On the first day of January, 1865, there appeared in England a new religious monthly magazine. It was soon to become well known on the other side of the Atlantic and in many other countries of the world.

The Sword and the Trowel was the title given by Charles Haddon Spurgeon to his new venture (soon to be nicknamed "The Soap and Trowel" by his college students!). The subtitle was: "A Record of Combat with Sin and Labour for the Lord." Referring to Nehemiah 4:17-18, Spurgeon aimed at a magazine that would provide material for working and ammunition for warring.

Spurgeon saw the magazine as "an extension of his pulpit ministry" and an opportunity of "urging the claims of Christ's clause, of advocating the revival of godliness, of denouncing error, of bearing witness for truth, and of encouraging the labourers in the Lord's vineyard.

The magazine was used to inform interested friends of the work and witness of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, and also other Spurgeonic institutions: college, orphanage, almshouse, colportage association, and the many mission stations connected with the Tabernacle. But primarily it was "to supplement our weekly sermon."

Early, and later, readers soon discovered that the magazine was not only inspirational and evangelical in character and content but also interdenominational and Protestant. Spurgeon wrote —

"We have waged determined war with Popery, for ours is pre-eminently a Protestant magazine. But we fight against doctrinal Popery, not in Rome alone, but at Oxford too. To us the sacramentarianism of the English Church is not a thing to be winked at. We hold that he who hated Popery because of its anti-christian teaching, will never stay his hand because it assumes a Protestant dress. These are not times to keep this matter in the Background, and we have not done so."

Naturally Spurgeon was criticized. "This magazine has not been conducted in a timid, crouching spirit, neither have we pandered to popular tastes. Some of our articles have brought down upon us upbraidings which we have borne without regret. Our reviews, when we have felt conscientiously bound to censure, have cost us many a postal lecture. We are not, however, penitent; we have nothing to retract, but doubt not that we shall sin again; we would not needlessly irritate, but we will not be silent in the presence of error, neither will we bespatter with flattery where honesty demands denunciation."

"A magazine which is not outspoken, and is destitute of principle is a literary nuisance. We use the trowel wherever we can to aid every good cause, but we have a sword also and mean to use it. We expect to receive blows, and therefore when we do we are overwhelmed with dismay. Christ's truth is too dear to us for us to flinch from its defence."

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Yes, Spurgeon suffered much at the hands of lesser minds, and from those whose dearly-held traditions he tilted at, but from the Great-Hearts like himself he received nothing but support, honour and esteem.

He was an extremely conscientious editor. During bouts of illness, which became more frequent as time went on, he delagated much editorial work to his brother, Dr. James Archer Spurgeon. Even so it was his proud declaration: "We trust that the matter and style of THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL have not deteriorated, for we have spared no pains, and have read every line carefully ourselves."

After some years a new cover design was adopted, but Spurgeon commented: "There will be no change in doctrine, nor in its method of promoting it." He was able to add: "The Sword has not lost its edge, nor has the Trowel grown rusty."

On one occasion The Sword and the Trowel was mentioned in the English Parliament by an Anglican Bishop in the House of Lords. The Bishop of Rochester described it as "a lively newspaper." One book review was read by Canon Wilberforce who write to the Archbishop of Canterbury about it. The result was a special committee or ecclesiastical commission to enquire into the matter of public houses (taverns) built upon land owned by the Church of England — such was the wide social influence of Spurgeon's sword and trowel.

It was "devoured" by humble believers living in outlandish crofters cottages in Scotland, and yet at the same time was read by officials in high office. The press, religious and secular, took note of Spurgeon's magazine and frequently reprinted articles (often without acknowledging the source!).

The magazine was compiled, and the proofs read, in the summerhouse in Spurgeon's garden. This he called the "mental fountain head" of the magazine. The "mechanical" fountain head was the printing house of Alabaster and Passmore, but the main fountain head "cannot be pictured" for it was "that overflowing spring" — Holy Spirit inspiration.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit sermons have been reprinted on several occasions, although not in their entirety as a set (as at present by Pilgrim Publications). The Sword and the Trowel contents, however, have never been reprinted, yet they contain a wealth of biographical material about Spurgeon, sermons not included in the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit volumes, interesting book reviews, and many rare and choice contributions about many subjects by Spurgeon himself. Many of his published works first saw the light of day in his magazine: The Treasury of David, Lectures To My Students John Ploughman's Talks, The Bible and the Newspaper, Eccentric Preachers, to name but a few.

The extracts from these volumes will show the reader the kind of comments on then current events, fashions, theological trends, the state of the Baptist denomination and the Christian church at large. Some of the book reviews are examples for reviewers today, they are so honest. No wonder Spurgeon's son, Thomas, said that it would be "better for the Sword to rust in its scabbard, and the Trowel to be buried beneath a mountain of rubbish, than for the magazine established by C. H. Spurgeon ever to be disloyal to him."

No one can possibly give an authentic, let alone a balanced picture of Spurgeon without more detailed research into such a mine of personal information as the editor gave each month in his magazine. His views on annihilation, baptism, children, church officers, the Church of England, Calvinism, inquirers, fund-raising, hymnology, holidays, inspiration, music, Methodists, prophecy, Popery, prayer, the Plymouth Brethren, Quakers, revival, slavery, Sunday observance, theology, unity — all these and more can only be fully assessed with reference to his personal, autobiographical writing in The Sword and The Trowel.

The author of this capsule history remembers sleeping in my father's den when we had visitors staying overnight, and often I used to dip into the volumes of The Sword and the Trowel that lined the walls, some volumes being my father's and some my grandfather's. I think I was most intrigued by Spurgeon's list of converts and baptisms and the resulting growth in membership of the Tabernacle. His reviews of children's books also caught my attention. Since then I have discovered much more gold in this "mine" and hope the reader will be thrilled and blessed in the reading of these yearly volumes — as they now are being reprinted by Pilgrim Publications with the original, unabridged content, including the many wonderful illustrations.

The Sword and the Trowel was not, of course, Spurgeon's first venture into journalism. As a small child he planned his own venture into journalism. As a small child he planned his own magazine, writing most of the articles himself. While less than twelve years of age, he issued a 16-page, hand-written magazine only four inches by two and a quarter. Still at a day-school in Colchester, he edited some hundred of these magazines which he called The Home Juvenile Society, the first in April 1846. On page two, he appealed for contributors. He gave chapel news of prayer meetings and tea parties and also had a "humour corner" in which there were riddles and jokes. In some articles there were classical literary allusions.

In later years, he became joint-editor of The Baptist Magazine but he did not work too easily in double-harness. He resigned, stating that he was beginning a cheaper magazine. Thus, The Sword and the Trowel began in 1865 and was a great success from the first issue.

It began with the expansion of the Tabernacle's work into social area like the Stockwell Orphanage and evangelistic outreach through the Colportage Association. Spurgeon felt that these and other Tabernacle Institutions should be brought before the general Christian public for their prayer support and financial backing. At the same time, he saw the need of the time was for spiritual reading and instruction for Christian families.

While the title of the magazine was taken from the familiar Old Testament story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he summarized it into The Sword and the Trowel. It was based on the words: "Every one with one of his hands in the work, and with the other held a weapon." His sub-title was more graphic: "A record of combat with sin and labour for the Lord." It was both battling and building, denouncing error in the religious world and bearing witness to God's truth.

From the publication of the first issue until just before his death Spurgeon edited the magazine, reading all the manuscripts sent by contributors, correcting proofs, reviewing a vast number of books (with some help from brother James) and writing a large proportion of the other material published month by month. Even when not healthy, recuperating at home or abroad, he carried on this editorial and journalistic work.

The magazine was once mentioned in the House of Lords, being referred to as "a lively newspaper." For twelve years after his death, much unpublished Spurgeon material was printed by subsequent editors. To read and absorb this mine of information is not merely to discover an unforgettable Victorian preacher, but also in filling the gaps to be found in most biographies of Spurgeon. The reader will discover, as I have already found out, that these magazine volumes will correct the "we'll fit Spurgeon into our particular mould" attitude seen in various modern biographies, putting to rest once and for all some of the apocryphal stories about Spurgeon.

But most of all, while the volumes of The Sword and the Trowel, like the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, are being reprinted, Spurgeon will remain unforgettable. While some may refer to him as "forgotten," he will always be remembered as long as streets and roads are named after him (as in Norwood, South London), while his Tabernacle and College continue in existence, and his former orphanage still ministers as Spurgeon's Child Care. Since the pen is mightier than the sword, the printed works of the Prince of Preachers will ensure that he is unforgettable throughout many countries in the world.

I had the privilege of occupying the editorial chair of the magazine for several years while Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Some years later a notice appeared by my successor to the Pastorate, declaring: "It is with much sorrow that we announce that we are having to cease publication of The Sword and the Trowel." The last issue was December 1968.

The magazine was restarted by the Present Pastor of the Tabernacle [Peter Masters, since 1970] but is only a shadow of its former self. It is now described as "a tract for the times" and contains a sermon by the Tabernacle minister. Domestic news of the Tabernacle is issued separately. Gone are the book reviews, news of other Spurgeonic institutions, and other articles of interest to admirers of C. H. Spurgeon.

It is splendid that Pilgrim Publications is re-issuing the content of The Sword and the Trowel by Spurgeon from their original volumes, allowing the Christian public a view of C. H. Spurgeon as an editor for thirty-six years!

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LAST MODIFIED  August 26 - 2004