A VISIT TO SPURGEON'S TABERNACLE.

Evening Star, Issue 7496, 14 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

A VISIT TO SPURGEON'S TABERNACLE.

The following interesting description of a recent visit by a well-known and muchrespected citizen of Dunedin has been furnished to the ' Presbyterian' : The Tabernacle is an immense building like a theatre, capable of holding, it is said, about 7,000 persons when quite filled. It is somewhat oval in shape, and has two deep galleries running a'l round. Mr Spurgeon speaks from a semi-circular platform projecting from the lower gallery atone end of the building, and encloied with a railing. When I entered, and while the strangers v/cce bciug accommodated, there was such a scene of bustle and excitement that I could scarcely imagine myself in. a place of divine worship. There was a commotion all round, and a squeezing into all available places until every passage and nook and cranny of the vast building was closely packed. The vast sea of human faces was a sight not soon to be forgotten. There was a great preponderance of men over women ; I should say that the latter formed only about one-fourth of the vast assembly, and nearly all of these were among the ticketholders who had been first admitted. 1 row felt that my wife and daughter were perfectly right in declining to accompany me to the Tabernacle that morning. When something like quiet was secured, Mr Spurgeon, followed by a number of what were no doubt his office-bearers, stepped slowly down the passage in the centre of the gallery, and took his seat at a small table which stood closo up to the railing of the platform, and on which were a Bible and hymn-book. The office-bearers occupied seats behind him on the platform. So great had been the excitement and the eager expectancy, that I was almost prepared for a cheering and a clapping of hands as Mr Spurgeon advanced on to the platform ; but, instead, all was calm and hushed. First, Mr Spurgeon engaged in prayer, lieforo he stood up and began to speak, he did not seem much to look at. I could scarcely realise that the rather commonplace-looking man seated at the table was the world-ienowned Spurgeou, and my wonder was how he could ever make himself heard over such an immense area. When, however, he had uttered a few sentences, I began to understand why such crowds flocked to hear him. His beautiful, clear, and sonorous voice filled without apparent' effort every comer of the va3t building. His-utterances were entirely free from the usual formalities and set pulpit phrases. In his prayer he asked simply and directly what he wanted in the familiar language of everyday life. He then gave out the hymn: 'Grace, 'tis a charming sound' —reading the first verse. He then said: "Let o very one with every kind of voice join in our song of praise," The vast'

assembly rose. There was no instrument, and apparently no choir. Someone on the platform raised the tune, and thousands of voices took it up; Mr Spurgeon beating time with his book and encouraging all to sing heartily. When the first verse was sung, Mr Spurgeon said something to this eflect: "That was pretty good, but I expect something bett-r still." He t'.ien read the next verso, and said: "Now sing it, but with more energy." Again the united voices of the great multitude arose like the sound of many waters. There were indeed sound and energy enough, but in my humble opinion there was not the harmony we are accustomed to in our own Krox Church. Mr Spurgeon then read a portion of Scripture, making racy and instructive comments on some of the verses. In fact some of the remarks were so witty and so very te'liog that you could see a smile on almost every face and a sparkle of merriment in almost every eye. At some of the happiest hits it a'mo~t seemed as if the hearers had some difficulty in re r r.aio" ig from giving audible expr :sion to t'nir apr -eciation. After further prayer and pnx : •", the preacher gave out his text. It warj art of the 11th v.'rse of the 84th Psalm : "No good thing will He withhold from them t v at walk uprightly." I can only advert to one or \ o features of that remarkable sermon. Ih. ve read some of Mr Spurgeon's sermo;':; but it is one thing to read a sermon ol ;3, aad quite a different thing to hear hii -er ' hj. He showed that those referred tr 1 o text as walking uprightly, and from wl • i God withholds no good thing, are a redeemed and believing people, and tiny only; and that we can best form ac' ir conception of God's dealings wi b. l-'.i people by thinking of Him and them in the relation of parent and children. There ere important differences, however. God, our Heavenly Father, is not only all-wise and most merciful, but He is also all-powerful, and therefore He not only knows what, is good for H : s believing children, but B' is able as well as willing to bestow it u> <a them. But many a poor earthly p.-i-nt ny have wisdom enough to know what good thing his child stands in need of, and yet may be often unable to procure that good tiling for him. Then, again, in the case of God's children, they may not know at 11 times what is the good thing they ne< -l; they may even earnestly desire things tj'at are not good for them, but God is all-wl-e, and He knows exactly what is br.t ">r them. The text dees not promLe to Co 's obedient children everything they may v. hj for. The text is carelully worded: "<fo good th'ng will He withhold," ard God himself must be the sole judge as to what is good for His believing children and what is not good for them. Take the case of an earthly parent and his child. the parent nor the child rr.ay be at all times wise enough to know what is really the best thing for the cbild's good, and even when the parent may know precisely wha,t good thing the child stands in need of, mistaken kindness or weak compliance with the wishes and entreaties of the child may lead to the withholding of that good Some of the preacher's illustrations of the dealings of earthly parents with their children were homely and graphic. It i impossible for me to reproduce them. I will, however, try my hand at two of them. A beloved child is taken unwell; the medical adviser is ca'led in by thea'uious mother ; Hie needful medre'ne is prescribed and sent for ; the mother prepares to administer it. The si'ly child does not like the dose ; he is taken hold of and some force is employed, but be kicks, he shuts his mouth, he closes his and will have nought of the med'eino. At the mother, instead of makiog him feel that he must swallow the draught, weak'y y'-lda to his importunities and gives up the attempt to administer what >'s needful for the child's good. Now, our Heave t?'y Father sometimes finds it necessary for His people's good to administer to them very bitcer medicine, and He never withholds it. He never yields to the entreaties of His children to be snared the partaking of the bitter v> when coing so would not be for their goou. He never withholds wholesome discipline and afllictioii when such are necessa y. It may be personal or fanv'.y affliction—the removal of loved ones by the hand of deaih, the loss of earthly substance, the withdrawal of His heavenly countenance for a time, and so forth. Another illust.'al/in was somewhat to tho following effect: " I have been sometimes rained and surprised when visiting the houses of some of my friends to witness the very unbccorr'.ig conduct of the children, witbou; auy apparent ability on the part of the pavent to restrain them. Often on such occd'*on-s I have felt my ringers itching for tire rod w".h which to give to those unruly chi'.Hn uio thing that was rea'ly good for then Id is impossible for me, howe adequately to reproduce the life-like n ei '.a which these and aimi'ar illustrations w :o given. One could almost fancy he saw v e sick child laid across the mother's 1" ■?• who, spoon or glass ii hand, w„s vr 'y attempting to administer the nauseous do«e. And the wilful children in the parlor, the poor mother trying with all her to get them to behave properly before ae minister, whom you could fancy you kiw seated grave and stern, his fingers twitch? 'g and moving as if grasping the rod of correction. But you must not suppose tint the sermon was mainly composed of su hj illustratioDS as these—far from it. Nothi g could exceed the solemnity and imp) cssiveness of the preacher's earnest exhortations to God's people to place the most implicit reliance upon His loving kindness, His wisdom, and H's faithfulness to His promises, and to submit with patience and resignation to all His dealings with then ; in adversity as in prosperity, in sickness .s in health, in seasons of sorrow as in times of joy. Even more solemn and impressive were tho preacher's earnest pleadings w ; hj those of his hearers who had not yet closed with the offers of the Gospel, who had not yet entered the company of God's redeemed and believing people, and who had therefore do claim to regard Him as a loving God aud Father in Christ Jesus. I have referred to Mr Spurgeon's eo< iments on the passage of Scripture read T him. I will conclude with a report of one of these which appeared in the Home newspapers a few months after my visit to the Tabernacle. Mr Spurgeon was spending his holidays in a quiet corner of ArgyleBhire. He was prevailed on to conduct divine service on Sabbath forenoon. Immense crowds gathered together to hear him. The service was held in the open air. The passage of Scripture read by him wpt that in which mention is made of Peter's wife's mother. After reading the verse referred to, the preacher spoke somewhat to the following effect: " Now, my friends, you will notice that the Apostle Peter was a married man—he had a wife. Our Roman Catholic friends claim Peter as their first Pope, and tho present Pope as Peter's successor in office. Neither tho Pope nor any of his priests are permitted to marry, yet Peter had a wife. Then, again, the Pope claims to be infallible. Nowhere in Scripture do we read of Peter claiming to be infallible, and you may be very certain that if Peter had ever felt disposed to entertain any such notion, his wife would be pretty sure to impress upon him the fact that ho was very far from being so."