C. H. Spurgeon's "WORDLESS BOOK"
by ERIC W. HAYDEN
. |
|
Some notable things seem to be derived or mirrored from C. H. Spurgeon's works... such as "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?" - www.pilgrimpublications.com/wwjdo.htm |
|
and the original "FOOTPRINTS" poem - www.pilgrimpublications.com/footprnt.htm |
|
...and the "ONE WAY" signal (index finger pointing heavenward; see images).
|
Many Sunday school teachers, children's evangelists, and others think the "WORDLESS BOOK" is a 20th-century production. These little booklets with their green covers and inside pages of black, white, red, and gold (sometimes in paper, sometimes in flannelgraph) are much, much older, though.
While pastor of Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle (1956-61), I began reading through the 63 volumes of Charles Haddon Spurgeon's sermons with the idea of producing a biography [A Centennial History of Spurgeon's Tabernacle — published by Pilgrim]. Arriving at volume 57 [produced for the year 1911], I found that on January 11, 1866, he had preached a sermon entitled "The Wordless Book" — his text being...
"Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" [Psalm 51:7].
This is how the sermon began —
"I dare say most of you have heard of a little book which an old divine used constantly to study, and when his friends wondered what there was in the book, he told them that he hoped they would all know and understand it, but that there was not a single word in it. When they looked at it, they found that it consisted of only three leaves: the first was black, the second was red, and the third was pure white.
The old minister used to gaze upon the black leaf to remind himself of his sinful state by nature, upon the red leaf to call to his remembrance the precious blood of Christ, and upon the white leaf to picture to him the perfect righteousness which God has given to believers through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ His Son. I want you, dear friends, to read this book this evening, and I desire to read it myself. May God the Holy Spirit graciously help us to do so to our profit!"
— Excerpted from C. H. Spurgeon's sermon #3278 "The Wordless Book" |
Preached on Thursday evening - January 11, 1866 |
Pubished in MTP Vol 57, Year 1911, pg. 565, Psalm 51:7 |
This early WORDLESS BOOK had but three pages; gold for heaven is missing, and so is the green cover for growth. Still, Spurgeon proceeded to preach for his customary 50 minutes to an hour on the three pages — black, red, and white. There were probably some 200 of his orphanage boys and girls present, and maybe some found the Saviour as the Prince of Preachers spoke, in all simplicity, on the WORDLESS BOOK.
Living as we do in days when people know so little of the Bible or Gospel, we should surely "take a leaf out of the great preacher's book" and dare to preach with simplicity, using visual aids. After all, that is how Spurgeon's Saviour preached when upon the earth. Coins, candles, birds, beasts of the field, and even a child "in the midst" were His object lessons. We should never be accused of preaching over people's heads. If we are over their heads, we also miss their hearts!
May it continue to be used for the salvation of boys and girls & men and women.
Author: Eric W. Hayden
********************************************************************************
For More Information on the Works of C. H. Spurgeon, start here.... |
http://www.pilgrimpublications.com/wordless.htm |
http://members.aol.com/pilgrimpub/wordless.htm |
LAST MODIFIED September 3 - 2004
