- 01/31/12
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It was one hundred and twenty years ago today that Charles Haddon Spurgeon finished his earthly race. He was 57 years old. The life and legacy of Spurgeon is well known. He was London’s most popular preacher during the second half of the 19th century. He was passionately and thoroughly biblical and unusually gifted in his mental and oratory abilities. He was also incredibly prolific. The manuscripts of his sermons fill 63 volumes, which, according to [2] Eric Hayden, “stands alone as the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity.”
Keep reading because down below I’ll be giving away a little piece of history—a sermon manuscript page that has been heavily amended by Spurgeon himself.
Books in Print
Some of Spurgeon’s most well-know writings include
- Morning and Evening [3] - “With a reading to begin and end each day throughout the year, you will come to appreciate Spurgeon’s emphasis on the importance of abiding in Christ and meditating on God’s Word.”
- A Defence of Calvinism [4] - “With his winsome style and customary mix of wit, wisdom, and warm devotion to his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) explains and defends the Bible’s teachings about the grace of God in the gospel.”
- Lectures to My Students [5] - “Tthis unabridged edition of 28 of Spurgeon’s classroom discourses on homiletics overflows with practical wisdom, discerning wit, and sage advice. Covering the call, open-air preaching, ordinary conversations, using illustrations, and conduct outside the church, Spurgeon’s words are as rich and nourishing for pastors and students today as they were more than a century ago.”
- The Treasury of David [6] - “C. H. Spurgeon's enduring classic, The Treasury of David, has long been regarded as the most comprehensive pastoral and inspirational study of the Psalms ever written. Originally released in seven volumes, Spurgeon’s work has been carefully abridged by David Otis Fuller in this accessible one-volume edition.”
Much of Spurgeon’s content is also available in compilations, such as these:
- Spurgeon’s Sermons [7] (5 Volume Set) - “This five-volume set is a compilation of Spurgeon’s best sermons, covering topics from Israel in Egypt and confession of sin to justification by grace and Paul’s first prayer. Originally published in ten volumes in 1883, this collection was printed in five volumes by Baker in 1996.”
- The Essential Works of Charles Spurgeon [8] - “Featuring scores of Spurgeon’s sermons, plus complete books like All of Grace [9] and John Ploughman’s Talks [10], The Essential Works of Charles Spurgeon has been lightly updated for ease of reading.”
Biographies
In recent times, biographies have been written by Lewis Drummond [11], Arnold Dallimore [12], and Iain Murray [13]. John Piper also presented a biographical message of his life titled “Preaching Through Adversity [14],” which you can read or listen to.
To learn about Spurgeon’s life from the man himself, you can read his autobiography, which he published in two parts:
Free Content Online
Lots of sermon manuscripts and other writings--as well as links to a ton of other Spurgeon-themed websites--can be found at The Spurgeon Archive [17].
And if you’re looking for a huge collection of Spurgeon quotes, catalogued by theme, look no further than Spurgeon.us [18].
Win a Piece of History
To mark this date, I am giving away a sermon manuscript page from a Charles Spurgeon sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Sunday, October 12, 1890. The page was heavily amended by the Prince of preachers himself before the sermon went to the printers. This prize has been graciously donated by Rare Document Traders [19].
It comes with the sermon manuscript page, as well as a printed page giving the sermon text itself and title, a picture suitable for framing and a certificate of validation and authenticity from Spurgeon's College in London (see an example [20]). I recently purchased one of these myself as a gift, so can attest that it's genuine. It will look something like this:
This particular sermon had as its text 1 Peter 2:3: "If so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." The title is "The Test of Taste.”
To win it, just get started below (If you’re using an ad blocker, disable it; if you don’t see the script, trying refreshing your page).