C. H. Spurgeon's Autobiography, Vol. 3

I WOULD PRO POSE THAT THE SUBJECT OFTHE MINISTRY IN THIS HOUSE.AS LONG ASTHIS PLATFORM SHALL STAND,* AS LONG ASTHIS HOUSE SHALL BE FREQUENTED BY WORSHIPPERS, SHAH BE THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. I AM NEVER ASHAMED TO AVOW MYSELFA CALVINIST; I DO NOT HESITATE TO TAKE THE NAME OF BAPTIST; BUT IF I AM ASKED WHAT ISMYCREEDjREPLYJT IS JESUS CHRIST.” MY VENERATED PREDECESSOR, DR.GlLL, HAS LEFT A BODY OF DIVINITY. ADMIRABLE & EXCELLENT IN ITS WAY; BUT THE BODY

OF DIVINITY TO WHICH I WOULD PIN & BIND MYSELF FOR EVER, GOD HELPING ME.IS NOT HIS SYSTEM, OR ANY OTHER HUMAN TREATISE; BUTCHRISTJESUS.WHOISTHE SUM SUBSTANCE OFTHE COSPEL.WHO IS IN HIMSELF ALL THEOLOGY, THE INCARNATION OF EVERY PRECIOUS TRUTH, THE ALL-GLORIOUS PERSONAL EMBODIMENT OFTHE WAY;THETRUTH,&THE LIFE

When I sometimes have such statements as these flung in my teeth, “This man was never educated at College; he came into the ministry totally unprepared for it in literary attainments; he is only fit to address the poor; his preaching is not polite and polished; he has had but little classical instruction; he cannot read many languages;” —! say, Precisely so; every word of it is true, and a great deal more to the same effect might be said. If you go on to say, — “This man takes a daring project in hand, and succeeds in it,” — 1 answer, Just so; I will agree to all you say, but I will remind you that “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence.” On this wise I will put it, and with the apostle Paul I will become a fool in glorying, — What have your College men done that is comparable to this work? What have the wisest and most instructed of modern ministers accomplished in the conversion of souls compared with the blessing which has rested on the labours of the unlettered boy? It was God’s work, and God chose the most unlikely instrument, that He might have the more glory. And He shall have the glory; — I will not take any of it to myself by pretending to an education I have not received, or an attainment I do not possess, or an eloquence which I never coveted. I speak God’s Word, and God, I know, speaks through me, and works through me, and unto Him be the glory of it all! ...

1 frequently hear in conversation such remarks as this, “It is no use trying to raise a sell-supporting cause in such a place as this; there are none but poor people living in the neighbourhood.” If there is a site to be chosen for a chapel, it is said, “You would never be able to keep a minister there; it is no use trying to do so in such a district.” You know that, in the City of London itself, there is now scarcely one Dissenting place of worship. The reason for giving up most of the chapels, or transferring the church to the suburbs, is that all the respectable people live out of town, and, of course, they are the folk to look after. They will not stop in London, they will go out a few miles, and take villas; and, therefore, the best thing is to use the endowment, which belonged to the old chapel, in building a new place of worship somewhere in the suburbs where it can be maintained. “No doubt,” it is said, “the poor ought to be looked after; but we had better leave them to an inferior order of workers, — the city missionaries will do for them, or we can send them a few street-preachers.” But as to the idea of raising a prosperous cause where all the people are poor, there is hardly a minister who would attempt it.

Now, my experience of the poor of Christ’s flock teaches me that all this kind of talk is folly. If there are any people who love the cause of God better than others, I believe it is the poor, when the grace of God takes real possession of their heart. In this place, for instance, I believe that we have but very few who could be put down among the rich. There have been some persons of position who have cast in their lot amongst us; but, still, the mass who did the work of building this house, and who have stood side by side with me in the battle of the last seven years, must be reckoned among the poor of this world. They have been a peaceable people, a happy people, a working people, a plain people; and I say, “God bless the poor!” I would have no fear whatever in commencing a cause of Christ, even though the mass were poor; for I am persuaded that the rich, who are truly the people of God, love to come and assist in such a case. If you cast out the poor, you cast out the Church’s strength, and you give up that which is, after all, the backbone of the Church of Christ. — C. H. S., in sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle shortly after the opening.

N December 18, 1859, we commenced our third series of services at Exeter Hall, which ended on March 31, 1861. A few of my remarks upon leaving- that place may fitly be quoted here*: —” In the providence of God, we, as a church and people, have had to wander often. This is our third sojourn within these walls. It is now about to close. We have had at all times and seasons a compulsion for moving: sometimes, a compulsion of conscience; at other times, a compulsion of pleasure, as on this occasion. I am sure that, when we first went to the Surrey Music Hall, God went with us. Satan went, too, but he fled before us.

That frightful calamity, the impression of which can never be erased from my mind, became, in the providence of God, one of the most wonderful means of turnin<>- public attention to special services; and I do not doubt that — fearful catastrophe though it was, — it has been the mother of multitudes of blessings. The Christian world noted the example, and saw its after-success; they followed it, and to this day, in the theatre and the music-hall, the Word of Christ is preached where it was never preached before. Never could it be more manifestly seen than in that place, that the gospel, when proclaimed simply and earnestly, is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

“In each of our movings we have had reason to see the hand of God, and here particularly; for many residents in the Vest Fnd have in this place come to listen to the Word, who probably might not have taken a journey beyond the river. Here, God’s grace has broken hard hearts; here have souls been renewed, and wanderers reclaimed. ‘Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name.’ And now we journey to the house which God has in so special a manner given to us, and this day would I pray as Moses did, ‘Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee ilee before Thee.’

Keep reading