Free Will—A Slave by Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon examines the nature of "free will," and uses the text John 5:40, "You will not come to me, that you might have life." He observes: "The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding, to be moved by motives, to be guided by other parts of the soul, and to be a secondary thing." He puts forth the Calvinist doctrine that a person cannot come to Christ by their own means, but Christ must come to the person. He expounds on the nature of legal, spiritual and eternal deadness and how people are unable to overcome this by themselves. He then goes on to describe legal, spiritual and eternal life that is in Christ Jesus. The text was updated to modern language. Paperback 5.25X8, 38 pages. ISBN 9781941281154 Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892) was born in Kelvedon, England. He came from a strong Christian family and Charles developed a love for reading books. At fifteen, a stormy day changed his plans and he went to a Methodist chapel in Colchester, where the service was almost given up for low attendance. At this service the message was look to Jesus to be saved, and he became a Christian. He never went to college, but he became a scholar through self-study. His parents were Congregationalists but he saw the need for Baptism after he read the Bible. He preached his first sermon at Teversham in Cambridgeshire and people began to respect him. The New Park Street Chapel in London was deserted and the young man from Cambridge was recommended. Spurgeon thought it a mistake and that he would not be fit for London. He was "borne down with a sense of weakness." His preaching was blessed with great success of effect and attendance. Soon the need of a much larger building was needed and the Metropolitan Tabernacle was built in 1861. He became a well-known preacher and is regarded as the "Prince of Preachers."