SPURGEONS CONVERSION

This following extract is from Spurgeons book simply called "My Conversion", keep in mind that this was the account of a young man who prior to his conversion was brought up in a Godly household. Both his father and grandfather were preachers, he prayed, read his bible and attended church, sometimes twice on Sunday, yet still he struggled with coming to Christ. The Holy Spirit, in spite of all this effort on Spurgeons part, had not as yet opened this young mans eyes so that he could see the kingdom of God.

I went time after time, and I can honestly say that I do not know that I ever went withoout prayer to God. Furthermore, I am sure there was not a more attentive hearer than myself in all the place, for I panted and longed to understand how I could be saved. I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and despair until now if it had not been for the goodness of God in sending a snowstorm one Sunday morning while I was going to a certain church. When I could go no further, I turned down a side street and came to a little Primitive Methodist chapel. In that chapel, there may have been a dozen or fifteen people. I had heard of the Primitive Methodists, how they sang so loudly that they gave people headaches, but that did not matter to me. I wanted to know how I could be saved, and if they could tell me that, I did not care how much they made my head ache. The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed in, I suppose. At last, a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker or tailor or something of that sort, went up to the pulpit to preach. Now, it is good for preachers to be instructed, but this man was really unintelligent. He was forced to stick to his text for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. (Isa. 45:22) He did not even pronounce the words correctly, but that did not matter. I thought, "Now there's a glimpse of hope for me in that text." The preacher began thus: "My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, 'Look.' Now, lookin' don't take a deal of pains. It ain't liftin' your foot or your finger; it is just, 'Look.' Well, a man needn't go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needn't be wealthy to be able to fool, and yet you can look. A man needn't be wealthy to be able to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. "Then the text says, 'Look unto Me.' Ay, many of ye are lookin' to yourselves, but it's no use lookin' there. You'll never find any comfort in yourselves. Some look to God the Father. No, look to Him by and by. Jesus Christ says, 'Look unto Me.' Some of ye say, 'We must wait for 'the Spirit's workin'. 'You have no business with that just now. Look to Christ. The text says, 'Look unto Me.'" Then the good man followed up his text in this way: "Look unto Me; I am sweatin' great drops of blood. Look unto Me; I am hangin' on the cross. Look unto Me; I am dead and buried. Look unto Me; I rise again. Look unto Me; I ascend to heaven. Look unto Me; I am sittin' at the Father's right hand. O poor sinner, look unto Me! Look unto Me!" When he had managed to go on for ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his resources. Then he looked at me under the gallery. I dare say, with so few present, he knew I was a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, "Young man, you look very miserable." Well, I did, but I was not used to having remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, "And you always will be miserable--miserable in life and miserable in death--if you don't obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved." Then, lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, "Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin' to do but to look and live." I saw at once the way of salvation. I do not know what else he said--I did not take much notice of it--I was so possessed with that one thought. It was similar to when the brazen serpent was lifted up, and the people only looked and were healed (see Numbers 21:6-9); so it was with me. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, "look," what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh, I looked until I could have almost looked my eyes away! There and then the cloud was gone; the darkness had rolled away. That moment I saw the sun. That instant I could have sung with the most enthusiastic of them about the precious blood of Christ and the simple faith that looks alone to Him.