Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-12-26

TER
rs, 1872.
A CURIOUS INCIDENT IN Mr.. sPUI
GEON'S PREACHING.
BY Rev. William c. VNilklnson.
During the spring of 1862, while j
London, met at breakfast one Sur
day morning, in my lodgings, a numbe
of gentlemen with whom 1 had forme
the travellers transient acquaintan ,
as their fellow guest for the previou
week. The conversation threatened t.
become unsuited to the sanctity of tn
day: l watched my chance and spok
OF Mr.. Spurgeon, as a kind of comp1o
mise topic that might possibly ais
bring about some decided transition j,
tho nature of our talk. One after an
ether OF those present expressed hi
opinion or narrated his experience O
the famous preachers elequence: bnt
young man, apparently somewha
"fast" young man. remained silent
though q very noticeable and attentiv.
listener to what was said. He evident
" lad story of his own to tell, and q,
length he told it. Said he:
"Now, I used to brag on Spurgeon
good deal, I went very often to hea
him; and I told all my friepds there
was no preaching like his. But ont
Sunday, whether he had Ioticed mt
before-I am sure I can't say how il
was-but he spoke right straight al
me, and pointed me out so to the whole
congregation that everybody was look.
ing at me. It wasn't right at all. He
was downright personal. don't you
see: and I've never been to hear him
preach since. He had no business ia
single fellow out like that, and set
people all to looking right at a fellow >
Ihe young man spoke with sincerity;
but I felt, and judged that my com.
panions all felt, that there was some
explanation of his experience that
would relieve Mr.. Spurgeon of the inn
putation of actual personality. said:
"But isn't it possible that you were
mistaken2 Didntyou take something
particularly to yourself that Mr.. Spur.
geon meant for q whole class of his
hearers Z"
"Not at all, not at ALL" he replied
eagerly. "No, sir; there was no mis-.
take whatever about it. He meant me,
and nobody else. I don't think he
ought to have done it,"
Still unconvinced, I said again:
"You, of course, were looking at the
speaker and, if the speaker turned his
face toward where you were sitting,
you perhaps took it for granted that he
vas looking particularly at you, when
'tNo, sir, but it was at me he looked.
Why, sir, he described my dress.
own I was dressed rather loud; but
that didn't make it right. He told
what color my coat was, and my waist
coat, and all that. He oughtn't to have
done it, SIR"
The young man was 80 much in ear.
nest that we all tacitly agreed to let
him have his say without further ques.
tion. But I could not persuade myself
that his impressions were well grounded.
Seven month, after was guest al
q dinner given by Charles II. Thomp'
son, ESQ.,, an American gentleman,
then resident at Paris, to a small party
which included DR.. McClintock, DR.. J.
Vincent, I remember, and amonf
others, q young minister, whose name
I cannot now recall. The conversation
at one point happened to turn upo1
Mr: Spurgeon, and I related the sin
gular experience of this young Lon
doner to the company. I added that
the young man's confident observation,
to the contrary Notwithstanding, o.
course Mr.. Spurgeon could not have
done as he represented. All agreed
but the minister above alluded to. HI
said:
II was present on that occasion.
sat near the young man. What he said
was all true. Mr.. Spurgeon did unques
tionably point his preaching for q mo
ment directly and personally at him.
He said: That young man, sitting
under my eye, with such and such
The coincidence was so remarkable
that we all had to be convinced.
Such an episode, then, in Mr.. Spur
geon's preaching must have occurred.
But it must have been extremely excep.
tional; perhaps it was entirely unique.
I have myself been q somewhat fire.
quent auditor of his, and certainly ]
never witnessed anything at all re-
sembling this incident which I have
narrated. Possibly Mr.. Spurgeon hav'
ing his attention casually directed tc
that young man, a sudden and ire
sistible impulse suggested the
hazardous expedient Of a personal
appeal to him in 80 public q
manner, by way of srresting his con.
science with an unexpected and unus.
ual impression. The event, 80 far az
appeared, did not justify the preach.
er's temerity. It was probably an un.
wise experiment; certainly unwise, one
is tempted to say, and probably unsuc.
cessful. But the judgment seat alone
can disclose the final issue of our &C.
tions. 1t is still uncertain, in the case
of that young man, what the last effect
may prove to have been of that singu.
lar address to his conscience.-New
York Independent.