The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-10-14
How SpurgeOn Found Christ.

How Sturgeon Found Christ.
had been about five years in the
most fearful distress of mind as lad. |
If any human being felt more of the
terror of Gods law, l can indeed pity |
and sympathize with him. Bunyan's |
I" Grace Astounding " contains, in the
main, my history. Some abysses he went
into | never trod; but some into which
plunged he seems to have never
known. l thoughtthe sun was blotted out
of my sky-that / had so sinned against
God that there was no hope for me.
/ prayed-the Lord knoweth how |
prayed; but never had glimpse of
an answer that | knew of. / searched
the Word of God; the promises were
more alarming than the threatenings.
l read the privileges of the people of
God, but with the fullest persuasion
that they were not for me. The secret
of my distress was this: | did not know
the gospel. l was in a Christian land,
had Christian parents; but l did not
fully understand the freeness and SIM
plicity of the gospel. l attended all the
places of worship in the town where
lived, but honestly believe 1 did not
hear the gospel fully preached. 1 do
not blame the men, however. One
man preached the divine sovereignty.
/ could hear him with pleasure; but
what was that to the poor sinner who
wished to know what he should do to
be saved? There was another admirable
man who always preached about the
law; but what was the use of blowing
up ground that wanted to be sOwn?
Another was great practical preacher
l heard him, but it was very much like
commanding officer teaching the
manRuvres of war to set of men with
out feet. What could / do? All his
eXhortations were lost on me. knew
it was said, " Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved;" but l
did not know what it was to believe in
Christ. / sometimes think / might
have been in darkness and despair now
had it not been for the goodness of God
in sending snOw-stOrm, one Sunday
morning, when | was going to a place
of worship. When could go no further,
little primitive Methodist chapel. In
that chapel there might be a dozen or
fifteen people. The minister did not
come that morning; showed up, sup
pose. A poor mana shoemaker, a
tailor, or something of that sort-went
up into the pulpit to preach. Now it
is well that ministers should be in
structed; but this man was really stupid,
as you would say. He was obliged to
stick to his text, for the simple reason
he had nothing else to say. The text
was, s. Look unto me, and be we saved,
all the ends of the earth" He did not
even pronounce the words rightly, but
that did not matter. There was, l
thought, "a glimpse of hope for me in
the text. He began thus: My dear
friends, this is a very simple text indeed.
1t says Look Now that does not take
deal of effort. 1t amt lifting your
foot or your finger; it is just look.
Well, a man need not go to college to
learn to look. You may be the biggest
fool, and yet you can look. A man need
not be worth thousand year to look
Any one can look; a child can look.
Then it says, Look unto me- Ay,"
said he, in broad Essex, " many on We
are looking to yourselves. No use look
ing there. You'll never find comfort
in yourselves. Some look to God the
L dthCls Nv. iOOh w MN Nv anu ny
Jesus Christ says, Look unto me.
Some of you say. must wait the
Spirits working You have no bust
ness with that just now. Look to Christ.
1t runs, Look unto me-" Then the
good man followed up his text in this
way: " Look unto me; l am sweating
great drops of blood. Look upon me;
l am hanging on the cross. Look; /
am dead and buried. Look unto me
l rise again. Look unto me; ascend
am sitting at the Fathers right hand
O, look to mel look to mel" When he
had got about that length and managed
to spin out ten minutes or so, he was al
the length of his tether. Then he
looked at me under the gallery, and ]
dare say, with so few present, he knew
me to be stranger. He then said
Young man, you look very miserable
Well, did; but had not been accus
toned to have remarks made on my
personal appearance from the pulpit be
fore. However, it was a good blow
struck. He continued: " And you will
always be miserable miserable in life
and miserable in death-if you do not
obey my text. But if you obey now
this moment, you will be saved" Their
he shouted as only primitive Meth
odist can, " Young man, look to Jesus
Christi" There and then the CLOUD
was gone, the darkness had rolled away
and that moment saw the sun; and
could have risen that moment and sung
with the most enthusiastic of them, OF
the precious blood of Christ, and the
simple faith which looks alone to him
eA,,ohAI.r hal told hot u
fore; Trust Christ, and you shall b'
saved. TWAS, no doubt, wisely ordered
and | must ever say
Fer since by faith saw the stream
Thy wounds supplied for me,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
AID l,nn %. l,a