A Basket of Summer Fruit: Mrs. Spurgeon after the Death of Her Husband

by Susannah Spurgeon, Grapevine Press

"A Basket of Summer Fruit" by Susannah Spurgeon is a moving account of her life and faith journey after the death of her beloved husband, Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

As a devoted minister's wife, Susannah's life took a new path following her husband's passing. With honesty and courage, she shares her experiences of grief, spiritual struggles, and eventual healing.

This inspiring biography offers profound insights into the resilience of the human spirit and the sustaining power of faith during times of sorrow.

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2023

About the author

Susannah Spurgeon was the wife of the famous Baptist preacher of the second half of the nineteenth-century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Reviews

[Bethany Beasley]

Jude 1:3 “I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

The position of the wife of a great man, and particularly of a great minister, is not only one of rare difficulty, but calls for an exercise of unselfishness and self-effacement which is quite contrary to the natural instincts of human nature. . . . She must be prepared to part often with the one she loves best on earth in order that he may fulfill his solemn engagements untrammeled by domestic repining. . . . She must take upon her shoulders a load of responsibility which the ordinary wife knows nothing of and which amid such a multitude of duties might well overwhelm a strong and vigorous man. If it be true in a general sense that “whosoever findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord,” how much more must it be the case with the minister who is encouraged and helped by his partner in life. . . .

To see Christ in all of Scripture takes eyes of faith that only the Spirit can give.

She lived the reality that God is more concerned with our knowing Him and becoming like His Son than He is with the things we “do” for Him.

It is an understatement to say that being the wife of a famous preacher is not easy. There are many silent sacrifices such a woman must cheerfully make. In fact, this is exactly what her husband gently exhorted her to do… her mother gently reminded her, “That my chosen husband was no ordinary man, that his whole life was absolutely dedicated to God and His service, and that I must never, never hinder him by trying to put myself first in his heart.”

with sincere kindness, Charles reminded Susannah that “he was God’s servant” and that she “must be prepared to yield her claims to His.” Susannah later reflected, “I had learned my hard lesson by heart, for I do not recollect ever again seeking to assert my right to his time and attention when any service for God demanded them.” To have learned this lesson once, and to have learned it young, is unheard of.

After Charles death, Susannah wrote “…it was the Lord’s will concerning me, and He saw to it that I received the necessary training, whereby in after years, I could cheerfully surrender His chosen servant to the incessant demands of his ministry, his literary work, and the multiplied labors of his exceptionally busy life”

Charles writing to his wife
“None know how grateful I am to God for you. In all I have ever done for Him you have a large share, for in making me so happy, you have fitted me for service. Not an ounce of power has ever been lost to the good cause through you. I have served the Lord far more and never less for your sweet companionship.”

Charles, writing to his wife
“Now, sweetheart, may these trifles amuse you; I count it a holy work to draw them, if they cause you but one happy smile.”

She internalized her husband’s call and sought to position herself in whatever way possible to assist him in fulfilling it.

She wrote, “My whole time and strength were given to advance my dear husband’s welfare and happiness. I deem it my joy and privilege to be ever at his side.”

Rather than dividing them, the ministry only served to deepen the cords that knit their hearts together.

Four devotionals:
A Carillion of Bells to Ring out the Old Truths of Free Grace and Dying Love; A Cluster of Camphire: Words of Cheer and Comfort to Sick and Sorrowful Souls; A Basket of Summer Fruit; and Song of Sighs.

Tidbits from Susanna’s writing:
“The praise we render is dearer to Him than that of angels—for they cannot bless Him for redeeming love, for pardoned sin, and the blessed hope of resurrection glory.”

“The fingers which can most adroitly use the sword are the most skillful in touching the harp.”

“Prayer is good, but praise is better. Praise is prayer in richest fruitfulness, prayer in highest spirituality, prayer in nearest approach to Heaven. Prayer is the language of earth, praise is the native-tongue of the angels. Gratitude to God is not cultivated in our lips and lives as it ought to be. Each moment of mercy should strike a note of praise as it passes, and then our days would be one long-continued psalm. Praise has power to lift the soul above all care as if on wings.”

“Fixing my heart on the blessed fact that what the Lord does is right and best, simply because He does it, I feel the anchor hold in the depths of His love—and no tempest is powerful enough to drive faith’s barque from these moorings.”

The author writes, “It is the overcoming ones who learn to praise.” Could it be that learning to praise God is a means of overcoming?

“How blessed it was to roll this burden upon the Lord, and feel even this care lifted from my heart by faith in the faithfulness of Him who cares for me!”


““Because the Lord your God loved you!” It completely solves all doubts, it wipes away all tears, is a remedy for every fear, a refuge from every distress! No sweeter assurance could fill my trembling heart with joy, no softer resting-place could be found for a weary, heavy-laden sinner. To know, of a surety, that all God’s dealings with me are those of a loving Father towards a dear and well-beloved child; to be absolutely certain that every sorrow conceals a blessing because He has appointed it; to look upon pain, and trial, and bitter experiences as the outcome of a love which is so infinite that I cannot fathom it—this is to live in “the secret place of the Most High,”this is to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty!””

“If we would but meet every affliction, be it small or great, with a brave confidence in our Lord’s mighty love to us and an unquenchable faith in His power, our trials would either vanish altogether or be transformed into triumphs which would bring honor to our King!”

The grace of God is the unhindered, wondrous, boundless love of His heart, poured out upon His people in a countless variety of ways, without stint or measure—not according to our deserving but according to His infinite heart of love! This I cannot understand—so unfathomable are its heights and depths! God’s love is infinitely tender, and self-sacrificing, and devoted, and patient, and eager to lavish its best of gifts and blessings upon the objects of His love. Put together all the tenderest love you know of, the deepest love you have ever felt, and the strongest love that has ever been poured out upon you—and heap upon it all the love of all the human hearts in the world, and then multiply it by infinity—and you will begin, perhaps, to have some faint glimpse of the love and grace of God towards His people!

Glorious Lord, such measureless, wonderful love is indeed incomprehensible; but I ask that Your gracious Spirit may strengthen the eyes of my mind—that I may see something more of the glory and beauty of Your rich grace, and that He may enable the hands of my faith to cling tenaciously to the everlasting consolation which lies in the fact of Your eternal, unchanging, and covenant love in Christ Jesus!

I can confidently say, “All this is because the Lord loved me,”

Can you imagine a condition more blissful than that of being so sheltered and surrounded by His love, that no doubt, no fear, no questioning of His tender purpose can possibly touch you to harm you?

Is it not a sad wonder that, sometimes, we willfully stay out in the rain and the storm, facing unknown dangers—when all the while, so gracious a shelter is provided and accessible?

I will watch to see what He will say unto me. Habakkuk 2:1

and I would gladly learn and teach the lesson that we may often lose the manifestations of our Father’s love and care by simply not looking for them.

If we pray in the Spirit, we must also walk in the Spirit; and “the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe” is more than equal to any strain which our cares or circumstances can bring to bear upon it…
could we but realize the close presence of the Lord Jesus hour by hour, and minute by minute—heaven would be begun on earth.

An ill-tempered Christian, or an anxious Christian, a discouraged, gloomy Christian, a doubting Christian, a complaining Christian, a demanding Christian, a selfish Christian, a cruel, hard-hearted Christian, a self-indulgent Christian, a worldly Christian, a Christian with a sharp tongue or bitter spirit—all these may be very earnest in their work, and may have honorable places in the Church, but they are not Christ-like Christians; and no matter how loud their professions may be, they know nothing of the realities of a devoted, consecrated life.

how much of His likeness has been visible in my conduct during this day? How far have I been from that which my Lord expects me to be, namely, His representative in this sinful world? If bearing the cross after Christ is the chief work of the Christian, have I borne it in patience, and obedience, and full surrender to His will in all things; or have I, as far as I was able, put it aside, and thought my own thoughts, walked in my own ways, and done what pleased myself without any reference to Him or recognition of His right to “reign over me”?

Self set aside, Your will paramount; heaven more near and better loved than earth; then, indeed, without a question, we may call You “Lord” and rejoice in the blessedness of union with You. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

What a distrustful heart must mine be, dear Lord, when after so much mercy in the past, I dare for a moment to doubt the loving purpose of Your present dispensations!

…The unbelief which so often steals away my joys.

My dear husband once happily said, “He may make us wait to awaken appetite, but He will not in the end dismiss us unfed.”

let nothing discourage you. Sit on the ground before Him, as He bids you, until the basket comes round; or if the disciples pass you by, venture to His side, and take the blessing straight from His loving hand. He will never chide you for trusting Him too much!

Lord, I would see You in all my joys, not only receiving them as gifts from Your bountiful hand, but feeling that You Yourself share them with me, thus sanctifying and exalting them; and I would see You in every sorrow, when only Your voice can comfort and Your sympathy reach to the depths of my suffering. I would see You when perplexed and anxious concerning either heavenly or earthly things, for You are “the wisdom of God,”176 and I cannot go wrong, or do amiss, so long as I follow closely after You and keep Your commandments. I would see You, You blessed One, in Your wondrous relation to me as my Redeemer and my Husband! I would often look upon You as the Purchaser of my soul by Your own precious blood, and realize that the absolute surrender of myself, and my will, is but the natural consequence of such an unparalleled sacrifice as Yours.

if we have ever known anything of the joy of seeing Jesus, we shall not rest content when He is absent or close our eyes in willful indifference when He is passing by.

There is no real joy, no happiness, no satisfaction to be found except in Him. My life is as a vine stripped of its fruit, a fire extinguished and dead, a sky without a star, and a landscape without the sun—if Jesus be not with me.

May our eyes be constantly looking up for the sweet vision, and our prayer be continually, “Lord, that I may receive my sight!”


“My beloved,” Oh, say it again, dear Master! Let the music of Your voice touch and vibrate through the deepest chords of my nature and awaken sweet responses in my soul! You are the fount and source of all love; oh, fill me, overwhelm me, plunge me in this sea of mercy and of grace! I would be swallowed up in it, knowing no other joy or bliss comparable to that of being able to say, “My Beloved is mine—and I am His.”

Song of Solomon 4:7 Now, if God sees no spot, why should you be prying after one? Pouring over your misery, searching after your blackness and depravity, will be no help to you. It is only keeping your eye off Jesus instead of up unto Jesus. You cannot look two ways at once. How did the poor serpent-bitten Israelites in the wilderness get relief and healing? By looking to their sores, their wounds, their malady? Oh, no! It was by looking to the brazen serpent! And if you would get relief, it must be by looking to Jesus Christ!