Meet the Puritans

The Puritans spoke, wrote, and preached about the importance of frequent, regular, godly actions , which they termed habits, holy works, labors, duties, heavenly services, or holy efforts . They believed that habits were critical for spiritual maturity. But what did they consider “spiritual...

Growing in grace requires knowing and meditating upon the Word of God, which both reveals to us the glory of God and exposes to us the shame of sin. This is a slow process, yet we must not lose heart. At the same time, a weak and weary soul will find no comfort when her focus is set on her sin or...

To read part one of this series, click here . For the Puritans, the path to spiritual maturity required frequent practices and actions. They called these “habits,” but they had other terms to describe the same concept. Sometimes they called these practices “holy efforts,” a term popularized by...

It seems like everyone is talking about the doctrine of God these days. Debates surrounding theology proper continue raging on with no end in sight. Overall, I believe this is a good thing. For many in the church, these discussions promote sharper doctrinal formulation, greater awareness of creedal...

“Follow your heart.” We hear this time and again, the world’s mantra to find assurance in emotion and intuition. Yet this is hardly a consolation for the Christian who knows that the heart is ever-fickle and oft-misleading. When the weight of sin overwhelms, or when doubts arise, or when fears...

As Thanksgiving approaches, we Christians, above all others, ought to be marked by a spirit of joy and thankfulness. The reason is simple: We have received innumerable blessings from the hand of our God and Father. In fact, the key to cultivating genuine gratitude in the Christian life is to...

The term "Socinianism" has recently appeared in various theological discussions, especially as it relates to topics such as the doctrine of the Trinity and biblicism. At the same time, many have little familiarity with the history or definitive marks of Socinian thought. This is in part due to the...

Editor’s note: this is the first in a four-part series and was originally published on the author’s website. Used with permission. In the history of the church, and particularly counseling within the church, there has been a house, of sorts, that is being constructed. Faithful, competent men and...

Calvin once said that we listen to ourselves too much, and we talk to ourselves too little. Specifically, Calvin meant telling ourselves the truth of the Word of God. Many Puritans followed Calvin in this encouragement, including Thomas Hooker Use the Word of God aright. For as you must, in all...

Is it possible to undervalue Christ’s sufferings by overemphasizing the cross? In his Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man , Herman Witsius (1636-1708) includes a profound section on the extent to which Christ’s sufferings make satisfaction for our sins (1:210-234). Witsius begins this...