Meet the Puritans

In His glorious high priestly prayer (Jn. 17), Jesus reveals His heart for His followers. He earnestly asks that His glory might be made known to the elect. The reason? Such knowledge will strengthen their faith, allowing them to persevere in union with their Savior. One of the central themes of...

Read more about indwelling sin in the author's previous post. Owen, in the opening chapter of his work The Mortification of Sin states that, “The vigor, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.” [1] Owen’s goal for this work, according to...

Many consider the Westminster Standards an excellent summary of Reformed theology. At first glance, however, it appears that this legacy of 17th-century Puritanism has little to say about union with Christ. Do the Standards downplay the precious truth that we are in Christ? Or is there perhaps more...

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8 :2 In our circles today, it is not popular to speak about the Gospel as Law or the Law of the Gospel. The Gospel message is one that is received by faith and the division between Law and...

In 1616, ninety-nine years after Martin Luther began his reforming work in Wittenberg, John Owen was born in Oxford, England. John Owen, it may be said, contributed as much to the theological landscape of the 17th century and Martin Luther did in the century prior. Like Luther, Owen’s life and work...

If one characteristic could describe the Puritan movement as a whole—apart from their personal piety—I believe it would be the Puritans’ ability to penetrate both heart and mind. Their knack for bringing conviction to the stubborn, hope to the hopeless, and relief to the weary and heavy-laden ought...

The Christian’s union with Christ is one of the most beautiful—and most neglected—doctrines of the Christian faith. Within this doctrine, there are countless comforts afforded to the Christian, such as the fact that Christ abides within us, and we abide within Him (John 15:5). Alongside these...

Thomas Manton began his exposition of Romans 8 by telling his hearers “what condemnation importeth.” The world stands under condemnation because of sin—that black backdrop has made this chapter’s “No condemnation!” all the more precious to the believer. Manton next turns the reader’s attention to...

Born in 1576 in a town 70 miles northeast of London, William Ames grew up in a Puritan household. After his parents died before he was fully grown, his uncle looked after him and helped him gain entrance into Cambridge which at that time was a Puritan stronghold. Cambridge was allowed to choose...

On June 3rd, 1981 William Thomas pitched a ramshackle tent outside the gates of the White House with a large sign that read, "Live by the bomb, die by the bomb." He was so gripped by the threat posed by nuclear weapons he held a vigil protesting the atomic arms race at the heart of the Cold War...