The Wisdom of Winning

Charles Spurgeon at his brilliant best, commenting on Proverbs 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."

Sir Astley Cooper, on visiting Paris, was asked by the chief surgeon how many times he had performed a certain wonderful feat of surgery. He replied that he had performed the operation thirteen times.
“Ah, but, monsieur, I have done it one hundred and sixty times. How many times did you save the life?” continued the curious Frenchman, after he had looked into the blank amazement of Sir Astley’s face.
“I,” said the Englishman, “saved eleven out of the thirteen. How many did you save out of one hundred and sixty?”
“Ah, monsieur, I lost them all, but the operation was very brilliant!”
Of how many popular ministries might the same verdict be given! Souls are not saved, but the preaching is very brilliant. Thousands are attracted and operated on by the rhetorician’s art, but what if he should have to say of his admirers, “I lost them all, but the sermons were very brilliant!”