Spurgeon's Practical Wisdom

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Previously published as John Ploughman's Talk O Pictures. Complete with original illustrations.

It has sometimes been said that Christians are 'too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use'. While that may apply to some, it could never be said of Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892). Spurgeon combined heavenly mindedness with zeal to improve the lot of ordinary people. At the height of his ministry there were dozens of enterprises associated with his Metropolitan Tabernacle that served the spiritual and practical needs of men and women, boys and girls.
Although Spurgeon is best remembered as a gospel preacher, he was also a gifted writer. under the not so well disguised pseudonym of 'John Ploughman', a wise old country farm worker, Spurgeon penned a number of humorous articles on topical subjects for his monthly magazine, The Sword and the Trowel. 'I have somewhat indulged the mirthful vein, but ever with so serious a purpose that I ask no forgiveness', he wrote. in these articles he 'aimed blows at the vices of the many' and tried to inculcate 'those moral virtures without which men are degraded'. His efforts met with great success. When later published, John Ploughman's Talk and John Ploughman's Pictures were an instant hit with sales of these two volumes exceeding 6000,000 in the author's own lifetime. In homes thoughout the length and breadth of Great Britain Spurgeon's practical wisdom on subjects such as alcohol, debt, anger, tempation, cruelty, and the family home, were heeded and cherished. In the preface to John Ploughman's Pictures, he was able to write: 'John Ploughman's Talk has not only obtained an immense circulation, but it has exercised an influence for good. Although its tone is rather moral than religious, it has led many to take the first steps by which men climb to better things.'

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Nonfiction, Discipleship, Classics, Christianity

322 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1969

About the author

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Reviews

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurgeon takes on the role of a modern-day Solomon and writes a worthy little book on wisdom. Most of John Ploughman’s advice falls into the category of “how not to be a fool.” This book doesn’t pull any punches on foolish living, and is contrary to the sentimental, “niceness above truth” Christianity of today. Highly recommended for every believer.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurgeon, writing as "John Ploughman" provides both proverbial wisdom and entertainment, as for example his thoughts "On Seizing Opportunities" -

"When I see a man who declares that the times are bad and that he is always unlucky, I generally say to myself, 'That old goose did not sit on the eggs till they were all addled, and now Providence is to be blamed because they won't hatch.' I never had any faith in luck at all, except that I believe good luck will carry a man over a ditch if he jumps well, and will put a bit of bacon into his pot if he looks after his garden and keeps a pig."

Love it! Easy read too, as it's split into 2-4 page sections on various topics.

[Jethro Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life advice with Charles Spurgeon!

This book is basically like Spurgeon’s own book of Proverbs. The whole concept is that these are talks from Spurgeon as a ‘ploughman’ - basically advice to the common man. The only problem is, that reading these in the 21st century made his talks seem more complex than simple. A bunch of the language and analogies went right past me, so to the modern man, maybe these talks aren’t so straight forward… Regardless, the sentiment of expressing truth as simply as possible is something I am VERY much on board with.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Spurgeon a lot more than the next guy and there were heaps of gems in this. So many GREAT one-liners. And some chapters really outshone the others. But I guess I did realise that I prefer Spurgeon’s theology stuff, over this ‘everyday’ sort of stuff.

“… all language is bad which common people cannot make head or tail of… truth is as comfortable in homely words as in fine speech.”

[Anda P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad when this book ended. It took me a few chapters to get into the style but then I was fully invested. I read a chapter every night. Tons of common sense practical wisdom. When conversing with my husband this past month, I would frequently begin a sentence with, "Spurgeon says...".

I do think his hatred of any kind of stock investing is quite humorous. It must have been the era, back then it was mostly speculation. I don’t think he would be against index fund investing these days.

[Nicholas Maulucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genius! Charles Spurgeon masterfully wraps truth into enjoyable and uncannily accurate proverbs. Loved this book. Contains truth that all children must understand in order to make it in the real world.

Based on Biblical principles, all Christians and sincere citizens should read this one!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading it. Full of good advices written with humour.

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super woke

[Karen Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A little wood will heat my little oven, why then should I murmur when the whole forest is not mine.”

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Employing homespun humor and rustic illustrations, Spurgeon reveals his deep love and concern for people as he writes about some serious moral issues, giving advice based on biblical truth. The keen wit of the author is revealed as he reflects on a wide variety of topics.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[Sandu Andronic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una din cărțile de semnătură ale lui Spurgeon. Cred că puține persoane știu de ea, dar și mai puține cred că au citit-o. Scrisă într-un stil foarte accesibil, această carte este reprezintă o colecție proverbe scurte, de aforisme tradiționale, de zicale cunoscute vremii lor, care au în esența lor un fundament biblic solid, dar ele aduc cititorului mai multe soluții practice.

Lecturând această carte, sunt absolut convins, că cititorul va fi plăcut surprins de umorul fin de care Spurgeon dă dovadă. Nu cred că este posibil să o citești fără să râzi copios. Tocmai acest aspect o face să fie foarte directă și dură pe alocuri. Cât despre ediția din limba română, pot spune că este o ediție destul de reușită, atât cât ține de traducerea textului cât și redarea ilustrațiilor.

[Dustin Tramel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this quirky collection of monologues, Charles Spurgeon [writing as a fictional farmer] set out to creatively teach biblical wisdom to the everyday person. I love this idea. Too often, preachers and teachers struggle to help people see how biblical truths and wisdom affect the life they live now. We forget that most of life is lived beyond the pulpit. He writes with an authoritative, fatherly punch that is missing in a lot of modern Christian writing. The volume is filled with many well-crafted phrases and one-liners that are simple and memorable. I'd argue that Spurgeon is one of the first to practice what modern preachers call "the big idea." Haddon Robinson would be proud.

[Aaron Hand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Spurgeon book and it was a strange one. This is actually two books made up of his articles for his monthly magazine "The Sword and the Trowel." This is a book of "plain advice for plain people," written according to him in a "semi-humorous vein," filled with "strong proverbial expressions and homely phrases."

There are some neat and powerful metaphors and analogies throughout, but to sit and read through this as a book was very difficult. I had to take several breaks but eventually finished it. Overall, I am glad I read this book and it was profitable. Recommended

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a book for anyone who cannot get enough of spurgeon. it's great on your shelf, on your coffee table, or living room for guests to pick up. he writes this under his pseudonym and he goes through different practical topics of life in general, albeit under a biblical lens. this book's old-fashioned brilliance and wisdom is so winsome. it read like a grandfather you never had who's just loving and ministering on you.

[Seth Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author’s point: Christianity should make us live wisely and successfully even if coming from poverty.

My evaluation: Africa needs the simple, day-to-day insights of this humorous book, but its English is too old.

A few notes:
Spurgeon was consistently, publicly a total abstainer from alcohol.
His comments on the family are funny and aimed to make a man want a wife.
The book is a manual on how to communicate--filled with metaphors.

[Matt Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treasure trove of illustrations and metaphors from Charles Spurgeon in the voice of John Ploughman, a farmer. It was written to speak to the common people of London and surrounding areas, but it is still relevant for its direct discussion of how we should live. It's not flowery, but filled with country sayings of the time. I find myself coming back to this book over and over.

[Joe Cassada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my church book club. It's a punchy collection of rustic proverbs and Christian morals. Though it was written for the common man in the 19th century, modern readers might not catch all the inferences and jargon. Still, Spurgeon's humor is on full display in this little gem. I'm looking forward to reading the second part.

[Eddy Ekofo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book, this past month John Ploughman (C.H. Spurgeon) has been my companion, I will surely miss him (especially on my way home from work), it has taught me so much, I will be going back to it for more wisdom. A must read.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very valuable, practical truths for simply living in a world with others. Good for every age, though a dictionary is necessary due to the antiquated language of yesteryear. The time invested is more than worth it.

[Jake Brinkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute classic from C.H. Spurgeon, short sections of advice on common topics which are written in a 'rustic', down-to-earth, and tongue-in-cheek manner. Anything Spurgeon is worth a read, and this one is certainly included.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.

[Ryan Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spurgeon saying things like only Spurgeon can. Full of timeless wit and wisdom.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both encouraging and convicting with short little essays that made it easy to pick up from time to time.

[Andrew Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite good; very proverbial.

[Jason Poquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plenty of down home wisdom, and gospel truth. Worth reading.

[Lynette Karg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proverbs upon proverbs. This is a collection of short, pithy, at times even sarcastic, articles on topics of practical living. Still surprisingly relevant more than a century later.

[Chrys Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pithy, plain wise teachings from CH Spurgeon. Great stuff!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book, full of wisdom with some humour thrown in. I absolutely loved this book. A book to live by, simply written so that all can understand the message.

[Wendy | Wendy’s Inspired Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This book is a book of nonsense. Lol

[Richard Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The type of book you dont necessarily read cover to cover but you can. I sense in the future I'll pick this up for a nugget of wisdom from time to time.