Early beginnings
In April 1854, after preaching three months on probation and just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 19, was called to the pastorate of London's famed New Park Street Chapel, Southwark (formerly pastored by the Particular Baptists Benjamin Keach, theologian John Gill, and John Rippon). This was the largest Baptist congregation in London at the time, although it had dwindled in numbers for several years. Spurgeon found friends in London among his fellow pastors, such as William Garrett Lewis of Westbourne Grove Church, an older man who along with Spurgeon went on to found the London Baptist Association. Within a few months of Spurgeon's arrival at Park Street, his powers as a preacher made him famous. The following year the first of his sermons in the "New Park Street Pulpit" was published. Spurgeon's sermons were published in printed form every week, and enjoyed a high circulation. By the time of his death in 1892, he had preached almost thirty-six hundred sermons and published forty-nine volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations, and devotions.
Immediately following his fame was controversy. The first attack in the Press appeared in the Earthen Vessel in January 1855. His preaching, although not revolutionary in substance, was a plain spoken and direct appeal to the people using the Bible to provoke them to consider the claims of Jesus Christ. Critical attacks from the media persisted throughout his life.
The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000 — all in the days before electronic amplification. At twenty-two Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of the day.
On January 8, 1856, Spurgeon married Susannah, daughter of Robert Thompson of Falcon Square, London, by whom he had twin sons, Charles and Thomas September 20, 1856. At the end of that eventful year, tragedy struck on October 19, 1856 as Spurgeon was preaching at the Surrey Gardens Music Hall for the first time. Someone in the crowd yelled, "Fire!" and there was a panic and a stampede that left several dead. Spurgeon was emotionally devastated by the event and it had a sobering influence on his life. He struggled against clinical depression for many years and spoke of being moved to tears for no reason known to himself.
Walter Thornbury later wrote in "Old and New London" (1897) describing a subsequent meeting at Surrey:
Still the work went on. A Pastor's College was founded in 1857 by Spurgeon and was renamed Spurgeon's College in 1923 when it moved to its present building in South Norwood Hill, London;. At the Fast Day, October 7, 1857 he preached to the largest crowd ever: 23,654 people at The Crystal Palace in London. Spurgeon noted:

The New Park Street Pulpit
On March 18, 1861 the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed purpose-built Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle, Southwark, seating five thousand people with standing room for another thousand. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was the largest church edifice of its day and can be considered a precursor to the modern "megachurch." This orphanage turned into Spurgeon's Child Care which still exists today.
On the death of missionary David Livingstone in 1873, a discolored and much used copy of one of Spurgeon's printed sermons "Accidents, Not Punishments" was found among his few possessions much later, along with the handwritten comment at the top of the first page "Very good, D.L." He had carried it with him throughout his travels in Africa, and it was returned to Spurgeon and treasured by him (W. Y. Fullerton, Charles Haddon Spurgeon: A Biography, ch. 10).
Additional controversy flared among his fellow Baptists in 1887 with the publication of the "Down-grade" paper which exposed the spiritual decline among the churches. This led to The Metropolitan Tabernacle separating from the Baptist Union to become essentially the largest non-denominational church of the time.
Often Spurgeon's wife was too ill to even leave home to hear him preach. Spurgeon, too suffered ill health towards the end of his life, afflicted by a combination of rheumatism, gout, and Bright's disease. He often recuperated at Menton, near Nice, France, where he eventually died on January 31, 1892. Spurgeon's wife and sons outlived him. His remains were buried at West Norwood Cemetery in London.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit
with the devotions of Rev. Joseph Parrish Thompson)

2200 Quotations from the Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon compiled by Tom Carter
Able To The Uttermost
According To Promise
All of Grace
An All Round Ministry
Around the Wicket Gate
Barbed Arrows
C. H. Spurgeon's Autobiography
Chequebook Of The Bank Of Faith, The
Christ's Incarnation
Come Ye Children
Commenting and Commentaries
The Dawn of Revival, (Prayer Speedily Answered), Diggory Press ISBN 978-1846856822
Down Grade Controversy, The
Eccentric Preachers
Feathers For Arrows
Flashes Of Thought
Gleanings Among The Sheaves
Good Start, A
Greatest Fight In The World, The
Home Worship And The Use of the Bible in the Home (American reprint of "The Interpreter"
Interpreter, The or Scripture for Family Worship
John Ploughman's Pictures
John Ploughman's Talks — the Gospel in the language of "plain people"
Lectures to My Students — Four volumes of lectures to students of college Spurgeon established
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, The
Miracles and Parables of Our Lord-- Three volumes
New Park Street Pulpit, The
Only A Prayer Meeting
Our Own Hymn Book edited by Spurgeon and he authored several hymns
Pictures From Pilgrim's Progress
The Preachers Power and the Conditions of Obtaining it Diggory Press ISBN 978-1846856358
Saint And His Saviour, The
Sermons In Candles
Sermons On Unusual Occasions
Soul Winner, The
Speeches At Home And Abroad
Spurgeon's Commentary on Great Chapters of the Bible compiled by Tom Carter
Spurgeon's Morning and Evening — a book of daily devotional readings
Sword and The Trowel, The — a monthly magazine edited by Spurgeon
Till He Come
Treasury of David, The — a multi-volume commentary on the Psalms
We Endeavour
The Wordless Book
Words Of Advice
Words Of Cheer
Words Of Counsel Spurgeon's library

Austin, Alvyn (2007). China's Millions: The China Inland Mission and Late Qing Society. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans.