Chapter 46: Work and Progress in 1862

Chapter 46.
Work and Progress in 1862 A Young Men's Mission Aid Society—Meeting at Bunyan's Tomb—A great Company of Emigrants—Bi-centenary of the English St. Bartholomew—Spurgeon refuses to take part in the Celebration—A Service at Cheddar Cliffs—A Memorable Open-air Service—Barnums in the Pulpit—Death of James Smith.

Although he very much disliked writing prefaces or introductions to books by other people, Mr. Spurgeon would occasionally undertake such a task, or he would even volunteer to do the service in an exceptional case when he thought some good purpose might be served. Thus at this time we find him supplying a prefatory notice to Mr. John Stock's "Handbook of Revealed Theology," a closely printed volume of over 350 pages. When the roll of Church membership at the Metropolitan Tabernacle became the largest in the world, nothing pleased the pastor better than to see a number of friends exercise a spirit of self-denial by going elsewhere to start or strengthen another interest. One of the places which thus received attention was the chapel in New Court, Old Bailey. It was determined to resuscitate the cause by reopening the Sunday-school and engaging one of the members of the College to conduct the services. This succeeded so well that towards the end of February, 1862, the congregation was in a position to remove to what had been the Welsh Independent Chapel in Aldersgate Street by purchasing the lease. Mr. William Olney lent his aid and did much to make the enterprise a success. The student who undertook the pastorate was Mr. Alfred Searle, whose rare devotion, success, extreme youth, and early death conspired to make him a subject of more than common interest. He died of consumption, while staying at Hastings, September 20, 1863, being then in his twenty-first year. At the time of his death he had only just accepted a call to the pastorate of Vernon Chapel. On Monday, May 5, the Young Men's Missionary Association in aid of the Baptist Missionary Society had its meeting at the Tabernacle, Mr. J. E. Marshman being in the chair. It was arranged that there should be no resolutions, but that each speaker should choose a subject and enlarge upon it. Mr. Spurgeon decided to speak upon the Society. It was shown that the day was past when anyone harboured suspicion in regard to the righteousness of the cause; and some references were then made to Calvinism past and present:—

"We know that the Calvinism of a former time—although I trust we still maintain it in all its great fundamental principles—but the Calvinism of that former time was not able to reconcile to itself the text where Christ is represented as weeping over Jerusalem. The commentators of that day laboured hard to prove that Christ did not weep, or that He did not weep over the fact that men would perish. They could not reconcile it with the Sovereignty of God and the doctrine of election. Now I trust our Churches know that God's purpose is fully consistent with free action on man's part, and that while it is God's to choose and God's to effect, it is ours to attend, and to be employed as instruments in God's hand. We are no longer afraid to say, as Peter did, 'Repent, and be converted, every one of you,' though we can still feel with the Apostle Paul, that it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. We can say fearlessly, in the name of Jesus Christ, 'He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved.' Yet there are still a few survivors of that ancient tribe who will have men do nothing because God works in all; but they are happily very few, and I do not suppose there are any in this assembly. There are also difficulties raised by enthusiastic people who think that God will surely, all of a sudden, make one day as a thousand years, and cause all the nations to be born at once. Perhaps their hope is true. I think it more than likely that such an event will transpire—that at the coming of the Lord from heaven with a great shout, the nations shall behold the Messiah, and in the Glory of His second advent shall perceive that it was He of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did speak." In the retrospect it seemed a marvellous thing that such a man as Dr. Stennett should have looked coldly on missionary enterprise. If they looked on sick persons and knew of medicine which would cure them, would they not tell of it? If well clothed, they pitied the shivering beggar on a cold day; and thus Christian instinct prompted them to make known the precious secret that God was ready to receive and forgive the sinner:—

"When the love of Christ gets into the soul, it can never be hidden. Persecution could not check its hallowed fire from spreading. The angel of Prudence once said to a spark which fell into a field of stubble, 'Spread not, for if thou dost, the next particle of stubble will be kindled, and another and another, and who can tell whereunto this may lead?' And lo! ere the angel had finished speaking, the spark had kindled the next atom of stubble, and the next, and the next, till it burst into a blaze, and the angel was fain to spread his wings and fly away. Though the man zealous for God were to be confined in a prison, I would work there for Christ; if not in the cell, yet I would find some means of being heard beyond it. Let a servant of God be put in cramping irons, and be told that he must not do that which the Spirit of God within him compelled him to do. As well tell the river it must not flow to the sea, or the sun that it must not shine, or the stars that they must no longer cheer the darkness of midnight. They must—it is not may with them—they must. 'Woe is me,' said the Apostle, 'if I preach not the Gospel.' We feel it like fire burning within us, and we feel constrained by a holy force more powerful than even that of gravitation, which makes the earth revolve within its orbit. We feel that the omnipotence of love and of grace compels us, so far as we have opportunity, to make known the great plan of salvation for the souls of men." When they comprehended Christ's sufferings and character, it was hard to understand how there should ever have been any indifference to His cause. Young men seemed to have a special mission in the world; but while it was an instinct of youth to be radical and destructive, Mr. Spurgeon himself confessed to being conservative. Who were the best qualified for missionary work?—

"It is for the young men to venture. During the winter, when the ponds at Clapham get frozen over, I have seen stones thrown on to the ice to see if it were strong enough to bear. If the stone does not go through, a small boy will be sent on, and if he makes the transit in safety, full-grown men will venture. I think that in the mission work, young men should feel that they are to make the venture where others cannot. The young man, perhaps, has not got a wife yet; he has thought of it, but still, not seriously, and he has laid it aside; he knows that it is good for a man to wear the yoke in his youth, but still he does not intend to wear that particular yoke at present. When he puts on his hat he has covered his house, and when he goes abroad he can take his worldly goods and chattels with him, for he is at present, 'self-contained.' This is the young man to go out as a missionary. Perhaps the committee may say, 'Well, but you would be better if you had a wife; is there no young person of your acquaintance?' 'Oh, yes,' says the young man, 'that could be managed; there's a young sister living so-and-so: it could be managed.' These are the sort of folks to venture if there is any hard work to be done. If there is any difficult place, or any suffering to endure, they are just the people. These are the men who, when God has touched their hearts, will be ready to lead the forlorn hope, to run into the ditch, to put up the ladder and make the irons rattle on the coping of the wall. It is God's will that some should abide by the stuff, while some should go forth to the battle; and who so fitted to do so as the young?"

There was some rough work to be done, and it would not be done by people in kid gloves. There were grand opportunities, the Baptist communion being the finest under heaven; but a man must be qualified for the service required:—

"Many come to me who think they are called to be preachers, and from the very cut of their mouths I can tell they were never meant to be, that they would never make fluent speakers. There are always two sides to a revelation. A person wrote to me, saying it was revealed that he was to preach for me one morning in the Surrey Music Hall. Far be it from me to be disobedient to any sort of heavenly vision. I wrote back to say it was a lop-sided revelation, but when it was revealed to me that I was to let him preach, I would let him know; at present I had not had such a revelation. You may perhaps see clearly enough that they are the men for the mission work, and that they ought to go out to some land where the cannibals will eat them up in a proper manner; but if the committee does not think them the proper persons, it is much better that they should be cut up at home. But if they believe they are called, and the Missionary Society will not send them, let them go without. There are plenty of missionaries unconnected with any society. It is possible for them to find friends who would take a pleasure in maintaining them; if not, might they not, in answer to prayer, be so prospered in life as to be able to maintain themselves in the mission work?" On the day after he had given this advice to young men who might be desirous of entering the mission field, Mr. Spurgeon paid a visit to his brother at Southampton, whose congregation assembled in the Carlton Rooms. A service was held in the afternoon, 900 persons sat down to tea, and an enthusiastic public meeting came off in the evening in aid of the fund for the chapel which was subsequently erected. In the spring of this year Bunyan's tomb in Bunhill Fields was restored, and with the Earl of Shaftesbury and some others, Mr. Spurgeon attended the inauguration on May 21. It was a wet afternoon, so that after a very short ceremony in the grounds the large company sought shelter in the City Road Chapel. Following his friend Lord Shaftesbury, Mr. Spurgeon spoke at some length on Bunyan as a preacher, an author, and a sufferer. The tinker's style was commended, that style being "not the spread-eagle style of long and lofty sentences, but plain and homely speech which all love and by which all are attracted." In regard to Bunyan's works, Mr. Spurgeon did not hesitate to value "The Holy War" more than "The Pilgrim's Progress," the one being a sketch of the Christian life, the other the filling up; the one being adapted for babes in spiritual experience, the other being meat for full-grown men. "As the works of Dr. John Owen have been well described as the Thesaurus of theological wisdom, so are those of Bunyan the Thesaurus of allegory." After some references had been made to the sufferings of Bunyan from imprisonment and extreme poverty, the people were advised to raise monuments to the allegorist in their hearts, becoming his spiritual descendants by accepting and cherishing the truths which he taught, and thus keeping his memory green.

During the spring of this year Dr. Merle d'Aubigné, of Geneva, visited London as the guest of the Kinnaird family in Pall Mall. On Sunday morning, May 18, the historian of the Reformation visited the Tabernacle, when the pastor gave what he called an Exhortation founded on 2Sa 11:1, which was followed by a Salutation from his visitor. The latter spoke English with some difficulty; but showing great earnestness, he made the people understand him, while he quoted the Apostle's words, "The whole Church saluteth you," and made reference to the tercentenary of the death of John Calvin, which in 1864 it was hoped they might celebrate in the famous Swiss city by erecting a fitting memorial of the Reformation. On the Tuesday following the Hon. A. Kinnaird gave a conversazione in the furtherance of this enterprise. It was proposed that the memorial should take the form of "A Hall of the Reformation," in which the Gospel would be preached, the building being also available for the "great ends to which Calvin devoted his life." It was also proposed to circulate the Reformer's works more widely. Mr. Spurgeon, who was present, cordially advocated the scheme, which was warmly taken up by friends in various parts of Christendom. It was hoped that £10,000 would be raised in Great Britain alone. On May 27 a more than usually novel kind of meeting was held at the Tabernacle, to take farewell of a thousand emigrants who were about to proceed to what was called the Nonconformist Settlement in New Zealand. A tract of territory comprising about sixty thousand acres was secured, and two-thirds of the land was supposed to be suitable for settlement. The distance from Auckland ranged from thirty-five to sixty miles, and a sum of £2,500 had been set apart for the construction of roads. All the arrangements which had been made appeared to give satisfaction to those in England.

Mr. Edward Ball, M.P., occupied the chair, and Mr. C. J. Middle-ditch, who spoke on the general subject of Christian Colonisation, emphasised the fact, that the gathering was of a very unusual character. "The spectacle of a thousand Christian people going forth at once amid the sympathies and benedictions of such an assembly as this has probably never been beheld." Dr. E. Tomkins gave a kind of charge to the pastor elected to accompany the emigrants—Mr. S. Edgar, B.A. Several other addresses were given. Mr. Spurgeon said:—

"In the history of the Church, the first sower was the devil, and in his efforts he scattered the seed everywhere. Satan is unwittingly the servant of God—fool as he is; though not intending it he accomplishes the purposes of Heaven. His object at one time was persecution; now he is endeavouring to hug the Church. But He who has delivered the Church out of the jaws of the lion, will also deliver it out of the paw of the bear. By Satan even emigration has been prostituted to the worst of purposes; now we are going to defeat him. You are going forth not so much to found a colony, as a Christian Church. Many who hear me will remain to sing at home; but the emigrants are going to sever the ties of home. They are going to the Antipodes, and instead of lips being together, the nearest part of their bodies to England will be their feet. They will have to forget some of the highest associations under heaven—

'Wherever we wander, there's no place like home.'

Your condition after a while will not be quite so respectable as it has been. We talk about being sturdy Nonconformists, but even a sturdy Nonconformist getting hungry is not in a very respectable condition. The proof of the pudding is in the eating of it, but the trouble is in the making. After a while some of you will be feeling for the softest bit of wood on board ship, or enjoying the cold comfort of a bed in a hut with the wind blowing through it. You have had experience of England but not of New Zealand. In making the change you will perhaps feel the force of the arrow all the more, because it is a new one and has never been shot before. In going to the place on the banks of the river, the name of which I do not remember, I expect you will be strictly loyal, and as a reminder I will ask you to sing 'God save the Queen.' In addition to loyalty I hope you will always keep up what I will call the Englishness of your hearts. Let that word 'home' be held sacred, whether the home be a log hut or a palace. I expect you will keep your arms strong—strong to wield your axes and reap your harvests. You will also require strong doctrine—sixteen ounces to the pound—of election and perseverance. Religion is a blessed thing in all ranks, but best proved among the poor. But you tell us you expect something of us. I rejoin, blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed. But in the prayers of dear friends you will not be forgotten. Prayers will be heard in England for you, prayers will be heard in New Zealand for us. I trust you will go out good soldiers of the Cross—strong in the omnipotence of the Master."

During the year 1862, great attention was given to the subject of the secession of the two thousand ministers from the Church of England two centuries before—men who gave up their parishes because conscience would not allow of their subscribing to all that was contained in the Book of Common Prayer. On Sunday, August 24, that being St. Bartholomew's Day and the 200th anniversary of the secession, discourses were very generally devoted to the subject in the pulpits of England and Wales, the opinions of leading preachers being given in the newspapers. Mr. Spurgeon did not follow the example of his brother ministers, however; for his subject on that morning was "The Loaded Waggon" (Amo 2:13). He objected to the celebration as a one-sided one, and thought that Churchmen as well as Nonconformists ought to have united in such a commemoration, agreeing to confess their faults in common, and to bury past grievances. That would have tended to sweep away anything that remained which might be opposed to religious liberty. There might be some things yet remaining to be complained of; but he believed they would have been granted by Churchmen if they had been asked for in the right way. On Wednesday, September 10, a more than usually interesting service, attended by 10,000 persons, took place at Cheddar Cliffs. The congregation showed the keenest curiosity to see and hear the preacher, and a large proportion had come together from a radius of twenty miles. Indeed, the scene altogether was of the most striking description, the preacher standing on a platform erected for him with his back towards the rocks. The hymns, "Before Jehovah's Awful Throne," and "Rock of Ages, cleft for me," were sung with grand effect; and then came a sermon on "I am the way," such as Spurgeon alone could have given. A contemporary account compares the service with one of the gatherings of the old Covenanters among the hills of Scotland; and such was the power of the young pastor's voice at that time that an outdoor assembly of twice the number could easily have heard every syllable. This passage occurred in the sermon:—

"Ye rocks that have listened now and heard the words I speak; ye rocks that have felt as much as some have felt; ye rocks that have trembled as much as some have trembled; ye rocks, give witness before God against this people if they believe not in Christ, when your head shall bow down at the last great day, still bear witness that Christ was lifted up in Cheddar, and His name exalted. Shall they bear witness against you every time you pass them; shall they say, 'You had an invitation, but you rejected it?' "

Meanwhile, work at home was being carried on with vigour. Nothing afforded the young pastor greater satisfaction at this time than to see one handsome chapel after another rise up as a result of the preaching of men who had been trained in the College. Wandsworth now gave rise to one of these interesting stations. About three years after his first preaching in London, Mr. Spurgeon gave a sermon in the Assembly Rooms, the regular ministry in which was afterwards carried on by one of the students, Mr. J. W. Genders. He commenced with a Church of eight members, which he soon increased to over 150, the main part being baptised by himself. The result was that Mr. Spurgeon laid the memorial-stone of a new chapel to accommodate 700 persons on October 6, 1862. The estimated cost of the chapel was £2,100.

During that same week the annual meeting of the College was held, when the pastor referred to his students in affectionate terms. There were then thirty-nine students in course of training, besides over one hundred young men who attended the evening classes, the cost altogether being then £2,000 a year. The Friday evening lectures were still in favour; and on September 19, the subject was "George Fox." The founder of the Society of Friends was described as a man whose faults had been excused by his disciples, while opponents had falsely given him a scandalous character. Macaulay's estimate was to be taken for what it was worth; and even Carlyle, unexcelled as a shrewd thinker, had still "done serious injury to religious faith in the present century." Concerning Fox himself, it was remarked:—

"He lived in a time when men were in earnest, and some went beyond enthusiasm into fanaticism. Prophets were in every street, and prophetesses were as plentiful as blackberries on bushes; but George Fox was one of the soberest men in that strange time. Some of his professed followers committed actions that disgusted him, and against which he protested; but he could not prevent all who were his followers from doing something that was outrageous. They should not therefore confound George Fox with his associates; they should not lay other men's sins at his door; they should let him stand in his own shoes. George Fox was probably the best judge of what was his duty, and two hundred years ago knew better what God required of him than they could know in the present day. If he had as much grace as George Fox, with George Fox's temperament, he might have done the same thing. The mar pel was, not that the man was extravagant, but that he was not much more so. Even in early life George Fox had shown the most tender spirit. Plays and games had no charms for him, and, shocked at the conduct of some old men, he once expressed a hope that when he grew old, God would prevent him from doing as they did. His parents had not the means of giving him much education, but he had the power to pick up a great number of things. When he said 'yea,' it was ended so; and when he said 'nay,' it was impossible to change him, because he meant 'nay.' When certain men would swear, and professing Christians would declare upon their honour or their word, George Fox would say 'verily,' and there was an end of it. George Fox could always deal with other men's hearts and see them thoroughly, because he had been prepared by temptation for his high and noble mission. One of the first things he perceived was that human learning was not necessary for religious teaching; and was there anything extraordinary in that? No! because no man could pretend to make a minister, for that was God's work. He next said that human profession did not make the Christian, and that was the fact; but for protesting that, George Fox was put in prison."

Many of the opinions held by Fox were accepted by the speaker, but the doctrine of sinless perfection could not be endorsed, because no such example had ever been met with. The acts of the old Quaker were also generally approved; although it was a silly thing to enter Lichfield without shoes and stockings, to cry out against the city. Macaulay had charged him with indecency, besides calling him a madman; but there was no indecency in an act "which merely caused the cooling of his feet and the losing of his shoes."

During this year, the distress in Lancashire, consequent on the stoppage of the cotton supply, was very widespread, and amounted to a national calamity. Large sums were collected in different parts of the country and distributed among the sufferers from enforced idleness. Into this work Mr. Spurgeon entered with great heartiness. He sent money on several occasions; and on November 9, when collections for the distress were made at the Tabernacle, the sum realised was £713 6s. 9d.

Like Whitefield, with whom he was so often compared in these early days, Mr. Spurgeon delighted in the open air. Some of the most memorable of his discourses were given in fields or on a hillside; and a complete account of what he did from first to last in this department would certainly be a record of extraordinary interest. As this work proceeds, I may be able to give reminiscences supplied by friends of some of the happy occasions referred to. Meanwhile, I will give here a description of a field service in 1862, which my friend Mr. William Cuff, of the Shoreditch Tabernacle, has kindly supplied:—"The first time I heard Mr. Spurgeon preach in the open air was in the year 1862. The place was at Naunton, eighteen miles from Cheltenham. I was but a lad, just then converted to God. Of course I had heard of the mighty man, and went to hear him full of wonder and expectation. The service was held in a lovely meadow, through which meanders the famous Naunton Brook. It was a faultless day, and crowds gathered from all parts round about. All classes came. Work in the fields was suspended, and smock frocks were plentiful in the audience. Horses were tethered everywhere, and the roads seemed blocked with all kinds of vehicles, from a four-wheel waggon to a brougham. I am not sure, but I think the pulpit was a waggon. A crowd of thousands had gathered long before the time to commence the service. We waited eagerly, and some prayed fervently for saving power to be upon preacher and people. One old man standing next to me scarcely ceased praying all the time we waited. When Mr. Spurgeon stood up to commence, he said a fervent 'Amen' and 'Lord help him.' It thrilled me.

"Then came the preacher and the service. I shall never forget the ring and tone of that musical though powerful voice as the words fell on our ears—'Let us pray.' A profound and holy hush fell on the crowd. It was as still as death. The prayer was simple, short, mighty. Every word was heard. Every tone was felt. It lifted the mass nearer God, and transmuted the meadow into a very house of the Lord. Sinners must have trembled, while saints rejoiced in the presence and power of the Lord. But the prayer was calm and measured. So was the pleader. Mr. Spurgeon did not look or seem the least excited. He stood then as ever he did, like a master of assemblies. The reading and exposition were very powerful, yet most simple and unaffected. Another prayer, not long; but a tender, intensely earnest plea that souls might then and there be saved. Then came the text and the sermon. It is as impossible as it is needless to describe the sermon or its effects on the crowd. The text was in Acts 14:9-10. The sermon is printed in Vol. x., p. 145, of the printed sermons.

"One curious incident happened at the close of this service. A poor old man came up to Mr. Spurgeon and shook hands with him in a manner that shook him all over. He said—'I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee.' 'Go on, sir, and finish the text,' said Mr. Spurgeon. There was a pause, and some confusion, and then Mr. Spurgeon added—'Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.' There was a sharp but kind rebuke administered for misquoting, and wrongly applying Scripture. That service took place thirty years ago, but the whole thing is as vividly before me as it could be if it had been yesterday. The result will be known when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed." By this time Spurgeon had in the main lived down opposition, but here and there was found one who still looked on him with suspicion or actual dislike. At an ordination service at Bristol a well-known doctor of divinity, who gave the charge to his own sod, was heard giving the preference to dumb dogs to such as were always barking; and the young pastor was urged to be on his guard against "the Barnums of the pulpit who draw large gatherings, collect large amounts, and preach many sermons."

Taken altogether, the year 1862 was one of progress and encouragement. The improvement in the weekly issue of the Sermons ensured a greatly increased circulation. From all parts of the world news was continually being received of the good effected through the reading of the discourses in many tongues. In the closing days of 1862 occurred the death of Mr. Spurgeon's predecessor at New Park Street, James Smith, of Cheltenham, an uneducated man in a literary sense, but one possessed of genius and of rare devotion in his calling. As pastor of Cambray Chapel, he preached to a large and appreciative congregation; and such was the respect accorded him by the townspeople generally, that while Mr. Smith lay in his last illness, and within a few days of his death, the rector of Cheltenham, I believe, presided at a meeting at which a sum of £400 was subscribed for the Baptist pastor's necessities.