Mr Thomas Spurgeon.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3369, 25 November 1889, Page 2

Mr Thomas Spurgeon.

Referring to tlie.rolirciuent of Mr Thomas Hpurgcon from the pastorato of tho Baptist Tabermielo, his successor boiiig Mr W. Birch, tho wellknown evangelist, of Frootrado Hall, Manchester, the Auckland corrcupomli-nt of the Otago Daily Times says: As a preacher Mr Spurgeon has been and is without a rival in Auckland, and during his eight years' ministrations lie lias aided tho Baptists in building tho largest placo of worship and having tho largest membership of any church not only in the city but in the colony. As a pastor he "has not been n pronounced success. At the outset ol his career here, owing to a lack of robtist health, ho made a 'bargain' with his people that ho should not be bound to visit them. In the gush* of first love they acccptc* the ■' bargain," hut latterly they have got rather restive under it, and notwithstanding that ho was ' tho son of his father, tho strain proved ' too great upon the loyalty of the flock, Something had to give way -the parson did, Perhaps, added to indifferent health, was possibly superadded a natural disinclination to that class of ministerial work involved in visiting the homes of tho massos, seeing them in their daily avocations, and sympathising willi them in their trials and battles of life." His successor is described as being the very antithesis of all that. He is a man in tho very prime of life, and though inferior to Mr Spurgeon as a pulpit orator, and devoid of his graces of elocution and delivery, ho has expressed himself as being of opinion that a pastoral visitation of ricli and poor alike iB tho first essential duly of a Ohnstian minister.