The universal scope of God’s sovereignty teaches us that we must glorify Him with all of our being. There is no “must” to enjoying God; it is but the consequence of glorifying Him. Do the one, and you will have the other. The Puritans fervently practiced this conviction in seeking …
Just what is meant by the term Puritan? Many people today use the term to describe a morose and legalistic brand of Christianity that borders on fanaticism. Much of this stereotype was the product of nineteenth-century anti-Puritan sentiments. While subsequent cultures have expressed various opinions of the Puritans, it is …
The Puritans devoted scores of pages to the benefits, excellence, usefulness, advantages, or improvements of meditation. Here are some of those benefits: Meditation helps us focus on the triune God, to love and to enjoy Him in all His persons (1 John 4:8)—intellectually, spiritually, aesthetically. Meditation helps increase knowledge of …
Historically, Puritan worship traces its roots to the apostles and early church fathers through the Reformation. In Puritan writings, you will find many references to Martin Luther (1483–1546). Luther sought to bring all of worship under the Holy Scriptures. He cut back the seven sacraments to two, baptism and the …
In our day, few people consider holiness a priority. But for the Puritans, their goal was to bring every area of life into conformity to Jesus Christ. In this session, Dr. Joel Beeke looks at the Puritans’ teaching on sanctification. This message is from the 2019 National Conference, He …
The Puritans got it right. So they spent at least a period of time every day in what they called deliberate meditation – where they would deliberately get along with God. They go through an eight step process where they would: first read scripture, memorize something, they then meditated on …
Edward Taylor (c. 1642–1729), a pastor, physician, and poet of Puritan New England, wrote, “A curious knot God made in Paradise…. It was the true-love knot, more sweet than spice.” The writings of the Puritans are sprinkled with declarations of the sweetness of marital love. They delighted in the love …
The Puritans did not use the term worldview, for such terminology did not appear until the late eighteenth century in Germany and was popularized in the nineteenth century. But the Puritans still had a worldview, which was shaped by the written Word of God. With this divinely given worldview they …
My favorite Puritan-minded theologian from the English tradition is Anthony Burgess; from the Dutch tradition, Wilhelmus á Brakel; and from the Scottish tradition, Samuel Rutherford. Let me explain why. Anthony Burgess (d. 1664) In my opinion, Anthony Burgess, vicar of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire from 1635 to 1662, is the most …
…One of the great motives driving the Puritans was the need to raise up ministers who imitate Christ. Luke 6:40 says, “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect [fully trained] shall be as his master.” I would lay before you seven points in which …
