No 2

Biographies (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

To properly write a biography of CH Spurgeon, it would take much more than this small E-Mail. But we can appreciate this great man of God by reading his many sermons, commentaries, notably The Treasury of David that covers the entire book of Psalms. He was a staunch believer of Calvinism which we looked at in a few studies on the T U L I P.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these buildings, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000; all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861 the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle where thousands gathered every Sunday for over forty years to hear his lively sermons..

C. H. Spurgeon was to nineteenth-century England what D. L Moody was to America. Although Spurgeon never attended theological school, by the age of twenty-one he was the most popular preacher in London. In addition to his regular pastoral duties, he founded Sunday schools, churches, an orphanage, and the Pastor's College. He edited a monthly church magazine and promoted literature distribution.
Sincerely and straightforwardly he denounced error both in the Church of England and among his own Baptists. An ardent evangelical, he deplored the trend of the day toward biblical criticism.
(Go to the following website www.spurgeon.org).

Once Mr Spurgeon was on his way to a meeting and he had arrived early at the Metropolitan Tabernacle where the meeting was to be held. He decided to speak leisurely to the people passing by. A crowd of many had gathered to hear him – all this was done on the steps of the church. As usual, his words were well received because he spoke the true Gospel. When the other members of the meeting arrived, he said to the crowd “I have to go now because we have to discuss and plan our upcoming evangelism activities.” Mr Spurgeon was a gifted servant of the almighty God who preached the Gospel faithfully and did not compromise on Biblical doctrine. He once said “I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine.” He was an example of what Paul said to Timothy “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”(2 Timothy 2:2).