Introduction
In 1856, Charles Spurgeon moved his congregation to the biggest indoor venue in London, namely, the Surrey Garden’s Music Hall. The music hall was immense, seating nearly 10,000 people. He led his congregation to this building because he had previously outgrown the New Park Street Chapel, and Exeter Hall.[1] The Surrey Garden’s Music Hall was sufficient for seating, but at this location, Spurgeon would experience disaster. On October 19th of 1856 (the Lord’s Day), a person—with likely ill intent—yelled “fire” while the church gathered. At the news of a fire, people panicked and rushed to escape the building. Seven people were trampled to death, and twenty-eight people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. This moment in Spurgeon’s life caused him great depression—for obvious reasons. After this disaster, Spurgeon canceled many speaking opportunities and missed a Sunday in his pulpit. After days of suffering, he returned to the church to worship on the Lord’s Day. On November 2nd of 1856, Spurgeon ascended the pulpit to lead his congregation in prayer. He prayed the following words:
We are assembled here, O Lord, this day, with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow,—joy that we meet each other again, and sorrow for those who have suffered bereavements. Thanks to Thy Name! Thanks to Thy Name! Thy servant feared that he should never be able to meet this congregation again, but Thou hast brought him up out of the burning fiery furnace, and not even the smell of fire has passed upon him. Thou hast, moreover, given Thy servant special renewal of strength, and he desires now to confirm those great promises of free grace which the gospel affords. Thou knowest, O Lord, our feelings of sorrow! We must not open the sluices of our woe; but, O God, comfort those who are lingering in pain and suffering, and cheer those who have been bereaved! Let great blessings rest upon them,—the blessings of the covenant of grace, and of this world, too. And now, O Lord, bless Thy people! We have loved one another with a pure heart fervently;—we have rejoiced in each other’s joy,—we have wept together in our sorrow. Thou hast welded us together, and made us one in doctrine, one in practice, and one in holy love. Oh, that it may be said of each individual now present with us that he is bound up in the bundle of life! O Lord, we thank Thee even for all the slander, and calumny, and malice, with which Thou hast allowed the enemy to honour us; and we pray Thee to grant that we may never give them any real cause to blaspheme Thy holy Name! We ask this for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.[2]
The Blessing of Renewed Strength
Spurgeon recognized that the “Surrey Garden’s disaster” had strengthened his faith in Christ. In his prayer he says: Thou hast, moreover, given Thy servant special renewal of strength. He understood that “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31a KJV). Spurgeon knew that strength in self was a strength that would eventually fail. In a sermon, he preached from Isaiah 40:31, he remarks the following: “The reason is that all strength apart from God is derived strength, and is consequently measurable; yea, apart from God it is not strength at all, and consequently must come to an end.”[3] During these days of difficulty, Spurgeon received the blessing of a renewed strength in/from Christ.
The Blessings of the Covenant of Grace
Spurgeon’s covenantal hermeneutic of the Bible shaped his hope and his prayer. While praying for those who were in pain, he said: Let great blessings rest upon them, —the blessings of the covenant of grace. Spurgeon understood that the covenant of grace was not abstract theological jargon. The blessings of the covenant of grace brought comfort to those who suffered. In his exposition of Hebrews 8:10, he mentions multiple blessings of the covenant of grace.[4] First, “to as many as are interested in it, there shall be given an illumination of their minds—I will put my laws into their mind. Second, I will write my laws in their hearts. Third, I will be to them a God. Lastly, they shall be to me a people. These salvific blessings were sweet truths during bitter days.
The Blessing of Christian Unity
In addition to the blessings of a renewed strength, and the blessings of the covenant of grace, Spurgeon and his church were united together: Thou hast welded us together, and made us one in doctrine, one in practice, and one in holy love. The Surrey Garden disaster gave the people a greater understanding of their need for one another—their need for the scriptures—and their need to live out the truths of the scriptures. According to his prayer, Spurgeon’s church ministered to one another during the disaster: We have loved one another with a pure heart fervently; —we have rejoiced in each other’s joy, —we have wept together in our sorrow. Although this congregation experienced temporary turmoil, they were ultimately united in “holy love.”
Conclusion
Although Spurgeon “was entirely prostrated for some days,” by “the great mercy of our Heavenly Father, he was, restored so as to be able to occupy the pulpit.”[5] This experience left him with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow, but he was ultimately moved to praise his Lord as he addressed the people. Indeed, he received multiple blessings by enduring this disaster.
[1] To learn more about Spurgeon’s journey from New Park Street Chapel to the Metropolitan Tabernacle, listen to our podcast episode on this subject: https://covenantpodcast.podbean.com/e/charles-spurgeon-journey-to-the-metropolitan-tabernacle/
[2] C. H. Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and Records, by His Wife and His Private Secretary, 1854–1860, vol. 2 (Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1899), 213.
“Spurgeon did not approve of the printing of his prayers, as a rule; but the circumstances under which the church and congregation met on that Lord’s-day morning,—November 2, 1856,—were so unusual, that an exception may be made in order to insert the record of the Pastor’s first public utterance after the accident.”
[3] C. H. Spurgeon, “Renewing Strength,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 29 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1883), 698.
[4] C. H. Spurgeon, “The Covenant” in Spurgeon’s Sermon Vol. 5, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2017), 174-179.
[5] C. H. Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and Records, by His Wife and His Private Secretary, 1854–1860, vol. 2 (Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1899), 213.
Austin McCormick is the Pastor of Sheppard Baptist Church in Dixon, Missouri. As a child, he was not raised in church; at the age of 18, he heard the gospel for the first time and was later saved by grace through faith in Christ. He serves his family as a husband and father.
In 2019, he received his BA in Biblical Studies from Spurgeon College (MBTS). He is currently a student at Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, working towards the MA in Pastoral Studies degree. He is the co-host of the Covenant Podcast, and co-founder of and contributor to Covenant Confessions. Some of his favorite authors include C. H. Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, Benjamin Keach, John Owen, and Augustine of Hippo.
