9. Anecdotes 81-90

Spurgeon's Anecdotes #81-90 81. The Art of Soul-winning

Mr. Spurgeon once illustrated his discourse on soul-winning, or being "fishers of men," by an incident related by Washington Irving. Some three gentlemen, who had read in Izaak Walton a good deal about the delights of fishing, resolved to make trial of the pleasures of "the gentle art." They went into New York, and bought the best rods and lines that could be purchased, and also such flies as were suited to every particular day of the season, expecting the fish to bite at once, and their basket soon to be filled with fish that might think it an honour to be caught by such fishers and such tackle. They fished, and fished, and fished the live-long day, but their basket was still empty. They were discouraged and almost disgusted with a sport that was fruitless.

Presently there came down from the hills a ragged boy, without either shoes or stockings. His success quite humiliated them. He had a bit of a bough pulled off a tree, a piece of string, and a bent pin. He put a worm on the pin-hook, threw it in, and out came a fish directly, as if by magic, or as a needle is drawn to a magnet. In again went the line, and out came another fish, and he repeated the process until his basket was quite full. They asked him how he did it. "Ah," he said, "I cannot tell you that, but it is easy enough when you have the way of it."

"Much the same is it in fishing for men," says Mr. Spurgeon. "Some preachers who have silk lines and fine rods preach very eloquently, and exceeding gracefully, but they never win souls."

82. The Bottomless Pit In 1844, when the future great preacher was but ten years old, during a school vacation which he spent at Stambourne with his grandfather, he was allowed to read the Scriptures at family worship. Once, when reading Revelation 20, the words, "The bottomless pit," arrested his attention. He paused and said, "Grandpa, what does this mean?"

"Pooh, pooh," said the good man, "go on, child." This was not a satisfactory answer, and he meant to have one; so he selected the same chapter, morning after morning, Sunday included, and always paused at the same place to repeat his inquiry. At length his venerable grandsire capitulated, and said, "Well, dear, what is it that troubles you?" The boy had often seen fruit-baskets with bottoms, which in course of wear became bottomless, and allowed the fruit placed therein to fall out upon the ground. Here was the puzzle: If the pit was bottomless, where would all the people go who had fallen through the bottom? This puzzle rather disturbed the proprieties of family worship, and had to be laid aside for explanation at a more convenient season.

83. The Cabman's Testament

Hailing a cab one day, to be driven home, when Mr. Spurgeon paid his fare, the man said, "It is a long time since I drove you last, sir."

"Did you ever drive me before?" asked Mr. Spurgeon, "I do not recollect you."

"Oh, yes," said the man; "it is about fourteen years ago, but if you have forgotten me, perhaps youwill remember this," and as he spoke he pulled out a Testament from his pocket.

"What," said Mr. Spurgeon, "did I give you that?"

"Yes, sir, and you spoke to me about my soul, and nobody had ever done that before. I have never forgotten it."

"And haven't you worn the Testament out in all these years?"

"No, sir; I wouldn't let it be worn out. I have had it new bound."

84. The Dog in Mr. Spurgeon's Garden

Mr. Spurgeon told, with very considerable effect, in a sermon in the Tabernacle, an incident that occurred in his own garden. There was a dog which was in the habit of coming through the fence and scratching in his flower-beds, to the manifest spoiling of the gardener's toil and temper. Walking in the garden, one Saturday afternoon, and preparing his sermon for the following day, he saw the four-footed creature—rather a scurvy specimen, by-the-by—and having a walking stick in his hand, he threw it at him with all his might, giving him some good advice about going home.

"Now, what should my canine friend do but turn round, pick up the stick in his mouth, and bring it and lay it down at my feet, wagging his tail all the while in expectation of my thanks and kind words? Of course, you do not suppose that I kicked him, or threw the stick at him any more. I felt quite ashamed of myself, and I told him that he was welcome to stay as long as he liked, and to come as often as he pleased. There was an instance of the power of non-resistance, submission, patience, and trust in overcoming even righteous anger."

Mr. Spurgeon added that he did not feel he had at all degraded himself by telling the story.

85. The Housemaid The Earl of Shaftesbury and Mr. Spurgeon were very great friends. They cherished a mutual admiration and esteem, and a strong affection for each other. The good Earl was a not infrequent visitor at "Westwood." He took a deep interest in all that pertained to the temporal and spiritual interests of the lower classes, and he worked hard in the interests of the costers and their donkeys. Someone said to him, one day, "I shall never look on a donkey again without thinking of your lordship," of course intending it as a compliment, without seeing its ludicrousness.

He told Mr. Spurgeon that his housemaid had given notice to leave. He could not understand why. When, however, she was pressed for a reason, she said she did not like being personally alluded to at family prayer. His lordship was more bewildered than before. He had never made any personal allusion to the housemaid that he knew of, but he thought he would look over the prayers that he was in the habit of reading. A probable solution offered itself, which proved to be the explanation of the matter. He found that he had prayed for all things that Thou hast made, and the young woman thought he said "The housemaid"

86. The Large Heart of Soul-winners

"I have noticed," says Mr. Spurgeon, "that men succeed in the ministry, and win souls for Christ, in proportion as they are men with large hearts. I think, for instance, of Dr. Brock; there was a mass of a man, one who had bowels of compassion; and what is the good of a minister who has not? I do not hold up the accumulation of flesh as an object worthy of your attainment, but I do say that you must have big hearts if you are to win men to Jesus; you must be Greathearts if you are to lead many pilgrims to the Celestial City.

"I have seen some very lean men," Mr. Spurgeon added, "who said they were perfectly holy, and I could almost believe that they could not sin, for there did not appear to be anything in them that was capable of sinning. They were like old bits of leather. I met one of these 'perfect' brethren once, and he was just like a piece of sea-weed; there was no humanity in him. I like to see a trace of humanity somewhere or other about a man, and people in general like it, too; they get on better with a man who has some human nature in him. Human nature, in some aspects, is an awful thing, but when the Lord Jesus Christ took it, and joined His own Divine nature to it, He made a grand thing of it; and human nature is a grand thing when united to the Lord Jesus Christ."

87. The Prime Minister of England A distinguished American minister, speaking one day at the Tabernacle, related a story of an examination at one of the schools. Among other questions he asked was, "Who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain?" A boy held up his hand and replied, "Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, sir." He had no doubt heard of Gladstone, Beaconsfield, and Salisbury, political Prime Ministers, but he looked at the matter in a higher light—that of Gospel Prime Ministers. The boy was right.

88. The Pulpit the Thermopylae of Protestantism

"The pulpit is the Thermopylae of Protestanism," says Mr. Spurgeon, "the tower of the flock, the Palladium of the Church of God. Well might Paul magnify his office." "Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word," is the motto of that city.

Clemens Brentano, a literary acquaintance of Dr. Krummacher, and a Romanist, once said to the doctor, "Till you Protestants pull down the chatter-box" (he meant the pulpit), "or, at least, throw it into the corner, where it ought to be, there is no hope of you," Dr. Krummacher replied, "It is true, indeed, that our pulpits stand greatly in the way of you Catholics."

89. The Unkindest Cut of All

Faithful and earnest ministers of Christ are greatly honoured, but they are not seldom sorely wounded. After having brought many to Jesus, and things have gone well in the church, it has sometimes happened that, in their declining years, changing modes and fashions have thrown the good men into the shade, and their spiritual children have lifted up the heel against them. Even Mr. Spurgeon was not a stranger to this. "The pang," says he, "is not unknown to me. I can never forget a certain household, in which the Lord gave me great joy in bringing four employers and several persons engaged by them to Jesus' feet. Snatched from the utmost carelessness of worldliness, those who had previously known nothing of the grace of God were joyful confessors of the faith. After a while they imbibed certain opinions differing from ours, and from that moment some of them had nothing but hard words for me and my preaching. I had done my best to teach them all the truths I knew, and if they had found out more than I had discovered, they might at least have remembered where they learned the elements of the faith. It is years ago, and I have forborne to speak of it, but I feel the wound much. I merely mention these sharp pricks to show how very sweet it is to have those about you whom you have brought to the Saviour." This is an old experience; the apostle Paul knew it in connection with the churches in Corinth and Galatia. It is a sad thing when pride and conceit override the lovely graces of humility, brotherly love, Christian meekness, and other fruits of the Spirit.

90. "Thou art the man."

About 1858, or 1859, Mr. Spurgeon preached two sermons at the Baptist Chapel, Matfield Green, Brenchley, near Tunbridge Wells. At that time there was no other Baptist chapel nearer than Seven-oaks and Maidstone where he would have been permitted to preach. There was a very large attendance. People began to arrive for the afternoon service soon after eleven. The large windows right and left of the pulpit were taken out, and a temporary erection put up behind. The vicar of the parish lent all the movable seats in his church for use at the chapel, and sent a good sum to the collection. The text in the afternoon was John 6:37 : "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." Some of the hearers took in readily the first part of the discourse, but objected to the latter part; while some, better taught, gladly received both. The evening text was 2 Samuel 12:7 : "Thou art the man." Various characters were described, good and bad, and the text was brought to bear on each one, while the eye of the preacher was directed and his finger pointed here and there as he felt led. In the auditory was an artist, a man of sceptical opinions, and as he sat in front of the pulpit he was visible to all. After a description of the vain-glorious fool who says in his heart, "There is no God," Mr. Spurgeon looked right at this man and pointed to him as he repeated his text, "Thou art the man." Mr. Spurgeon knew scarcely any of the congregation, and certainly not this man; but the poor fellow was much annoyed that he should have been made the butt of one of the preacher's shafts. It would have been a mercy if, like David, he had been humbled under the mighty hand of God, so as to seek and find forgiveness.