Charles Haddon Spurgeon

June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892

The 'Prince of Preachers' pastored the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London from age 19, preaching to 6,000+ weekly without amplification.

Biography

Charles Haddon Spurgeon converted at age fifteen in a Primitive Methodist chapel during a snowstorm and within four years was pastoring New Park Street Chapel in London. By twenty-two he had outgrown every building London could give him, leading to the construction of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861 — a 6,000-seat auditorium that remained full every Sunday for the next thirty years. Spurgeon never attended seminary, suffered chronic gout and depression, and yet produced more theological writing than any English-speaking pastor in history. His Sunday sermons were transcribed by shorthand reporters, edited by Spurgeon on Monday, and printed by Thursday — distributing tens of thousands of copies weekly to America, Australia, and the Continent. He also founded a pastors' college, an orphanage, and the Stockwell Orphanage for boys and girls. Spurgeon's sermons remain the most-read sermons in church history.

Legacy

Spurgeon's preserved sermons fill 63 volumes (over 20 million words) and remain in print today. Modern preachers from John Piper to John MacArthur cite him as the single greatest influence on their preaching. His 'New Park Street Pulpit' and 'Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit' series, all public domain, are available free online and have been read more times than any sermon collection ever published.

Notable Sermons

Public Domain Note

All of Spurgeon's sermons entered the public domain in 1962 (70 years after his death). They are free to reproduce, quote, translate, and adapt. Spurgeon.org hosts the complete sermon library; the Center for Spurgeon Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary maintains the official archive.

Where to Read More

• Spurgeon.org — Complete Sermon Library
• Spurgeon's Sermons on Christian Classics Ethereal Library

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