The ‘Prince of Preachers’ was the name given to Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who founded the college of which I was Principal for six years. He was born in Kelvedon, Essex, on 19 June 1834 and died at the age of 57 on 31 January 1892.
When he preached his first sermon at the age of 16, his listeners realised they were in the presence of a young man with an amazing gift. As a result the following year he was called to be a lay minister of Waterbeach Baptist church in Cambridgeshire. In 1854 he moved to London, where he became the minister of New Park Street Baptist Church in South London. Very soon this church which seated 1,200 became too small, and so the congregation built what was known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle (subsequently renamed Spurgeon’s Tabernacle) in Elephant Castle. His ‘Tabernacle’ had seating for 5000 people – with standing room for another 1000 – and was always full. Indeed, for guest services, he used to ask his members to stay away to make room for others. His largest congregation drew an audience of 23,654 people in the Crystal Palace in 1857, in a time when loudspeakers were unknown in making himself heard in the farthest corner.
Spurgeon was a thoughtful and widely read man. Every week he used to read at least six hard books. By the end of his life he had accumulated 12,000 books. What’s more, Spurgeon did not just read theology, he read books of every kind. So in one of his lectures to his students, he said:
“Having given precedence to the inspired writings (viz. the Bible), neglect no field of knowledge. …You may read a naturalist’s journal or a book about travel, and find profit in it. Yes, and even an old herbal, or a manual of alchemy may, like Samson’s dead lion yield you honey” (see Judges 14.8-9)
He had a lively and imaginative way of putting things. In the words of well-known Spurgeonic quote:
“To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom”.
Other quotes include:
- “By perseverance the snail reached the ark”.
- “You might not always get what you expect”.
- “A dark cloud is no sign that the sun has lost his light, and dark black convictions are no arguments that God has laid aside His mercy”,
Although Spurgeon wrote out his sermons fully before he preached, he only took with him the sermon outline written on a small envelope, 4” by 3”. Shorthand writers would take down the sermon as it was delivered, and then the following day Spurgeon would have opportunity to revise the transcripts for immediate publication. These printed copies of his sermons would then sell 25,000 copies every week and were translated into more than 20 languages. I am told that the total copies of all his sermons totalled over 100 million.
Spurgeon drew massive, diverse crowds from all echelons of Victorian society. For instance, members of the royal family came to hear him preach. The British Prime minister, William Gladstone attended services and frequently hosted Spurgeon for meals. Similarly, General James Garfield also visited the church before he became the 20th US President. Literary figures such as Mark Twain and John Ruskin also went to hear Spurgeon preach. Other well-known people who visited his church included David Livingstone and Florence Nightingale. I know of no preacher today in our country who attracts such a diverse group of people.
Spurgeon was not just a preacher. For instance, he founded an orphanage in Stockwell for boys and girls in 1867. His orphanage was bombed during the 2nd World War. The children were evacuated to Reigate in Surrey and then to Birchington in Kent. Today Spurgeon’s Child Care has transitioned from residential care to providing family and children’s support services across the UK.
In addition Spurgeon founded a college. Initially, it was called Pastor’s College, but eventually it was known as Spurgeon’s College. To begin with the Pastor’s College was situated within the Metropolitan Tabernacle, where in Spurgeon’s lifetime there were 900 students. Eventually Spurgeon’s College moved to the Falkland Park Estate on in South London. Over the years well over 1,500 students have been trained at Spurgeon’s College. It became the largest Baptist college in Europe.
To conclude, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a notable figure in the 19th century.