Archives for April 2020

We are grateful to pass on the news that Simonetta Carr’s able and gripping biographies on Augustine and Luther published by RHB are now available in Russian for children. 

I am very excited to inform you that RHB just brought into print another very important book that I loved editing and have long awaited: “The American Puritans” by Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz. This is a gripping, well-written study at a popular level of nine of the most influential American Puritans, most of whom are too often neglected or even forgotten: William Bradford, John Winthrop, John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, Thomas Shepard, Anne Bradstreet, John Eliot, Samuel Willard, and Cotton Mather. You will love this book—it will feed your mind and your soul! https://bit.ly/3aLmH3p

by Andrew S. Ballitch

One of the rare physical descriptions we have of William Perkins (1558–1602) notes that “his stature was indifferent, complexion ruddy, hair bright, body inclined to corpulence.” In other words, Perkins was an unremarkable, slightly overweight, red-headed Englishman. Unimpressive. But he was a fiery, bold preacher and my favorite stories about him highlight the effectiveness of his ministry.

On one occasion, early in his preaching career, at a time when he was tasked with preaching to the prisoners in Cambridge castle, Perkins confronted a man climbing the gallows, terrified in the face of death. Perkins called up to him, “What’s the matter with you? Are you afraid of death?” The prisoner confessed that it was not so much death he was afraid of, but rather what would come after. Perkins said, “Come down again, man, and you will see what God’s grace will do to strengthen you.”

The man came off the execution platform and knelt with Perkins. Perkins offered a prayer of confession so effectual, that the poor man burst into tears. Perkins, convinced that his ward was sufficiently humbled and penitent, then presented him Jesus Christ, freely offered in the gospel for the salvation of sinners. The prisoner’s tears turned to tears of joy at the consolation he found in the forgiveness of sins and hope of life everlasting. He climbed back up the ladder cheerfully, testified of salvation in Christ’s blood alone, and confidently stepped into eternity.

Perkins was an effective minister and powerful preacher. It is said that John Cotton, as an unconverted student at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where Perkins loomed large, rejoiced to hear the death-bells toll for the great man. His conscience would no longer have to be afflicted by Perkins’s preaching.

Perkins is remembered primarily for his preaching, and rightly so. He preached regularly for the entirety of his adult life and ministry. His sermons were collected and published and read widely as commentaries. He wrote a preaching manual titled The Art of Prophesying, through which he influenced generations of pastors and the entire Puritan movement. That said, he wrote extensively on other topics as well, ranging from dogmatic theology to pastoral counseling, topics from assurance of faith to family life. Some of these publications were significant internationally in the Reformed tradition and beyond.

The Wholesome Doctrine of the Gospel: Faith and Love in the Writings of William Perkins introduces the man and his theology, then pulls thirty-two brief selections from all over his corpus on doctrinal and practical topics. The hope is that this short book will provide a wholistic view of Perkins’s conception of Christian faith and practice, and at the same time serve as an initial foray for many into the writings of the man himself.

“We cannot all argue, but we can all pray; we cannot all be leaders, but we can all be pleaders; we cannot all be mighty in rhetoric, but we can all be prevalent in prayer.”

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.”

This Bible reading plan for children ages 6–12 guides them through the life of Christ over the course of a year, teaching kids what Scripture says about Jesus. In less than five minutes a day, children will get to know the life and teachings of Jesus and his offer of abundant life to all who believe in him.

We are excited to announce this exciting new resource for children is on sale at https://bit.ly/MeetingJesusMurray.

The evangelism that is prevalent today in evangelicalism is often characterized by shallow, superficial presentations of Christ and a minimization of the seriousness of sin. In this sermon I discuss how our Puritan forefathers were rigorously Biblical and sought to bring solid, doctrinal exposition to bear when making the gospel of Christ known to sinners: https://bit.ly/3581uiT

Two great books published by RHB arrived today, one a bit on the academic side and the other for children.

The first is “Backdrop for a Glorious Gospel: The Covenant of Works According to William Strong,” by Thomas Parr, who revised this from his ThM thesis done here at PRTS. Steven Myers and I had the privilege of supervising it. I am excited to see it in print. It will do a lot to promote a sound view of the covenant of works. In my opinion, Strong (1611-1654) wrote the best work on the covenants ever written by a Puritan—and the Puritans wrote more than 50 books on the covenants! https://bit.ly/3eEv18c 

The second book is “Pygo the Free: A Cautionary Tale” by Steven Warhurst, which in a powerful, satirical way shows children (and adults!)—through the life of a fish who didn’t want to live in the sea—how foolish it is to disobey God’s laws for us. You must get this book for your children and grandchildren! https://bit.ly/2KkU8z7

​​​​​​​Scripture is the banner of truth on all matters relating to death and dying and the eternal existence of the body and the soul.

I’d like to invite you to a webinar on the topic of “COVID-19 – Death & Dying: All you need to know to speak the truth”

During this webinar you will hear a true doctrine of death from the only sufficient inerrant word of truth. Now is the time to communicate to the world the truth that gives life.

After some discussion, we will open it up for questions.

Date: April 23rd
Time: 8:00pm Eastern time

I hope you can join us. This will be an enlightening and encouraging time.

Reserve your seat now by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2zfmus5

“Until I come, give attendance to reading” (1 Tim. 4:13). By God’s grace, keep calm and read on. Read the Bible and read the best books for your soul! https://bit.ly/3bqhO0G

Adapted from Laughing at the Days to Come: Facing Present Trials and Future Uncertainties with Gospel Hope by Tessa Thompson.

John Murray once wrote that there is no other truth “more suited to impart confidence and strength, comfort and joy in the Lord than this one of union with Christ.”[1] If he was right, it goes without saying that now is a good time to meditate on this precious doctrine.

A global pandemic wreaks havoc on our once robust economy—we are anxious.

Weddings and graduation ceremonies are cancelled—we are disappointed.

Statistics are rising and the threat of death is ever before us—we are fearful.

Families are shut up in their homes together for days on end—we are irritable.

Unlike the godly woman in Proverbs 31:25 who laughs at her unknown future, the world is desperately longing for answers it simply doesn’t have. How bad is this going to get? Is the end in sight? As believers, we, too, desire answers. But amid a world that is terrified of the unknown, we have the joy of standing upon the rock of what we do know—namely, everything God has revealed to us in His word. The Christian’s union with Christ is one of those rocks.

To be sure, the believer’s intimate union with Christ is not a magical doctrine that causes sin, sorrow, and sighing to disappear from life; knowledge of it will not typically change unfortunate circumstances. Nevertheless, it is an important truth that when factored into life will greatly affect the way we think about and respond to those circumstances. Let us briefly consider one great encouragement (among many others) we can draw from this doctrine: our union with Christ comes with the comforting promise of conformity to Christ.

For many of us, one result of the current pandemic is that we are seeing our sinfulness in a new light. Our tempers are shorter than we thought. We are more anxious about the numbers in the bank account than we’d care to admit. And perhaps we are saddened by the ways we have chosen to use our extra time, realizing we are not as hungry for the things of God as we desire to be. It is a mercy of God to expose these things to us, but when we begin to see the extent of our sinfulness, we can quickly grow discouraged.

Our union with Christ confronts this discouragement with the precious promise of conformity—that, for the remainder of this earthly life, the Spirit will be daily at work in me, causing me to be “changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18 KJV). Every day the Holy Spirit not only sustains my union with the risen Christ but applies to me the sanctifying benefits of that union, making me more and more like the person of Christ. And as that Spirit causes me to gaze on the risen Christ and better understand the effects of His redemptive work, I increasingly come to know, love, imitate, and obey Him.

Life may indeed get harder, but the Spirit of Christ in us is indeed making us holier—day by day, month by month, year by year—through both seasons of pandemic and seasons of prosperity. The Spirit of Christ is sanctifying us now in ways that will better prepare us to face the trials of tomorrow. This does not mean that future trials will be a walk in the park. No matter how mature we are five years from now, we will still have much to learn about following in the footsteps of the Suffering Servant. God will go on sanctifying us then just as He is now. But this does mean we ought to anticipate the joy of witnessing how the Spirit has been at work in our lives, teaching, preparing, and equipping us for whatever is down the road. Come what may, our union with Christ compels us to look to the future and anticipate not the increasing misery of sin but the increasing miracle of steadfastness.

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[1] John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 171.

Laughing at the Days to Come is available for purchase at Reformation Heritage Books: https://bit.ly/2O6mVtO