Chapter 85: Work and Progress in 1872

Chapter 85.
Work And Progress In 1872

Literary Work—Conference—Home Missions—Village Churches—Colportage—Denominationalism—Spurgeon's Letter on the Orphanage—Mr. Wigner and the Houses for Ministers' Orphans—Letter to a Missionary's Wife.

In the year 1872 I became still more closely associated with Mr. Spurgeon in literary work. He could then be seen after the service on Monday or Thursday evening; but so many persons thronged the vestry-door and the deacons' anteroom that, for those who could avail themselves of the privilege, there was more advantage in calling at Helensburgh House. On the afternoon of Saturday, January 20, I called at the manse, which had now become familiar; but not being very well known to all of the servants, I was told that Mr. Spurgeon was in bed and could not be seen. There was nothing to be done but to make the best of a disappointment and to retire. On that same evening, the following note reached me:—

"Clapham, January 20.

"My Dear Friend,—I am annoyed beyond measure that you have been here and gone and have been denied me. The fact is I had a heavy headache, and told my people not to wake me; but I expected to be up to see you. I wrote you a card early on Friday. Our general rule is to reserve Saturday from callers, and hence you were refused; but it was owing to your modesty and goodness in great part. As soon as I came down I asked for you, and was mortified to find you had departed. Please write me, and accept my apologies and say what it is you would see me upon.—Yours truly, "C. H. Spurgeon."

It was about a month later that I received a post-card: "Call and see me very soon—say on Saturday, between three and six. I think of offering you a permanent position as sub-editor of The S. and T." I obeyed this summons, and the engagement lasted for twenty years. The Conference of the Pastors' College opened on Monday, April 15, and Mr. George Hanbury presided at the annual supper, at which a sum of £1,532 was collected. The number of students was between seventy and eighty, instead of one hundred, and all had worked exceedingly hard. In his address to the three hundred guests who were brought together by special invitation, Mr. Spurgeon remarked that he had told the young men from the first that he expected the prescribed course would kill some of them; but he would be sure in each case to bury them at the expense of the College funds. No such case had, however, as yet occurred. There had been a good deal of sickness in the past year, which he could not but attribute largely to the unsuitable and dark rooms in which they studied. Large buildings had been erected around the Tabernacle, and had rendered these rooms rather unhealthy. In giving accounts of the achievements of the more prominent men, the President was naturally proud of the sphere which Mr. Archibald Brown had made for himself in East London. The new College building was now much needed; and as the fund grew there was a prospect of building operations being soon commenced. A sum of three thousand pounds was in hand, and three friends were present at the supper who promised each to give one hundred pounds.

During this year Mr. Spurgeon was able to take his share of speaking at the spring meetings. On Monday, April 22, he gave an address at Exeter Hall on behalf of the United Free Churches, the meeting being a very enthusiastic one. In reading his resolution, he produced some effect by suddenly stopping in the middle—"That seeing that there are so many calls upon our mission committee, and so many of them have to be declined on account of the lack of suitable men, this resolution pledges the meeting to pray that the whole connection may be baptised------." After stopping for a few moments until the people seemed to see what was intended, the conclusion was added—"with the Holy Spirit, that many men might come forward and say, 'Here am I, send me.'" On the following evening he gave an address at Bloomsbury Chapel on behalf of the British and Irish Home Mission. It was shown that charity begins at home, and that thus every church ought to be a mission to a much greater degree than was found to be the case. In one passage reference was made to early days at Cambridge, and to the work done by the Lay Preachers' Association, which seems to have been regarded as a pattern for other churches:—

"Endeavour to maintain in good vigour the Lay Preachers' Association. I might have preached without it, but that Association in Cambridge offered me opportunities of preaching every night in the week, when I first began to open my mouth for Christ, and I found brethren who encouraged me; and I think they were all the greater encouragement to me because I don't think they preached much better than I did, but very much on a par with myself; and we did not mind talking together, because we had not a solitary Doctor of Divinity, or even a Master of Arts, to criticise us, and our pastor did not come to the monthly meetings, which was quite as well, for we there fraternally spoke to each other; and some of my brethren ear-wigged me about my oddities and eccentricities, and I was able to ear-wig them about their dulness and stupidity. I am sure that the Lay Preachers' Associations assist young men very materially, and help greatly to supply the pulpits with those men who will afterwards carry on the work. We ought not to have a single church without a strong back (in proportion to the number of the church) of preaching men. "We must have very many, and indeed we must encourage more to preach. I believe there are a great many men who do very much service by preaching whom you and I would not like to hear, but whom God will bless nevertheless, and it is a pity that they should have their mouths shut." A good deal was then being said about the undesirableness of having two weak Nonconformist interests in one village; and it was thought by many that Baptists and Independents might meet in one chapel more profitably than in two. Spurgeon himself boldly declared that he would not be amalgamated with others, nor absorbed by them. "I have quite another theory," he ingenuously confessed. "I look forward in the future, not to the absorption of our denomination, but to the gradual enlightenment of other churches." If the difference dividing the denominations was so small a thing as to be merely the apex of a pyramid, let the others themselves strike it away. Even if it came to meeting on a bridge which was too narrow for two to pass, he would not be the one to lie down. Then came an explanation:—

"I have been charged sometimes with helping to form a church when there has been already an Independent church in the town. Well, I have done so, and I mean to do it again. I have never done so when there has been an earnest, lively minister in the Independent place, and not population enough for two, nor would I. But when I have seen a chapel and nobody in it, and a most respectable and well-educated minister the only occupier, or when I have seen a people driven out of the sanctuary because the word was not conceived by them to be the Gospel of Christ at all, I have come forward and helped them." Being then actively engaged in extending the operations of the Colportage Association, he embraced the opportunity of strongly recommending that agency, while in addition he urged renewed zeal on account of the country having accepted the principle of National Education:—

"We have at the Tabernacle fourteen men now, and they are supported, some of them, by brethren who are present, and friends of this society too. About £30 a year raised by a district gives to it a man who will be ready to preach if the pastor is ill, going from house to house, praying with the sick and talking with the dying. He is kept busy with the fact that he must sell his books to raise the other half of his income, and so he carries the Word of God with him in two respects, often where a pastor could not be maintained.... Our agricultural districts are sadly in want of help. Who can go and take a walk and talk to a ploughman without discovering the need of the Gospel? And, on the other band, there is coming this education which is to be given to all, and there must go with it on the part of the Church of God an increased effort to give religious education side by side with it, or else the possibilities may be that you shall only do what has been done in Hindustan—convert men from idolatry into Atheism, and bring people from the stupidity of a dormant intellect into the vicious activity of an intellect that seeks for anything but God." The English Independent gave a leading article on the subject of this address, in course of which the Baptist preacher was urged "to put the curb a little on his denominational zeal," while it was hoped that he and his people were not about "to distinguish themselves by an aggressive and meddlesome sectarianism." One correspondent protested, apparently as a Baptist, against "using up in denominational rivalries resources and talents that ought to be devoted to making known the great salvation to the perishing millions of the earth." On the contrary, another well-known minister welcomed what had been said as a trumpet-call to conflict and victory. "I have known the formation of a new church revive an old fainting church in its neighbourhood," he said. "I have heard, though I forget where, of its helping at the funeral of a dead church; but I never knew it injure a really healthy one." The Stockwell Orphanage, of which Mrs. Hillyard was the munificent founder, as already described, continued to make progress, and the trustees were beginning to see their way to the erection of a number of houses for fatherless girls. The following letter was written at this time in regard to supplies in general:—

"To the Editors of 'The Freeman.'

"Dear Sirs,—Some few years ago a large number of the Baptist churches did me the great honour to present me with a sum of money sufficient to erect two houses of the Stockwell Orphanage. It was an understanding that children of deceased Baptist ministers, otherwise eligible, should have a preference of election, so far as these houses are concerned.

"This understanding the trustees and myself have been able to carry out without in any degree infringing upon the unsectarian character of the elections. We have received thirteen needy little ones of the honourable stock of the Christian ministry; and upon the late lamented death of our dear brother, Benjamin Davies, of Greenwich, we determined to receive such of his boys as may be eligible.

"I write now to say to your readers that it is very pleasant to have had the happy burden of these orphans presented to me by the denomination as a token of respect; but, at the same time, it is not all pleasure. Very trifling, indeed, is the pecuniary help sent me by our Baptist friends towards maintaining these fatherless boys. At the present moment the funds are so low that we live from hand to mouth. It takes £10 a day to feed my little charge of two hundred and twenty children, and I believe the Lord will send it; but yesterday I do not think there was a day's cash in hand if the monthly bills had been at that moment brought in. I greatly admire the courageous silence of Mr. Müller in refusing to make his wants known to man, but I have never set up to be his imitator. I think it right to remind Christian people of their duty, and with this view I sat down to write to The Freeman. Surely, when my brethren and sisters know that their help is needed to find food and clothing for my poor orphan boys, they will not withhold their support. I know the notion is that Mr. Spurgeon can have everything he wants, but if everybody says this it will turn out that Mr. Spurgeon will get nothing at all. I never allow the idea of actual want or failure to cross my mind, for these cannot be, since the work is of the Lord; but still it is right to stir up pure minds by way of remembrance. This Orphanage is more nearly connected with our denomination than any other: will no churches give it annual collections? Will no sisters in Christ become collectors for it? Are there none of the Lord's stewards who will send it a portion? No collector is salaried; none will be. No agent will canvass the country. The needed amounts will be forthcoming as necessity arises; but are not some of those amounts now in the custody of readers of The Freeman?

"Yesterday's experience of a handful of meal in the barrel may be repeated many times. If the Lord wills it, so let it be; but if His people are of generous heart, it ought not to be so.—Yours in holy brotherhood, "C. H. Spurgeon.

"Clapham, S.W., May 18." The mention of the houses for orphans of ministers affords an opportunity of explaining that this provision was entirely the work of Mr. J. T. Wigner, one of the fathers of the Baptist denomination, who has lately retired from active service and the pastorate of the church at Brockley. The idea of building such houses originated with my venerable friend; for he wrote the appeals, issued the circulars, and signed the receipts. The late Mr. Goodall acted as joint treasurer, and the bankers' pass-book shows that the total amount raised was £2,333 7s. Mr. Wigner also drew up the illuminated testimonial now hanging in the board-room of the institution. His original idea was to provide one house; but after the money for this was raised it was found to be possible to double the amount. Mr. Spurgeon's recognition of this service was very cordial. At a festival held in the Orphanage grounds in September, 1872, the President presented his friend with a set of his Sermons elegantly bound, with this characteristic inscription written with his own hand: "To our beloved friend, the Rev. J. T. Wigner, in memory of most eminent service rendered to the Stockwell Orphanage, with the sincere respect of the trustees and the warm affection of C. H. Spurgeon." When the second volume of "Lectures to My Students" appeared a copy was sent to the same friend, with a similar inscription: "To my highly esteemed and deeply beloved brother, J. T. Wigner, with most grateful memories of the kindest acts which one man ever rendered to another.—C. H. Spurgeon." The service rendered was worthy of such recognition; and since that day many orphans of deceased ministers have had reason to feel grateful for what Mr. Wigner was able to achieve. Meanwhile the effect of the letter just quoted was so beneficial that the President was tempted to write again:—

"To the Editors of 'The Freeman.'

"Sirs,—I am requested to acknowledge, in your excellent paper, the receipt of twenty pounds as a 'Thank-offering.' Permit me to do so gratefully, and, at the same time, to thank many other contributors who have come to the rescue of the Orphanage, and were led to do so through your kindness in inserting my letter. I am deeply grateful to my brethren for this kindness, and especially to three or four pastors who have made collections for the work. They might not be pleased if I mentioned their names, and therefore I will not do so; but their action in bringing the matter before their people is as beneficial to the good cause as are the collections themselves. By the goodness of God our funds are now put into a healthy condition, and if the liberality of the brethren should continue, we shall have no more to scoop up the last handful of meal from the bottom of the barrel.

"Clapham, June 8."

"C. H. Spurgeon. The expenses of the Orphanage at this time were a little over three hundred pounds a month, or less than a third of the present outlay. No sooner was it known that supplies were lacking than money was sent in rapidly—a sufficiency for several months. Not only was this the case in England, even friends in India were stimulated to help, Mr. Thomas Evans, a missionary at Allahabad, taking the lead in collecting subscriptions. In acknowledging what had been done, Mr. Spurgeon wrote to Mrs. Evans:—

"I am often depressed in spirit, and am very apt to play on the sackbut, and such tidings as yours are like balm to me. I feel made strong again by seeing that my labours are not in vain in the Lord. Brotherly love from a far country is doubly refreshing, and, when rendered in so practical a form, it is intensified in comforting efficacy. Thank every one of the friends—civilians and soldiers, officers and privates.... I am never very well, but seem to be old before my time. Nevertheless, the Lord's work does not flag, but rather goes from strength to strength. The College has enjoyed peculiar blessing, but I long for missionaries to come out of it.... The Orphanage has been provided for hitherto. There has been no lack for the two hundred and twenty boys. Funds just now are low, but they are sure to come, for the Lord will provide. I want to have a place for girls now. The way is clearing for this, and it will be done.... Good days are coming both for us and you. The Lord is remembering Zion, and He will build her waste places. May the Lord abide with you all, and enrich you with comfort and strength and make India to be the Koh-i-noor of Jehovah."

During the spring of this year Mr. Spurgeon keenly felt the somewhat sudden death of one of the earliest of the students associated with the Pastors' College, and one of the most successful—Benjamin Davies. He was settled at Greenwich, and, having toiled long and hard for the erection of a large chapel, he passed away just as the most cherished object for which he had lived seemed to be realised. Mr. Spurgeon was not singular in holding Davies in the highest esteem, for he had made an extraordinary impression on the neighbourhood. Canon Miller, who was then Vicar of Greenwich, referred in the pulpit to the loss the district had sustained, and collected one hundred and thirty pounds in the church for the widow and children. Mr. Bardsley, another clergyman, appears to have acted in a similar manner, besides presiding at a prayer-meeting in the Baptist chapel. Two of the boys were received into the houses which Mr. Wigner had erected at the Stockwell Orphanage for ministers' orphans. The "Treasury of David" (Vol. III.) was also published during this summer, a work which, from first to last, was twenty years in hand.