Spurgeon: “The Lord loves all of His people, but somehow methinks the meek are His Josephs; upon them He puts His coat of many colors—of joy and peace, of long-suffering and patience.” These gems of thought are, I think, illustrative of the real difference between Joseph Parker, Canon Farrar, and Charles Spurgeon. The first impresses me as a moral philosopher, the second as a Christian rhetorician, the third as a gospel minister. The first studies philosophy, the second aesthetics, the third the Bible. The first is a lecturer, the second a writer, and the third a preacher. The first shows himself, the second his culture, the third his Lord. All three of them are great men, and it is possible that I would change my mind as to their respective merits, if I could hear them oftener; but I am honestly of the opinion that, as a _gospel preacher_, Mr. Spurgeon possesses the virtues of the other two, without the faults of either. Like Saul, he towers head and shoulders above his brethren. Like the stars, the other two shine when the sun is behind the hills, but when he arises their glory is eclipsed. CHAPTER XIII. NOTTINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, AND BEDFORD. Preaching to 2,500 People—Entertained after the Manner of Royalty—Excursion to Cambridge—What Happened on the Way—Received an Entertainment by the Mayor—Cambridge University—King’s Chapel—Fitzwilliam Museum—Trinity College—Cambridge Bibles—Adieu to Friends—Bedford—The Church where John Bunyan Preached—Bedford Jail, where Bunyan wrote _Pilgrim’s Progress_—Bunyan’s Statue—Elstow, Bunyan’s Birthplace—His Cottage—His Chapel—An Old Elm Tree. I AM now in Bedford; but before writing about this historic place, I must go back a little and tell you something about my wayward wanderings for the last ten days. While in Nottingham, some weeks ago, I preached one Sunday night in the Albert Hall to twenty-five hundred or three thousand people. The good Lord graciously blessed the meeting. Several persons were converted—they found that peace which passeth all understanding. The people insisted that I remain and preach again, but I could not do so. After visiting Wales, and spending a week or two in London, the minister accepted an invitation to go back to Nottingham and preach. He remained over two Sundays, preaching both days to the Albert Hall people. The happiest moments of a minister’s life are when he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to a large and sympathetic audience, It is then that his delight reaches the highest point on the thermometer of the soul.