Lectures to My Students: Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors' College, Metropolitan Tabernacle

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The strongest objection exists to the constant repetition of the word “Lord,” which occurs in the early prayers of young converts, and even among students. The words, “O Lord! O Lord! O Lord!” grieve us when we hear them so perpetually repeated. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” is a great commandment, and although the law may be broken unwittingly, yet its breach is still a sin and a very solemn one. God’s name is not to be a stop-gap to make up for our want of words. Take care to use most reverently the name of the infinite Jehovah. The Jews in their sacred writings either leave a space for the word “Jehovah,” or else write the word, “Adonai,” because they conceive that holy name to be too sacred for common use; we need not be so superstitious, but it were well to be scrupulously reverent. A profusion of “ohs!” and other interjections may be well dispensed with; young speakers are often at fault here.