I (Chris) have been reading a biography on Spurgeon and his early 1860s life. I was shocked to discover that Spurgeon once slept away almost two whole days. Here's why:
"He now addressed the largest gathering of his entire career. There had been a mutiny in India against Britain's rule over that land, and a service of national humiliation was planned. It was to be held in the Crystal Palace and was to be addressed by the one man with voice enough to reach the expected gigantic audience - C.H. Spurgeon....
The people attending the service - counted at turnstiles as they entered - numbered 23,654. This was undoubtedly the largest indoor congregation ever reached with the human voice in all history until that time. As he preached, Spurgeon was critical of England's actions in India. He called for national repentance and humiliation....
Following the service - held on a Wednesday evening - Spurgeon was so exhausted that he slept two nights and a day. He did not wake up till Friday morning." (emphasis mine)
-Dallimore, Arnold, Spurgeon: A New Biography (2005), p. 94
For more on Spurgeon:
1. John Piper's biographical message on Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon: Preaching Through Adversity
2. Mark Driscoll on Spurgeon (10 minutes long)
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