Susannah Spurgeon: A Biographical Essay

I love biographies. I love them because they tell stories of men and women who have experienced the highs and lows of life. Biographies also tell the lessons which people learned on their own journeys as well as some errors which we ourselves should avoid. Specifically, I love Christian biographies, not only because they tell the stories of saints in the past, but also because they tell stories of the Redeemer's work to save people from their sins and sanctify them through His sovereign plan. As a writer, I hope to share some of these stories with my readers.

Now, you may be wondering why I chose Susannah Spurgeon, and not her husband, for the first biographical essay on this blog. Well, the first reason why I chose to publish the first essay on Susannah and not Charles is mainly because it was her biography (Ray Rhodes Jr.'s book, Susie) that I was reading when I decided to write on Church history as a topic. Second, I realized that although the reader may know much about Charles Spurgeon, they may not know anything about the woman who was the reason he lasted in ministry as long as he did. Not only that, but the reader may not know why Susannah Spurgeon has earned a name for herself, apart from her husband, in Church history. From her, we learn that when we go through tremendous suffering, if we hold fast to God's Word, we can bring glory to His name.

Background

Susannah (Susie) Spurgeon was born as Susannah Thompson on January 15, 1832, in London, England, to Robert Bennet and Susannah Knot Thompson. Raised in the upper middle class, Susie was well read and well versed in music, art, and literature. As a young woman, she travelled to Paris where she boarded with the family of Rev. Jean-Joël Audebez, gaining for herself a cultural and educational experience. She grew up in a Christian home. However, as Ray Rhodes Jr. explains, “like so many in the well-mannered and religious English culture around her, Susie had spent her first twenty-one years within an assumed Christianity, reading her Bible, praying, and attending church” (1). But, in the winter of 1852, after a sermon preached by Pastor S.B. Bergne at the Poultry Chapel, Susannah realized her state as a sinner and surrendered entirely to Christ, depending on Him alone to save her.

As a new convert, Susie struggled with confusion and doubts about her salvation. She often expressed her concerns to her cousin’s husband, William Olney, who directed her to the New Park Street pastor, 19-year-old Charles Spurgeon, for guidance. Even before they officially met, Spurgeon helped Susie through her doubts. He sent her an illustrated copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan as something she could read to work out her concerns.

She only knew Charles as the boy preacher who had recently become her pastor. Little did they know, their acquaintanceship would develop into an undying love that lasted past his death and until Susie’s death on October 22, 1903. Charles and Susie married each other on January 8, 1856. However, Susie was not truly aware of the kind of man she just married. Nor could she guess that a life of tremendous pain waited for her and Charles. And neither would she know the impact this marriage would have not only on the world around her but also for generations to come.

Heartaches, Both Together and Alone

Susannah Spurgeon suffered many things with her husband during their life together. For instance, On October 19, 1856, only ten months after the Spurgeons’ wedding and one month after their twin sons, Charles and Thomas, were born, the Surrey Garden tragedy occurred. Seven people were trampled to death at one of Spurgeon’s services as the crowd of over 20,000 became confused over cries of "Fire!" and attempted to rush in and out of the building. Twenty-eight more people were hospitalized. As Charles was bed-ridden for several days and scarred the rest of his life by depression and post-traumatic stress, Susie kept by his side and took care of him.

Even though Charles is known for his great battles over Baptismal Regeneration and the Down-Grade Controversy (a division in the Baptist Union over Scripture's authority), Susannah was the one who stood by him. In the darkest nights of Spurgeon's life, Susie stayed by his side as his constant companion and helper. She often read Scripture passages or pieces from the Puritans to sooth his aching soul. Even with her own trials, Susannah loved Charles, prayed, wept, and cared for him. Scholars suggest that, had it not been for Susie, Charles Spurgeon would have died long before he did on January 31, 1892.

As before mentioned, Susie not only suffered with Charles, but she also suffered personally. An invalid for most of her life, Susannah was unable to travel with her husband to most of his preaching occasions due to an unknown malady. Scholars speculate that her illness may have resulted from her giving birth to her twin sons. Victorian childbearing sadly often resulted in either serious medical repercussions or death. Susie could not even regularly attend church services for much of her life with Charles due to the severity of her illness. Nevertheless, she remained faithful. In all of her suffering, including the loss of her husband, Susannah Spurgeon found ways to serve and minister to thousands of people around the world. She trusted her Lord, knowing that in her weakness, His power was made perfect (1 Corinthians 12:8).

Susie's Legacy

Susannah Spurgeon looms over Church history, apart from her husband, because it was through her that his legacy was carried forward. If not for Susie, Charles Spurgeon would not have been known and accepted as widely as he is today. She was a lover of books and longed for poor pastors to be furnished with the best ones that would spiritually feed both them and their churches. So, beginning in 1875, she ran a book fund, sending out packages of copies of primarily her husband’s books, sermons, and editions of The Sword and the Trowel. Out of Mrs. Spurgeon’s Book Fund came several other auxiliary ministries which influenced men and women of all ages and all walks of life. After Charles' death, Susie worked alongside his secretary, J.W. Harrald, to compile and edit all four volumes of Spurgeon’s Autobiography. A gifted writer herself, Susie authored five books and encouraged pastors throughout the world with numerous letters.

Although not as well-known as her husband, Susie’s influence on the Church comes by her fervent love for the same Lord which Charles faithfully proclaimed for almost 40 years. Through their relationship, both came to grow in their love for each other and adore their Creator even more. Because of her growing love for her Savior, Susie worked to keep her husband's gospel-saturated ministry alive by helping plant a church on the English coast and also rebuild the Metropolitan Tabernacle which was destroyed by a fire in 1898. Although she suffered greatly all the way to the end of her life, Susie’s aim was that God alone would be glorified both in hers and her husband’s work.

In today's world, sadly, when Susannah Spurgeon is mentioned, she is simply thought of being the wife of Charles Spurgeon and not being Susie, a person in and of herself and an author who helped advance her husband’s legacy. In the epilogue of his biography of Susie, Ray Rhodes Jr. writes of the ways in which Susannah’s legacy still teaches and influences us today.

1. Susie looked to Jesus. 2. Susie trained her children in the ways of the Lord. 3. Susie loved and treasured the Bible and read many books. 4. Susie loved pastors and their families. 5. Susie looked for the beauty of God in all things—and found creative ways to communicate his beauty to others. 6. Susie faced hardship with faith and service. 7. Susie advanced her husband’s legacy.

As you reflect on the life of a saint like Susannah Spurgeon, dear reader, do not forget to thank God. Because of Susie’s work to advance her husband’s gospel-saturated legacy, many gospel-driven churches still exist in England and in the world today as a direct result of her. Christians can also learn from a woman so well read and well versed in culture, yet solely committed to the God of the Scriptures. Even in the greatest of her suffering, Susie aimed to know more about the Creator of her soul. From Susannah Spurgeon’s life, we can learn that, by holding fast to God’s Word in the midst of suffering, we can bring glory to His name.

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If you haven't already, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Ray Rhodes Jr.'s book, Susie, to learn more about this incredible woman and her impact on the Church. Rhodes provides a detailed retelling of Susannah's life, her Book Fund ministry, and the years following Charles' death, in which she helped ministers and churches both in her time and for ages to come.

Notes

(1) Rhodes Jr., Ray. Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, Wife of Charles H. Spurgeon. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2018), 47.

Bibliography/Recommended Reading

Rhodes Jr., Ray. Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, Wife of Charles H. Spurgeon. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2018.

ISBN: 978-0802418340

Murray, Iain H. The Forgotten Spurgeon. 1966; repr., Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012.

ISBN: 978-1848710115