, 1879-02-09
TIE WORE OF 4 GREAT PREACHER FOR TWEEN
Tf-FIVE YEARS.
L1ni0n .YeES.

| TIE WORK or 4 GREAT PREACHER FOR TWEEN
| TY-FIvE YEARS.
London Nescs.
| Twenty-Five years ago there entered London
| from TIE Eastern Counties hish-road a young,
unknown, end comparatively friendIess man..
uc has himself recorded that, in view of the i'm
| portance Of his mission to the great metropolis,
| lie had carefully dressed himself i'll "a huge
black satin stock.' and that he was further en-
dowed with "a blue handkerchief with white
| spots"
| We get further hints that air. Spurgeon was
] at this epoch youth OF rustic manners and
! timid address. He was just 10 years old, and
was already pastor of d little Baptjst Chapel at
| Waterbeach, five miles IRON Cambridge. 1hith-
| er had como letter one Sunday morning invit-
| ing him to preach sermon at New Park street,
Southwark, pulpit just vacated by Dr.. Rip
| pon shining light in Baptist circles quarter
of 4 century ago. Mr.. spurgeon thought there
must be mistake somewhere, and replied by
letter to that effect, explaining that he was
s,only just turned 19,'' aud was in no manner
qualified to ill pulpit in great chapel in
London. He was assured that there was no
mistake, and the invitation being renewed
he set out for Loddon with his huge
black satin stock, his blue handkerchief with
white spots, and all nnueve1oneu capacity Tor
preaching, which even the far-seelng and sau-
gu!ne Dtacous OF Park Street Chapel little
dreamed Of Mr.. Spurgcon tells how he spent
the wcll-rcmemocred night at Il boar.lIns-house
in Queens Square, Bloomsbury; how his fellow
guests were ''greatlv tckIcd that the country lad
should be s preacher;" how they overwhelmed
him with narratives Of the attainments Of Lon
don diyines, what study they devoted to the
composition Of their sermons, their hcrcuean
tolls i'll keeping together congregation as crit
ical as it WIS numerous, and "the tna1chless
orators they exhibited OIL all occaslons.' MIR.
Spurgeon went to bed in cupboard over the
front door. and tossed On the barrow couch in
solitary misery. tsPiti1css vas the grind OF tile
cabs in the street, pitiiess the recollection til the
young city clerks whose grim propriety had
gazeu upon our rusticity with such amusement,
1,itiiess the spare room which scarcc afforded
space to kncel, pitiless even the gas-lamps
which seemed to wink at us as they t1ickcred
amid the December darkness. We had no
friend in all that city full OF human beings, but
We felt among strangers and foreigners, hoped
to be helped through the scrape into which we
had been brought, and to escape safely to The
serene abodes Of Cambridge and Waterhcarh."
Mr. Spurgeon's success was immediate and
Park Street Chapel he has gone on increasing in
power and fame and personal influence. Every
body has heard Of him as preacher. Millions
have heard him preach. The Tabernacle on a
Sunday, when Alr. spurgeon is in the pulpit, is
one Of the sghts Of London. It is the one
church in England, perhaps ia the world, whose
regular congregation numbers 5, 100, and which
has never empty bench. The weekly sermons |
have even wider congregation than the Taber- |
nacle will hold. They are printed from week to
week, and circulate wherever the English tongue
prevails They have been translated into almost
every language spoken by Christians; and in !
some of the African missionary settlements the
natives read in their own tongue the Eotucly |
truths, the iorcible arguments, and the quaint I
illustrations which have been first uttered on !
some earlier Sunday in the Tabernacle. Mr.. |
Sturgeon is, first Of ALL preacher aud it is as
preacher that lie is known throughout the civil |
lied world. But lie is something more than |
preacher. He is one OF the most tremendous |
workers OF the day. Few people outside his !
congregation, or beyond those who make it |
their special business to inquire, can form any |
conception of the proportion and extension of |
the agencies for doing good which Mr. Spur
gcon has established, controls, and principally !
maintains.
AS tile time for the celebration of his silver !
wedding with his church approached it was sug-
gcstcd that the Opportunity should be scized to
make him q present worthy OF the OCCASION.
When tic scheme came to Mr.. Spurgeon's ears
he BY no means discouraged it. On the contrary |
he warmly approved it. Let them raise as much
money as they could; the more munlhcent the
sum the better ne would be plcascd-only he
would not accept q penny Of it h1msclf. The
ri tct |