Meet the Puritans

F or many, theology has a dry and arid connotation. For others, theology is the necessary objective backdrop for understanding the teaching of the Bible as a whole. For Peter van Mastricht (1630-1706), theology was “the doctrine of living for God through Christ” (8). This reminds us that theology...

His Writings I n our last post, we considered William Tyndale as a translator and will now look at some of his writings before examining his theology more closely next time. Much of his writing occurred in connection with his translation work in the form of book prologues. So, by the time of his...

J ohn 17 sits alongside the other great chapters of the Bible such as Romans 8 and Psalm 23. Many people have sung its praises, including the puritans. Stephen Charnock wrote, “If any part of Scripture be magnified above another, this (John 17) seems to claim the pre-eminence.” A.W. Pink said that...

A rticle 36 is the concluding article on church discipline. It concerns the public form for the ordination of ministers and the setting apart (consecration) of some presbyters to act as “overseers” or bishops. XXXVI—Of the Consecration of Bishops and Ministers
 The Book of Consecration of...

I fully understand the criticisms of the popular saying “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” Words are essential (Rom. 10:14-17; Acts 8:26-40). Nevertheless, this saying does point to an important truth: Yes, pastors need to preach the word of God boldly and faithfully. Yes,...

Meet the Puritans Readers! Are you a Protestant reading the great doctor of the church Thomas Aquinas? Then this volume of essays of reading Aquinas from a Protestant perspective is for you! We have 2 copies of Aquinas Among the Protestants to give away! Enter here through this link: https://...

I recently discovered a book on how not to lose your faith in seminary. As I read the book description, I simultaneously understood the reality of the temptation that the authors aimed at and I was thankful that the institution in which I teach self-consciously militates against such tendencies. It...

Congratulations to the two winners of Petrus Van Mastricht's Theoretical-Practical Theology Vol. 1 : Michael M. from Spartanburg, South Carolina and Angela M. from Lakeside, California! Enjoy Petrus Van Mastricht's Prolegomena! A big thank you to you both and all social media followers for reading...

A rticle 35 on the subject of "the Homilies" is unique among the reformed churches of Europe. We who live with the reprints of many seventeenth and eighteenth-century sermons preached by reformed pastors, it does not seem strange that doctrines should be set out in a sermon series. But there was no...

I have been warmly commending, Peter van Mastricht’s Theoretico-Practica Theologia for a decade. However, students have wondered whether my promises that someone was translating it into English were empty. Now that these promises are finally coming to fruition with the publication of this first...