Find us Lord the man appointed Meet for us and dear to Thee. Send a man, O King of Zion, Made according to Thine heart, Meek as lamb, and bold as lion, Wise to act a shepherd's part. Grant us now thy heavenly leading, All our consultations guide. CHAPTER XIX. THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Mr. Spurgeon died at Mentone in Southern France on the 31st day of January, 1892; but he had been greviously afflicted with a serious disease for several years and was especially an invalid for a number of months before his demise. He inherited the tendency to the gout which, with a complication of other diseases seemingly not clearly understood by the physicians, carried him steadily down and finally took him away from his labors. Most of the time. for a year preceding his death he was absent from his pulpit. It had often been prophesied that when he died the many enterprises for which he furnished the motive power would cease to shed their blessings over mankind. Forty-five years before his death some of his congregation were troubled lest if they should enter into any of his proposed plans he might suddenly die and leave the work unfinished. "What if Mr. Spurgeon should die?" was the continual question and hidden insinuation on the part of many faithless ones who tried to discourage the church in its noble work. He himself was led by these frequent warnings to carefully arrange for the sustentation of the church charities in case of his death. A few friends combined together at one time for the purpose of relieving him of any anxiety and collected twenty-five thousand dollars, the income of which was to be used in supporting the College and Orphanage and Home and the principal to be paid in should Mr. Spurgeon die. He had the good sense to recognize the fact that he was an important factor in the spread of the gospel, and endeavored as far as possible to provide against any cessation of the Christian work in case the Lord should call him hence. He believed very thoroughly in the doctrines that the Lord would care for his own, and often said that "there is none so important to the Lord's work that the Lord could not replace him by another more efficient." seems to us as though he presented a very unique character and possessed a genius which is rare to find, and while the work may still progress it must necessarily assume a different phase, unless the Lord perform another miracle by creating another man his counterpart. It At the time of his death there were in circulation thirty-seven volumes of sermons printed in every civilized language, which he had delivered in the thirty-eight years of his ministry. His large Commentary upon the Psalms entitled "The Treasury of David" became a standard work of theology long before his death, and found its way into the homes and studies of nearly all preachers in England and America. These are published in seven volumes and contain the cream of twenty years of his work. He published a number of books upon religious subjects, three of which were entitled "The Interpreter," "Morning by Morning" and "Evening by Evening;" but a great number of smaller works and uncounted pamphlets. His Orphanage then contained five hundred boys and girls and was conducted at a cost of fifty thousand dollars a year. The Pastors' College had reached its highest degree of usefulness and was crowded with an able body of young and enterprising ministers, There were at that time connected with the church eighteen missions where the Gospel was preached and there were a great number of societies in the church organized to send the Gospel to the heathen, support teachers among the poor of London, maintain Gospel wagons for the distribution of tracts and the preaching of the Word, flower missions, and several aid societies. His brother the Rev. James A. Spurgeon, was the associate pastor, having held the office continuously from 1868, to the great satisfaction of his brother and the great edification of the church. His two sons, Charles and Thomas, were remarkably successful preachers of the gospel and he had the satisfaction of knowing in his last days that he would leave behind him worthy sons, capable of doing a work nearly if not quite equal to his, only in different directions. The membership of his church at that time was 5,334, being the largest independent church in the world. The membership was composed of very active Christians each of whom had been personally trained by Mr. Spurgeon himself to engage conscientiously in some practical enterprise for the furtherance of the gospel. The world has never seen assembled under one roof such a great number of vigorous workers or a people so deeply interested in the welfare of their fellow men. Their great grief at his death, which was as sincere as it could have been had each of them lost an own father, naturally led the world to feel that they depended largely upon him for direction and inspiration. But biographers are apt to forget while they sing the praises of the subject of their sketches, that the honors which were given to him are very frequently in a strong measure due to others who assisted him. Not Mr. Spurgeon himself could have succeeded with some churches. There was a providential oversight in bringing the man and the people together. In his marvellous success and distinguished commendations there is mingled the biography of a great many humbler individuals who stood by him with a heroism that was wonderful, and with a devoutness that was touchingly sacred. His words were accepted with authority, many of his mistakes overlooked, many of the most munificent gifts presented, because of the beautiful and loving character of the congregation over which he |