Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 1892), the "Prince of Preachers,"
preached his first sermon at age sixteen and became a pastor at age
eighteen. Spurgeon drew large crowds and built the Metropolitan
Tabernacle in London in 1861 to accommodate them. He published over
two thousand sermons; his inspiring and challenging messages comprise
the largest collection of work by a single author. Spurgeon preached to
an estimated ten million people during his lifetime, including notables
such as the prime minister of England, members of the royal family, and
Florence Nightingale. He appealed constantly to his hearers to move on
in the Christian faith, to allow the Lord to minister to them individually,
and to be used of God to win the lost to Christ. In addition to his powerful
preaching, Spurgeon founded and supported charitable outreaches,
including educational institutions. His pastors' college, which is still in
existence today, taught nearly nine hundred students in Spurgeon's time.
He also founded the famous Stockwell Orphanage.
