Charles Spurgeon never attended college, much less the seminary, but at the age of twenty he knew more about biblical theology than many pastors today. And how did you come to appreciate the doctrines of sovereign grace that we have been examining for the past three weeks?Here’s an amazing lesson from his autobiography:
The first lessons I had in theology came from a former cook at Newmarket school, where I was an assistant teacher; she was a good soul and used to read The Gospel Standard; he really loved something very sweet, good and strong from Calvinist doctrine, but he lived strong, as he ate a lot. We have often talked about the covenant of grace, and we have talked about the personal choice of the saints, their union with Christ, their final perseverance, and what life piety meant; and I think I learned more from her than I would have learned from six doctors in theology, from those guys we have today.
- There are Christians who test.
- See.
- And appreciate religion in their own souls.
- And who come to a much deeper knowledge than books could give them.
- Even if they seek it every day.
- The newmarket cook was a pious and experienced woman.
- From whom I learned much more than from the pastor of the chapel we attended.
- I once asked her.
- “Why are you going to this kind of place?” she replied.
- “Well.
- There’s no other place of worship where I can go.
- “I said.
- “But it must be better to stay home than to listen to certain things.
- “Perhaps so.
- She answered; “But I like to go and love him even though I get nothing in return.
- Sometimes you see a hen scratching the rubble to try to find corn; it doesn’t find any.
- But you can tell that you’re looking for it and you’re using the means to get it.
- And that’s why this exercise also warms it up.
Then the old woman said scraping exercised her spiritual faculties and warmed her mind. On another occasion, I told him I hadn’t found a single crumb in a full sermon and asked him how he’d fared. Oh!? she said, “I did better tonight, because from everything the preacher said, I just added no, and that made his words the true gospel. “
Thank you for the cooks of my own life, Pastor John.