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Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon (IV)

Written on August 5, 2010 by Tim in Uncategorized

I’m a wee bit under the weather today and am calling this a sick day. Everyone in the family has had some sort of flu and/or some sort of strep in the past couple of weeks and to this point I’ve managed to avoid it. It may now have caught up with me. The timing is terribly inconvenient with that book deadline looming. Nevertheless, I trust this won’t last long. Because of all of that, there is no A La Carte today and this Reading Classics Together post is going to be somewhat abbreviated. You understand, I’m sure.

This week we read three chapters of Arnold Dallimore’s life of Charles Spurgeon, each of dealt with a single aspect of Spurgeon’s ministry. In the first chapter Dallimore discussed the building of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. This represented a huge building project and one that came at considerable cost (and a cost that grew substantially over time, which always seems to be the way of it). Spurgeon was opposed to borrowing money for the Lord’s work so insisted that the project be carried out debt-free. He did more than his fair share of the work in fundraising and the church opened in March of 1861. Dallimore points out that there was some significance in the building as it established Spurgeon as a permanent presence in London. The building told the whole world that Spurgeon was here to stay.

The second chapter dealt with Spurgeon’s Pastors’ College. Not surprisingly, Spurgeon found himself much in demand as a teacher and mentor and he decided to formalize his role in the lives of young men by establishing this Pastors’ College. Though it added a significant measure of work to his life, it is clear that he loved the college and loved the opportunity it afforded him to train up a whole new generation of pastors. One of the outgrowths of the college was his Lectures To My Students, a book that is still treasured today.

The third chapter turned to the growth of other Spurgeonic enterprises. As if he did not already have enough to do, Spurgeon oversaw many other ministries. Some of these were a natural outgrowth of a big and thriving church, but others were started and maintained by the man himself. Among these was the Colporteurs’ Association through which men distributed Bibles, tracts and other literature and sought to do other evangelistic work. There was little Spurgeon would not commit to if he felt that it would further the Lord’s work.

All of this labor had its effect on Spurgeon. He began to weaken, even early in life. He dealt with ongoing illnesses and generally allowing his health to suffer because of the sheer scope and volume of his labor. It is amazing to pause and consider how young Spurgeon was when carrying on so much of this ministry. And yet this same ministry caused him to age prematurely. Like so many other great theologians, he worked himself to the nub and would live a relatively short life.

Next Week

For next Thursday, please read chapters 12, 13 and 14. We will do three again since the chapters are quite short (25 pages or so for all three together).

Your Turn

The purpose of this program is to read biographies together. So if there are things that stood out to you in this chapter, if there are questions you had, this is the time and place to have your say. Feel free to post a comment below or to link to your blog if you’ve chosen to write about this on your own site.

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Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon (II)

Written on July 22, 2010 by Tim in Uncategorized

Today we continue reading Arnold Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A New Biography. Two weeks ago we read the first couple of chapters and, after a one-week vacation, we’re back today to look at chapters 3-6.

The four chapters we read for today covered a lot of ground (which is both a benefit and a drawback of a relatively short biography). We began in the days immediately following Spurgeon’s conversion, progressed to the days where he began his very first efforts to share the gospel with others and ended with marriage. Along the way he felt God’s call to preach, he became the Boy Preacher who accepted his first pastorate at just seventeen years of age, he was called to New Park Street Baptist Church and he fell in love with and soon married Susannah Thompson.

Let me mention just a few of the things that stood out to me.

I loved reading of Spurgeon’s immediate desire to live out his new faith. No sooner was he converted than he became active in sharing that faith with others. And while it seems that he had always been bold, it was not until his baptism that God destroyed his shyness and his fear of man. His obedience in baptism was richly rewarded by God who made it the occasion of a remarkable transformation. As a Baptist I was glad to read of his decision to be baptized as a believer, and I enjoyed at his short reply to his mother when she wrote “Ah Charles, I often prayed the Lord to make you a Christian, but never asked that you might become a Baptist.” His reply? “Ah, Mother, the Lord has answered your prayer with His usual bounty, and has given you exceedingly abundantly above what you asked or thought.” That made me laugh out loud.

As I continued to read I was struck by the way that God shapes men for a specific purpose. Here he created Charles Spurgeon and gave him a unique set of gifts and opportunities. And, of course, Spurgeon was faithful to use them to the best of his ability. He used his gifts and God continued to open doors, to give him times and places to fulfill his ministry. When you hear people say, “There can never be another Spurgeon” you realize that this is right. God so obviously raised him up to a specific purpose. Having accomplished that purpose, we should not expect to see another man quite like him. And what an amazingly talented person he was. And this gives me yet another reason to love biographies; they help me see how God is the one who raises up people for his own glory.

The character trait that most stood out to me in this portion of the book was humility. Humility is a rare trait at the best of times. But in a young preacher, and one so greatly lauded, it is almost unheard of. It is rare that anyone, least of all a man in his teens and early twenties, could bear up under the kind of praise and attention Spurgeon received. Yet he fought pride and successfully put it to death. God gave him a profound sense of his own unworthiness and through such self-assessment Spurgeon had no place for pride to take root. From Spurgeon we can learn the value of a life marked by humility. Little wonder that God so greatly used this humble man.

Allow me one critical note. In his description of the marriage of Charles to Susannah, Dallimore seemed to transition from biographer to fan. I suppose no biographer is entirely objective, but here it seemed that he simply could not contain his enthusiasm for this marriage, that he stepped from description to personal reflection. And somehow it seemed to me that this was just a little bit out of character or a little bit inappropriate. That’s a strange reaction, I suppose, but I felt as if in the narrative of the biography he should have maintained more objectivity. Of course he is right—Susannah was a near-perfect fit for her husband. And yet certain statements seem to go just a little bit too far: “It is impossible to imagine anyone who would have been so suitable a wife for Charles Spurgeon as was this extraordinary woman.”

Nevertheless, it was good to read of the young Charles Spurgeon and good to read of the way God shaped his man for his purpose. Generations of Christians have been the happy beneficiaries of Spurgeon’s gifts and talents.

Next Week

For next Thursday, please read the next two chapers, chapters 7 and 8.

Your Turn

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Grandpa Dallimore

Written on July 9, 2010 by Tim in Uncategorized

Today’s guest blogger is a dear friend to Aileen and me and, as it happens, the granddaughter of Arnold Dallimore, whose biography of Spurgeon we only just began to read together. I asked Becky if she would be willing to share a few memories of her grandfather.

*****

My grandpa was a man who could sleep anywhere. He was a small man with a big voice. He walked briskly, swinging his arms at his sides while he moved. He rarely left the house without his favourite red cap. He loved wonton soup. My grandpa always carried around two essential accessories: a shoe horn and a black, plastic comb. Each night, between seven and eight, he watched “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” (which, I am confident, based on his at home performances, he could have won). My grandpa was a world renowned author, church planter, pastor, preacher, poet, great man of God… and, according to my kindergarten journal, my best friend.

My grandpa loved to tell stories. I spent many hours, snuggled tightly between him and my grandma in the front seat of their car, listening to stories about his childhood in London, Ontario, his tomato soup (made from ketchup and water) years at Seminary in Toronto and the years he spent building and growing Cottam Baptist Church. My favourite stories were those he told about his mother, Mabel. Legend has it, that upon hearing the news of her death, a streak of his hair turned from brown to white.

My grandpa loved a good bargain. He was what many would have considered poor his entire life. He often told me that he’d never had two nickels to rub together. He would not have known what life would have been like with a little bit of extra money. Despite that, my grandpa always dressed well and he would often share the story of how much a garment had cost him and where he had purchased it from. He had a brown “Neiman Marcus” sweater that he had purchased at a thrift store. Every time he wore that sweater, he would remind me that it had been an outstanding deal.

Grandpa Dallimore My grandpa adored cars. He collected all sorts of car magazines and relished his annual trek to the Auto Show in Detroit. We would often take trips into Windsor to visit the mall. The ladies would drop my grandpa off on the auto strip, proceed to the mall for several hours of shopping, and return to the final car dealership at the end of the line to pick him up! He had no use for a shopping mall, but an auto mall could distract him for hours!

My grandpa was a man who demanded (in an altogether undemanding way) excellent grammar and proper speech. When I was small, he taught me to use the word “humongous”. When we would come upon something large, he would ask me, “How big is this?” I would reply with, “Humongous” to which he would approve with hearty laughter. He was eloquent and a writer of wonderful poetry. I have met few others in my life that shared his passion for both the spoken and the written word.

My grandpa loved hymns. He had countless committed to memory. I loved it, when mid-sermon, he would stop to recite a hymn. In his deep, strong voice, he would raise his head, eyes closed and belt out the words of a favourite hymn. To him, hymns were poetry… Words that could not be taken lightly.

My grandpa was gentle man and I don’t recall him ever raising his voice in anger. He was thoughtful and kind. He rarely said anything without first giving it much consideration. He was a wonderful and loving friend. As a little girl, we lived just down the street from my grandpa and grandma. I saw him every day, without fail. I would walk with him each morning to pick up the mail. I don’t remember what we talked about in all those hours spent together, but I know that it was in those moments that he was helping to shape my life. As I grew, there was still always a place for me on his lap. A kiss for my cheek. A word of wisdom when my heart was wandering.

In years before his death, my grandpa’s health declined steadily. I would visit him weekly in his rest home. Despite many strokes, and a somewhat changed personality, his mind, and his love for me, remained strong. The evening before he died, I had visited him in the hospital. We talked for some time about my university applications. He was sitting in the hospital bed and shortly before I left, I picked up his familiar black comb and combed his hair. I kissed him on the head as I always did when saying good-bye and went home. Early the next morning he went home to be with his Lord forever.

I can still hear my grandpa preaching today. In my mind, I can hear his familiar voice ring out, calling all sinners to repentance. I can still imagine him belting out the words of “And Can It Be”. I can still smell his morning coffee brewing. I can still hear the keys of his typewriter while he worked, sharing truth with generations to come. At his funeral, the pastor quoted the words of 2 Timothy 4… “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

*****

Rebecca is the wife of Jason, the mother of two little girls, Brennah and Leah, a teacher, a blogger and a jewelry designer. She is also the grand-daughter of Arnold Dallimore.

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Reading Biographies Together – Spurgeon

Written on July 8, 2010 by Tim in Uncategorized

You are familiar, I think, with the Reading Classics Together program. Over the past few years, I and many of the readers of this site have read a series of classics of the Christian faith. We’ve read them concurrently, a chapter or two at a time, and then have met up here at the blog once a week to discuss what we’ve read. After we finished the most recent version of this program (which saw us read The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes) I thought it would be fun to try something new. And thus I proposed that we read a biography together. Today we begin.

The biography we are reading together is Arnold Dallimore’s Spurgeon: A New Biography. Of course it’s not that new anymore, having been first printed in 1985. Nevertheless, it is a good biography and one that is thorough enough without being too long or too dense. Dallimore was a Canadian pastor and biographer who ministered not too far from where I live. He is best-known for his work on George Whitefield, a massive two-volume set that is still regarded as the definitive biography of the great evangelist. Tomorrow I’ll share a guest article written by Dallimore’s granddaughter and will allow her to introduce you to her her grandfather.

As we turn from classics of the faith to biographies, I am not entirely sure what I ought to maintain as a format as I try to share just a few thoughts on the week’s reading. So I may mix things up a little bit week-by-week as I attempt to find a workable format.

This week we were to read the first two chapters of the book along with Dallimore’s brief Preface. In the Preface Dallimore defends his decision to write yet another biography of Spurgeon, saying that many other biographies had been flawed, either by neglecting some aspects of Spurgeon’s ministry or by neglecting some aspects of his character. Dallimore has sought to provide a view of Spurgeon that is more rounded and more accurate. He has tried to give us a glimpse of the essential Spurgeon.

In the first two chapters he writes about Spurgeon’s family background, his home life and his eventual conversion. And I must say that no matter how many times I read it, I never grow weary of Spurgeon’s account of his conversion. I love the contrast of the smart, educated and capable Spurgeon sitting in a pew and the “really stupid” man who climbs into the pulpit one day to exhort him to be saved. It never fails to encourage me to see how God works through the humble to shame, or in this case to humble, the wise.

But moving back in time just a little bit, I enjoyed reading how Spurgeon attributed so much of his spiritual growth and development to his mother. I have been reading a lot of biography lately and this has been a recurring theme. Just last week I read of Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom said without shame that whatever they were, whatever they had become, they owed to their mothers and especially to their mothers’ fervent prayer. And as Spurgeon’s brother said of their mother, “She was the starting point of all the greatness and goodness any of us, by the grace of God, have ever enjoyed.” While I would always wish to affirm that dad is the spiritual leader within the home, none of us should neglect the importance of mom and her ministry to her children. Many great men of the faith owe who and what they are to the teaching and the prayers of their mothers.

Finally, I see a challenge for me in this chapter. I am the father of three children who, like Spurgeon, are being raised in a Christian home. And yet I cannot allow myself to assume their salvation. I must continually remind myself that, like Spurgeon and, indeed, like myself, it may take them many years and much wrestling before they find salvation. It will take a work of the Holy Spirit to draw them to himself and this is a work that will take place in his good timing.

Next Week

I will not be near a computer next Thursday, so we will actually take a one-week break and be back on the 22nd of July. For that date, please read the next four chapters (which keeps us at our regular pace of two chapters per week). That will take you to the end of the chapter titled “Spurgeon’s Marriage.”

Your Turn

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Violence Seems to Triumph – The First Methodist Martyr

Written on December 14, 2009 by Lex Loizides in Uncategorized

(Methodism and the Mob Part 6)
The Mob Reacts – The Death of William Seward
How do you respond when you hear that a Christian missionary is in trouble for distributing Christian literature, or for some other attempt to communicate the Christian faith?
Maybe your first response is to assume that the believer lacked wisdom. You may be [...]

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The Passion of the Evangelist: Whitefield Preaches in America

Written on October 23, 2009 by Lex Loizides in Uncategorized

(Part Three – see Part One and Two)
Nathan Cole and his wife had heard that the famous Evangelist George Whitefield would be preaching in Middletown, just 12 miles from their farm.
They immediately stopped what they were doing, saddled the horse and rode as fast as they could to get to the meeting place.
Cole describes how, [...]

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