DREAMS DO COME TRUE!   by BOB L. ROSS         John 3:14    1 Cor. 1:23-24
(written in 1996)

I often have been asked how I became acquainted with Charles Haddon Spurgeon and how the project of reprinting his complete 63-volume sermon series developed. In 1953, I was converted during an evangelistic meeting conducted by a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Eddie Martin. Garland Cofield, later a missionary to Canada, was the song leader. Shortly afterwards, I accompanied my girlfriend on a very brief errand to her friend's home in Jackson Tennessee (my hometown), and while I waited I passed the few minutes' time looking through the books on display in a small case in the foyer of the house. In an old volume of sermons by the late Methodist evangelist Sam Jones, I first saw the name of "Spurgeon" and was impressed by the high regard Jones had for Spurgeon's sermons.

Immediately I began checking local libraries for books by Spurgeon. I was delighted to find some at the public library — and even more at Union University, a Baptist School in Jackson. Since then, I have searched for and collected many of Spurgeon's old original volumes from both American and English sources.

I rejoice, and thank the Lord, seeing the great and widespread interest in C. H. Spurgeon on the World Wide Web. It seems the interest in Spurgeon is destined to "never die," as D. L. Moody said in the 1800's when he spoke at the Metropolitan Tabernacle for the "Jubilee Celebration" of Spurgeon's ministry. I continue to be blessed by reading Spurgeon just as much as when I first "discovered" him many years ago.

In 1955, while I was on a brief trip to Chicago with another young preacher, we took time to go "book hunting." Visiting an old "used book" store called "Blessing Book Store," located on an upper floor of an old Chicago building, I first laid eyes upon Spurgeon's original multi-volume sermon set, the METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE PULPIT. I was only 20 years old and had known of the name "Spurgeon" for less than two years and I had not read enough by him or about him yet to truly appreciate the treasure I was then beholding. However, I did know enough about Spurgeon's name to motivate me to desire those books. I knew at once that I must have them! I did not have the money with me to buy the books however, but I did have enough to make a "deposit" on them, and the manager, Mr. Alec Allenson, agreed to hold them for me until I could mail him the balance.

That was the most significant money I ever spent! I arranged with my mother and father, who were owners of a small grocery store in Jackson to provide the money and the balance was paid. Thank the Lord for parents who believed in my calling and in my decision to secure these books. They didn't know "Spurgeon" from "surgeon," but they knew me and trusted my judgment. Time has justified my decision and their support.

That purchase was the first major step in what was to later become a "dream," or "vision," which was to dominate most of the rest of my life. That "dream" was to some day put Spurgeon's entire original, complete, and unabridged 63-volume sermon series back into print so as to bless others with the marvelous truth of the Word of God as only Spurgeon delivers that truth.

I don't know exactly when the idea of republishing the MTP first became active in my mind, but it must have been in the late 1950's or early 1960's. I recall trying to get some of the Michigan Christian publishers to republish the MTP, but they did not take an interest in it. So I turned to other means which were at my disposal.

In those days, I began using portions of Spurgeon's sermons in our small weekly paper THE BAPTIST EXAMINER, and I could see from the response just how great a blessing his anointed messages were to our readers. I also put some of the material in tract form, then later published a book of entire Spurgeon sermons on the theme of God's "Sovereignty." This was my first book to publish!

A dear Christian brother, Max Hawkins of Springfield Missouri, helped finance the publication of that book, along with my ever-supportive parents. After that book went out-of-print, we kept getting requests for it, but never seemed to be in a financial position to republish it; by then, all of our money was going back into other Spurgeon books. As time passed, in the providence of God, a missionary, the late Timothy Pietsch, laboring in Japan, put up the necessary money as a loan to republish Spurgeon's SERMONS ON SOVEREIGNTY, so it became available once again, in 1990. We repaid the balance of the loan to Mrs. Pietsch, following Bro. Pietsch's death.

We perhaps could have never published Spurgeon's sermons and other books without such help from others. I am not a wealthy man and didn't come from a wealthy family. No one has ever made a really large donation to help finance our work so as to make it "easy" to get along without faith and prayer to the Lord for His meeting our needs. Furthermore, we have never once sent "begging letters" seeking contributions. We have simply relied upon the Lord impressing people to buy the publications and we in turn have put the money back into more printing.

In 1992, my oldest son, Nathan Ross, genorously financed the publishing of C. H. Spurgeon's AUTOBIOGRAPHY. This was a set of books I had "dreamed" of publishing for many, many years but had almost abandoned any hope of being able to do so. Then, again in the providence of God, Nathan volunteered to help and the set is now in print again, and for the first time in the original unabridged form, the format in which it was originally released from 1897-1900. I believe the Lord will have a special blessing upon Nathan for his assistance. I still have some unfulfilled "dreams" in regard to publishing Spurgeon's books. There are many more titles I want to publish, along with some titles we have previously published but are now out of print. Many of these are "ready-to-go," but our funds are continually used to reprint the many volumes in the sermon series.

I recently passed my 62nd birthday. The thought occurred to me that I may not live long enough to see all of these books published, based on current income from our sales, and the ongoing reprinting of the MTP volumes. It also occurred to me that there might be others who would have an interest in helping to publish Spurgeon's books — such as was done by our departed brethren Max Hawkins and Timothy Pietsch, and by my son. Some may have money that could be used for the spiritual interest of others rather than merely for financial interest.

It is my "dream" to get all of the remaining Spurgeon titles in print or reprinted before I die. The Lord has brought to pass the publication of the great sets, METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE PULPIT, NEW PARK STREET PULPIT, the TREASURY OF DAVID Psalms Commentary, the AUTOBIOGRAPHY, and LECTURES TO MY STUDENTS, plus the many other smaller books, all since we started publishing the sermon series in 1969. We thank Him for His blessings and we are hopeful He will bless the future so that we will be enabled to publish Spurgeon's other titles and those that go out of print. 

If the Lord impresses it upon you to use some of your money for publishing the great books which magnify our Lord Jesus Christ, we will rejoice in hearing from you. We also ask for your prayers that the Lord will provide the financial need and spiritual wisdom necessary to carry on the work.

Furthermore, your own purchases and recommendations to others are deeply appreciated. We hope you have been blessed, and we look forward to hearing from you.

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LAST MODIFIED  May 22 - 2005