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Reading Biographies Together - Spurgeon
- 07/08/10
- 21
You are familiar, I think, with the Reading Classics Together program. Over the past few years, I and many of the readers of this site have read a series of classics of the Christian faith. We’ve read them concurrently, a chapter or two at a time, and then have met up here at the blog once a week to discuss what we’ve read. After we finished the most recent version of this program (which saw us read The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes) I thought it would be fun to try something new. And thus I proposed that we read a biography together. Today we begin.
The biography we are reading together is Arnold Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A New Biography. Of course it’s not that new anymore, having been first printed in 1985. Nevertheless, it is a good biography and one that is thorough enough without being too long or too dense. Dallimore was a Canadian pastor and biographer who ministered not too far from where I live. He is best-known for his work on George Whitefield, a massive two-volume set that is still regarded as the definitive biography of the great evangelist. Tomorrow I’ll share a guest article written by Dallimore’s granddaughter and will allow her to introduce you to her her grandfather.
As we turn from classics of the faith to biographies, I am not entirely sure what I ought to maintain as a format as I try to share just a few thoughts on the week’s reading. So I may mix things up a little bit week-by-week as I attempt to find a workable format.
This week we were to read the first two chapters of the book along with Dallimore’s brief Preface. In the Preface Dallimore defends his decision to write yet another biography of Spurgeon, saying that many other biographies had been flawed, either by neglecting some aspects of Spurgeon’s ministry or by neglecting some aspects of his character. Dallimore has sought to provide a view of Spurgeon that is more rounded and more accurate. He has tried to give us a glimpse of the essential Spurgeon.
In the first two chapters he writes about Spurgeon’s family background, his home life and his eventual conversion. And I must say that no matter how many times I read it, I never grow weary of Spurgeon’s account of his conversion. I love the contrast of the smart, educated and capable Spurgeon sitting in a pew and the “really stupid” man who climbs into the pulpit one day to exhort him to be saved. It never fails to encourage me to see how God works through the humble to shame, or in this case to humble, the wise.
But moving back in time just a little bit, I enjoyed reading how Spurgeon attributed so much of his spiritual growth and development to his mother. I have been reading a lot of biography lately and this has been a recurring theme. Just last week I read of Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom said without shame that whatever they were, whatever they had become, they owed to their mothers and especially to their mothers’ fervent prayer. And as Spurgeon’s brother said of their mother, “She was the starting point of all the greatness and goodness any of us, by the grace of God, have ever enjoyed.” While I would always wish to affirm that dad is the spiritual leader within the home, none of us should neglect the importance of mom and her ministry to her children. Many great men of the faith owe who and what they are to the teaching and the prayers of their mothers.
Finally, I see a challenge for me in this chapter. I am the father of three children who, like Spurgeon, are being raised in a Christian home. And yet I cannot allow myself to assume their salvation. I must continually remind myself that, like Spurgeon and, indeed, like myself, it may take them many years and much wrestling before they find salvation. It will take a work of the Holy Spirit to draw them to himself and this is a work that will take place in his good timing.
Next Week
I will not be near a computer next Thursday, so we will actually take a one-week break and be back on the 22nd of July. For that date, please read the next four chapters (which keeps us at our regular pace of two chapters per week). That will take you to the end of the chapter titled “Spurgeon’s Marriage.”
Your Turn
The purpose of this program is to read biographies together. So if there are things that stood out to you in this chapter, if there are questions you had, this is the time and place to have your say. Feel free to post a comment below or to link to your blog if you've chosen to write about this on your own site.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (21)
I am a newcomer to this blog and as a book-lover was thrilled to see this read-along. I enjoyed these first two chapters very much. What an inspiration this description of Spurgeon’s earliest home in his pastor grandfather’s manse is: “The standards of the Bible were joyfully accepted and dishonesty or malice of any kind was entirely unknown. Life was serious, but it was also marked by humor and happiness, and ‘godliness with contentment [which] is great gain’ characterized both work and pleasure for the Spurgeons, old and young.” I was particularly struck by the words “life was serious”, as it seems to me sometimes that we today are amusing ourselves to death,and many never give a thought to the grave peril of their souls.
Certainly a worthwhile read - I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep myself to the two chapters per week though as it’s too interesting!
I always find it odd when reading biographies from that sort of period how anti-drinking they are. Surely the right place for Christians to be is in the bar, being friends with tax collectors and sinners and pointing them to Jesus rather than criticising people who go in!.. Or has my culture so conditioned my reading of the Bible that I am unable to see what it says?
I think it’s a good biography but not a great one thus far. Spurgeon himself still seems beyond both author and reader - we can see him from a distance, but we can’t reach him or understand him as a man rather than just an ideal…
Completely agree about never getting tired of reading Spurgeon’s conversion story, Tim. What hit me this time was how much Spurgeon “knew” of theology but didn’t know how to be saved. It took the “really stupid man” to make it clear to him. Just look. That’s it. Look to Christ.
I love that.
I agree with Tim and others that his conversion story is a great encouragement to my soul. I am struck by how vivid the whole scene is to him even in later years.
The point we discussed in our home was that of a young Spurgeon hearing the theological debates of his Grandfather and others. He not only listened to the debates, he understood them. No, he was not a believer, but what a great help to his soul after God converted him.
Often in our world today we dull our theology and simplify it to a degree that I wonder if our children are bored with it all. Have we so truncated the message that the greatness and majesty of God have lost their “punch”? We throw up flannel graphs and little Charles was reading Owen. Owen!
We need to aim higher with our kids.
I too was most struck by the account of Spurgeon’s conversion, in particular, by the way in which his upbringing differs so much from the decisionalism that dominates many Christian homes of our day. On the one hand, Spurgeon must have understood the gospel from the earliest of ages, having read the Puritans as he did. Yet, he seems to indicate that no one had ever made it clear and plain as did that Methodist layman. Spurgeon says, “Oh, that somebody had told me this before, ‘Trust Christ, and you will be saved.’”
I wonder if he had not heard so simple a message before, or if he simply had not understood the simplicity and importance of the gospel call until that moment. I suppose both are possible, given the spiritual climate of many of the churches in that day and given the blindness of an unconverted heart before conversion.
I agree with Tim that these chapters have had an impact on me as I think about my role as a father. I’ve asked myself questions, such as:
- Isn’t it proper to urge my children to turn to Christ and trust Him from the earliest of ages, even though true conversion is something God alone can accomplish?
- What am I doing to make my home a place where the gospel is known and cherished by my children?
- Why aren’t my kids sitting around reading the Puritans?
This is my first time being part of this. Honestly, I decided to jump on board this time because it was a biography, a genre of literature that I need to read more.
I really enjoyed the first two chapters. A few observations that impacted me…
First, when Spurgeon lived with his grandfather, we were told that “life in the Spurgeon home was built around the Scriptures. The Bible was not only read, but it was also believed with unquestioning assurance of its inerrancy.” I think in our generation (at least in my family) it is easier to believe the Bible’s inerrancy while NOT reading it daily as a family. We have tried as a family to start simply reading it together, leading my young children through the texts of the Bible.
Second, I too have a ten year old son. As I read that Spurgeon was reading John Owen, Richard Sibbs, John Flavel, and Matthew Henry at about that age, I thought of my son as he tears through the Warrior series about cats (honestly, I am not sure I was doing any reading when I was ten). It is a challenge to me as dad to ensure that while they can read some kid fiction books, they also can read harder books. I know for me, the way I grow is to be forced to wrestle through things that are difficult to understand. It makes our minds work harder and become sharper.
Third, one outcome of Spurgeons conversion was to ensure he always shared the gospel when he preached. We are told “the failure of preachers he had heard to present the gospel, and to do so in a plain, direct manner, caused him throughout his whole ministry to tell sinners in every sermon and in a most forthright and understandable way how to be saved.” It is a solemn warning to me as a preacher and teacher of God’s Word to be like Spurgeon and not like one of the “failed preachers.”
I feel so ignorant in my knowledge of this great Christian man of faith. So I know I will benefit greatly by this reading. I’ve already been encouraged by the first two chapters.
I’ve made a few comments on my blog here:
http://lisanotes.blogspot.com/2010/07/spurgeon-new-biography-by-arnold.html
I enjoy reading what others have said already and will have to say about this book. Thanks, Tim, for providing this forum. (I never would have read the past few books we’ve done together had it not been for this group!)
Thank you for encouraging us to read this book! I have always enjoyed reading Spurgeon’s books, yet I had never read his biography.
These two chapter proved to be a blessing, a great stage opening.
I agree with all of you who have been challenged to think about our role as parents. This has struck my heart as well.
When I read of his early years and the walks he enjoyed with his grandfather; I could not but think how walking and talking is the best way to teach our children about the Lord. It is the way the Lord taught his disciples.
The Lord has a time for us to come to Him, but notice how “his life was built around the Scriptures” (p.5) The Scriptures, which he knew from his youth, pointed out to his sinful nature… Let us remember as we instruct our children, to fill our home with the Scriptures and prayer (p.6)
And about reading the Puritans? Why not pursuing that at the family table?…
Again, I am thankful for this group of thoughtful readers.
This time I did not blog about it.
Thank you Tim for choosing this book for us to read together. It proved to be such an excellent choice that after the first two chapters I was so hooked I couldn’t stop myself from reading the lot in just a few days. I’ve re-read the first two chapters for this week though, and can only echo what others have already said, especially regarding Spurgeon’s own account of his conversion. It’s always a thrill and delight to hear someone relate their own experience of coming to faith, and this was no exception. It’s proof, if proof were needed, that the Gospel does not change, and neither does the power of God nor his gracious dealings with sinners. I plan to include his testimony in a service I am leading this coming Lord’s Day, where the theme is ‘faith’, as this seems so appropriate to the topic.
The other thing that really struck me as I read these first chapters (and considered from later chapters all that he subsequently undertook) was how clear it is (with hindsight!) that God orders every part of a person’s life to prepare and equip them for the tasks that he has planned for them. Spurgeon was clearly a boy gifted with great intellectual ability and an appetite for reading and study, who was placed within a family situtation suited to providing him opportunities to develop these gifts, as well as being given a character and confidence suited to the role he would play later as a stout defender of the faith and preacher of the truth.
It seems to me that God raises up just a handful of men and women in each generation with exceptional gifts suited to fulfiling such a ‘high profile’ calling, to the great blessing of the wider church and the saving of many. Spurgeon was one such man, and we have great reason to be thankful to God for him, and for those who have been raised up in our generation. It’s a challenging thought to consider whether any of our own children might be those whom God is training up right now to be such a blessing in 20 years time…
Thanks again Tim.
When I think of Spurgeon reading all this grandfather’s puritan books, it inspires me to encourage excellence in my children. In most cases, children will rise to the level of what is expected of them. We think that Spurgeon must have been out of the ordinary to read the puritans at such a young age, but this type of thing was expected of children up until the 20th century.
A century ago no seminary in the U.S. offered a class in Greek because they expected students who applied to have already mastered it. Students use to have to show they could debate in Latin and Greek just to get into an Ivy League school.
As parents, are we encouraging the maximum use of our children’s God-given potential? Or are we accepting the modernized standards of education our society has given us?
Worth pointing out that the Puritans were a lot closer to Spurgeon’s time (and therefore the English was much more accessible) than to ours.
Modern equivalent might well be reading Packer or Piper…
I was encouraged and convicted by the story about how Spurgeon’s busy father was on his way to work and felt like he needed to be home with his family, but when he came in his wife (Spurgeon’s mother) was praying for her children and his father felt confident that the children were being taken care of spiritually. As a mom of two young children I want to pray for my children as much as I can.
The story of young Spureon confronting the man in the pub was very amusing :)
John, you said “Worth pointing out that the Puritans were a lot closer to Spurgeon’s time (and therefore the English was much more accessible) than to ours.
Modern equivalent might well be reading Packer or Piper…”
I’m not sure how you figure this. Most of the Puritan works were written 200-300 years before Spurgeon (with the exception of Jonathan Edwards in the 1700s.) Packer and Piper are alive today and there writings are within the last 5-20 years.
I found that the account of Spurgeon’s salvation shows the powerful conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. Spurgeon’s knowledge of doctrine at a young age brought awareness of the burden of sin and a bottomless pit in his life, even in spite of his successful studies and being honest and upright. On hearing the words “Young man, look to Jesus Christ” Spurgeon’s eyes cleared and his burden was lifted. May we as parents be faithful in teaching, and allow Jesus to be seen in us!
Just 4 weeks ago, I was handed a copy of this book. My friend had been on business in London. He bought it from the Metro Tabernacle. to give to me. I am the wise now humbled - greatly.
I was also greatly encouraged by the story of his conversion. Although we can gain encouragement from reading about other people of faith and what they have learned from the Bible as Spurgeon did, this also serves as a good reminder that the most powerful words come straight from the Bible itself. Isaiah 45:21 - 22 “Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior: there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
Lik e a young Spurgen, my two boys have a grandfather who can provide a Godly influence - I will look for more opportunities for their lives to merge.
I, like many others, was hooked as I read the first two chapters.
Many things stood out to me but one thing I am pondering is when Spurgeon found out he wanted to preach, he said he set out to be saved because one who preaches must be saved.
I can’t wrap my mind around a person wanting to be saved but being unable to do so. How can a person want to be saved in the first place if they are not regenerated?
Anyway, one day I’ll understand.
Great book!
A few years ago, I grabbed a small yellow book by Fillmore on Spurgeon in a dollar store. All I really knew of Spurgeon was his name. We took off for Norway, I had the book in my purse. While in Norway I could hardly wait to get home from sightseeing to continue my reading of the Spurgeon biography. It was awesome and I think I enjoyed reading that more then the sightseeing. I have since read many of his biography’s and loved his two popular devotionals . They have been life changing. I cannot keep up with all the books he has written, but I try. He is one of five men/women that I can say have changed my life for the better.Thanks so much for doing this study. A Spurgeon student
I have to agree with others who will have trouble limiting themselves to two chapters a week. I don’t generally read biographies and wasn’t all that excited about reading this one. I’m happy to say that I’ve been surprised at what a good read this has been so far.
Like others, I was struck by how someone could grow up reading the Puritans (particularly Pilgrim’s Progress) and learning scripture, yet not knowing how to be saved. Maybe we have hindsight that Spurgeon didn’t have, and of course we have preachers who have no doubt been influenced (whether they realize it or not) by Spurgeon and his insistence that he share “how to be saved” in all of his messages. Still, it’s difficult to comprehend.
Another thing I had trouble understanding, and maybe this is related: his deep, intense conviction of sin, and the fact that he would rather suffer anything than re-live the lostness and hopelessness that he knew before he was saved. Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit this, but while I recognize that we are all sinners, that we are all depraved, it’s more of an intellectual fact for me rather than an emotional experience. Perhaps my own understanding of this has been dulled by hearing, thousands of times, that we are all sinners and must look to Christ to be saved.
Interesting that I learned, with my ABCs, the answers Spurgeon was seeking as a teenager, yet I don’t have nearly the same conviction of sin that he did, or the “on fire” spirit that he had after becoming saved. Hmmmm. Something isn’t right about that.
One more thing: I’ve never really thought about the term “bottomless pit.” Spurgeon’s understanding of it as indicating a sinner can continually fall farther and farther away from all that is right and good (sorry, I don’t have the book with me or I would quote it) really brought that sobering metaphor alive for me.
I am so glad to be reading this book. It’s really challenging me to think about my own spiritual walk. Thanks!
“But that event [Spurgeon’s Conversion] was preceded by a long and bitter conviction of sin and a longing for salvation…” was one of the thoughts that struck me in these first couple of chapters. I cannot relate and find myself wondering if perhaps I should be praying towards this end - that the Holy Spirit might bring to my heart a long and bitter conviction of sin so that I might better grasp what I have been saved from.
The introductory quote preceeding chapter 3 also stood out to me - “How I felt towards sinners that day!”… should this be a cry of our heart once we are saved? a fresh perspective on those sinners around us that have not yet come to know Christ?