The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-03 00:00:00

THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON ON THE
RITUALISTS.

At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London, on
Sunday (28th), the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon addressed an
immense congregation on the Ritualists. He selected
for his text the f,9th chapter of Isaiah, v. 19 : " When
the memo shalt come to likt. a flood, the spirit of the
Lord shall lift up a stahtlard agattut him."

_
He commenced by referring to the many attempts by per-
meation and otherwise, Which had been repeatedly made
during the present dispensation to destroy the Church of
Christ_ These attempts commenced mitt Herod they wen
followed on by the persecuting 'pint of Saul, then by the
imprisonment of torne of the stemless, and afterwards by
the persecution under Diocletian, hut these were all made to
fall beceuse of the standard of the cross hetng lifted up
against them. Then, in the times of that baptized heathen,
Constantine, who pretended to become a Urination. the
Church wu united to the State, a union which had always
resulted In innumerable miachiels, and would always be
productive of the wont consequences. because Christ's
kingdom was not of tee world. Then it was that the
Church became apparently great and glorious. She had
gold and silver plate upon the table, her cuninanion
cups were of the richest wo.kinaoship, her bishops
became lord., and her place+ of meeting like beehicae:
but then the sound of the Gospel ceased to be heard.
and that which was once the Cour.li of Christ ceased to be
so, and that which was Coristian became anti-Christian_
Pardon wee proclaimed, but without blood pardon was
offered, but not without pennance. Priests and monks be
Came the masterpieces of drunkenness. A Crticiflx took the
place of Christ. and a piece of !mud was made into • god.
But wraa not the standard lifted up': Undoubtedly it was.
All torough that long period of darkness, and extending
from the Sipe to the far distant valleys, there existed the
two faithful witnesses for Christ—the Albireness and the
Waldenses. and the' ugh these were preeerved a long line of
Apostolical succession, not indeed through the mire of
priests and bishops, but through the blood of saints and
Martyrs. Then the standard wu raised in the South of
Trance, afterwards in Hungary, until at last it waa unfurled
In Germany, and forth came Luther and l'a vie and the other
risernorshe champions of the truth That w. the time
when Luther'. word. were said to have been carried
by angels, for no limner were they uttered at
Wurterpherg until they were heard at Boma making
the old Pope tremble at their sound. Then fol-
lowed Haigh Latimer in England. who heeit•ted not to
rebuke kings and then appeared John Knox in Scotland,
who proclaimed Christ Illtb all the noldnems of his fiery
energy Subsequently, when drunken and foxhunring ',ar-
gues were to hr found in every parish in England, and when
Dissentingmlnieters lapsed Into Unitairianisrn the standard
wan once more lifted six young men, expelled from Oxford
for the simple offence of praying, went forth and preached,
and to the utmut ends of the land the name of •• Metho-
dist" became • terror to Satan. He " Sir Spurgeon : believed
that no exaggeration could by possibility he used to describe
the present miechievous condition of the Church. 'teas not
now from without, but from within, that the greet-
est danger manifested itself. High Church What was
it? Hunan Popery. Broad Church? What WM that?
Dishonest infidelity—sot honest enough to come out
at once and say it did not believe in Scripture,
bat dishonest enough to take pay for that which
it did not believe. Both those panne were mak-
ing a great noise, so much so that some evangelical
Meads were tieing somewhat cast down, and asking what
was to be done. Ile saw no help likely to arier from any
quarter except this one—that the Holy spirit would now
interpose and thew His strength: and there were signs that
that Holy Spirit was coming. He Sir Snurgeon did not want
the bishops to interfere with tile Rituallets, because what
service had the Mahons ever rendered to the Church, or
what benefit would they ever render to it? Neither did lie
want Parliaments to interfere with them. He wanted the
Holy Ghost to lift up the standard against then. He thou -ht
he could perceive that there was a general spirit of muter
coming over the Churches that were faithful to Christ Lle
had appointed the sth of November as • day tor fasting and
prayer at the Tabernacle, and the friends at Birming-
ham, without any dictation on hie part, had appointed the
same day for a like purptae The brethren, then, Were
creeping together and preparing for the cmflict which was
impending and he was happy to say that among them minor
points were being given up They must steed together
shoulder to shoulder in this day of trial Ile was happy co
say, too, that there was coming hack to the Protestant
Churches a greater love of the old truths than there was
before, that some of the ministers were getting sick of their
philosophical :speculations arid geological views, and were
giving more of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to their
flocks. They were beginhing to me that Wherever the old
standard was borne to the Mee:. It would bring victory
Let them press to that standard everywhere, and let every
man do his duty now it, the Church, and he found faithfully
at his post. And let them never despair, let them not even
fear for the result, hut let them be of good courage, for God
was with them, and, if they acted very courageously ar,d very
earnestly, they might rely upon it that the Spirit of the Lord
would lilt up the etandard.