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It never fails, when someone understands how weak their argument is they trudge out Charles Haddon Spurgeon in hopes a quote of his will garner legitimacy for their view. The “Theistic Evolutionists” of “Death Is Defeated” evidently have figured they need to play the same trick. In this case they have leveraged Spurgeon’s Old Earth views to prop up their claims which unlike Spurgeon’s views are based upon a humanistic mechanistic philosophy.

John Scargy who posted the audio file which, by the way, isn’t all that well done, has positioned the recording in such a way as to provided the reader/listener the impression Spurgeon held views similar to those advocated by Tim Martin and JL Vaughn. I’m not sure if Mr. Sacargy has taken the time to comprehend Spurgeon’s theology or is simply passing on information he has been fed. Nevertheless, unless the “Covenant” Creationist reveals Spurgeon’s full views on all the implications of their view then they are not conveying the “Prince” of Preachers position accurately. Indeed Tim Martin co-author of the book which espouses “Covenant” Creation weighs in on the audio file writing:

Thanks for posting this. Quite a production…

It must be a most amazing coincidence, but I had many of those same thoughts myself a few months back! Hmmmm…

Tim Martin
http://deathisdefeated.ning.com/video/ch-spurgeon-calls-answers-in

Yet Martin doesn’t share these thoughts from Surgeon’s sermon, NOAH’S FLOOD NO. 823 DELIVERED ON THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 5, 1868, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON

I shall have to call your attention, tonight, to three rules that are without exception, and the first is the one before us—“THE FLOOD CAME AND TOOK THEM ALL AWAY.” The destruction caused by the deluge was universal.

Nor does Martin share these thoughts, THE FIRST DAY OF CREATION, NO. 1252, A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S DAY MORNING, AUGUST 29, 1875,

WE shall, this morning, leave all discussion as to the creation of the world to those learned Divines who have paid their special attention to that subject, and to those geologists who know, or at any rate think they know, a very great deal about it…. There was no brilliance to be developed out of the primitive darkness. It was necessary that Jehovah should interpose and that His fiat should pour in light firm above….

Nor does Martin explain this position of Spurgeon CHRIST THE DESTROYER OF DEATH NO. 1329, A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S DAY MORNING, DECEMBER 17, 1876, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

DEATH AN ENEMY. It was so born, even as Haman the Agagite was the enemy of Israel by his descent. Death is the child of our direst foe, for, “sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” “Sin entered into the world and death by sin.” Now, that which is distinctly the fruit of transgression cannot be other than an enemy of man. Death was introduced into the world on that gloomy day which saw our fall and he that had the power of it is our arch enemy and betrayer, the devil—from both of which facts we must regard death as the manifest enemy of man.

Death is an alien in this world. It did not enter into the original design of the unfallen creation, but its intrusion mars and spoils the whole. It is no part of the Great Shepherd’s flock, but it is a wolf which comes to kill and to destroy. Geology tells us that there was death among the various forms of life from the first ages of the globe’s history, even when as yet the world was not fitted up as the dwelling of man. This I can believe and still regard death as the result of sin. If it can be proved that there is such an organic unity between man and the lower animals that they would not have died if Adam had not sinned, then I see in those deaths before Adam the antecedent consequences of a sin which was then uncommitted. If by the merits of Jesus there was salvation before He had offered His atoning Sacrifice, I do not find it hard to conceive that the foreseen demerits of sin may have cast the shadow of death over the long ages which came before man’s transgression. Of that we know little, nor is it important that we should, but certain is it that as far as this present creation is concerned, Death is not God’s invited guest but an intruder whose presence mars the feast. Man, in his folly, welcomed Satan and sin when they forced their way into the high festival of Paradise, but he never welcomed Death. Even his blind eyes could see in that skeleton form a cruel foe!

The angel from Heaven rolled away the stone from our Lord’s sepulcher and let in the fresh air and light again upon our Lord—and He stepped out more than a conqueror! Death had fled. The grave had capitulated—

“Lives again our glorious King!
Where, O Death, is now your sting?
Once He died our souls to save;
Where’s your victory, boasting Grave?”

Well, Brothers and Sisters, as surely as Christ rose, so did He guarantee an absolute certainty the resurrection of all His saints into a glorious life for their bodies, the life of their souls never having paused even for a moment!

And finally, Martin doesn’t touch this position of the Spurgeon the “Prince” of Preachers with a 10 foot pole. THE MAN CHRIST JESUS, NO. 1835 A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY MORNING, APRIL 12, 1885, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

Adam, our first father, was the head of the race and all men were in him as their representative—in him they stood in the garden. In him, alas, they fell when he broke the Divine Command and the Lord took up the quarrel of His Covenant and cast him out of Paradise. “Oh, what a fall was there, my Brethren: then you and I and all of us fell down.” We inherit, because of Adam’s failure, a nature whose tendencies are towards evil. Adam was a very great person in relation to the race—he was the summary of all the generations, the fountain of the stream of humanity. To him we might apply the language of the Prophet, “you have been in Eden, the garden of God…You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.

If the reader opts to listen to the less than informative audio file provided by the theistic evolutionists in the above link you will hear a call to action by the narrator who claims to have all of Dr. Spurgeon’s sermons. The call to action of the narrator is a request young earth creation (YEC) groups who employ Spurgeon’s quotes correctly reflect his views as it relates to the age of the earth. Indeed, anyone who employs Spurgeon in support of their position should correctly reflect his views in total. The worldview of the individual is key in comprehending the overall context of a given quote.

However, I think it only fair that if the “Covenant” creationists, are going to employ Spurgeon then likewise they should reveal what he believed the meta-narrative of Scripture reveals. The “Covenant” creationist should inform the listener as to how Spurgeon understood the “analogy of faith” as proclaimed by Scripture. They should be honest with the public and correctly reflect what Spurgeon believed the Word of God proclaimed when Scripture is properly interpreted with Scripture. If they were honest with the public they would have to concede Spurgeon held Adam was the progenitor of all humanity, as held by all of historic Christianity and not the descendent of some sub-human creature. And that do to Adam’s transgression death, both physical and spiritual entered mankind. Noah’s flood was a universal, global event. And that while God’s plan of redemption enacted through the Son of God defeated death, that defeat has yet to be fully realized. However, some day the accomplished work of Jesus Christ will be realized when the resurrection of the dead in Christ occurs. And that the resurrection of the dead entails the restoration to life of the self-same body of the believer which expired. Oh, yeah, one last thing regarding Spurgeon’s views of the age of the “earth”. In an effort of full disclosure, I think the “Covenant” creationist; if they want to continue to employ Spurgeon after this eye opener should, that is if they want to be viewed as intellectually honest on the subject, acknowledge Spurgeon wasn’t exactly sure if the Geologists had gotten the age of the earth correct. The “Covenant” creationists should note Spurgeon’s comment that the Geologists “think” they are correct. However, something tells me the “Covenant” creationists will go silent when it comes to those views of Spurgeon that directly contradict their humanistic, mechanistic philosophy.

The “Covenant” creationist is more than welcome to employ the material of the “Prince” of Preachers, they just need to do it from an intellectually honest perspective. However, when they do they need to fully disclose the worldview of the man they are quoting. Scargy, you really ought to work a little harder on your research. Clearly the guy you relied upon hadn’t read all those sermons he claims to have.