Meditations on Manhood by Charles Spurgeon

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MEDITATIONS ON MANHOOD

100 DEVOTIONS from CHARLES SPURGEON

© 2023 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-63609-719-0

Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63609-770-1

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All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

Printed in China.

Our world needs real men. Here is deep yet accessible encouragement for Christian men from one of history’s greatest preachers.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “the Prince of Preachers,” is well remembered and remarkably readable more than 130 years after his death. This devotional on biblical manhood is compiled from the decades of weekly sermons that Spurgeon preached in his native England.

On the pages to follow you’ll find spiritually deep but personally accessible teaching on vital manhood as Spurgeon distills godly principles for men of all ages. With entry titles such as

• The Imitation of Christ

• Sanctified Manhood

• A Charge to “Keep Thy Heart”

• Manly Witness

• The Secret of a Man’s Strength

• Chastened as Sons

• Speak Like Jesus these 100 entries are each accompanied by a brief description of the source of the reading.

Entries have been lightly edited for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. While some text has been removed for reasons of length, no changes have been made to Spurgeon’s arguments or thought process. We have chosen not to use ellipses to indicate the removal of words so as not to disrupt the flow of your reading.

Meditations on Manhood is a powerful, needful book for our times. Read on to be a better Christian man.

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:29

Perhaps nothing in the world is a surer sign of littleness than a slavish imitation of any man. Men lose that which is an honor to them—individuality—and then, they lose that which is a power to them—originality—the moment they commence walking in another man’s shoes. When one painter slavishly copies another, he is only known as the satellite of the greater luminary; he himself is neither respectable nor respected.

But this is not the case when men select models which are confessed to be perfect. You never hear a man accused of a lack of originality because he studies the models in sculpture of ancient Greece. It is not usual to hear the accusation of imitation brought against painters who have studiously examined the works of Michelangelo or of Raphael. These men are put at the head of their respective schools and the following of these masters of the art is voted to be no folly, but true wisdom. ’Tis even so with the imitation of Christ. To imitate other men is weakness; to copy Christ is strength.

Christ is the perfect type of manhood. He who should imitate Him the most nearly, would be the most original man upon earth! It may seem a paradox, but it is one which, nevertheless, needs only to be tried to be proved; no man will be looked upon as so strange, so singular a being among his fellows, as the man who shall nearest approach to the image of the Lord Jesus! He imitates, we grant you; he copies, we confess it; but he is himself, despite his copying, an original to other men, and he stands out from the common herd as being a distinguished and celebrated individual—he will be “known and read of all men.”

“Portraits of Christ,” The New Park Street Pulpit, No. 355 (1861)

SANCTIFIED MANHOOD

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

Acts 26:8

The whole manhood of the Christian has already been sanctified! It is not merely that with his spirit he serves his God, but he yields his members to be instruments unto righteousness to the glory of his heavenly father.

“Know you not,” says the apostle, “that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit”? Surely that which has been a temple of the Holy Spirit shall not be ultimately destroyed! It may be taken down, as the tabernacle was in the wilderness, but taken down to be put up again! Or, to use another form of the same figure, the tabernacle may go, but only that the temple may follow. “We know that if this earthly house of our tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

It is a joy to think that as Christ has redeemed the entire man, and sanctified the entire man, He will be honored in the salvation of the entire man, so our complete manhood shall have it in its power to glorify Him! The hands with which we sinned shall be lifted in eternal adoration; the eyes which have gazed on evil shall behold the King in

His beauty; not merely shall the mind which now loves the Lord be perpetually knit to Him, and the spirit which contemplates Him, delight forever in Him, and be in communion with Him—but this very body which has been a clog and hindrance to the spirit, and an arch rebel against the sovereignty of Christ, shall yield Him homage with voice, and hands, and brain, and ears, and eyes!

“The

Resurrection Credible,”

Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1067 (1872)

MEN WHO FEED ON GOD’S WORD

I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1 John 2:13–14

A man instructed in the scriptures is like an armed knight, who when he goes among the throng inflicts many a wound, but suffers none, for he is locked up in steel.

Yes, but that is not all; it is not the word of God in you alone, it is “the word of God abideth in you.” It is always there; it cannot be removed from you. If a man gets the Bible right into him, he is all right then, because he is full, and there is no room for evil. When you have filled a measure full of wheat you have effectually shut the chaff out. Men go after novel and false doctrines because they do not really know the truth; for if the truth had gotten into them and filled them, they would not have room for these daydreams. A man who truly knows the doctrines

of grace is never removed from them: I have heard our opponents rave at what they call the obstinacy of our brethren. Once get the truth really into you, it will enter into the texture of your being, and nothing will get it out of you. It will also be your strength, by setting you watching against every evil thing.

The word of God will be to you a bulwark and a high tower, a castle of defense against the foe. Oh, see to it that the word of God is in you, in your very soul, permeating your thoughts, and so operating upon your outward life, that all may know you to be a true Bible-Christian, for they perceive it in your words and deeds.

This is the sort of army that we need in the church of God—men that are strong by feeding on God’s Word.

“A Description of Young Men in Christ,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1715 (1883)

MANLY SYMPATHY

Rejoice with them that do rejoice.

Romans 12:15

Sympathy is a duty of manhood. We are all brethren sprung from the same stock, and that which is a good to any man ought to be a joy to me. That any man should be sick or sorry should in a measure make me sad, but that any man should rejoice with a worthy joy—worthy of a creature made by God—should make other men thankful. But what is thus a natural duty is elevated into a yet higher duty, and a more sacred privilege amongst the regenerate—amongst the family of God, for over and above the ties of manhood in the first Adam, there are the ties of our new manhood in the second Adam, and there are bonds which arise out of our being quickened by the same life.

We have “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” We are members of one body, having only one Head, and one life throbs through all the members of that body. Hence, for us to strive with one another in joy and in sorrow would be to act contrary to the sacred instincts which arise out of Christian unity. If, indeed, we are one with Christ, we are also one with each other, and we must participate in the common joys and common sorrows of all the elect family.

This, again, gathers yet higher force when the joys in question shall be spiritual joys. I am bound as a Christian to be thankful when my brother prospers in business, but I may not be quite sure that that will be a real blessing to him. But if I know that his soul prospers, then I may safely rejoice to the very full, for that must be a blessing to him, and will bring honor to God.

“Sympathy and Song,”

Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 3517 (1872)

THE WORK OF A MAN

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Ecclesiastes 9:10

You have not the work to do of saving yourselves. That is done—the dear Redeemer has finished it. “It is finished,” says the Savior, and that is joy for you.

But now you have another work to do because you are saved. Man was not created to be idle. He was not elected to be idle. He was not redeemed to be idle. He was not quickened to be idle, and he is not sanctified by God’s grace to be idle.

Oh, sirs, do not promise to do anything tomorrow—leave off promising and come to real actions! Never mind what you will do next year! What will you do now?

The masters of assemblies should remember this. If a thing is worth doing, let it be done well. If it is not worth doing, let it alone. Do not pick it over and say, “All these things I could do for Christ, but I shall only do a part of them. Here is a duty which I could perform with my gloves on, like a gentleman. I could do this without trouble, labor, or

expense and earn a good deal of credit by it. This is the kind of thing I will do.” Do you think God will accept such obedience as that? Man, do it, if it stains you from head to foot with mire, if it brings contempt upon you and the universal hiss of all your fellows. Whatever—whatever God appoints you to do, do it right straight through. Servants, like beggars, must not be choosers, but what their masters appoint, they must do. And with such a Master, who never can appoint us a dishonorable task, it is a shame that we should think any service too hard.

“The Spur,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 1119 (Undated, likely 1873)

A CHARGE TO “KEEP THY HEART”

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

Inasmuch as the heart is the most important part of man—for out of it are the issues of life—it would be natural to expect that Satan, when he intended to do mischief to manhood, would be sure to make his strongest and most perpetual attacks upon the heart.

What we might have guessed in wisdom, is certainly true in experience; for although Satan will tempt and try us in every way, though every gate of the town of Mansoul may be battered, though, against every part of the walls thereof he will be sure to bring out his great guns, yet the place against which he levels his deadliest malice, and his most furious strength, is the heart. Into the heart, already of itself evil enough, he thrusts the seeds of every evil thing, and doth his utmost to make it a den of unclean birds, a garden of poisonous trees, a river flowing with destructive water.

Hence, again, arises the second necessity that we should be doubly cautious in keeping the heart with all diligence; for if, on the one hand, it be the most important, and, on the other hand, Satan, knowing this,

makes his most furious and determined attacks against it, then, with double force the exhortation comes, “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” And the promise also becomes doubly sweet, from the very fact of the double danger—the promise which says, “The peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Avaunt, then, Satan! While I am at peace with God, I am a match for all thy temptations. Thou offerest me silver; I have gold. Thou bringest before me the riches of the earth; I have something more substantial than these. Avaunt, tempter of humankind! Avaunt, thou fiend! Your temptations and blandishments are lost on one who has peace with God.

“How to Keep the Heart,”

The New Park Street Pulpit, No. 180 (1858)

TRUE AS STEEL

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

I would to God that we had among us more men in the fulness of spiritual and mental vigor. The want of the period is brethren who know the gospel for themselves, who have had a personal experience of its power, who have tested it as silver is tried in a furnace of earth, and who set such a value upon it, that they would sooner part with life than give it up.

We have too many in our company who will go right if they are led aright, and who are sure to swim in the right direction if the current is strong enough to carry them with it; these are all very well when the wind blows from the right quarter, but they are of small use in ill weather. At this hour, there is a call for men who can breast the torrent and swim upstream. We need heroes who would just as soon go alone, if necessary, as march with a thousand comrades. We need men who are doing their own thinking, and do not put it out, as families do with their washing. They have thought out the truth; and, having gone to God about it, and felt the power of it in their own souls, they are not

now to be moved from the hope of their calling. They are pillars in the house of our God, abiding, in their places; and not mere caterpillars, crawling after something to eat. We need captains for the good ship who know their longitude and latitude, and can tell whence they came, and to what port they are steering. Our Commander needs warriors true as steel for this hour of conflict.

Ye that are men, now serve Him Against unnumbered foes.

“The Minister in These Times,” Presidential Address at Annual Conference of Pastor’s College (1890)

PREACH THE WORD

But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Acts 5:19–20

The angel of the Lord opened the prison door and set free the preachers, but he had no charge to preach himself. Surely the angel who brought them out of prison was quite able to have gone and proclaimed the gospel, and so he might have brought many out of their prison spiritually.

But no; it must not be. His commission permits him to say to the apostles, “Go and speak to the people,” but it does not permit him to join in their testimony.

Dear friends, do you not think that the angels must often wonder at us? When they see men eager upon politics and negligent of souls, are they not astonished? Do they never say, “We wish the great Lord would let us go and speak to perishing souls. We would speak with all our hearts”? Do they not sometimes say to one another, “What are these men at? Do they disdain their high calling? God has given to them the great privilege of preaching and teaching His holy Word, but they do not care to do it. They speak as if they were half asleep. Where is their

zeal for God, their love to men, their earnestness for Christ”?

Brethren, these holy spirits must feel ashamed of us! True, they are our servants, and bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our feet against a stone; but must they not sometimes wish that we were stronger on our feet, and were more eager to dash our hands against the enemies of God? We are carried as invalids when we ought to be fighting like champions. I charge you by the angels of God, who are not permitted to touch this holy work, preach the word, be instant in season, out of season. Preach the word in some such style as you would expect from those who are bought with the precious blood of Jesus.

“The Charge of the Angel,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 2032 (1888)

FIRM RESOLVE

I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1 John 2:14

Now, the spiritually strong man may be described in this way—he is one who is very decided for Christ. He is not half-hearted, halting between two opinions. There is nothing about him now, as there once might have been, of questioning or hesitation. He is for Christ. Whoever may be for the false, he is for the true. Whoever may side with the unjust, he is for the honest. Whoever may adopt crooked policy, he is for straightforward principle. He has made up his mind to it, that he is Christ’s, and henceforth he does not tolerate within his soul anything like a question on that matter.

He is decided, not only in his service of Christ, but in his opinions. He knows what he knows. He holds firmly what he does hold. He is a strong man in the truth. You cannot pull him by the ear this way today and that way tomorrow. He does not depend upon his religious teacher for his religious thought; he does his own thinking with his Bible before

him; by the grace of God he has grown strong by feeding on heavenly diet. He is a man with his feet firmly planted on a rock. You may meet with weak professors almost everywhere, and you may by specious arguments entice them to almost everything. But the young man who is strong will listen to what you have to say, and weigh it in the scales of judgment, but when once weighed and found wanting, he will reject it without hesitation. He at once rejects the wrong, and cleaves to that which is right, for God has made him strong in integrity of heart.

“Unto You, Young Men,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 811 (1868)

STAND OUT AND STAND UP

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:31

Glory in the Lord by standing up for Him when He is opposed. If you hear the proud ones ridicule His gospel, and despise His people, put in a word for Jesus. Stand out and say, “I am one of His disciples. Despise me! I hold those opinions; ridicule me! After the way which ye call heresy so worship I the Lord God of my fathers.” This is a practical way of glorifying Him, but many who have grown rich and respectable are much too mean-spirited to practice it. I am ashamed of the cowardly spirit of many in these days who give up their nonconformity, because they cannot otherwise get into what they call “good society.” The Lord have mercy on them.

Glorify Him again by being calm under your troubles. When others are fretting and worrying, possess your soul in patience, and say, “No, I do not serve a fair-weather God, and I am not to be cowed and put down, for the eternal God is my refuge, and underneath me are the everlasting arms. It does not become a man to tremble who has the God of Jacob for his help. I will bear trouble joyfully if He wills to send it.”