The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1892-02-02

sunny and brotherly disposition: his
humor and ready wit. Associated
with these is the certainty and con
sistency of his teaching, which is
also characterized by an extraordi-
nary simplicity of expression, as
sisted by apt illustration. He has
been diligent student of the Puri.
tan dlvines, of Bunyan particularly.
His delivery was easy, PERFECTLY
natural and unaffected, earnest, but
not lmpassioned, highly pleasing and
Impressive, but not exemplifying
the highest form of oratory.
Mr.. Spurgeon once preached to a
congregation of 5000 at the Crys-
tai Palance, near London. When,
during the progress of repairs at his
Metropolitan Tabernacle, he preach
ed in the Agricultural Hall, Isling-
ten. his audience numbering about
10000 persons at every service. In
personal appearance he Is an ordi-
nary looking Englishman, rather
tat and ungainly. He has long been
martyr to gout. Early in life he
married happily. His twin sons
he has No other children-are min
listers. Charles, whose church is
at Greenwich, England, has several
times preached at the tabernacle in
his fathers absence. Thomas lives
in New Zealand.
Spurgeon was more ridiculed and
abused during his lifetime than
most preachers usually are. Dur
ing the early part of his career his
sermons on regeneration by bap-
tism excited a world of opposition
and censure, and he was for many
months attacked all along the line
of established orthodoxy, hundreds
of papers and pamphlets devoting
themselves to the exposure of the
arrant theologic quack, as they were
fond of c..llin. him. The illustrated
weeklies caricatured him in every
conceivable way, also, without dis
turbing his equanimity in the least.
Indeed, he seemed to be one Of the
very few men who are not touched
by journalistic criticism or condem.
ma, ion.
Only one werd about his eccen-
tricities. This arises from carry.
ing his quaintness too far. One
instance will suffice. On one occa.
sion he gave out as his text, "It's
id hot" and then proceeded to
say that that was a remark he hearc
a young man say on entering his
chapel. and thereupon he preached
a sermon against blasphemy. On
another occasion he startled his au
dience by declaring that every night
he smoked a cigar to the glory ofGod
and he defended the position Will
remarkable skill.
! Mr. Spurgeon published sermon
weekly every since the first week o
1855. These attained wonderful
circulation. There are over 2,OO(
of them by this time, and they hav'
been gathered together in book form
and sent out all over the world. n
l of this series, which was preache'
January Z, 1855, had for its sub
ject "The Immutability of God" |
has often been reprinted. A ser
mon delivered in 1864, entitle
: "Baptismal Regeneration" has ba
: the most extensive circulation. l
is now is it's one hundred and nine
: ty-ninth thousand, and it is Still i
2 demand. Every admirer of MI
5 Spurgeon has his or her favorit
, sermons, and there are"runs' on di
l ferent sets.
The regular weekly sale Of hi
= sermons Counting in the number
e put into monthly covers) is abou
!, $4,000. The sermons are transl;
a ted into all the languages OF tn
J., worli. Then there are lectures
: students, speeches, Tabernacle hi
1 tories, expesitions, books of dew
d ton, popular books, shilling serle
}. extracts, &C., all from the pen
) the famous pastor. His volumes
a "Reading," either for the family c
closet. have met a tremendous sal