The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-27 00:00:00

MR. SPURGEON.

Mr. Spergeos stilLeontinues to be an object of attraetion,and draws
large and fashionable congreg Atom from the West-end. As, however,
the main body of his hearers is comeosed of the middle classes, who
come from considerable distances to attend hi 3 ministry, the sight 01
grand carriages and horses, and powdered foJtmen waiting outside
the gates of tie Surrey Zoological Gardens during Divine Service,
provokes remarks which it would do no great harm should they reach
the ears of the owners of those equipages. There is a prevailing im-
pression that Mr. Spurgeon is a vulgar, uneducated man, with a
considerable power of unadorned eloluenee and a loud voice: this is
a mistake. Mr. Spurgeon is hi ;lily, even classically educated, and
nothing can be more reverent than the service. His extempore prayer
is not the long and sometimes vain repetition of some Presbyterian
clergyman, but a solemn and earnest appeal for the Divine blessing.
The simple hymn, sung by perhaps ten thousand voices in that
enormous building, has an effect that even toe elaborate church music
of foreign cathedrals can never produce. His exposition of a Bible
chapter is clear and practical, and his sermon, although not distin-
guished by any great subtlety of intefectuel power, is eloquent, full
of home truths, and perhaps of homely illustrations, but marceilously
adapted for that class oF listeners for whom it is intended. That there
are trivialities—vulgarisms some call them—in his cEscsurses cannot
be dented; but, as he himself says, they are the loathe s with which
he tips the arrows which he intends shall go right home to the
hearths of his congregation ; And home these words certainly do go;
from their earnestness and favour, with a reality which the gorgeous
alter enveloped in picturesque obscurity—which the curling smoke of
perfum7d incense, and the modulated chaunt from within the elaborate
screen, never can produce. It is wrong to form a j adgement of Mr.
Spargeon's style from a West-end point of view, which requires
„either pretty sentitnentalisms, or deep philosophical disquisitions to
alsfy it. He should be judged in an East-end point of view, as
devoting ail his energies to attract, instruct, and improve an audience
more nearly approaching the lower than the m die classes. There
are plenty of amusing stories afloat ab } • his texts and illustrations ;
but, whether he preached in Lord John Russell's presence on the text
of “aleke your calling and election sure " during the contest for the
mexopolis ; or whether in a fauerel sermon over one of his flock, he
selected the words, "And the beggar died," still, that can be no
ordinary man who, at the age eft wenty-three, collects together every
Sunday morning at least twelve thousand hearers, and is forced, from
want of room, to refuse admittance to ten thousand more. And never,
amid general indifference, clerical somnolism, and Pueeyite innova-
tion, was there more required than now, a minister in whom the
indomitable energy, vigour, and eloquence of Whitfield has been
revived.

The committee of the Board of Trade have requested the
assistance of an engineer and shipwright officer of Wool-
wich dockyard to inspect the first of a number of 40 iron
barges, which have been ordered for construction at Black-
wall for the purpose of dredging the Nile.
It appears to have been already positively ascertained
that the defalcations of M. Charles Thurneyssen at Paris
amount to between £400,000 and £500.000 It is added
that a Polish nobleman loses £BO,OOO, and a Russian
nobleman a similar sum.