Charles Haddon Spurgeon (June 19, 1834-January 31, 1892) was known as the 'Prince of Preacher,' as he preached to over ten million people. He was pastor of New Park Street Chapel in London (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle) for 38 years.
William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, purchased Spurgeon's 5,103-volume library collection in 1906, and sold it in 2006 to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, also has a collection of Spurgeon's handwritten sermon notes and galley proofs from 1879-1891. Spurgeon's works have been translated into many languages, including: Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Castilian (for the Argentine Republic), Chinese, Kongo, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, French, Gaelic, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Kaffir, Karen, Lettish, Maori, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Syriac, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and Welsh, with a few sermons in Moon's and Braille type for the blind.
In his sermon 'The Leafless Tree' delivered on March 8, 1857 at New Park Street Chapel, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote:
<If we read the Scripture's aright the Jews have a great deal to do with this world's history. They shall be gathered in; Messiah shall come, the Messiah they are looking for, the same Messiah who came once shall come again, shall come as they expected him to come the first time.
They then thought he would come a prince to reign over them, and so he will when he comes again. He will come to be king of the Jews, and to reign over his people most gloriously; for when he comes Jew and Gentile shall have equal privileges, though there shall yet be some distinction afforded to that royal family from whose loins Jesus came; for he shall sit upon the throne of his father David, and unto him shall be gathered all nations.> 1834CS001
On October 7, 1857, which was a Fast Day, Charles Spurgeon preached to his largest crowd ever, 23,654 people at The Crystal Palace in London, upon the occasion of the Sepoy revolt in India.
Spurgeon later noted:
<In 1857, a day or two before preaching at the Crystal Palace, I went to decide where the platform should be fixed; and, in order to test the acoustic properties of the building, cried in a loud voice, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
In one of the galleries, a workman, who knew nothing of what was being done, heard the words, and they came like a message from heaven to his soul.
He was smitten with conviction on account of sin, put down his tools, went home, and there, after a season of spiritual struggling, found peace and life by beholding the Lamb of God.
Years after, he told this story to one who visited him on his death-bed.> 1834CS002
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1834CS001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Charles Haddon Spurgeon. March 8, 1857, sermon 'The Leafless Tree,' New Park Street Chapel. http://www.mbts.edu/academics/library/spurgeon_collection/
1834CB002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Charles Haddon Spurgeon. October 7, 1857, Fast Day, Crystal Palace, London, England. http://www.mbts.edu/academics/library/spurgeon_collection/