C.H. Spurgeon: The People's Preacher (2010) | Full Movie | Christopher Hawes | Stephen Daltry

[music]

(Spurgeon) I had never felt so wretched and miserable.

Guilt and despair wrapped me around like a cloak,

a heavy black stifling cloak.

Aye, even though I was yet a lad of fifteen I knew well

the sin and evil that lurked in my young heart.

I sought relief, oh, how I sought it.

I prayed, I read my bible, I went to church,

twice every Sunday.

But instead of relief I got the whip.

Others could talk, tearful eyed of their Lord's forgiveness,

I could not.

He was to me a harsh taskmaster.

I was desperate to find shelter.

I'd been to most of the churches in Colchester,

but not Artillery Street Chapel.

It was Methodist but I was too cold to care.

♪...the trump of God shall sound, rejoice ♪

(Preacher) The text for the week is from the Old Testament,

and the mighty prophet Isaiah

and what a wonderful text it is,

for it is the very gospel in a nutshell.

Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 22.

A dozen words dear friends,

a dozen words that can save our souls if we pay heed to them:

"Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth."

My dear friends, this is indeed a simple text.

For it says "look."

Now looking don't take a lot of work.

It's not like lifting your foot or your finger.

It is just, "look."

You don't have go to college to learn how to look.

(Spurgeon) Strange how God takes the most unlikely people

and uses them for His purposes.

He was doing it with this preacher, bless his heart.

And little did I know then

that he was planning to do it with me

in ways that my young imagination

could never have dreamed.

Many of you are looking to yourselves,

there's no use looking there.

You'll never find comfort in yourselves.

You will only find darkness and despair.

You need the light

and there is only one who is that light.

That is why Jesus Christ says "Look to Me.

Look to me, I am all that you need."

This is Artillery Street in Colchester,

and down here is the chapel where our 15 year old teenager

sheltered from the cold.

What happened here would have an impact

felt, not just across Britain, but across the whole world.

An impact, whose ripples are still reaching us today

over a century after his death.

Yet his story is bang up to date.

It's one we're all familiar with:

an unknown country boy who arrives in the city

to find fame and romance,

who struggles to overcome his weaknesses,

and then is driven by his convictions to make a stand

which leaves him isolated and ridiculed by the media.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was to become no ordinary preacher.

Our teenager was destined to become the "people's preacher",

and one of the most influential figures

in Queen Victoria's reign.

On June 19, 1834, in this cottage here in Kelvedon,

nineteen year old Eliza Spurgeon

gave birth to her first born son, Charles.

Eliza had 16 children but 9 of them died in infancy.

Eliza was a source of great inspiration to Charles.

Indeed his younger brother James once said that

"she was the starting point of any goodness, or any greatness

which any of us, by the grace of God enjoyed."

But his father John and grandfather James

were also sources of great inspiration.

They were both preachers.

In fact the Spurgeons came from a long line of preachers.

So right from the start young Charles had preachers,

Bibles and pulpits very much in his blood.

But the family had financial problems.

By the time Charles was eighteen months old

they just couldn't cope so they arranged for his grandfather

to look after him at his home in Stambourne 20 miles away.

James Spurgeon was the minister of Stambourne Meeting House

which was just next door.

His 17 year old daughter Ann became like a mother to Charles

and her influence was as great as a natural mother.

And it was here, that he discovered something

that was to become a major part of his life.

(Spurgeon) Books!

I loved books - the smell of them, the feel of them.

My grandfather had hundreds written by Puritan writers

of an earlier age and full of the theology

that became my meat and drink.

I could not yet read -

it was the pictures that captured

my childish imagination.

One book in particular drew me again and again.

It was written by an unlearned tinker while in prison

for preaching the Gospel.

Next to my Bible,

John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress is my most read book.

Its plain language and earthy characters

left their mark upon me.

(Presenter) After five idyllic years at Stambourne

the young Spurgeon moved to Colcester.

He was six.

Charles' father was well known as a local preacher,

and when they moved to a larger house here in Hythe Hill,

Charles was able to rejoin them.

The original house has long gone,

but some of the buildings still remain.

Charles really missed his Aunty Ann and his Grandfather,

they'd become very close.

But his new home, which was situated just here,

was just as warm and welcoming, full of the warmth and security

that all young boys need but rarely admit to.

Charles was a hero to his younger brother and his sisters

who were his adoring congregation

whenever he played at church.

Did he ever dream that one day he'd be doing it for real?

(Spurgeon) I was truly blessed.

I was surrounded by love.

My family all had a lively faith in the Lord.

They knew Him, and I wished with all my heart

that I could know Him too.

But I was a sinner, and I loved my sin.

No one knew of my despair, of the turmoil, the emptiness,

the blackness that possessed me.

I kept it all to myself for five long years.

I yearned, I so yearned for his loving embrace.

But I feared his piercing eye that saw the sin in me.

That Sabbath morn,

a battle was raging in my broken heart.

Young man, you, yes you, you look very miserable -

you always will be miserable -

miserable in life, miserable in death if you don't obey my text;

but obey now, and you will find what you are seeking.

All you need do is look.

There is nothing else for you to do.

He has carried away your sin.

Look and live.

I heard His voice.

(Spurgeon) Aye, they may have been the halting words

of a simple country preacher but I heard His voice.

He was speaking to me - to me.

I felt His arms wrap me around.

I was enclosed in His love.

Gone, gone was my despair, gone was my guilt, gone was my fear.

I was His, and He was mine, my blessed Jesus.

(Presenter) Six months later Spurgeon came here - the River Lark.

It was used as a ferry crossing for the people of Isleham.

As he'd studied his Bible,

he'd become convinced of the need to be baptized.

So, spurning his Independent Church upbringing,

which didn't believe in adult baptism,

he joined with local Baptists

and publicly and nervously declared his faith

and was baptized right here on May the 3rd, 1850.

(Spurgeon) The wind blew down the river with a cutting blast

as my turn came to wade into the water.

But after I had walked a few steps,

and saw the people on the ferry boat

and on the river banks,

I felt as if heaven and earth and hell might all watch me,

for I was not ashamed,

then and there to declare myself a follower of the Lamb.

My timidity was washed away.

It floated down the river into the sea.

Baptism loosed my tongue,

and from that day it has never been quiet.

(Presenter) Spurgeon was now living in Cambridge

where he continued his studies.

He was also doing some tutoring to earn some much needed cash.

St. Andrew's Street Baptist church was his spiritual home.

He quickly gained a reputation as an excellent

Sunday school teacher,

so much so that his classes were full not just with children,

but also with adults.

He had a rare ability for being able to explain

the deep truths of God

in a way the man in the street could understand.

Spurgeon was still to preach his first sermon on a Sunday

but someone was very keen that he should.

James Vinter, affectionately known as Bishop Vinter

was president of the local Preacher's Association.

He was always on the lookout for new recruits.

He had Spurgeon in his sights and he had a plan.

Well my friend,

I trust we shall have a good congregation this evening

and I pray you will know the Lord's enabling as you preach.

As I preach?

You are mistaken my fiend, you are tonight's preacher!

No no, not me.

I am here to encourage you brother.

Bishop Vinter told me - said you were nervous of speaking

and would enjoy some company.

He told me you were to preach - your first time.

He requested I come to support you and steady your nerves.

The thought of speaking fills me with dread

and anyway, I have nothing prepared.

And I also am not prepared.

If you do not speak, these good folks shall have nothing.

Why not give them one of your Sunday school talks?

Oh now I am in dread!

Brother, allow me some quiet while I think of what to say

and what I shall say to Bishop Vinter when I next see him.

(Presenter) The service was to be held in a farmer's cottage

at the village of Teversham near Cambridge.

The people waiting had no idea they were about to hear someone

who was to become the most famous preacher in the land.

My good friends, thank you for your very kind hospitality.

We have enjoyed food for our bodies,

now young master Spurgeon here is going to give us

food for our souls.

(Spurgeon) The folk gathered were kind and generous.

They did not notice my shaking knees,

or hear my pounding heart.

But as I stood up to speak it was as though God himself

stood by me and gave me a boldness and an assurance

such as I had not known before.

The apostle Peter in his second letter declares,

"To you who believe, He, meaning Jesus Christ,

is precious."

He is precious!

I wonder what are those things that we hold as being precious?

It is surely not those things that are merely valuable,

or those things that are special

but those things which are unique;

those things of which there is not another

and not a better.

Does that not describe our savior?

There is none more valuable, none more special, none better.

But most important of all, there is none other.

In the book of Acts we read that there is no other name

given under heaven whereby man can be saved.

Are these not wonderfully liberating words,

words which free us from the shackles of religion?

Think upon this my friends; if Jesus Christ alone saves us

then it follows that no amount of charitable works can do it.

No giving of all we have to the poor can do it,

no church attending, Bible reading,

not even our prayers can do it.

Only Jesus.

You may be the kindest, most righteous person

in all of Teversham.

But your good living cannot do it.

You may be the greatest sinner, and repent of your sins

every day, every hour, yet that cannot do it.

Only Jesus.

Only Jesus, the precious one.

But, you might ask, how, how does He do it?

How does He save us.

The great prophet Isaiah tells us: "Look to Him, and be saved."

Look, look, just look.

So simple.

Anyone can look.

The prince and the pauper can look,

the sinner and the saint can look,

the grandfather and the grandson can look.

A year ago I was such a one, who looked.

I simply looked, and trusted Him Who is precious, to save me.

Tonight in this cottage, you can look, and you can be saved.

And as you look and trust, He will become to you precious,

precious beyond measure.

Bless your dear heart.

And, how old are you?

I am under sixty!

Yes, and under 16 more like.

Never you mind my age,

just you think of the Lord Jesus and His preciousness.

Now let us bring our service to a close as we sing that hymn,

"Blessed be the tie that binds."

♪ Blessed be the tie that binds...♪

All over Cambridgeshire, the teenage Spurgeon

won people's hearts as he preached in chapels,

villages, cottages,

wherever people could get to hear him.

Here at Waterbeach, the church has been rebuilt since then,

he preached on two consecutive Sundays.

He was such a hit,

the people asked him to become their pastor.

He was just 17 years of age.

The village was notorious for profanity and drunkenness.

But, as Spurgeon himself was later to write...

(Spurgeon) In a short time the little thatched chapel was crammed,

the biggest vagabonds of the village

were weeping floods of tears,

and those who had been the curse of the parish

became its blessing.

I can say with joy and happiness

that from one end of the village to the other,

at the hour of eventide, one might have heard

the voice of song coming from every roof,

and echoing from every heart.

And it was here that Spurgeon won his first convert.

She was a laborer's wife,

and he saw it as God's seal upon his ministry.

The final thing I want to say to you is Psalm 37.

Delight yourself in the Lord.

If anybody had said to me,

someone has left you 20,000 pounds

I should not have given tuppence for it

compared with the joy I felt

when I was told God had saved a soul though my ministry.

Lord Jesus thank you for this blessed woman.

Thank you for what she has prayed today in her heart.

I felt like a boy who had earned his first guinea,

or like a diver who had been down to the depths of the sea,

and brought up a great pearl.

Spurgeon was now preaching 3 times on Sundays,

and 5 times during the week.

For someone still a teenager, the respect and adulation

could have gone to his head and he was aware of it.

He well remembered the day that God spoke to him

about the dangers of a proud heart.

It's from Jeremiah where he asks Baruch, his ambitious secretary,

"Do you seek great things for yourself?"

And then he says, "Seek them not."

The words struck right into his soul and he remembered them

for the rest of his life.

But for now, with his increasing success,

some were jealous of him.

If only they knew what lay ahead!

(Spurgeon) God in His goodness blessed my time at Waterbeach.

Oh yes, I blundered, I often blundered,

but I was well loved

by the people who readily forgave their youthful pastor.

My young brother James became a Barnabas to me,

full of godly wisdom and encouragement.

I had much to learn.

(James) When I drove my brother about the country to preach,

I thought then as I thought ever since,

what an extraordinary preacher he was.

What feeling and power

I remember in some of those early speeches!

The effect upon the people I have never known exceeded

in after years.

He seemed to have leaped full grown into the pulpit.

The breadth and brilliance of those early sermons,

and the power that God's Holy Spirit evidently gave to him,

made him perfectly marvelous.

(Presenter) On the last Sunday of November 1853

a letter arrived which was to change Spurgeon's life.

It was an invitation from New Park Street Chapel

in south London to preach with a view to becoming

their new pastor.

Surely it was a mistake.

Did they realize how young he was?

A second letter confirmed the invitation.

Spurgeon had mixed feelings about going.

He loved the country.

But God was calling, it was a matter of obedience.

London was the center of the world

and home for its most powerful monarch.

The young Queen Victoria

reigned over a rapidly expanding empire.

International travel was the latest thing.

It was an exhilarating time.

New inventions and discoveries were being made,

almost weekly it seemed.

The medical world was being transformed by the discovery

of antiseptics and anesthesia.

The Industrial Revolution was in full swing,

changing the lives of millions.

But not always for the better especially in London.

(Spurgeon) I hated London.

I hated the noise, the rush, the crowds, and the stink.

They told me 3 million people lived here

and I saw some of them; the rich with their fine clothes.

You could smell them coming with their fancy perfumes.

And you could smell the poor beggars they passed by.

But the sight that choked me most was the orphans,

thousands of them they said.

No where to go except the streets,

no one to care for them.

Scrawny chickens they were, starving, filthy, wretched,

begging and thieving to stay alive.

Where was the conscience of the people?

How could they permit such evil to flourish.

Oh how I hated London.

Had God called me to this?

It was nearly Christmas.

Spurgeon was lonely.

He desperately missed home and family.

The church didn't offer him any hospitality.

They put him up in a boarding house here in Queens Square

in Bloomsbury.

It wasn't nearly so posh then.

He was miserable.

His room was the size of a broom cupboard.

His fellow boarders taunted him cruelly about his appearance

and his strange accent.

Their boasting about London's wonderful preachers

made him feel even more depressed and inadequate.

(Spurgeon) I had no friend in all that city full of human beings,

and to escape safely to the serene abodes of Cambridge

and Waterbeach seemed like Eden itself.

I'm at the site of New Park Street Chapel,

just south of the River Thames.

It was one of the Baptist Union's

most influential churches.

For nearly 200 years it drew a good sized congregation

to its large sanctuary.

But with the building of new roads and factories

its location worked against it.

It was often flooded.

As one of the pastors once said "A more depressing, uninviting

"and repelling region than where the chapel is situated

I have seldom explored."

The people moved out and the church lost its congregation.

It dwindled from about 1200 to just a handful.

Its decline had become an embarrassment to the Baptists.

It was hoped that Charles Spurgeon would stop the rot.

And so on Sunday the 18th of December, 1853,

a very nervous Spurgeon made his way

to New Park Street Chapel.

It was far bigger and grander

than anywhere he had preached before.

Some of the great Baptists, heroes to Spurgeon,

had preached here.

He wondered how he could have had the temerity

to accept the invitation.

But the glory days had passed and on that morning,

he spoke to an almost empty church.

Good morning dear friends.

My text this morning is from James.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and cometh down from the father of lights."

(Presenter) No one imagined that the preacher would become

the perfect illustration of the text,

least of all Spurgeon who just wanted to go home.

And this verse speaks very clearly to us

about Who we are to aim our thanks towards.

Not to ourselves, not to our brothers, but to our Father.

(Presenter) But something happened.

The congregation was riveted.

This was preaching the like of which

they had never heard before and they loved it.

Word went out, and that evening the church was full of people

hungry for God, and here was someone who could feed them

and he a mere teenager.

Psalm 37: "Delight thyself also in the Lord,

and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart."

(Presenter) Urged on by the congregation,

the deacons asked Spurgeon to come again.

The key is not in chasing the desires of our heart.

The key is in chasing the Lord.

(Spurgeon) When I trudged back to the Queen's Square lodging,

I was not alone, and I no longer looked on Londoners

as hard-hearted heathen.

My attitude changed.

I wanted no pity of anyone; I did not care a penny

for the young gentlemen lodgers and their miraculous ministers,

nor for the grind of cabs,

nor for anything else under the sun.

(Presenter) Within 4 months the church had decided

Spurgeon was their man.

He was 19.

In a letter to his grandfather at Stambourne he wrote:

(Spurgeon) You have heard that I am now a Londoner,

and a little bit of a celebrity.

No college could have put me in a higher position.

Our place is one of the pinnacles of the denomination.

But I have a great work to do,

and have need of all the prayers

the sons of God can offer for me.

In just a couple of months the congregation increased

from 200 to nearly 2,000.

They mostly from the middle class north side of the Thames.

But neither the long distance nor the bridge toll

put them off.

At last, they had found someone who spoke about God

in a way that they could understand.

Most preachers of the day used the language

of the intelligentsia - it was all a bit academic and dry.

Spurgeon broke the mold with his down to earth style,

using words that everybody could understand.

He made God real and relevant

in a way few preachers of the day did.

And what is the church but the bride of Christ;

you and me dear friends.

We are His beloved.

(Presenter) But not everyone thought he was so wonderful,

at least to begin with.

Susannah Thompson was 22, 2 years older than Spurgeon,

and was most unimpressed,

but still came to hear the young man with the odd accent.

Her presence didn't go unnoticed!

And that is why marriage is such a sacred -

such a sacred and honored thing.

(Presenter) But she also had a problem.

She had doubts about her faith

and was uncertain if she was even a Christian.

Spurgeon found out,

and sent her a copy of Pilgim's Progress.

But he felt that they should get together

to "discuss" her problem.

The occasion was the grand re-opening

of the Crystal Palace on the 10th of June, 1854.

And Spurgeon's interest wasn't only in her spiritual progress.

My dear, I have been reading Tupper's

"Proverbial Philosophy," very good I must say.

I wanted to show you something.

What do you think of the poet's suggestion in these verses?

Let me see.

Ah "Seek a good wife from your God,

"for she is the best gift of His providence;

"Yet do not demand that which He has not promised;

"You know not what His will is,

"so be submissive in your prayers,

"and trust Him to answer your request as He sees fit,

"assured that He will deal well with you.

"If you are to have a wife of your youth,

"she is now living on the earth.

Therefore think of her, and pray for her."

Do you pray for him who is to be your husband?

I certainly pray for her who is to be my wife!

(Susannah) The Lord surely has a sense of humor.

That I should fall in love with this man,

and with an accent that seemed more like an affliction.

But that summer, as we went a courting,

I knew in my heart I'd never find another.

God knit our hearts together.

He became to me my beloved and my pastor, for he delivered me

from my doubting by his wise counsel.

We married the following winter,

and ere long God blessed us with our darling twins

Thomas and Charles.

(Presenter) The twins were a great joy to Susannah and Charles

who had the joy of seeing them enter the ministry,

Thomas eventually becoming pastor

of the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Spurgeon's preaching was attracting

more and more people.

NewPark Street Chapel

was becoming dangerously overcrowded.

Without proper ventilation it was also becoming

increasingly unpleasant.

The cramped and airless conditions were by now

getting on his nerves

but the deacons refused to do anything about it.

Until that is, one particular Sunday.

He'd had enough.

He turned round and faced the wall behind his pulpit

and shouted, "By faith the walls of Jericho came down,

and by faith this wall will come down too."

The shocked deacons gave in,

and readily agreed to extend the building.

But now they had to find another building to worship in

while the renovations were carried out.

Their choice of location caused quite a stir.

It was Exeter Hall in the heart of London's West End.

Every Sunday, throughout the renovation,

the streets around the hall were grid-locked

with cabs and carriages taking people to hear Mr. Spurgeon.

The place was packed.

The people loved his populist style which many church leaders

and the media regarded as vulgar.

But he didn't care.

If anything the by now, 21 year old preacher

reveled in his new found notoriety.

(Spurgeon) For myself I will rejoice, the devil is roused,

the Church is awakening,

and I am counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake.

Good ballast father, good ballast.

I became that which I disdained - famous.

I was in the limelight.

It was a place of danger to my immortal soul.

But God had his way of squashing my youthful pride.

Whatever gifts I possessed, He had given me to serve Him.

They were not mine.

Oh there were some who saw my confidence

as pride and arrogance.

They did not see my trembling heart,

so readily bruised by a harsh word.

I shall never forget when a slanderous report

against my character came to me,

and my heart was broken in agony.

I knew that in preaching the gospel I had to be willing

to become of no reputation.

I said, "Master, I will not keep back even that from You.

"If I must lose it, then I let it go;

"it is the dearest thing I have,

"but it shall go if, like my Master,

"they shall say I have a devil and am mad;

"or they accuse me like Him,

of being a drunken man and a wine-bibber."

Five months later, New Park Street Chapel re-opened

now much brighter and roomier.

The cabs and carriages did a roaring trade.

On a Sunday morning they'd cruise around the city

calling out, "Over the water to Charlie,"

and they very quickly filled up

as did the 200 extra seats.

By now they were back to square one with as Spurgeon said,

a harvest much too rich for the barn.

They put up with it for another year and then decided to do

what they should have done in the first place,

namely, build a bigger barn.

So while the money was raised for the new building

they moved back to Exeter Hall

but even that couldn't cope with the increased crowds.

So they then moved to the biggest indoor venue in London,

the Surrey Gardens Music Hall.

And it was here, that tragedy struck.

This is near the site

where the Surrey Gardens Music Hall once stood.

It was enormous.

It could seat 10,000 people.

The news that Spurgeon was going to preach here

spread through London like wildfire.

It was October 19, 1856.

All day long, people were gathering in the park

waiting for the doors to open.

The hall itself was actually packed to capacity,

with thousands waiting outside.

London hadn't seen anything like this in a hundred years.

Spurgeon himself almost lost his nerve

at the sheer size of the crowd.

Spurgeon was just about to preach his sermon,

when there was a disturbance at the back of the hall.

Fire, fire, the place is falling, everybody out,

the galleries are giving way.

[yelling]

So often we lose the meaning of this wonderful psalm,

this wonderful poem written by a man in trouble.

[yelling]

(Presenter) The hall was so vast he had no idea what was happening.

[yelling]

(Presenter) Word eventually reached Spurgeon

and he tried to stop the panic.

Please would those nearest the exits leave first.

(Presenter) In the stampede 7 people were killed

and 28 seriously injured.

Spurgeon collapsed when he discovered what had happened.

It was even rumored that he had died.

But there had been no fire,

the galleries had not given way.

It was the work of hooligans

intent on disrupting the service.

An already hostile press tore Spurgeon to shreds

blaming him for the tragedy.

It haunted him for the rest of his life.

(Spurgeon) Only God Himself knew the anguish of my sad spirit?

Tears were my meat by day and dreams of terror by night.

My thoughts were as jagged piercing knives,

cutting my heart to pieces.

I could not be comforted.

My beloved Bible brought me no light.

I could not pray.

I felt my faith had died and God had abandoned me.

But then, like a flash of lightning,

my soul returned to me.

I was free.

The iron fetter was broken in pieces,

my prison door was open.

I leaped for joy of heart.

I was a man again and what is more, a believer.

Within two weeks he was back preaching at Surrey Gardens

only this time only in the mornings.

The publicity had turned him into even more of a celebrity.

Now people were coming from far and wide to hear him preach,

many out of sheer curiosity.

A year later many thousands of people

were massacred in India, Britain's "jewel in the crown".

The "Indian Mutiny was seen as a humiliation

for the proud British.

The nation was called to a day of prayer and fasting.

Spurgeon was invited to preach to 24,000 people

at Crystal Palace.

He may not have agreed with the politics of empire,

but he made sure is biggest ever congregation

heard the gospel.

Meanwhile funds had been raised for the new building

and in the summer of 1859 the foundation stone

was laid on land just upriver from New Park street Chapel.

Eighteen months later, in March 1861,

here at the Elephant and Castle the new church was opened.

And here it is: the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

It's still a thriving church today.

It was enormous!

It cost just over 32,000 pounds,

about 2 million pounds at today's prices.

It had three galleries and had seating for 6,000 people

with room for another 500 standing.

Admission was by ticket freely available

and guaranteeing a seat.

Those without had to stand in the aisles.

They'd all come to hear Mr. Spurgeon

and would continue to do so for some thirty years.

(Spurgeon) The Sabbath was exhilarating and terrifying.

Yes, terrifying.

They said 6,000 people came to hear me preach,

this country yokel from the fens.

The weight of it and the honor of it often brought me low.

Many a Sabbath morn my breakfast was vomited

as Jonah from the whale with sweats and palpitations.

But my good Lord never failed to strengthen me.

The preaching of the word - His precious word,

is what the people came to hear.

And early they came, to be sure of finding a seat.

And happily they waited until the hour:

11 o'clock on the Sabbath morn,

and half past six in the evening.

The service was simple - an opening hymn

sung without the assistance of any musical instrument.

The reading of the scriptures, a second hymn,

and then the preaching of the word.

I could not have wished for a more attentive congregation

as they listened in reverent silence.

It only made me stronger in my determination to be faithful

in my preaching of the word.

The natural heart rebels against

the simplicity of the way of salvation.

What?

Am I to do nothing but simply accept

what Christ has already done?

Am I to do nothing but merely look to Him who was nailed

to the tree, and find all my salvation in Him?

"Well, then," says the proud heart, "I cannot understand it."

No. It cannot understand it because it does not like it.

Now, if this be your difficulty, and I believe,

in nine cases out of ten,

a proud heart is at the root of all difficulty

about the sinner's coming to Christ -

if this be it which hinders you,

then go to God about it, and seek wisdom from Him.

He will show you the foolishness of this pride of yours,

and He will teach you that simply to trust in Jesus

is at once the safest and most suitable way of salvation.

(Susannah) I oft pondered the reason Charlie is so well liked.

Especially so as he never plays to the galleries

for popular appeal.

On occasion his message is hard,

though delivered with a soft heart.

I heard him once say,

"We shall not adjust our Bible to the age;

"but before we have done with it, by God's grace,

we shall adjust the age to the Bible."

He seeks always to please his God rather than entertain man.

His honesty and integrity,

his infectious confidence in the holy scriptures,

these, I concluded, are what draw men to him.

Ah! Poor heart, when you see the blackness of your sin,

it is no wonder that you are driven to despair.

When your sins come howling behind you,

like so many ravenous wolves seeking to devour you,

I can well understand why you should wish to lay violent hands

upon yourself.

It is no strange thing for men to lose all hope

when under a sense of sin.

You know not what to do.

If only you could be calm and quiet,

we could tell you the way of peace.

But you are too much troubled to hear what we have to say.

Y to everybody but you,

because you are in such a worry and a turmoil.

As John Bunyan used to say,

you are much troubled up and down in your thoughts.

And so I ask you then, pray -

pray even out of the depths of your despair

that God will open the eyes of your understanding.

And I assure you, he will be pleased to instruct you

and bring you out into a safe way, a way of peace and joy.

Amen.

God called me to feed His people with the choicest fare.

But preparing it is no mere boiling of an egg

for a few minutes.

I confess that I frequently sit hour after hour

praying and waiting for a subject,

and that this is the main part of my study.

Much hard labor have I spent in the working out of topics,

thinking through points of doctrine,

making skeletons out of verses

and then burying every bone of them

in the catacombs of oblivion.

Every Saturday night I prepare enough outlines of sermons

to last me a month.

But I no more dare use them than an honest sailor

would smuggle ashore a cargo of contraband goods.

But when a text grips me, I have found the sermon.

And when I have found the sermon, I preach it,

assured it will speak to the people

with power and authority.

I never cease to marvel how it touches the people

and meets their needs.

And blessed be His name, it has nothing to do with me,

I am only one who listens to his master,

and speaks out what he hears.

For tourists, going to hear Mr Spurgeon was a must.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle

became London's most famous preaching point.

But it was also pioneering something the people hadn't

heard before - preaching the gospel not just with words,

but also with social action.

It was revolutionary stuff, much criticized by church leaders who

accused them of betraying God's command to "preach the gospel."

Social action, they said, was not part of this.

But Spurgeon, who was way ahead of his time

and believed the gospel was for the body

and not just for the soul.

So the building was open from early morning

until almost midnight six days a week,

serving a very needy community.

In fact over 60 ministries and charitable works

were begun during Spurgeon's time

at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Many of them were maintained by the royalties from his books.

Some of those works have continued to the present day.

This is Surrey Square Mission,

just a mile or so from the tabernacle.

It's one of twenty mission stations founded by Spurgeon.

He visited them regularly.

In these little chapels,

the gospel was preached and practiced.

Many of the chapels like these still exist today,

as do quite a few of the works that he began.

The plight of London's street kids

weighed heavily on Spurgeon.

They were mostly orphans,

or from families too poor to look after them.

They had to beg and steal just to stay alive.

To many people they were no more than vermin.

Spurgeon was a big fan of George Muller,

who had already opened

several dormitory style orphan houses in Bristol.

Spurgeon's vision was for smaller family based homes,

housing about a dozen children with their own matron.

Thanks to a large donation from a clergyman's widow,

these homes at Stockwell in south London

were built for boys.

Ten years later accommodation was added for girls.

As in the Muller homes, children got a good education

and were well prepared for the challenges of adulthood.

Today it's known simply as "Spurgeons"

helping vulnerable children and young people find hope

and fulfillment in the 21st century.

Spurgeons runs many projects,

specially designed to meet the needs of each community,

not only in the United Kingdom, but internationally.

Spurgeon himself never had any formal training

for the ministry.

In those days you had to be an Anglican to go to university.

But he certainly wasn't against training.

And when some young men who were passionate about preaching,

asked him for some, he started the Pastor's College.

Once again he financed it from his own book royalties.

Today it's known as Spurgeon's College

and is held in high esteem by the evangelical community.

Every Friday, the Guv'nor' as they called him,

gave his lectures, many of them still published today

including his series on preaching:

"Lectures to My Students."

During his lifetime he rejoiced to see

900 of his students graduate.

And today that tradition continues

with men and women, of every Christian denomination

receiving training to graduate level for service in the church.

Today's college has been here

in Upper Norwood in South London since 1923

and it's only a stone's throw from where

Spurgeon and his wife Susannah came to live in 1880.

Westwood was well away from the pollution

that had affected both Charles' and Susannah's health.

It was in Upper Norwood, near Crystal palace.

Spurgeon felt it was a bit grand,

but discovered that he could buy it

for the price of his London home.

It was perfect and easily accommodated his

12,000 book library, and the many guests that came to stay.

(Susannah) Coming here has been such a blessing.

The fresh air and sunlight has benefited our health

considerably, and Charlie now has space to fulfill

his expanding ministry much more efficiently.

We have two secretaries to assist

with the hundreds of letters that arrive every week,

and researchers to help with the four books

he writes each year.

The royalties from his writings are considerable -

they have enabled us to live without being

a financial burden upon the church.

And Charlie gives all he can to the Lord's work.

These are certainly golden years.

But my, he does work so and rarely takes any rest

except when he visits his beloved Mentone.

(Presenter) Mentone, on the French Riviera

became a regular retreat for Spurgeon.

The warm balmy breezes of the Mediterranean

were the perfect cure

for the stresses and pressures of ministry.

He loved nothing more than to stay at his favorite hotel

right on the sea front: the Beau Rivage.

The hotel has long gone, but a block of apartments,

built on its site, still bears it's name.

But even here, he never really switched off.

His secretary and trusted confidant Joseph Harrald

often went with him to assist with his writing

which he was able to do

free from the demands of a thriving congregation.

Susannah always remained at home.

She began to suffer ill health

and eventually required surgery,

what for, no-one knows for sure, but it was serious enough

that for a time she became bed-ridden.

While Charles Spurgeon was preaching God's word

at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, another Charles,

Charles Darwin, was preaching his theory of evolution

through his book "The Origin of Species."

The year the Metropolitan Tabernacle opened,

Spurgeon then 27, responded by giving a humorous lecture

called "The Gorilla and the Land he inhabits".

The cartoonists went to town.

Darwin's new theory, and the German Higher Criticism

were having a profound impact on the church.

Many of her leaders were losing confidence

in the authority of the Bible - it was more and more

being regarded as just a book of myths.

The divinity of Christ was being challenged,

and the gospel message of salvation

through faith in Christ alone was being downgraded.

Spurgeon urged his own Baptist denomination

to make a clear statement of belief.

But they refused.

Many of their leaders had become liberal in their theology

and had joined what would become known as

the Downgrade Controversy.

For Spurgeon it was a nightmare.

He hated conflict, but he felt compelled to make a stand

against the undermining of the authority of Scripture,

which was fundamental to his evangelical faith.

He wrote many articles in the magazine he founded,

"The Sword and Trowel" pleading for an end to the downgrade.

But to no avail.

It all got very unpleasant with accusations and recriminations

flying around all over the place.

He felt he had to resign from the Baptist Union

which he did in 1888.

(Spurgeon) My heart is broken.

I am in the depths of despair.

Is there anyone who will stand for my Jesus?

I am sick, sick at heart, and I am weary.

Oh Lord, let me go.

Give me rest from my labors.

I cannot go on.

And yet, I must.

As long as there is breath in me I must.

Oh, I have been lifted up, yet in your mercy

your thorn keeps me low so that I am not a proud man.

You chasten me in secret.

The blackness.

No one knows the awful blackness

I can bare endure it when it comes.

(Presenter) The press only added to his woes.

His short rotund figure gave the cartoonists a field day.

Sometimes they were humorous.

Sometimes they were viciously cruel.

They looked for any excuse to ridicule the world's

most famous preacher.

He used to smoke a cigar on his way to preach,

a doctor of all people told him it was good for his health.

The press lambasted him for it, and he gave it up.

He never smoked a pipe, that was an invention of the media.

(Susannah) On the 7th of June 1891,

Charlie preached as usual at the Tabernacle.

But I could not but notice how aged he had become

in a few short years.

The troubles had taken their cruel revenge on his body.

What I would say lastly is this:

How I long that you who have not yet enlisted

in my Lord's band would come to Him

because you see what a kind and gracious Lord He is.

Young men, if you could see our Captain,

you would get down on your knees

and beg Him to let you enter the ranks of those who follow Him.

It is heaven to serve Jesus.

I am His recruiting sergeant

and how I long to find a few recruits at this moment.

(Susannah) How my heart went out to him.

It would have broken if I but knew this was to be

his last sermon after 40 years - 40 glorious years.

These forty years and more have I served Him,

blessed be His name!

and I have had nothing but love from Him.

I would be glad to serve him another forty years.

His service is life, peace, joy.

Oh, that you would enlist under the banner of Christ

this very day.

Amen.

(Susannah) In less than a month my dear Charlie was barely conscious.

His kidneys were painfully inflamed,

a condition called Bright's disease.

All this to add to the excruciating pain of his gout.

Yet I never heard him utter one word of complaint or self pity.

Oh wifie, will you read to me the shepherd psalm.

(Susannah) I felt he had but a few months of life in him.

All across the land people were praying for him.

The newspapers were now generous

with their daily reports of his progress.

It was not good.

Among the many letters of support

one addressed to me showed the high esteem

in which Charlie was held:

(Gladstone) Dear Madam, In my own house,

darkened at the present time,

I have read with sad interest the daily accounts

of Mr. Spurgeon's illness

and I cannot help conveying to you

the earnest assurance of my sympathy

and of my cordial admiration,

not only of his splendid powers,

but still more of his devoted and unfailing character.

May I humbly commend you and him to the infinite stores

of the divine love and mercy, and subscribe myself,

Faithfully yours, W. E. Gladstone.

(Susannah) It was from the Prime Minister.

(Presenter) Two months later and having regained some strength,

Spurgeon returned to his beloved Mentone,

this time under his doctor's orders

who had prescribed an extended period of convalescence.

His friend and secretary Joseph Harrald went with him

and for the first time, Susannah.

It was to be their last few months together -

and they made the most of it.

By the end of January 1892, his health had worsened.

Oh wifie, we have had such a blessed time.

God is faithful, so faithful.

He took me, a short fat man from my beloved fenlands

and made me a preacher of His word -

His glorious, precious, wonderful word.

What a Savior we have; and He gave me you, my precious wifie,

my dear precious wifie.

And He gave me you, Charlie, you dear adorable man.

Yes, God has been good to us.

Now you must rest my love, rest, and be at peace.

(Presenter) Shortly after his death Joseph Harrald saw what he insisted

had been angels above the hills of Mentone,

waiting to take Spurgeon home.

Spurgeon's death was headline news

in all the national papers.

Among the many tributes and messages of sympathy

was one from the future king and queen,

Edward and Alexandra.

The funeral was almost a state occasion.

Along the route from the Metropolitan Tabernacle

to the cemetery at West Norwood,

shops and public houses closed.

At the untimely age of 57

the People's Preacher was being laid to rest.

In his lifetime he had preached to over 10 million people.

But in his death, through his published writings

and his sermons, he has spoken and he still speaks

to countless millions across the world.

But more than that, it can be said

that his stand against the downgrade that cost him so much,

stopped the churches in Britain

from falling into liberalism and unbelief

as happened elsewhere in Europe.

Perhaps today's evangelical Christians owe more

than they realize to this boy preacher,

this people's preacher from the fens.

(Spurgeon) My life seems to me like a fairy dream.

I am often both amazed and dazed

with its mercies and its love.

How good God has been to me!

I used to think that I should sing among the saints above

as loudly as any,

for I owe so much to the grace of God

and I said so once in a sermon, long ago:

"Then loudest of the crowd I'll sing,

"While Heaven's resounding mansions ring,

With shouts of sovereign grace."