Audiobook · read by volunteers
Spurgeon's Sermons May 1858
Charles H. Spurgeon (1834–1892)
Read by Mark Barnes, Andy Minter (1934-2017), Justin Brett, Vivian Bush, Alan Chant, Tim Bulkeley (1948-2019) · 6 chapters · 4 h 19
About the book
In May 1858, Charles Haddon Spurgeon was already a celebrated London preacher. People queued for hours to hear him, and the crowds grew so large that a vast music hall was hired to hold them. This recording gathers six of his sermons from that month, numbered 191 to 196 in the long series of his printed sermons. Their titles hint at the range: Christ as the builder of the Church, the work of a Sunday school teacher, the world turned upside down. Spurgeon speaks directly, in vivid language and with a pastor's warmth. Six volunteer readers share the sermons in about four hours, and listeners can follow the voice of Victorian preaching at its most popular.
Introduction
Charles Haddon Spurgeon lived from 1834 to 1892. He was a Baptist minister who rose to fame in London when he was still a young man, and for decades he preached to enormous congregations. His sermons were printed week after week and widely circulated in Britain and abroad, and they were translated into many languages. In 1858, when the crowds at his chapel were too big for the building, he preached for a time in the Surrey Gardens Music Hall, a large hall that could hold thousands.
The sermons in this collection date from May 1858. They follow the pattern of Spurgeon's preaching: a text from the Bible, a clear division into points, plenty of homely illustrations and a direct appeal to the listener. He had a gift for plain speech and for sudden humour, and he addressed the concerns of ordinary working people as much as those of the educated. His message was evangelical and Protestant, and listeners will notice a distinct period flavour.
This LibriVox recording lasts around four hours and twenty minutes and is divided into 6 sermons. It is read by six volunteers. It will interest students of religious history and of Victorian public life, as well as those who like to hear a great popular orator of the past, speaking in the vigorous English of his day.
Sermons of this period were meant to be heard, and they have a natural rhythm for the ear. Whatever one's own beliefs, it is a pleasure to hear the vigour and confidence of Victorian preaching, and the details of London life that Spurgeon uses to bring his points home.
Public domain
Charles H. Spurgeon died in 1892: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text