broken over the grit of sys-
tematic theology, while sc^^ls are famishing. To turn
stones into bread was a temptation of our Master, but
how many of his servants yield readily to the far worse
temptation to turn bread into stone ! Go thy way,
metaphysical divine, to the stone-yard, and break gran-
ite for McAdam, but stand not in the way of loving
spirits who would feed the family of God with living
bread. The inspired Word is to us spirit and life, and
we cannot afford to have it hardened into a huge mono-
lith, or a spiritual Stonehenge — sublime, but cold ; ma-

654

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

jestic, but lifeless ; far rather would we have it as our
own household book, our bosom companion, the poor
man's counsellor and friend.

Benefit of Sorrow.

Two seeds lie before us — the one is warmed in the
sun, the other falls from the sower's hand into the cold
dark earth, and there it lies buried beneath the soil.
The seed which suns itself in the noontide beam may
rejoice in the light in which it basks, but it is liable to
be devoured by the bird ; and certainly naught can
come of it, however long it may linger above ground ;
but the other seed, hidden beneath the clods in a damp,
dark sepulchre, soon swells, germinates, bursts its
sheath, upheaves the mould, springs up a green blade,
buds, blossoms, becomes a flower, exhales perfume,
and loads the wings of every wind.

Better far for the seed to pass into the earth and
die, than to lie in the sunshine and produce no
fruit ; and even thus for thee the future in its sorrow
shall be as a sowing in a fertile land ; tears shall
moisten thee, grace shall increase within thee, and
thou shalt grow up in the likeness of thy Lord unto
perfection of holiness, to be such a flower of God's
own planting as even angels shall delight to gaze
upon in the day of thy transplanting to the celestial
soil.

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

656

PEARLS.

The Paris correspondent of the " Daily News "
writes : " The French have grown so clever at imitat-
ing pearls that a jeweller in the Exhibition shows a
necklace which purports to be a mixture of true pearls
and false, and he challenges his customers to single
out the real ones if they can. Nobody had yet sue
ceeded, when I myself made an ineffectual attempt."

The art of pearl-making is by no means a new dis-
covery; by various methods imitation pearls have
been manufactured in divers countries for many years.
The French have, however, proved themselves supe-
rior to all competitors. Specimens of their artificial
productions exhibited at the Exposition of 1867 could
neither in their lustre nor color be distinguished from
Oriental pearls, even when the genuine and the sham
were laid side by side. We are told that there is only
one way by which they can be detected, and that is by
their specific weight ; they are much lighter than the
real pearls.

There is "one Pearl of great price," about whose
genuineness there can never be a question ; but all
the goodly pearls which this world can yield need to
be weighed before we can conclude them to be of any
great value — indeed, the choicest pearls of earth are
insignificant in price compared with Him who is more
precious than rubies, and of whom it is written, that
•' all the things thou canst desire are not to be com-
pared unto Him."

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CHOICE SELBCnONS.

emperor's crown and to heighten the beauty of the
fairest of maidens, have been known to sicken and die
and vanish in a day. Every now and then we hear of
magnificent ancestral pearls, the pride of noble fami-
lies, turning of a sickly color and crumbling into dust.
^ Not long ago the crown-jeweller of France solemnly
applied to the Academy of Science for the means of
preventing the decay and corruption of the precious
gems in the royal crown. No satisfactory answer was
given, and maay highly-prized jewels have since then
passed away. " Behold all is vanity and vexation of
spirit."

In a work entitled " The Wonders of the Deep,"
M.. Scheie de Vere tells us the following story, of
which we leave our readers to draw the moral for
themselves : A dusky fisherman in the far-off seas of
India once found a pearl in an oyster. He had heard
of such costly gems, and sold it to an Arab for a gold
coin which maintained him for a whole year in luxury
and idlenesg. The Arab exchanged it for powder
and shot furnished him by a Russian merchant on
board a trading vessel, who even yet did not recognize
the dirty, dust-covered little ball as a precious jewel.

He brought it home as a present for his children on
the banks of the Neva, where a brother merchant saw
it and bought it for a trifle. The pearl had at last
found one who could appreciate its priceless value.
The great man — for it was a merchant of the first
class, the owner of a great fortune — rejoiced at the
silent fraud by which he had obtained the one pearl of

REV. CHARLES a SPURC^EON.

567

great price, without selling all and buying it fairly,
and cherished it as the pride of his heart.

Visitors came from all parts of the world to see the
wonder. He received them in his merchant's costume in
a palace plain without, but resplendent inside with all
that human art can do to embellish a dwelling, and
led them silently through room after room, filled with
rare collections and dazzling by the splendor of their
ornaments. At last he opened with his own key the
carved folding-doors of an in;ier room, which sur-
prised the visitor by its apparent simplicity. The
floor, to be sure, was inlaid with malachite and costly
marble, the ceiling carved in rare woods, and the
walls hung with silk tapestry ; but there was no furni-
ture, no gilding — nothing but a round table of dark
Egyptian marble in the centre.

Under it stood a strong box of apparently wonder-
ful ingenuity, for even the cautious owner had to go
through various readings of alphabets, and to unlock
one door after another, before he reached an inner
cavity, in which a plain square box of Russia leather
was standing alone. With an air akin to reverence,
the happy merchant would take the box and press it
for a moment to his bosom ; then, devoutly crossing
himself and murmuring an invocation to some saint,
he would draw a tiny gold key, which he wore next
his person, from his bosom, unlock the casket, and
hold up his precious pet to the light that fell from a
grated window above.

It was a glorious sight for the lover of such things—

558

CHOICE SELEOnONS.

a pearl as large as a small egg, of unsurpassed beauts^
and marvellous lustre. The sphere was perfect ; the
play of colors, as he would let it reluctantly roll from
his hands over his long white fingers down on the dark
table, was only equalled by the flaming opal, and yet
there was a soft, subdued light about the lifeless thing
which endowed it with an almost irresistible charm.

It was not only the pleasure its perfect form and
matchless beauty gave to the eye, nor the overwhelm-
ing thought of the fact that the little ball was worth
anything an emperor or a millionaire might choose to
give for it — there was a magic in its playful, ever-
changing sheen as it rolled to and fro — a contagion in
the rapt fervor with which the grim old merchant
watched its every flash and flare, which left few hearts
cold as they saw the marvel of St. Petersburg. For
such it was, and the emperor himself, who loved pearls
dearly, had in vain offered rank and titles and honors
for the priceless gem.

A few years afterwards a conspiracy was discovered
and several great men were arrested. Among the
suspected was the merchant. Taking his one great
treasure with him, he fled to Paris. Jewellers and
amateurs. Frenchmen and foreigners, flocked around
him, for the fame of his jewel had long since reached
France. He refused to show it for a time.

At last he appointed a day when his great rival in
pearls, the famous Dutch banker, the Duke of Bruns-
wick, and other men well known for their love of
precious stones and pearls, were to behold the wonder.

BEY. CHARLES H. 8PUBOE0N.

659

He drew forth the golden key, he opened the casket ;
but his face turned deadly pale, his eyes started from
their sockets, his whole frame began to tremble, and
his palsied hand let the casket drop. The pearl was
discolored ! A sickly blue color had spread over it, and
dimmed its matchless lustre. His gem was diseased.
In a short time it turned into a white powder, and
the rich merchant of St. Petersburg, the owner of th^
finest pearl known to the world, was a pauper. The
pearl had avenged the poor Indian of the East, the
Arab, and the poor traveller, and administered silent
justice to the purchaser who paid not its price.

MOORE'S REMONSTRANCE.

Earl Russell is dead. In biographical notices given
by most of the papers allusion is made to the proposi-
tion of Lord John Russell to retire from public life
while yet a young man, in consequence of some serious
discouragement which he had received. It is stated
that he was deterred from so doing by the expostula-
tions of Thomas Moore, and quotations are made from
the "Remonstrance" which that sparkling poet ad-
dressed to him. On reading the poem it struck us at
once that many of the remarks would apply in other
and higher senses to any Christian who should be
tempted to withdraw himself from the service of his
Lord. The first three verses of the poem we will quote
at length:

" What tkou, with thy genius, thy youth, and thy name— >
Thou, born of a Russell — whose instinct to run
The accustomed career of thy sires, is the same
As the eaglet* s to soar with his eyes on the sun,—

660

CHOICE SELBCTI0N8.

" Whose nobility comes to thee stamped with a seal

Far, far more ennobling than monarch e'er set,
With the blood of thy race offered up for the weal
Of a nation that swears by that martyrdom yet, —

" Shalt thou be faint-hearted and turn from the strife,
* From the mighty arena where all that is grand,

And devoted, and pure, and adorning in life,

'Tis for high-thoughted spirits like thine to command ? '*

Born from above, and bearing the name of Christian,
shall the child of God cease to battle for that which is
good? Conscious of a. sacred instinct which impels
him onward and upward, shall he sit down in despair
or retire into inglorious ease ? Serving a Lord who
spared not His heart's blood for man's redemption, and
following in the track of thousands of martyrs who
counted not their lives dear unto them, shall we self-
ishly shun self-denial and avoid reproach? No; by
God's grace let us never dream of timorous silence, nor
think for an instant that our light can be spared from
ihe darkening horizon of our times.

We may have neither eloquence nor genius, but such
as we have we will consecrate to the last moment of our
lives to Him who hath bought us by His precious blood.
We may address to every timorous heart the closing
verse of Tom Moore, altered to suit the case :

*' Thus ransomed, thou never canst sleep in the shade ;

If the strings of impulse, the terror of fame.
And the charms of thy cause have not power to persuade.
Yet think how to Jesus thou'rt pledged by thy name."

He who wears the name of Christian is sworn to sus-
tain the cause of God and truth with the last drop that
warms his veins.

REV. CHAHLES «. SPtJJ^^EOK.
DESERTERS.

561

One of our journals, in an article upon the charac-
ter of the men in the British army, says : " One great
cause of misconduct is that few men enlist deliberately,
but rather take the shilling as a means of escapiniL;
temporary trouble of some sort. Either a man is
temporarily out of work, or he has a quarrel with his
sweetheart, or he wishes for a while to keep out of the
way of the police. Comparatively rarely does he be-
come a soldier from a conviction that it is an honorable
mode of earning a living, and that there are some ex-
tremely good prizes to be won. Hence speedy re-
pentance, and if he is unable to purchase his discharge
he will frequently in desperation steal, so openly that
he must be discovered, some, to him, useless article,
such as a broom or one boot."

It seems, then, that very much depends upon the
manner of the enlistment of soldiers, and we are quite
sure that with young converts everything depends
upon the reason for their enrolment in the army of
Christ. If they merely come to Christ because they
are under some temporary alarm of soul, and not be-
cause they are heartily convinced of the error of their
ways, they will probably desert from the standard of
the cross as soon as the temporary pressure of natural
conviction is removed.

The awakening sermon is forgotten, the alarming
providence is over, the eloquent revivalist has gone to
another town, and the superficial converts regret that
they ever made a profession of religion, and under one

CHOICE sBLEcnoys.

pretext or another they slide away. How well i . i\
that our young friends should count the cost and under-
stand what they are doing, and then should deliberately
and heartily cast in their lot with the people of God,
They must be convinced that to be a Christian is righi
and honorable, and for their own eternal good ; they
must also be assured that the cause is one of truth
and righteousness, and that in it lies all their hope of
eternal salvation — they must, in a word, be renewed
in the spirit of their minds, or they will soon be the
prey of temptation, and the Church will be filled with
alarm at the large number of deserters.

Our Lord was always anxious that men should be
saved, but He was never in a hurry to gather nominal
disciples. When the scribe said to Him, *' Master, I
will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest," He did
not reply, as many of us would have done, with a press-
ing invitation and an enthusiastic welcome ; but He
was far more wise in his procedure, for He replied ;
"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have
nests ; but I, the Son of man, have not where to lay
my head." He put before him the poverty of the
Captain and the hard fare of the soldier. When the
multitude thronged around Him, He did not com-
mence taking their names, enrolling them as His con
verts, and counting heads in order to publish astound
ing statistics, but, on the contrary, He sifted them witl
words like these : ** Verily, verily, I say unto you, yc
seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because
ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."

BEV. OHABLES H. SPUBOEON.

568

The recruiting-sergeants of her Majesty's army are
so anxious to get hold of the men that they are not
scrupulous as to the arguments they use. Drink is
freely given, the soldier's condition is set forth in rosy
colors, and the young man is cajoled and seduced into
a way of life which he would not have thoughtfully
chosen ; but it must not be so among us. We may
not repel any man who wishes to join our ranks, but
we may not persuade men and women to make a
hasty profession, and take the name of Christian upon
them to please their friends.

The door must not be closed with lock and key, but
there must be a porter to open it, in order tliat the
sheep, and not the goats, may go in and out and find
pasture. Since the porter himself may be readily de-
ceived, it is every man's personal responsibility to see
that he enters with his heart and soul into the Church
of God, if he does enter at all ; and it is at his own
peril that he dares to intrude unworthily or insincerely
into the fold of Christ.

A profession carelessly made will soon be dishonor-
ably abandoned. We know who it was that said :
•' They went out from us, but they were not of us ; for
if they had been of us, they would no doubt have con-
tinued with us ; but they went out, that they might be
made manifest that they were not all of us." He who
wrote these words was of a loving nature, and never
formed a harsh judgment, and therefore from his ver-
dict we conclude that the backslidings and apostasies
which weaken the visible Church of Christ are caused

564

CHOICE SBLBCriONS.

by a want of reality at the commencement of the
religious life.

There was no root, and therefore the plant withered
when the sun was risen with burning heat. There
was no call to the soldier's life, or the reputed warrior
of the Cross would not have so shamefully deserted the
colors. Hence the stern necessity of our being care-
ful in examining all candidates, and honest in warning
them c^ their responsibilities.

" Have ye counted the cost,
Have ye counted the cost,
Ye warriors of the Cross ?
Are ye fixed in the heart, for your Master's sake

To suffer all earthly loss ?
Can ye bear the scoff of the worldly-wise,

As ye pass by Pleasure's bower
To watch with your Lord on the mountain-top
Through the weary midnight hour ?

•• Do ye answer, • We can,*
Do ye answer, « We can,'
Through His love's constraining power ?
But do ye remember the flesh is weak,
And shrinks in the trial hoiur ?
Yet yield to His hand who around you now

The cords of a man wovtld cast.
The bands of His love who was smitten for you.
To the altar binding you fast.

" In the power of His might,
In the power of His might.

Who was made through weakness strong.
Ye shall overcome in the fearful fight.

And sing His victory song.
But count ye the cost, yea, count ye the cost —

The forsaking all ye have —
Then take up your cross and follow your Lord,

Not thinking your life to save."

BEY. CHARLES R. SPUBOEON.

665

THE BEST PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND

ADVENT.

There is a well-known story in New England which
relates that about a century ago a day of remarkable
gloom and darkness overspread the States of Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut — a day still spoken of in
local histories as " the dark day/' when the light of the
sun was slowly extinguished as if by an eclipse. The
Legislature of Connecticut happened at that moment
to be in session, and, to quote an American writer,
" As its members saw the unexpected and unaccount-
able darkness coming on, they shared in the general
awe and terror. It was supposed by many that the
Last Day — the Day of Judgment — had come, and in
the consternation of the hour some member moved
the adjournment of the House. Then straightway
there arose an old Puritan legislator, Davenport of
Stamford, and said that if the Last Day had come, he
desired to be found in his place and doing his duty ;
for which reasons he moved that candles should be
brought, so ihat the House might proceed with its
debate."

This Davenport of Stamford was a wise man.
What could the other senators have suggested which
would be equally suitable for the occasion ? If it had
been the Last Day, would they have been more ready
for it if they had gone to their homes and waited there
in idleness ? Would it have been more seemly to have
rushed into the street, and to have stood there with
gaping ^mouths looking upward to the sky? What

666

. CHOICE SELECTIONS.

was better than being ready for whatever might
happen, and waiting at the post of duty?

We believe firmly in the second advent of Christ,
and in the grand fact that He may come at such an
hour as we think not ; but what of that ? What is the
practical use of the revelation ? Are we to forego
matters of immediate concern in order to pry into the
impenetrable darkness of the future ? Are we to make
ourselves into mere star-gazers and prognosticators ?
Are we to spend our time in idle wonder, concluding
that every time we hear of wars, and rumors
of wars, and read of earthquakes in divers places,
it is an infallible token that the end of the world is
near? Why, there have been wars and rumors of
Arars, and all the other signs, a score of times, and
yet the worla wags on at its usual rate.

No ; rather let us give ourselves up more entirely
to the pressing demands of our Lord's household ; let
us bring out of His storehouse things new and old,
continue to feed our fellow-servants, and welcome home
the wanderers ; and then, whether the Master come at
cock-crow or midnight, it will signify litde enough
to us. We shall welcome Him whenever He comes>
and He will meet us with joy, for " blessed is that serv-
ant whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so
doing."

Master Davenport of Stamford doubtless had a
solid confidence in the Lord Jesus ; his faith had fixed
itself upon His first advent, and received the salvation
which Jesus came to bring ; and therefore, delivered

REV. CHARLES H. SPUBOBON.

567

from all trepidation and alarm, he did not sKare in the
general terror, nor draw inferences of alarm from the
unexpected and unaccountable darkness. The heavens
might fall, but he dwelt above the heavens, and in
quietness and assurance was his strength.

Moreover, the good man possessed a faitli which
manifested itself by works ; his business was his re-
ligion, and his religion was his business. He believed
he was called of God to sit in the Le^'=;lature of Con-
necticut, and therefore there he sat : he only wanted
candles,that he might see what he wr. at. He m'«.s doing
what was right, he was there to vote tor ju -tice and truth,
and ii Ks Master had ccme he would have risen from
h!s seat and said, " Here am I, in the place Thou
wouldst have me to occupy."

We remember once calling upon one'of our mem-
bers, a sister who managed her household with discre-
tion. She was in humble circumstances, and when we
stopped opposite her house she was whitening the
front steps. She rose from her pail and apologized
for being found with her sleeves up ; but we begged
her to make no excuse, for she was doing her duty,
and we earnestly hoped that when our Lord should
come He would find us in the same condition. If she
had known we were coming, it is just possible she
would have put on her best gown, and have been wait-
ing in the little parlor ; but we should not have been
one-half as charmed with her prepared appearance as
with the exhibition of her every-day industry.

The most fitting condition for death and for judg-

568

CHOICE SELECnONS.

ment is to be diligent in the Master's business, fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord. The times are very dark ;
bring in the candles, and let the House proceed with
the present business.

ON RAISING QUESTIONS.

In these days, a simple, child-like faith is very rare;
but the usual thing is to believe nothing, and question
everything. Doubts are as plentiful as blackberries,
and all hands and lips are stained with them. To me
it seems very strange that men should hunt up diffi-
culties as to their own salvation. If I were doomed
to die, and I had a hint of mercy, I am sure I should
not set my wits to work to find out reasons why I
should not be pardoned. I could leave my enemies to
do that : I should be on the look-out in a very different
direction.

If I were drowning, I should sooner catch at a straw
than push a life-belt away from me. To reason against
one's own life is a sort of constructive suicide of which
only a drunken man would be guilty. To argue
against your only hope is like a foolish man sitting on
a bough, and chopping it away so as to let himself
down. Who but an idiot would do that ? Yet many
appear to be special pleaders for their own ruin. They
hunt the Bible through for threatening texts ; and
when they have done with that, they turn to reason,
and philosophy, and scepticism, in order to shut the
door in their own faces. Surely this is poor employ
ment for a sensible man.

BEV. CHAP.LES H. SPURGEON.

569

Many, nowadays, who cannot quite get away from
religious thought, are able to stave off the inconven-
ient pressure of conscience by quibbling over the great
truths of revelation. Great mysteries are in the Book
of God of necessity ; for how can the infinite God so
speak that all His thoughts can be grasped by finite
man ? But it is the height of folly to get discussing
these deep things, and to leave plain, soul-saving*truths
in abeyance.

It reminds one of the two philosophers who debated
about food, and went away empty from the table, while
the common countryman in the corner asked no ques-
tion, but used his knife and fork with great diligence,
and went on his way rejoicing. Thousands are now
happy in the Lord through receiving the gospel like
little children ; while others, who can always see diffi-
culties, or invent them, are as far off as ever from any
comfortable hope of salvation.

I know very decent people who seem to have re-
solved never to come to Christ till they can under-
stand how the doctrine of election is consistent with
the free invitations of the gospel. I might just as
well determine never to eat a morsel of bread till it is
explained to me how it is that God keeps me alive,
and yet I must eat to live. The fact is, that we most
of us know quite enough already, and the real want
with us is not light in the head, but truth in the heart ;
not help over difficulties, brt grace to make us hate
sin and seek reconciliation.

Here let me add a warning against tampering with

670

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

the Word of God. No habit can be more ruinous to
the soul. It is cool, contemptuous impertinence to sit
down and correct your Maker, and it tends to make
the heart harder than the nether millstone. We re-
member one who used a penknife on his Bible, and it
was not long before he had given up all his former
beliefs. The spirit of reverence is healthy, but the
in^ertinence of criticising the inspired Word is de-
structive of all proper feeling toward God.

If ever a man does feel his need of a Saviour after
treating Scripture with a proud, critical spirit, he is
very apt to find his conscience standing in the way,
and hindering him from comfort by reminding him of
ill-treatment of the sacred Word. It comes hard to
him to draw consolation out of passages of the Bible
which he has treated cavalierly, or even set aside alto-
gether, as unworthy of consideration. In his distress
the sacred texts seem to laugh at his calamity. When
the time of need comes, the wells which he stopped
with stones yield no water for his thirst. Beware,
when you despise a Scripture, lest you cast away the
only friend that can help you in the hour of agony.

A certain German duke was accustomed to call upon
his servant to read a chapter of the Bible to him every
morning. When anything did not square with his
judgment he would sternly cry, " Hans, strike that out."
At length Hans was a long time before he began to
read. He fumbled over the Book, till his master called
out, " Hans, why do you not read? " Then Hans an-
swered, " Sir, there is hardly anything left. It is all

BEY. GHABLES H. SPUBGEON.

671

Struck out ! " One day his master's objections had run
one way, and another day they had taken another turn
and another set of passages had been blotted, till noth-
ing was left to instruct or comfort him. Let us not, by
carping criticism, destroy our own mercies. We may
yet need those promises which appear needless ; and
those portions of Holy Writ which have been most as-
sailed by sceptics may yet prove essential to our very
life ; wherefore let us guard the priceless treasure of
the Bible, and determine never to resign a single line
of it.

What have we to do with recondite questions while
our souls ^.re in peril ? The way to escape from sin is
plain enough. The wayfaring man, though a fool, shall
not err therein. God has not mocked us with a salva-
tion which we cannot understand. Believe and live
is a command which a babe may comprehend and obey.

Doubt no more, but now believe ;
Question not, but just receive.
Artful doubts and reasonings be
Nailed with Jesus to the tree.

Instead of cavilling at Scripture, the man who is led
of the Spirit of God will close in with the Lord Jesus at
once. Seeing that thousands of decent, common-sense
people — people, too, of the best character — are trust-
ing their all with Jesus, he will do the same, and have
done with further delays. Then has he begun a life
worth living, and he may have done with further fear.
He may at once advance to that higher and better way
of living, which grows out of love to Jesus, the Saviour.

672

CHOICE SELECTIONa

Why should not the reader do so at once ? Oh ! that
he would !

A Newark, New Jersey, butcher received a letter
from his old home in Germany, notifying him that he had
by the death of a relative fallen heir to a considerable
amount of money. He was cutting up a pig at the time.
After reading the letter, he hastily tore off his dirty
apron, and did not stop to see the pork cut up into sau-
sages, but left the shop to make preparations for going
home to Germany. Do you blame him, or would you
have had him stop in Newark with his block and his
cleaver ?

See here the operation of faith. The butcher be-
lieved what was told him, and acted on it at once.
Sensible fellow, too !

God has sent his messages to man, telling him the
good news of salvation. When a man believes the
good news to be true, he accepts the blessing an-
nounced to him, and hastens to lay hold upon it. If
he truly believes, he will at once take Christ, with all
he has to bestow, turn from his present evil ways and
set out for the Heavenly City, where the full blessing
is to be enjoyed. He cannot be holy too soon, or too
early quit the ways of sin. If a man could really see
what sin is, he would flee from it as from a deadly
serpent and rejoice to be freed from it by Christ
Jesus.

BEV. CHABLEB H. SPTTBOEON.

GLIMPSES OF THE HEAVENLY LIFE.

k SERMON, SUGGESTED BY THE DECEASE OF THE EARL OF SHAFTS-
BURY, OCT. 4, 1885, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE.

" Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when
he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living :
for all live unto Him." — Luke 20: 37, 38.

During the past week the Church of God and the
world at large have sustained a very serious loss. In
the taking home to Himself by our gracious Lord of
the Earl of Shaftesbury, we have in my judgment lost
the best man of the age. I do not know whom I
should place second ; but I certainly should put him
first — far beyond all other servants of God within my
knowledge — for usefulness and influence. He was a
man most true in his personal piety, as I know from
having enjoyed his private friendship ; a man most
firm in his faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ;
a man intensely active in the cause of God and truth.
Take him whichever way you please, he was admirable ;
he was faithful to God in all his house, fulfilling both
the first and second commands of the law in fervent
love to God and hearty love to man.

He occupied his high position with singleness of
purpose and immovable steadfastness. Where shall
we find his equal ? If it is not possible that he was
absolutely perfect, it is equally impossible for me to
mention a single fault, for I saw none. He exhibited
Scriptural perfection, inasmuch as he was sincere, true
and consecrated. Those things which have been re-

674

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

garded as faults by the loose thinkers of this age are
prime virtues in my esteem.

They called him narrow ; dind in this they bear un-
conscious testimony to his loyalty to truth. I rejoiced
greatly in his integrity, his fearlessness, his adherence
to principle, in a day when revelation is questioned,
the gospel explained away, and human thought set up
as the idol of the hour. He felt that there was a vital
and eternal difference between truth and error ; con-
sequently he did not act or talk as if there was much
to be said on either side, and, therefore, no one could
be quite sure. We shall not know for how many a
year how much we miss in missing him ; how great an
anchor he was to this drifting generation ; and how
great a stimulus he was to every movement for the
benefit of the poor.

Both man and beast may unite in mourning him ; he
was the friend of every living thing. He lived for the
oppressed ; he lived for London ; he lived for the
nation ; he lived still more for God. He has finished
his course ; and though we do not lay him to sleep in
the grave with the sorrow of those that have no hope,
yet we cannot but mourn that a great man and a
prince has fallen this day in Israel. Surely the right-
eous are taken away from the evil to come, and we
are left to struggle on under increasing difficulties.

Heaven Unveiled. — My tex», not only declares
glorious relationship and implies etF^rnal life, but it also
unveils, somewhat scantily br.t s'all sufficiently, what
the glorious life must be. Look, then, and see the

GLORIOUS LIFE UNVEILED.

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEON.

576

It is clear that they live personally. It is not said,
"lam the God of the whole body of the saints in one
mass ; " but, " I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob."
God will make his people live individually. My mother,
my father, my child, each will personally exist. God
is the God of saints as living distinct lives ; Abraham
is Abraham, Isaac is Isaac, Jacob is Jacob. The three
patriai-chs were not all melted into one common
Abraham, nor Isaac into one imaginary Isaac ; neither
was any one so altered as to cease to be himself.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all literally living as
actual men, and the same men as they used to be.
Jacob is Jacob, and not an echo of Abraham ; Isaac is
Isaac, and not a rehearsal of Jacob. All the saints are
existent in their personality, identity, distinction and
idiosyncrasy.

What is more, the patriarchs are mentioned by their
names; and so it is clear they are known; they are not
three anonymous bodies, but Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. . Many inquire, "Shall we know our friends in
Heaven?" Why should we not? the saints in
heaven are never spoken of in Scripture as moving
about anonymously ; but their names are spoken of
as written in the Book of Life. Why is this ? The
apostles knew Moses and Elias on the Mount, though
they had never seen them before. I cannot forget old
John Ryland's answer to his wife. "John," she said,
"will you know me in heaven?" "Betty," he re-
plied, " I have known you well here, and I shall not be
* bigger fool in heaven than I am now ; therefore I

676

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

shall certainly know you there." That seems to be
'^lear enough.

We read in the New Testament, "They shall sit
llown with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
of heaven " — not sit down with three unknown indi-
viduals in iron masks, or three impersonalities who
make a part of th(^ great Patty nor three spirits who
ar<} as exactly alike as pins made in a factory; but
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That is clear enough in
tb*^ text.

That glorious life, while it is a personal and a known
life, is 3\so free from all sorrow and misery and earthly
grossness. They are neither married nor given in
marriage, neither shall they die any more ; but they
are as the angels of God. It is a life of perfect blessed-
n«iss, a life of hallowed worship, a life of undivided
glory. Oh that we were in it! Oh that we may soon
reach it ! Let us think of the many who are enjoying
it now, and of those who have attained to it during the
last few days. I am sure they are at home in every
golden street, and fully engaged in the adoration and
worship of their Lord.

Those saints who have been in glory now these
thousands of years cannot be more blessed than the
latest arrivals. Within a very short space you and I
shall be among the shining ones. Some of us may
spend our next Sabbath with the angels. Let us re-
joice and be glad at the bare thought of it. Some of
us are not doomed to live here through another win-
ter ; we shall pass beyond these autumn fogs into the

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

677

golden light of the eternal summer before another
Christmas day has come. Oh, the joy which ought to
thrill through our souls at the thought of such amazing
bliss !

Still Living. — And now, taking the whole subject
together, I want to say a few familiar things about'the
influence which all this ought to have upon us.

Concerning those that have gone before us, we
gather from this whole text that they are not lost ; we
know where they are. Neither have they lost any-
thing ; for they are what they were, and more. Abra-
ham has about him still everything that is Abrahamic,
he is Abraham still ; and Isaac has everything about
him that properly belongs to Isaac ; and Jacob has all
about him that makes him God's Israel. These good
men have lost nothing that really appertained to their
individuality, nothing that made them precious in the
sight of the Lord. They have gained infinitely, they have
developed gloriously. They are Abraham and Isaac
and Jacob, now at their best ; or, rather, they are wait-
ing till the trumpet of the resurrection .shall sound,
when their bodies also shall be united to their spirits,
and then Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will be com-
pletely Abraham and Isaac and Jacob world with-
out end.

We are by no means deprived of our dear ones by
their death ; they are ; they are themselves ; and they
are ours still. As Abraham is not lost to Isaac, nor
to Jacob, nor to God, nor to himself, so are our be-
loved ones by no means lost to us. Do not let us

678

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

think of them, then, as if they were lost. I know
your sorrows make an excursion to the grave, to look
there for the deceased ones. You want to lift that
coffin-lid and to unwrap the shroud. Oh, do not so!
do not so ! He is not here ; the real man has gone.
He may be dead to you for a while, but he lives unto
God. Yes, the dead one liveth, he liveth unto God!
Do but anticipate the passage of that little time, which
is almost gone while I am speaking of it, and then
your Saviour's angels shall sound their golden
trumpets, and at the welcome noise the grave shall
open its portals and resign its captives. "Thy brother
shall rise again." Wherefore comfort one another
with these words.

Shaftesbury is as much Shaftesbury as ever, and
even more so. We have parted with the earl, but the
saint liveth ; he has gone past yonder veil into the
next room, and there he is before the Lord of Hosts.
He has gone out of this dim, dusky, cloudy chamber
into the bright pearly light that streameth from the
throne of God and of the Lamb. We have nothing
to sorrow about in reference to what he is or where
he is.

So, too, your valued parents, and beloved children,
and choice friends, they are yours still. Herein is great
cause for thankfulness. Put aside your sackcloth and
wear the garments of hope ; lay down the sackbut, and
take up the trumpet. Draw not the beloved bodies to
the cemetery with dreary pomp and with black horses,
but cover the coffin with sweet flowers and drape the

REV. CHARLES H. SPUROEOK.

579

horses with the emblems of hope. It is the better
birthday of the saint — yea, his truer wedding-day. Is
it sad to have done with sadness ? Is it sorrowful to
part with sorrow ? Nay rather, when joy begin neth
to our friends where glory dwelleth in Immanucl's
land, we may in sympathy sing, as it were, a new song,
and tune our harps to the molodies of the glorified.

One with us. — I want yoi; also to recollect that the
departed have not become members of another race , they
have not been transferred into another family. They
are still men, still women, still of our kindred dear ;
their names are in the same family register on earth
and in heaven. Oh, no, no ! Do not dream that they
are separated and exiled ; they have gone to the home
country. We are the exiles ; they it is who are at
home. We are en route for the fatherland ; they are
not so far from us as we think.

Sin worked to divide them from us, and us from
them, while we were here together ; but since sin is
now taken away from them, one dividing element is
gone. When it is also removed from us, we shall be
nearer to each other than we could have been while
we were both sinful. Do not let us think of them as
sundered far, for we are one in Christ.

And tJtey are not gone over to the other side in the
battle. Oh, do not speak of them as dead and lying on
the battle-field ! They live ; they live in sympathy with
our divine conflict ! They have marched through the
enemy's country ; they have fought their fight and taken
possession of their inheritance. They are still on our

580

choice!' SELECTIONS.

side, though we miss them from the daily service. When
you number up the host of God, you must not forget
the godlike bands that have fought the good fight, and
kept the faith, and finished their course. They are in
the armies of the Lord, though not at this moment
resisting unto blood. The hundred and fourty-four
thousand sealed unto the Lord include in their ranks
all who are with God, whether here or in heaven. Our
sacramental host marches onward to the New Jeru-
salem.

Certain of the legionaries have forded the dividing
flood. I see them ascending the other side ! The
hither bank of the river is white with their rising com-
panies. Lo, I hear the splash of the ranks before us
as they steadily pass down the hill into the chill stream !
In deep silence we see them solemnly wading through
the billows ! The host is ever marching on, marching
on. The much-dreaded stream lies a little before us ;
it is but a silver streak. We are to the margin come.
We shudder not at the prospect. We follow the
blessed footsteps of our Lord and His redeemed. We
are all one army still ; we are not losing our men ;
they are simply ascending from the long campaign to
take their endless rewards at the Lord's right hand.

What shall we do? — What then? Why, then we
will take up their work. If they have gone into the
upper chamber to rest, we will make up their lack of
service in this lower room. The work they did was so
human that we will not allow a stitch to drop, but take
it up where they left it and persevere in earnest. They

BEV. CHARLES H. 8PUBGE0N.

581

are in glory, but they were not glorified when they
were here.

The work th^ did was done by men of such infirm-
ities as ours ; so let us not fear to go on where they
left off and perpetuate the work which they rejoiced
in. There lies the plough in furrow, and the oxen are
standing still ; for Shamgar, the champion, is gone.
Will no one lay hold of the plough-handles ? Will
nobody urge the oxen with the goad ? Young men,
are you idling? Here is work for you. Are you hid-
ing yourselves?

Co ' ' forward, I pray you, in the name of the Great
Husbandman, and let the fields be tilled>and sown with
the good seed. Who will fill the gap made by death ?
Who will be baptized for the dead ? Who will bear
the banner, now that a standard-bearer has fallen ? I
hope some consecrated voice will answer, " Here am
I ; send me ! "

For, last of all, brethren, we may expect the same suc-
cors as they received who have gone before, Jehovah
saith that He is the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac and the God of Jacob; but He also saith, "I
am the God of your father." The father of Moses
had the Lord to be his God. That God is the God of
my father, blessed be His name ! As I took the old man
by his hand yesterday, at the age of seventy-three, I
could not but rejoice in all the fulness of the Lord to
him and to his house. He was the God of my father's
father also. I cannot forget how the venerable man
laid his hand upon his grandchild and blessed him ;

682

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

and the blessing is with Him still. Yes, and He is the
God of my children, and He is the God of my chil-
dren's children ; for He keepeth covenant to thou-
sands of them that love Him.

Wherefore take courage, men and brethren ! This
God is your God. He is a God to you, and you are a-
people to Him. Act as His true servants. Live as
those that are elect. If you are His choice, be choice
characters. The chosen should be the best, should they
not? The elect should be especially distinguished
above all others by their conversation and their fervent
zeal for Him that chose them. As you shall rise from
among the dead because the Lord Jesus hath redeemed
you from among men, so stand up from among the
dead and corrupt mass of this world and be alive unto
God through Jesus Christ your Lord. What manner
of people ought ye to be wh'> serve the living God?
Since the living God hath manifested Himself so won-
derfully to you, ought you not to live unto Him to the
utmost ?

B£V. CHABLES H. SPUBGEON.

583

THE BIBLE. ^

All things in the Bible are great. Some people
think it does not matter what doctrines you believe ;
that it is immaterial what church you attend ; that all
denominations are alike. Well, I dislike Mrs. Bigotry
above almost all people in the world, and I never give
her any compliment or praise. But there is another
woman I hate equally as much, and that is Mrs. Lati-
tudinarianism, a well-known character, who has made
the discovery that all of us are alike.

I think that all sections of Protestant Christians
have a remnant according to the election of grace,
and they had need to have, some of them, a little salt,
for otherwise they would go to corruption. But when
I say that, do you imagine that I think them all on a
level ? Are they all alike truthful ? One sect says
infant baptism is right; another says it is wrong; yet
you say they are both right. I cannot see that. One
teaches we are saved by free grace ; another says that
we are not, but are saved by free will ; and yet you
believe they are both right. I do not understand that.
One says that God loves His people and never leaves
off loving them ; another says that He did not love
His people before they loved Him ; and that He often
loves them, and then ceases to love them and turns
them away. They may be both right in the main ;
but can they be both right when one says "Yes," and
the other says " No ? " I must have a pair of spec-
tacles to enable me to look backwards and forwards
at the same time before I can see that.

584

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

Did ever any of you sit down to see which was the
purest religion ^ " Oh," say you, " we never took the
trouble. We went just where our father and mother
went." Ah, that is a profound reason indeed ! You
went where you father and mother did. I thought you
were sensible people ; I didn't think you went where
other people pulled you, but went of your own selves.
I love my parents above all that breathe, and the very
thought that they believed a thing to be true helps me
to think it is correct ; but I have not followed them. I
belong to a different denomination, and I thank God I
do. I can receive them as Christian brethren and sis-
ters ; but I never thought because they happened to
be one thing I was to be the same. Nj such thing.
God gave me brains and I will use them ; and if you
have any intellect, use it too.

Never say it doesn't matter. It does matter. What-
ever God has put here is of eminent importance. He
would not have written a thing that was indifferent.
Whatever is here is of some value ; therefore, search
all questions ; try all by the Word of God. I am not
afraid to have what I preach tried by this book. Only
give me a fair field and no favor and this book ; if I
say anything contrary to it, I will withdraw it the next
Sabbath-day. By this I stand, by this I fall. Search
and see ; but don't say, " It does not matter." If God
says a thing, it must always be of importance.

But while all things in God's Word are important,
dl are not equally important. There are certain funda-
mental and vital truths which must be believed, or

REV. CHARLES H. SPURaEON.

685

the
^the
)ther
You
t you
/here
ilves.

very
3S me
;m. I

:;od I

id sis-
led to
thing,
if you

He
erent.
earch
m not
Only
;ifl
i next
H)earch
God

otherwise no man would he save^mif you want to
know what you must believe if ye would be saved, you
will find the great things of God's law between these
two covers ; they are all contained here. As a sort of
digest or summary of the great things of the law, I
remember an old friend of mine once saying: "Ah,
you preach the three R's, and God will always bless
you ! " I said : •' What are the three R's ? " And he
answered : " Ruin, redemption and regeneration."
They contain the sum and substance of divinity. R
for ruin. We were all ruined in the fall ; we were all
lost when Adam sinned, and we are all ruined by our
own transgression ; we are all ruined by our own
wicked wills ; and we all shall be ruined unless grace
saves us.

Then there is a second R for redemption. We are
ransomed by the blood of Christ — a Lamb without
blemish and without spot; we are rescued by His
power; we are ransomed by His merits; we are re-
deemed by His strength. Then there is R for regen-
eration. If we would be pardoned, we must also be
regenerated ; for no man can partake of redemption
unless he is regenerate. Let him be as good as he
pleases, let him serve God, as he imagines, as much
as he likes ; unless he is regenerate, and has a new
heart, a new birth, he will still be in the first R — that
is, ruin. These things contain an epitome of the
gospel. , ^

God says : "I have written to him the great things
of My law." Do you doubt their greatness? Do ye

686

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

think they aro^ot worth your attention ? Reflect a
moment, mafr Where art thou standing now ? I
recollect standing on a seashore once, upon a nar-
row neck of land, thoughdess that the tide might
come up. The tide kept continually washing up on
eithor side, and, rapt in thought, I still stood there,
until at last there was the greatest difficulty in getting
on shore ; the waves had washed between me and the
shore. You and I stand each day on a narrow neck,
and there is one wave coming up there. See, how
near it is to your foot ! And lo ! another follows at
every tick of the clock. "Our hearts,like muffleddrums,
are beating funeral marches to the grave." We are
always tending downward to the grave each moment
that we live. This book tells me that if I am con-
verted, when I die there is a heaven of joy and love
to receive me ; it tells me that angels* pinions shall
be stretched, and I, borne by strong cherubic wings,
shall out-soar the lightning, and mount beyond the
stars, up to the throne of God, to dwell for ever

Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in.

Oh, it makes the hot tear start from my eye ! It
makes my heart too big for this my body, and my
brain whirls at the thought of

Jerusalem, my happy home,
Name ever dear to me.

Oh, that syveet scene beyond the clouds — sweet fields
arrayed in living green, and rivers of delight ! Are
not these great things ?

REV. CHARLES H. SPDRGEON.

587

Now notice the treatment which the holy Bible re-
ceives in this world. It is accounted a strange thing.
What does that mean — the Bible accounted a strange
thing? In the first place, it means that it is very
strange to some people, because they never read it.
I remember reading on one occasion the sacred story
of David and Goliath, and there was a person present,
positively grown up to years of maturity, who said to
me : '* Dear me ! what an interesting story ; what book
is that in ?"

And I recollect a person once coming to me in pri-
vate. I spoke to her about her soul; she told me
how deeply she felt, how she had a desire to serve
God, but she found another law in her members. I
turned to a passage in Romans, and read to her:
*• The good that I would, I do not ; and the evil which
I would not, that I do!" She said: "Is that in the Bible?
I did not know it." I did not blame her, because she
had no interest in the Bible till then ; but I did wonder
that there could be found persons who knew nothing
about such a passage.

Ah ! you know more about your ledgers than your
Bible ; you know more about your day-books than
what God has written. Many of you will read a novel
from beginning to end, and what have you got ? A
mouthful of froth when you have done. But you can-
not read the Bible ; that solid, lasting, substantial and
satisfying food goes uneaten, locked up in the cup-
board of neglect ; while anything that man writes, a
catch of the day, is g^re«dilv d'*voMr'»'i, ♦' J have writ-

58P

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

^-^

ten unto him the great things of my law, but they were
counted as a strange thing." Ye have never read it.
I bring the broad charge against you. Perhaps ye
say I ought not to charge you with any such thing. I
always think it better to have a worse opinion of you
than too good an one.

I charge you with this : you do not read your Bible.
Some of you never have read it through. I know I
speak what your heart must say is honest truth. You
are not Bible-readers. You say you have the Bible in
your houses ; do I think you are such heathens as not
to have a Bible? But when did you read it last?
How do you know that your spectacles, which you
have lost, have not been there for the last three years ?
Many people have not turned over its pages for a long
time, and God might say unto them : " I have written
unto you the great things of My law, but they have
been accounted unto you a strange thing."

Others there be who read the Bible, but when they
read it they say it is so horribly dry. That young man
over there says it is a "bore;" that is the word he
uses. He says, " My mother said to me, ' When you
go up to town, read a chapter every day.' Well, I
thought I would please her, and I said I would. I am
sure I wish I had not. I did not read a chapter yes-
terday or the day before. We were so busy. I could
not help it." You do not love the Bible, do you ?
" No ; there is nothing in it which is interesting."
Ah! I thought so. But a little while ago /could not
see anything in it. Do you know why ? Blind men

REV CHARLES H. 8PURG1'X)N.

589

cannot see, can they ? But when the Spirit touches
the scales of the eyes they fall off, and when He puts
eye-salve on, then the Bible becomes precious.

I remember a minister who went to see an old lady,
and he thought he would give her some precious
promises out of the Word of God. Turning to one,
he saw written in the margin, " P.," and he asked,
••What does this mean?" ••That means precious,
sir." Further down he saw •' T. and P.," and he asked
what the letters meant. "That," she said, ••means
tried and proved, for I have tried and proved it." If
you have tried God's Word and proved it; if it is pre-
cious to your souls, then you are Christians , but those
persons who despise the Bible have " neither part nor
lot in the matter." If it is dry to you, you will be dry
at last in hell. If you do not esteem it as better than
your necessary food, there is no hope for you, for you
lack the greatest evidence of your Christianity.

Alas ! alas ! tlie worst case is to come. There are
some people who hate the Bible, as well as despise it.
Is there such an one stepped in here ? Some of you
said : " Let us go and hear what the young preacher
has to say to us." This is what he hath to say to you :
•' Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish." This
is what he hath to say to you : ''The wicked shall be
turned into hell, and all that forget God." And this,
again, he has to say to you : •• Behold there shall come
in the last days mockers like yourselves, walking after
your own lusts." But more : he tells you that if you
are saved, you must find salvation here. Therefore

590

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

despise not the Bible, but search it, read it, and come
unto it.

Rest thee well assured, O scorner, that thy laughs
cannot alter truth, thy jests cannot avert thine inevit-
able doom. Though in thy hardihood thou shouldst
make a league with death and sign a covenant with
hell, yet swift justice shall o'ertake thee, and strong
vengeance strike thee low. In vain dost thou jeer
and mock, for eternal verities are mightier than thy
sophistries ; nor can thy smart saying alter the divine
truth of a single word of this volume of revelation.
Oh ! why dost thou quarrel with thy best friend and
ill-treat thy only refuge? There yet remains hope
even for the scorner — hope in a Saviour's veins, Iiope
in the Father's mercy; hope in the Holy Spirit's
omnipotent agency.

My friend the philosopher says it may be very well
for me to urge people to read the Bible ; but he thinks
there are a great many sciences far more interesting
and useful than theology. Extremely obliged to you
for your opinion, sir. What science do you mean ?
The science of dissecting beetles and arranging butter-
flies ? " No," you say, " certainly not." The science,
then, of arranging stones and telling us of the strata of
the earth? "No, not exactly that." Which science,
then ? "Oh, all sciences," say you, "are better than
the science of the Bible." Ah, sir, that is your opinion;
and it is because you are far from God that you sziy so.
But the science of Jesus Christ is the most excellent
of sciences.

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

591

REV. C. H. SPURGEON'S LAST SERMON.

The closing words of the last sermon Mr. Spurgeon preached to hi»
congregation in London, are given elsewhere in this volume. The foN
lowing is the last sermon he ever preached, and has a pathetic interest
from the fact that with this discourse his lips were sealed. He deliv-
ered two addresses to the friends assembled at Mentone — one on the
last evening of 1891 by way of retrospect, and the other on the first
morning of the new year by way of prospect. He delivered both
addresses sitting, and the following is his New Year's discourse :

Passing at this hour over the threshold of the New
Year, we look forward, and what do we see ? Could
we procure a telescope which would enable us to see
to the end of the year, should we be wise to use it ?
I think not. We know nothing of the events which
lie before us — of life or death to ourselves or to our
friends, or of changes of position, or of sickness or
health. What a mercy that these things are hidden
from us !

If we foresaw our best blessings, they would lose
their freshness and sweetness while we impatiently
waited for them. Anticipation would sour into weari-
ness, and familiarity would breed contempt. If we
could foresee our troubles, we should worry ourselves
about them long before they came, and in that fretful-
ness we should miss the joy of our present blessings.
Great mercy has hung up a veil between us and the
future ; and there let it hang.

Still, all is not concealed. Cjome things we clearly
see. I say, " we ; " but I mean those whose eyes have
been opened, for it is not every one who can see in
the truest sense. A lady said to- Mr. Turner : ** I have
often looked upon that prospect, but I have never seen

592

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

what you have put into your picture." The great
artist simply replied, "Don't you wish you could see
it?" Looking into the future with the eye of faith,
believers can see much that is hidden from those who
have no faith. Let me tell you, in a few words, what
I see as I look into the new year.

I see a highway cast up by the foreknowledge and
predestination of God. Nothing of the future is left
to chance ; nay, not the falling of a sparrow, nor the
losing of a hair is left to haphazard ; but all the events
of life are arranged and appointed. Not only is every
turn in the road marked in the divine map, but every
stone on the road and every drop of morning dew or
evening mist that falls upon the grass which grows at
the roadside. We are not to cross a trackless desert ;
the Lord has ordained our path in His infallible wis-
dom and infinite love. "The steps of a good man are
ordered by the Lord ; and he delighteth in his way."

I see, next, a Guide provided, as our companion
along the way. To Him we gladly say, "Thou shall
guide me with Thy counsel." He is waiting to go with
us through every portion of the road. " The Lord, He it
is that doth go before thee ; He will be with thee ; He
will not fail thee." We are not left to pass through life
as though it were a lone wilderness, a place of dragons
and owls ; for Jesus says, ** I will not leave you com-
fortless ; I will come to you."

Though we should lose father and mother, and the
dearest friends, there is One who wears our nature,
who will never quit our side. One like unto the Son

REV. CHARLES H. 8PUR0E0N.

593

of Man is still treading the lifeways of believing hearts,
and each true believer comethup from the wilderness,
leaning upon the Beloved. We feel the presence of
the Lord Jesus even now, in this room, where two or
three are gathered in His name, and I trust we shall
feel it through all the months of the year, whether it
be the time of the singing of birds, or the season of
ripe fruits, or the dark months when the clods are
frozen into iron.

In this Riviera we ought the more readily to realize
our Lord's presence, because the country is so like
" Thy land, O Immanuel !" Here is the land of oil,
olive and of figs and of the clusters of Eshcol. By
such a blue sea He walked and up such rocky hills
He climbed. But whether here or elsewhere, let us
look for Him to abide with us, to make this year truly
to be '' a year of our Lord."

Beside the way and the Guide, I perceive very
clearly, by the eye of faith, strength for the journey
provided. Throughout the whole distance of the year,
we shall find halting-places, where we may rest and
tak^ refreshment and then go on our way singing " He
restoreth my soul." We shall have strength enough,
bnt none to spare ; and that strength will come when
it is needed and not before. When saints imagine
that they have strength to spare, they turn sinners,
and are apt to have their locks shorn by the Philistines.
The Lord of the way will find the pilgrims with sufifi-
cient spending-money for the road ; but He may not
think it wise to burden them with superfluous funds.

594

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

God all-sufficient will not fail those who trust Him.
When we come to the place for shouldering the bur-
den, we shall reach the place for receiving the strength.
If it pleases the Lord to multiply our troubles from
one to ten, He will increase our strength in the same
proportion. To each believer the Lord still says :
*• As thy days, so shall thy strength be." You ao not
feel that you have the grace to die with ; what of that ?
You are not yet dying. While you have yet to deal
with the business and duty of life, look to God for the
grace which these require ; and when life is ebbing
out, and your only thought is about landing on the
eternal shore, then look to God your Saviour for
dying grace in dying moments. We may expect an
inrush of Divine strength when human strength is
failing, and a daily impartation of energy as daily need
requires. Our lamps shall be trimmed as long as they
shall need to burn. Let not our present weakness
tempt us to limit the Holy One of Israel. There is a
hospice on every pass over the Alps of life, and a
bridge across every river of trial which crosses our
way to the Celestial City. Holy angels are as numer-
ous to guard us as fallen ones to tempt us. We shall
never have a need for which our gracious Father has
furnished no supply.

I see, most plainly, a Power overruling all things
which occur in the way we tread. I see an alembic
in which all things are transformed. "All things work
together for good to them that love God, to them that
are called according to His purpose." I see a wonder-

REV. CHARLES H. 8PURGE0N.

595

working hand which turns for us the swords of disease
into the ploughshares of correction and the spears of
trial into the pruning-hooks of discipline. By this
divine skill bitt(;i s arc made sweet and poisons turned
to medicines. " Nothing shall by any means harm
you," is a promise too strong for feeble faith ; but full
assurance finds it true. Since God is for us, who can
be against us ? What a joy to see Jehovah Himself
as our banner and God Himself with us as our Cap-
tain ! Forward, then, into the New Year, " for there
shall no evil befall you."

One thing more, and this is brightness itself; this
year we trust we shall see God glorified by us and in
us. If we realize our chief end we reach our highest
enjoyment. It is the delight of the renewed heart to
think that God can get glory out of such poor creatures
as we are. "God is light." We cannot add to His
brightness ; but we may act as reflectors, which, though
they have no light of their own, yet, when the sun
shines upon them, reflect his beams and send them
where, without such reflection, they might not have
come. When the Lord shines upon us, we will cast
that light upon dark places and make those who
sit in the shadow of death to rejoice in Jesus our Lord.
We hope that God has been in some measure glorified
in some of us during the past year, but we trust He will
be glorified by us far more in the year which now be-
gins. We will be content to glorify God either actively
or passively. We would have it so happen that, when
our life's history is written, whoever reads it will not

a96

CHOICE SELECTIONS.

think of us as "self-made men," but as the handiwork
of God, in whom His grace is magnified. Not in us
may men see the clay, but the Potter's hand. They
said of one, "He is a fine preacher;*' but of another
they said : " We never notice how he preaches, but we
feel that God is great." We wish our whole life to be
a sacrifice ; an altar of incense continually smoking
with sweet perfume to the Most High.

Oh, to be borne through the year on the wings of
praise to God ; to mount from year to year, and raise
at each ascent a loftier and yet lowlier song unto the
God of our life ! The vista of a praiseful life will never
close, but continue throughout eternity. From psalm
to psalm, from hallelujah to hallelujah, we will ascend
the hill of the Lord, until we come into the holiest of
all, where, with veiled faces, we will bow before the Di-
vine Majesty in the bliss of endless adoration. Through-
out this year may the Lord be with you ! Amen.

TRIBUTES TO REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

^rom Rev. T. DEWITT TALIHAGE, D. D.

When, twenty years ago, Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
and myself met in London, my salutation was: "I
read your sermons ; " and his answer was : " Every-
body reads yours." From that day to this, at various
times and in various ways, we have been in intercom-
munication. But the volume of his earthly life is
closed, and he has gone up to join the immortals.
Among the first whom he picks out in heaven will be
the souls of the Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin
stamp — the men who believe, and believe with all
their might, souls of a tremendous evangelism. On
earth we seek out those with whom we are in affinity,
and so it will be in heaven. What a longr battle with
disease the English preacher had — the last seven
months an agony ! We had hoped he would conquer
and again take pulpit and pen. But God knows best.

What a contrast between the honor in which his
name is now held throughout Christendom and the
caricature and abuse with which he was for many
years assailed. He had kept these caricatures in a
scrap book, and was in later years accustomed to show
them to his friends. The first picture I ever saw of
him represented him as sliding down the railing of
his pulpit, in the presence of his audience, to show

597

698

BEV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

how easy it was to go to hell, and then as climbing up
the opposite rail of the pulpit to show how hard it was
for a man to climb to heaven. The most of the peo-
ple at that time actually believed that he had taken
those two postures, descending one rail and ascending
the other; and within a year I have seen a newspaper
article implying that in early life he had assumed those
attitudes.

Within a week the old story falsely ascribed to Mr.
Beecher was ascribed to Mr. Spurgeon — that expres-
sion, on entering the pulpit, about a hot night, with a
profane expletive. These old lies are passed on from
age to age, now tacked on to one man and now tacked
on to another. A while after I had moved to Brooklyn,
while walking along Schermerhorn street with Mr.
Beecher, he said : " Mr. Talmage, I am very glad you
have come to Brooklyn. The misrepresentations and
falsehoods told about me will now be divided up, and
you will take half as your share.'*

But Mr. Spurgeon outlived his critics, and in the
long run every man comes to be taken for what he is
worth, and you can't puff him up and you can't keep
him down. And, as I told Mr. Martin FarquharTup-
per when he was last in this country and disposed to,
complain of some things said and written in regard to
him : " Why, we in America never think much of a
man until we have rubbed him down with a crash
towel."

TRIBUTES.

509

Prom Bcv. WAYLANO HOYT, D.D.

Pastor of First Baptist Church, Minneapolis.

Mr. Spurgeon's chief characteristic was a firm reli-
ance upon God, a faith that kept its eye steady and
fcaw a bright outcome to the darkest experiences. He
lived upon heavenly bounty, and was so fully con-
vinced that God would fulfil his promises that he
never gave way to despondency.

Once when I asked him how he expected to accomplish
a great undertaking he had in hand, he replied, "The
Lord has never failed me yet, and why should I not
trust him now ? " This consciousness that God was
with him and speaking through him made him the bold
reformer, the earnest preacher, the grand organizer
and noble man that he was.

From HENRY VAX DYKE, D. D.

It is not possible to make a true estimate at the
present moment of the work of the Rev. Charles H.
Spurgeon. It is too near to us ; we lack perspective.
It is too immense ; we are so overwhelmed by the
quantity of it that we are not in a position to put a
right value upon its quality. One thing we Americans
are likely to forget, and that is its distinct character
as a work in and for the city of London. It was
adapted in every detail to the place in which it was
performed; there was a great natural genius shown
in this adaptation ; it fitted London as a glove fits the
hand, and this is one reason why it was so enormously
useful.

I remember the late Canon Liddon speaking to me

coo

HEV. CHARLES H. SPURCiEON.

about this some years ago in the course ot a long
walk through the city. He counted Mr. Spurgeon's
Tabernacle among the very greatest religious influ.
ences of the metropolis, because it drew together such
vast multitudes under the power of common worship.
It was an expression of human fellowship in aspiration
and praise. I think the future will increase our sense
of the value of his work in this aspect. We shall also
come to think more and more highly of the close con-
nection which he made, by his example, between
spiritual faith and practical benevolence. The Or-
phanage is the best of his sermons.

From Rev. JOHN KNOX AIXEN.

In the death of Mr. Spurgeon there passes away
one who was probably the greatest preacher of the
century, perhaps of any century. Mr. Beecher is
often spoken of in connection with him, but there is a
difference. Mr. Beecher was a great orator; he had
a vivid and powerful imagination, and as a prose poet,
as an intellectual sfenius in the closer meaning of that
term, he probably has had no peer in the pulpit in
any age. But as a herald of the simple gospel, as
before all things a preacher, no one can compare with
Mr. Spurgeon.

And in this way he equally deserves the name of
genius. It is a great word to apply to any one, but
the man who did such great things and did them so
easily, who could preach a ser.Tion a day for long
periods of time, and a sermon too which would be
listened to by multitudes ; whose lines went out through

TRIBUTES.

601

all the earth, and whose words to the end of the world ;
the man who could set in motion so many agencies for
doing good and keep them going, was an elect man —
did not merely achieve greatness, but was born great.
His death is a loss to the church throughout the world,
and were it not that the power which gave him to the
world can easily give something more and better, it
would, be a loss that is irreparable.

From Kev. W. C. BITTING, D. D.

It is too soon to make any final estimate of the man
and minister, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. The world
cannot pause in its grief to weigh. When the sense
of loss has become less keen, then the various stand-
ards of judgment may be applied.

For the masses of Christians his sermons had in-
comparable interest. They did not appeal so strongly
to the cultured. He meant it so, perhaps. He dared
to judge and condemn what he thought were doctrinal
errors in his brethren, and yet his censures were not
of persons, but beliefs. He combined a remarkable
tenacity of his own opinions with affection for those
who differed most widely from him. This was true
tolerance.

I will not soon forget the sermon he preached on
his fifty-third birthday anniversary, just two days be-
fore the Queen's Jubilee. "Let the children of Zion
rejoice in their King." The soul of the man shone in
it. He poured out himself in the opening services,
and the discourse seemed rather like a revelation of
his own gladness than an exhortation to 6,000 auditors.

602

REV. CHARLES U. SPURGEON.

The man of faith, prayer, loyalty to Christ, joy, hope,
was at his best.

He was like Jacob in prayer, a veritable Israel;
like Abraham in faith ; like Job in his suffering ; now
like John the Baptist, and now like John the Apostle
in his preaching ; as steady as Micaiah before AhaU
and Zedekiah in rebuking those whom he believed to
be false prophets ; like David in his superb religious
emo^.ions ; like Paul in his fidelity to his master ; and
like Jesus in humility and consecration. He was yet
a man and imperfect, but less so than many of his
detractor?, \.ao indeed are really few.

It will be long before the world knows another such.
It take?) tvitUiiea to produce one like him. The
church universal has had a loss. She mourns. Mil-
lions of eyes moistened as they read of his death. To
thousands of ears no voice will ever sound so dear as
his. All over the world hands that have grasped his
have taken a new might to work for the Christ whom
he exalted while humbling himself. A true cardinal,
a prince of the church ; a name greater than all titles ;
a plain man more superb in unadorned manhood than
if belettered by the world ; a childlike Christian —
heaven's honors rested on him here. They are his/
everlasting joy now.

From WILLIAM T. SABINE, D. D.

Pastor of the First Reformed Episcopal Church, New York.

You ask a brief estimate of Mr. Spurgeon's life and
work. Volumes would not do them justice. The
world is his debtor. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was

TRIBUTES.

603

called a Baptist, but he was one of those men too
great to be claimed by any denomination. Millions
of believers of every name were edified by his words,
and quickened by the example of his wonderful life.

Among his many admirable traits, and at the root
of them, lay his clear apprehension of divine truth,,
his firm grasp of it, inflexible loyalty to it, and inces-
sant proclamation of it. He was a man of a whole
Bible. From Gene'^is to Revelation it was to him
" the true Word of the true God."

If he was conspicuous for anything, he was con-
spicuous for his unswerving allegiance to " the Word."
His theology was as broad and as narrow as the Bible.
With him a " thus saith the Lord " settled everything.

With a warm heart and a very clear head, a very
busy hand and a supreme devotion to the Master he
served, men may call him narrow if they please. God
has set the seal of his divine approval, passing con-
tradiction, on the work of the London Tabernacle
pastor, and called him to his reward. What a reward !

From Rev. JOHN L. SCUDDEB,

Pastor of the First Congregational Church, Jersey City, New Jersey.

When as a boy I entered Mr. Spurgeon's great ^
Tabernacle, and saw that vast concourse of people, I
thought the famous preacher the most wonderful man
living ; and he was at that time. Although in this day
he would be regarded as somewhat old-fashioned in
his theology and narrow in his views, yet we must
acknowledge him to be the most popular English

G04

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEOIT.

preacher of this century. His speech was simple, hia
manner direct, his earnestness unfeigned, and his mag-
netism overwhehiiino:. He was an ideal man for the
middle classes, and by them he was universally beloved.
His church was one of the great sights of London, and
was visited by travelers, especially on Sunday, as one
of the principal points of interest. His work can be
summed up in the words, he loved Christ with all his
heart, and he preached Christ with all his might. He
kept the Cross clearly in sight, he pointed men to it,
while he himself took a humble position behind it.

From CHARLES li. THOMPSON, D.D.,

Pastor of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York.

By general consent, the death of Mr. Spurgeon
removes from earth one of the greatest preachers of
all the ages. Whether we understand the secret of
his power or not, the fact is past all question. If
called upon to group the chiof elements of his pulpit
greatness, I would say a strong mind, with all its forces
at instant command, a marvelous knowledge of human
nature, a heart-deep knowledge of the Bible, a spirit
absolutely consecrated to Christ and the soul* of men,
and for the utterance of the Gospel such a voice as
God has rarely given to mortal man. His greatness
as a preacher has somewhat obscured another side of
his crreatness which should not be forofottcn. He had
a genius for organizing. It is perhaps the rarest of
all kinds of talent. By it he gave permanence to his
work. The wonderful voice is silent, but much of his
work organized in Christian institutions will go on.

TRIBUTES.

606

On the whole I believe more elements of religrious
power were combined in that man than in any preacher
of the sons of men. A vigorous and endlessly fertile
brain, a great heart always breaking for the salvation
of men, an executive hand to fasten his work, and a
character so strong and Christ-like it illuminated every-
thing he did. Will we ever see his like again ?

Good-night, sweet prince,

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

From Bev. L.YMAX ABBOTT, D.D.,

In " The Christian Union."

As a preacher, Mr. Spurgeon possessed the quali-
ties most essential to success in the pulpit, and is well
worth the careful study of all preachers. He was not
what men call an orator. Whether from deliberate
choice, like Paul, or following the instincts of his nature
we know not, but heapparently deliberately laid aside
all ambition to be eloquent — an ambition which has
often proved destructive to pulpit power. He was one
of the earliest to adopt that conversational and collo-
quial style of address which is more and more sup-
planting the former rhetorical style. If he sometimes
fell below the dignity of public discourse, he never was

guilty of rant.

As a student he lived in the literature of the seven-
teenth century, and derived from his study of it a
singularly pure English. This English he used as the
vehicle of convictions always sincerely entertained and
earnestly presented. So, though he was sometimes
conventional, he was never pretentious, and never

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

marred his discourses by that fatal but common fault
of religious discourse, cant. He was a great student
of the Bible, and from it drew both the substance and
the form of his discourses. He did not always under-
stand the Bible as we do, but he always presented
what he understood to be Bible teaching.

What is more important, from it he fed a nature
which grew in spirituality as he grew in years. Even
in so purely ethical a book as "John Ploughman's
Talks," underneath a practical wisdom as sententious
as that of Poor Richard himself, gleams and glows a
light of spiritual life which Benjamin Franklin wholly
lacked, or at least never expressed. The divisions of
his sermons were sometimes ingenious rather than
philosophical, sometimes artificial rather than truly
artistic. His sometimes archaic method would not fit
well in the hands of an imitator. But this ingenuity
became a second nature in one who drew his literary
as well as his theological inspiration so largely from
an artificial age ; hence his use of it was not truly arti-
ficial. Moreover, all criticism of the form, whether of
thought or of words, was disarmed by the genuineness
of the life which filled and overflowed his words. That
life was shown as notably in generous deeds and self-
pacrificing service as in pulpit utterances ; he was a
great preacher because he was first of all a true man.
His deeds and his words harmonized ; he lived as he
preached.

From THE CHRISTIAN AT WORK.

With the death of Charles Haddon Spurgeon a vast

TRIBM TES.

607

Spiritual lorce has gone out not only in England but
in the world. As St. Beuve said of Victor Cousin, he
was not so much a person as a mighty, ever expand-
ing, pervasive force ! He is not indeed as some of
his fulsome admirers maintain, to be ranked with
Martin Luther, for he was very different in character
from the unique German Reformer, and moreover had
a far different sort of a battle to fight. He deserves
rather to be compared with George Whitefield and
John Wesley, alid he was more like the latter than the
fo»'mer, since he was a grand organizer as well as
preacher.

His voice was wonderful. It swept in distinct, flex-
ible, sweet, strong tones, molded into faultless articula-
tion through the great tabernacle, reaching easily and
apparently without the slightest effort six thousand
hearers, and riveting their entire attention from the
first sentence. There was an indefinable quality in
his voice, as is the case with all great o/ators, that
made it captivating ana thrilling. Perhaps it was his
tremendous and irresistible personality that spoke
through it. Whatever it was it would conquer a vast
multitude in an instant. This made him a peerless
speaker.

To crown all, Mr. Spurgeon was a sin^ Vi,rly un-
selfish and noble man in his personal character. He
seemed not to know what worldliness was. His mode
of life was frugal and unostentatious. Nor did he
ever evince the slightest covetousness. Generous to
a fault, he could not be Induced to keep the fortunes

«08

RET. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

laid freely at his feet. At his silver wedding his friends
gave him $3o,cx>d ; at his 50th year his congregation
gave him $25,000 ; but both of these large sums were
soon distributed by him to his various mission works.
Such disinterested love illustrates the power of f'^*^
Gospel. It will be long before this sinful world _.
ours will see his like again.

From THE NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE.

No preacher of modern times has enjoyed a wider
publicity than the late Charles H. Spurgeon. The
many volumes of his sermons and writings have gone
out into all the world ; and could all that has been
written about him be collected, L would form a library
of no mean size. Yet tliere are many incidents untold
and tr/its still undescribed. Every week, one, ar ^
sometimes three sermons were printed and distribu
all over the civilized world by the regular issue from
Passniore & Alabaster's printing office in Paternoster
Rovr, London. Monday morning was the only time
he took for rest. He was speaking on Monday even-
ing. If he went to preach elsewhere it must be a fresh
sermon. All were reported and printed. On Thurs-
day evening at the Metropolitan Tabernacle it was the
same. On Friday afternoon he lectured to the stu-
dents, and all through the week went on his continual
and laborious authorship. Such things could only be
possible to a man to whom, as he himself once inci-
dentally and graphically described it, " sermons came
floating In the air, so that he caught them on the wing

TRIBUTES.

609

And put them away in various corners of his brain to
be used as occasion required."

His mode of preparation, which was scarcely ever
bejjun for Sunday morning until Saturday evening,
while the sermon for Sunday night was prepared on
Sunday afternoon, was to sit down and think over
some of the topics which had " come to him," and
then to gather round him all the books which bore
upon those topics, and see which, to use his own ex-
pression, " laid hold of him the most tighdy." Here
are his own words upon the matter as spoken to the
writer :

" I am frequendy surrounded by a little host of
iexts, each clamoring for accef tance and saying, 'Me,
me, preach from me,' so that I am often till ten
o'clock before I make my final selection.

A Midnight Sermon.

"On one memorable occasion, however, all failed
rtie. It was one of the strangest experiences I have
known. Ten, eleven, twelve o'clock came and sdll I
had no topic for the following Sunday morning. At
last my wife came into the room, laid her hand on my
shoulder, and said, * Had you not better go to bed ?
Try what a few hours sleep will do.' I took her
advice and retired. About eight o'clock I sprang
from the bed under the somewhat unpleasant con-
sciousness of still being without a topic. On leaving
the room she asked me where I was going. I replied,"
of course, into the study.

" Noticing an amused smile upon her face, I asked

610

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEoN.

her the cause. ' You will find out when you get there/
was the reply. Going up to the table, what was my
astonishment to find a text jotted down, a lot of notes
scattered about in my own handwriting, of which I had
no recollection whatever, and to feel a train of thought
come back to me with the notes, which at once supplied
me with a sermon.

" A glimmering consciousness of the truth dawned
upon me, but I hastened to her for an explanation.
'About two o'clock this morning,' she said, ' you got
up and went down to your study and I followed you.
You were apparently fast asleep. You seated your-
self in your chair, gathered paper and pen, and began
to write. I feared to disturb you, so I sat and waited.
You thought and wrote for about one hour, then rose
deliberately from your chair and went upstairs to bed
again, and slept till you rose just now.' I preached
that sermon and it was certainly not inferior to my
usual productions.

His Styl*j of Oratory.

Spurgeon's style of oratory was simple, forcible and
above everything natural. In his younger days he
was extremely dramatic, so much so as to give rise to
many absurd stories, which he has taken the trouble
personally to deny and disprove. One was the well-
known anecdote about his showing how sinners wen^
to hell by sliding down the banisters of his pulpit,
Without these absurd additions, however, his delivery
was sufficiently histrionic and descriptive in icti^n to

TRIBUTES.

611

and

se to
ouble
well-
wenT
111 pit,
very

make this no inconsiderable element in his remark-
able success.

Preaching on one occasion from the subject of "Aaron
staying the plague in the camp by standing between
the living and the dead," he retired to the back of the
large platform, almost out of sight of the audience,
and then suddenly approaching, swinging an imaginary
censer, he depicted the terrible earnestness of the
High Priest with face and figure and language, so as
almost to overwhelm the throng gathered in the vast
building.

The Old War-horse.

In these latter days his corpulence necessitated a
more formal mode of delivery. But, like an old war-
horse, he could not altogether forget the habits of the
past. Under the inspiration of the moment he would
sometimes start off as in days of yore, only to find that
the time for such things had gone by, and rheumatic
gout would bring him up " all standing," as a sailor
would phrase it.

It is needless to say that such a speaker was not
much encumbered with notes in the pulpit. The back
of an old envelope, with the ragged edges trimmed
off, bearing about six lines of writing, would some-
times remain as a memento of a discourse which had
electrified six thousand people, and which on the
following morning would issue from the press to the
four corners of the world, but more frequently he
would pfo and leave " not a trace behind."

^12

REV. CHARLES H. SFUR6E0N.

A Marvelous Voice.

One of the great secrets of Spurgeon's power was
his marvelous voice. He has been heard distinctly at
the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, by twenty-three thou-
sand people, and in the Metropolitan Tabernacle he
•:ou!d whisper so as to be heard all over the building.
Another factor in his influence was his extreme
naturalness. He seemed a man absolutely without
disguise of any kind whatever, and tl"^ more fre-
quently you came in contact with him t-.<? more was
this impression borne in upon you.

Upon the public platform, his eyes would flash at
some story of private or public wrong-doing ; he would
lean forward, oblivious of everybody, with his soul in
hi* face, listening to the story, and on its conclusion
wUild start up, and rushing forward would pour forth
for some ten minutes or quarter of an hour a stream
of indignant denunciation which not infrequently
brought many of his audience to their feet, wild with
enthusiastic endorsement of his* sentiments. This
was not the mere trick of an orator. It wa^ the
nature of the man. Over a tale of sorrow he would
weep so as to be unable to speak ; over a good joke
he would laugh so as to be heard above all who were
sitting with him on the platform. In preaching he
was the same. You could not resist the conviction
that, whoever in the audience doubted the truth of
what he was saying, he himself believed it, every
word. The nearer you got to him, the more you felt
this.

TRIBUTES.

61.1

A Hater of Shams.

He had a hatred of shams of all kinds. He fre-
quently said that nothing pleased him more than to
put his foot through a false or needless code of
etiquette. For one of the students in his college to
be in any way marked with the characteristics of the
•• clerical masher " was almost immediately fatal to the
delinquent. A hard hand and a threadbare coat, ac-
companied by honesty and hard work on the part of
the owner, were unfailing passports to his regard and
esteem, and always to his help, if help were needed ;
but " needless spectacles," stiff, white cravat, black
walking cane, formal broadcloth, clerical assumption,
and above all a frequent Sunday-school miss seen on
the man's left arm, first drew forth the most unsparing
sarcasm, and, if this failed, dismissal.

It was this characteristic of downright sincerity and
thoroughness which made Spurgeon so universally
loved and esteemed. Throughout the six millions of
London his name is honored by all sorts and con-
ditions of men, from cabmen to Cabinet Ministers.
He numbered on the list of his personal friends all the
best-known names of the British Liberal platform.

Royal Hearers.

Royalty visited the Tabernacle. Mr. Gladstone
dined with him ; and a cabby, if he recognized him,
would frequently refuse his fare, considering it an
honor to have had him in his cab. No death, since the
death of Charles Dickens, will be more widely and
truly mourned in England. Persons opposed to him

614

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

in politics claimed his friendship, those differing from
him in doctrine sent most generous contributions to
his work, and he has letters from many of the crowned
heads of Europe expressing thanks for the benefit de-
rived from his sermons.

On one occasion he gave the substance of a letter
he had just received from a royal personage on the
Continent, attributing conversion to Christianity
through reading his printed works and sermons, and
only asking that in the announcement the name might
be suppressed for political reasons.

Not a Handsome Man.

In height Spurgeon was about five feet six inches,

andalthough never a handsome man in the conventional
use of the term, he was in his youth possessed of that
broad, powerful frame which is always attractive in a
man from its indication of superior physical strength.
The face, like the figure, was remarkable for strength
rather than beauty of outline ; but when lit up by the
mind was truly magnificent in its intensely spiritual
expression.

In make and mental characteristics he bore no
slight resemblance to the first Napoleon. There was
the same pale, powerful face, the same physical con-
formation, the same inflexible determination of pur-
pose, and the same magnetic power over the hearts
and minds of others. It may be added that there was
in later years the same increasing corpulency also.
Once let Spurgeon's mind be made up that a certain
thing was right, then the more opposition he en-

TRIBUTES.

615

icouniered, the more determined he became to do just
that thing. And he never once failed in anything he
undertook. The first Napoleon was styled "The
Little Corporal.'' Spurgeon by his students and
deacons was called " The Governor." The statement
" The Governor is coming " made all stand at
** attention."

His appearance toward the close of his life, and
even within ten or fifteen years of that period, was
certaiiily anything but graceful. Each year he grew
fatter. Incessant work and constant suffering dis-
torted his features almost out of all semblance to their
early comeliness. Nothing but utter helplessness
could keep him away from the fulfilment of an en-
gagement. He would frequently struggle out of bed
and come to a large meeting of his students, leaning
upon his stick, one eye closed entirely, face and limbs
swollen so as to make him almost unrecognizable, de-
liver a sermon or a lecture of an hour's duration with
all his accustomed fire and force, and then go home
to lie utterly prostrated and almost at the point of
death for two or three days, until the doctors brought
bim around again.

One of His Stories.

A visitor to the Pastor's College, who dropped in

casually to look around, might have come across a*
stout, burly individual in a long frock overcoat, a felt
hat of the familiar American pattern punched in at the
crown, with a stout stick over his shoulder, or, if occa-
sion required, used to limp with, and would probably

6ia

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

take him for some English 'squire who had forgotten
his top boots, or for a well-to-do farmer come up like
himself to look around the place. That was Spurgeon.
He never wore a clerical coat or hat, in the pulpit or
out of it, abhorred the title of reverend, and in all
things aimed to be simply a man among men. A
brother stick to the one he usually carried was laugh-
singly cherished by him at home, about which he de-
lighted to tell the following story :

" It is sometimes rather difficult to ^et alonof with
deacons. Resist the devil and he will flee from you,
resist a deacon and he will fly at you. When I first
began to preach at New Park street, the immense
crowds made the heat so oppressive that I could
scarcely preach, and many women were carried out
fainting. I asked that the windows be opened. The
deacons, in the exercise of their high authority, objected.
Next Sunday evening I ordered a man to open them
before the commencement of service. They were
ordered to be closed again. The following Sunday
morning many of those windows were found mysteri-
ously broken with wondrous regularity all around the
building. Great was the indignation and searching
the investigation into this act of vandalism. It was
never found out, though possibly suspected, as I made
ho great secret of my visit to the building, but this old
stick was responsible for it. Possibly thinking that
the same thingr migrht occur aofain, the windows wer#
left in future under my control."

TRIBUTES.

617

Laughed at When on Horsehaek.

It was while he lived at Clapham, before his removal
to his last residence at Beulah Hill, Norwich, that Mr.
Spurgeon was recommended to try horseback riding
as a remedy for his excessive corpulency. Fancy a
man five feet six inches talk and fifty-two inches round,
on horseback for the first time. It was calculated tc
attract attention. And it did. His approach to the
gates was eagerly looked for by a large crowd of small
boys, whose remarks were humorous, but not particu-
larly flattering to his horsemanship. One well-wisher
suggested that he should "get inside." The chorus
of " Here he comes," *' Here he comes," increased
morning by morning until the procession became too
triumphant even for Spurgeon's philosophy, and he
relinquished equestrianism for his accustomed mode of
progression.

The pastor of the Tabernacle was a great lover of
a good " weed." Frequently he would " light up " on
his way home from preaching, if he happened to be in
a closed carriage. His many friends and admirers
consequently kept him well supplied with the choicest
brands, and he received boxes of cigars continually
from all parts where tobacco is grown in the greatest
perfection.

His readiness and tact under the most trying cir*
cumstances never failed him. At the commencement
of his career, when the opposition to his ministry was
at its highest, all kinds of annoyances were poured
upon him, which he always contrived to sei/e instantly

618

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

and turn to good account. Sparrows were taken to
the building at night and let loose, so as to fly at the
gas and create a panic. He would always quote
some passage of Scripture in his half-humorous fash-
ion, and say a few words about it which not only at
once stopped all tumult, but delighted and interested
his hearers.

His Ready Wit and Resources.

On one occasion he had been preaching about five
minutes, when suddenly the gas went out and 10,000
people were plunged in total darkness. Some mis-
creant had got to the meter, and the result might have
been then what soon afterward really happened, a panic
with great loss of life and limb. A few calm, reassur-
ing words issued from his lips, and then, without a
moment's hesitation, he announced a fresh text — "1
am the light of the world ; he that believeth in me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life." He spoke from the words, with a continual
application of the surrounding circumstances to them,
and when the gas was at length lighted, no preacher
could have desired a more attentive, absorbed audi-
ence. Then, casting aside his original text altogether,
he spoke from the words, " Light is good," and so
continued to the end of the service.

The anecdotes he could tell of the many circum-
stances in which this readiness had been absolutely
necessary to him would fill a large volume. He was
constantly coming in contact with religious cranks.
So frequently was this the case that at the Tabernacle

TRIBUTES.

619

he was never alone. Every visitor passed under the
searching gaze of deacons and personal friends before
being admitted to his presence. Yet on one occasion
it was only his great tact which saved his life. A
man applied for conversation with him in the customary
religious terms, and was permitted to enter the room.
In his usual affectionate manner Spurgeon placed a
chair for him right opposite himself and began a con-
versation. And then, literally as well as figuratively,
the "murder was out." The man had been commis-
sioned by God to come and tell him that his work was
now done, and that he was the appointed minister
who was to have the honor of sending him to his
reward. Only by the exercise of care and tact did
the great preacher escape the danger and get the
man secured. Far more sensational and startling
incidents than this could be related, for nothing pro-
duces more fanatics, enthusiasts and madmen than
religious mania, and at the time London was shaken
to its centre by the " hell-fire preacher," all the religious
cranks in England literally besieged him.

From Rev. J. M. BUCKLEY, D. D.,

In The Christian Advocate.

The closing words of his last sermon were : " My
time is ended, although I had much more to say. I
can only pray the Lord to give you to believe in him.
If I should never again have the pleasure of speaking
for my Lord upon the face of this earth, I should like
to deliver, as my last confession of faith, this testi-
mony : That nothing but faith can save this nineteenth

620

REV. CHARLES H. SPUR6E0N.

century ; nothing but faith can save England ; nothing
but faith can save the present unbeHeving church;
nothing but firm faith in the grand old doctrines of
grace and in the ever-living and unchanging God can
bring back to the church again a full tide of pros-
perity, and make her to be the deliverer of the nations
^or Christ ; nothing but faith in the Lord Jesus can
'save you or me. The Lord give you, my brothers, to
believe to the utmost degree for his name's sake !
Amen." The words seem to have been prophetic.

An Unrivallefl Voice.

The elements of Mr. Spurgeon's character as a
picacher were in most respects those common to good
speakers, but were possessed by him in an extraor-
dinary degree. His voice had no equal for purposes
of preaching to an immense congregation. Early in
his London career, when he first preached on a special
occasion in the Crystal Palace to an audience of more
than twenty thousand persons, Mrs. SpurgeoL, who
was present, became almost hysterical with fear lest
he should not succeed in controlling them. Me per-
ceived her anxiety and tears, and sent a messenger to
ask her to please sit where he could not see her, being
afraid that she would sympathetically affect him.
When he arose and began to speak his voice reached
the most distant hearer, and the great multitude were
quiet and absorbed until he finished. No other man
known to the present generation could have done
this ; only the traditions of Whitefield's wonderful
voice can be compared to Spurgeon*s.

TRIBUTES.

621

J,'.

His perso'.ial appearance was unprepossessiii
jnless the expression of the eyes was caught, or the
face was lighted by a smile. A more homely man, in
the ordinary meaning of the term, is seldom seen ;
irregular and coarse features, small, rather sunken
eyes, protruding chin, bushy hair.

In his» early days he was opposed and caricatured,
but thi« did not embitter his spirit ; nor did the almost
idolatry of the worshippers at the Tabernacle make
him unduly vain, for he always gave to God the glory
for all his work. No one could hear him pray of late
yeari without feeling that he relied humbly upon
Ged.

Last Services over the Remains of Rev. C. H. Spnrgeoii.

Mr. Spurgeon's death, as before stated, occurred at
Mentone, France. The remains were immediately
removed to London, and on Monday, February 8th,
1892, were deposited in the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Early in the morning immense crowds were waiting
for the doors to be opened, in order to obtain a last look
of the illustrious dead. It became impossible to num-
ber the vast throng which passed by the casket, but it
was estimated that in the first three hours more than
thirteen thousand persons looked for the last time
upon the face of the dead minister.

The last memorial service over the remains was
held on Wednesday evening, February loth. The
Metropolitan Tabernacle was crowded, and the ser-
vices, which were not concluded until after midnight,
Were very solemn and impressive.

622

REV. CHARLES H. SPURGEON.

The next morning a majority of the shops in the
vicinity of the Tabernacle were closed, as a mark of
respect to the dead minister, and the buildings very
generally bore mourning emblems. The funeral ser-
vices opened at ii o'clock. The members of Mr.
Spurgeon's family, the Mayor of Croydon, several
members of the House of Commons, Lady Burdett-
Coutts and deputations from sixty religious bodies
were among those present.

Glowingr Tribute.

After the singing of the last hymn that Mr. Spur-
geon had announced before he was taken sick, " The
sands of time are sinking," the Rev. Dr. Pierson,
the American minister who filled Mr. Spurgeon's
pulpit during the latter's illness, made a most elo-
quent address. He dwelt at length upon Mr. Spur-
geon's powerful influence. A cedar of Lebanon had
fallen, he said, and the crash of its downfall had
shocked the whole land. No such vast vacancy had
been felt in the Church for a century.

Dr. Pierson concluded his remarks by drawing par«
allels between the work done by Mr. Spurgeon and
that performed by John Wesley. After the offering
of prayers and the singing of hymns, Dr. Pierson pro-
nounced the benediction.

The olive-wood coffin containinof the ren^ '^^ was
then taken from the catafalque, upon wl it had
rested since Monday night, and conveyed to . le hep rse
in waiting at the main entrance of the tabernacle. As
it was borne down the aisle the entire congre^tior-

TRIBUTES.

623

arose and joined in singing the hymn, " There is no
night in Homeland."

KiiorniouH ProccNNlon.

After the mourners had entered carriages, the
funeral procession started for Norwood Cemetery,
where the remains will be interred. There was an
enormous number of coaches in the procession, and
the entire route from the tabernacle to the cemetery
was lined by an immense concourse of people.

Three mounted policemen preceded the hearse.
On the coffin there lay an open Bible. The sides of
the hearse bore the text : " I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." As
the cortege moved slowly along the spectators re-
moved their hats and bowed their heads. The bells
of St. Mary's and St. Mark's Churches tolled solemnly
as the funeral procession passed. The flags displayed
along the route followed by the procession were all
at half mast.

Places of business between Kensington and Clap-
ham were closed, and many of the houses had their
blinds drawn. The children from the Stockwell Or-
phanage occupied a raised platform that had been
erected for their use at a point where a good view of
the procession could be had. This platform was
draped with black crape and other mourning emblems.

A large number of people took advantage of the
deep feeling created by the noted divine's death, and
they did a brisk trade in selling Mr. Spurgeon's por-
traits, biographies and mourning rosettes.

624

REV. CHAHLES H. SPUR6E0N.

Impressive Scene at the Cemetery.

There was an immense crowd in Norwood Ceme
tery awaiting the arrival of the funeral procession.
When the hearse entered the cemetery all bared their
heads. The coffin was taken from the hearse and
borne reverently to the vault, in which it was depos-
ited. This vault will be surmounted by a bronze
statue of Mr. Spurgeon, and upon it will be placed
bas-reliefs symbolic of the dead minister's benevolent
works.

The only persons who were allowed in the cemetery
were those who were furnished with tickets. The
crowd began to assemble early in the morning, and
long before the time set for the cortege to arrive an
enormous throng was stationed about the vault and
in its vicinity.

The Rev. Archibald G. Brown, pastor of the East
London Tabernacle, delivered the funeral oration at
the cemetery. Rev. Dr. Pierson then offered a prayer,
the language of which was touchingly eloquent.

The Rt. Rev. Rand ill Thomas Davidson, Bishop
of Rochester, then pronounced the benediction. The
services were very impressive, and many of the peo-
ple who listened to them were moved to tears*

After the i ^liofious ceremonies had been concluded
the people present formed in line and slowly filed be-
fore the open vault and took their last look upon the
coffin of the man whose loss is mourned by thousands
in all parts of the world.

Ceme
cession,
ed their
rse and
5 depos-

bronze
; placed
levolent

:emetery
:s. The
ling, and
rrive an
ault and

the East
ration at
a prayer,
:nt.

1, Bishop

3n. The

the peo-

•si

oncluded

r filed be-
upon the
;housands