For CH Spurgeon's birthday

Like many of my readers, I love the life and ministry of CH Spurgeon (1834-1892), who was born this day in 1834, June 19—ten days after the death of William Carey at Serampore.

I love him for many reasons: his marvellous witness to Christ, his tremendous sense of humour, his humanity, his wisdom (and displayed at such a young age), a wisdom that was often distilled in Puritan-like pithy quotes, like this one (which I have used time and again):

Those who do away with Christian doctrine are, whether they

are aware of it or not, the worst enemies of Christian living.

…The coals of orthodoxy are necessary to the fire of piety.[1]

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[1] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “How can you have the Shadow without the Tree?”, The Sword and the Trowel (1887), 62.

For help in locating this quote I am indebted to Dr. Ian Clary, my one-time research assistant, now a distinguished professor of church history at Colorado Christian University, and a very dear friend.