06 March 2006

Spurgeon Galore!

by Phil Johnson

Your weekly dose of Spurgeon

The PyroManiacs devote Monday space to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive.



Finally! Some new Sermons at The Spurgeon Archive

My websites were recently moved to a new server that will enable me to modify files and upload new material from anywhere. So, to celebrate, I've formatted a bunch of sermons from the 1863 volume:


I chose those sermons because they included "Encourage Your Minister," the sermon we excerpted here two weeks ago. It's a message that has been on my mind this week during Shepherds' Conference. Here's another excerpt:

The Pastor's Burden

Let a man carry out the office of a Christian minister aright, and he will never have any rest.

"God help," says Richard Baxter, "the man who thinks the minister's an easy life." Why, he works not only all day, but in his sleep you will find him weeping for his congregation, starting in his sleep with his eyes filled with tears, as if he had the weight of his congregation's sins resting on his heart, and could not bear the load.

I would not be that man in the ministry who does not feel himself so fearfully responsible, that if he could escape from the ministry by going with Jonah into the depths of the sea, he would cheerfully do it; for if a minister is what he should be, there is such a weight of solemn concern, such a sound of trembling in his ears, that he would choose any profession or any work, however arduous, sooner than the preacher's post. "If the watchman warn them not they shall perish, but their blood will I require at the watchman's hands." To sit down and spell over the question—"Am I free of his blood?" is terrible.

I have sometimes thought I must have a day or two of rest, but I frankly confess that rest is very little rest to me, for I think I hear the cries of perishing souls, the wailings of spirits going down to hell, who chide me thus: "Preacher, can you rest? Minister, can you be silent? Ambassador of Jesus can you cast aside the robes of your office? Up! and to your work again." As Mr. Whitefield said, when he thought of the ministry, and what was concerned in it, he wanted to stand on the top of every hackney coach in London and preach the gospel as he rode along.

C. H. Spurgeon




If time permits, I'll also try to do a debrief on the Shepherds' Conference sometime Monday or Tuesday. It was a wonderful week. Among other things, I got to meet Tim Challies and Lig Duncan. I'll tell you all about it first chance I get.

Phil's signature

8 comments:

Forgiven Sinner said...

Excellent post.....Phil it was great meeting you and thanks alot for THE VERY LAST PYROMANIAC STICKER....I absolutely loved the conference, I had a fantastic time and already plan on attending the 2007 (if the Lord Wills it)

Thanks again!!!

PS....
Special Thanks to Catusfumas for not wanting to fight over it and also to Dale and Joe.....the trip would'nt have been the same without you!!!!

Terry said...

Tim strikes me as a humble fellow. I can imagine him reading this going, 'Wow, me and Ligon Duncan in the same sentence." Tim did an amazing job blogging the conference. Go Canada!

Terry

donsands said...

Good convicting thoughts from Pastor Spurgeon.
Are some pastors more concerned for souls of the lost then others? And are some pastors more concerned for the equipping of the saints than for lost sheep?
I have more of a burden for the sheep to be in the pasture grazing on the Word of God, and to protect them from the wolves; though I do long to see our Lord's mercy changing blind hearts, but not as a Hudson Taylor for the souls in China.
Is my heart not sensative enough?

Any thoughts and input would be nice.

FX Turk said...

Steve --

You can get PyroGear 365 days a year at the web store. Schlepping it around the country is not my idea of fun.

Phil --

You're like the Reformed social butterfly.

And James White told me today you made me a Pyro out of pity. I think he's got sour grapes over not being on the TeamPyro roll. Maybe I'll send him a mug or something ...

Gordon said...

The contents of this post, (if that is what we are actually discussing :-) ) reveal the very reason why pastoring is a calling and not a career.

CuriousSaint said...

Having just returned to Texas from Shep's myself...I can say that it was an awesome week filled with edifying words from some of the most solid men of the faith on this planet. I can't wait to listen to the mp3's again for there was far too much to take in, in just a weeks time.

Godspeed all.

4given said...

Can also be said about mothers home educating their children: "Why, she works not only all day, but in her sleep you will find her weeping for her children, starting in her sleep with her eyes filled with tears, as if she had the weight of her children's sins resting on her heart, and could not bear the load.

I would not be that mother who does not feel herself so fearfully responsible, that if she could escape from motherhood by going with Jonah into the depths of the sea, she would cheerfully do it; for if a mother is what she should be, there is such a weight of solemn concern, such a sound of trembling in her ears, that she would choose any profession or any work, however arduous, sooner than the stay-at-home-mother's post. "If the watchman warn them not they shall perish, but their blood will I require at the watchman's hands." To sit down and spell over the question—"Am I free of his blood?" is terrible.

I have sometimes thought I must have a day or two of rest, but I frankly confess that rest is very little rest to me, for I think I hear the cries of perishing souls, the wailings of spirits going down to hell, who chide me thus: "Mommy, can you rest? Mother, can you be silent? Ambassador of Jesus can you cast aside the robes of motherhood? Up! and to your work again." ...

Kay said...

4Given,

thankyou for that, it was top-notch.