The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-02-08
CROSBY ON STURGEON.
Our INTEL etual Fellow Citizen Sum-
marizes the Eloquent Facts of One
of the Most Remarkable and VaIu-
, alIa af tho Men of uur Are

Our lnreItHctual fetiOW-tltizeh SUM
marizes the Eloquent Facts of One
of the Most Remarkable and VaIu-
able of the Men of Our Age.
William X. Crosby, tho dry goods
merchant, delivered in Delaware Ave-
nue Baptist Church on Sunday after
noon, his eulogy on Rev. Charles
Haddon Sturgeon, the celebrated
metropolitan preacher and philanthro'
pist. OF London, England, who depart'
ed this life at eleven o'clock Sunday
night, Jan. 81, 1892, In his hfty-eighth
year.
His life was so full, SO noble so use
full and so potential for good that from
this wonderful man radiated constant
ly streams % blessing which went al
over the world and to almost every
nation. lie was one OF the most earn
est, ablo, devoted and loyal advocates
OF Jesus Christ since the days OF tho
! Apostle Paul. ....=. ..=
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born
in Essex county, England. June 18th
| 1884. His grandfather and his father
were ministers of tho Congregational
church He experienced religion In
his childhood and was proposed fol
tho ministry in the church OF his
fathers, which Is strong denotnina
ton In England and the United States.
At sixteen years he was school teach
er in Newmarket, where Baptist inilu
ences prevailed with him.
On his removal to Cambridge he
Joined the Baptist Church, founded by
the celebrated Robert Hall. His mis-
sionary labors and rugged eloquence
in conference meetings soon enrolled
him in the Lay Preachers Associa
ton" He preached his first sermon in
Tavershaven, near Cambridge, when
sixteen years OF age, wearing u round
jacket and broad, turned down col
lar. The fame of tho hoy preachers
eloquence" next reached Waterbrook,
where lie preached ,,on Sundays In O
barn, which soon failed to accommo.
date all the throng OF people who
came from Cambridge and Other
neighboring towns. Two years of
such experience in telling the simple
story of the Gospel. coupled with hard
study, made him speaker OF great
power and attracttveness.
| At nineteen he became pastor Of the
New Park Street Baptist Church IN
southwark, London, where his faiae
became cosmopolitan, national and In
| ternational. Within two years he
preached in the famous Exeter Hall
while his church ediflce was being en-
larged. He preached also in Music
Hall and to congregation of twenty
| five persons in Crystal Palace. The
! Metropolitan Tabernacle was erected
| for him in the Southern part of Lon
don, and opened to worship in 1881,
with seats for six Thousand persons, -
This is centrally associated with the
extensive life work of the great phllan-
thropist. ....
Mr.. Crosby here gave graphic do
scriptlon ola preaching service bySpur-
geon in this tabernacle. He had heard
him preach there In 1868, and NUN
| her OF times since and was one OF his
many enthusiastic admirers. He
thought Spurgeon not SO great gen
| ius as Beecher. not so erudite as Storre
and not so eloquent as Ialmadge.
| Sturgeon at once got the attention
OF his vast congregation and kept
them in hand. He pleaded with them
| tenderly and earnestly to be reconcll-
ed to God. He denounced Gin in thun-
der tones. He exposed fraud and
sham with irony and scorn most bitter
and scathing. He poured over the
vast audience his God given power oil
sacred eloquence as an ambassador OF
Jesus Christ. Before he gets through
his sermon the conviction comes pow.
elfully on his nearer thut the preacher
Is prophet of Color rather God
through the man Is speaking to mer
inviting and moving them to como to
the great gospel feast and stop living
upon the husks of the world which are
unit food for The immortal soul. 49,.
| Sturgeon has been instrumental, II
10 said in the conversion of thousands
OF souls. Of adding more than thirteen
thousand persons 10 his church which
now numbers over five thousand mem.
hers. l do not hesitate to say that
lspurgcon was the greatest preacher OF
his generation. He spoke from the
heart TO the heart His faith in the
Word of God In its entirety and funda
mental simplicity in preaching it in
the Spirit of Christ, his dependence
upon tine power OF the Eoly Ghost
and giving God all the glory made
him great and successful.
WHAT STURGEON BELIEVED.