The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-20 00:00:00

MR. SPURGEON'S TABERNACLE.

At the special hospital service on Sunday morning
at Mr. Spurgeon's Tabernacle the rev. gentlemao
founded his discourse upon the sevent!i verse of the
second chapter of Deuteronomy, "For the Lord thy
God hoth blessed thee and all the works of thy toted; lie
knoweth thy walking through this treat wilderness ; these
forty got "o the Lord thy Oted hoth been with thee ; thou
host tasked nothiny." Referring to the fact that he
himself had that ilay completed the fortieth year of
his life, he said that the habit of numbering one's
days was most desirable, because it showed that each
year was another trial, and that each year they had
so much the less labour before them and. Po much the
less temptation to tight against, instead of regretting,
therefore, that they were so much older, they
should rejoice in counting their years to the
very full. There were those mho were old, and could
not conceal from themselves that they were going
down the hill of life, and yet did not attach much
weight to it, whilst every year should increase their
sense of the solemnity of their position. He spoke as
one who had that day rea thed his fortieth year to others
of that age, and he hoped that the fact was a comfort to
others as it was to himself ; for there was, be was
sure, scarcely one amongst them who did not feel that
he had been in contact with the known God--who had
not felt the Divine power in his every action of life.
To many who laboured in God's work it would
have been a source of great satisfaction and
thankfulness if they had been enabled to make only a
few converts, and how could they, when the Lord had
given them thousands upon thousands, find words to
express their thankfulness. The blessings of God were
everywhere manifest; for if a man were ill and weak it
was only that he might be stronger, and if he were a:
death's door it was only that he might see the Divine
life. In all their retrospect of the past they must no-
tice the perfection of His sympathetic care and loving
tenderness, uot only in the sense of omniscience, but in
the sense of sympathy in emulating them to bear
their burdens ; and, therefore, God being with them,
they ought to rejoice when they numbered their
days. They had had much cause to bless the Lord f..r
the abundance of His supply. There were, no doubt,
some things which they would like to have which
they bad not had, for which God shool.l be praised.
They ought to pine greater trust in the Lord and His
Goodness—more natural faith—even as the child
naturally placed its trust in a tender parent. Forty
years ought to teach each of them to believe that God
was blessing the work of their hands, and when they
were in their prime was the time to begin their work,
if it had not begun before. When people found they
had more business they sought to increase it still
further; and, in the same manner, when they found
God's blessing upon what they were doing they
should endeavour to do more. If they were worth
their salt the prime of life was the time to exert them-
selves and use the experience they had gained in the
cause of God. Another thing which forty years taught
them was to forget the things of the past in looking for-
ward to that which MIS before them, seeking to turn
more toward heAven. Times past might suffice for the
foolish, but their cry should be " Heavenward, ho ! "
In concluding the rev, gentleman exhorted his con-
gregation not to attempt to appear what they were
not, or to disguise their position in order to escape
from Christian obligations, and that liberality in pro.
muting Christian works which it was their duty to
exercise. They ought to show more confidenes in I
more confidence in working for Him, and more confi-
dence auto the unknown future.