By Randy Alcorn,
Eternal Perspectives Ministry
Ministry headquartered in Oregon
Charles Spurgeon, who fought depression most of his life and found great comfort in animals, wrote tenderly to his wife Susannah about their beloved dog Punch:
When we drove from the station here, a certain doggie barked at the horses in true Punchistic style, and reminded me of my old friend. . . . Punchie sending me his love pleased me very much. Poor doggie, pat him for me, and give him a tit-bit for my sake. . . . I dreamed of old Punch; I hope the poor dog is better. . . . Kind memories to all, including Punch. How is he getting on? I rejoice that his life is prolonged, and hope he will live till my return. May his afflictions be a blessing to him in the sweetening of his temper! . . . Tell Punchie, “Master is coming!”
Susannah Spurgeon, from her mid-thirties on, was often incapacitated by an unknown chronic illness. Besides writing letters to missionaries and sending them her husband’s sermons, she found great comfort in her piping bullfinch, a bird with a striking rosy-red chest and belly, and a black cap, face, and tail. Charles had received the bird as a gift from a close friend, who said, “I want you to take my pet bird to Mrs. Spurgeon, I would give him to none but her. . . . I know that Bully will interest and amuse [Susannah] in her loneliness while you are so much away from her.”
Susannah saw God’s hand in giving her Bully as a companion:
“Does anyone doubt that this bird was a direct love-gift from the pitiful [full of pity] Father?” asks Mrs. Spurgeon. “Do I hear someone say, ‘Oh! it was all “chance” that brought about such coincidences as these’? Ah, dear friends, those of you who have been similarly indulged by Him know of a certainty that it is not so. He who cares for all the works of His hand cares with infinite tenderness for the children of His love, and thinks nothing which concerns them too small or too trivial to notice. If our faith were stronger and our love more perfect, we should see far greater marvels than these in our daily lives.”
Visitors often spoke of the Spurgeons’ affection for animals. When the Jubilee Singers visited them in 1874, they observed, “We had no sooner entered than he called our attention to the exploits of an enormous cat which sprang through his arms with the agility of a trained athlete; we found, also, that his grounds were rich in birds and domestic animals, for which he and Mrs. Spurgeon have great fondness.”
Spurgeon, in his jovial way, spoke of the birds who sang to God and to him and his wife:
We now have quite a lordly party of thrushes, blackbirds, and starlings upon the lawn, with a parliament of sparrows, chaffinches, robins, and other minor prophets. Our summer-house is occupied by a pair of blue-martens, which chase our big cat out of the garden by dashing swiftly across his head one after the other, till he is utterly bewildered, and makes a bolt of it. In the winter the balcony of our study is sacred to a gathering of all the tribes; they have heard that there is corn in Egypt, and therefore they hasten to partake of it and keep their souls alive in famine.
Church historian Geoff Chang writes, “These animals were Spurgeon’s companions in his home, and he introduced them to his guests as one would introduce any other family member.” Chang also noted that the Spurgeon Library in Kansas City, Missouri, houses “nearly forty volumes on the topic of animals, that once belonged to Spurgeon.”
After Charles’s death, Susannah wrote a devotional called A Basket of Summer Fruit. She included these insights about how birds had instructed her heart:
“The time of the singing of birds is come,” and from early morning until the sun sets, their sweet notes are a constant reminder of the duty and delight of thanksgiving. Out of the joy of their hearts they trill forth their gladness for the sunshine, and the opening flowers, and the unfolding leaves; and I have heard the same tender song when the rain has fallen, and cold winds have blown, and dark clouds have swept across the sky. Many a time have the birds in the garden sung a lesson in my listening ears, and rebuked my dullness or my unbelief, by their gleeful carolings.
Were Charles Spurgeon around today, he might be criticized for focusing so much on animals. It’s evident he didn’t think God—the Creator and Lover of animals who brought joy to him and Susannah through them—would agree with the critics.
Would you be surprised if you met Charles or Susannah Spurgeon on the New Earth and found them accompanied by their beloved dog Punch or Susannah’s bullfinch Bully, who spent untold hours keeping her disabled human friend company? I for one would be delighted, but not at all surprised, as it would seem a kindness entirely in keeping with the heart of God.
Adapted from All God’s Creatures: What the Bible Says About Animals, Heaven, and the New Earth.
Also see: A Symbol of the Invisible: Spurgeon and the Animal World by Geoff Chang.
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