After the laying of the foundation stone for the Metropolitan Tabernacle Spurgeon preached a sermon in which he took up the illustration of building and applied it in various ways. I was struck by the following paragraph:

‘Now, there are some of us, brethren and sisters, who are engaged in a very quiet way amongst us. You never hear much about them – it is not often that they can go about to bring in stones, and they cannot polish them – as for judging whether the stone is good or not, that they could not do. They have but very little judgment, indeed, but they are such kind creatures. They exhibit a spirit of meekness, so that if there is a little disagreement they always step in and make it all right. If some brother is a little harsh, there is some kind word just ready. What shall I say these are doing? Why, they are not hewing the stones, or blasting in a quarry, or building or polishing, but they are mixing the mortar, and what a useful part of the work that is! There are many mortar-mixers in this Church. It would have been well, years ago, if there had been still more; and I do attribute much of the quietness and calmness and love of the Church to the fact that we have some excellent mortar-mixers, who, when any little unpleasantness occurs, begin mixing the mortar again. If we cannot do one thing, it is well if we can do another.’