Spurgeon Gold

a review by Adam Pohlman

Charles Spurgeon, commonly called the "Prince of Preachers", was the pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle in England in the 1800s. He grew up in a Christian home under the spiritual guidance of two pastors, his father and grandfather. However, he had not repented and trusted Christ until he was 15 years old. Charles grew up understanding the great demands of God's commandments, but knew he fell far short. He was by no means a rebellious child, but he still felt as though he was the "chief of sinners." After hearing another gospel message from a different pastor, God opened his eyes to the glorious truth of salvation and Spurgeon was "born again," given a new heart. Burying his head in the scriptures, young Charles immediately understood the desperate situation the rest of the world was in and made it a priority to tell the world the good news. He started sharing the gospel by leaving gospel tracts out where people would find them, then began to hand them out all over town. Within a couple years he was standing on the streets pleading with sinners to turn from their sin and trust the Savior. By the time he was 19, Charles Spurgeon became the pastor of a church, with no formal training, and soon became one of the most famous preachers in all England, and the world.

In the book Spurgeon Gold, Ray Comfort gathers many quotes from the archives of Spurgeon's sermons and presents them to be an encouragement in understanding and sharing the gospel. Charles Spurgeon was radically transformed by the Holy Spirit and became a great instrument of God in the 19th century. While this book is not an exhaustive representation of the works of Spurgeon, it does give a glimpse of the life in the pulpit of this great preacher. Spurgeon held nothing back in his sermons. Every hard truth and glorious delight was proclaimed with equal intensity. The reader can feel the passion of Spurgeon in his words and hear the tears in his voice as he pleads with his congregation to turn from the wrath to come and trust in Christ.

Some of the more common sermons in Spurgeon Gold expound on death, the law, the cross, atonement, salvation, sin, and the joys of preaching. Spurgeon had such a deep passion for the lost and it comes across mightily in his sermons. Such great wisdom can be gleaned from studying the works of great preachers of the past who held to the difficult doctrines of the faith without wavering. If not a book on Spurgeon, find some of the works Whitefield, Wesley, Edwards, other Puritans, or other saints from the earlier centuries. You will be quite surprised to find their struggles and triumphs can be quite similar to the trials we can experience today.

Here are a couple excerpts from the book:

Burden for the Lost (pg. 52)
"If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for."

I Am Dumb (pg. 105 This is a real sinners prayer!)
"Now poor sinner, with all your sin about you, take this promise in your hands, go home tonight, or if you can, do it before you get home - go home, I say, upstairs, alone, down by the bedside, and pour out thine heart, 'O Lord, all that man said is true. I am condemned, and Lord, I deserve it. O Lord, I have tried to be better, and I have done nothing with it all, but have only grown worse. O Lord, I have slighted Your grace. I have despised Your gospel. I wonder that You have not damned me years ago. Lord, I marvel at myself, that You suffer such a base wretch as I am to live at all. I have despised a mother's teaching; I have forgotten a father's prayers. Lord, I have forgotten You. I have broken Your Sabbath, taken Your name in vain. I have done everything that is wrong, and if You do condemn me, what can I say? Lord, I am dumb before Your presence."