American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-04-04
SPURGEON.


The religious public is much divided
about Mr.. Spuigeon, some saying "He
is good man." and others, "Nay but
he deceivoth the people )" some extol.
ling him as new wonder Of evaneeli.
cal eloquenca, and others s,igmatizing
him as ranier, a charlatan, aud a pull
pit mcrry-andrew. We avow ourselves
TO be among the number Of those who
bless God thu! our day has witnessed
the rise Of one so wei! fitted TO startle
and electrify the indolent aud goddess
masses Of the great modern Babylon
iuto religious interest; aud we wish
there were to-day, hundred such as he
IN London, and fifty such in New York.
While we more nice and dainty preach
ers, come weekly before our we'll dres.
sed aud decorous assemblies with SER
mons compounded according TO all the
rules. and read with evory observance
"f orlhoepy, and there arc a hundred
thousand poor people without, who do
not come near US, uud who would per
haps go to sleep fthey did. If fGod i'll
tends the common people" To be rous'
ed into great religious revolution, and
the rapidly degcneraing popuiace Of
London and New York To be awaken,
ed, he will raise up Whitfields. Row.
land Hills aud Spurgeous. Just so
preached Luther and Latmer; the like.
ness extending even TO the odd and
sometimes ludicrous expressions, which
are not indeed 10 our taste, but which
abound even more in the reported ser
mons of Whitfield and which belong
10 the idiosyncrasv Of the men. A great
cr fault is the frequent putting forward
OF his own personality; hut all these
are spocks upon fair and brilliant disc.
AF.Sp~rgeonpcQchcSMctru Mr.. he truh 0fGod,
let this be always borne in mind and
he breaches it to ten thousand at u time
Is not this fact to be rejoiced at ? We
do not mean his tenet concerning Bap-
tism, nor his tenet concerning the Sec
"nd Advent, neither of which is made
prominent; we will not underwrle any
OF his crotchets Of opinion or his patio
uIar exposiiions Of Scripture; bat we
recognise in his constant teachings the
great evangelical and saving Doctrines
of the New Testament and the West
Minister Assembly. Mr.. Spnrgeon shows
IN every sermon that he has been dill
| igent reader, not only oflhe Bible, but
Of Theology. To this he owes much
of his force. The familiar terms of old
None coufOrmist divinity. fall freely
from his lips, aud he aGecriona,ely
names their great authors. The out
cry against him is sufficiently account~
ed for, hy his brandishing the terrors of
the law, by his exalting the free grace
OF the gospel, aud by his constant and
untinching avow0l Of Calvinism. No.
! thing which has been uttered against
him in the way Of virupe,arion equals
the assaults upon Mr.. Whitfield. both
In England aud America. No one needs
to be infoi imcd how much is lost when
we read the cold written IcporIs Of i'm.
aginative and impassioncd einquence.
The sermons of Dean kirman and Of
! Whitfield are striking instances. Yet
no one can peruse single sermon, with.
out feeling himself to be within the
grasp OF great undIsciplined and da-
ling genius, who amidst some fDibles and
numberless violations Of taste, wiclds
the sword Of a champion, and is all on
fire with zeal for God. We heartily a
gree with our honored friend Dr.. Way,
land, that the world and the church need
such preachers and looking down-hin
toward the close Of our own work. with
many regrets over wrong methods, we
rcjoice and hope at the sight Of young
men brought into the field with such Ell.
ergies and success. Even where their
standard ofhomilctics is not ours, Christ
is preached, and we therein do rejoice,
yea and will rejoice" - Conn m unicuted.