# Did Spurgeon do altar calls, or maybe rededications of sorts?



## Pergamum (Oct 21, 2010)

I came across this interesting bit and wish to know more of Spurgeon's practices in this regard:




> "C. H. Spurgeon earnestly exhorted those who had accepted Christ as their Saviour to come forward amongst his people and avow their attachment to His person and name. Words of kindly encouragement and of loving persuasiveness, were addressed to the timid and retiring ones, who feared to avow themselves to be the Lord's lest they should fall back into sin and dishonor His name. This was followed by an appeal to those who had confessed the name of Jesus — an appeal of so stirring and searching a nature, that many must have felt constrained to say, 'Lord what wilt thou have me to do?' Prayer for more earnest living, abiding, practical godliness, followed this address." —



The Sword and The Trowel Magazine, 1865, page. 70 .

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Or was this maybe the giving of an opportunity for further counseling after the service?


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## Notthemama1984 (Oct 21, 2010)

I had read once that at the end of his sermons he would encourage everyone who had accepted Christ to come see him in his office on Monday. So it would seem that he did not have an altar call after the service, but did have something like one on Monday.


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## LeeD (Oct 21, 2010)

Here is an article that might prove to be a bit helpful: Did Spurgeon Create Converts With Altar Calls?


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## JonathanHunt (Oct 21, 2010)

The simple answer is 'no'. 

What he means is not literally 'come forward' in the service, but to make yourself known to one of the elders (there was an elder for every couple of hundred people) and make a profession of faith so that it should be known what the Lord had done for your soul.

It is reported that some years after Spurgeon died, a visiting preacher attempted an 'altar call' style act, when he asked all those who had trusted Christ to stand to their feet. The whole church stood. They weren't used to that kind of American novelty. I have it on one of my blogs here: Did AC Dixon jump or was he pushed? « CH Spurgeon


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## Joseph Scibbe (Oct 21, 2010)

The modern alter call is to get people who are "wavering" and then push them to "believe" before the end of the invitational hymn so they can be presented before the church like a trophy of great counseling persuasion. From that article Spurgeon asked those who had believed alredy to come down and identify with Him as His trophy of grace.


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## LawrenceU (Oct 21, 2010)

JonathanHunt said:


> The simple answer is 'no'.
> 
> What he means is not literally 'come forward' in the service, but to make yourself known to one of the elders (there was an elder for every couple of hundred people) and make a profession of faith so that it should be known what the Lord had done for your soul.
> 
> It is reported that some years after Spurgeon died, a visiting preacher attempted an 'altar call' style act, when he asked all those who had trusted Christ to stand to their feet. The whole church stood. They weren't used to that kind of American novelty. I have it on one of my blogs here: Did AC Dixon jump or was he pushed? « CH Spurgeon


 
Well put.


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