The Glory Of Grace: An Introduction To The Puritans
The most enjoyable and profitable reading for me outside of the Bible has come from the works of the Puritans. That being said, it was hard work to get through some of these incredible books. J.I. Packer’s A Quest For Godliness was the book that first introduced me to who the Puritans were, but it was more of a summary and biography than a showcase of their actual writings.
I am so thankful for The Glory of Grace from Banner of Truth because we finally have a proper introduction to actual Puritan works! Joel Beeke’s Meet The Puritans is a great help especially if you are looking for very obscure and unknown ones. What Lewis Allen and Tim Chester have done is created a way to introduce a Puritan and then let them speak through carefully selected and edited excerpts.
Things to Look Out For
Each chapter focuses on a specific Puritan first by giving a short biography. Then there is a section on things to look out for while reading the selected excepts of their work.
What Should We Learn From This?
After a couple pages of excerpts there is a section on what you should learn from this Puritan’s writing. This section is extremely helpful because it helps the reader digest all of the rich and deep theological thoughts into ways to apply these writings to our lives.
And lastly the writers point the reader to further readings. This book will be helpful to those who are beginning to dig into the Puritans but also a great help to those who own Flavel’s and Owen’s Complete Works. The Puritans had a deep love for Christ and sought to teach others to seek and follow the Lord through their very rich and deep writings. If you are desiring a life of holiness I encourage you to read and be challenged by these men and women who went before us.
What Puritans Are Featured?
Richard Sibbes on Assurance
Thomas Goodwin on the Holy Spirit
Samuel Rutherford on Covenant Confidence
William Bridge on Suffering
Jeremiah Burroughs on Contentment
Anne Bradstreet on Loss
John Owen on Communion with God
Richard Baxter on Everyday Discipleship
John Bunyan on Faith
John Flavel on Providence
Thomas Boston on the Bible
You can also purchase this book from Banner of Truth for a great price.