young man in the audience, and one of the deacons of New Park-street chapel, meet each other. One recites a tale of lamentation; the other delivers a message of hope. Time passes; it is summer, 1853; but "God's providences ripen fast, The young speaker at Cambridge is recommended to the New Park-street deacon; hope succeeds; faith is strengthened; the young speaker is applied to, and soon after, while yet in his "teens," becomes the appointed pastor of the once largest Baptist church in London. This young man is the Rev. CHARLES HADDON SPUR GEON. swer. WHO IS THIS SPURGEON? To this inquiry many have in vain sought for an anThe following pages will furnish what we think Iwill be received as demonstrative evidence that Mr. Spurgeon has been raised up, and specially trained, by divine Providence, to accomplish a great moral and spiritual work, by promoting the well-being of both the bodies and the souls of the multitudes who almost daily throng to hear him. The villages of England, more than the cities, have the honor of producing our great men. The city may be favorable to early development, and sometimes to precocity in talent; but it too often wanes ere it has reached maturity. In the village, the faculties develop WHO IS THIS SPURGEON? 23 themselves as nature forms them; in the city, a thousand delusive influences are constantly working on the minds of the young; and for one who adopts a course which is at once upright and successful, a thousand go wrong. The whole population of Kelvedon, in Essex, in which Mr. Spurgeon was born, does not number 2,000 souls, while his Sabbath-morning congregations often number 10,000 persons; so that almost weekly he preaches to five times more persons than were contained in the place which gave him birth. Kelvedon has had advantages in religion which have influenced the population. For more than fifty years has the same clergyman preached in the parish church, and his life has been in accordance with his preaching. The Rev. Charles Dalton lately celebrated his jubilee as the incumbent of that village, and his long life of consistent piety has not been without its all-pervading influence on the villagers. Mr. Spurgeon is of nonconformist descent, and entered this world on the 19th June, 1834. His venerable grandfather, the Rev. James Spurgeon, still lives, and continues his ministerial duties as pastor of an Independent church at Stambourne, near Halstead, in Essex. The father of our Southwark divine is Mr. John Spurgeon, second son of the aforenamed Rev. James Spurgeon, now of Colchester, who, although occupied as a layman during the week, is the pastor of a small Independent church at Tollesbury, in Essex. The mother of Mr. Spurgeon was the youngest sister of Charles Parker Jarvis, Esq., of Colchester, a woman remarkable for piety, usefulness, and humility. Here, then, we have presumptive, and we can safely add positive, evidence of the example of both personal and family religion, for at least two generations, operating in the formation of the mind of our youthful divine. Praying parents! Oh! the charm, the power of such influences! Parents, ye who fear God, "let your light so shine" before your children, that they may follow after godliness in imitating you. The father of George Whitefield was the son of a clergyman, but George was born at a well-known inn, kept by Thomas Whitefield, in Gloucester. It is somewhat remarkable, that while George Whitefield is known as the pot-boy of his father's MR. SPURGEON'S BIRTH-PLACE: NORTH VIEW. inn, the birth-place of Mr. Spurgeon (called the modern Whitefield), in Kelvedon, has, since the removal of Mr. John Spurgeon to Colchester, been used as a wayside WHO IS THIS SPURGEON? 25 inn also. Here are both extremes and parallels. In both cases religion is a family possession, and the power of prayer is expansive. Careful home training, pervaded by the influence of personal and family religion, is capable of, and has resulted in, an immeasurable amount of good. At a very early period, the infant Spurgeon, who was the first grandchild in the family, was removed from his father's residence at Kelvedon, to his grandfather's at Stambourne, and placed under the care of Ann Spurgeon, his father's sister. It is needless to add with what delight the venerable pair welcomed the stranger in the family. Miss Ann Spurgeon was at that time not in a good state of health, and both the grandparents of the infant believed that the care of the child would have a beneficial effect on the health of their daughter. The result proved the wisdom of their decision. Under the fostering care of the aunt, and the solicitude of the grandparents, the health of the former gradually improving, the child grew in strength, and soon became the admired and beloved of all who knew him. tion, blended with personal piety, was the watchword of the household; Aunt Ann loved and cherished most tenderly her infant charge, and she received, as her reward, the sincere affection of her adopted child. The affection between the two became as strong as between a child and its parent, and "Mother Ann," and "Step-son Charles," are terms as familiar and endearing in this case as are the terms mother and child in ordinary cases. The first dawnings of reason were observed, and care Affec was taken to inform and instruct by such degrees as the opening faculties could receive. From infancy, the mind of the child seems to have been formed after nature's model. When but an infant, he would divert himself for hours together with a book of pictures, although unable either to speak plain or read. His love of books dates from the first openings of his mind. One of the books which served to amuse the many hours of early childhood, contained, among other illustrations, a portrait of Bonner, Bishop of London. He was informed that Bishop Bonner was a persecutor of some of the servants of God; and although so young, an effect was produced on his mind which will never be erased, and the child manifested such a dislike to the name, that he always called that picture, as a term of derision and in righteous indignation, "Old Bonner." This is powerful censure from a boy so young. To this period of his life may be traced the origin of that intense abhorrence of tyranny in every form and under every name, to which Mr. Spurgeon sometimes gives utter ance. Another feature characteristic of Mr. Spurgeon is traceable to this early period. Even in infancy, he manifested a marked attachment to those who were said, or even supposed, to be the children of God. He had a special preference to the house of God. To him it was not merely a pleasure to go, and a source of joy to remain, but it was a positive delight. When he had acquired the art of reading, his joy in being able to unite in the worship of God in the sanctuary scarcely |