Susannah Spurgeon
(1832-1903)
January 15th, 1832, Susannah was born to Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Thompson. She spend most of her younger years in Southern suburbs of the city of London. Her parents occasionally visited New Park Street Chapel, where she first was instructed in the things of God. It was one Sunday at this chapel that the pastor preached on Romans 10:8, it was this morning that she was first awakened to her own lost condition.
She says:
“From that service, I date the darning of the true light in my soul. The Lord said to me, through His servant, ‘Give me thy heart’, and, constrained by His love, that night witnessed my solemn resolution to entire surrender to Himself.”
Despite her recognition of her sin and decision to seek Salvation is Jesus Christ she kept all religious thought to herself.
“Seasons of Darkness, despondency and doubt had passed over me,” she says, “but I had kept all my religious experiences carefully concealed in my own breast.”
It was the hesitation and reserve in this respect being the cause, in Mrs. Spurgeon’s judgment of the sickly and sleepy condition of her soul.
It was on December 18, 1853, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a youth of 19, preached for the first time at the New Park Street Chapel. Susannah was not at the service that morning but heard glowing reports of the preacher from many friends. To please her friends, and out of curiosity to see the new preacher, Susannah accompanied her friends to the evening service. She later recalled her thought of the day:
“Ah! how little I then thought that my eyes looked on him who was to be my life’s beloved; how little i dreamed of the honor God was preparing for me in the near future! It is a mercy that our lives are not left to us to plan, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings, and put form us the choicest and loveliest gifts of His providence. For, if the whole truth be told, I was not at all fascinated by the young orator’s eloquence, while his countrified manner and speech excited more regret than reverence. Alas, for my vain and foolish heart! I was not spiritually-minded enough to understand his earnest presentation of the Gospel and his powerful pleading with sinners; -but huge, black, satin stock, the long badly trimmed hair, and the blue pocket handkerchief with white spots which he himself has graphically described, – these attracted most of my attention and I fear awakened some feelings of amusement. There was only on sentence of the whole sermon which I carried away with me, and that solely on account of its quaintness, for it seemed to be an extraordinary thing for the preacher to speak of the ‘living stones in the Heavenly Temple perfectly joined together with the vermilion cement of Christ’s blood’”
The young miss Thompson, after she quickly over came her prejudices against the young preacher, was soon awakened to her back sliding state of indifference and became very alarmed. Yet through conversation with the Mr. Spurgeon and through the young man’s preaching, she soon found the rest her soul longed for at the cross of Jesus, where sin’s are washed away.
The first meeting of Charles and Susannah neither of them could ever remember, but they came to know each other through conversation and few outings. It was in June of 1854 that Charles first declared his love for Miss Thompson, the two where then engaged two months later.
Many where the trails ahead for the two young lovers. Mr. Spurgeon being extremely busy with his preaching, Susannah often felt slighted because of what she considered a lack of care of his part. Yet with some wise counsel from Mrs. Thompson, Susannah came to understand that she must never begrudge her future husband to God. The Lord Jesus would and should always be first in Charles life. She soon repented of her folly and became a willing and able helpmate to him.
The couple where married on January 8th 1856, in the New Park Street Chapel. The wedding was anything but a quite one; people came from miles around to see the couple exchange their marriage vows. Their honeymoon was spent in Paris, France, visiting museums and places of historical interest.
In September of that of that year the couple had their first children, a set of twins who they named Charles and Thomas. The Couple was so happy about the arrival of the new babies, but their happiness was soon over shadowed with a sad cloud. Their was a very bad scare at one of Mr. Spurgeon’s preaching appointments at Music Hall. It left in a sad state of temporary mental anguish. Susannah and the babies joined him at some friends home in Croydon for some much needed rest. Charles Spurgeon soon recovered from his restlessness and was preaching again.
The couple spent 10 happy years together. Raising children, taking care of their own country home, Mrs. Spurgeon had the task of caring for her husband in a few illnesses, yet over all it was a joy filled time. Mr. and Mrs. Spurgeon both enjoyed gardening in their spare time, and built a lovely flower garden around their home.
Mrs. Spurgeon did not retain good health for much of her life. She was almost constantly suffering from physical ailments. She did her best to support and encourage her husband in his ministry despite her weakness.
In 1875 Mrs. Spurgeon begun was would soon become known as “The Book Fund”. After her husband wrote his first volume of “Lectures to my Students”, Susannah proof read it. She told her husband, “I wish I could place it in the hands of every minister in England!” Charles Spurgeon responded, “Then why not do so? how much will you give?” Thus the book fund began. Mrs. Spurgeon begun with saving her own money, and then announcing her intent of giving the book to ministers who asked for them. Money soon began to come in for the fund and it continued to grow. s
Despite her illness, Mrs. Spurgeon found many ways to help her husband in his ministry. She raised her sons, begun and worked on the “book fund”, and also wrote a number of devotionals. Her life was filled with much work and dedication for the cause of Jesus Christ.
In the Summer of 1903 Mrs. Spurgeon had a severe attack of pneumonia which prostrated her, and from this she never recovered, being confined to her bed. She was bed ridden from several months, slowing growing weaker and weaker. On October 22nd 1903 Susannah Spurgeon passed away quietly in her sleep, leaving a rich legacy of self-less love and devotion for Jesus Christ.