Twenty years before his death Charles Spurgeon depicted his own funeral. "In a little while there will be a great concourse of people in the Streets. Me thinks I hear someone enquiring, 'What are all these people waiting for?' 'Do you not know? He is to be buried today.' And who is that?' 'It is Spurgeon.' 'What! The man that preached at the Tabernacle?' 'Yes; he be buried today.' That will happen very soon; and when you see my coffin carried to the silent grave, I should like every one of you to be constrained to say, 'He did earnestly urge us, in plain and simple language, not to put off consideration of eternal things. He did entreat us to look to Christ."

He also said he wanted no mourning at his funeral. "I do not know why we always sing dirges at the funerals of the saints and drape ourselves in black. I would desire, if I might have my way, to be drawn to my grave by white horses, or to be carried on the shoulders of men who would express joy as well as sorrow in their habiliments (clothes), for why should we sorrow over those have gone to glory, and inherited immortality? I like the old Puritan plan of carrying the coffin on the shoulders of the saints and singing a Psalm as they walked to the grave." Contrary to his wishes, he did not have his way in his funeral. His body was transported in a carriage pulled by black horses for the five mile journey from the church to the cemetery. An estimated crowd of 100,000 were present for the interment, all draped in black. They did, however, sing this hymn, which was the truth that Spurgeon preached for so many years.