Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–92) continues to be a colossal influence on gospel-centered ministry. Contemporaries recognized his significance, resulting in many biographies of him in the months and years following his death, not to mention those written during his lifetime. However, new developments, like the creation of the Spurgeon Center at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, have opened up new opportunities for exploring studies of Spurgeon’s legacy.
In Spurgeon: A Life, Alex DiPrima provides an updated and accessible biography of the Prince of Preachers. Few of Spurgeon’s many biographies accurately portray his life or reflect the scholarly precision his legacy warrants. This new portrayal serves the church because it “makes some improvements over previous accounts of his life and also takes into view many of the new studies and new data now available to historians and researchers” (15–16). Beyond increasing appreciation of Spurgeon, this book aims to help readers develop “a deeper love for the glorious Savior who captivated Spurgeon’s heart and life” (17).
Formed by the Saints
Raised in a deeply convictional Christian home, Spurgeon learned from his parents and grandparents the truth of the gospel. His father, John, served as a lay preacher among Congregationalists, and his mother, Eliza, intentionally taught her children the gospel. Yet his grandfather James, a Congregationalist preacher, proved one of the most influential individuals on the young man. Spurgeon lived with his grandparents for several years and had access to his grandfather’s library, which was filled with Puritan authors and their meditations on Christ. His early enthrallment with the Puritans continued throughout his life, and these saints of old formed his life, theologically and pastorally. As DiPrima explains, “Spurgeon’s childhood was deeply shaped by the gospel” (37). And yet he remained unconverted.
As Spurgeon matured, he faced growing anxiety about his future, his career, and his burden of sin. All this likely weighed on his mind as he walked into the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Colchester. On that snowy day in January 1850, Spurgeon heard the gospel from Isaiah 45:22, and God brought about new life. Spurgeon’s own account reveals this to be one of the most simplistic but effective sermons ever documented.
Spurgeon’s spiritual formation obviously didn’t stop there. As DiPrima shows, Spurgeon’s path to discipleship was marked by baptism and local church membership. Early on, people began to recognize talent in young Spurgeon, but it’s those like Mary King, a cook at the Newmarket school Spurgeon attended, who were keys to his spiritual maturity. Her piety and motherly guidance led him to write, “I do believe I learnt more from her than I should have learned from any six doctors of divinity of the sort we have nowadays” (52). In Spurgeon’s life, we see that ordinary people investing in young people through ordinary means can accomplish extraordinary purposes.
Committed to Doctrine
Spurgeon’s preaching ministry began shortly after his conversion. DiPrima writes that, unlike many beginner preachers, “Spurgeon’s first preaching experience was perhaps something like Bach’s first encounter with the organ or Michelangelo’s first efforts with a mallet and chisel, in the sense not only that in preaching Spurgeon discovered the work of his life but also that this was manifestly a matter of personal destiny” (59).
In Spurgeon’s life, we see that ordinary people investing in young people through ordinary means can accomplish extraordinary purposes.
Spurgeon went on to pastor Waterbeach Baptist Chapel north of Cambridge before being called to London to pastor the New Park Street Chapel, which became the Metropolitan Tabernacle. DiPrima’s chronological narrative relates important aspects of Spurgeon’s life and ministry, such as the challenges he faced in his early years as a pastor, and the joys of marriage and family. This exploration of his personal life benefits from recent interest in the life of his wife, Susie Spurgeon.
Much of this reflects the usual history of Spurgeon’s life. DiPrima’s unique contribution comes from his evaluative work as he helps us understand how Spurgeon’s ministry prefigures, in some ways, the best of modern evangelical ministry. For example, he argues that “Spurgeon’s preaching was Protestant, Puritan, Calvinist, Baptist, and evangelical” (153). “Undoubtedly,” DiPrima writes, “the depth of Spurgeon’s doctrine and the content contributed to the unusual power and appeal of his preaching” (159). Thus, it was the substance as much as his magnificent oratorical style that earned him the title “Prince of Preachers.”
Dedicated to Discipleship
Spurgeon was deeply invested in discipling others. Beyond his primary responsibilities as pastor at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he committed himself to ministries like the Pastors’ College, about which he said, “This is my life’s work, to which I believe God has called me” (169). How many of us have benefited from reading Lectures to My Students, which distills wisdom from his ministry to those young men?
The man seemed indefatigable. His courage and visionary leadership shone through challenges like the baptismal regeneration controversy in the mid-1860s, the formation of the Sword and the Trowel magazine, church planting, and the Stockwell Orphanage. Spurgeon’s final years were marked by the Downgrade Controversy in his denomination, the Baptist Union. DiPrima’s updated account of this turmoil reaffirms Spurgeon’s “characteristic commitment to conviction over pragmatism” (265).
It was the substance as much as his oratorical style that earned Spurgeon the title ‘Prince of Preachers.’
Through all this, Spurgeon endured substantial health struggles, including kidney issues, rheumatic gout, and depression. As DiPrima says, “Although he suffered greatly, he suffered successfully as a child of God. Much of his piety as a Christian and as a minister was forged in the fires of distress and affliction” (218). Spurgeon’s persistence in overwork due to his dedication to discipleship likely contributed to his early death at age 57.
It’s hard to summarize Spurgeon’s ministry’s influence and reach, which stretches to our contemporary moment. He accomplished more in his four decades of ministry than most could dream of. God is still working through his legacy as his story is retold, especially in well-researched and accessible volumes like this one. DiPrima’s biography offers a vivid and edifying portrayal of the Prince of Preachers, one that will stir readers’ affections for Christ while moving them to engage others with the gospel.
The Gospel Coalition