Chapter 91: The Opening of 1874

Chapter 91.
The Opening Of 1874

Watch-Night Address—At the London Tavern—Death of Livingstone—Holiday on the Continent—Letter from Paris—The New Forest—The College—Spurgeon and the Evangelical Alliance—Jubilee Singers—Spurgeon and Dr. Dale—Spurgeon from the Deacons' Seats—The Conference of 1874—A Whitsuntide Excursion—Baptist Union—Gout a Judgment—Accrington.

From the first, Christmas at the Stockwell Orphanage was always celebrated in genuine Old English style, and when in England the President seemed to think that it was his duty to dine in the midst of his numerous family of orphans, and to give up the day for the purpose. At Christmas, 1873, there were two hundred and twenty boys in the homes, and not one was absent from the festivities through sickness. The gifts which came in by way of response to the appeals made were from all parts of the country. Thus Canterbury sent potatoes, Cambridge two hundredweight of fruit preserve, the Principality Welsh mutton, Scotland cakes and marmalade; while from other quarters there came nuts and oranges, flour, fruit, cakes and sweets. An album, containing portraits of two hundred of the boys, was on this occasion presented to Mr. William Harrison, a benefactor of the institution. On Wednesday, December 31, the Watch-night Service at the Tabernacle was so crowded that even the aisles were thronged. After singing and prayer a passage from Matthew xxv. was read and expounded. The short address was founded on Exo 12:42 : "It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations." The night referred to was that of the Passover—"a night of salvation, decision, emigration, and exultation; and I pray God that this night, the last of a memorable year, may be the same for you, my friends," said the preacher; who then added, "Oh, for a grand emigration among you like that of the departure of the people of Israel, an emptying out of Old Egypt, a robbing of Pharaoh of his slaves and the devil of his dupes." The. preacher was supposed to be suffering from illness; but no one would have suspected this who heard him, with uplifted hands, apostrophise the dying year:—

"Eighteen hundred and seventy-three! thou art almost gone, and if thou goest now, thy tidings to the throne of God will be that such-and-such a soul is yet unsaved. Oh, stay yet awhile, Year, that thou mayest carry with thee glad tidings that the soul is saved! Thy life is measured now by seconds; but all things are possible with God, and there is still time in 1873 for the salvation of many souls."

When, after the benediction, the pastor wished all of his friends "A happy New Year," the reply of "The same to you!" came from area and galleries. Then "the congregation passed out into a New Year's morning so soft and light that it seemed as if the seasons were out of joint, and that 1874 had been born in the spring-time."

During the opening week of 1874 Mr. Spurgeon attended a meeting at the London Tavern in connection with the Lombard Street daily prayer-meeting, and we find his address described as earnest and thrilling. He said that there had been much prayer during the year that had closed, but he did not consider 1873 to have been a satisfactory year. That was because prayer had not been accompanied by a sufficient amount of earnestness and faith in action. Skeleton prayer, or prayer for sinners without action to convert them, would not do; what was wanted was living, active, earnest prayer. He then continued:—

"It seems to me that if a man is a Christian, Christianity ought to eat him right up. It ought to go right through him, and he should be known to be first and foremost a Christian man. Let him be all the rest on an equality with his fellow-men, and I think he may even be superior to them in business tact and capacity. I believe that religion will even sharpen his intellect, and that often communion with God in prayer will give him that calm frame of mind which will enable him to do his business all the better. Where is the self-sacrifice of the early days? Here is a great army of us, interesting one another, amusing one another, pleasing one another, perhaps edifying one another, and there is the great world outside, with only here and there a struggling missionary preaching the Gospel."

News of the death of Dr. Livingstone, which arrived in England about this time, probably occasioned as much sorrow at the Metropolitan Tabernacle as anywhere in the country. Among the treasures of Helensburgh House, at a later period, was a worn copy of one of Spurgeon's Sermons which the great missionary and traveller had carried about till the last. The church at the Tabernacle, having 4,366 members, now ranked as the largest in the world; the second largest was said to be the First African congregation at Richmond, Virginia, the next largest in the city of Ongole, India. The pastor was now again feeling the need of rest and change, and so, after preaching on Sunday, January 11, on the words, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty," etc. (Isaiah xliv.), he started for the Continent. The more genial weather, relief from the pressure of toil, and the refreshing change of scenery soon had a beneficial effect, so that the work which had been a burden too heavy to be borne again became a pleasure in anticipation. In Paris he wrote the following characteristic letter:—

"To the Young Friends who meet at the Monday Six o'Clock Meeting.

"Dear Young Friends,—I have your welfare continually upon my heart, and therefore thought I would pen a few sentences to you. I have been greatly encouraged by the prayerful attention and deep feeling which I saw last Monday in many of you. It filled me with great hope concerning you. I see that you desire to have your sins forgiven and to escape from the wrath of God, and I am therefore rejoiced. But I pray God that the signs of good may not end with these mere beginnings and desires. Buds are beautiful, but we cannot be satisfied with them; they are only good because blossoms often become fruit. Mere blooms on the trees and no fruit would be a mockery of expectation. May it not be so with you!

"I am writing in my chamber in Paris at midnight. I could not sleep till I had said to you, Put your whole trust in Jesus at once, for He will save you now. All that you want of merit He will give you; all that you need of help in the heavenly life He will bestow. Only believe Him.

"You who are saved be sure to wrestle with God for the salvation of other young people, and try to make our new meeting a great means for good.

"You who are unawakened—we pray continually for you, for you are sleeping over hell's mouth, and we see your danger, though you do not. It is time for you to awake out of sleep.

"I send my earnest love to you all, praying that we may meet on earth in much happiness, and then at last in heaven for ever.—Your anxious friend, "Paris, January 16."

"C. H. Spurgeon. The preacher was again in his place at the Tabernacle on Sunday, February 22, and, though reported to be in capital health, he had suffered somewhat from illness during his sojourn on the Continent. We find him correcting printers' proofs both at Cannes and Menton. At the annual meeting of the friends and supporters of the Pastors' College on March 3, the President gave an account of a visit to the New Forest in the preceding June. The tour was described as most delightful. English people, he considered, thought too little of their own country and too much of the Continent. At Winchester he found himself in the centre of Old Saxon England; and the preacher as well as his companions took their dole of bread and beer at the hospital of St. Cross, but found that larger pieces of bread were given to poor persons than to gentlemen. The pensioners in the hospital enjoyed an allowance of two quarts of beer daily, and that was thought to be a subject for Good Templars to inquire into. They put up at "The Crown" at Lyndhurst; "and oh, what a place to put up at!" said Mr. Spurgeon, while adding that he would not attempt to explain the surrounding beauty. He referred to the people and to their obstinate refusal to perceive the justice and righteousness of the Game Laws, and of their desire to lessen the number of deer which were to be found grazing in the forest, and to prevent the overgrowth of the timber therein. He was very much struck with the oak that sends out green leaves at Christmas, and connected with which there is the prettiest story that it does this for joy because Christ was born. The old beech tree which would break any knife put him in mind of the hardened sinner, and among the trees he found many a parable. At this time very satisfactory accounts of the College were given; and it was openly stated that during the pastor's absence no preachers gave such general satisfaction as was given by men trained in the institution. It was even stated that when a church got down into a very low condition they sent to Spurgeon's College, and the general. experience was that the men were among the best labourers in the denomination.

Spurgeon's attitude towards the Evangelical Alliance was shown in various ways from time to time. In 1874 Professor John Lovell published two papers in an American newspaper on the Alliance, and thus referred to a visit to the Metropolitan Tabernacle:—

"I remember being in London a few years ago and hearing Mr. Spurgeon preach on the first Sunday in the new year. Before closing he read a notice which he said had been sent him, with the request that he would 'give it out,' of a succession of prayer-meetings to be held on each night, perhaps, of the current week, under the especial auspices of this same Evangelical Alliance, each meeting to be presided over by somebody that was mighty or noble, and all to be held at some aristocratic 'tavern' in the aristocratic 'West End.' For each night a specific object was named which was to give character to the exercises. On one particular night, I remember, the subject set down was 'Confession of the Sins of the Churches.' 'Now,' said Mr. Spurgeon, 'if anyone should dare to confess one-half of the darling sins of the Episcopal Church he would be kicked out of the meeting for his pains.' And he then proceeded to characterise in strong terms the hypocrisy of country 'parish priests' coming up to London and making fine speeches about 'brotherly love,' when to his certain knowledge these same men would, upon occasion, bring all the weight of their social influence to bear against some poor faithful Baptist minister labouring in the same village, who sometimes was fated to become the victim of their hostility and compelled to abandon his charge." The pastor of the Tabernacle did something to befriend the indigent blind of South London by assisting in a mission which one of his own converts had established. On one occasion about this time I was present at a large party of these afflicted people, who, after being entertained with tea, bread-and-butter, and cake, were addressed by Mr. Spurgeon and his brother. The Jubilee Singers, who had realised two hundred and fourteen pounds by their first visit to the Tabernacle, now repeated their visit, the building being crowded in every part. Mr. Spurgeon presented the singers with the nineteen volumes of his Sermons, as well as an encyclopædia for the library of the university, for the building fund of which they were collecting. It was expected that these two concerts alone would yield a sum of five hundred pounds. Dr. Moffat was present, and made some appropriate allusions to the death of Dr. Livingstone.

It was customary at this time to have an annual assembly of butchers at the Tabernacle, the originator of the festival being Mr. Henry Varley. A substantial tea preceded the more public gathering in the chapel, and, when well enough to do so, Mr. Spurgeon usually gave an address. An article by Mr. (now Dr.) R. W. Dale appeared in The Daily Telegraph on Christmas Day, 1873, in which the assertion was made that Calvinism would be almost obsolete among Baptists but for the influence of Mr. Spurgeon. The latter replied to this, and some farther notice was taken of the matter during the spring. The preacher at the Tabernacle differed considerably from his friend at Birmingham, and believed the main body of Dissenters to be true to the Calvinistic faith. In thanking Mr. Spurgeon for his testimony, one editor said that his own experience confirmed it:—

"We may seldom hear a formal discussion of the Five Points, but they reign in the spirit of the ministration. It pervades the worship, gives solemnity to the means of grace, and alone touches some of the deeper fountains and springs of human feeling. When one of our greatest historians has so recently recognised and recorded the wonderful triumphs of Calvinism, it might well expect a more generous treatment from one of its supposed defenders. Calvinism, we believe, is still regarded as the creed of Congregationalism, and if any departure is intended, the subject asks a more formal and serious investigation than the bye-play of an effective lecture on another subject can admit.... We are Calvinists, not as followers of Calvin, but as disciples of Him who selected Calvin to give prominence to a neglected part of the Word of God." On a Sunday morning in March of this year I specially visited the Metropolitan Tabernacle for the purpose of taking a sketch of the preacher from one of the deacons' seats at the back of the platform. It is half-past ten, or thereabouts, when I take possession of a seat in the favoured precincts referred to, and commence studying the extraordinary scene. Though the spring sun is already high in the heavens, the gas is alight, and a thin mist hangs about the building, in sympathy with the fog without. The immense area, which appears to be already nearly filled, is in reality merely undergoing the process of filling, and the movements of the people exactly resemble the motions of a swarm of insects, eager and impatient. At 10.49 the scene undergoes a transformation. Hitherto people had entered by side doors leisurely to secure their places; now all the main front entrances are opened, and broad, living streams of people pour in to cover the standing room of what appears to be an already crowded building, and until you can only just distinguish which are aisles and which are pews. The new comers are manifestly a little excited, because all are anxious to find seats, and the bustle strikes the stranger as being a novelty of its kind. The coughing, talking, and shuffling about with the feet produce a peculiar compound sound, which, however, is instantly hushed when Mr. Spurgeon appears on the platform.

Now the multitude of faces are all turned in one direction, and the service commences. Those who sit close to the preacher's table will, perhaps, have observed that his tones of voice apparently adapt themselves to the circumstances of those who are near as well as to those who are farther away. To persons near at hand they are not unpleasantly loud, while to those in the distance they are loud enough—not that the vast concourse are made to hear without an effort, even by the most powerful lungs, but the necessary strain is visible only to those who are in proximity to the preacher. As seen from the platform, it is also interesting to note how the leviathan congregation allows itself to be managed; it is subject to influences as if it were one leviathan instead of six thousand atoms. It has its coughing times; in response to a touch of humour it smiles like one vast sensitive creature. Then it sings "faster" or "softer," according to instructions, and is in all respects most adroitly managed.

While reading the concluding verse of "Rock of Ages," the pastor is visibly affected, just as a few minutes ago he admirably entered into the spirit of "that wonderful Gospel chapter," Isaiah lv. Anon, the flaming earnestness thrown into the sermon seems to diffuse itself throughout the whole space of the building, until the rapt attention of the host as they listen to appeals founded on the words "Without money and without price" is sufficient to inspire one with awe. To handle what are called hackneyed texts in a striking and original manner is the mark of a great man, and the ability to do this is certainly a characteristic of Mr. Spurgeon.

Mr. Spurgeon In His Study

Mr. Spurgeon At Mentone

I attended the Conference of the Pastors' College for the first time in April, 1874. Of the Conference itself I had read glowing accounts; but, of course, imagination could not equal the reality. To all visitors the occasion could not fail to be a tempting one; for while a then well-known deacon—"the man in the shirt-sleeves"—looked well after the commissariat and the tables, Mr. Spurgeon never failed to provide rare entertainment in other kinds.

I went because I was specially invited by the President himself. He wrote to me at Enfield, enclosing a programme of the week's doings, and asked me to attend. Mr. Cuff had then only a short time before settled in his crowded district of Shoreditch and Hackney Road, and the preliminary meeting was held in Old Providence Chapel on Monday, April 13. The Pastors' College buildings were not then completed, so that the President's address of the following morning was given in Walworth Road Chapel. As was usual, the first hour was devoted to prayer—"a solemn, hearty, unanimous appeal to the Lord our God"—and Mr. Spurgeon reminded the members of the Conference of the general expectancy there was in the Church that a rich blessing was about to be showered down from heaven upon the world. Though none were called upon by name, about thirty engaged in prayer, after which the President pronounced the experience of the hour to be an omen for good. Two or three were delegated to speak to the boys of the Stockwell Orphanage. During the business proceedings mention was made of a brother who, on renouncing Baptist views, took farewell of his congregation by enlarging on the text, "A little while and ye shall not see me." The great event of the morning was, of course, the address from the chair by the President; and, sitting just behind the great preacher on the platform, I could see the profound impression which his words produced upon his audience. Though in excellent health, he confessed to feeling a little unnerved while engaged in this responsible task; but whatever shrinking he experienced at the outset must have been overcome as he proceeded. His features became illumined, as it were, with the ideas which crowded his mind, and during an hour and a quarter he spoke with all his wonted force, commanding the rapt attention of the audience. The text was "Forward." As soldiers of Christ they knew nothing of retreating; it was death to turn back, and the only unconquerable difficulties lay in the rear. At the Stockwell Orphanage, in the evening, papers were read by Professor Gracey and Principal Rogers, the latter being introduced by the President as "this young fellow." Mr. George Wheeler, a Birmingham manufacturer, and an occasional preacher, presented Mr. Spurgeon with a handsome dinner service in fifty pieces. At the supper on the following evening a sum of £1,800 was collected. On Whit Tuesday, May 26, Mr. W. Olney and I accompanied Spurgeon to Willingham in Cambridgeshire. As we neared Cambridge the ground became familiar to him, and one thing after another he pointed out as objects belonging to, or reminding him of, early experiences. On arriving at Willingham we found the little town en fête—people were flocking together from all parts of the surrounding country, the Great Eastern Railway Company having made special arrangements for the accommodation of excursionists. The scene in the streets and at the afternoon service in a meadow was sufficiently novel; but perhaps even more striking was our private gathering at the house of a tradesman of the town. The garden behind his house, on account of its natural surroundings and the care bestowed on its culture, was a beautiful scene of natural seclusion. The tea-tables were arranged in the open air; and almost as distinctly as though the scene were actually before my eyes at this moment, I seem to see the company who, on that calm, memorable, summer-like evening, congregated in this retired garden. The preacher of the day reclined at ease, enjoying the balmy air, with the élite of the neighbourhood listening to his conversation, which was never inferior to his public teaching. On the next morning I left St. Ives and met him in company with Deacon Olney at Longstanton, the nearest station to Willingham, proceeding with him to Bedford, where a preaching engagement had to be kept on behalf of the Christian Union. We were met at the station by Mr. F. Howard, of the Britannia Iron Works, in whose waggonette Mr. Spurgeon and several others took a long drive together into the country around Bedford. At dinner a lively conversation was kept up by Mr. Spurgeon and a distinguished Wesleyan divine. The latter spoke in high praise of a certain preacher whom I knew to be lightly esteemed by Mr. Spurgeon. At this his brow darkened, and it was plain that he did not see eye to eye with his companion. The business part of the programme was gone through in the afternoon; but, of course, the main attraction centred in the evening service, at which Mr. Spurgeon was to preach. Bedford contained no assembly-room sufficient to accommodate an extra large congregation, and hence it was arranged that the evening meeting should be held in a shed at the Britannia Iron Works. The shed was provided throughout with temporary forms, and the large platform was decorated -with plants and flowers. When Mr. Spurgeon appeared at half-past six, both seats and standing-room were occupied by a dense expectant multitude, the number present probably being not less than three thousand. It had been the intention of the preacher to address himself more especially to preachers and ministers, as a large number were present; but just before coming out he felt an irresistible impulse to abandon this design for the sake of appealing to those who were more needy. Indeed, he felt an inclination, he said, to leave off speaking to saints for seven years, and address himself wholly to sinners. The sermon, which lasted for an hour and ten minutes, was founded on 1Ch 27:9 : "If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee." The divisions were: (1) man's need, (2) the source of supply, and (3) the certainty of their success who seek God aright. The sermon was listened to throughout with rapt attention; and hundreds of people lingered behind to take a farewell glance at the preacher as he drove away to his lodgings. On Thursday, April 30, the members of the Baptist Union met at Walworth Road Chapel, and three hundred and fifty were afterwards entertained at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. In giving a word of welcome, Spurgeon said he should like to see the denominational feeling intensified. He expressed himself as delighted with the outlook all round, and maintained that a good hearty laugh after dinner was preferable to a row. The scattering of Baptist tracts was advocated, as well as preaching at times so as to tempt their opponents to take up the challenge. The Union did not encourage the drinking of healths, but, in expressing a sentiment, he said he was delighted to see Charles Stovel their chairman. "Have not I heard him speak sometimes like Demosthenes and Cicero rolled into one?" he added. Sometimes Mr. Stovel went like a steam-engine, and it was not easy to see what he was at; but when he came up out of his working "there was nobody who could touch him." When the annual meeting of the colporteurs was held on May 11 the number of men employed had increased to twenty-nine. The President spoke of the importance and success of the work, and then "the King of the Colporteurs"—Mr. S. King—who had been seven years in the service, and who still occupies his district at Warminster, was presented with Offor's edition of Bunyan's Works.

It was in the summer of 1874 that a certain clergyman wrote to Spurgeon to convey the pleasant and brotherly intimation that gout was sent as a Divine judgment for opposing the Established Church. In the course of a leading article The Sussex Daily News took a different view of the matter:—

"We say nothing of the anti-Christian character of this clergyman's communication, and merely content ourselves with remarking that he seems to have forgotten all about the Tower of Siloam and the lesson which the Great Teacher, whom he ought to reverence, drew from it. What we would more particularly point out is, how strange it is that the clergyman, who is, no doubt, a fine old Tory of the ancient school, should have considered Mr. Spurgeon's gout a judgment upon him. Why, the gout is simply the most aristocratic and most Conservative institution in the country. It was a companion of Pitt, it was the intimate associate of the late Lord Derby. No church dignitary lower than a dean, or a canon at the very lowest, would presume to say that he had the gout. Instead of taunting Mr. Spurgeon with being tormented with it, we feel much more inclined to chide him for his impertinence in venturing to claim acquaintance with it. What levelling, radical, democratic times these are! We shall be having Mr. Arch laid up with a swollen foot next and Mr. Odger taking to crutches and colchicum!"

Much interest was felt in Mr. Spurgeon's views on prophecy, and perhaps this interest was the more keen on account of his not preaching so often on prophetical themes as some of his brethren in the ministry. In a letter written to the editor of Messiah's Herald, however, the pastor of the Tabernacle made some striking remarks on the subject. He said:—

"The more I read the Scriptures as to the future, the less I am able to dogmatise. I see conversion of the world, and the personal pre-millennial reign, and the sudden coming, and the judgment, and several other grand points; but I cannot put them into order, nor has anyone else done so yet. I believe every prophetical work I have ever seen (and I have read very many) to be wrong in some points. I feel more at home in preaching Christ crucified than upon any other theme, and I do believe He will draw all men unto Him."

Mr. James Spurgeon suffered from a severe attack of illness during this summer, but otherwise the work prospered on all sides. The Baptist congregation at Cannon Street, Accrington, had recently entered into possession of a fine new chapel; and, in order to befriend the pastor, Mr. Charles Williams, and his people, Spurgeon visited the town on July 8, having found himself unable to preach at the opening of the chapel. It was decided to hold the service in the market-hall, as that would afford accommodation for four thousand persons. Some stallholders had to be compensated, while about eighty pounds had to be expended in preparing the place for the service. The doors were opened to ticket-holders at ten o'clock, and in the course of half-an-hour the entire space was wholly occupied by an eager throng. It was a singular and striking scene; and the preacher stood in the gallery on the right of the clock-tower. The sermon, founded on 1Ch 23:8-9, was the same that had been given at Rochdale on the evening before. The evening discourse was on Psa 70:4 : "Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee," etc. In enlarging on the latter clause of his text, "Let God be magnified," the preacher gave some most characteristic passages:—

"If ever there was a time when Christians ought to be awake it is now. What is being done? Ladies and gentlemen have been to the Continent; they have gone into heathen temples, and have seen the gods and goddesses stuck up there; and, not liking that this Christian country should remain as it is, have come home and said to their priests, 'Make us gods like unto the gods of the heathen'; and the priests have set to work and have made them. Now we are fast getting to be a heathen country. A heathenism of the worst kind is coming over us. I will tell you what it is; the heathen of old used to take a tree and cut from it a piece, and out of that piece would make a fire which should boil the kettle and bake bread; and another piece they would stick up, pray to it, and call it a god. Now the heathens of the present day do this; they take a piece of dough—one part of the miller's sack they make a pudding of, and of the other they make a wafer; then they say, 'This is our God,' and they worship it; and when they have worshipped it they eat it—what I never heard of any other heathen ever doing. They have gone to a length that I think must provoke God to send great judgments on this land ere long, unless we be purged from it. They call themselves Protestants still. When a Papist does it I can understand it; but when a man who calls himself a Protestant does it, he is a traitor to his country and to his Church. The way to meet it is not by appealing to Parliament. What does Parliament know about it? What is the use of Parliament in the matter of religion? Go and appeal to God; and you, Christian people, go and preach Jesus Christ better than you have done. You ministers who have got to be fine and intellectual, clear your throats and preach Jesus Christ; pull the velvet out of your mouths, ye gentlemen who use fine words, and speak so that the people can understand you; and mind Christ and Christ crucified."