Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-05-02

spects the most iDnuentiAl, OF ali EuSlsh
preachers is
MR. SURGEON.
No lair minded Englishman will ques
ton Mr.. Spnrgeon's inahenable right to
TINS distinction. Many Are the attempts
TO solve the secret of his unique power.
It IL veritable wonder to contemplate
this mans undiminished popularity aud
uudiminished influence after more than
thirty years workt IN the same spot, right
in the eye Of a wide and exactiug public
for Mr.. Spurgeou has not preached to
the Metropolitan Tabernacle alone, large
though the gathering there always Is; his
audience has virtually been all evangeh-
cal England. He was but lately publish
ing his two thousandth sermon, and every
Sunday on which he appears in his pulpit
his Appearances now, sad o say, are be-
coming les frequent and regular, owing
10 persistent i'll HEALTHY, he is as fresh and
original as ever. His voice still retains
its poser, his points have not yet lost any
of their pith nor his humor its pungenoy.
How IL 1t, people ask, that this man, with
out any personal grace of appearance and
manner, without any gaudy rhetoric or
oratorical pyrotechnics, gets his 5000
hearers together and yet holds them with
& spell which has lost none of its inten-
sityY Surgeons secret is his al absorb
ing earnestness. it WAS the prayer of
one of Englaud's greatest preachers that
he should preach every sermon rs If it
were TO be his last As one listens to Mr..
Spurgeon Que can not but feel that 10 Is
in this spirit that he also breaches. Per
haps his uncertain health gives touch of
unusual solemnity to every service that he
conducts. He feels, he realizes what he
Ia about; and mis- earne5'ness allows him
no time to think of anything but 70 drive
home his message in the most direct and
impressive manner possible. Ia doing so
be uses the plRinest languargs, and Is not
afraid either OF offending or tickling the
susceptibilities of his hearers. Like every
great master of an audience, Spurg con
makes his audience laugh, knowing that
laugh is very near akin to tears. Iu
fact, Spurgeon throws himself, just rs hs
Is, without any apology or palllation, up
on his congregation, and they can not
help being held by his power. But above
all he comes TO the pull pit each time, like
Moses from the mount, fresh from the
presence of his Master. Spurgeon IL en-
phetIcally man of prayer; and 1t Is this,
ds a crown TO his natural gifts of speech
and intellect, that accounts for the magic
aDd force of his influence.
Perhaps the most popular preacher
after purgeon-though one appealing
to a totally different class of persons
ia
DIR. LIDDON,
Canon Of St. Paal's. Spurgeon is the
preacher of the great middle GLASS; Lid,
don of the sristocraoy. Spurgeon Is di
rect, unvarnished talker of solemn truths
to unsophlstlcated business men. lhddon
appeals to the cultured, the heightened,
aud the mystical. A high churcnman of
the straItest school, disciple of Pusey,
and friend of DOllinger. Canon Lidion
is a classic preacher of the old Episco-
palian type, a writer of 5plendidly elabOr
ated sermons, which he delivers with a
charm of manner untqualled in the Eng
fish Church. Americans who have not
lived a length of time in England, can
form no conception of the great gull
which exis's in the mother country be
tween the established church aud the non
conformjsts There are many OF the
bearers of Liddon who consider SpurgeOn
but vulgar schismatic, and who know
nothing of him beyond the bare name.
There is no divine in England more at
others with Mr. Spurgeon IN has doctrinai
views than Canon Liddon. Yet these men
have never stood on the same religious
platform, and though Mr. Sturgeon may
have listened TO Canon Liddou, it isquite
certaiB that Canon LiddOn never sat IN
der q sermon of Mr., Surgeons. LjddOn,
theologically, is an Old time Calvinist, and
powerful advocate of the orthodox faith.
A., BAN pton lectured o few years ago at
Oxford, ne delivered q series of dlscours
rs which are, without doubt, the best
statements of the doctrine of our Lords
divinity ever produced 10y an English
theolcgiau As an orator he stands with
ont a rival IN his church. The vast area
of St. Paul's Cathedral Is crowded every
Sunday afternoon during his term OF of
foe, aud all ears are riyeted to the sonor-
Gus tones of his splendid voice. Liddon's
delivery, though perhaps too much IN the
ecclesiastioal monotone it is as near the
perfeotioa of English speech and accen-
tuation IA can well be imagined. Taking
him all in all, Canon Liddon is truly
great preacher, and has won for himself
an abiding place on the splendid scroll of
fame to be found in the archives of the
Anglican church.
Another preacher who may be consid-
cred with Spurgeon and Liddon to make
up "the triad of fame of the English
pulpit, is
DIR ALEXANDER MACLARES,
Of Manchester Dr.. Maelaren, like Mr..
Spurgeon, is a Baptist, but he ministers
to a mixed church OF Baptists ana Con
grepationalsts. The best preachers, pure
and simple IN England are undoubtedly
10 be found outside the established
Church The Anglican preachers are
mostly great declaimers-fue readers Of
huely-worded sermons. The leading non
eonformist ministers, on the other hand,
generally preach extempore. They deliver
their message with All the life and fire
aud force to be derived from unfetteted
utterauee aud from the inspiration of the
moment. A cons picuou' example of
mower and success as ala extewpOre
PREACHER is 10 be found in Dr.. Maclaren.
There are many who deem Dr.. Msc'aren
To be--tasing AL things iutn consider.
a.ion-thc best preacher In EuS'auo to
day. He comb n-s the directuess aud
force of Spurgrun with mrch Of the