Cup of Coffee Talk: The Final

This will be our final class from C.H. Spurgeon's book "Lectures to my Students."

Here are a few nuggets from Spurgeon:

*What follows are my notes exactly how they appear (spelling mistakes, chopped up sentences, etc.) in my notebook.*

XXIII On Conversion as our Aim

pg 336 On Conversion as our aim: The grand object of the Christian ministry is the glory of God. Whether souls are converted or not, if Jesus be faithfully preached, the minister has not laboured in vain...

-In too many cases the sublime truths are held in abeyance under the pretence that they are not practical; whereas the very fact that they are revealed proves the Lord thinks them to be of value, and woe unto us if we pretend to be wiser than He.

pg 332 We must see souls born unto God. If we do not, our cry should be that of Rachel "Give me children, or I die."

-The ambassadors of peace should not cease to weep bitterly until sinners weep for their sins.

-Since cinversion is a divine work, we must depend entirely upon the Spirit of God, and look to Him for power over man's mind.

-Where Christ is exalted souls are attracted.

pg 339 ... we must preach real bona fide substitutionary sacrifice, and proclaim pardon as its result.

pg 340 Preach earnestly the love of God in Christ Jesus, and magnify the abounding mercy of the Lord; but always preach it in connection with justice.

pg 341 Cold logic has its force, but when made red hot with affection the power of tender argument is inconceivable.

pg 345 Do not permit sinners to hear sermons as a matter of course, or allow them to play with the edged tools of Scripture as if they were mere toys; but again and again remind them that every true sermon leaves them worse if it does not make them better.

-There is something in the very tone of the man who has been with Jesus which has more power to touch the heart than the most perfect oratory...

-Fresh voices penetrate where the accustomed sound has lost effect...

XXIV Illusrations in Preaching

pg 349 The cheif reason for building windows in a house is... to let light in. Parables, similes, and metaphors have that effect...

pg 350 Let us not deny them the salt of parables with the meat of doctrine.

-Plesantly profitable let our sermons be.

pg 352 ...have pity upon these hangering ones immediately around you who must find life through your sermon or they will never find it at all.

-very beautiful sermons are generally very useless ones.

pg 353 Our house should be built up with the substantial masonry of doctrine, upon the deep foundation of inspiration; its pillar should be of solid Scriptural argument, and every stone of truth should be carefully laid into place; and then the windows should be ranged in due order...

pg 356 Our Father feeds his children alike; and the garments that they wear are cut from a royal fabric, even His righteousness.

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Now that we have finished our class I think that in light of our professor there is only one appropriate celebration: