Chapter 75: Spurgeon and the Children
Chapter 75.
Spurgeon And The Children
Sunday-schools at the Tabernacle—The College—"John Ploughman's Talk"—At Oxford—A First Interview—The Annual Sapper—The Voluntary Principle.
The work of 1869 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle opened with promise. The subject of the morning sermon on the first Sunday of the New Year was "Jesus Christ immutable." The "esteemed and venerable vicar of a Surrey parish," who for many successive years had supplied the text for Mr. Spurgeon's New Year's sermon, on this occasion sent Heb 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever." It seems that the custom was for the text to be enclosed in a hamper filled with seasonable fare, that being the Churchman's method of expressing esteem for his Nonconformist friend. He appears to have been one who was not to be alienated either by the Baptismal Regeneration controversy or that which now raged concerning the disestablishment of the Irish Church. Exactly eleven years before, or on Sunday, January 3, 1858, Mr. Spurgeon had already, of his own accord, preached from that same text at New Park Street Chapel. The afternoon of this same Sunday was devoted to children, thousands of whom, as members of the Tabernacle and surrounding Sunday-schools, attended a monster service, the attraction being an address by Mr. Spurgeon. The invitations to the other schools were sent out by the secretary; at three o'clock, when the Tabernacle school occupied the area, and other schools the places apportioned to them in the galleries, the spectacle was a striking one; and stimulated by the sight, Mr. Spurgeon seemed to rise above his ordinary level. The hymns were printed on separate leaflets, and the singing of the first, "We bring no glittering treasures," was something long to be remembered. Prayer had preceded the hymn, and when the singing concluded, the young people were asked to join with their hearts, though not with their voices, while the psalm of gratitude was read, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name." The speaker gained the attention of the youthful audience and retained it until the end. One who was present remarks: "During the few minutes of prayer in the middle of the service the silence was almost as great as in an ordinary adult congregation. Towards the close of the service, however, it was amusingly noticeable how the anecdotes were the grand specifics against restlessness and uneasiness." The subject was, "Children of God." It was first shown how they became such children by being saved from sin and its consequences by Christ, and by being adopted by the Father into His family. Then followed something about the way in which they could be recognised by what they did, as well as by what they did not do. It was then explained what were their privileges and what were their duties. The main points were well illustrated by anecdotes, so that the boys and girls may have gone away with clearer notions of the Gospel than they had previously possessed. Some who were present at this service may possibly read this account as middle-aged men and women; and they cannot do so without having pleasant memories of a great occasion. On Tuesday evening, January 5, the public once more crowded the Tabernacle, and so again testified to the popularity of the College and its work. As Vice-President, Mr. James Spurgeon explained the work in progress, and then the pastor himself interested the audience with his statistics. With what extreme satisfaction he referred to the 285 students who had been admitted to the institution since its commencement, a number, he remarked, which "is equal to what some colleges have received during a period of fifty years." Nor was that all; for no less than 460 young men had received instruction in the evening classes, and some of those had been received into colleges of other denominations. Some students who were at Hackney College had spoken highly of the benefits they had received in the Tabernacle classes. There were 167 settled pastors who had gone forth from the Pastors' College, and 11 only had died or left the work. Their men had already formed 43 distinct new churches, and few could estimate the toil which that represented. Mr. Spurgeon was not only satisfied, he questioned whether many missionary societies could boast of so much success during the whole period of their existence; for in addition to the formation of new churches, 22 new chapels had been erected, while further efforts were being made to establish 11 congregations in as many destitute districts. The number of the students in course of training had risen to 82, and 174 attended the evening classes. Mr. Rogers, who was now seventy years old, gave one of his bright little addresses; after which came Mr. Spurgeon's lecture, illustrated with dissolving views, "My Rambles over the Hills of Surrey." The surprise of the evening was the presentation of a chased silver coffeepot to the Vice-President, Mr. James A. Spurgeon. The annual account of the church, rendered about this time, showed that, exclusive of pew-rents, the contributions raised for various purposes in the year amounted to £20,000. The money placed in the weekly offering boxes reached a total of £2,000, and this went to the College, for which a sum of £4,300 was subscribed. The collections at the Lord's Supper for poor members reached a total of £770; £1,000 was raised for Sunday and ragged-school work; the Chapel-building Fund lent £1,760; the new almshouses cost £6,600; and a total of £7,000 was allocated to the Stockwell Orphanage. The London Baptist Association had its annual gatherings at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Tuesday, January 12, when Mr. Spurgeon presided at the morning, afternoon, and evening meetings. It was the custom to entertain the members at dinner, and on this occasion a sumptuous repast was provided. In the course of the day a paper was read by Mr. J. A. Spurgeon on "The Discipline of the Church at the Tabernacle." There was then some discussion going on concerning "The Destiny of the Lost according to Scripture;" and hence, a paper by Dr. Angus on "The Eternity of the Punishment of the Wicked" was considered to be timely; and the reading of that paper is said to have "produced a most solemn impression." A congregation of 5,000 assembled at the evening gathering in the Tabernacle. There were then 102 congregations in the Association. The church membership showed a total of 23,468; while 25,503 Sunday-school scholars were taught by 2,170 teachers. At times Mr. Spurgeon would receive money anonymously for various works; and occasionally sums would be placed in his hands by friends who wished to remain unknown. Early in 1869 it was reported that someone had volunteered to erect a chapel, schools, and almshouses in connection with the Metropolitan Tabernacle, but I am not aware that the enterprise was ever carried out.
One of the members of his church, for whom Mr. Spurgeon entertained high regard for her work's sake, and especially for the sake of the work carried on by her husband at Golden Lane, died about the middle of January, 1869. This was the young wife of Mr. W. J. Orsman. She passed away quite unexpectedly, leaving a daughter a few hours old. Mrs. Orsman's family had been associated with the congregation at Bishopsgate Chapel for a lengthened period; and as a Christian her life had been a thoroughly practical one. A number of the poor people from Golden Lane, including many children from the ragged-school classes, followed her remains to their last resting-place in Abney Park Cemetery. Mr. Spurgeon conducted the service; and a contemporary account tells us that the pastor, "with much emotion, referred to her good works, commended her sorrowing husband and three little ones to the tender sympathies of the Lord's people, and earnestly addressed the people who crowded the chapel on the solemn realities of eternity."
About this time, Mr. Spurgeon, with many others, signed an address to his old friend the Hon. B. W. Noel, on his retirement from the pastorate of John Street Chapel, Bedford Bow. The address was presented on behalf of the Baptist Union, and was signed by the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle as Vice-President of the London Baptist Association. One passage in the address well expressed the popular preacher's bearing towards Mr. Noel: "We look on your relinquishment—on the ground of conscientious conviction, and in behalf of evangelical truths and holy fellowship—of the position you held in the Established Church, with an admiration which is shared by thousands who differ from us on many questions—an admiration which has been deepened by the unfaltering consistency and power with which you have maintained the principles you then avowed." The references made about this time to the circulation of the printed sermons show that they were ever making new friends in all parts of the world, e.g.:—
"Probably no sermons ever had such wide circulation as those of Mr. Spurgeon. We are frequently hearing of them in correspondence from all parts of the globe where any religious literature is found. A lady at Nismes testifies that they are distributed and read amongst the nominal Protestant towns and villages in Provence and Languedoc; indeed, from Iceland, from the Equator, and all round the world, they are to be found. Their natural style and easy flow of thought render them, it is said, peculiarly easy of translation; their cordial humanity, as well as their constant Gospel, gives them a welcome to all hearts and minds. The ethnologists are vanquished by this universal and identical response to an appeal made to mankind at large. The advocates of the plurality of races are staggered by this proof that 'God hath made of one blood all nations,' and the philosophers who differentiate tribes in regard to structure and faculties are confounded by the thrill of common kinship which this exhibition of the Gospel elicits from all human nature alike." The American newspapers, in many instances, also reprinted the sermons published in London, and occasionally an article from the magazine would be circulated as a tract.
Early in this year appeared what was destined to become Mr. Spurgeon's most widely circulated book—"John Ploughman's Talk." This "Plain Advice for Plain People," as the sub-title described it, had been given anonymously in The Sword and the Trowel, and though many may have guessed that the papers were by the editor, it was not really generally known until the book actually appeared. One reviewer correctly described the work when he said, "The language is homely, since the advice is intended for homely people. The style is humorous and satirical, and the papers abound with proverbs, many of which have become obsolete, and some of which are evidently derived from foreign sources." Tens of thousands of the book were speedily sold. The reviews were, on the whole, complimentary in a high degree; and among the leading London journals which gave notices was one which had made itself singular by its persistent attacks on the preacher's style and methods. Take this passage:—
"His 'John Ploughman's Talk' confirms our views of what goes to make up a popular preacher. As is the book so is the man. Mr. Spurgeon, we believe, exaggerates and intensifies the popular style. He deals in broad sayings, in plain speaking, in strong, vigorous, unqualified expressions. That is what an effective sermon should be, and is the essence of a proverb. A preacher cannot waste—if it is wasting—his time in looking out for counter-views, in making allowance for qualifications. He scorns limitations and distinctions. The proverb and the preacher are here at one. Hence it is that people preach best in their youth, and that many a good preacher gets afraid of the pulpit, and in mature age suspects his old telling talk, and the confident, decisive, and therefore attractive matter and manner of his earlier years, as a larger experience of men and things makes him reflective, cautious, and, as his hearers say, timid, and uncertain, and hesitating. A man with ripe views, or rather whose views are getting constantly modified and cheeked as he sees more of life, cannot preach well. It requires a certain narrow-mindedness to preach what is called effectively. Youth is the season for vigorous language and earnest convictions, and for confidence and decision. And as it is with intellectual, so it is with æsthetical, qualities. A formed judgment revolts at the crudities and unarguing assumptions, and, in all senses of the word, the presumptions of the earlier stages of intellectual growth, and revolts also at an over-confident and blustering manner. A man must have something, perhaps much, of the feminine nature to preach well. A woman of good feelings and intentions feels it to be a moral duty to express exactly what is in her mind—what are her convictions—only because they are her sincere and honest convictions. So must the preacher, if he is to preach well—that is, to preach sermons that will tell. His concern, he thinks, is not so much with what may be said on the other side, but, because a thing is in him, to out with it, as he would say. This is Mr. Spurgeon's manner. It is in his book as in his sermons. It is simply unfaithful to suppose that there are two sides to any question, and to be in earnest is only to be quite certain of your own line, and immeasurably scornful of everything else. A preacher, to be very popular with congregations, such as most congregations are, must be dictatorial, magisterial, contemptuous, violent, and addicted to strong language. "Whether these qualities are faults or excellence, far be it from us to say; but they are Mr. Spurgeon's, and he is a popular preacher; and he has published a book full of abrupt, unproved, and unargumentative assertions. And proverbial philosophy, as it is oddly called, exactly because there is no philosophy in it, consists of assumptions of this coarse and impetuous, but telling, character." The interest which Mr. Spurgeon manifested in the University towns was shown by his going down to Oxford early in. March to preach at the reopening of the old chapel of which a man locally well known in his day—Mr. Bulteel—was formerly the minister. The chapel had been purchased for the use of the Baptist denomination, and the pastor was Mr. D. Paterson, a student of the Pastors' College, who had already done some good service in the neighbourhood of London. Such a sphere was a difficult one for a young preacher to occupy; but in the President's opinion that made the post a still more honourable one. It was also about this time that efforts were first made to get funds for the erection of the East London Tabernacle for Mr. Archibald G. Brown—the largest building ever put up in connection with the Pastors' College.
It would afford some entertainment to take notice of the different estimates of Spurgeon which at this time were given by persons who viewed the popular divine from a number of independent standpoints. The weekly oracle of Southampton Street looked at the great preacher and the work in progress at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in a manner peculiarly its own. So was it also with The Church Times, which, after all, to judge by some of its reviews, and the estimate given at his death, had a good opinion of Spurgeon at heart. Still, we find the Ritualistic organ speaking of the Baptist pastor as "that small Brummagem metal transpontine Popeling, Mr. Spurgeon." This same Popeling gave various indications of possessing "a clerical mind of the most portentous dimensions," however; "though it must be confessed that amongst his less lucky brethren the phenomenon does not flourish. It would certainly be a strange mind indeed," it was added, "in which the discipline of 'Lord Deacons' left many traces of clericalism." The College had now become such a respectable institution that it was considered to be an honour to be associated with its students. Occasionally, those who had been trained in its classes, and those who had not, became mixed up together. To correct misapprehension, the President wrote this letter, from which names are here omitted in case any of those referred to should be still living:—
"To the Editors of 'The Freeman'
"Sirs,—I write, as President of the Pastors' College, to disown a few of those names which are made in various public prints to claim the shelter of that institution. As we have no wish to receive honours to which we have no title, or to bear the responsibility of characters with which we are unconnected, we take this public method of saying that the following gentlemen are not indebted to us for their training:—"Mr.——, of Pinner, said to be of Tabernacle College in The Baptist Messenger for March, has no other relation to us than that his application for admission was declined.
"Mr.——, of Stratford, said to be formerly of the Metropolitan Tabernacle College, was, we believe, in the ministry before the College was founded, and, we are sure, is quite surprised to find himself written down as one of our alumni.
"Of Mr.——, of Spalding, twice assigned to us in the 'Handbook,' we are quite ignorant.
"Mr.——, mentioned in the 'Handbook' as of Great Ellingham, is a most respected brother, who attended a few of our classes, but he never was admitted to the College, although he probably would have been received among us had not Providence opened a field of labour for him. It is not accurate to class him among our students.
"Of Mr.——, mentioned in the 'Handbook' as without charge, we have no information.
"We doubt not that these are mere mistakes, but think it important to rectify them.
"C. H. Spurgeon.
"Newington, S.E., March 6, 1869." The date at which we have now arrived is, to myself, one of the landmarks of life. There are certain words used by Boswell concerning his hero which would exactly apply to myself in the spring of 1869—"This is to me a memorable year; for in it I had the happiness to obtain the acquaintance of that extraordinary man whose memoirs I am now writing—an acquaintance which I shall ever esteem as one of the most fortunate circumstances of my life." The time was March, 1869, instead of May, 1763; the place was the Metropolitan Tabernacle instead of Tom Davies' shop by Covent Garden; and the chief actor was Spurgeon instead of Johnson.
I had heard Mr. Spurgeon preach from time to time in his early days—at New Park Street, at the Music Hall, and at the Metropolitan Tabernacle; but I had never spoken to him. I first became directly acquainted with the great preacher in 1868, when to a beginner in literature, and to one who was heartily in sympathy with its editor, the recently established magazine, The Sword and the Trowel, seemed to offer a desirable opening. I was then employed in investigating the history of the ancient Nonconformist meetinghouses of London; and having sufficient matter for two articles concerning William Kiffen, the first pastor of Devonshire Square Chapel, the contribution was sent to Mr. Spurgeon, and at once accepted. As a divine, a hero of the plague time, and a sufferer in the persecution which preceded the Revolution, the Puritan preacher and merchant was a man entirely after Mr. Spurgeon's own heart. The appreciative letter sent was at that time worth more to me than the honorarium which followed. The editor seemed to have a way, which was peculiarly his own, of encouraging those who were working hard in a direction which he approved. An article was next sent on the early life of Dr. Doddridge; but that divine, and even Watts, apart from their hymns, were not in very high favour with the young editor. In comparison with Whitefield and Wesley, he put them down as comparatively small men. Some time afterwards, two articles on Richard Baxter were sent; and the first of these came back in proof almost immediately. It was in connection with this that my first interview with Mr. Spurgeon took place.
I happened to call at the Tabernacle on a certain afternoon in March, 1869, and on opening the door of the secretary's room there sat the preacher himself, and before him, on the table, were a number of Sunday-school books, which he appeared to be examining before their admission into the library. When a stranger appeared at the door, Mr. Blackshaw's attention was directed to the intruder; but when the secretary mentioned my name Mr. Spurgeon at once became very affable, and led the way upstairs into the minister's vestry. It was then getting towards evening, and tea, with its accompaniments for one, was already placed on the table. Filling the single tea-cup and handing it to me, the pastor drank his own from a tumbler which stood near, thus, according to his way, saving the attendant any further trouble. He then talked about literary work and its prospects, and commissioned an article on another subject which he mentioned, and which he had hoped to be able to write himself. This was not for the magazine, but had reference to the Stockwell Orphanage, and was intended for separate publication. From that time Mr. Spurgeon continued to be my steadfast friend. The annual supper on behalf of the College, at which a sum of £1,170 was collected, took place on Wednesday, March 26, Mr. W. Fowler, M.P., presiding. The attendance was not so large as on some previous occasions, but the interest in the work carried on was unabated. In returning thanks for the support accorded through another year, Mr. Spurgeon gave this general account of what was being done, and of what had been already accomplished:—
"The work of training young ministers has, through our College, been carried on during another year beneath the wings of Providence and under the smile of grace. Young men have offered themselves in abundance, and many of them of a superior order of grace and talent. All our needs have been supplied by the Lord, who is our bountiful treasurer, as constantly as faith has made drafts upon His bank. The gold and the silver have been received more largely than in any previous year, and peace and spiritual energy have been very abundantly enjoyed. Our experience leads us to cling more closely than ever to the principle of faith and prayer, as far better than paid collectors and machinery. The number of the men has been, during the latter half of the year, greatly decreased, and we abstained from receiving fresh brethren, because it seemed to us preferable to introduce new blood by bringing in a considerable band of new men at one time. We are now looking forward to a large accession in the first week of April. For some months during the year there were no applications for preachers made by the churches, and our men turned their attention to founding new churches, with the result that the Kingdom of the Lord was increased. The applications of churches are now coming in, the cessation being merely temporary; and there can be no doubt that the College, at its fullest number, is needed to supply the demands of our denomination. It will be remembered that a very large proportion of our brethren have created their own spheres, and others have accepted pastorates where the prospects were such as to repel all others, and, by God's grace, in many instances they have made the wilderness to blossom as the rose. The need of Gospel preachers increases every day. The field is boundless, and still the labourers are few. This College is our life-work, and we therefore feel as if we owed to every donor a weight of personal obligation, which we now acknowledge with many a prayer to God for each one. Since the College commenced, two hundred and eighty men have been received for training in its regular classes, and at least five hundred have had instruction in the evening classes. One hundred and eighty-six students have gone from us to settle in the ministry, of whom one hundred and seventy-seven still remain in the work, the rest having either died, been laid aside by illness, or relinquished the work from other causes. Forty-four distinct new churches have been formed by the agency of our College. Thirty new chapels have been erected as the result of our agency. In London, at the present moment, we are making efforts to establish churches in eleven destitute districts. There are sixty-four students in the College at this moment, and one hundred and fifty under tuition in the evening classes." In the course of the evening, Mr. Spurgeon went on to say that the year had been one of greater responsibility than he had ever known, on account of the addition of the Stockwell Orphanage to their other burdens; but, at the same time, he was glad to say that he had never been less concerned about money. Through the liberality of friends, funds had been received more largely than in any previous year, although only such means to attract money had been used as were consistent with the most perfect Christian willinghood. The speeches which followed showed that the speakers were hopeful as regarded the future. Mr. J. A. Spurgeon, as Vice-President, claimed for the College that it solved the question, How to make the Gospel acceptable to the working classes. The veteran Principal, George Rogers, now seventy years of age, showed that harmony existed between the students and their tutors. The chairman spoke as a sympathetic Quaker, who represented the University town in which Mr. Spurgeon had first undertaken Christian work. Then, after several representative students had said a word, the President went on to remark that he had never known a student to decline doing any work, however arduous and unpromising, that he had suggested. Often they would go to places with no guaranteed income except what he might be enabled to give them for a time; and they would open new rooms and gather congregations, and found churches, which in a short time were able to support the minister. They had thus formed their own spheres of labour for themselves, and had lived well in them, and found enough for an ox where some might not have had enough for a goose. He combated the notion which had been much talked about recently, that there were too many ministers in the denomination. The moment a denomination talked in that way, and ceased to be aggressive, it must decline. He held that they ought always to be striving to advance, and never to be satisfied with what they had done. The general prosperity of the church and congregation at the Tabernacle was such that we find thirty-two persons were baptised in a month. On the first Sunday of March, the friends who gathered around the communion-table spontaneously collected £100 as a thank-offering "for God's care of the church." This money was invested for the benefit of those who inhabited the new alms-houses near the Elephant and Castle. One cause of gratitude may have been the partial recovery of Mrs. Spurgeon from what it was at one time feared might possibly prove a fatal illness. Early in the year the pastor had the happiness of once more seeing his wife among the great congregation at the Tabernacle.
Spurgeon and the voluntary principle continued to be a congenial theme with many writers; and one Evangelical clergyman was found quoting the popular fallacy that while building suburban churches, Nonconformists left the masses of the City to take care of themselves. The answer was, that voluntaryism had done wonders in destitute districts; and prosperous mission-stations in Golden Lane and St. Giles's were pointed out as proof that the poor were not neglected by those who removed to the suburbs.