Teachings – Introduction

THE TEACHINGS OF NATURE IN THE KINGDOM OF GRACE

BY CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

AN INTRODUCTION

The journey we are on is a pilgrimage that we are excitedly challenged to share with you. In the preface to his book, the publisher wrote of Charles Haddon Spurgeon,

“As a preacher, as a writer, as a college lecturer, the late C.H. Spurgeon (d. January 31, 1892) was continually illustrating the Gospel by references to Nature. By many a simile he thus made the allusions of Scripture more readily understood by the crowds who listened to him. He also read the Book of Nature in a way that proved how he looked upon the works of God with a poet’s eye.” 

We wish we knew precisely what the publisher meant when he wrote of the ‘Book of Nature.’ We believe he referred to the Bible. We believe C.H. Spurgeon alluded to the Bible being the Book of Nature in the title that he gave his book: The Teachings of Nature in the Kingdom of Grace  (the Teachings.)  Indeed, it is not farfetched to think of the Bible as the only and ultimate authority on the nature of God and of man.   

Pastor Spurgeon (Pastor, for short and out of eternal affection) entitled his first discourse, ‘The Order of Creation.‘  Initially, I thought his approach would be to take a systematic walk through the Bible. As Dorothy in Oz, Pastor would pragmatically go skipping down the yellow brick road on his way to Emerald City. Along the way, we would meet whom and what he wants us to meet in nature – all characters named some variation of Grace (e.g. Mercy, Love, Delight etc.) But no (I should have known) Pastor took a ‘Bunyanesque’ approach in his rich employment of allegory, metaphor, and simile throughout his fifty-seven  discourses. As the publisher acknowledged,

“…by many simile he thus made the allusions of Scripture more readily understood by the crowds who listened to him.”

So, you’ll find Pastor’s use of allusion in his book popping up everywhere. The delightful, colorful heads of allegory, metaphor, and simile – yellow, cream, and white – popping up as spring Crocus pop up from the wintry waste.

Pastor dearly loved John Bunyan. He first read Pilgrims Progress as a boy. It is  said that he read Bunyan’s Progress at least a hundred times afterwards. While Pastor did not introduce, as Bunyan had, symbolic character names (Christian, Evangelist, Obstinate, Pliable…,) you will still find a treasure trove of symbolic allusions revealed – eternal riches dug up and spread out before you as we make ‘our pilgrim’s progress’ in our journey. Indeed, we will find riches in grace – veins of purest gold uncovered in the Bible. For many of us, we will find – as King Josiah found the lost scroll after fifty-seven years (2 Kings 22) – a deeper understanding of how God’s grace is revealed in the Bible – the Book of Nature. 

Fifty-seven years the scroll was lost, fifty-seven discourses to be found. Hmmm. 

Who can benefit from this pilgrimage? Everyone. We particularly believe those who:

(1) profess a belief in Christ Jesus and believe themselves to be elect, and
(2) those among the elect but lack assurance of salvation will greatly benefit.

Why do I make this claim? After recording half of the fifty-seven discourses (33,  5.7 hours), we believe everyone will benefit from Pastor’s approach to his topic, the Scriptures, statements he poses to us, and the arguments that the Holy Spirit and our conscience demands us to answer. If prayerfully approached and considered, your answers may well prove to mean salvation for many of the goats who unknowingly feed among the sheep. Moreover, many of the sheep – those who know their Shepherds voice when called – they still graze, while inside questioning their courage and salvation (see Matthew 25: 31-33.)

These things ought not be.

Finally, as the Apostle Paul bid us in 2 Corinthians 13: 5,

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”

Pastor’s Teachings is a book worth listening to, soberly considering and meditating upon, and using to test yourselves in self-examination. Yes, let us prayerfully test ourselves – lest we find out later that we leaned too much on our own strength and knowledge. We believe this journey through Pastor’s Teachings presents a sure test. It is a test – not only to help us to know our standing, but to show us how we ought to walk once we know where we stand. Where we stand is all a matter of grace… a grace not to be found in our nature, but a grace extended to us out of God’s altogether lovely and benevolent being. 

If we haven’t said it, thank you for joining us in our journey!