The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-12-27
Mr. spurgson on Preachers and People.

they have become stable Christians.
Mr.. Spurgeon on Preachers and People.
Mr.. Spurgeon, in an address on the layiDi
of the foundation. stone of new mission hal
in London, said:
believe there is not half as much grount
for the anxiety people feel when they lool
at the various denominations in the Churcl
as they suppose. l have known one place
in town as dead as death could be, and an
other place was opened, and they both were
filed
1 am always hearing it said that the grea
problem is to get the working classes to lis
ten to the gospel. l do not believe that tt
be the problem at all, aud | deny altogether
that the working classes of London attenC
less at the house of God than other classes
in London. In proportion to their numbers
they attend as we'll as any other class. Peo
pie come to the Tabernacle, aud when they
see the congregation coming out they say nc
working classes 90 there, because they would
not be so well dressed. One of the frst
things | notice about man when he turns
from his evil ways is that he gets decent
suit of clothes. | don't believe any one in
Europe could tell the difference between Q
workman in his best clothes and any other
swell. suppose two-thirds of my coDgre.
CATION at the Tabernacle are working men,
and wherever you have vigorous, living
church, you will find that the bulk of it is
made up of the very men whom it is said to
be the problem to get to 90 to the house Of
God.
There is problem 1 should like to see
solved, and that is how to get the people Of
the West End into church. I know there
are hundreds of thousands of people living in
the suburbs surrounding London, having
large incomes and fine houses, who do not
attend church any more than many of the
working-people do. Let us look at the OBJ
jections people urge to going out on Sunday.
| admit there are persons who should never
60 to church-those who wear boots that
squeak, aud ladies whose umbrellas are al.
ways falling down with snap.
Then you find people who don't go because
of the heat and the bad air. l could indi-
cate some places where they could have three
pews to themselves if they liked, and plenty
of air. l often preach in country chapels
where the people get packed like herrings in
barrel, I have tried to get the windows
open, but they wouldn't, for they never had
been opened. went into one Of these places
once, and it was so close and hot that asked
every gentleman near window to smash a
pane or two. There was soon very grand
smash, but then the beautiful fresh air
streamed in. paid the bill afterward, like
an honest man, but it was much better to do
that than bear the cruelty of preaching in
such an atmosphere, or forcing people to lis.
ten when they were more disposed to sleep.
There is q common complaint that the
preacher can neither be understood nor
heard, and there is some truth in it, If men
have anything worth being heard, they
should speak out. I have heard of clergy.
men in Australia and Africa-I do not say
in Eogland-of whom it is said when you
hear them once you hear as much of them as
You want to hear. Preachers use various
kinds of Eaglish-one with many.syllabled
words, the other, the Saxon their mothers
talked, and which they themselves began tc
use when they prattled as children. be-
Iieve "higdfalutin" is too much used in the
pulpit. We preachers should speak so thai
people could not misunderstood US even il
they tried to do 30.
Some men occasionally stay away from
communion because their wives have large
family, and these poor women cannot leave
the children. / should like to whisper in tn,
ears of some Christian young women tina
they might 60 and take care of the children
for q Sunday and let the mother go out
As for the husbands, | don't think they al
ways take their fair turn with their wives
for see some Christian men out on Sun
day whose wives never get out for month
together.
l think, too, that people have good dea
to do with the filing of the churches, ant
that they might bring friends when the.
could; and certainly when they found it ne
cessary to say that the good man preaching
had his wits wool gathering, they ough
only to say it out in the country, when ther'
was no one within a mile or so of them.
I'll tell you what | often find. When
90 into a street and ask for chapel, 1 az
told it is round the corner by the Duke o
Prussia, or the Marquis of CRANKY, or tn
Mother Red Cap; but don't fad that tn
churches are conspicuous places. Don't lie
this happen with you Advertise, distribut
handbills, for the life of business is black ink
You ought to distribute tracts-I mean goo,
ones-and if knew where you could ge
good ones I should tell you, for they are gen
orally hard to find.
VIsIoNs.-It is certainly not impossibl
for God to unveil to US the future, and
reveal his will by means of visions; but un