Digital Logos Edition
Message to the Multitude is among the last of Spurgeon’s literary works. Spurgeon edited this volume during the closing weeks of his life, and it was published after his death. He chose these sermons because they display Spurgeon’s clear style, his adherence to the biblical text, and a full range of illustrations, stories, and metaphors. The Logos Bible Software edition of Message to the Multitude was originally published in London by Sampson Loaw, Marston & Co. in 1892.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England on June 19, 1834. He converted to Christianity in 1850 at a small Methodist chapel, to which he detoured during a snowstorm. While there, he heard a sermon on Isaiah 45:22 and was saved—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.” He began his own ministry of preaching and teaching immediately, and preached more than 500 sermons by the age of twenty.
In 1854, at nineteen years of age, Spurgeon began preaching at the New Park Street Chapel in London. He was appointed to a six month trial position, which he requested be cut to three months should the congregation dislike his preaching. He gained instant fame, however, and the church grew from 232 members to more than five thousand at the end of his pastorate. Many of his sermons were published each week and regularly sold more than 25,000 copies in twenty languages. Throughout his ministry, Spurgeon estimated that he preached to more than 10,000,000 people. Dwight L. Moody was deeply influenced by Spurgeon’s preaching, and founded the Moody Bible Institute after seeing Spurgeon’s work at the Pastor’s College in London.
Spurgeon read six books per week during his adult life, and read Pilgrim’s Progress more than 100 times. In addition to his studying and preaching, Spurgeon also founded the Pastor’s College (now Spurgeon’s College), various orphanages and schools, mission chapels, and numerous other social institutions.
Charles Spurgeon suffered from poor health throughout his life. He died on January 31, 1892, and was buried in London.
“Nevertheless, prayer is the best used means of drawing near to God.” (Page 4)
“prayer has a mighty power to sustain the soul in every season of its distress and sorrow” (Page 19)
“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the Book widens and deepens with our years.” (Page 48)
“When they flagged a little, Importunity would hasten them on; and when at any time they grew faint, Faith would give them a drink from his bottle, and they would recover.” (Page 16)
“Science is notorious for being most scientific in destruction of all the science that has gone before it.” (Page 253)