A Quibble With Spurgeon

I don't read many books more than once. I read even fewer more than twice. But Lectures to My Students is one of those books I come back to over and over. These lectures, on everything from public prayer to posture to illustrations, capture Spurgeon at his wise and whimsical best.

There is, however, one point which I've never found convincing. In his lecture entitled "The Call to the Ministry," Spurgeon says "The first sign of the heavenly calling is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the...