Chapter 93: First Conference in the College

Chapter 93.
First Conference In The College A Remarkable Address—Illness—Moody and Sankey at the Tabernacle—Meeting the Colporteurs—Bible Society Meeting—Spurgeon meets Archbishop Tait—Wedding at Enfield—The Orphanage—At Nantwich—Students' Holiday—An Adventure—Spurgeon and the Church—At Kettering.

The eleventh Conference, that of 1875, was the first that was held in the new College building. It had been said that the President was always well at the time of the annual reunion of his men; but this year it was otherwise. He took part in the opening services on Monday, April 12; he gave the address on Tuesday; he was present at the annual supper on the following evening, after which strength failed, and a severe cold in the head, as well as an inflamed eye, confined him to his bed. When all were assembled on Tuesday morning, April 13, Mr. Spurgeon intimated that if any were present who were not members of the Conference, they must consider themselves as not being there. When a question arose as to whether seceders from Baptist principles should be retained on the roll of membership, it was decided that the names of such should be erased. The President intimated that the College was pre-eminently a denominational institution, and said there was such a disease as enlargement of the heart. One who had seceded and wished to return was readmitted amid hearty cheers. We were all grieved to hear Mr. Spurgeon commence his address by confessing that he felt weak, both mentally and physically. The subject was "Individuality and its Opposite;" but as no one word, either in English or in Latin, gave the idea he had in his mind, he fell back on the Apostle Paul's expression—"I and yet not I." The subject was then more fully defined:—"I to the very full, every bit of me—Paul, once a Pharisee, a blasphemer, a persecutor—called to be an apostle, who finds a cause of joy that 'this grace is given to me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' I, not a whit behind the very chief of the Apostles, yet not I; I feel myself to be nothing, yea, and less than nothing, and yet, in Christ, lost and found; so it is I and not I." The subject was worked out with great force and clearness. It was shown that ministers should be as far removed as possible from egotism, as that was detestable in a preacher. Ministers should likewise have a firm conviction of their own personal commission to preach the Gospel. Then they should feel great respect for their own individual spheres of labour. Next, they should pay special regard to their own personal adaptation to the work. They must have great regard also for their own personal responsibility. When he came to what he called "the opposite"—self-negation—the President added: "I am not going to confute and then change sides, and then confute again, for what I have to say is not exactly about the opposite, but the correlative, or what is the word? If anybody who is a word-maker can give me a word that stands in apposition and opposition to individuality, I should be glad. I mean the sense of our being one by ourselves, having for its opposite the sense of our not being by ourselves. I want you all to feel that though you have the work to do, yet you are not the only person in the world, not the only lamp and trumpet God has. He has other men besides you. You are only one member of a great body, one soldier of a great army." The address abounded with telling passages, and two or three may be selected. He insisted that it was the pastor's duty to stick to his calling:—

"A dear brother said to me once, 'I wish you would go out everywhere more frequently,' and he urged as a reason that my people would love me better if they had less of me. I replied that I did not want my people to appreciate me any more, for if they went further they would be grossly guilty of idolatry, and I meant to stop at home for fear they should. His argument did not answer. I might have rambled all the world over, and done great good, if my calling were to do so; but if I am a pastor I must see that my pastoral work is done first. Brother, when you have God's work to do, and you know the part God has given you, stick to it." The necessity of doing little things well, and of always doing the best possible, was well enforced:—

"I went through a china factory the other day, and saw a man painting very delicately. He did not look at me; I do not think he knew anything about me; and though other parties were round, the man's eye was never raised. He had to paint his picture, and he stuck to it. I like to see that abstraction from everything in a man having a work to do. 'This one thing I do'—some frown, some smile—this one thing I do—some think they could do it better; but this one thing I am at. Remember, if you do that, and give your soul to it, it does not much matter about its appearing to be a somewhat small and insignificant work. There is as much skill displayed in the manufacture of a very minute watch as in the dial which sends its sound all over the city. Have any of you seen the famous picture in the Hague, called Paul Potter's Bull—one of the famous pictures of the world? There is not very much about it—there is a tree and a frog. 'But it is only a bull,' you say. Ah! but there is not another bull in the world like it. Many a man has attempted to depict some marvellous piece of natural scenery on the Alps or in Cumberland, some magnificent sea-piece, with a fleet of yachts, and he has not succeeded. The subject was infinitely superior to the art. So will it always be in our workmanship; but, at the same time, we must never think that because the particular work we have seems small, therefore we cannot or should not do it thoroughly well. If you sweep a crossing it were well to do it better than anybody else." An encouraging anecdote was told about the Hamburg Mission:—

"Mr. Oncken, in the early days of his preaching in Hamburg, was brought before the burgomaster, and imprisoned many times. Once he said to Mr. Oncken, 'Do you see that little finger? As long as that can be held up I will put you down.' Said Mr. Oncken,' I do not suppose you see what I see. I see not a little finger, but a great arm, and as long as that can move you will never put me down.' The opposition which is waged against the true minister does not, after all, amount to a burgomaster's little finger, while all the forces which sustain heaven and earth are at his call."

Though still suffering from inflammation of the left eye, Mr. Spurgeon seemed to be in one of his happiest moods when describing the work of the College to the party of friends and subscribers who met at tea and supper on Wednesday, April 14. Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., presided, and the collection amounted to nearly two thousand pounds. In giving an account of the foreign work of the College, the President relates the following anecdote:—

"There are two brethren in Madrid. I do not know who provides for them, except that their trust is in the living God. I have sometimes given them help from my private purse, but not much. It is their practice to go out and sing in the streets, and then they address the crowd attracted by their singing. They also preach in the prisons. Some time ago they came into contact with a Romish priest, who said to them, 'Can you tell me how to make money?' 'Yes.' 'Well, then, I'll listen.' They sat down together upon chairs in the public park, and the two young evangelists spoke to the priest about Jesus Christ. He said that was not what he wanted to hear; could they tell him how to make money? They replied, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.' To this they added an account of their own experience. However, this mode of money-making did not suit the priest, and he went on his way, but not rejoicing."

It was mentioned that there were many of the men in America, and one was Moderator of the Nebraska Association:—

"I may tell you the story of another brother who came over to see me not long ago, and who stayed at my house. The position of this brother is somewhat better than my own. He gets seven hundred pounds a year, and has the best house in the town in which he is settled. Besides, his people give him a three months' holiday every year. He has been over in England twice. Now that young man's father was an Irishman, who, when he did work, pursued one of the very humblest manual occupations, but who generally did not work at all, being too much of a gentleman to work. This lad was in the Sunday-school at the Tabernacle, and his sister too; and at that time they were in the very depths of poverty. From the Sunday-school he passed on to the College, where he studied hard. Now he has risen to the most honourable and influential position which he occupies in America. But for our College I really do not see how it could have been possible for that man to rise as he has done."

During this Conference Messrs. Moody and Sankey were holding meetings in London, and they visited the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Friday morning, April 16. As Mr. Spurgeon had shown the greatest interest in the work of these evangelists, he was much disappointed at not being well enough to be present at the great assembly in his own chapel. He seemed soon to be laid low and speedily to recover. Thus he preached twice at the Tabernacle on Sunday, April 18. Still, he was overworked, and sorely needed rest; and, as was remarked at the time, he looked like one whose duty it was to spend six months among the mountains of Switzerland. In Spurgeon's case rest merely meant change of work, so long as he was able to do anything, however. He attended the Baptist Union meeting at Walworth Road Chapel on April 29, and gave a short address on evangelistic work, showing that it would be a noble thing if such a union as that could have evangelists of its own. On the 3rd of May he attended the annual meeting of the Colportage Association, when he spoke in his accustomed pointed manner. He advised the men to cultivate good manners as well as the "push" of the enterprising tradesman. He also presided at the annual public gathering in the evening, when the colporteurs themselves gave some interesting pieces of experience. In The Sword and the Trowel for this year will be found full descriptions of this colportage work, the results of a few days' observation in the Warminster district which I made in company with Mr. Jones, the secretary of the Association. The colporteurs employed appeared to be of a hardy race, well qualified for their arduous calling, and, like all members of the Tabernacle Church, they showed a strong attachment to their President. When I entered the room the secretary was addressing the men; and when Mr. Spurgeon himself appeared in one of the passages, he was pressed into service. Though he had nothing prepared, he, with his usual readiness, undertook the task, and spoke with wit and piquancy for half an hour on the importance of the work, its encouragements and discouragements. While the spirit was willing, he likened the weak flesh to a broken-kneed horse that was not always willing to go. He showed that the colporteur's success did not depend on the amount of goods sold, because a comparatively small sale might represent a great amount of good done. So far as he was concerned he confessed to be good neither at buying nor selling, for a successful trafficker required to be a cross between a Yankee, a Scotsman, and a Jew, each being representative of shrewdness, dogged perseverance, and business tact. There were two Americans who, on being confined in a certain place, were reported to have cleared five shillings each by exchanging their waistcoats; but such cuteness was not to be emulated. He then told a good story, while impressing upon the men the necessity of always having one deaf ear and one blind eye. He once encountered a very abusive woman in the village of Waterbeach; but to all her raving he returned only gentle answers. "Yes, it's a very fine day," he said; and then, as the scold continued her harangue, he added, "No, I don't think it will rain." The woman stopped short in her violence, concluding that the young gentleman who had offended her was either deaf or too amiable to be further insulted. At the after meeting in the chapel we were much amused with the homely earnestness of the speakers, one of whom stood on the platform, wearing a knapsack. A climax of merriment was reached when Mr. Spurgeon called out to a certain speaker whose arms were beating time to his stentorian utterances, "Mr.------, you'll hurt yourself!" "Oh no, sir, no fear," was the reply; "I'm used to the hopen air!" On Friday, May 7, 1875, Spurgeon preached in the Bow Road Hall, erected for Messrs. Moody and Sankey, to the largest congregation I ever witnessed within doors. He was quite equal to the occasion, and the whole service was striking. "Come and walk the wards of this great hospital," he petitioned in his prayer, "and cure the sin-sick souls. Make a battle-field of this place. If there be a publican not daring to lift his eyes to Thee, cast Thine eyes on him. Let the fire of heaven come down, and let the conflagration be like the Fire of London, setting even the churches on fire." The congregation was likened to a great casket of jewels; and when the plea arose, "Oh, God the Father, give Jesus this casket to night!" "Amen! Amen!" came from all sides. On May 14 he opened the Mission Chapel in Little Wild Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields; an historical building, which, after a distinguished history as the home of a flourishing Church, was handed over to Mr. George Hatton for the headquarters of the St. Giles's Christian Mission, one of the most effective philanthropic agencies in London, and one which has done eminent service in reclaiming the criminal classes. Spurgeon had the greatest admiration for Mr. Hatton and his work. Mr. Hatton is now invalided, but the various departments of the Mission are still efficiently superintended by Mr. William Wheatley. On the 14th of May a kind of students' reunion was held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The young men of the Bow Training Institute were invited to a conference. After tea Mr. A. G. Brown, Dr. Barnardo, and others spoke, and Mr. Spurgeon gave us his lecture on "The Voice," when he proved himself to be possessed of powers of mimicry which a Garrick might have admired. Roars of laughter greeted the lecturer as he gave examples—obsolete and otherwise—of various styles of preaching. We heard something about those irreproachable "gentlemen," the Claytons; something of Dr.------, the exordium of whose sermons was never heard by anyone; and something of those who "squeak the everlasting Gospel." Among the visitors was a well-known Edinburgh surgeon, now dead, who at this particular juncture was extremely anxious to interest Londoners, and especially Spurgeon, in the Medical Mission. The good doctor made his speech, and, by way of illustrating the influence wielded by medical missionaries, he said that the heathen were even ready to worship those devoted men after death, such was the gratitude they felt for the service done them. Indeed, there was one who had to be buried by stealth to prevent the people from committing idolatry over his remains. The pastor listened to all this, and, when he spoke, showed that he thought it very reasonable. It would manifestly be hard work to worship a lawyer, for instance; but a surgeon—a man who had eased your pain and had done you good in every way—was a different kind of being. To reverence him was the most harmless form of devil-worship. The annual meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society for this year was an exceptionally brilliant affair; for, besides Spurgeon, Dr. Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Dr. Morley Punshon were among the speakers. I believe that the good Archbishop very highly appreciated this opportunity of hearing the great preacher, and he spoke very kindly to Mr. Spurgeon while sitting on the platform. The speech of the latter was in his happiest manner, and in one or two passages references were made to the evangelistic meetings of Moody and Sankey:—

"The danger of an excited time of revival is, of course, fanaticism. Somebody said, 'The fanatics of London are having a fine field-day just now.' Now, there is a difference of opinion about that. In the services I have been at I have observed nothing like fanaticism. In fact, my lord, at one service that I attended I rather found fault that there was not enough heat in it. It happened to be a bitterly cold day and a very draughty place, and we did not seem to get into a thorough glow. Certainly we did not reach a red heat, and I prefer a white heat—I am rather a salamander. I have been at Primitive Methodist meetings when the fire has burned, indeed, like coals of juniper; but on this occasion we did not come near it. I thought it was the coldness of heart of the people of London that would not let the fire burn as much as it might. Fanaticism I saw no traces of. I long for the time to come when the less friendly part of the newspaper press will call us fanatics. I should like to hear the critics hiss between their teeth, 'You are fanatics and fools.' I should think we were getting to be both warm and wise then, and getting something near the right point. It is an evil day when men speak too well of us; but when they talk of us disparagingly, it may be that we are having honour in the sight of God. There is no fear, however, of fanaticism ever doing mischief if we keep the Bible always to the front; that will be the master of the fire; and the fire will be a good servant to us."

Then came a passage about the Bible being the best antidote to the spread and influence of Popery:—

"You have perhaps seen upon the Arch of Titus, in Rome, the seven-branched candlestick of the Temple. We are told that, after the triumph, that sacred light-bearer was lost in the Tiber. The Church of Rome has no love for that seven-branched candlestick; she has lost it. I am rather glad of the idea of purifying that muddy stream; perhaps they will find it by-and-by. I should not wonder that, by God's blessing, by the help of Garibaldi, they may find out several little things that they have lost; and now that the Bible Society has a house in the Corso, the way to find out the true seven-branched golden candlestick which is to illuminate the world is straight before the eyes of the Romans. We have got the lamp; let us carry it. Do not find fault with the darkness—light the candle. Do not complain about there being error in the world—proclaim the Truth. And by what means can we better proclaim it than by scattering the Word of God on all hands?"

It seemed to be necessary that the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle should stand forward as defender of the doctrines taught by the American evangelists. On Sunday evening, May 16, therefore, he defended Moody's teaching in regard to immediate salvation through faith in Christ. "We do not want to allow our friends to stand in the front of the battle, and to be looked upon as targets," said the preacher. "They preach nothing but what we have preached all our lives. They preach nothing but what has the general consent of Protestant Christendom." The preacher's interest in the campaign was shown by his attendance at some of the meetings. Thus the great congregation he addressed in Dr. Donald Fraser's church in Marylebone on June 1 was represented as quite a mixed assembly, including many of the very poor. Perhaps the most discouraging fact about this effort was the "almost instantaneous collapse of the meetings" as soon as the evangelists removed to another district. Mr. Spurgeon rebuked the people who followed their favourite preacher and singer from one station to another; and it is safe to say that his common-sense could not have allowed of his endorsing all that was done or said on every occasion. The hearty sympathy he had with them on the whole, however, was well expressed when he spoke at the opening of the hall near Camberwell Green in June:—

"We are happy to have our friends here, because, somehow or other, they manage to get the popular ear. Our brethren have got a grip upon the masses, and they preach the Gospel. We have it not very distinct from a great many voices, and sometimes when I am invited to a conference I have to ask what is the exact thing they mean. But I know what Mr. Moody means when he speaks, and what Mr. Sankey means when he sings. I have never seen men carry their meaning more fully upon their lips. I know what they have to say. They do not come to battle with errors, they do not indulge themselves in exposing sophistries and the like. When the Grotto del Cane is shown, they plunge a dog into the carbonic acid until he is nearly dead, and then fling him into cold water, and he comes round again. So it is with some ministers—they like to dip one into error to let us know what it is, and then put us into the water of life to bring us round again. I do not think Mr. Moody knows anything about this, and let us, for these reasons, heartily unite with the brethren." On June 8 Mr. Spurgeon drove from Clapham to officiate at the marriage of the writer and Miss Ellen Logsdon: A minister present afterwards wrote—"Those whose privilege it was to be present are never likely to forget the service, and it is much to be regretted that the pen of some ready writer did not record some of the remarks which Mr. Spurgeon made; at one time there was certainly more than the smile, and at another the tears were not few. The blessing with which Mr. Spurgeon closed the service was worth going many miles to hear. Altogether a friend was not far wrong who said that 'the service made you wish to be married over again, to be married in such a fashion.'"

Later in the same day he attended a meeting of the London Baptist Association at Tottenham. Here he read a paper, which occupied three-quarters of an hour. "Its illustrations were drawn mostly from the writer's own experience," remarked one who was present. In reference to impromptu speaking, he warned his hearers against supposing that the thing could be easily acquired. "The true speaker, like the poet, must be born, not made. Yet even the born speaker could only hope to attain perfection by dint of incessant and unceasing toil. Mr. Spurgeon's references to Tacitus and Virgil showed how thoroughly he must have carried out the principles he suggested for the development of this gift." The festival at the Stockwell Orphanage on June 18 had Lord Shaftesbury for chairman, and, notwithstanding the rain, there was a large attendance and a good collection. It was the President's forty-first birthday, and he was in good spirits, while he showed in the course of his address that the institution was succeeding as well as its best friends could reasonably expect.

Having received a legacy of £1,000 for the Orphanage from a family in the neighbourhood, Mr. Spurgeon visited Nantwich on July 28 and preached there for the removal of a debt on a small Baptist chapel in the town. The services were held in the market-hall, which was specially fitted up for the occasion. According to a contemporary account, "Every available point in the interior was occupied, even the ladder leading to the roof having its occupants, and the vegetable-stalls themselves boasting unaccustomed display. Everyone in the market-hall could hear Mr. Spurgeon's voice distinctly, even in the remotest corners of the building, though the hall, with its pillars and timbers, is by no means adapted to acoustic purposes. Galleries were put up above the butchers' stalls by the chapel committee." On August 3 the session of the Pastors' College was opened in the usual festive manner in the grounds surrounding Sir Charles Forbes's mansion of Broomwood, near Clapham Common, a house intimately associated with Wilberforce, the philanthropist. By the time that the two hundred visitors had arrived the grounds presented the aspect of a little fair. Different kinds of games were engaged in by bands of hilarious players; in the great tent the tables were being furnished for a recherché feast; the commissariat department, with its large cooking furnace, was near at hand, while piles upon piles of plates, and various good things of an edible kind on the greensward, imparted to the whole scene a gipsy-like appearance. In the morning the sun shone brightly, and though Mr. Spurgeon had his left hand in a warm glove to protect that lately-afflicted member from the atmosphere, his cheery voice seemed to impart a holiday tone to all the good-humoured speeches that followed throughout the day. He walked hither and thither about the meadow, like one who knew what was expected of him, now speaking to well-known friends, now welcoming new-comers, and now conversing with certain distinguished visitors from America. In the meantime, the deacons and their large staff of helpers are actively alive in the marquee, "serving tables;" for, as one of them pointedly remarks, "it's no fool of a job" to dine two hundred people in first-class style in a field. At three o'clock the company assembled in the canvas dining-hall with its carpet of emerald green; and ample justice was done to the liberal fare. Then followed what the President called a "middle-dinner speech," after-dinner speeches bearing the character of being dull and profitless. While old students were welcomed, new ones were warned of the ordeal in store for them. The class-rooms of Messrs. Gracey, Rogers, James Spurgeon, and Fergusson were represented as so many chambers of torture to new beginners, who, however, it was hoped, would survive the horrors daily inflicted. The youths just up from the country received some well-timed hints that it would be well not to judge of the prospect before them by what they saw on what was really a day of transfiguration. The young men who hoped to be aught in the world, and to do aught for Christ, must prepare themselves for hard work. They must believe in God, but they must work—work like troopers—would they succeed in life. In response to certain cheers, the President said cheers had greeted him all his life; deacons and elders had cheered him, and if they would only believe in a broomstick as they did in him, they would get along. The shades of night were gathering before the company separated, all conscious of having passed a delightful day.

Spurgeon frequently met with adventures in the streets, such as supplied the materials for good stories. He maintained, contrary to the opinion of some others, that it was a good custom to give the Scriptures away; and an experience that he met with about this time had the effect of confirming him in his belief. "A cabman drove me home," he said, "and when I paid him his fare he said, 'It's a long time since I drove you last, sir.' 'But,' said I, 'I do not recollect you.' 'Well,' he said, 'I think it's fourteen years ago; but,' he added, 'perhaps you will know this Testament?' pulling one out of his pocket. 'What!' I said; 'did I give you that?' 'Oh yes,' he said, 'and you spoke to me about my soul, and nobody had done that before, and I have never forgotten it.' 'What,' said I; 'haven't you worn it out?' 'No,' he said, 'I would not wear it out; I have had it bound,' and he had kept it very carefully indeed. It encourages one to give books when they are so valued," added Mr. Spurgeon. "Sometimes people won't value a tract. I believe it is often the cheapest to give a better thing; that which costs you rather more will be the more highly treasured." On August 15 the pastor preached a sermon at the Tabernacle, the subject being "The Priest Dispensed With," and the text 1Jn 5:10 : "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." The Freeman wished that the discourse could be given on every village green in England; but The Church Times suggested the addition of "and brimstone" to what the Baptist organ called "words of fire." In the opinion of the High Church journal, Spurgeon preached "an all but avowed Antinomianism;" the Nonconformist paper remarked in reply, "The Ritualists wince under the home-thrusts of the greatest preacher of our time." The losses and gains of this year were remarkable. On the one hand the preacher himself was made to realise that he was burning the candle at both ends; and his own sufferings were from time to time increased by the loss of earnest co-workers or friends. Mrs. Bartlett, Dr. Brock, James Mursell, and Henry Olney were among the losses by death. On the other hand, Mr.

Matthews's legacy of ten thousand pounds was a timely supply for the Orphanage and the College. On September 1 the preacher was at Devonshire Square Chapel, Stoke Newington. He preached twice to delighted crowds, and between the services was the life of a select company in the house of his friend Mr. Henderson, the pastor. This visit had been pat off repeatedly through ill-health. On Saturday afternoon, the 18th of September, I went over to Clapham. Though the weather was exceedingly warm he told me that he had been so busy all the morning as not to know whether it was sultry or otherwise. We walked together into the garden, which was always skilfully cultivated, and now presented a really charming aspect in its autumnal dress. Being presently joined by Messrs. Charlesworth, Blackshaw, and another, we lingered on the lawn and played a couple of games of bowls. A few minutes before the pastor had told me that he was in one sense the most unlucky man alive, though in another sense so fortunate, on account of the vast amount of work he was compelled to get through. After hearing such a confession, I was glad to see how heartily he could forget his cares and enter into the spirit of a game. He and I won both games; and throughout the contest he was apparently as anxious to excel as though great things depended on his skill. When our sport was ended we loitered in the grounds, when, plucking an "everlasting flower," he presented it to me. I was to carry it to my wife, and we were to keep it for ever and ever. This is, of course, preserved, and I trust will long be treasured by those who may come after us.

Mr. Blackshaw and myself drank tea with him shortly afterwards, when, in reference to the absence of Mrs. Spurgeon, he remarked, "When a man's wife is away from home everybody is away." He seemed rather surprised to hear that a new Life of himself was in preparation by a Wesleyan admirer. He did not appear to feel flattered by the news. He mentioned with considerable satisfaction that the pictures were all engraved for his new "History of the Tabernacle," which was published in the ensuing spring. A copy was, I believe, presented to each guest at the College supper on the 6th of April, 1876. On the morning of Michaelmas Day, 1875, I went with him to Kettering in company with Mr. Mills, a deacon at the Tabernacle. The event of the day was the celebration of the Toller Centenary. The sermon was to be preached in the open air. We were to leave St. Pancras at 8.55 a.m.; and five or ten minutes before that time the easily recognised brougham was descried coming down the Euston Road. On the way he spoke well of the Midland Railway. He thought that if we were to take a map of England and mark out a system of lines best calculated to pay, we could not do better than this company had already done. As we neared our destination, the aspect of the stations bore witness to the public excitement; and on arriving at Kettering the station was thronged with persons who were anxious to catch a first glimpse of "a distinguished Englishman," as one of the spectators designated Mr. Spurgeon. Though in the town itself business was not entirely suspended, it was easy to see that everybody was absorbed with the great event of the day. Each train as it arrived brought a fresh shoal of visitors, and the roads leading into Kettering seemed to pour each its living stream into the town, a dozen people behind one horse being no uncommon load. How the hotel-keepers contrived to accommodate with stable-room their four-footed visitors it were idle to conjecture; it was well that they were not required to feed the multitude as well. In private houses were found long tables liberally supplied with the viands of the season, of which large numbers partook, and the Town Hall was made to serve as a great refreshment-booth. The chapels were open, the "Great Meeting" of the Independents, as it was formerly called, being especially a central object of interest. There were the Toller medals in the shops; there were the tomb and pulpit of Andrew Fuller; and, besides these, there was the old white mansion—"Missionary House"—where the Baptist Missionary Society was formed. By two o'clock a vast congregation had assembled in the meadow, around a little platform which was erected to accommodate the preacher and a few select friends. Some thought there were six or seven thousand persons present; others more accustomed to judge of London crowds put down the number at ten thousand. Mr. Spurgeon referred in touching terms to the occasion, and to the young heart which their friend, Mr. Toller, carried in his bosom. A hymn was sung, after which followed a reading and exposition of Psalm lxxi.—"the old man's psalm," the very number seeming to suit those who have passed three score and ten. None need fear to go through a second childhood if they would remember how well they were brought through the first; and it was not likely that there lived a happier man than Mr. Toller. The text was Psa 71:17-18 : "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous work," etc.

We left Kettering by the morning express train, which happened to be fifteen minutes behind time. A number of persons congregated on the platform to see the pastor off, and these, doubtless, were obliged to the company for allowing them this extra time. He spoke about the preaching engagements of leading ministers. He had himself lately been requested to fulfil an engagement to preach which it was alleged he had made. The engagement was denied; but still the brother, on the other side, stuck to his affirmation. "You said when we got a new chapel you would preach for us; and now the building is up." Still no promise of the kind could be remembered. "How long was it ago?" "How long? oh, twenty years." "Twenty years!" exclaimed Mr. Spurgeon, much relieved. Then the promise was given under totally different circumstances from those under which they were then living. "I believe in the Statute of Limitations!"