December 1, 2021

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) loved Christmas. Hear the glee from the 21-year-old Spurgeon: I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas-days in the year; for there is work enough in the world, and a little more rest would not hurt labouring people. Christmas-day is really a boon to us; particularly as it enables us to …

November 22, 2021

Have you ever found yourself struggling with a sermon text and wondering how you will feed your flock with the feast of God's Word? Pastors have many things to consider in preaching to the people entrusted to them. We want to be men of the Word, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15). …

November 16, 2021

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus gave a parting command to his disciples, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” But love is not an abstract, sentimental idea. Jesus makes it clear that love is shown most powerfully in the act of self-sacrifice, even to the point …

November 9, 2021

When The Sword and the Trowel began in 1865, Spurgeon believed that the main challenge facing the church was the growing ritualism in the Church of England. In the first five years of its publication, Spurgeon would publish at least 22 different articles attacking Roman Catholicism and the Oxford Movement. Now, twenty years later, in …

November 2, 2021

For many in society, the Psalms are like comfort food—a little taste of Psalm 23 makes them feel better when discouraged. Or, another psalm may bring a degree of solace during bereavement. However, these ancient songs are intended to provide far more than a quick relief from discomfort. But for Spurgeon, the Psalms meant so …

October 27, 2021

“A broken heart can never long be divided from the broken Savior.” [1] There are some passages in the Scriptures that demand special solemnity. The confession of David in Psalm 51 is so deeply personal that reading it can feel like eavesdropping.  One must either join in contrition or stop reading.  The weightiness of David’s confession …

October 21, 2021

In Romans 1, we read how Paul unashamedly longs to preach the gospel to those in Rome, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The message of the gospel is not only our source of salvation, bringing us …

October 12, 2021

Charles Spurgeon was a man and minister of the people. In a day in which people would often leave church more addled than edified, he spoke at the level of comprehension to where men and women from all walks of life would be able to clearly hear the call of Jesus Christ. He decried preaching …

October 5, 2021

Over the last two decades, Baptists have witnessed an increase in the number of pastors and churches who subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LBC), commonly known as the 1689. Yet, in observing the renaissance of the 2LBC, some subscribers have taken exceptions to the text. Most adherents to the 2LBC deny …

September 28, 2021

In 1884, as The Sword & the Trowel finished 20 years of publication and Spurgeon turned 50, the ministry at the Metropolitan Tabernacle was in full swing. The Pastors' College was a regular feature of the magazine, as graduates reported back on the progress of their work. Reports from Stockwell Orphanage encouraged the readers as …