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C. H. Spurgeon (1834–1892)

Author of Lectures to My Students

2,246+ Works 54,749 Members 260 Reviews 50 Favorited

About the Author

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England on June 19, 1834. His father and his grandfather were both pastors and at the age of twenty, he became the pastor of the New Park Street Church in London. The congregation quickly grew out of the building and moved to Exeter Hall. In show more 1861, the congregation moved to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle. During his lifetime, he published over thirty-five hundred sermons that filled 63 volumes. His series stands as the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity. He also wrote Ploughman's Talk and The Treasury of David. During his last years, he suffered severe physical pain from a gout attack. He was growing increasing ill and died on January 31, 1892. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by C. H. Spurgeon

Lectures to My Students (1978) 2,637 copies, 11 reviews
The Treasury of David (1976) 2,415 copies, 10 reviews
All of Grace (1886) 1,969 copies, 13 reviews
Morning and Evening (1865) — Author — 1,963 copies, 12 reviews
The Soul Winner (1985) 1,559 copies, 4 reviews
Spurgeon's Sermons (5 Vol. Set) (1992) 1,113 copies, 2 reviews
The Power of Prayer in a Believer's Life (1993) 769 copies, 3 reviews
Morning by Morning (1984) 649 copies, 6 reviews
An All-Round Ministry (1972) 516 copies, 1 review
Evening by Evening (1975) 489 copies, 4 reviews
Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare (1998) 480 copies, 1 review
Holy Spirit Power (1996) 416 copies, 2 reviews
John Ploughman's Talks (1963) 384 copies, 2 reviews
The Power in Prayer (1996) 377 copies, 3 reviews
The Pastor in Prayer (1997) 365 copies, 2 reviews
Grace: Gods Unmerited Favor (1910) 361 copies, 1 review
Around the Wicket Gate (1976) 359 copies, 2 reviews
According to Promise (1985) 318 copies, 2 reviews
Finding Peace in Life's Storms (1997) 273 copies, 2 reviews
Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life (1993) 270 copies, 3 reviews
Praying Successfully (1997) 259 copies, 3 reviews
Best of C.H. Spurgeon (1977) 250 copies
A Defence of Calvinism (2008) 247 copies, 1 review
My Sermon Notes (1981) 235 copies, 3 reviews
Advice for Seekers (1993) 225 copies, 1 review
Twelve Sermons on Prayer (1971) 224 copies, 1 review
CSB Spurgeon Study Bible (2017) — Contributor — 212 copies, 1 review
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (1975) 208 copies, 2 reviews
Being God's Friend (1997) 206 copies
Letters of C. H. Spurgeon (1992) 201 copies, 1 review
Spurgeon Gold (1996) 200 copies
The New Park Street Pulpit Set: Vol. 1-6 (1964) 188 copies, 1 review
The Joy in Christ's Presence (1997) 182 copies
Spiritual Parenting (1995) 181 copies
The Second Coming of Christ (1996) 181 copies, 1 review
MORNING AND EVENING NIV HB (2006) 175 copies
The Saint And His Saviour (1986) 167 copies, 1 review
Christ in the Old Testament (1899) 166 copies, 1 review
Spurgeon on the Holy Spirit (2000) 166 copies
Spurgeon Gems (1980) 161 copies
The Practice of Praise (1995) 150 copies, 3 reviews
Faith (1994) 149 copies, 1 review
Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress (1982) 146 copies, 1 review
Strengthen My Spirit (1999) 140 copies
When Christ Returns (1997) 136 copies
Power In The Blood (1996) 129 copies
Grace And Power (2000) 122 copies, 1 review
Fullness of Joy (1997) 121 copies
Till He Come (1994) 120 copies
12 Sermons on the Holy Spirit (1994) 119 copies, 1 review
Words of Wisdom for Daily Living (1973) 117 copies, 2 reviews
John Ploughman's Pictures (1965) 106 copies, 1 review
Twelve Sermons on Decision (1984) 105 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons on Prayer (1998) 105 copies
God's Grace to You (1997) 103 copies
The Key to Holiness (1997) 102 copies
Spurgeon's Catechism: With Scriptural Proofs (1967) 102 copies, 2 reviews
God Will Bless You (1998) 101 copies, 1 review
My Conversion (1996) 98 copies, 2 reviews
Our Own Hymnbook (1994) 97 copies
God's Gift to You (1997) 95 copies, 1 review
Prayer (2001) 95 copies
Satan: A Defeated Foe (1993) 93 copies
The Power in Praising God (1998) 93 copies
Election (1978) 92 copies, 4 reviews
The Quotable Spurgeon (2000) 91 copies, 1 review
The Treasury of David, Volume 1 (2008) 89 copies, 1 review
Words of Cheer (1994) 89 copies
Twelve Christmas Sermons (1976) 87 copies
Daily Help (1959) 87 copies, 1 review
The Down-Grade Controversy (1978) 82 copies, 1 review
God Loves You (1997) 78 copies
Joy To The World: Daily Readings For Advent (2016) 77 copies, 2 reviews
Spurgeon on Sovereignty (1990) 75 copies, 2 reviews
Gleanings Among the Sheaves (1988) 74 copies
Power of Christ's Miracles (1995) 74 copies
365 Days with C H Spurgeon Vol 1 (2002) 71 copies, 1 review
Honest Faith: Or, The Clue of the Maze (2010) 68 copies, 3 reviews
Eccentric Preachers (1984) 68 copies, 1 review
Strong Faith (1995) 68 copies
God Promises You (1920) 67 copies
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 27 (1881) (1971) — Author — 66 copies, 1 review
The Treasury of the Bible (1981) 63 copies
Amazed by Grace (2003) 63 copies
The Beatitudes (1978) 63 copies
12 Sermons on Commitment (1994) 63 copies
Limitless Love of Christ (1996) 63 copies, 1 review
The Golden Key of Prayer (1995) 62 copies
Power for You (1996) 57 copies
The Art of Illustration (2013) 57 copies
The Minister's Self-Watch (2012) 57 copies
Farm Sermons (1989) 56 copies
The Parables of our Lord (1982) 55 copies
How to have real joy (2001) 54 copies
12 sermons on faith (1975) 54 copies, 1 review
The Miracles of Our Lord Part 2 (1982) 54 copies, 1 review
The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, Vol. V (1859) (1964) — Author — 54 copies
The Treasury of David, Volume 2 (2008) 54 copies, 1 review
God's Joy in Your Heart (1920) 53 copies
Spurgeon Commentary: Philippians (2015) 52 copies, 1 review
Sermons in Candles (1971) 51 copies, 1 review
Finding Peace in God (1997) 50 copies
Grace Triumphant (2000) 50 copies
Revival (1977) 50 copies
Effective Prayer (1965) 50 copies
12 sermons to young people (1976) 49 copies
Power Over Satan (2000) 49 copies, 1 review
Free Will - A Slave (2014) 48 copies
Your Available Power (1996) 47 copies
Spurgeon's Lectures to His Students (2007) 47 copies, 1 review
12 Sermons on Praise (1994) 46 copies, 1 review
Anointed Life (2002) 43 copies
The Mourner's Comforter (1878) 42 copies
Spurgeon on the Providence of God (1974) 40 copies, 1 review
The Miracles of Our Lord Part 1 (1982) 40 copies, 1 review
Perfect Praise (1995) 39 copies
12 soul-winning sermons (1979) 38 copies
Joy in Your Life (2002) 37 copies
Quoting Spurgeon (1993) 37 copies
Jesus Rose for You (1998) 36 copies
The Joy of the Lord (1998) 36 copies
Types and Emblems (2008) 36 copies
365 days with C H Spurgeon Vol 4 (2007) — Author — 36 copies
Evangelistic sermons (1959) 35 copies
KJV Spurgeon Study Bible (2018) — Contributor — 34 copies
365 Days with C H Spurgeon Vol 3 (2005) — Author — 34 copies
Sermons (2012) 34 copies
Baptismal Regeneration (1970) 33 copies
No Tears in Heaven (2014) 33 copies
Memories of Stambourne (1891) 33 copies
Sermons on Heaven and Hell (2016) 32 copies
The Heart of the Gospel (1990) 32 copies
The Prayer of Jabez (2016) 32 copies
12 Sermons on Hope (1979) 31 copies
Spurgeon’s Own Hymn Book (2019) 31 copies
The Joy in Praising God (1999) 30 copies, 1 review
Classic Counsels (2003) 29 copies
Great Pulpit Masters (1972) 28 copies
Spurgeon's Calvinism (2014) 28 copies
Twelve missionary sermons (1978) 27 copies
Faith In All Its Splendor (2001) 26 copies
We Endeavour (2019) 25 copies
Sermons on the Psalms (1965) 25 copies
Twelve sermons on holiness (1965) 24 copies
How to Read the Bible (1966) 24 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1 (1883) 23 copies, 1 review
Spurgeon on the Five Points (1900) 23 copies
Humility and How to Get it (1972) 22 copies
The Bible and the Newspaper (2014) 22 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 6 (2010) 21 copies
Speeches at Home and Abroad (1974) 21 copies
1 John (2014) 21 copies
Sunlight for Cloudy Days (2010) 20 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2 (1883) 19 copies
1000 devotional thoughts (1976) 19 copies
Baptism (1971) 19 copies
Spurgeon On Praise (2008) 18 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3 (2009) 18 copies
God's Grace and God's Mercy (1976) 17 copies
Psalm 139 (2017) 17 copies
Hell (2010) 17 copies
The Autobiography of Charles Spurgeon (1994) 16 copies, 1 review
God's Providence (1980) 16 copies
A Sermon for the Worst Man on Earth (2020) 15 copies, 1 review
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9 (2010) 15 copies
Sermons on the Last Days (2009) 15 copies
The Treasure Store (1995) 15 copies, 1 review
Flashes of Thought (2010) 15 copies
Alles zur Ehre Gottes (1984) 14 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5 (1989) 14 copies
A guide to commentaries (1970) 13 copies
Choice sermon notes (1952) 13 copies
A Puritan Catechism (2011) 13 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 7 (2016) 13 copies
No Hay Otro Evangelio (Spanish Edition) (1997) 12 copies, 1 review
Jude 12 copies
Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8 (1987) 11 copies
Wind and Fire (1997) 11 copies
Jesus Christ Our Righteousness (2014) 11 copies, 1 review
Intercessory Prayer (2000) 11 copies, 1 review
Twelve Sermons on Unbelief (1977) 11 copies
God's Treasury (1990) 11 copies
Teaching Children (1981) 11 copies
On Eagles' Wings (2000) 10 copies
Gehe in den Weinberg (1986) 10 copies
God With Us: Reflections on the Incarnation (2019) 10 copies, 2 reviews
2 Timothy (2014) 10 copies
2 Peter 10 copies
Der gute Kampf des Glaubens (1976) 10 copies
The Bible (2000) 9 copies
Gospel Extracts (2021) 9 copies
2 Thessalonians 9 copies
No Compromise (2014) 9 copies
Hast du mich lieb? (1985) 8 copies
A Minister's Farewell (2001) 8 copies
Open-Air Preaching (2015) 8 copies
Law and Grace (2018) 8 copies
Gospel Missions (2019) 8 copies
PESCADORES DE CRIANCAS (2001) 8 copies, 1 review
Sermons Fourth Series (1858) 8 copies
Assurance (1976) 8 copies
For Whom Did Christ Die? (1990) 7 copies
365 Days with Spurgeon (1998) 7 copies
Auf Dein Wort (1996) 7 copies
The Call to the Ministry (2012) 7 copies
Perseverance in Holiness (1990) 7 copies
O Tesouro de Davi-Volume Unico (2019) 6 copies, 2 reviews
The Spurgeon Anthology (2012) 6 copies
C. H. Spurgeon Anecdotes (1900) 6 copies
On Sovereign Grace (2017) 6 copies
True Prayer - True Power! (2015) 6 copies
Die Tür ist offen (1991) 6 copies
O melhor de charles Spurgeon (2022) 6 copies, 1 review
The Sea! The Sea! the Wide and Open Sea! (2021) 6 copies, 1 review
Titus 6 copies
The Comforter (1978) 5 copies
Concerning Death (2014) 5 copies
Justification by Grace (2018) 5 copies
Christ Crucified (1970) 5 copies
The Man Christ Jesus (2001) 5 copies
Sermons About Christmas (2014) 5 copies
Lecturas Vespertinas (2000) 5 copies
Sermons on Election (2020) 5 copies
Gems from Malachi (2021) 4 copies
Turn or Burn (1970) 4 copies
Heilig dem Herrn (2000) 4 copies
Overeenkomstig de belofte (1992) 4 copies
Liçoes Aos Meus Alunos (2000) 4 copies
Je Vous Ferai Pecheurs d'Hommes (2002) 4 copies, 1 review
Immeasurable Love (1976) 4 copies
SABEDORIA BIBLICA (2007) 4 copies
Death (1978) 4 copies
Security (1976) 4 copies
Report of the Spies (1969) 4 copies
The Scriptures 4 copies
Milagres de Jesus (2007) 4 copies
The Withered Fig Tree (2017) 3 copies
Justificação Pela Fé 3 copies, 1 review
The Immutability of God (1970) 3 copies
Wachet und betet (1986) 3 copies
Gems from Colossians (2021) 3 copies
The Sin of Unbelief (2015) 3 copies
Struggles of Conscience (2014) 3 copies
Daily Wisdom on Prayer (2022) 3 copies
Satan in a Rage (2021) 3 copies
Compel Them to Come In (2014) 3 copies
Sermons Third Series (1857) 3 copies
Baptism: A Burial (2014) 3 copies
On Calvinism (2014) 3 copies
Oração eficaz 3 copies
The Claims Of God (1990) 3 copies
Human Inability (2014) 3 copies
promessas preciosas (2020) 3 copies
The Remembrance of Christ (1970) 3 copies
The Birth of Christ (1969) 2 copies
A Gracious Dismissal (1970) 2 copies
Treasure from the Psalms (1992) 2 copies
YKSIN ARMOSTA (1996) 2 copies
A Christmas Question (2015) 2 copies
Yet There Is Room (2017) 2 copies
Twelve Sermons on Hope (2014) 2 copies
The Royal Savior (2017) 2 copies
Works of Charles Spurgeon (2007) 2 copies
Complete in Christ (2020) 2 copies
Songs In The Night (2014) 2 copies
Little Sins 2 copies
Hebt goede moed (1987) 2 copies
Salmo 119 2 copies
Völlig entwaffnet (1996) 2 copies
Leituras diárias, vol. 2 (2006) 2 copies
Pray Without Ceasing 2 copies, 1 review
Cheer up, my comrades! (1999) 2 copies
The Paraclete, 2 copies
tulip doctrines (2016) 2 copies
The Treasury of David Vol. 2 — Author — 2 copies
Collected Works Vol. 1 (2010) 2 copies
Gems from Job (2017) 1 copy
Oração 1 copy
Galatians 1 copy
Slova povzbuzení 1 copy, 1 review
Del muladar al trono (2014) 1 copy
365매일묵상. 1-2 (1997) 1 copy
The Treasury of David Vol3 1 copy, 1 review
Song of Solomon (2020) 1 copy
Charles Spurgeon (2000) 1 copy
Hemel of hel 1 copy
[No title] 1 copy
A Shelter in the Storm (2005) 1 copy
Im Schwachen mächtig (1996) 1 copy
Satan: 5 Sermons (1978) 1 copy
Meine Bekehrung (2016) 1 copy
Opwekking 1 copy
The Prodigal (2013) 1 copy
Syv nådens undere (1994) 1 copy
Election 1 copy
25 Select Sermons (1906) 1 copy
Two Essential Things (1990) 1 copy
Gems from Ruth (2017) 1 copy
Peters Prayer (2016) 1 copy
Gondolatok 1 copy
Kungsvägen 1 copy
De roos en de lelie (1992) 1 copy
A Pastoral Visit (2018) 1 copy
Spurgeon's Gold.. (2023) 1 copy
A wondrous mystery (2024) 1 copy
C. H. Spurgeon's Sermons 1864 — Author — 1 copy
THE TREASURY OF C.H. SPURGEON (1970) — Author — 1 copy
Sielujenvoittaja (1957) 1 copy
La Espada 1 copy
Revival 1 copy
Woorden van Spurgeon (2002) 1 copy
Baptism 1 copy
Wees bereid (2018) 1 copy
Gathered jewels (1896) 1 copy
Glory Beyond 1 copy
Collected Works Vol. 2 (2010) 1 copy
Gems from Ephesians 2 (2021) 1 copy
Pela Graça 1 copy
Gems of Truth & Beauty (2017) 1 copy
Heaven Below 1 copy
Satan 1 copy
A Jealous God (2016) 1 copy
A Free Salvation (2015) 1 copy
What is a Revival? (2015) 1 copy
Ten Sermons 1 copy
A Bundle of Myrrh 1 copy, 1 review
11 Works 1 copy
A lélekmentő (2020) 1 copy
a essencia da oracao (2023) 1 copy
Jedině milostí 1 copy, 1 review
Saving Faith 1 copy
Sermons, Volume 6 (2012) 1 copy

Associated Works

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas (2008) — Contributor, some editions; Contributor, some editions; Contributor, some editions — 516 copies, 2 reviews
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (2009) — Contributor, some editions — 389 copies, 4 reviews
The Company of Preachers: Wisdom on Preaching, Augustine to the Present (2002) — Contributor — 199 copies, 2 reviews
The Trials of Theology: Becoming a 'Proven Worker' in a Dangerous Business (2010) — Contributor — 198 copies, 2 reviews
The Second Coming of Christ (2023) — Contributor — 72 copies, 1 review
365 Days with C H Spurgeon Vol 2 (2002) — Author, some editions — 42 copies
Sermons and Outlines on the Lord's Supper (1974) — some editions — 31 copies
365 Days with C H Spurgeon Vol 6 (2011) — Author, some editions — 14 copies
Free Grace Broadcaster - Issue 192 - Godly Manhood (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies

Tagged

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Reviews

280 reviews
Spurgeon paints masterful word pictures of Christ the intercessors - at daybreak, through whole nights, at Gethsemane, praying for sinners, for His people's sanctification and unity, for Peter, for those who are bowed down. All are marvelously instructive for us. But what transformed Spurgeon most was this scripture: "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." Not only did Christ lay down his life for us through His death but the whole life of Christ throughout eternity - His boundless, show more endless, glorified existence - is still for us! show less
Link to Original Review

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Beside Still Waters is a daily devotional that contains just over a year’s worth of daily entries. The entries are not dated, so you can take as long as you’d like to read through it without feeling constrained to a dated schedule.

I buddy read it with my Gran over the course of about a year and a half. We would each read the day’s entry, then share our thoughts with each other, which made reading through it a sweet experience I will show more always treasure.

There were some things I liked about the book and others that I didn’t.

Things I liked about it:

- The language used has been updated to be more seamless for the modern reader. (Some of Spurgeon’s writing elsewhere can feel a little dense and dated and thus requires more focus to get through at times.)

- The tone of the book is often very sweet and compassionate. Parts of it are beautifully poetic. I started reading through it after I lost my Dad and I found some of the entries comforting and gentle. Some of them even brought me to tears.

- The overall tone is encouraging and uplifting without being blatantly “breezy” (by that I mean breezing right on by hard things or sticking only to glossy subjects) or fluffy.

- The entries address a wide variety of circumstances, emotions, and seasons of life. I think most people could find entries that resonate with them to some degree.

Things I didn’t like about it:

- There are some passages that really did not age well. For example, on page 192, Spurgeon lauds Columbus’ voyage as having been arranged by God.

- There are a few entries in which Spurgeon paints God as an abusive tyrant with a big stick, which just does not line up with a faithful theology.

- There are a couple places where the stigma surrounding mental health that was more prevalent even a decade ago is evident. Spurgeon often tries to paint anxiety and depression as things that are incapable of existing alongside faith, which is just not true and is an idea that has been harmful to many people.

- There are a handful of entries which gloss over, diminish, negate, or attempt to bypass grief, loss, hardship, and deep spiritual wounds. They sometimes imply that we shouldn’t feel grief or pain because we still have God, regardless of who or what we have lost or what kind of pain we have endured. One passage says, “Our life is one long holiday when the Lord Jesus keeps us company,” in the context of someone who is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. There is an undercurrent of unhealthy coping that runs through some entries and attempts to invalidate the humanness of emotion, grief, and the process of healing.

- One entry suggests that healing of deep wounds should be immediate when we think about God’s love for us. While I realize that God’s love is healing and brings healing, the healing process is different for everyone and the time it takes to heal also varies, just as physical wounds do. Broad-brushing healing for everyone and reducing it to a singular experience that is put forth as the norm for all people who are hurting is not helpful.

- Some entries demonstrate a lack of awareness of the implications of the author’s ideas about God. For instance, one entry claims, “The most violent people could not move a finger if strength were not lent them by the Lord.” I understand what the author was trying to say here, but I found it poorly worded and couldn’t help thinking about the implications of that kind of theology of God. “So why does He lend it to them, then?” was the question I wrote in the margin. The page after that one claims, “Surely He who takes the trouble to give you a kingdom will not let you starve on the road to it.” Again, I understand what he was trying to say. But many people do starve. Words matter, and we have to follow our ideas through when we present them to make sure they align with a faithful theology. Glossiness and platitudes rarely correspond with reality.

- One entry suggests that poor people should just be content with their lot in life and trust God, excusing the people and systems that keep poor people poor instead of amplifying the social ethic Jesus taught. In another entry, Spurgeon tells people who have no income, friends, home, or health to focus on the fact that they have a Savior, therefore they “have all things.” Again, I realize what he was trying to say here, but it just doesn’t align with a loving approach when speaking directly to people who are homeless, jobless, and penniless (as he was in this entry). Telling people who have nothing that they have Jesus and then doing nothing to clothe or feed them goes against the values Jesus demonstrated.

- One entry claims, “Everything that happens to you is for your own good.” This is false and dangerous. While God promises to work everything out for good in the end, a lot of things that happen to people are just evil, crappy, and harmful. They aren’t for our own good and God doesn’t claim that they are (neither does the author of Romans). Abuse and other criminal offenses do not happen to us for our own good. That God might work things out for good later does not make the bad things that happen to us good. God brings and works goodness in spite of them. Evil is not good.

- He occasionally speaks using absolutes (always, never, etc.) which just don’t ring true. For example, on page 266, Spurgeon says, “Your faith will never be weak when you are weak, but when you are strong your faith cannot be strong.” Page 301 says, “Jesus’ power can only be perfectly revealed in His people by holding, keeping, and sustaining them in trouble.” (Emphases added.)

Overall, there were some really sweet sentiments and beautiful quotes throughout the book, but it is not one that I would recommend to a new believer or to someone who is not prepared to read it with discernment.
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What strikes me when I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon is how real he was. That’s refreshingly evident in this compilation of sermons on prayer, a topic which can easily become a guilt trip since few of us pray as well as we’d like. Spurgeon, like his Savior, is full of sympathy for our weaknesses:

“Have you not been on your knees at times without power to pray? Have you not felt that you could not plead as you desired? You wanted to pray, but the waters were frozen and would not show more flow. The will was present, but not the freedom to present that will in prayer.”

This understanding of human frailty is part of what makes this such a meaningful set of sermons. Spurgeon was a master rhetorician, skilled in his use of word pictures and structure to deliver clear, memorable sermons. Yet it’s his pastor’s heart that makes this collection worth reading and rereading.

Spurgeon returns time and again to themes that illustrate this point. For example, Spurgeon often urges not the flowery orations of the professional minister or the austerities of a book of prayers, but the simple words that overflow your own yearning heart:

“Come at once to the point and speak honestly with Him. He needs no beautiful oratories….Don’t ransack the Bible to find words in which to express it. Express your desires in the words that naturally suggest themselves to you. They will be the best words—depend upon it.”

This brings a heavenly topic down to Earth where we actually live. Power in prayer does not lie in elevated speech that is no different in concept from a magical incantation. It lies rather in a heart that believes God exists and loves and acts, and that abides fully and trustfully in Jesus.

The best praise I can give is that rather than discouraging me, this book comforted me. Every time I finished a sermon, I wanted to pray. I believed I *could* pray, and that God *would* hear me. In a world abuzz with alarms and advertising angst, Spurgeon reminds me that at any moment I can come to the garden alone, to walk with God and to talk with God, with a joy none other can ever know.
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Reading the sermons of C.H. Spurgeon places us in the middle of the 19th century in the heart of London and into the pulpit of a man who through the power of his preaching not only had a large following in his day but still influences thousands through the circulation of his books on the internet and in bookstores. Although I have not read his biography, his character and lifestyle are plain to see through his sermons. He had absolute devotion to his Lord. His intimacy with life's problems show more and the means of overcoming shows that he struggled as we and shares with us the means by which he overcame. His illustrations and examples using the simple objects of everyday life are without parallel and bring a vivid and helpful force to his message. His message is not an easy one to modern ears accustomed to a more accomodating, liberal view of scripture. But the staying power of Spurgeon's sermons rests upon his adherence to what the Bible actually says rather than what we would like it to say. He is able to easily preach a hour long sermon on one sentence in the Bible showing us how much reflection and study can produce. It seems he didn't need to borrow from others for his sermon material nor need to repeat old sermons such was his continual supply of new inspiration. Highly recommended for clergy and lay alike. show less

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