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In the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon pastored the largest church in evangelicalism, reaching a membership of over 5,000 towards the end of his ministry. But despite its size, the Metropolitan Tabernacle operated fundamentally like any historic Baptist church. They built an ample meeting space to gather all together weekly for worship and prayer. Spurgeon preached 45-minute sermons. The congregation sang hymns acapella. They held congregational meetings. They maintained a rigorous membership process. They practiced church discipline. By all appearances, Spurgeon’s approach to pastoral ministry was not in itself all that unique. What was notable is that he did it with such a large church.

Of course, the church wasn’t always that large. When he began pastoring in London, the congregation was only a few dozen people. Spurgeon was a solo pastor working alongside five deacons. But the church multiplied under his preaching, reaching a membership of over 1,000 in just five years. This meant that Spurgeon had to adapt on the fly and adjust how he would care for so many people. The structures for a church of under a hundred were no longer sufficient now that it was over a thousand.

But in making those adjustments, Spurgeon never changed his core pastoral convictions. Spurgeon believed in the primacy of preaching and the proper administration of the ordinances. He held to regenerate church membership. He was a firm believer in congregational polity. And he believed in the pastor’s responsibility to shepherd Christ’s flock. Even with so many joining, Spurgeon refused to compromise his convictions about what the church or the pastor is to be.

In many ways, this dynamic of holding fast to convictions while being flexible to adjust to changing circumstances is like a dance. Just as a dance has a basic framework or structure, the pastor needs firm convictions about what the church should be and do. But within that structure, dancers have a lot of room for creativity and adaptation. Likewise, pastors need to be flexible as the needs and circumstances of their congregation change. Pastoring is not a mechanical process of following ten steps to success or the latest formula for growth. Pastoring is an art.

What did this look like for Spurgeon? How did he go about the art of pastoring?

Worship Gatherings

            As an heir of the Reformed tradition, Spurgeon believed that Christ alone reigns over the church through his Word. This truth is to be seen supremely in the church’s worship. While Christians worship God in all of life, when it comes to the corporate gathering of the church, God has revealed how He is to be worshiped. This is what theologians call the Regulative Principle. Like the English Puritans before him, Spurgeon believed that the elements of a church’s worship gathering should only contain what God commands in Scripture. For Spurgeon, this included prayer, congregational singing, Scripture reading, preaching, and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

            As a result, the services at the Metropolitan Tabernacle were marked by simplicity. While other churches of the day experimented with new forms of entertainments, instruments, styles of preaching, and liturgies from other traditions, the worship at the Tabernacle remained the same throughout Spurgeon’s ministry. In fact, it wasn’t all that different from the church’s worship from its earliest days. As one deacon stated, “the services of religion have been conducted without any peculiarity of innovation. No musical or aesthetic accompaniments have ever been used. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty.”[1]

            But despite its simplicity, the worship at the Tabernacle was not stale or predictable. While the elements of Spurgeon’s liturgy were fixed, he had no problems varying the order of service, from the content of his extemporaneous prayers to the number of hymns, the length of Scripture readings, and more. As Spurgeon planned each service, he allowed the sermon text to guide the themes and emphases of each service. Speaking to his students, he advised them, “vary the order of service as much as possible. Whatever the free Spirit moves us to do, that let us do at once.”[2] Rather than letting the Regulative Principle become a straight-jacket, Spurgeon urged his students to remain sensitive to the leading of the Spirit.

            In many ways, Spurgeon modeled this dynamic in his preaching. Throughout his ministry, Spurgeon was committed to preaching expositional sermons based on Scripture. “Let us be mighty in expounding the Scriptures. I am sure that no preaching will last so long, or build up a church so well, as the expository.”[3] While Spurgeon did allow for topical sermons and other kinds of sermons, he believed that the main diet of a church’s preaching should be expository sermons. As a result, the vast majority of Spurgeon’s 3,563 published sermons are an exposition and application of a Scriptural text.

However, Spurgeon refused to work mechanically through books of the Bible. Instead, every week, the most challenging part of his sermon preparation was prayerfully searching and waiting for the Spirit to lead him to the text that his people need to hear. In other words, Spurgeon believed every sermon he preached to be freshly given to him by God. The result of such a practice is nearly 40 years’ worth of sermons that are remarkable in their originality and diversity of application, illustration, and theological insight. Spurgeon’s sermons adapted to the challenges and circumstances that his congregation faced.

Prayer Meetings

            In addition to the Sunday gatherings, Spurgeon was also committed to having a weekly congregational prayer meeting. Each Monday night, thousands would turn out to pray together for the ministry. Spurgeon believed that prayer was the engine that fueled the work of the church and taught his people to prioritize these meetings.[4]

But prayer meetings were not only necessary; Spurgeon also sought to make them lively. To maintain freshness, he regularly varied the themes of each meeting. By default, the church regularly prayed for the needs of church members, the preaching of the Word, and the salvation of the lost. But throughout the year, the church also devoted meetings for praying for the various ministries of the church – the Orphanage, the Pastors’ College, the many evangelistic and benevolent ministries of the church. When a church was planted, prayer meetings would be devoted to those endeavors. Once a month, the meeting was devoted to praying entirely for missions, and the church often heard from visiting missionaries like Hudson Taylor or Johann Oncken. At times, Spurgeon ordered the meeting around different theological themes.

All of this produced a weekly prayer meeting that was world-renowned. As famous as Spurgeon was for his preaching, those who visited the Tabernacle were often more encouraged by the Monday night prayer meeting than the Sunday services. Visitors from all over the world “carried away with them even to distant lands influences and impulses which they never wished to lose or to forget.”[5]

Church Membership

            As a Baptist, Spurgeon believed the church was to be distinct from the world. And this distinction was to be expressed not through foreign customs or isolated communes but the practice of church membership. The church was to be made up of those who had a credible profession of faith, giving evidence to their new birth. Baptism, then, was the entrance into membership and the Lord’s Supper was the ongoing expression of membership in the church. Whereas many Baptists in his day watered down church membership and disconnected the ordinances from the discipline of the church, Spurgeon held these ecclesiological convictions firmly.

            In his 38 years of ministry, Spurgeon brought over 14,000 people through the membership process at the Tabernacle. Each applicant was interviewed by an elder, met with the pastor, was visited by a church messenger, and voted on by the congregation. Everyone who was baptized at the Tabernacle was brought into church membership. And even as visitors flooded into the church, Spurgeon fenced the Table and required all participants to either be a member of the church or to interview with an elder first.

            At the same time, though the membership process was rigorous, it was never meant to be daunting. Preaching on church membership, Spurgeon warmly declared,

Whenever I hear of candidates being alarmed at coming before our elders, or seeing the pastor, or making confession of faith before the church, I wish I could say to them: “Dismiss your fears, beloved ones; we shall be glad to see you, and you will find your intercourse with us a pleasure rather than a trial.” So far from wishing to repel you, if you really do love the Savior, we shall be glad enough to welcome you.[6]

In interviewing candidates, Spurgeon examined their understanding of the gospel, but he also took into consideration their background and age. His firm convictions regarding regenerate church membership did not make him insensitive to the pastoral needs of each applicant. Youth joining the church had to go through the same process as everyone else, but the elders did not expect from them the maturity of an adult. Those without an education might explain the gospel in a folksy way, but Spurgeon did not require an advanced vocabulary but a credible profession of faith. If any were unable to articulate the gospel, they were not condemned, but arrangements were made to meet with a church member to study the Bible. While Spurgeon held to regenerate church membership, this conviction created opportunities for him to shepherd even in the membership process.

Pastoral Care

            Beyond bringing people in, Spurgeon believed that the membership rolls should mean something. In many churches, the membership rolls had simply become a sentimental record of those who at one time belonged to the church. Sometimes, they contained members who hadn’t attended in decades, had moved away to Australia, or had died! But at the Tabernacle, Spurgeon strived to make the membership roll an accurate representation of those regularly partaking of the Lord’s Supper and walking in fellowship with the Lord and one another.

            With this conviction about his pastoral responsibility, it is this area, perhaps, where Spurgeon needed to exercise the most creativity. As the church grew into the thousands, Spurgeon adjusted by teaching on the biblical office of elders and leading his church to appoint elders for the spiritual care of the church. Apart from the tireless labors of his elders, he believed that the church would have been a sham. Spurgeon also divided the congregation into districts and assigned elders to oversee the different districts. This division of labor allowed the elders to shepherd the congregation meaningfully and not be overwhelmed by the task.

            Members were also given communion tickets that helped track their attendance at the Table. If any member did not attend the Lord’s Supper for three consecutive months, the church clerk would notify the elders, and they would follow up. But non-attendance did not mean immediate removal. Instead, the elders saw this as an opportunity for pastoral care. Often, the non-attendance reflected financial, physical, or spiritual difficulties, and they stepped in to care for these members. The elders strived to exercise patience and wisdom in all these cases. Sometimes, non-attendance was the result of serious, unrepentant sin. In such cases, church discipline would need to be pursued, a matter that once again required great wisdom and care.

Conclusion

            Today, many pastors struggle with holding on to biblical convictions in their ministry. Some pastors have a clear understanding of the gospel but have never been equipped with second-order doctrines of the church. As a result, they find themselves blown about by every wind of doctrine when it comes to the church and pastoral ministry. They have forgotten the framework of the pastoral dance, and as a result, their movements are erratic. Other pastors have clear convictions about pastoral ministry. But within that framework, they exercise their ministry mechanically, with little creativity or dependence on the Spirit.

Spurgeon reminds us that pastoral ministry is an art. Pastors must hold fast to their biblical convictions while demonstrating flexibility, patience, and creativity as they seek to implement those convictions amid their unique settings. Spurgeon’s example does not give us a blueprint for how to pastor. You are not Spurgeon, and your church is not the Metropolitan Tabernacle. As Peter instructed, our task is “to shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Pet. 5:2). Even as we’re challenged and helped by his example, our task is to know our own people and to learn the art of pastoring, as we depend on God through His Word and in prayer.

[1] NPSP 5:350.

[2] Lectures 1:68.

[3] AARM 44

[4] S&T 1881:91.

[5] Autobiography 4:81.

[6] MTP 17:198-199.

Introduction

The 19th century was an age of empire for the Victorians, not only over the kingdoms of men but also over the animal kingdom. Animals were an indispensable part of everyday life. Even as people left the countryside for the city, animals continued to play an integral role in society. As cities expanded and the city population grew, more horses and other beasts of burden were needed to transport goods and passengers.[1] It would not have been unusual to find cows, goats, and other farm animals in urban areas, bringing unsanitary conditions with them.

Beyond these more common relationships, Victorians also viewed animals with fascination. Domestic pets grew fashionable among all classes, including birds, dogs, cats, and even more exotic animals like monkeys and ferrets. As Britain’s empire expanded, animals from all over the world were brought back to England for public entertainment, leading to the rise of zoos and circuses. The first live hippopotamus in Europe arrived in London in 1850 and became the star attraction of the Surrey Zoological Gardens.[2] By the early 20th century, rather than simply locking animals in an iron cage, they were placed in exhibits that mimicked their original landscapes. These landscapes were still made out of painted concrete, wood, and metal, but the Victorians much preferred to “see captive animals and believe that they [were] somehow happy.”[3]

Animals played an important part in the Victorian economy. Birds, for example, became a booming industry. Even as hunters and collectors pursued exotic specimens for study and sale among the upper-class, the rearing of canaries and nightingales became a domestic industry that could generate a significant income for a lower-class family. This trend spilled over into the world of fashion, where bird feathers and animal skins in women’s hats and clothing became all the rage. Some estimate nearly 40 million pounds of plumage and bird skins imported into the U.K. between 1870 and 1920, an industry worth more than £20m a year at its peak.[4]

Victorian dominance over the animal world was also expressed in animal cruelty. With the rise of modernization, working animals were treated less as living creatures and more as machines to be driven to the ground. [5] Scientific and medical experimentation on animals grew without regard to their suffering.[6] In the entertainment industry, animals continued to be used in all kinds of violent competitions, including shooting matches and cage fights. Such attitudes towards animals filtered down to the general population. From the cab driver who flogged his horses, to the farmer who starved his oxen, to children torturing small creatures for entertainment in an alleyway, cruelty towards animals was widespread in Victorian society.

Alongside these instances of dominion over the animal kingdom, Victorians also developed a concern for animal welfare. With the publication of The Origin of Species in 1859 and The Descent of Man in 1871, Charles Darwin presented an indissoluble link between humanity and the animal world, claiming that “there is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties.”[7] With this new understanding of humanity’s origins came a growing concern for the humane treatment of animals. Legislation and various societies were established to protest and work against animal cruelty. Literary works like Black Beauty presented animals as heroic and noble, even human, under terrible suffering.[8] Beginning in 1860 with the Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home, the first animal shelter was established to care for the large population of stray dogs and cats. Eventually, Battersea would have the support of Queen Victoria as its patron.[9]

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) ministered in the heart of the Victorian empire amid the complexities of his society’s relationship with animals. As one historian observed, though Spurgeon was “a man behind his time” in his theology, he was also “a man of his time,” as a Victorian shaped by his cultural context.[10] This dynamic can be seen in Spurgeon’s teaching on animals throughout his life. This paper will demonstrate that, while reflecting his Victorian values, Spurgeon viewed the animal world (and all of nature) as a “symbol of the invisible,” working alongside Scriptural revelation to illustrate and reinforce biblical truths.[11] It will first explore Spurgeon’s personal interaction with animals, then consider his teaching on the animal world.

Spurgeon and the Animal World

Growing up in the village of Stambourne in his grandfather’s manse, animals were a part of everyday life. The family owned a small dairy at the back of the house, which “was by no means a bad place for a cheesecake, or for a drink of cool milk.” [12] Next to the house was a small garden, where Spurgeon would often see his grandfather walking in preparation for his sermons. Though Spurgeon grew up around horses, his favorite was the one in his grandfather’s house. “In the hall stood the child’s rocking-horse… This was the only horse that I ever enjoyed riding.”[13] Even at a young age, Spurgeon was not much of an athlete. He preferred studying books to playing sports and riding horses. However, growing up in the countryside, he loved nature and the outdoors.

As a teenage student, his education involved the study of the animal world. Among the early sermon notebooks kept at Spurgeon’s College, U.K. is a notebook entitled “Notes on the Vertebrate Animals Class Aves.” This incomplete notebook contains Spurgeon’s research, likely as a teenager, on 32 species of birds.[14] He repeatedly cites Georges Cuvier, whose theory of animal development based on natural cataclysms would provide an alternative to Darwin’s theory of natural selection.[15] The notebook is not limited to domestic birds but contains research on birds from all over the British empire, including peacocks, parrots, and penguins. As discoveries were being made in the animal world, these discoveries were published back home, and they shaped the imagination of young students all over England.

After a short but successful pastorate in the agricultural village of Waterbeach, Spurgeon moved to London to be the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel in 1854. The church was located in Southwark, “near the enormous breweries of Messrs. Barclay and Perkins, the vinegar factories of Mr. Potts, and several large boiler works… the region was dim, dirty, and destitute, and frequently flooded by the river at high tides.”[16] The industrial revolution was in full swing in London. Coming from Waterbeach, the pollution and the pressures of city life would have been a difficult adjustment.

Like other busy Londoners, Spurgeon owned a horse and carriage, which he considered “almost absolute necessaries” given his many preaching engagements.[17] However, his interaction with the animal world in London extended beyond mere transportation. In 1857, Spurgeon and his wife, Susannah, purchased a home on Nightingale Lane, Clapham. At that time, it was still “a pretty and rural, but comparatively unknown region.” Amid the growing pressures of pastoral ministry and public attention, his home became a place of seclusion and rest. Susannah recalls, “we could walk abroad, too, in those days, in the leafy lanes, without fear of being accosted by too many people.”[18]

Though the house itself was awkwardly configured, it came with a large garden that made up for any inconveniences. The couple “had the happy task of bringing it gradually into accord with our ideas of what a garden should be.”[19] In addition to cultivating flowers and plants, the Spurgeons turned their yard into a bird sanctuary. On summer afternoons, Susannah would lay out a blanket in the yard filled with birdseed so that the birds might come feast.[20] Amid the busyness of his ministry, Spurgeon found refreshment and renewal in his garden.

When I go into my garden I have a choir around me in the trees. They do not wear surplices, for their song is not artificial and official. Some of them are clothed in glossy black, but they sing like little angels; they sing the sun up, and wake me at break of day; and they warble on till the last red ray of the sun has departed, still singing out from bush and tree the praises of their God.[21]

Though he appreciated the attractions and exhibits of the city, Spurgeon found consistent refreshment in the pleasures of nature. His delight in these birds was not driven by scientific curiosity but a spiritual enjoyment, leading him in praise to God like a church choir. Visitors also noted his fondness for animals. When the Jubilee Singers visited the Spurgeons in 1874, they observed, “We had no sooner entered than he called our attention to the exploits of an enormous cat which sprang through his arms with the agility of a trained athlete; we found, also, that his grounds were rich in birds and domestic animals, for which he and Mrs. Spurgeon have great fondness.”[22] These animals were Spurgeon’s companions in his home, and he introduced them to his guests as one would introduce any other family member.

As the years wore on in London, the pollution worsened. Nightingale Lane soon grew more crowded, and the smoke and fog of London settled there for much of the year, making his garden less of a retreat. As Spurgeon’s health declined, he had to take longer and longer trips to Mentone, France, to recover his health in the warm climate and fresh air. So, in the summer of 1880, when the opportunity arose to purchase the Westwood estate, situated on Beulah Hill above the fog, Spurgeon saw this as God’s kind providence. The large, nine-acre residence came complete with “grass-bordered walks around the house,… a winding pathway sheltered by overhanging trees,… a little rustic bridge, and… a miniature lake.”[23] This estate became a place for ministry, where Spurgeon could gather with his students and meet with visitors.

Like his previous home, he continued to own domestic animals like dogs, cats, and birds. But now, with the larger property, they occasionally had geese in the pond, and Spurgeon even tried his hand at beekeeping.[24] As before, all these animals found their way into his sermons and lectures. Spurgeon’s growing personal library, now housed adequately in his larger study, reflected his broad interest in animals, containing many books on animals and their care.[25] As he grew older, it appears that Spurgeon grew fonder of his pets, especially his dog “Punch.”[26] On one occasion, Spurgeon wrote a letter from Mentone expressing how much he missed Punch and was concerned for him because he heard that he was sick.[27] As one who was often ill himself, Spurgeon expressed sympathy for and found comfort in his pets.

When one reads Spurgeon’s story, it’s clear his divine calling was not to the animal world but to humanity. His ministry involved preaching the gospel to lost men and women. Therefore, it was strategic for Spurgeon to pastor a church in the most populous city of the world in the heart of the British empire, polluted and crowded as it was. At the same time, Spurgeon was not a cosmopolitan city-dweller. Instead, as his love of animals reveals, he was, at heart, a man of the country who loved nature. Though he had been transplanted into the city, Spurgeon looked for ways to create separation from city life so he could find refreshment and encouragement. Far from a utilitarian view of the animal world, these creatures were Spurgeon’s companions, pointing him to their Creator.

This paper was presented at the Andrew Fuller Center Conference in May 2021. You can read the rest of the presentation here.

[1] Gordon, W. J. The Horse World of London. (London: Religious Tract Society, 1893) 102.

[2] Cornish, C. J. Life at the Zoo; Notes and Traditions of the Regent’s Park Gardens. (London: Seeley & Co., 1895), 215-216.

[3] Kathleen Kete, ed. A Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Empire. (Berg, New York: 2011), 95. This innovation would not happen until after Spurgeon’s death. As a result, he found zoos oppressive for the animals. “Each of these creatures looks most beautiful at home. Go into the Zoological Gardens, and see the poor animals there under artificial conditions, and you can little guess what they are at home. A lion in a cage is a very different creature from a lion in the wilderness. The stork looks wretched in his wire pen, and you would hardly know him as the same creature if you saw him on the housetops or on the fir trees. Each creature looks best in its own place.” MTP 17:450

[4] Malcolm Smith, “A Hatful of Horror: the Victorian Headwear Craze that Led to Mass Slaughter,” https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/victorian-hats-birds-feathered-hat-fashion/

[5] One example of this cruelty is the treatment of pit ponies, who worked underground all their lives. “I’ve known ponies go all day without a bite or a drink. And working in hot places you know. They used to come into the stables after coal-turning [on the] morning shift. They would have half-an hour’s walk, be put into the stables for a drink and a bit of corn, then out again on the afternoon shift.” http://miningheritage.co.uk/pit-pony/ Web. April 29, 2021.

[6] “There is a certain class of exquisitely painful experiments to which these noble and intelligent animals seem particularly exposed.” These included both “the prolonged tortures of the veterinary schools… where sixty operations, lasting ten hours, were habitually performed on the same animal” and “some strictly physiological experiments upon horses and asses… [without] the use of any anesthetic whatever.” Statement of the Society for the Protection of Animals Liable to Vivisection. (Report of the Royal Commission on Vivisection. Westminster, 1876), 80-81.

[7] Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. (New York: Appleton & Co., 1871), 34.

[8] Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions. The Autobiography of a Horse. (London: Jarrold, 1877).

[9] For more on the history of the Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home, see Jenkins, Garry. A Home of Their Own: The Heartwarming 150-year History of Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home. London: Bantam, 2011.

[10] Christian George, The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon: His Earliest Outlines and Sermons Between 1851 and 1854, Vol. 1 (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2016), 10-21.

[11] C. H. Spurgeon, The Art of Illustration: Being Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1894), 63.

[12] Autobiography 1:20.

[13] Autobiography 1:14.

[14] George, Lost Sermons, xxxvi.

[15] Other sources that Spurgeon cites are “Penny Cyclopedia,” “Penny Magazine,” and “Print by S.P.C.K.”

[16] Autobiography 1:315.

[17] Autobiography 3:138. When the sale of Spurgeon’s sermons declined in the American South due to his outspoken condemnation of slavery, he considered selling his carriage to continue funding the Pastors’ College, but his deacons and elders refused to allow him to do so. For a humorous account of Spurgeon once cutting off a friend in traffic, see “The Mission to Scavengers,” The London City Magazine, No. 1002, Vol. 85, September 1920, 104.

[18] Autobiography 2:284.

[19] Autobiography 2:286.

[20] “We do not allow a gun in our garden, feeling that we can afford to pay a few cherries for a great deal of music, and we now have quite a lordly party of thrushes, blackbirds, and starlings upon the lawn, with a parliament of sparrows, chaffinches, robins, and other minor prophets. Our summer-house is occupied by a pair of bluemartens, which chase our big cat out of the garden by dashing swiftly across his head one after the other, till he is utterly bewildered, and makes a bolt of it. In the winter the balcony of our study is sacred to a gathering of all the tribes; they have heard that there is corn in Egypt, and therefore they hasten to partake of it and keep their souls alive in famine. On summer evenings the queen of our little kingdom spreads a banquet in our great green saloon which the vulgar call a lawn; it is opposite the parlor window, and her guests punctually arrive and cheerfully partake, while their hostess rejoices to gaze upon them.” S&T 1873:244-245.

[21] MTP 24:288.

[22] Gustavus D. Pike, The Singing Campaign for Ten Thousand Pounds; or, The Jubilee Singers in Great Britain (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1874), 86.

[23] Autobiography 4:57.

[24] Autobiography 4:59-60.

[25] In the Spurgeon Library in Kansas City, MO, there are nearly 40 volumes on the topic of animals that once belonged to Spurgeon. See Appendix 1.

[26] A photocard of Punch can be found in the Metropolitan Tabernacle archives in London.

[27] “I wonder whether Punchie thinks of his master. When we drove from the station here, a certain doggie barked at the horses in true Punchistic style, and reminded me of my old friend Punchie sending me his love pleased me very much… Poor doggie, pat him for me, and give him a tit-bit for my sake… I dreamed of old Punch; I hope the poor dog is better… Kind memories to all, including Punch. How is he getting on? I rejoice that his life is prolonged, and hope he will live till my return. May his afflictions be a blessing to him in the sweetening of his temper!… Tell Punchie, `Master is coming!” Autobiography 4:61.

You’ve probably heard of Spurgeon, the famous pastor in the 19th century, who pastored a church of over 5,000 members, published over a hundred books, founded two orphanages, trained hundreds for pastoral ministry, planted dozens of churches, and, of course, who preached thousands of rich, Word-centered, Christ-exalting sermons for over 38 years from his pulpit in London. 

If you’ve ever read Spurgeon’s sermons, it’s easy sometimes to associate his huge platform with his preaching. But what few people know is that before Spurgeon ever had any platform, he was already preaching excellent sermons.

Today marks the release of Volume 6 of The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon. These sermons were preached sometime between 1852-1854, over a year before Spurgeon arrived in London. 

At this point, Spurgeon is a bi-vocational pastor. He is working during the day as a tutor in Cambridge, teaching young boys Latin, grammar, logic, and the classics. It’s only in the evenings and on the weekends that he is working on sermons and ministering to his people.

Not only that, but Spurgeon is a village pastor. Waterbeach was a farming community composed mostly of farmers, laborers, and other agricultural workers. His salary often included “potatoes, turnips, cabbages, apples, and sometimes a bit of meat,” which helped him make ends meet. In other words, this was a far cry from London.

And as an eighteen-year-old, Spurgeon is still a student preacher. Since the first volume of the Lost Sermons, Spurgeon has grown exponentially in his preaching. But in Volume 6, he is still in his first two years of pastoral ministry, learning the rhythms of preaching to the same people week-in and week-out. Against his father’s wishes, Spurgeon did not quit his pastorate to go to college but considered Waterbeach to be the place of his pastoral training. These sermons represent that training.

And yet, as the Lost Sermons series have shown, despite not having much of a platform, we find Spurgeon preaching excellent sermons. From Volume 1 to Volume 6, young Spurgeon has been growing in his preaching and now, this latest notebook contains the best sermons he has preached yet. 

What I love about these sermons is that they show that Spurgeon didn’t wait for a huge platform before he devoted himself to the task of preaching. He was faithful, even when he was just a teenager, preaching to farmers and laborers, and pastoring bi-vocationally.

By the time we get to these sermons, 18-year-old Spurgeon has preached over 500 sermons… the equivalent of nearly a decade of preaching experience. So though Spurgeon is young, he is not a novice. His preaching gifts and his love for Christ shine brightly through these sermons.

So I commend this volume to you. These sermons are rich, Word-centered, Christ-exalting sermons. As with previous volumes, we’ve provided facsimiles of Spurgeon’s sermon notes, so that you can see his own handwriting. We’ve also provided footnotes that connect these early sermons to his later ones and expand on the content of these early sermons. Whether you are an experienced pastor, or a bi-vocational pastor, or a student preacher, or just someone wanting to grow in your love for Christ, I commend this volume to you as a reminder to be faithful wherever God has placed you. 

Learn more about The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon, Volume 6.

The year 1892 marked the last year that Charles Spurgeon served as the chief editor of The Sword and the Trowel. Up to the end, the magazine existed for the two-fold mission for which it was founded: fighting error and building up the church. Throughout 1890 and 1891, a very sick and heartbroken Spurgeon published articles that continued to expose the errors of the growing theological liberalism and called churches to faithfulness. While Spurgeon continued to be influential on a popular level, leaders in the Baptist Union and other denominations had largely moved on from his doctrinal positions, seeing them as old-fashioned and antiquated. Still, many respected him for all that he had accomplished during his life. Their respect for him would be made evident at his death.

On January 31, 1892, Spurgeon laid down his sword and trowel and entered into his heavenly rest. Later that spring, four memorial services would be held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. On the day of his burial, shops closed, flags flew at half-mast, and a crowd of over 100,000 lined the way from the Tabernacle to Norwood cemetery. This would be a fitting tribute for one who had such a worldwide impact in the 19th century. Though he died embattled for his theological views, many church leaders turned out to pay their respects.

Spurgeon was shunned for his stand for historic Christian orthodoxy in his day, but he understood that he would be one day vindicated for his faithfulness to the gospel. Of course, that ultimate vindication still lies in the future. But it can be seen in part in our day, as Spurgeon’s works continue to serve the cause of Christ in fighting error and building up the church. He preached a timeless gospel and therefore, he remains relevant in our day.

Below are a few highlights from these last three years. As you read through these issues, send us a note on Twitter (@SpurgeonMBTS) if you find anything interesting!

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1890

Stand Fast in the Faith – Though the events of the Downgrade Controversy had passed, Spurgeon knew the battle was not over. Writing to Christians and church leaders, he calls them to stand fast in the truth once for all delivered to the saints.

“Stand fast.” Get good foothold. Know your standing; make sure that it is firm, and then be sure that you are firmly on it. What is the basis of your confidence? Is there rock beneath you? It is all in vain to be yourself immovable if that which is beneath you is crumbling from under your feet. To be firm in error is only to make your ruin the surer. Nothing but eternal truth is a fit foundation for an immortal soul. Let us hold truth, truth only, truth certified by inspiration: then may we stand fast. 

Gambling at an Institute – With the decline of theology comes the decline of morals. Spurgeon tells a story of the danger of using worldly vices and entertainments to draw young men to the church.

Christian young men are better at home with their wives and families than spending their evenings in covert gambling, even though that gambling be on the smallest scale. We saw a bagatelle-table in a vestry the other day, and we could not help thinking of this story, as the flower which is likely to grow out of that kind of seed. Surely there are enough places of amusement without using our vestries and school-rooms for such purposes.

Thoughts about Church Matters – Spurgeon here warns of how churches can unwittingly call theologically liberal pastors because of their dishonesty about their doctrinal positions. Therefore, church leaders needed to be especially on guard and aware of the ongoing debate.

Our words are not meant exclusively for any one denomination, nor have they been so all along; our warning is for all Protestant churches alike; for though there be degrees of departure from the faith, and double-dealing with ecclesiastical terms may not in every sect be an equally flagrant fault, yet these evils are afflicting all the churches. The torrent of unbelief and worldliness rises above the hills, while it swamps the valleys. The duplicity which we denounce is not to be seen as a lone malignant star in one quarter of the heavens, but discerning eyes can detect its evil beams both in the northern, the southern, and the western sky. This omen of ill should send us to our knees, and make us cry continually unto our Lord. 

1891

Brief Note on Plagiarism – We can settle the debate once-for-all: Spurgeon was opposed to plagiarism! At the same time, he recognized that some license could be given for lay-preachers, students, and others who were in challenging circumstances. But for regular preachers of God’s Word, there is no excuse for plagiarism.

It is not to be thought of for a moment that any minister would appropriate a sermon bodily, and preach it as his own. Such things have been done, we suppose, in remote ages, and in obscure regions; but nobody would justify a regular preacher in so doing. We give great license to good laymen, who are occupied with business all the week, and too much pressed with public engagements to have time to prepare. When princes and peers have speeches made for them, a sort of tolera­tion is understood; and should a public functionary be so anxious to do good that he delivers a sermon, we excuse him if he has largely compiled it; yes, and if he memorizes the whole of it, and bravely says so, we have no word of censure. But for the preacher who claims a divine call, to take a whole discourse out of another preacher’s mouth, and palm it off as his own, is an act which will find no defender. 

Practical Effort for Truth – Part of Satan’s strategy is to use theological debates to distract people from the work they should be doing for Christ and bring entertainment and amusements into the church. But Spurgeon understood that Christian activism was not only the fruit of the gospel but could also be used by God to preserve people in the truth.

In our holy warfare, to attack is often the best defence. Work for the Lord keeps off many a temptation. It is wise to carry the war into the enemy’s country. Continual activity has a purifying power. Rivers cleanse themselves as they flow. When a church is intensely occupied with soul-winning it seldom cares for setting up worldly amusements; when it is seeing conversions daily, it has little patience with unbelieving novelties. 

Mr. Spurgeon’s Confession of Faith – In the summer of 1891, a confession was published in the newspapers as “Mr. Spurgeon’s Confession of Faith.” Thirty pastors in all signed this confession which contained primarily a clear statement on their belief in the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scripture. Here was the heart of the Downgrade debate: is the Bible the Word of God? The denominational newspapers ridiculed Spurgeon for his position. But Spurgeon challenged other Christians to come forward and avow their belief in the Word of God.

We, the undersigned, banded together in Fraternal Union, observing with growing pain and sorrow the loosening hold of many upon the Truths of Revelation, are constrained to avow our firmest belief in the Verbal Inspiration of all Holy Scripture as originally given. To us, the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God, but is the Word of God. From beginning to end, we accept it, believe it, and continue to preach it. To us, the Old Testament is no less inspired than the New. The Book is an organic whole. Reverence for the New Testament accompanied by scepticism as to the Old appears to us absurd. The two must stand or fall together. We accept Christ’s own verdict concerning “ Moses and all the prophets ” in preference to any of the supposed discoveries of so-called higher criticism.

1892

Sweet Experiences in 1842 and 1892 – As the editor, Spurgeon always wrote the opening article in the January edition of The Sword and the Trowel. As January 1892 approached, he wasn’t sure what he would write about until he received a packet of letters written by his grandfather back in January 1842. He was moved to see that these letters contained much of the same experiences and challenges of the Christian life that are faced by God’s people 50 years later. Such a long-term perspective was important. During a time of discouragement, the church needed to be reminded of God’s faithfulness.

I have enjoyed the reading of the old manuscript, not because of its brilliance, or depth, or poetical suggestiveness; but as a precious fragment of experience, full of grace and truth. These plain, home-spun sentences deal with realities upon which some of us live. We care nothing for the philosophies and the scepticisms of the period; we cling to realized facts. Whatever hawks may hover in the sky, our place is under the shadow of the sacred wings. The world is armed for war, the churches are to a large degree making ready for the return of chaos and mediaeval darkness, the men who are sound themselves lie side by side with those who are rotten;—but the Lord liveth, his purpose abideth, his power remaineth, and his truth must and will prevail by the might of the Holy Ghost. Therefore we sing, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”

Breaking the Long Silence – This short meditation was preached by Spurgeon in Mentone, France on the night of New Year’s Eve 1891 and into New Years Day 1892. In many ways, this serves as a reflection from Spurgeon over the journey of life. A month later, his journey on this side of eternity would come to an end.

DEAR FRIENDS,—I am not able to say much to you at present. I should have gladly invited you to prayer every morning if I had been able to meet you; but I had not sufficient strength. I cannot refrain from saying a little to you, on this the last evening of the year, by way of Retrospect, and perhaps on New Year’s morning I may add a word by way of Prospect. We have come so far on the journey of life; and, standing at the boundary of another year, we look back. Let each one gaze upon his own trodden pathway. You will not need me to attempt fine words or phrases; each one, with his own eyes, will now survey his own road. 

Mrs. Spurgeon’s Message of Thanks – After Spurgeon’s death, the March 1892 issue of The Sword and the Trowel contained tributes and expressions of thanks from those closest to Spurgeon. The opening article was a brief reflection from Susie Spurgeon, sharing her gratitude to God for the time she had with her husband, especially in the last months of his life.

I will tell you of one fact which has greatly comforted me in my deep grief; it will ever be a precious memory to me, and a theme of praise to God. It may rejoice your hearts also to have such an assurance from my pen. It is that the Lord so tenderly granted to us both three months of perfect earthly happiness here in Menton, before He took him to the “far better” of His own glory and immediate I presence! For fifteen years my beloved had longed to bring me here; but it had never before been possible. Now, we were both strengthened for the long journey; and the desire of his heart was fully given him. I can never describe the pride and joy with which he introduced me to his favourite haunts, and the eagerness with which he showed me each I lovely glimpse of mountain, sea, and landscape. He was hungry for my loving appreciation, and I satisfied him to the faul. We took long daily drives, and every place we visited was a triumphal entry for him. His enjoyment was intense, his delight exuberant. He looked in perfect health, and rejoiced in the brightest of spirits. Then, too, with what calm, deep happiness he sat, day after day, in a cosy corner of his sunny room, writing his last labour of love, The Commentary on Matthew’s Gospel! Not a care burdened him, not a grief weighed upon his heart, not a desire remained unfulfilled, not a wish unsatisfied; lie was permitted to enjoy an earthly Eden before his translation to the Paradiso above. Blessed be the Lord for such sweet memories, such tender assuagement of wounds that can never quite be healed on earth!