The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

"STRANGERS" IN THE TABERNACLE.

(From Monday's Daily News.)

In accordance with a request from Mr. Spurgeon,
strangely at variance with entreaties on the same
subject more usual in other places of worship, the
congregation at the Tabernacle last night scrupulously
refrained from attending the service. The request
was preferred on the preceding Sunday in further-
ance of a scheme last year devised by Mr. Spurgeon
with the object of acquiring fresh ground to work in.
Sunday after Sunday the vast building familiar
throughout the metropolis as the " Tabernacle "
is crowded to its doors for the most part
by regular seat-holders, only the fringe of
the great audience being made up of the outside
public. Mr. Spurgeon resolved to ask his con-
gregation four times a year to stay away from the
place, and leave it free to all corners. The fulfil-
ment of the plan was postponed, owing to illness. But
some weeks ago it WAS begun, and last night was the
second quarterly appropriation of the building and the
service to the general public. The doors of the Ta-
bernacle are usually threwn open at six o'clock; but
last night a crowd began to assemble at half-past five,
and by ten minutes to six it had grown so dense that
in order to prevent its overflowing beyond the railings,
and so interfering with the street traffic, the doors were
straightway opened. In little more than a quarter of
an hour every seat appeared to be occupied, and by a
quarter-past six the aisles were thronged, and, to the
inexperienced observer, the problem of what was to be
done with the stream that still poured ha through a
a doz.n opened doors seemed insoluble. But the
deacons arid pew-openers at the Tabernacle have
by constant practice obtained a remarkable degree of
perfection in packing a crowd. They found odd seats
here and there in the long rows of pews; they filled
the benches running.all round the walls; they got a
few more on the platform beneath the preacher's desk ;
and all this done, flaps were let down from either side
of the benches opening in the various aisles, and
hereon alone were disposed a number of people who, in
one of the old churches now disappearing from the
City, would comprise a startlingly large Sunday con-
gregation. All classes were represented, from the lady
in silk to the wearer of carefully preserved print
calico,. and from the man in broadcloth and fine linen
to the costermonger ineffectually disguised in a frock
coat. At half-past six precisely Mr. Spurgeon ap-
peared, making his way through the crowd that
blocked the approaches to the platform level with the
lower gallery from which he preaches. At this moment
the interior presented a spectacle such as it would be
difficult to match amongst Sunday evening gatherings.
The Tabernacle was built to seat 6,000 persons. Last
night the numbers present were nearer 7,000, for up
and down, from ground floor to the spacious galleries,
there was not a square yard of available room unoccu-
pied. This was at half-past six, and for nearly half
an hour later a constant stream of people arrived at
the gates, taking a desperate chance of finding admis-
sion. In the hope of catching some of these a prayer.
meeting was held in the lecture-hall, which speedily
became full to its utmost capacity.
Mr. Spurgeon opened the services by a brief prayer,
in which he referred to the several conditions of men
who (be surmised) were present, praying for each
specially, and leading up to the fervently-spoken peti-
tion, "Oh, Lord, save the whole Tabernacle full of
people." Then, upon his invitation, the whole con-
gregation rose, and with hearty goodwill sang the
"Old Hundredth." There is no organ at the Taber-
nacle, a gentleman stepping forward from Mr.
Spnrgeon's side and raising the tune. But after the
first note of the first verse his voice was heard no
more, being lost in the mighty sound of thousands
of voices that rolled forth the familiar tune, wait-
ing for no signal and owning no leadership.
After this Mr. Spurgeon read a portion of the
eleventh chapter of Matthew, choosing as an ap-
propriate exordium the fifteenth verse, "He that
bath ears to hear let him hear." The reading of
what elsewhere would be called the Lesson was
accompanied by a running commentary of homely ex-
planation and earnest exhortation. Another hymn,
heartily joined in by the congregation, a second and
longer prayer, and then Mr. Spurgeon began to preach,
or rather to talk to the manifestly interested crowd.
He took as his text the three last verses of the chapter
from which he had read, and spoke about it in a
simple and at times passionately earnest manner for the
space of fifty minutes. The sermon was singularly
free Mae those unconventionalities of style which
occasionally mark Mr. Spurgeon's pulpit utterances.
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest," was the burden of the text, and
the preacher was content with reiterating and varying
snie invitation, It:memos en the illimitability of the
profferPd welcome, and dwelling on the pertectiou ot tne
promised rest. Twice only did he vary his discourse
by the introduction of illustrations in parable form,
which he is much accustomed to use for the enforcement
of his text. One of these was short, and contained
within itself the main argument of the discourse.
"There is a doctor who visits you," he said. "You
have called him in because you are feeling very ill, and
the first thing he says to you is, 'do you trust me
entirely ?' You sey, Oh yes, doctor, I trust you en-
tirely. 'Very well, now tell me what you eat and
what you drink.' You tell him, and he declares that
you are eating and drinking the very things that feed
your disease. He tell you you must give up those things,
and asks you if you will take some medicine he will send
you. Oh, yes, you will do everything he tells you, and
he goes away. A few days after he calls again, and
finds you worse. 'Why, how is this?' he says, your
disease is getting a firmer hold upon you.' But when
he comes to inquire, he finds that you have been going
on eating and drinking the same things as before.
'Did you take the medicine?' Well,' you say, 'I just
tasted it; but found it was nasty, and there it is.'
Then the doctor knows that you have not trusted him,
and he goes away sorrowful; for he knows that without
that trust he can do you no good. It is just so with
Jesus Christ. You must trust Him entirely and do
everything He tells you, for those are the sole condi-
tions upon which He will give you rest."

This was, in brief, the sermon. Its fuller recital was
listened to throughout with never•faltering attention
by the great congregation, to whom, seated or standing
in whatever remote corner of the hall, the preacher's
sonorous tones were as audible as if he were speaking
to them across a table.