Spurgeon taught that words carried reality to the mind. God made Adam talk and give names to all other living things so that he could distinguish clearly between himself and them. In the same way, God has revealed Himself and his view of and purpose for the world and its creatures, particularly his image-bearers, in words.

Reading Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) immerses one in a sea of images, metaphors, similes, and personifications. He produced simple, plain declarations couched in exalted and poetic ideas. Reading his works is a study in a memorable turn of phrase, a perfectly-formed sentence, an aptly-put proposal, all done in the service of eternal truth. On the superiority of eternal truth to temporal fascinations, Spurgeon wrote, “That only is worth my having which death cannot tear out of my hand.” Spurgeon observed an invincible prejudice against the Bible for its supposed difficulties. “Is there any man so credulous as the man that will not believe the Bible?” Spurgeon asked. Such a complainer “swallows a ton of difficulties, and yet complains that we have swallowed an ounce of them.”[1]

In describing the unnatural status of an unconverted man in the ministry, Spurgeon wrote, “He is a dumb man elevated to the chair of music; a deaf man fluent upon symphonies and harmonies! He is a mole professing to educate eaglets; a limpet elected to preside over angels.”[2] When speaking of sermon-hearers who come with minds preoccupied, Spurgeon gave vivid metaphors adopted from the words of Jesus: “These are the rocks which prevent the seed from entering the mind, these the birds which devour that which is sown, these the weeds which choke the upspringing shoots. . . . If you bring your measures to this place filled to the brim with chaff, how can you expect to have them filled with wheat?”[3]

Indeed, Spurgeon was a master of language, and this was coupled with a courageous and gospel-loving heart that he commended to others. How exactly did the most famous preacher of his time counsel others in their use of words? In this article, I will focus on Spurgeon’s example and instruction in the areas of impromptu speeches, pulpit preaching, and ordinary conversation. Though long passed, the prince of preachers still speaks, and we would do well to heed his words about ours.

Impromptu Speech

We find such literary art in Spurgeon’s sermons for a reason—he studied the art of language and communication with a sense of stewardship. In giving principles involved in “impromptu speech,” Spurgeon highlighted its value by looking at the occasions of its usefulness, the necessity of theological content, and the readiness of vocabulary and ideas. When gatherings are subjected to theological vagueness or mere empty rhetoric, a pastor should thus be prepared to rescue the situation and turn an unprofitable gathering into a God-honoring, truth-driven convocation. To be ready to overflow in an impromptu situation “you must be full.”[4] “Ignorance is no rare thing in our pulpits,” Spurgeon noted, and if a man “would be fluent” and ready for any moment, he must be “filled with all knowledge, and especially with the knowledge of Christ Jesus your Lord.” To be ready to speak without specific preparation for one occasion must mean that a person is intimately acquainted with the first principles of Scripture, staying current with a deeply coherent grasp of biblical narrative and biblical themes. Their unwavering acquaintance with God’s Word primes them for a yet unknown time that will require his engagement. In this situation, though specifically unprepared, the “cream of his meditations [will be] warmed by the glow of his heart.” He will be well-stocked with “a rich vocabulary.” Forcible sentences, well-selected beauties of language, and elegancies of speech should be treasured, stored up so as to be brought out on some relevant occasion. [5]

Spurgeon urged his students to be able to “know what words mean, to be able to estimate the power of a synonym, to judge the rhythm of a sentence, and to weigh the force of an expletive.” By “expletive”, Spurgeon does not mean profane speech but a well-chosen word to finish the rhythm of a sentence. For effective impromptu speech, and indeed for regular occasions, preachers must be “masters of words, they must be your genii, your angels, your thunderbolts, or your drops of honey.”[6] The words he commends are not random polysyllabics designed to impress without increased power, but carefully selected like a good team of horses “to draw the wagon of your thoughts.” Spurgeon’s impromptu speaker will have a treasure trove of words serving as “baskets of silver in which to serve up his apples of gold.”[7]

To increase vocabulary and develop powerful and communicative delivery aptitude, Spurgeon surprisingly recommended the “acquisition of another language.”[8] This discipline gives facility in word derivation, parts of speech, moods, tenses, syntax, rules of speech, and techniques of communication. He recommended the translation of Tacitus and Virgil as an exercise to increase one’s storehouse of effective communication principles. “Who does not see,” Spurgeon asked, “that the perpetual comparison of the terms and idioms of two languages must aid facility of expression?”[9] An extempore speaker must have such syntactical knowledge and verbal diction as a habit of mind. He insisted that his students “put together, and unscrew all the machinery of language, mark every cog, and wheel, and bolt, and rod, and you will feel the more free to drive the engine, even at an express speed should emergencies demand it.”[10]

The extempore preacher must not harbor timidity about his task but proceed with courage and coolness. The occasion might arise when words flow like oil, unleashing “metaphorical spangles which flash poetry upon your audience.” Suddenly the flow stops, and the height of fluidity becomes a regret, for the speaker wonders if he would “be able to conclude the sentence, or find a verb for the nominative, or an accusative for the verb.”[11]

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