The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-31 00:00:00

CHRISTMAS WITH MR. SPURGEON.

Under the above heading the Pall Mall Gazette has an
article, from which we make the following extracts:—
Mr. Spurgeon has just returned from his annual
visit to Mentone so much improved in health and
strength that it is doubtful if he ever delighted his
audience with a more vigorous and eloquent sermon
than he preached last Sunday. More than five
thousand people were present, and their opening
hymn was in reality the shout of praise" which their
minister asked of them. After the hymn he read from
St. Luke the story of the Nativity, interrupting the
chapter with occasional comments. " Now, " he cried
"has glory wedded poverty, and no man shall despise
the poor and needy." Such is the fervour of his
delivery that when he_read that "Unto you is born
this day," &c., there was a silence in the vast assem-
bly as if they had never heard the good news before.
Then came the second hymn, much quieter than the
first. " Now let us sing this sweetly from our hearts."
Then the prayer in which the "bonne bourgeoisie"
of London was exhorted to get them up to the golden
streets, to rise from their sinnership to their salvation.
For every one some special blessing was besought that
morning, that for each some prayer might be answered
or grace given to wait for the answer, that on each some
choice child-gift might be bestowed that should make
them love their Father in heaven. A blessingwas besought
on Queen and country, especially on "poor Ireland,'
that her wounds might at length be healed and a
policy of right and justice prevail. Then came "a
sweet hymn of experience in which I hope many here
can unite," and then the text of the sermon from
Jeremiah "They shall fear and tremble for all the
goodness and all the prosperity that I procure unto
It." It was a sermon on the danger of too mush
happiness, spiritual or temporal, and the portion
which was listened to with most interest was that
which could be applied without much effort, and was
evidently meant to be applied to the chief spiritual
extravagance of the day
Mr. Spurgeon concluded with an allusion, half
pathetic, half huintrons, to the position of their own
&lurch and his ministry. They had had twenty-seven
years of great prosperity, and the time was very
critical by reason of their very prosperity. He found
the grey hairs on his head already outnumbered the
Black, and he sometimes feared the grey hairs were
stealing over his preaching, too. Of course any at-
traction of novelty had long since gone. "It's the
same old Gospel—of course you don't get tired of that
—but then it's the same old Spurgeon, too, and.you
might easily get tired of him." This remark produced
the only laugh of the sermon. It was followed by an
eloquent exhortation to "fling themselves on the
Eternal once again '•" and so, after an hour and five
minutes, during which not a word was missed, the
sermon ended. It is doubtful if with perhaps two ex-
ceptions there is any Englishman who can rivet for
hours the attention of a great audience as Mr. Spur-
geon does Sunday after Sunday. His strong per-
sonality animates the whole service from beginning to
end, and if we had to define the secret of his success
we should say that it lay in the frank and fearless
manliness of his demeanour and delivery, in his
common sense, and in his sense of humour, and above
all in an utter absence of self-consciousness which is
especially rare in preachers.