“It is absurd for a man to say he is born again and yet live just like those who are dead in sin.”

-C.H. Spurgeon [1]

Nicknamed “The Prince of Preachers,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon is arguably one of the most influential preachers of all time. Spurgeon was most definitely not a typical English scholar, for he had no earned degree from any university in England.[2] By all standards, Spurgeon was in no way qualified to teach at the university level, although he did. He was only tutored in the Greek language and was still one of the most prolific preachers of the 19th century.

Review

The Spurgeon Journal is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’ve always admired Spurgeon and his quest for grace and surety in the Christian life. Here are a few things I like about it (and one I don’t like).

1. 1. 1. The flexibility. Most of you may not know this, but I am a Bible geek. I don’t mean this in the sense of spirituality – meaning I love the Bible so much that I am a super Christian and spend all day and night reading and meditating on it. Although I should spend more time than I do reading and meditation on Scripture, my geek-ness begins in my Bible collecting. As of today (January 17, 2018), I currently own 22 Bibles. To the average person, that may be a crazy elevated number. But this number includes study Bibles, high school Bibles, preaching Bibles, and even family heirloom Bibles. But there are a few Bibles that I am literally proud of owning. Other than the family Bibles I’ve received as gifts or that have been passed down, I have three Bibles that I am most proud of handle weekly: 1) my preaching ESV Bible (Schuyler Quentel ESV), my CSB Bible that I use on Wednesday nights with the youth group , and my journalling Bible (ESV Journalling Bible). All of these Bibles are wrapped in either goatskin or calfskin leather – which basically means they are very soft and very flexible. Although the Spurgeon journal is not leather, it is most definitely a flexible journal.
      2. The quotes from Spurgeon’s “Lost Sermons.” Dr. Christian T. George, Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Curator of the Spurgeon Library, has recently published through B&H The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon. In these two volumes, there are recorded the earliest of sermons from the prince of preachers himself. Some of these quotes, like the one above, are made manifest on the bottom of the pages in the journal.
      3. The format of the pages. I’m not one who journals frequently, but I do strive to record things as often as I have the opportunity. The pages within the binding of the Spurgeon Journal are of the highest quality and offer a great format of many lines with a formatted date template at the top of each page, so you can remember when you recorded such things.
      4. The size of the journal. The only critique I have for the Spurgeon journal is the size. In my opinion, the best journals are ones that will lay flat (see point 1 and “flexibility”). Therefore, I prefer larger journals. The Spurgeon Journal is only 5.0″ x 8.0″.

Conclusion

This journal will be most helpful to those who want to record sermons of their own, dates in which to remember, or simply journal their lives on paper. I would recommend this journal to anyone who is of the Christian faith and would highly encourage them to read and heed the quotes on the selected pages.

[1] C.H. Spurgeon, “Come Ye Out From Among Them.”[2] “Charles Spurgeon – Finest Nineteenth Century Preacher,” Christianity Today, http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/charles-spurgeon.html (accessed January 16, 2018)