Five Vital Details About Susannah Spurgeon You Must Know

Five Vital Details About Susannah Spurgeon You Must Know

Who Was Susannah Spurgeon? – 5 Impotant Facts That You Should Know About Her

Susie Spurgeon, The Remarkable

Susie Spurgeon is a name I’ve heard of, but I don’t know anything about her. This statement sums up the reactions of many when they learn about Susie: A biography of Susannah Spurgeon Charles, her husband, is one of the most well-known individuals in Christian history, and several biographies, PhD dissertations, and articles have often discussed his life. So why is Susie not more well-known?

It’s possible that Charles Spurgeon had a huge presence and left a huge shadow. He wrote nearly 63 volumes of sermons in addition to 135 novels. He oversaw more than 60 charitable organizations, wrote a monthly magazine, pastored what we would now refer to as a megachurch, and delivered sermons up to 10 times a week. He is still one of the most read Christian authors today.

Susie’s relative obscurity may also be attributed to the era’s cultural norms. Susie lived from 1832 to 1903, which is the same time period as Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901). Women’s reputations in the Victorian era were mostly based on the men they were married to. Susie is frequently described as Charles’ wife in Spurgeon’s biographies; therefore, when she first meets Charles, Susie is usually introduced.

Susie Thompson Spurgeon, though, was a unique individual in her own way. Here are a few interesting facts about Susie.

Susie Was a Vigorous Writer

Together with Charles, Susie co-edited Smooth Stones Taken From Ancient Brooks in 1855. Ten Years of My Life in the Service of the Book Fund was her 1886 book. Her most productive literary period was from 1886 through 1901. Thomas Spurgeon, her son, said that his mother had “unique writing abilities.”

Most of Susie’s literary gems have been buried under the sea of writings by and about her well-known husband. Her strong devotion to the Bible, her constant reading of devotional books, and the fact that she had been around Charles for 38 years helped her write a lot.

Susie’s unique writing style contributed to the success of her works among her fans. Her readers enjoyed her detailed, even flowery, and lyrical writing style, which is uncommon nowadays. “My beloved readers and I are such old pals now,” she added.

Most people nowadays are familiar with Susie’s work because of C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography. Susie co-edited and contributed to this enormous book, which was first published in four volumes. It serves as a collection of biographical stories and is crucial for understanding both Susie’s life and Charles Spurgeon’s. Between 1897 and 1900, four volumes were released, with the first appearing in 1897.

Five Vital Details About Susannah Spurgeon You Must Know

2. Susie Overcame Trials Through Faith in Christ.

Due to Charles’s notoriety, his detractors, and his regular home absences for ministry and medical reasons, marriage to him presented special difficulties. Susie, on the other hand, faced her own enormous difficulties. Susie has had ongoing health issues for a long time. She needed surgery sometime between 1868 and 1869, and renowned gynecologist James Y. Simpson performed the procedure. We don’t know the details of her condition, but we do know that she had gynecological issues.

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Even when her agony lessened, it was uncommon for her to walk even a mile from home without experiencing discomfort for days later. Her pain throughout this challenging season triggered spells during which she could not move her hands or head. However, Susie didn’t see her house as a prison, and she resisted the urge to accept a life of idleness because of her illness. There is no proof that she was a whiner or that she ascribed her woes to God. She wrote that “our lives would be considerably more holy and joyful than they are if we would trust Him for the keeping, as we do for the saving,” she wrote.

3. Susie also provided for the families of needy pastors.

Susie had been afflicted with chronic illnesses for so long that no one would have blamed her if she had chosen to stay at home and care for herself rather than put in the effort required for ministry.She nonetheless used her hands in the service of her Lord. For Susie, the year 1875 was crucial. A manuscript of Charles’s new book, Lectures to My Students, had been sent to her. Susie said enthusiastically, “I wish I could give a copy to every pastor in England!” Charles gently urged her to fulfill her goal. His simple words of encouragement made Susie decide to help struggling pastors and their families for the rest of her life.

Susie was connected with needy pastors around the British Isles via Mrs. Spurgeon’s Book Fund. She was shocked to learn about the extreme poverty that many people lived in. Some pastors’ households suffered from malnutrition, while others were unable to provide their families with adequate medical treatment. Others could barely afford to dress their children, much less themselves. These pastors were in such a bad situation that they couldn’t even think about buying books with their little resources. As a result, their churches’ spiritual well-being suffered, and their bookcases and cabinets were empty. This was a strain for Susie.

Susie had gathered enough money by the time of her death in 1903 via the Pastor’s Aid Fund and the Book Fund to provide over 200,000 volumes to underprivileged pastors. She also gave them money, clothes, school supplies, and other necessities. She exhorted Christians to take action and help alleviate the deplorable conditions that plagued the homes of many devoted workers who were struggling to live.

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Five Vital Details About Susannah Spurgeon You Must Know


4. Susie started a church.

Susie’s efforts in founding a Baptist church caught many by surprise, especially given her precarious living situation, advanced age, and frail physical condition. Susie had been widowed in 1895 at the age of 63 and was still burdened by ongoing health issues. Her health had gotten better enough that she could travel a bit, but she was still determined to serve her Lord as much as she could.

While her London property was being repaired, Susie went to the seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea. She was shocked to learn that there was no Baptist church nearby and set out to fill the gap. Susie prayed for God’s will. She came to the conclusion that God had chosen Pastor J. S. Hockey and his wife to go to Bexhill. She did not provide Mrs. Hockey and the minister with an easy undertaking when she first suggested the proposal. It is not an easy thing to go to a foreign town, where you do not know a single person, and offer yourself as a possible pastor for a nonexistent church, as I suggested to my pals;

Beulah Baptist Chapel was created gradually as a tribute to Charles Spurgeon. It started operations in 1898 with no debt, no need for fundraising drives, and a focus on gospel preaching. The church built a memorial in Susie’s honor after her passing, which read: “Through Her [Susie’s] Initiative Under God, This Church Was Founded And Mostly By Her Liberality, These Buildings Were Erected.” How did Susie discover and construct the Beulah structures in spite of her hardships and limitations? She put her whole trust in God to supply her. She thought it was hard to avoid realizing “His hand was in it all.”


5. Susie Made Her Husband’s Legacy Last

Susie would argue that the Book Fund, her work as a church planter, her literary contributions, or even her fortitude in the face of adversity, weren’t her greatest legacies. Her mission to support and love her darling Charles was her greatest legacy. Susie made a decision: “It was always my intention in marriage that I should never interfere with him in his work for the Lord, attempt to prevent him from keeping commitments, or use my own bad health as an excuse for him to stay at home with me.” Even though Charles’ frequent absences from the house left Susie feeling very lonely at times, she never regretted her “fixed purpose.”

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Susie actively assisted Charles in church work up until 1868, sometimes accompanied him on trips across the continent (she even trekked the Alps), and welcomed guests into their house with warmth and kindness. She devotedly wrote to him while he was away from home; prayed for him; assisted him in his sermon preparation on Saturday nights; read to him when he was down; and sobbed with him through his hardships. Susie had every right to ask Charles to adjust his hectic schedule, yet she pushed him to carry out his mission. Susie and Charles’ marriage was both exciting and challenging. Without her assistance, Charles would not have been able to fulfill the duties of his ministry, write as much as he did, or leave such a lasting impression on history. Susie’s support not only helped Charles, but it also helped the gospel get out there. Susie continued to spread the gospel Charles loved for the rest of her life by translating and publishing his writings and sermons, as well as working to preserve his life narrative in the Autobiography.


“If greatness depends on the amount of good one does in the world, if it is only another name for unselfish devotion in the service of others—and surely greatness is all this,” predicted Charles Ray, Susie’s sole previous biographer, “then Mrs. C. H. Spurgeon will go down to posterity as one of the greatest women of her time.” During the last three months of Charles’ life, Susie was with him at Mentone, France. Susie subsequently referred to those months as “perfect earthly delight,” and Charles and Susie characterized them as “their honeymoon over again.” She described herself and Charles as “two pilgrims traversing this route of life together, hand in hand, heart connected to heart” as she reflected on their relationship. On January 31, 1892, their hands on earth were severed, but in October 1903, they were joined before the throne of God where they both gave thanks.

Susie Spurgeon’s grave, Pastor Archibald Brown spoke these words: “Farewell, sister! We thank God for you. We appreciate the assistance you provided for your spouse throughout his arduous fight and never-ending labor. He also recalled her work with pastors and Charles and Thomas, her twin boys, who carried on her tradition. We pray, “Thou God of father and mother, be Thou their glorious all-sufficiency, and let Thy benediction descend upon their children, and their children’s children, until Jesus comes, and we are all gathered to the Eternal Home.” with one heart. “Thy sons survive thee; they follow the hallowed footprints left.”

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