Moody Classics Complete Set: Includes 18 Classics of the Faith in a Single Volume
About this ebook
Of all the factors influencing our spiritual growth and development, pivotal books play a key role. Learning from those who have walked the path and fought the fight brings wisdom and strengthens resolve. And hearing the familiar chords of kingdom living sung by voices from other times can penetrate cultural barriers that limit our allegiance to the King. To this end, Moody Publishers is honored to present all eighteen books of its spiritual classics series. Selected for their enduring influence and timeless perspective, these new editions promise to shape the lives of spiritual pilgrims for generations to come.
About the author
The late NATHAN J. STONE was a member of the faculty of Moody Bible Institute for several years and a teacher for the radio program Radio School of the Bible. He is the author of Names of God, Answering Your Questions, 100 Basic Bible Questions Answered, and Holy to the Lord: Studies in Leviticus.
GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) is the author of 100 books, including Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man, which led young atheist C.S. Lewis to become a Christian. He is probably best known for his series about the priest-detective Father Brown and was also known as a poet and a playwright. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he primarily considered himself a journalist, writing over 4,000 newspaper essays for papers such as Illustrated London News and Daily News, as well as his own G. K.’s Weekly.
GEORGE MUELLER (1805-1898), evangelist and philanthropist in England, was a man of prayer and strong faith who depended wholly on God for his temporal and spiritual needs. During his time serving as pastor at a church in Bristol, England, his famous work with the orphans began when two young children were thrown upon the church's care. Mueller resolved never to tell anyone what his needs were. He told them to God and confidently expected them to be met. Over his life, he handled more than $8 million, although his own worldly possessions were valued at about $800 at his death. He is author of the book Answers to Prayer.
HANNAH WHITALL SMITH (1832-1911) was born in Philadelphia to a Quaker family. Her life expressed the joy that is found in complete surrender to the Lord. The secret to a happy life, according to Whitall Smith, is to trust implicitly in the promises of the Bible. Her goal was not to impress the scholar, but to elevate the simple man or woman who longed for a more consecrated way of living. Deeply practical, her writings deal directly with the day-to-day struggles of ordinary people. She is author of The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life and The God of All Comfort.
EDWARD MCKENDREE BOUNDS (1835-1913) was born in Missouri. He studied deeply in the Scriptures and was greatly inspired by the writings of John Wesley. At the age of 24, he felt called to be a preacher and became a Methodist Pastor around the time of the American Civil War. At the age of 58, and for the next nineteen years (until he went home to be with the Lord at age 77), he began to write books. It is said that he prayed daily, from 4 A.M. to 7 A.M., before he would begin work on his writings. Bounds is author of many books, including Purpose in Prayer, The Weapon of Prayer, and The Reality of Prayer.
THOMAS A’KEMPIS (1380-1471) was a Dutch priest, monk, and writer born in Kempen, Germany. He attended a school near Deventer in Holland. Thomas of Kempen, as he was known at school, was so impressed by his teachers that he decided to live his own life according to their ideals. When he was 19, he entered the monastery of Mount St. Agnes and spent the rest of his long life behind the walls of that monastery. Thomas wrote a number of sermons, letters, hymns, and lives of the saints. The most famous of his works, by far, is The Imitation of Christ, a charming instruction on how to love God. The Imitation of Christ has come to be, after the Bible, the most widely translated book in Christian literature.
ANDREW MURRAY (1828-1917) was a church leader, evangelist, and missionary statesman. As a young man, Murray wanted to be a minister, but it was a career choice rather than an act of faith. Not until he had finished his general studies and begun his theological training in the Netherlands, did he experience a conversion of heart. Sixty years of ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, more than 200 books and tracts on Christian spirituality and ministry, extensive social work, and the founding of educational institutions were some of the outward signs of the inward grace that Murray experienced by continually casting himself on Christ. A few of his books include The True Vine, Absolute Surrender, The School of Obedience, Waiting on God, and The Prayer Life.
JOHN BUNYAN (1628-1688) was a Puritan preacher and writer in England. Bunyan had very little schooling. He followed his father in the tinker's trade, and served in the parliamentary army from 1644 to 1647. In 1655, Bunyan became a deacon and began preaching. He experienced marked success from the start and was the pastor of the Bedford church.
Bunyan is the author of The Pilgrim's Progress which he wrote in 1676 while imprisoned for preaching without a license. His numerous other titles include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and Holy War.
RUBEN ARCHER TORREY (1856-1928), educated at Yale University and Divinity School, was renowned as an educator, a pastor, a world evangelist and an author. He pastored Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, was the superintendent of Moody Bible Institute for nineteen years, and served as the dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles from 1911 to 1924, when he retired to embark upon full time evangelistic campaigns around the world. Mr. Torrey wrote more than forty books including How to Pray and How to Promote and Conduct a Successful Revival. Mr. Torrey was married to Clara and together they had five children.
CHARLES H. SPURGEON (1834-1892) was known as England's most prominent preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. He preached his first sermon at the age of 16, and by 22, he was the most popular preacher of his day, habitually addressing congregations of six to ten thousand. In addition, he was active in philanthropic work and evangelism. Spurgeon is the author of numerous books, including All of Grace, Finding Peace in Life’s Storms, The Anointed Life, and Praying Successfully.
L.E. MAXWELL founded Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, in 1922. In his fifty-seven years of service with the school, he held many titles, including professor, principal, and president. A prolific author, he wrote many including Women in Ministry, Born Crucified, and Crowded to Christ. He is now at home with his Lord.
JOHN CHARLES RYLE (1816-1900) was born in Cheshire County, England. He attended Eton and then went on to Oxford, finishing his Oxford studies in 1837. In 1841 Ryle was ordained as a minister in the Anglican Church, and in 1880 he was named the first Bishop of Liverpool. Throughout his ministry he became known and beloved as a defender of the evangelical reformed faith.
DWIGHT L. MOODY (1837-1899) was a highly acclaimed late 19th century evangelist. He founded the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago in 1886 and the Bible Institute Colportage Association, now Moody Publishers, in 1894. From training women, to reaching out to lost children, to bridging the gap between denominations, D.L. Moody was unlike any other. He is author of a number of books including Christ in You, Heaven, Men God Challenged, and Spiritual Power. His life is also chronicled in A Passion for Souls: The Life of D.L. Moody by Lyle Dorsett. He and his wife, Emma, had three children.
F. B. MEYER (1847-1929) was an internationally known British minister of the Gospel, a public servant, and an evangelist for more than sixty years. A good friend of D. L. Moody, he began preaching at Christ Church in London, when there were only 100 regular attendees. Within two years he was preaching regularly to over 2,000 people. Charles Spurgeon once spoke of him, saying "Meyer preaches as a man who has seen God face to face." Meyer was also active in the temperance movement, worked to close more than 500 houses of prostitution, and formed a prison aid society. Meyer authored more than 40 books, including biographies, devotional commentaries, sermon volumes and expository works. He also authored several pamphlets and edited a number of magazines.
DR. FREDERICK HOWARD TAYLOR (1862-1946) was a British missionary to China and the son, James Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission. He completed his diploma at the Royal London Hospital in 1888 Howard and his wife, Geraldine, wrote several books about his father’s ministry and their own experiences in China.
GERALDINE TAYLOR (1862-1948) was born in London and as a young lady had a burden for the downcast and depressed girls who worked in the factories in the east end of London. For a number of years she had a very fruitful ministry among the factory girls helping to elevate the downtrodden. In 1888 she felt the call of God to missionary service and, under the China Inland Mission, went to China. It was here that she met and married Howard Taylor and embarked on a very rich, long ministry in China and around the world. They were greatly used of the Lord to challenge people for missions, particularly missions in China.
J. OSWALD SANDERS (1902-1992) was a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and authored more than forty books on the Christian life including The Incomparable Christ, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Leadership, and Spiritual Maturity. He left a promising law practice to serve as an instructor and administrator at the Bible College of New Zealand. Dr. Sanders later became general director of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), and was instrumental in beginning many new missions projects throughout East Asia.
