Charles Spurgeon

(Finest nineteenth-century preacher)

"I am perhaps vulgar, but it is not intentional, save that I must and will make people listen."

Quick Facts
Birthday: June 19, 1834 (Gemini)
Born In: Kelvedon, England
Also Known As: Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Died At Age: 57
Spouse/Ex-: Susannah Spurgeon
Father: John
Mother: Eliza Spurgeon
Children: Charles, Thomas Spurgeon
Born Country: England
Died On: January 31, 1892
Place Of Death: Manton, France
Diseases & Disabilities: Gout, Rheumatism
Cause Of Death: Gout
Founder/Co-Founder: Stockwell Orphanage, Spurgeon's College, Spurgeons

Charles Spurgeon was a British Particular Baptist Preacher and an author. He had no

formal education, but this was in no way an encumbrance to his significant preaching career. He
was well-read in Puritan Theology, Natural History and Latin & Victorian Literature. His
sermons were always gripping and held the audience engrossed from the very beginning to the
end. He had a unique style and demeanour that kept his listeners in rapt attention. He was known
to be fully prepared before his sermons but all he carried was an outline sketch during the
delivery. He was also an eminent writer whose work includes autobiographies, commentaries,
prayer books, sermons, hymns and many more devotional writings. His books were riveting and
engaging. At the time of his death, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49
volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Although Charles had
so many followers, he was controversy’s favourite child. He was attacked by the media time and
again.

Childhood & Early Life

Charles was born on 19 June 1834 in Kelvedon, Essex. He spent his childhood and early
teenage years in Swanbourne, Colchester, and Newmarket.
He accidently turned to a Primitive Methodist Chapel in Colchester. This happened all by
chance. He was on his way to someplace else, when a snowstorm cut short his journey
and his life was impacted heavily by a salvation message that read ‘Look unto me, and be
ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else’.
He was admitted to the Church at Newmarket in 1850. He was baptised on 3rd May 1850
in the river Lark, at Isleham. At the end of the same year, he moved to Cambridge and
became a Sunday school teacher.
Later Life
Charles preached his first sermon in 1850-51 in a cottage
at Teversham. He was filling in for a friend.
In the same year, Charles was appointed as a pastor of a
small Baptist church at Water beach, Cambridge shire,
where he published his first literary work.
In 1854, when Charles was barely 19 years he was called
to pastorate on to the largest Baptist Congregation in
London. This was called the New Park Street Chapel,
Southwark.
Charles befriended many pastors which included William
Garrett Lewis of Westbourne Grove Church, an older man
who along with Spurgeon went on to found the London Baptist Association. Very soon
Charles became famous as a preacher at Park Street.
His first sermon at ‘New Park Street Pulpit’ was published soon. Eventually his sermons
were published every week in print.
Charles gained fame and the same time was criticized immensely. Controversy always
surrounded him. For instance, his book on Hymns ‘The Rivulet’ aroused controversy
because of his critique of its theology, which was largely deistic.
In another instance, he preached a sermon entitled ‘Baptismal Regeneration’, objecting to
Anglican teachings on the sacramental power of infant baptism. Over 350,000 copies
were sold but the furore led to Spurgeon's withdrawal from the Evangelical Alliance, an
ecumenical association of Dissenters and Evangelical Anglicans.
In 1856, Charles was highly disappointed and depressed during his preaching at Surrey
Gardens Music Hall. The story goes that someone created a panic by alerting ‘Fire’ and
hell broke loose. Panic followed causing a great stampede that left several injured and
dead. This incident had a long-lasting effect on him leaving him devastated.
On October 7, 1857, Charles addressed a whopping 23,654 people at The Crystal Palace,
London—the largest crowd ever that he had preached. Just two days before his sermon,
Charles decided to go to the place to test the acoustics and cried in a very affirmative
voice ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’. These powerful
words were overheard by a workman in the gallery who was impacted by it and found
peace after a season of spiritual struggling.
In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed purpose-built
Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle, Southwark, seating 5000 people with
standing room for another 1000. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was the largest church
edifice at that time.
In 1862, Spurgeon challenged the Church of England when he preached against
baptismal regeneration. Baptismal regeneration is the name given to doctrines held by
major Christian denominations which believe that salvation is intimately linked to the act
of baptism, without necessarily holding that salvation is impossible apart from it.
In 1887, Charles was mired in 'Downgrade Controversy'. In an article published in 'The
Sword & the Trowel. In the article, Spurgeon used the term "Downgrade" to describe
certain other Baptists' outlook toward the Bible. He was of the opinion that the Graf-
Wellhausen hypothesis, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and other concepts was
weakening the Baptist Union.
Major Works
Charles published his first literary work, a ‘Gospel tract’
which was written in 1853.
His collection of worship songs called ‘Our Own Hymn
Book’ published in 1866 was a compilation of Isaac
Watts's Psalms and Hymns that had been originally
selected by John Rippon, a Baptist predecessor to
Spurgeon.
His book ‘The Wordless Book’ is used as a teaching tool
to teach illiterate people about the Gospel message.

Personal Life & Legacy

Charles married Susannah, who was the daughter of Robert Thompson of Falcon Square,
London. Charles was gifted with two twin boys, Thomas and Charles in 1857.
Charles had a history of falling sick and so did his wife. He was diagnosed with a number
of diseases which included rheumatism, gout, and Bright’s disease.
He succumbed to death in 1892 in Menton, near France. He was buried at West Norwood
Cemetery in London.
Charles founded Pastor’s College in 1857, which was later re-named as Spurgeon’s
College in 1923.
He founded the Stock well Orphanage in London, which was initially started only for
boys and later opened for girls too. It was bombed during the Second World War but
came to be known as Spurgeon’s Child Care from then on and exists till date.

Accomplishments
Charles Spurgeon’s ministry was not fluff.  His preaching was gospel centered and his
heart was hot for God.  He was ambitious, but not selfish.  He desired to live a life that counted
for God.  Some of the accomplishments of Spurgeon’s ministry include:
He preached 600+ times before he was 20 years old.
His sermons sold approximately 25,000 copies per week and were translated into 20
languages.
He read 6 books each week in order to prepare for his sermons and to sharpen his mind.
He read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress over 100 times.
He saw over 14,400 people added to his church during his ministry.
He founded a pastors’ college.
He trained approximately 900 men for the ministry.
He founded an orphanage.
He produced more than 140 books.
He edited a magazine.
He responded to 500+ letters each week.
He often preached 10+ times each week (combined through guest appearances and
through his own church).
He labored to spare the Baptist name from the liberals of his day.  (See the Down-Grade
Controversy for more information.)
 He had two sons who became pastors.  When asked by his son to ordain him to the
ministry, Spurgeon instructed him to read Matthew Henry’s commentaries in full two
times before he would honor his request.

Sources:

Legacy of Faithfulness: Charles Haddon Spurgeon

https://g3min.org/legacy-of-faithfulness-charles-haddon-spurgeon/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the
%20accomplishments%20of,and%20to%20sharpen%20his%20mind.

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/charles-haddon-spurgeon-1026.php?
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