Joy Upon Joy: An Advent Devotional

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.