Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, Series 19

Im these days, God, by His providence, is teaching His church how to reach the masses of the people. The colossal enterprise now headed by Chas. H. Spurgeon, in London, is an example of what may be accomplished in this direction by one man. About thirty-five years ago this young man, then twenty years old, began to preach, to a handful of people, in an ordinary modern church building in that great city. His simple, earnest xreachiug caused the congregation to grow till the house was full. One evening, in 1854, he made a plea for enlargement, and remarked: ‘’By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, and by faith, this wall at the back shall come down, too.” An aged and prudent church officer, in a somewhat dictatorial tone, said to him at the close of the sermon: -’ Let us never hear of that again.” “What do you mean? “said the preacher; ‘you will hear no more about it when it is done, and therefore the sooner you set about it the better.” It was not long before the work of enlargement began, and meanwhile worship was carried oij at Exeter Hall, which was, of course, a very much larger place. But during the three months of the use of that place far preaching services the crowds continued, often actually blocking up the street. To return to the enlarged church on Park Street was absurd, and yet there were those who thought it too bad a waste of money and material to let such a church buildmgstand unoccupied, m order that three times as many might hear a free gospel in a hall; and so Exeter Hall was abandoned, and back they went to the remodeled edifice. It was filled, but it was so evident to all that God had attended services in the hall with a far greater measure of good, that in June, 1856, they determined to use the hall for half a day, and so Mr. Spurgeon preached in the morning at the church, and in the evening at the hall.

All went well, under the new arrangement, hut no one could fail to see that the evening service was working a far grander result, in numbers and in the class of non-church-goers reached; and so, after a two months’ trial of this method, a movement began, looking to the bmldmg of a large tabernacle, fitted to hold the masses, and with abundant room, first, for habitual attendants to find a churchhome and, secondly, for the common people at large to find free welcome. Of course, there were those who opposed this project; the idea of giving up a fine commodious church, recently enlarged and refitted, and undertaking to put up a building to hold five thousand people, was scouted as absurd. But the mass of the church felt that it was far more important to reach the people than to hold fast to the old order; and so that building was abandoned. Unable to get control longer of Exeter Hall, on October 19, 1856, this heroic pastor and his peoj)le undertook a rofiwre o//rti//i. They hired the large Music Hall in Surrey Gardens, just built for M. Jnllien’s monster concerts, and held there the first Sabbath evening service. About 7,000 persons were assembled. Some evil-disposed persons created a panic, and in the rush seven persons were crushed to death, and four times as many were seriously injured. Mr. Spurgeon’s nervous system was so terribly shocked that he was perfectly prostrated, but two weeks after was again able to preach. To avoid fear of further panic, the service at Music Hall was transferred to the morning, though the evening was regarded more favorable to large congregations. Yet for three years that immense hall was crowded by all classes. Thousands hitherto unaccustomed to attend church found their way to this free i)lace of worship, and hundreds found a Saviour. Often ten thousand souls were gathered there to hear that simple gospel preacher. And it was no worldly bait that drew them. Even the singing was congregational, and led by a tor — Mr. Spurgeon “lining out” every hymn in old-time style.

In May, 1861, regular work was begun on the New Tabernacle, which was dedicated without debt, though it cost over $150,000 in gold. It can hold, without excessive crowding, 6,000 persons, and is always at least comfortably filled. During five Sabbaths in May, 1867, while the repairs were in progress on the Tabernacle, the congregation used Agricultural Hall, which was crowded every Sunday morning by 20,000 persons.

The work of conversion goes on constantly; the Lord adds to the church daily/ such as shall be saved. The average gross increase yearly to the church-membership has been 390 — clear increase, 204>

In twenty-one years the membership ran up from 313 to 4,813; and probably fully as many converts have gone into other churches, Aud yet, had the advice of a large and respectable inmoritj’ been followed, or had the jealousy of other congregations interfered to prevent the new enterprise, that people would yet be holding service in that old Park Street church, which, at its best, would hold not more than from 1000 to 1,500

Mr. Spurgeon’s church-enteriirise does not stand alone as a proof that the early success of the apostolic church may be repeated m these latter times Mr Moody has gone through not a few cities in this country and Britain, holding free services in immense temporary buildings capable of holding from 3,000 to 20,000, and no length of time has so far made the numbers less or the interest to flag. An Episcopal Church in New York City — and it seemed to some a serious deiarture from the stateliness of their traditional dignity! — put up a free gospel tent, and the amazing success of the plan, even with a system having so little flexibility and adaptability as the Episcopal, was supposed to have startled the whole of Christendom, At one season more persons were confirmed m that one church than were ever presented in any Episcopal church in this country, at one time, Pere Hyacmthe preached every Sunday m the Amphitheatre of the Chateau d’Eau, at Pans, to more than 4,000 people.

The most marked successes in reaching the peoxle seem to have been attained in large halls, or so-called tabernacles. And there is a reason. A building that is plain, large and free, built without regard to display, and evidently intended for the multitudes, strangely attracts the multitudes. Wesley and WTiitefield discovered this long ago. And there are reasons why even size and capacity are essential helps to draw the people

1. Power goes with a multitude; there is a mysterious attraction which draws us to go where we find a crowd.

2. Individuals are lost sight of m the mass. Many a man or woman dreads to enter an ordinary church, from the feeling that all eyes are turned toward the stranger, especially if such be very plainly clad and not at home in a church; but such slip in unconsciously with the multitude,

3. In a large church there will be room enough for regular attendants to have a regular place, without crowding strangers, or making the distinction too apparent between themselves and the habitual pew-holders.

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