spurgeon's view of the millennium
DESCRIPTION
Historic PremillennialTRANSCRIPT
SPURGEON’S VIEW OF THE MILLENNIUM
________________
A Paper
Presented to
Dr. Samuel A. Dawson
Central Baptist Theological Seminary
________________
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
Theology of the Kingdom ST 824
_________________
by
Matthew C. Shrader
August 2010
iii
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1
I. SPURGEON’S MILLENNIAL POSITION ............................................................2
A. Eschatology in Spurgeon’s Day
B. Spurgeon on Eschatology
1. The Second Coming of Christ
2. The Resurrection
3. The Judgment
4. Israel in Eschatology
5. The Church in Eschatology
C. The Debate on Spurgeon’s Millennial Position
II. SPURGEON’S THEOLOGY ................................................................................15
A. The Focus of Theology to Spurgeon
B. The Purpose of Theology
III. SPURGEON AS PASTOR-EVANGELIST-EXEGETE ......................................19
A. The Ministry of Spurgeon
B. The Writing and Preaching of Spurgeon
C. Millennialism in Spurgeon’s Ministry
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................24
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................25
1
SPURGEON’S VIEW OF ESCHATOLOGY
Introduction
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) has been claimed by many, because of his
distinction and celebrity, as an advocate for a number of particular theological positions and
debates. One such debate centers on the understanding of the millennium. “Spurgeon did not
specialize in eschatology, but supporters of almost every eschatological position have appealed
to him as an authority to support their views.”1 For instance, Hulse and others within the
postmillennial camp have claimed Spurgeon as an ally.2 Also, Masters claims that Spurgeon
“would have stood much closer to amillennialism than to either of the other scenarios recognized
today.”3 Murray insists that Spurgeon’s millennial view is fundamentally uncertain.
4 However,
most would place Spurgeon in the premillennial camp.5
It is the thesis of this essay that Spurgeon said enough about eschatology and
millennialism to label him a premillennialist; but also, Spurgeon’s own words reveal that it was
not an eschatological viewpoint which was of prime importance to him. The importance of
1 Dennis M. Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” The Masters Seminary
Journal 7/2 (Fall 1996), 183.
2 Erroll Hulse, The Restoration of Israel (London: Henry E. Walter Ltd., 1968), 154.
3 Peter Masters, “Spurgeon’s Eschatology,” The Sword and Trowel (December 1989), 39.
4 Iain H. Murray, The Puritan Hope: A Study in Revival and the Interpretation of
Prophecy (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1971), 256-165.
5 David W. Bebbington, The Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age of Spurgeon and
Moody (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 194; Lewis A. Drummond, Spurgeon: Prince
of Preachers (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1992), 650; and John C. Whitcomb, “C. H.
Spurgeon, Biblical Inerrancy, and Premillennialism: A Review Article,” Grace Theological
Journal 7/2 (Fall 1986), 229-234).
2
eschatology was when an eschatological theme affected another doctrine especially important to
Spurgeon. This becomes evident when one understands Spurgeon’s eschatological position along
with the debate surrounding it, when one understands Spurgeon’s theology as a whole, and when
one understands Spurgeon as a pastor-evangelist-exegete rather than a theologian.
Spurgeon’s Millennial Position
Spurgeon spoke substantially concerning eschatology. Spurgeon’s own words show that
not only did Spurgeon write enough to be sure which millennial position he took, he was also
clear on the importance of such eschatological doctrine. While Spurgeon was not willing to be
overly dogmatic on the issues of eschatology, and was in fact critical of those who were, he
found certain issues of eschatology important.
Eschatology in Spurgeon’s Day6
In Spurgeon’s day, eschatology, and more specifically millennialism, was a widespread
issue. There were many who wrote on the subject and therefore many viewpoints. It is important
to see that the major millennial viewpoints of today were also apparent in Spurgeon’s day.
Whitcomb presents evidence that though the eschatology of Spurgeon’s day was less
developed than today, Spurgeon could have still had reading access to a highly developed
premillennial eschatology. “Even in Spurgeon’s day, however, Henry Alford (1810-1871), the
dean of Canterbury, in his monumental four-volume edition of the Greek New Testament,
6 Much of the structure of this section is adapted from Swanson, “The Millennial Position
of Spurgeon,” 186-188.
3
insisted that the thousand-year reign of Christ following his Second Coming as described in
Revelation 20 be understood literally.”7
Writing in the nineteenth century, West gave a “History of Pre-Millennial Doctrine” and
mentioned the doctrines which premillennialism opposed:
Thus does pre-millennialism become a protest against the doctrine of the
unbroken evolution of the Kingdom of God to absolute perfection on earth, apart from
the visible and miraculous intervention of Christ. And equally is it a protest against that
vapid idealism which volatizes the perfect kingdom into a spiritual abstraction, apart
from the regenesis of the earth. It asserts that the literal is always the last and highest
fulfillment of prophecy.8
Thus, premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism were all identified in 1878, by
West, as millennial options.
Before Spurgeon’s lifetime, in the eighteenth century, amillennialism and
postmillennialism were the two prevailing eschatological views. “What could be identified as
amillennialism represented the official positions of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church
of England, although there was latitude within Anglicanism for a wide spectrum on
eschatological views.”9 Postmillennialism was the more influential among the evangelicals.
It is clear that the Evangelical world was far from unanimous on the matter. Yet William
Carey, explicitly appealing to Edwards, held that no fulfillment of prophecy would
intervene before the conversion of the heathen that would usher in the millennium…The
postmillennial theory was evidently widespread. Evangelicals shared high hopes for the
future with their contemporaries.10
7 Whitcomb, “C. H. Spurgeon, Biblical Inerrancy, and Premillennialism: A Review
Article,” 233.
8 Nathaniel West, “History of the Pre-Millennial Doctrine,” Premillennial Essays of the
Prophetic Conference held in the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York City, with an Appendix
of Critical Testimonies, Nathaniel West, ed. (reprint of F. H. Revell, 1879, Minneapolis: Bryant
Baptist Publications, 1981), 315.
9 Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 187.
10 David W. Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730’s to
the 1980’s (New York: Routledge, 2005), 62-63.
4
The nineteenth century saw a significant shift to the premillennial camp. 11
“The
significance of the emerging premillennial position lay less in its expectation of a coming
millennium than in its confidence in the imminent return of Christ.”12
Premillennialism was
making inroads into the established churches which had been largely amillennial. “By the end of
the [nineteenth] century premillennialism was part of Evangelical Anglican Orthodoxy.”13
Premillennialism was split into two groups, the “historicist premillennial” and the “futurist
premillennial.”14
“The ‘historicist’ most clearly identified with the historical/covenantal
premillennial position and the ‘futurist’ with the dispensational premillennialist.”15
The
dispensational view, following J. N. Darby, was the minority viewpoint.16
Because of his wide reading Spurgeon interacted with the prevailing eschatological
viewpoints held during the nineteenth century. The theological debates of the nineteenth century
encompassed millennial positions and Spurgeon himself was evidently aware of this in his book
Commenting and Commentaries.17
11
Cf. Ernest R. Sandeen, The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American
Millenarianism, 1800-1930 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009). Also, George M.
Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture, 2nd
ed. (New York: Oxford University Press,
2006), 4-7; Idem, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids: William
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 39-41.
12 Ibid, 83. Bebbington attributes the rise of premillennialism and “Adventism” to the
prevailing Romantic temperament. “Adventism was a symptom of Romanticism” (85).
13 Idem, The Dominance of Evangelicalism, 193.
14 Idem, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, 85-86.
15 Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 188.
16 Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, 86.
17 C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries: Two Lectures Addressed to the
Students of The Pastor’s College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, together with a Catalogue of
5
Spurgeon on Eschatology
The focus of Spurgeon’s theology, preaching, writing, and overall ministry was largely
on Christ and seeing people come to Christ. Eschatology was not the focus of Spurgeon, yet
because it was a biblical topic, Spurgeon spoke on it. “It is clear that even if Spurgeon’s
statement on matters of “the second advent, the millennial reign, or the first and second
resurrection were infrequent, they were not imprecise. Spurgeon understood all the features of
eschatology presented in Scripture, although he did not devote much time to their chronological
arrangement.”18
Spurgeon was clear on his attitude toward prophecy:
I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet; neither do I profess to be able to
explain all the prophecies in this blessed Book…Yet there are some things which are
plain even to the most superficial reader…It is also certain that the Jews, as a people, will
yet own Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, as their King, and that they will return to
their own land…It is also certain that our Lord Jesus Christ will come again to this earth,
and that he will reign amongst his ancients gloriously, and that there will be a thousand
years of joy and peace such as were never known on this earth before. It is also certain
that there will be a great and general judgment, when all nations shall be gathered before
the Son of man sitting upon the throne of his glory…How all these great events are to be
chronologically arranged, I cannot tell. This I know—for I have read a multitude of books
upon this subject, and of making them there is practically no end,---all the authors seem
to me to be wonderfully wise in confuting one another, but not to be so successful in
establishing their own theories. Therefore am I content to believe what I see to be clearly
taught in the Scriptures, and to leave to abler minds than my own the arrangement of the
various events in some sort of historical sequence.19
Spurgeon was willing to hold to certain eschatological points, yet he was cautious
concerning which ones he was willing to elaborate upon. Drummond makes the point that
Spurgeon “refused to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing, for example, the
Biblical Commentaries and Expositions (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1887). Spurgeon gives
four categories of apocalyptic prophecy: preterists, continuists, simple futurists, and extreme
futurists.
18 Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 189.
19 C. H. Spurgeon, “The Harvest and the Vintage,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit
50:553-554.
6
relationship of the rapture to the tribulation period, or like points of eschatological nuance…He
kept to the basics of future things.”20
Yet, we are still able to piece together what many of
Spurgeon’s views were.
Hayden notes that Spurgeon did not elaborate on many issues of eschatology because “he
thought it better to keep to the gospel plan of salvation in his preaching,”21
Hayden notes that
Spurgeon emphasized the need to be ready for “Christ’s imminent pre-millennial return.”22
Drummond acknowledges Spurgeon’s premillennialism but adds that there are “several
qualifications that need to be made concerning C. H. Spurgeon’s premillennialism.”23
Drummond further presents five eschatological themes in Spurgeon’s writings: “the resurrection,
the second coming of Christ, judgment, hell and heaven.”24
Swanson posits that Spurgeon has an identifiable position on four eschatological points.
These four points are: “the church would experience the tribulation, the millennial kingdom
would be the culmination of God’s program for the church, a thousand years would separate the
resurrection of the just from that of the unjust, and the Jews in the kingdom would be part of the
20
Drummond, Spurgeon, 650. In Drummond’s exposition of Spurgeon’s theology in:
“Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” Theologians of the Baptist Tradition, Timothy George and David
S. Dockery, eds. (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2001), 115-136, Drummond does not
mention Spurgeon’s eschatology.
21 Eric W. Hayden, Searchlight on Spurgeon: Spurgeon “Speaks For Himself”
(Pasadena: Pilgrim Publications, 1973), 231-232.
22 Ibid, 232. “Such was his simple faith, then: the Lord was coming again and he, Charles
Haddon Spurgeon, must be found waiting, watching and working. Beyond that he did not go. He
did not consider himself an eschatological expert” (233).
23 Drummond, Spurgeon, 650. Drummond notes Spurgeon was anti-dispensational and he
firmly opposed those who were date-setters and predictors.
24 Ibid, 651.
7
one people of God with the church.”25
Furthermore, Swanson argues these four points place
Spurgeon within the historic premillennial camp.
Spurgeon spoke, however sparingly, specifically about millennial views, although mainly
premillennialism. It is because he spoke about a number of specific eschatological issues, as
indicated above, that Spurgeon’s eschatological position can be determined.
The Second Coming of Christ
Of all the eschatological themes found in Spurgeon’s works, the second coming of Christ
was of particular importance to Spurgeon because of its relationship to the individual’s salvation.
It was one of the few eschatological themes of which Spurgeon was confident:
The more I study the Bible, the more sure I am of two things which I cannot reconcile;
first, that Christ will come at such an hour as men look not for him, and may come now;
and secondly, that the gospel is to be preached in all nations, and that “all the ends of the
earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord.” I do not know which of the two things I am
surest of; neither do I know how to reconcile them; but they are both in the Word, and in
due time they will be reconciled by history itself.26
Spurgeon repeatedly spoke on the second coming of Christ. “He believed, on the
authority of the Word of God, that Christ Jesus would one day return to earth literally,
corporally, visibly, in power and great glory. He delighted to set this forth as the Blessed Hope of
the Church, and to call his people to preparedness and watchfulness for their Returning King.”27
Spurgeon’s own words show his belief in the second coming. “The whole earth shall yet be
25
Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 183.
26 C. H. Spurgeon, “The Sure Triumph of the Crucified One,” The Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit 21:249.
27 Ernest W. Bacon, Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1968), 118-119.
8
subdued for Christ, and honoured are they, who shall, through grace, have a share in the
conquest—these shall reign with Christ at his coming.”28
Spurgeon stated many times that the second coming of Christ would be premillennial.
“Some think that this descent of the Lord will be post-millennial—that is, after the thousand
years of his reign. I cannot think so. I conceive that the advent will be pre-millennial; that he will
come first; and then will come the millennium as the result of his personal reign upon the
earth.”29
In his sermons, Spurgeon repeatedly taught a premillennial return of Christ to the
earth.30
When going through the Down-Grade Controversy, Spurgeon signed a doctrinal
statement which closed: “Our hope is the Personal Pre-Millennial Return of the Lord Jesus in
glory.”31
The clear statements of Spurgeon, as well as numerous inferences, show that he
identified himself as looking forward to the premillennial return of Christ.
28
C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: An Original Exposition of the Book of Psalms;
a Collection of Illustrative Extracts From the Whole Range of Literature; A Series of Homiletical
Hints upon Almost Every Verse; And Lists of Writers upon Each Psalm, 6 Vols. (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1950, 3:322.
29 C. H. Spurgeon, “Justification and Glory,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 11:249.
30 Cf., e.g., C. H. Spurgeon, “The Holy Ghost—The Great Teacher,” The New Park Street
Pulpit 1:385; “Israel in Egypt,” The New Park Street Pulpit,” 2:237; “Plenteous Redemption,”
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 7:30; “The Two Advents of Christ,” The Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit 8:39; “Things to Come,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 15:329; “The
Unbroken Line of True Nobles,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 21:595; “The Divine Call
for Missionaries,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 23:246-247; “Receiving the Holy
Ghost,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 30:395; “The Ascension and The Second Advent
Practically Considered,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 31:23; “The Form of Godliness
Without the Power,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 35:301;
31 “Mr. Spurgeon’s Confession of Faith,” The Sword and Trowel 26 (August 1891): 446.
Cf. Iain H. Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon (London: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1966), 218-
220. Debate has risen as to whether this confession is a true statement of the belief of Spurgeon.
Masters, “Spurgeon’s Eschatology,” 28, downplays the significance of the signing. However,
doubting Spurgeon’s sincerity is unfounded. Cf. Swanson, “The Millennial Position of
Spurgeon,” 200; Whitcomb, “C. H. Spurgeon, Biblical Inerrancy, and Premillennialism,” 234.
9
The Resurrection
Spurgeon looked upon resurrection as a great promise given to the believer and
condemnation to the unbeliever. “He absolutely believed in the resurrection of the dead, both of
the just and the unjust. That is to say, he believed in the resurrection of the saints, and secondly
in a resurrection of sinners.”32
Spurgeon’s words make this clear:
Many of you believe you will have a body in heaven, but you think it will be an airy
fantastic body, instead of believing that it will be a body like to this—flesh and blood
(although not the same kind of flesh, for all flesh is not the same flesh), a solid,
substantial body, even such as we have here. And there are yet fewer of you who believe
that the wicked will have bodies in hell…But if ye were Christians as ye profess to be, ye
would believe that every mortal man who ever existed shall not only live by the
immortality of his soul, but his body shall live again, that the very flesh in which he now
walks the earth is as eternal as the soul, and shall exist forever.33
It is also clear that Spurgeon saw a period of time between the resurrection of the just and unjust.
I think that the Word of God teaches, and teaches indisputably, that the saints
shall rise first. And be the interval of time whatever it may, whether the thousand years
are literal years, or a very long period of time, I am not now about to determine; I have
nothing to do except with the fact that there are two resurrections, a resurrection of the
just, and afterwards of the unjust,--a time when the saints of God shall rise, and after time
when the wicked shall rise to the resurrection of damnation.34
Again, the statements of Spurgeon himself show that he firmly believed in a resurrection
of the just followed by a resurrection of the unjust, supporting Spurgeon as premillennial.
The Judgment
Given the previous statements regarding the resurrection of the just and unjust, it is easy
to see that Spurgeon also saw a judgment. Speaking on the resurrections and the judgments to
follow, Spurgeon said:
32
Drummond, Spurgeon, 651.
33 C. H. Spurgeon, “The Resurrection of the Dead,” The New Park Street Pulpit, 2:98.
34 Idem, “The First Resurrection,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 7:346.
10
Now we believe and hold that Christ shall come a second time suddenly, to raise his
saints at the first resurrection; this shall be the commencement of the grand judgment,
and they shall reign with him afterwards. The rest of the dead live not till the thousand
years are finished. Then they shall rise from their tombs and they shall receive the deeds
which they have done in the body.35
Part of the judgment is the resultant dwelling of the individual. Spurgeon had much to say
about heaven for the believer and hell for the unbeliever. He considered heaven and hell both
literal places where people will dwell eternally.36
Speaking on the topic of hell, Spurgeon said:
I am not like yon flatterers who tell you that there is a little hell and a little God, from
which you naturally infer that you may live as you like. Both you and they will perish
everlastingly if you believe them. There is a dreadful hell, for there is a righteous God.
Turn ye to him, I entreat you, while yet in Christ Jesus he sets mercy before you. He is
the God of salvation, and entreats you to come and accept of his great grace in Christ
Jesus.37
Spurgeon spoke on the topic of eternal destiny often, with the majority of instances
describing heaven. He believed both were real places to be contemplated.
Israel in Eschatology
Spurgeon also spoke upon the future of Israel.38
Spurgeon agreed that the people of Israel
would literally return to their land. Preaching on Ezekiel 37:1-10, Spurgeon said: “The meaning
of our text, as opened up by the context, is most evidently, if words mean anything, first, that
35
Idem, “The Two Advents of Christ,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 8:39.
36 Hayden, Searchlight on Spurgeon, 197-209. Hayden makes the point that Spurgeon did
not preach on hell near as much as he did on heaven. “The solemn alternatives of heaven or hell
were fairly and fearlessly placed before his congregation but he did not attempt to frighten
people into the kingdom by vivid descriptions of hell” (206).
37 C. H. Spurgeon, “The Royal Prerogative,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit,
26:120.
38 Cf. Dennis M. Swanson, “Charles Spurgeon and the Restoration of Israel: A Non-
Dispensational Approach” (paper presented at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological
Society, Nashville, TN, November 15-17, 2000). Swanson argues that Spurgeon believed in a
literal, national restoration to the Promised Land. Swanson also shows that Spurgeon was
influenced by the “Restoration Movement” begun by some Puritans.
11
there shall be a political restoration of the Jews to their own land and to their own nationality;
and then, secondly, that there shall be a spiritual restoration, a conversion in fact, of the tribes
of Israel.”39
Spurgeon clarifies that there will be a king ruling literally over the people of Israel in
their land.
The Church in Eschatology
It is significant that Spurgeon rejected the dispensational understanding of the distinction
between Israel and the church.
Distinctions have been drawn by certain exceedingly wise men (measured by their own
estimate of themselves), between the people of God who lived before the coming of
Christ, and those who lived afterwards. We have even heard it asserted that those who
lived before the coming of Christ do not belong to the Church of God! We never know
what we shall hear next, and perhaps it is a mercy that these absurdities are revealed one
at a time, in order that we may be able to endure their stupidity without dying of
amazement…These who knew Christ’s day before it came, had a great difference as to
what they knew, and perhaps in the same measure a difference as to what they enjoyed
while on earth meditating upon Christ; but they were all washed in the same blood, all
redeemed with the same ransom price, and made members of the same body.40
Spurgeon clearly rejected and considered harmful this distinction of dispensationalism.
It is evident that we have enough evidence to formulate which position Spurgeon took on
the millennium. Recent research has shown that Spurgeon can be confidently placed within the
premillennial camp.41
Spurgeon taught that the premillennial kingdom would follow after the
return of Christ to the earth. He taught a clear delineation between the resurrections of the just
and unjust separated by the kingdom of Christ. Spurgeon taught that Israel would be part of the
39
C. H. Spurgeon, “The Restoration and the Conversion of the Jews,” The Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit, 10:428, italics his.
40 Idem, “Jesus Christ Immutable,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 15:8.
41 The most thorough and convincing treatment advocating any viewpoint is for
premillennialism contained in: Dennis M. Swanson, Charles H. Spurgeon and Eschatology: Did
He Have a Discernable Millennial Position? (M.Div. thesis: The Masters Seminary, 1994).
12
one people of God along with the church. Spurgeon was clear that dispensationalism, which
distinguishes between Israel and the Church, was absurd. With these points considered we can
say that Swanson is correct in identifying Spurgeon as part of the historic premillennial position.
What then is to be made of the debate surrounding Spurgeon’s millennial position?
The Debate on Spurgeon’s Millennial Position
Masters claims Spurgeon to be amillennial. Masters presents a large number of
quotations of Spurgeon and concludes that Spurgeon “would have stood much closer to
amillennialism.”42
There are a couple issues with Masters’ article. In presenting Spurgeon’s
position, Masters notes that Spurgeon rejected dispensational millennialism. “According to
Spurgeon, as the saints took up their everlasting abode on the glorified earth with their savior, the
millennial reign would begin. This, however, would not be a millennium like that expected by
dispensationalists. Spurgeon’s millennium would not be interrupted by any resurgence of evil.”43
As Swanson notes, Masters falsely concludes that this means a rejection of all
premillennialism.44
The more serious problem with Masters’ article pertains to the quotations of Spurgeon.
“Most of the statements of Mr. Spurgeon are plain enough and one of our chief worries about the
article is that Dr. Masters frequently distorts and reinterprets the plain meaning to fit the
42
Masters, “Spurgeon’s Eschatology,” 28.
43 Ibid, 39.
44 Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 202. “However, dispensationalists
are not the only ones that foresee a rebellion at the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:7-9); historic
premillennialists do too, and even postmillenarian Charles Hodge taught a rebellion at the end of
the thousand years to be quelled by the personal return of Christ!”
13
conjecture about his prophetical views.”45
Swanson presents numerous instances of Masters
editing quotations of Spurgeon and changing the meaning of what Spurgeon was saying to be
more conducive to Masters’ thesis.46
On these grounds Masters’ thesis is rejected. Considering
this and considering the premillennial characteristics of Spurgeon, Spurgeon cannot be identified
as amillennial.
The disagreement over classifying Spurgeon has also led Murray to claim that Spurgeon
did not hold to a discernable position. “There was, as he admits, a fundamental uncertainty in his
mind which showed itself in various ways.”47
Therefore, “as Spurgeon would himself have been
the first to say, no one should go to him to clarify their thinking on unfulfilled prophecy.”48
Contrary to Murray’s claim of uncertainty, Spurgeon can be confidently called a
premillennialist. Murray claims that there is “another strand running through [Spurgeon’s]
sermons—what may be called the main strand of Puritan prophetic thought.”49
Murray argues
that the Puritan influence upon Spurgeon shows itself in the emphasis upon gospel preaching and
the Christian’s expectation of triumph in Spurgeon. Murray further claims that this is consistent
with postmillennialism but not premillennialism. Murray offers three reasons which may explain
this uncertainty. First, Spurgeon experienced large numbers of conversions in his early ministry
which caused Spurgeon to be “more inclined to emphasize and preach the traditional Puritan
45
C. W. H. Griffiths, “Spurgeon’s Eschatology,” Watching and Waiting 23/15 (July-
September 1990), 228.
46 Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon, 202-204. See also Swanson, Charles
H. Spurgeon and Eschatology: Did He Have a Discernable Millennial Position?, for more
examples of Masters’ mishandling of Spurgeon’s work.
47 Murray, The Puritan Hope, 263.
48 Ibid, 264.
49 Ibid, 257.
14
hope which he had imbibed during his upbringing and youth.”50
Second, Murray shows that
Spurgeon disliked certain premillennialists, namely the Plymouth Brethren.51
Third, “Spurgeon
was deliberately open in acknowledging the limitations of his understanding.”52
Murray’s thesis that Spurgeon had uncertainty over which position to take has been
criticized.53
Murray ignores the many clear statements of Spurgeon rejecting postmillennialism.
Also, to reject dispensationalism does not conclude a rejection of premillennialism in some
form.54
Griffiths’ conclusion concerning Murray is correct: “Unable to claim him as a
postmillennialist, [Murray] was unwilling to concede him to be a pre-millennialist.”55
The difference of opinion upon Spurgeon’s eschatological position and the evidence
needed to determine Spurgeon’s position offers important evidence supporting the thesis of this
essay. Spurgeon repeatedly claimed that he did not consider himself an authority on
eschatological issues. He derided those who were overly dogmatic on certain eschatological
themes. Furthermore, Spurgeon found prophetic preaching to be distracting to the preaching of
50
Ibid, 260.
51 Swanson notes: “Spurgeon was not against all Brethren. The Plymouth Brethren split
between John Nelson Darby and B. W. Newton, Darby and his followers being called the
“Exclusive Brethren” and Newton’s group the “Open Brethren” or “Bethesda Group.”
Spurgeon’s differences with the “Exclusive” branch were larger, but he maintained warm
relations with many in the “Open” school, including B. W. Newton and George Mueller. Even
among the “Exclusive” group he respected the commentaries William Kelly and C. H.
Mackintosh, though he usually differed with their conclusions.” Swanson, “The Millennial
Position of Spurgeon,” 207, n. 98.
52 Murray, The Puritan Hope, 262.
53 Cf. Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 206. Also, Masters, “Spurgeon’s
Eschatology,” “The Problem with Mr. Murray’s assessment is that it is based on too few of
Spurgeon’s eschatological statements” (28).
54 Ibid, 207-208.
55 Griffiths, “Spurgeon’s Eschatology,” 226.
15
the Gospel. Therefore, it can be said that Spurgeon did not consider one’s eschatological position
to be of primary significance. Spurgeon’s eschatological position may be delineated, but it
became of prime importance to Spurgeon only when it crossed the border into issues central in
the theology of Spurgeon, to which we must now turn.
Spurgeon’s Theology
Spurgeon understood theology to be an essential part of ministry. “Spurgeon obviously
held strong theological convictions.”56
Within that theology, Spurgeon held a few doctrines
supreme. While Spurgeon’s vast writings contain references to nearly all theological discussion,
certain doctrines were primary to Spurgeon. These primary doctrines were the driving force
behind the rest of his theology and also his ministry. These issues will be discussed and will
show that eschatology and the millennium must be understood as a resultant part of Spurgeon’s
overall theology, but not as a primary motivator.
The Focus of Theology to Spurgeon
Like many in the last few centuries, Spurgeon was heavily influenced by the Puritans.
“Charles Haddon Spurgeon was completely moulded and fashioned by those spiritual giants of
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Puritans. He stood in their noble tradition, in the
direct line of their theology and outlook.”57
Many agree that Spurgeon was heavily influenced by
the Puritan’s spirituality and theology.58
As a result, Spurgeon was fiercely committed to
56
Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 120. Drummond highlights the influence of
the Puritans upon Spurgeon and remarks that it influenced key aspects of his theology.
57 Bacon, Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans, 102.
58 Ibid, 108. “He was a great reader and collector of Puritan works and at his death there
were 12,000 volumes in his library, among which 7,000 were Puritan books.”
16
Calvinism.59
This became his system of theology, yet he refused to be limited to a system. While
many of the Puritans were considered to be “high Calvinists,” Spurgeon held to a moderate view
of Calvinism and was very understanding of Arminian views.60
He firmly believed that the Bible
taught election as well as the need to evangelize. “Perhaps that is why he prayed in the
Metropolitan Tabernacle, ‘Lord, call out your elect, and then elect some more.’ Well known is
the pungent retort to a person who asked him how he reconciled the ideas: ‘I do not try to
reconcile friends.’”61
The key theological tenets of Calvinism, as Spurgeon understood them, became central in
his theology. “He firmly believed in divine election and predestination. He was convinced the
Bible taught it, so he preached it. At the same time he tenaciously held to the necessity of human
response—and human responsibility to respond. He firmly believed that people must repent and
believe.”62
Spurgeon’s emphasis upon these few issues made him effective and popular. “To
those Baptists who are in sympathy with the combination of Calvinistic theology, Puritan
59
Cf. William H. Brackney, A Genetic History of Baptist Thought: With Special
Reference to Baptists in Britain and North America (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2004),
152-153.
60 Hayden, Searchlight on Spurgeon, 70-76. See also Bebbington, Evangelicalism and
Modern Britain, 63-65, Bebbington points especially to Andrew Fuller and his Gospel Worthy of
All Acceptance as a British formulation of moderate Calvinism in the midst of Puritan influence.
Fuller was heavily influenced by Jonathan Edwards in his own thinking on this subject (E. P.
Clipsham, “Andrew Fuller and Fullerism: a Study in Evangelical Calvinism,” The Baptist
Quarterly 20, 1963-64).
61 Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 122.
62 Ibid.
17
morality, and evangelistic fervor which they discover in him, Spurgeon has become something of
an ideal.”63
Another key factor in his theology was that he heavily relied upon the Scriptures as the
source of his power. “If one seeks a summary of Spurgeon’s tremendous power in ministry and
the essence of his theology, one must obviously look to his confidence in and use of the Bible.”64
The source of authority was a central issue for Spurgeon and he found his authority in the Bible.
“To me a sentence of Scripture is the essence of logic, the proof positive, the word which may
not be questioned. Eyes and ears may be doubted, but not the written word, inspired of the Holy
Ghost.”65
The Bible was the source of all theology for Spurgeon and the true test for all other
sources. He found much of Puritan theology to be in accord with the Bible and thus profitable.66
“The Bible and the Puritans formed his theology, and he did not depart from it one hairsbreadth
all his life.”67
Puritan spirituality/theology, Calvinism, and Biblical authority were central in
Spurgeon’s theology.
The Purpose of Theology
While theology had a focus for Spurgeon, he also considered theology to have a purpose.
This purpose is shown through the logical outflow of his theological emphases. Theology was
63
Robert G. Torbet, A History of the Baptists, 3rd
ed. (Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2009),
115.
64 Ibid, 134.
65 C. H. Spurgeon, “Jehovah Hath Spoke: Will Ye Not Hear?” The Metropolitan
Tabernacle Pulpit, 29:605.
66 Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 120. “He confessed, ‘I have been charged
with being a mere echo of the Puritans, but I had rather be the echo of truth than the voice of
falsehood.’”
67 Bacon, Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans, 109.
18
not to consume you with details, but rather theology was to lead you to change and to conform
your life to Jesus Christ. Spurgeon, though, was not first of all a theologian. The first sermon
which Spurgeon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle shows Spurgeon’s approach:
...if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply—“It is Jesus Christ.” My
venerable predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a body of divinity, admirable and excellent in its
way; but the body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself for ever, God helping
me, is not his system of divinity or any other human treatise, but Jesus Christ, who is the
sum and substance of the gospel; who is in himself all theology, the incarnation of every
precious truth, the all-glorious embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life.68
This quote shows the influence of his theology in the mind of Spurgeon. Central issues in
his theology gave purpose to his ministry. This was consistent through the duration of
Spurgeon’s ministry.69
Spurgeon’s focus was always upon Christ and seeing others come to
know the Savior who was so real to him. “He really believed, as all the Calvinistic Puritans
before him; that everyone needed Christ and he was absolutely convinced the Lord Jesus Christ
stood as sufficient for all the elect. That constitutes the core of his theology.”70
It was also the
significant theological motivation for his ministry.
Eschatology and millennialism were a part of Spurgeon’s theology because he was so
well read and because he preached on such a broad range of topics. When Spurgeon preached
from a text containing eschatological issues, he would comment briefly on what he thought it
68
C. H. Spurgeon, “The First Sermon in the Tabernacle,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, 7:169.
69 Cf. C. H. Spurgeon, “The Child Samuel’s Prayer,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, 10:484; “The Great Attraction,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 13:575; “The
Fulness of Jesus the Treasury of the Saints,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 15:124; “Soul-
Satisfying Bread,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 19:286-287; “The Apple Tree in the
Wood,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 19:381; “Shiloh,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, 20:94.
70 Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 124.
19
meant, but he always sought the chance to turn the subject back to Christ. Of the vast number of
sermons that Spurgeon preached, he mostly stayed away from key eschatological passages.
Interestingly and in keeping with his avoidance of prophetic preaching, he only preached
two sermons in his entire ministry with a primary text in Revelation 20, admittedly the
key passage on the millennium. He preached on Revelation 20:4-6, 12 (skipping over
verses one might have wished him to comment upon) in an 1861 sermon and Revelation
20:11 in 1866. He also never preached from any portion of Daniel 12 and the
interpretation of the first two verses.71
Spurgeon spoke enough to be able to determine his stance on certain eschatological
issues. He also spoke enough to determine his attitude toward eschatological issues. However,
Spurgeon found evangelism to be a much more pressing issue to preach and focus upon.
Spurgeon as Pastor-Evangelist-Exegete
Millennialism was not a driving factor on the theology of Spurgeon; therefore it was also
not a driving factor upon his ministry. A brief look at Spurgeon’s ministry will evidence as
much. Because of his Puritanical influence and his outlook upon Scripture, Spurgeon’s theology
was a theology driven toward evangelism. This theology, then, provided the motivation for his
consuming ministry. Spurgeon’s ministry grew out of his basic theology.”72
Spurgeon was not first of all a theologian, which is not to say that he was no theologian.
Spurgeon was at heart a pastor, evangelist, and exegete. Spurgeon had a well-rounded grasp on
literature and theology,73
but it was “a ‘theology of the road’ (that is, it must “work” in practical
71
Swanson, “The Millennial Position of Spurgeon,” 194.
72 Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 124.
73 “The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be
quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of
his own.” C. H. Spurgeon, “Paul-His Cloak and His Books,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit, 9:668.
20
ministry).”74
Theology without practical ramification comprised vanity in the eyes of Spurgeon.
This practical focus led Spurgeon’s theology and ministry.
The Ministry of Spurgeon
Spurgeon was a man of immense talent and responsibility. The various ministries of
Spurgeon demanded a great amount of work from him which he was able to keep up with all his
life.75
The multi-faceted ministry of Spurgeon has become legend. Spurgeon was more than a
pastor.
He established a theological school, founded an orphanage, fostered hundreds of
churches, directed the operations of twenty-one city mission halls, counseled with
innumerable inquirers, and baptized ten thousand persons into his London congregation.
He published about four thousand sermons, sales of individual sermons totaled about
25,000 copies per week, and the sermons were translated into forty languages. They
remain in print today as the greatest body of evangelical literature by any one author in
the English-speaking world and still outsell most others.76
Spurgeon sought to have a ministry that reached the spiritual needs of a person as well as
the physical needs. “Spurgeon was a great philanthropist who encouraged others in their work,
people like John Groom working for disabled people and Charles Montacute who worked in
74
Drummond, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 124.
75 Cf. Charles H. Spurgeon, The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon: Compiled from
His Diary, Letters, and Records by His Wife and His Private Secretary: Four Volumes
(Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, nd.), IV: 63-91. These pages highlight “A
Typical Week’s Work.” Spurgeon’s wife notes: “The week must consist of seven days, for the
Day of Rest was, in many respects, the beloved preacher’s busiest time; and, although he often
tried hard to get a Sabbath for himself on the Wednesday. The ever-increasing and not always
reasonable requests for services, all over the kingdom, frequently encroached upon the brief
period of relaxation to which he was rightfully entitled, and which the claims of health
imperatively demanded. He was, perhaps, all the more willingly to take a long holiday in the
winter because he had toiled so strenuously and almost continuously through all the other
months of the year; though it must be recorded that, during his seasons of rest, he probably did as
much as most men do when in full work” (64).
76 Craig Skinner, “The Preaching of Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” Baptist History and
Heritage 19 no 4 Oct 1984, 17.
21
London for forty years among the destitute slum children.”77
He knew that a ministry such as a
well-run orphanage could provide growth on both physical and spiritual levels. “He knew that
handicapped boys and girls needed more than a roof and four walls; they needed a “homely”
atmosphere with Christian supervision that would develop and foster Christian character and
values.”78
At the heart of Spurgeon’s ministries was the need for people to know Jesus Christ.
“Spurgeon used many evangelistic means and methods of addressing people with the Gospel, but
nothing replaced the actual preaching of Christ.”79
The core of Spurgeon’s theology drove his
ministry. Seeing a sinner come to know Christ was the focus of Spurgeon. His ministries, and
much of his energy, were geared toward accomplishing that end. He cared above all else to fulfill
his evangelistic mission, the natural result of his theology.
The Writing and Preaching of Spurgeon
Spurgeon’s writing and preaching also evidenced his theological emphasis. The
published sermons of The New Park Street and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit form sixty-
three volumes of between fifty-two to sixty sermons in each volume. New sermons were
published consistently until 1917, twenty-five years after his death. Despite this voluminous
resource, “it must be remembered that he preached at his Church three times every week and
only one of the three messages reached the press each week during his life. Thus a great backlog
of his sermons sat ready for publication. Even today there have been reports of other sermon
77
Roger Hayden, English Baptist History and Heritage, Second Edition (Milton under
Wychwood, United Kingdom: Nigel Lynn Publishing & Marketing Ltd, 2005), 147.
78 Eric W. Hayden, A Centennial History of Spurgeon’s Tabernacle (Pasadena, TX:
Pilgrim Publications, 1992), 22.
79 Drummond, Spurgeon, 289.
22
manuscripts being unearthed.”80
In addition to the sermons of Spurgeon, “he produced one
hundred thirty-five books and edited another twenty-eight.”81
The output of Spurgeon’s ministry
was staggering.
At heart, Spurgeon was a preacher and evangelist. “Spurgeon was an expository preacher
par excellence. He preached from every book of the Bible and from some passages many times.
A study of the index of texts of any of the annual volumes will show how he drew his themes
from all parts of Scripture.”82
The preaching of Spurgeon covered a vast array of topics;
however, the preaching of Spurgeon always came back to the cross of Christ and the grace made
available to the sinner.83
Spurgeon committed “himself to a clear communication of the biblical doctrine of
grace.”84
As has been said already, the person of Jesus Christ was at the center of everything that
Spurgeon did, especially preaching.85
“It can be said that the theological core that permeated
Spurgeon’s preaching from beginning to end centered in the Christocentric nature of his
theology. The preaching of Christ stood at the very heart of his preaching ministry.”86
80
Drummond, Spurgeon, 320.
81 Skinner, “The Preaching of Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 18.
82 Bacon, Spurgeon: Heir of the Puritans, 81.
83 R. Albert Mohler Jr., “A Bee-Line to the Cross: The Preaching of Charles H.
Spurgeon,” Preaching 8 (Nov/Dec 1992), 25-26, 28-30.
84 Skinner, “The Preaching of Charles Haddon Spurgeon,” 16.
85 Hayden, Searchlight on Spurgeon, 83. “It was, of course, the apostolic pattern of
preaching Christ and Him crucified that he recommended and practiced himself (those words
were also incorporated upon the insignia upon the cover of the bound volumes of The
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit—“We preach Christ and Him crucified”—with a picture of
Moses holding up the brass serpent on the pole.”
86 Drummond, Spurgeon, 288.
23
The work of Spurgeon was focused on evangelism and practical ministry. His preaching
was similarly focused. Spurgeon sought to proclaim Christ.
Spurgeon has never been seen as a systematic theologian in the strict sense; yet,
something of a systematic Christology can be derived from his many sermons and
writings. At the same time, it must be held in mind that shot through it all a very practical
and experiential element predominated. He did not preach doctrine merely for doctrine’s
sake. He did not declare his views on the person of Jesus Christ as a simple display of
orthodoxy. He always lifted up who Jesus Christ was and what He did so that people
might be attracted to Him as Lord and Savior.87
Millennialism in Spurgeon’s Ministry
The place of millennialism within his overall ministry was very low. Spurgeon did not
see millennialism as a prime theological motivator and he considered practical ministry and the
preaching of the gospel to be of infinite more worth than ruminating upon prophecy.
My dear friends, if you have any time to spare, and cannot find any practical work
for Jesus, study the dark places of prophecy, but do not read modern prophetical works,
for that is a sheer waste of time and nothing better. Hold off as you would from a serpent
from the idea that the study of prophecy or preaching of prophecy is the gospel, for the
belief that it is so, is mischievous beyond conception. The gospel which is to be
vehemently declared is this:--“God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
So long as London is reeking with sin, and millions are going down to hell, let us leave
others to prophesy, let us go with anxious hearts to seek after souls, and see if we cannot
by the Spirit’s power win sinners from going down into the pit.88
It is clear that Spurgeon prioritized evangelism and practical work above that of
theological meticulousness. Prophecy and millennialism were not significant concerns in the
mind of Spurgeon.
Spurgeon was often criticized from certain quarters because he was not more definite in
his utterances about Biblical prophecy and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This did
87
Ibid, 291.
88 C. H. Spurgeon, “The Great Mystery of Godliness,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle
Pulpit 13:707. Cf. “The First Cry from the Cross,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 15:599;
“The Lord’s Supper, Simple but Sublime,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 55:318.
24
not mean that he did not hold decided views about those subjects. He did, but he thought
it better to keep to the gospel plan of salvation in his preaching.89
Conclusion
That Spurgeon was premillennial is confidently asserted. However, it must be understood
that Spurgeon did not find millennial and eschatological debates of prime importance. The
importance of Spurgeon’s millennialism and eschatology has to be understood in relation to the
important theological issues according to Spurgeon. Furthermore, the overall ministry of
Spurgeon has to be understood in relation to the core theology of Spurgeon. The center of
Spurgeon’s theology was the person and work of Christ. This drove Spurgeon in his ministry and
in the rest of his theology. These were the issues of central importance to him. Spurgeon would
find it interesting indeed to know that he is claimed as an authority on millennial issues because
he did not consider himself to be a leader in millennial debates and also because he did not find
eschatological debates of primary significance.
89
Hayden, Searchlight on Spurgeon, 231-232.
25
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