The Anxious Enquirer after Salvation Directed and Encouraged by John Angell James

It is sometimes said that the advantage that preaching has over the written word is that a preacher can put feeling into his words and move his hearers far more powerfully than the written word can. I would make it compulsory reading for anyone desiring to be baptised. As far as I am concerned it has no defects whatsoever. In this day and age where doctrine seems to matter little and it is all about feeling good, the true Gospel has often been lost sight of, and this little book would enlighten many professing Christians as to what Christianity is really all about, and remind them of the essential basics. I only wish I could persuade all my Christian friends to read it (if indeed they all are Christians). It's not sufficiently detailed to be suited to someone who knows nothing about Christianity whatsoever. For non-Christians, it is probably best suited to those who already know the Gospel to some degree, perhaps people who have had a church upbringing, or have sat under Christian ministry for a period of time and have some awareness of Christian things. Either way it is very challenging, and it might often have the Christian looking again at himself and wondering if he is truly converted - a good book for self-examination. It's just as valuable for Christians to read it as non-Christians. Between 18 (the time of the author's death) it had sold over half a million copies, and had been translated into many languages. It was one of the best-selling books of its day.

This was the book which Martyn Lloyd-Jones gave to his wife when she was seeking the Lord. Spurgeon found it helpful when he was seeking the Saviour. It loses nothing with each reading and always feels as fresh as ever.

I first read it in 2007 after coming across Spurgeon's recommendation of it in his autobiography, and I've read it multiple times since. This is one of my favourite books of all time.

The Anxious Enquirer after Salvation Directed and Encouraged by John Angell James