Spurgeon converted - Colchester Primitive Methodist Chapel (1850)
Now came several months when Charles experienced a time of conviction of sin that was very painful. He later wrote, "I would rather pass through seven years of languishing sickness, than I would ever again pass through the terrible discovery of the evil of sin." For several months he sought Christ, but whenever he read the Bible, he felt the judgments were for him, but not the promises. The knowledge that he had sinned against God was a huge trial for him, even though he had sinned less than most boys of his age. He said, "Though God knoweth, I would weep and cry and lament till my heart was breaking within me." Charles was even tempted to turn away from God completely. One text kept him from falling for good, even from suicide -"Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
While at Newmarket he visited church after church, trying to find out how to lift the dreadful burden he was carrying. While back home for Christmas, on January 6th, 1850 Charles was going to a church when there was a snowstorm and he had to find one nearer. He found himself near a Primitive Methodist church, so he went in. The minister was snowed in at home, so somebody else preached from the text, "Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth." The speaker did not have much going for him; evidently he could not even pronounce the words properly. After spinning out his talk for ten minutes, the speaker pointed to Spurgeon and said, "Young man, you look very miserable, and you always will be miserable - miserable in, life and miserable in death - if you don't obey my test; but if you obey now, this minute, you will be saved." Then he lifted his hands and shouted, "Young man, look to Jesus Christ, Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but look and live!" Spurgeon immediately understood; he had been trying to attain salvation through good works, but now he realised, all he had to do was look! He saw at once the way to salvation. He was full of joy when he returned home and his family immediately saw the change in him.
Strangely, despite much research, nobody was able to find the man who spoke on that fateful day. Three people claimed to have been him, but Spurgeon did not recognise them. Was he converted through an angel?