Alright, you could rightly say that Cotton Mather (1663-1728) does not meet the strict historical definition of a “Puritan” preacher (see Mark Jones’ post here). Still, as a Massachusetts Bay Colony boy, son of Increase Mather, and grandson of John…
This week we want to continue through Thomas Manton’s (1620–1677) “Christ’s Temptation and Transfiguration Practically Explained and Improved in Several Sermons” (Works 1, 258–336). Sermon 2 treats Matthew 4:2–4. As with sermon 1, Manton follows the classic Puritan plain…
In 2016, every two months (Feb, Apr, June, Aug, Oct, Dec) we will be producing a Meet the Puritans Resource, which you will be able to find linked under Our Resources. These will be classic texts with introductions, footnotes, and modernized…
In the context of the English-speaking Atlantic world during the 18th century, many of the oppressed were African enslaved persons. Yet during this time many enslaved Africans became Christians partly because of the Great Awakening. There is evidence from the…
A quest for “Truth According to Scripture” drove the Westminster “divines” (theologians) and should drive us today. Why? Because it’s biblical. When Paul left the church in Ephesus, he warned that false teaching would arise (Acts 20:29-30). Sure enough,…
Back in 2005 America’s new “pastor,” Rick Warren, said, “The first Reformation was about doctrine; the second one needs to be about behavior. We need a reformation not of creeds but deeds. It’s time to stop debating the Bible and…
King James VI of Scotland (1566–1625) recorded his advice to Prince Henry (1594–1612), his son and heir, in a 1599 volume entitled Basilikon Doron, “The Royal Gift” (repr., 1887). Amidst other advice on how to operate effectively as a monarch,…
Thomas Manton (1620–1677) was called “the king of preachers” at his funeral. Anyone that has ever used his expositions of James or Jude for their sermon preparation knows this to be true. He is consistently deep, thorough, and memorable in…
It was the great nineteenth-century evangelical Anglican, bishop J. C. Ryle (1816–1900), who said that Thomas Manton (1620–1677) was “a man who could neither say, nor do, nor write anything without being observed” (“An Estimate of Manton”). Yet he is…
Congratulations to Kasey I. of Solon, OH, who is the winner of our first book giveaway for J.I. Packer’s, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. Don’t forget to enter our new giveaway for one of…
