---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In religious affairs, history shows us…"
description: "\"“In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have their palmy days, and then again their times of drought. The Universal Church has been thus ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg"
---

#  In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have…

![“In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have their palmy days, and then again their times of drought. The Universal Church has been thus circumstanced; it has had its Pentecosts, its Reformations, its revivals; and between these there have been sorrowful pauses, in which there was…” quote by Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg)

> ““In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have their palmy days, and then again their times of drought. The Universal Church has been thus circumstanced; it has had its Pentecosts, its Reformations, its revivals; and between these there have been sorrowful pauses, in which there was much more cause for lamentation than for rejoicing, and the Miserere was more suitable than the Hallelujah.””

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Churches experience cycles of growth and decline, marked by revivals and periods of hardship, where lament may be more appropriate than celebration.

**In simple terms:** Churches go through highs and lows.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and respond to both triumph and trial.

Themes

faith history resilience spiritual cycles

Mood

reflective somber

Type

theological historical

When to use this quote

- pastoral counseling
- church leadership
- personal spiritual reflection

Key Concepts

Ecclesiology theology of history sorrow vs. joy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate times of spiritual drought?
- When should lament replace praise?

A Different Perspective

Historical context shows that not all periods are celebratory; discernment is needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“Culture cannot be a monolithically universal phenomenon without some kind of demonic imposition of one culture over the rest of cultures. Nor is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-zizioulas/culture-cannot-be-a-monolithically-universal-phenomenon-without-some/)

[John D. Zizioulas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-zizioulas/)

> [The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in Her...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-xvi/the-holy-universal-church-teaches-that-it-is-not-possible-to-worship-2/)

[Pope Gregory XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-xvi/)

> [“We believe that the local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and that the universal church is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/we-believe-that-the-local-church-is-a-community-of-regenerated/)

[Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/)

> [ What the universal Church holds, not as instituted \[invented\] by councils but as something always held, is most correctly believed to have been handed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/what-the-universal-church-holds-not-as-instituted-invented-by/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [The National Catholic Register's coverage of the Church universal, and the Church in our own country, is splendid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-m-dolan/the-national-catholic-register-s-coverage-of-the-church-universal-and/)

[Timothy M. Dolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-m-dolan/)

> [In the month of October, the universal Church highlights her missionary vocation. Guided by the Holy Spirit she knows she is called to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/in-the-month-of-october-the-universal-church-highlights-her/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [The universal Church of the faithful is one outside of which none is saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-innocent-iii/the-universal-church-of-the-faithful-is-one-outside-of-which-none-is/)

[Pope Innocent III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-innocent-iii/)

> [The holy universal Church teaches that it is not possible to worship God truly except in Her and asserts that all who are outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-i/the-holy-universal-church-teaches-that-it-is-not-possible-to-worship/)

[Pope Gregory I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-i/)

> [Higher education holds itself out as a kind of universal church, outside of which there is no salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/higher-education-holds-itself-out-as-a-kind-of-universal-church/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-must-not-reduce-the-bosom-of-the-universal-church-to-a-nest/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [MAN is a social animal, gregarious by nature, and finds his greatest sense of security and satisfaction in the company of others who share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/man-is-a-social-animal-gregarious-by-nature-and-finds-his-greatest/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

## More by Charles H. Spurgeon

> [“Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/begin-as-you-mean-to-go-on-and-go-on-as-you-began-and-let-the-lord-be/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The man who talks about his experience as a Christian, who never does anything for Christ, is, I am afraid, only an idle dreamer.”–1894,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-man-who-talks-about-his-experience-as-a-christian-who-never-does/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-blood-of-jesus-christ-is-as-blessed-and-divine-a-payment-for-the/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/a-certain-man-placed-a-fountain-by-the-wayside-and-he-hung-up-a-cup/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The roar of the sea may be joyous to a rejoicing spirit, but to the son of sorrow the wide, wide ocean is even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-roar-of-the-sea-may-be-joyous-to-a-rejoicing-spirit-but-to-the/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/beloved-no-sin-of-a-believer-can-now-be-an-arrow-mortally-to-wound/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The greatest of human actions will appear to be insignificant when we come to die, and especially those upon which men most pride themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-greatest-of-human-actions-will-appear-to-be-insignificant-when-we/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Paul saith, 'Not of works, lest any man should boast.' Now, faith excludes all boasting. The hand which receives charity does not say, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/paul-saith-not-of-works-lest-any-man-should-boast-now-faith-excludes/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“He made a pit and digged it. He was cunning in his plans and industrious in his labors. He stooped to the dirty work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/he-made-a-pit-and-digged-it-he-was-cunning-in-his-plans-and/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our hearts on the black horse of affliction. Jesus uses the whole range of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/the-lord-s-mercy-often-rides-to-the-door-of-our-hearts-on-the-black/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/patience-is-the-fair-handmaid-and-daughter-of-faith-we-cheerfully/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“You will find all true theology summed up in these two short sentences: salvation is all of the grace of God; damnation is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/you-will-find-all-true-theology-summed-up-in-these-two-short/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Young gentlemen whose whiskers have not yet developed are authoritatively deciding that nothing can be decided, and dogmatically denouncing all dogmas. We meet them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/young-gentlemen-whose-whiskers-have-not-yet-developed-are/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Now, the more holy a man gets the more he cries in this fashion. While he is low down in the scale, he puts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/now-the-more-holy-a-man-gets-the-more-he-cries-in-this-fashion-while/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

> [“Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of his divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation! How vast his grace, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/arise-believer-and-behold-the-lord-jesus-yoking-the-whole-of-his/)

[Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

[Explore all 241 Charles H. Spurgeon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/)

## More History quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/)

[Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/)

> [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/)

[David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/)

> [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/)

[Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/)

[Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/)

> [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/)

C-DASH

> [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/)

[Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/)

> [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

[Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have their palmy days, and then again their times of drought. The Universal Church has been thus circumstanced; it has had its Pentecosts, its Reformations, its revivals; and between these there have been sorrowful pauses, in which there was much more cause for lamentation than for rejoicing, and the Miserere was more suitable than the Hallelujah.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles H. Spurgeon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-that-churches-have-their-palmy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "History"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-that-churches-have-their-palmy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/charles-h-spurgeon-1432_history_in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-th_1825429.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In religious affairs, history shows us that churches have their palmy days, and then again their times of…” — Charles H. Spurgeon",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles H. Spurgeon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In religious affairs, history shows us...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-that-churches-have-their-palmy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/in-religious-affairs-history-shows-us-that-churches-have-their-palmy/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
