Oh how I love to read Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon's sermons!

[Neighbor]

The prince of pastors C H Spurgeon, what a gift from God he developed and worked to good use for many if not all that read even the archives of His ministry today.

I dared seek out for a sermon on Freewill  versus Election and am delighted to find the good sense he was given by God  to be preserved for me to read today.

An excerpt from which follows: As Rev. Spurgeon develops his thesis on the topic he gets into it with gusto  and good humor stating mid stream of his opening to the presentation; "I have heard of one man who said he had read the Bible through thirty-four times on his knees, but could not see a word about election in it; I think it very likely that he could not; kneeling is a very uncomfortable posture for reading, and possibly the superstition which would make the poor man perform this penance would disqualify him for using his reason; moreover, to get through the Book thirty-four times, he probably read in such a hurry that he did not know what he was reading, and might as well have been dreaming over “Robinson Crusoe” as the Bible."...

He follows that immediately with: "He put the telescope to the blind eye. Many of us do that; we do not want to see a truth, and therefore we say we cannot see it. On the other hand, there are others who push a truth too far. “This is good; oh! this is precious!” say they, and then they think it is good for everything; that in fact it is the only truth in the world. You know how often things are injured by over-praise; how a good medicine, which really was a great boon for a certain disease, comes to be despised utterly by the physician, because a certain quack has praised it up as being a universal cure; so puffery in doctrine leads to its dishonour. Truth has thus suffered on all sides; on the one hand brethren would not see all the truth, and on the other hand they magnified out of proportion that which they did see. You have seen those mirrors, those globes that are sometimes hung up in gardens; you walk up to them and you see your head ten times as large as your body, or you walk away and put yourself in another position, and then your feet are monstrous and the rest of your body is small; this is an ingenious toy, but I am sorry to say that many go to work with God’s truth upon the model of this toy; they magnify one capital truth, till it becomes monstrous; they minify and speak little of another truth till it becomes altogether forgotten. In what I shall be able to say this morning you will probably detect the failing to which I allude the common fault of humanity, and suspect that I also am magnifying one truth at the expense of another; but I will say this, before I proceed further, that it shall not be the case if I can help it, but I will endeavour honestly to bring out the truth as I have learned it, and if in ought ye see that I teach you what is contrary to the Word of God, reject it; but mark you, if it be according to God’s Word, reject it at your peril ; for when I have once delivered it to you, if ye receive it not the responsibility lies with you."...

This little tidbit above is from  the sermon "God’s Will and Man’s Will" Charles Haddon Spurgeon  March 30, 1862 Scripture: Romans 9:16; Revelation 22:17 From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 8. - it can be found in full at the Spurgeon Archives online.

[Sower]

1 hour ago, Neighbor said:

In what I shall be able to say this morning you will probably detect the failing to which I allude the common fault of humanity, and suspect that I also am magnifying one truth at the expense of another; but I will say this, before I proceed further, that it shall not be the case if I can help it, but I will endeavour honestly to bring out the truth as I have learned it, and if in ought ye see that I teach you what is contrary to the Word of God, reject it; but mark you, if it be according to God’s Word, reject it at your peril ; for when I have once delivered it to you, if ye receive it not the responsibility lies with you."...

Great thoughts, and a nice analogy Neighbor. Thanks. But I wonder where the indwelt spirit fits into Spurgeon's sermon.

              "But the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in My name,

   He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you"

I also do not believe using warped mirrors should be trusted , distorted depending how looked upon, as Spurgeon has shown, but instead that still small voice,  inner prompting/confirming. This prompting can be (should be)  tested/confirmed with the word. Or if found in want, denied. Tested. With my own God given ability to trust him, and NOT lean on my own understanding (or another man's!)

1 hour ago, Neighbor said:

Truth has thus suffered on all sides; on the one hand brethren would not see all the truth, and on the other hand they magnified out of proportion that which they did see.

Actually a simple explanation of why after centuries,  the "Freewill  versus Election"debate has not been settled.

1 hour ago, Neighbor said:

but mark you, if it be according to God’s Word, reject it at your peril ; for when I have once delivered it to you, if ye receive it not the responsibility lies with you."...

                    "for when I have once delivered it to you"

I prefer that it be God to do the delivering, via the holy spirit......

Never had any problem rejecting another man's understanding of scripture. Especially through intimidation...

No need to tell someone who is responsible for there own decisions on what they believe.

Do not misunderstand, I've had a bad  habit of having trusted man to develop my biblical understanding.
And been burnt, many years within a heretical religion before the spirit set me free.

There have been times I have heard God speak through my own little children, terrific simple truths about God's Word.
It was the neat confirming of the spirit within me and comforting my belief that blessed me to believe.

Thanks, brother.      Below is what I probably respect about Spurgeon the most.

 

                                           

 

                                        A belief telling statement, winning souls is wise...

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, Sower said:

the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in My name,

   He shall teach you all things

And so C H Spurgeon taught also; 

C. H. Spurgeon :: ""The Comforter A Sermon
(No. 5) Delivered on Sabbath Evening, January 21, 1855, by the
REV. C.H. SPURGEON
At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark. "

An excerpt from the introduction to the topic of the comforter the Holy Spirit;

..."It is right I should go away from you," said Jesus, "for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come." Jesus must go. Weep, ye disciples; Jesus must be gone. Mourn, ye poor ones, who are to be left without a Comforter. But hear how kindly Jesus speaks: "I will not leave you comfortless, I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another Comforter, who shall be with you, and shall dwell in you forever." He would not leave those few poor sheep alone in the wilderness; he would not desert his children, and leave them fatherless. Albeit that he had a mighty mission which did fill his heart and hand; albeit he had so much to perform, that we might have thought that even his gigantic intellect would be overburdened; albeit he had so much to suffer, that we might suppose his whole soul to be concentrated upon the thought of the sufferings to be endured. Yet it was not so; before he left, he gave soothing words of comfort; like the good Samaritan, he poured in oil and wine, and we see what he promised: "I will send you another Comforter-one who shall be just what I have been, yea, even more; who shall console you in your sorrows, remove your doubts, comfort you in your afflictions, and stand as my vicar on earth, to do that which I would have done had I tarried with you."

Before I discourse of the Holy Ghost as the Comforter, I must make one or two remarks on the different translations of the word rendered "Comforter." ....

 

[Neighbor]

 A little more from Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit from the same sermon:

..."

"I will send you another teacher." Jesus Christ had been the official teacher of his saints whilst on earth. They called no man Rabbi except Christ. They sat at no men's feet to learn their doctrines; but they had them direct from the lips of him who "spake as never man spake." "And now," says he, "when I am gone, where shall you find the great infallible teacher? Shall I set you up a pope at Rome, to whom you shall go, and who shall be your infallible oracle? Shall I give you the councils of the church to be held to decide all knotty points?" Christ said no such thing. "I am the infallible paraclete, or teacher, and when I am gone, I will send you another teacher, and he shall be the person who is to explain Scripture; he shall be the authoritative oracle of God, who shall make all dark things light, who shall unravel mysteries, who shall untwist all knots of revelation, and shall make you understand what you could not discover, had it not been for his influence." And, beloved, no man ever learns anything aright, unless he is taught of the Spirit. You may learn election, and you may know it so that you shall be damned by it, if you are not taught of the Holy Ghost; for I have known some who have learned election to their soul's destruction; they have learned it so that they said they were of the elect, whereas, they had no marks, no evidences, and no works of the Holy Ghost in their souls. There is a way of learning truth in Satan's college, and holding it in licentiousness; but if so, it shall be to your souls as poison to your veins and prove your everlasting ruin. No man can know Jesus Christ unless he is taught of God. There is no doctrine of the Bible which can be safely, thoroughly, and truly learned, except by the agency of the one authoritative teacher. Ah! tell me not of systems of divinity; tell me not of schemes of theology; tell me not of infallible commentators, or most learned and most arrogant doctors; but tell me of the Great Teacher, who shall instruct us, the sons of God, and shall make us wise to understand all things. He is the Teacher; it matters not what this man or that man says; I rest on no man's boasting authority, nor will you. Ye are not to be carried away with the craftiness of men, nor sleight of words; this is the authoritative oracle-the Holy Ghost resting in the hearts of his children.

The other translation is advocate." ...

Credit to Blue letter Bible and also Spurgeon Archives

[farouk]

One Who comes alongside...........a precious thought; and Spurgeon had such warm and compelling way of expounding Scripture.

[farouk]

There was a book by Antony Ruspatini with the title something like 'Quoting Spurgeon', issued by Baker Book House, which contains a lot of warm and helpful extracts from Spurgeon's blessed ministry.

[Who me]

May I encourage  you to investigate the sermons by another English preacher, namely the Dr Martin Lloyd Jones.

Many of his sermons are available as recordings and are on line.

[BibleStudent100]

21 hours ago, Neighbor said:

This little tidbit above is from  the sermon "God’s Will and Man’s Will" Charles Haddon Spurgeon  March 30, 1862 Scripture:

We all have heard of the reputation C.H. Spurgeon had for one of his favorite subject for sermons:  hellfire.  He  thundered forth with graphic descriptions of the hideous torments awaiting sinners. Nowadays, that kind of preaching is seldom heard. 

Do you know if Pastor Spurgeon preached much about love and how that quality should be paramount in our lives?
 

[Neighbor]

33 minutes ago, BibleStudent100 said:

We all have heard of the reputation C.H. Spurgeon had for one of his favorite subject for sermons:  hellfire.  He  thundered forth with graphic descriptions of the hideous torments awaiting sinners. Nowadays, that kind of preaching is seldom heard. 

Do you know if Pastor Spurgeon preached much about love and how that quality should be paramount in our lives?
 

Hi,  First I am not an expert on the numerous sermons of the prince of pastors, that said will this the fourth sermon per Rev. Spurgeon on the subject do? Here is an excerpt, again it is from the introduction to the body of his presentation;

..."So, my brethren, if you do love the Lord, say, “We love’ him,” for there is no good reason why you should not avow your affection for him; but, on the other hand, there is abundant reason why you should do so; for, first, Jesus Christ deserves and claims that avowal. He was not ashamed of his love for us. He left all the glories of heaven that he might espouse our cause; and when we came to his feet, burdened, and guilty, and full of woes, there was not one lovely trait in our character to attract him toward us; yet he took pity upon us, and loved us, and saved us; and now he pleads for us in heaven. He is not ashamed to call us brethren; so, surely, we night, bravely and joyfully, to declare that we are on his side.

     We ought not to need any urging to that avowal; but if we do, let us remember that Christ claims it, for he has said, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he also said, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me” — and the apposition, you see, makes that word “deny ” mean “he that does not confess me” — “he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” Come, then, brothers and sisters, since Christ claims it, and so richly deserves it, let the avowal of this fact be made, if fact it be, “We love him.”...

From; "The Secret of Love to God"  Charles Haddon Spurgeon  August 15, 1880 Scripture: 1 John 4:19 From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 47 And with credit to THE SPURGEON CENTER
for Biblical Preaching at Midwestern Seminary

[Neighbor]

20 hours ago, farouk said:

There was a book by Antony Ruspatini with the title something like 'Quoting Spurgeon', issued by Baker Book House, which contains a lot of warm and helpful extracts from Spurgeon's blessed ministry.

Hi, Anthony J. Ruspantini 1934 - 2024  ..."Tony’s passion was his love of the scriptures and shared his faith at every opportunity. He compiled and published Prayeraphrases, Quoting Spurgeon, and the Communion of Saints."....

There are several resources for Spurgeon's writings, sermons, and his devotions "Morning and Evening".  I often have used the one available  from Pyromaniacs (Phil Johnson) website. See "The Spurgeon Archive"; but there is the Spurgeon Center at Midwestern Seminary and the Blue letter Bible as additional resources on Spurgeon.

Spurgeon is so often quoted within the worship services at some churches that my own home church now references them as the "obligatory" Spurgeon quote ( Of the week's exposition within the Bible) We all chuckle and look forward to reading it on  "The Big Screen"; not really big at all, but sufficient for our growing body of Christ Jesus.