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The statistics of Charles Haddon Spurgeon’ s life and career are remarkable. Born in 1834, he was only 57 when he died in 1892. But he left behind more than 3,500 sermons, effectively something like a hundred from each year of his ministry. 1 The numbers who heard him were remarkable. New Street Chapel was built to hold 1200 and his congregation outgrew it. The Metropolitan Tabernacle( his main pulpit from 1861) had a capacity of 4500. In 1857, he preached to more than 23,000 at the Crystal Palace. He is credited with the planting of 48 churches in London and nearly 900 preachers were trained in his college during his lifetime.
The first statistic that caught the imagination was his age. He was only 17( and had been preaching less than a year) when he was called to be Pastor of the Waterbeach chapel in Cambridgeshire. Two years later he was invited to take up the pastorate of a leading Baptist Chapel in London, New Park Street. He was known as‘ the boy preacher’; some of the early popularity was due to curiosity at this prodigy. But throughout his ministry, crowds flocked to hear Spurgeon. Services at the Metropolitan Tabernacle were ticketed affairs and there were always queues for the non-reserved, public seats.
Clearly, a Spurgeon sermon was something to be witnessed. His diction was excellent and he worked hard on his elocution. He believed in being direct in his preaching. His illustrations were often simple similes: the effect of a Bible in the home is likened to the scent of lavender from the garden, 2 the promises of God are compared to a cheque that only has value when cashed, 3 and the thanksgiving that precedes supplication is pictured as a jumper’ s run-up. 4 He was not afraid to use humour in his preaching 5 and had a reputation as something of a showman –‘ The Barnum of the Pulpit’ 6; he would lace his sermons with quotations from poetry and could produce mellifluous prose but he always aimed at simplicity. His aim was to be understood that the hearer might receive Christ who was invariably the subject of the preaching. 7
The simplicity of his approach may be due to his being largely self-taught; the founder of the Pastors’ College 8 had no formal theological education but he was widely read. Apart from the Bible, one book recurs much more than any other in his sermons – The Pilgrim’ s Progress. From childhood, Spurgeon was an admirer of Bunyan 9 and saw himself in the same tradition of dissenting preaching; his sermons are littered with passing references to the decisions taken by Christian, Pliable, et al.
Spurgeon’ s theological position was avowedly Calvinistic and passionately Protestant. He was overtly conscious of standing in a tradition that he traced back to the Puritans( to Richard Baxter and his beloved Bunyan). In relation to other( Arminian) evangelicals Spurgeon could be irenic but he was trenchantly polemical against those of a more Catholic persuasion. 10 He was brought up a Congregationalist but became persuaded in his teens of the necessity of believer’ s baptism. It was a position he would defend throughout his ministry, 11 on the grounds of an unquestioning biblical literalism: that which the text commands was not to be questioned.
This biblical literalism was typical of Spurgeon’ s preaching, all of which was closely tied to the text. He believed that the art of preaching was to find the text and the sermon would follow. According to his biographer, 12 Spurgeon left preparation to the last minute. He entered the pulpit with only a few notes; the published sermons were the work of scribes in the congregation. This was in part because he was heir to a tradition that valued the extemporaneous word; his account of the beginning of his preaching ministry was of one evening when he believed he was going to keep the preacher company but was told en route that he was to deliver the sermon. 13
‘ It seemed a great risk and a serious trial … but I would not allow the people to go home without a word.’ 14
He would continue sometimes to find preaching a trial throughout his life 15 but the thousands who heard and millions more who have read his sermons attest to receiving a word.
Key features of the preaching of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
c Preaching is to offer Christ. Therefore, preaching is Christocentric and aims at conversion.
c Preaching is based on the scriptural text and does not depart far from it.
c Illustrations are simple and memorable.
c Delivery is important: preaching should be in clear but elegant language and the preacher must be clearly audible.
c Preaching is founded on a clearly thought-out theological position.
c The sermon has a life beyond the time of delivery through publication. Spurgeon offered notes to guide other preachers and was happy for others to preach his sermons.
1. Spurgeon’ s Sermons are online at spurgeongems. org / sermons.
2. Sermon 1672. 3. Sermon 2053. 4. Sermon 2312.
5. Drummond, LA( 1992), Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, Kregel: Grand Rapids, MI, page 28.
6. Drummond, LA( 1992), Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, Kregel: Grand Rapids, MI, page 284.
7. Sermons preface. 8. Sometimes‘ the Pastor’ s College’; now Spurgeon’ s College.
9. Drummond, LA( 1992), Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, Kregel: Grand Rapids, MI, page 82.
10. eg Sermon 653 11. eg Sermon 2339
12. Fullerton, WY( 1892), CH Spurgeon. A Biography( London: Williams & Norgate), page 117.
13.‘ Our First Sermon’, in Sermons volume 1. 14.‘ Our First Sermon’, in Sermons volume 1.
15. Drummond, LA( 1992), Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers, Kregel: Grand Rapids, MI, page 28.
Rev Dr Jonathan Hustler
Jonathan Hustler is a Methodist presbyter who has served in three circuits and as vice principal of Wesley House, Cambridge. He teaches and writes on Church history, preaching, and pastoral theology. He is now Ministerial Coordinator for the Oversight of Ordained Ministries in the Connexional Team.