These selections represent the best of the English Baptist preacher whose oratory held throngs of people spellbound. Christians today continue to consider Spurgeon's messages superb for devotional reading.
The first part of the book is of a miscellaneous character and reflects the distant horizons of Spurgeon's interests and the practical application he made of his knowledge in his pulpit ministry. There are sermon outlines, illustrations for preachers and teachers, quotable quotes, daily devotional messages, examples of wisdom and wit, and scholarly expositions of Scripture for which he was famous. "Harvest Time" is Spurgeon's first printed sermon, while "John Ploughman's Pictures" reflects the quaint style of rustic England a century ago. "Vanity Fair" is based on Pilgrim's Progress.
The second part consists of sermons chosen not only because they demonstrate the preacher's artistry, but because they illustrate the subjects with which he was most concerned. They are typical both of his message and method.
