Meet The Puritans…In Print! (6)

PURITAN REPRINTS IN ENGLISH (1960-1985) from PERKINS TO PURITAN SERMONS

*Perkins, William. William Perkins, 1558-1602: English Puritanist. His Pioneer Works on Casuistry: “A Discourse of Conscience” and ‘The Whole Treatise of Cases of Conscience.” Nieuwkoop: ?. Degraaf, 1966.

William Perkins (1558-1602), often called the “father of Puritanism,” was born in Warwickshire, entered Christ’s College in Cambridge (1577), received his B.A. in 1581 and M.A. in 1584, engaged in a fruitful prison ministry for three years, and was subsequently appointed lecturer at Great St. Andrews, Cambridge.

Sometime during college studies, Perkins was converted and embraced Puritan tendencies. Profound personal experience of salvation by free grace and pulpit gifts and power, combined in making Perkins a leader of Puritans and Puritanism.

In his day, Perkins was the most widely known and read Puritan of the Elizabethan church. At the time of his death, his works were outselling both Calvin’s and Beza’s throughout England. Also in foreign countries, Perkins became most popular. For example, ninety editions of his works were printed in the Netherlands alone, and more than fifty in Switzerland.

Perkins’s popularity was enhanced by his God-given ability to merge Reformed theology and Puritan piety on an understandable level for the common layman. Perkins aimed to wed decretal, supralapsarian preaching with practical, experiential living. He refused to consider the relationship of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility as antagonistic, but treated them as “friends” which need no reconciliation.

Though we are indebted to Merrill and Breward for reviving some of Perkins’s works, a reprinting of his three folio volumes has never been undertaken. If there is one Puritan in 1987 who deserves reprinting in full, it certainly must be William Perkins —and that for reasons both instructional and theological, as well as practical and experiential.

Perkins died in 1602 from kidney stones, and was sorely missed. His wife of seven years was pregnant at the time and had to care for three small children as well as bear the sorrow of three additional children who had been recently lost to a variety of diseases. The death of Perkins was also a great loss for the renowned Cambridge University, where Perkins was a leader of sorts among the students — particularly in encouraging intelligent piety of Reformed/Puritan stamp.

In this current volume, Merrill gathers two works of Perkins on casuistry (i.e., dealing with “cases of conscience”). The former is theoretical in nature. Its full title is: A Discourse of Conscience Wherein Is Set Down the nature, properties, and differences thereof: as also the way to get and keep good Conscience. This work was largely designed to assist those struggling with the question of the assurance of election.

The latter work drawn on is of practical persuasion. As Merrill notes in a succinct, excellent introduction: “It is concerned with presenting guidelines for resolving of typical moral dilemmas that confront Christians in all phases of their lives. Since it was generally acknowledged that man was a member of three societies: the family, the church and the commonwealth, the work is divided into three books, the first concerning ‘Man Simply considered in Himself without Relation to Another,’ the second, ‘Man as he stands in relation to God,’ and finally, ‘Man as he stands in relation to other men’” (p. xix). In this last section, Perkins discusses at length current issues of his day, such as “the right use of money, truth and falsehood, the right use of leisure, the Christian attitude toward war, vows and promises, proper dress, the lawfulness of recreation, policy and prudence.”

Perkins aimed to wed decretal, supralapsarian preaching with practical, experiential living. He refused to consider the relationship of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility as antagonistic, but treated them as “friends” which need no reconciliation.

*Perkins, William. The Work of William Perkins Introduced and edited by Ian Breward. The Courtenay Libarary of Reformation Classics, vol. 3. Berkshire, England: The Sutton Courtenay Press, 1970.

Five hundred carefully selected pages extracted from the writings of Perkins, and divided into four sections: theological writings; worship and preaching; practical writings; and polemical writings. The whole is prefaced with a masterful 131-page introduction, covering five topics: Perkins’s life; Perkins and the Elizabethan Church; the ministry of the gospel; the direction of conscience; grace and assurance. Breward is highly qualified to write this introduction as his Ph. D. dissertation is, “The Life and Theology of William Perkins,” University of Manchester, 1963.

[Lack of attention paid to William Perkins is finally being redressed. Recent additional dissertations include: C. C. Markham, “William Perkins’ Understanding of the Function of Conscience” (Ph. D. dissertation, Vanderbilt University, 1967); Robert Munson, “William Perkins: Theologian of Transition” (Ph. D. dissertation, Case Western Reserve, 1971); Victor L. Priebe, “The Covenant Theology of William Perkins” (Ph. D. dissertations, Drew University, 1967); Mark Shaw, “The Marrow of Practical Divinity: A Study in the Theology of William Perkins” (Th. D. dissertation, Westminster Theological Seminary, 1981); R. A. Sisson, “William Perkins” (M. Litt, thesis, Cambridge, 1952); J.R. Tufft, “William Perkins, 1558-1602” (Ph. D. dissertation, Edinburgh, 1952).]

*Poole, Matthew. A Commentary on the Holy Bible. 3 vols. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1983.

Matthew Poole (1624-1682) received his master of arts degree from Emmanuel College in Cambridge. He entered the ministry by accepting a call from a London parish, St. Michael le Querne, in 1648. In 1662 he refused to comply with the act of uniformity, and thus along with numerous Puritans was ejected from the pastorate. For the next twenty years, Poole labored mostly in solitude, writing his renowned commentary and other justly famous works. He narrowly escaped assassination in 1679. “His long years of hardship, exile and loneliness were devoted to the Word of God and it was the truths which God had first blessed to his soul that he was able to pass on to future generations” (back cover).

Poole never married. Dr. Calamy speaks of his habit of the last twenty years to spend his time as follows: “His common rule was to rise very early in the morning, about three of four o’clock; and take a raw egg about eight or nine, and another about twelve, and then to continue his studies until the afternoon was pretty far advanced when he went to spend the evening at some friend’s house in conversation.”

Poole’s commentary is clear, concise, and easy to follow. His simple goal is to clarify the text. Spurgeon comments: “Poole is not so pithy and witty by far as Matthew Henry, but he is perhaps more accurate, less a commentator, and more an expositor.” Like Matthew Henry, he did not live to complete his work. At his death he had reached Isaiah 58. Happily, Poole had left behind many notes as well as his five folio volume Synopsis Criticorum, from which other divines gleaned in completing his task. Excellent for general reading, as a home reference, and for study groups. Small print.

In terms of size, Poole is somewhat shorter than Henry and somewhat longer than The Dutch Annotations which are so well-known in the Netherlands. (To those who have requested the translation of The Dutch Annotations: They have been translated into English by Theodore Haak, were printed by Henry Hills in 1657, and are most worthy of being reprinted.]

*Preston, John. The Breast-Plate of Faith and love. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1979.

John Preston (1587-1628) was educated at King’s College (1604-1606), and Queen’s College, Cambridge (1606-1607). His aim was to be a skillful preacher in oratory, but the Lord brought him to conversion under the preaching of John Cotton in a remarkable way. Preston was one of the students who attended Cotton’s preaching to ridicule his plain, searching style of exposition. On one occasion, Cotton felt he had to proclaim a very personal sermon even though he knew it would not gain the applause of many. He sighed to the Lord: “Lord, I have counted the cost, let me count it loss for Thee.” Later that evening John Preston knocked at his door. God had spoken to him that one thing was needful — not an oratorical appointment at court, but the salvation of his soul. He came to Cotton to ask him searching questions.

In due season, the Lord provided comfort in Christ for the young Preston’s distressed soul, and he went on to become an able and staunch Puritan preacher. Both his preaching and writing were blessed to scores of sinners. In fact, Preston became one of the most popular Puritan preachers of his age. Some have called him the leading Puritan of the 1620’s. After hearing Preston preach before the King, Bishop Neile complained: “He talked like one that was familiar with God.” Would to Cod our enemies might make such complaints against us!

Preston’s writings became nearly as popular as his sermons. Their reprinting is long overdue. The Breast-plate of Faith and Love consists of eighteen sermons (expounding Romans 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 5:6) rich in spiritual instruction for those who are willing to read a facsimile.

After hearing Preston preach before the King, Bishop Neile complained: “He talked like one that was familiar with God.” Would to God our enemies might make such complaints against us!

*Preston, John. The Saints Daily Exercise. Norwood, NJ: Walter J. Johnson, Inc., 1976. Sub-title on original 1629 London printing is self-explanatory: A Treatise concerning the whole duty of prayer. Delivered in five Sermons upon 1 Thess. 5:17.

Facsimile reprint, full of practical instruction. Let one example suffice. Preston is here answering the objection of one who feels unfit to pray and therefore tries to fit himself for prayer by meditation. His practical advice is that the best preparation for prayer is simply to pray immediately [spelling updated]:

The very doing of the duty is the first preparation to it. For example, if a man were to run a race, if he were to do any bodily exercise, there must be strength of body, he must be fed well, that he may have ability, but the use of the very exercise itself, the very particular act, that is of the same kind with the exercise, is the best to fit him for it; so in this duty of prayer, it is true, to be strong in the inward man, to have much knowledge, to have much grace, makes a man able, and fit for duty; but, if you speak of the immediate preparation for it, I say, the best way to prepare us, is the very duty itself; as all actions, of the same kind, increase the habits, so prayer makes us fit for prayers; and that is a rule, the way to godliness is in the compass of godliness itself, that is, the way to grow in any grace is the exercise of that grace.

It is a point that Luther pressed, and he pressed it out of his own experience, and this reason he useth; in this case, saith he, when a man goes about to fit himself, by working on his own thoughts, how he goes about to overcome himself by his own strength, and to contend with Satan alone, but when a man feeleth an indisposition and goes to Cod by prayer, and rests on Cod to fit him, he takes Cod’s strength to oppose the indisposition, and deadness of his flesh, and the temptations of Satan, that hinder him, and resists him. Therefore you shall find this to be the best way to fit yourselves for prayer, namely, to perform the duty.

*Puritan Sermons, 1659-1689: Being the Morning Exercises at Cripplegate, St Giles in the Fields, and in Southwark by Seventy-five Ministers of the Gospel in or Near London. With notes by James Nichols. 6 vol. Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts, Publishers, 1981.

This beautiful collection of Puritan sermons has been historically known simply as ‘The Morning Exercises,” since they were preached early in the morning prior to the Puritan’s day of work. Most were probably preached at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m.! This hour was not deemed too early for the godly Puritan who was hungry to hear the Word of God. Often large congregations gathered for these morning expositions of Scripture.

This six volume set was originally published in London piecemeal from 1661 to the 1690s. It was republished by James Nichols in 1844 in an excellent format with antiquated words updated. Roberts’s 1981 reprint is of the 1844 edition, and makes for an invaluable set of sermons.

In an editorial preface, James Nichols has provided us with a summary of the contents of “Morning exercises” as follows:

1. The four volumes of sermons preached at Cripplegate, and published separately:—The first volume in 1661: its title is, ‘The Morning Exercise at Cripplegate: or several Cases of Conscience practically resolved by sundry Ministers:” —The second in 1674: it is called “A Supplement to the Morning Exercise at Cripplegate: or several more Cases of Conscience practically resolved,” &c:—The third in 1682, being “A Continuation of Morning Exercise Questions and Cases of Conscience,” &c.:—And, in 1690, “Casuistical Morning Exercises: the fourth volume,” &c. To each of the four were prefixed an able preface and introductory sermon by the very learned and amiable Samuel Annesley, LL.D.

2. ‘The Morning Exercise methodized; or certain chief Heads and Points of the Christian Religion opened and improved in divers Sermons,” &c. preached at St. Giles in the Fields in 1659, and published in 1660. For this volume [i.e., vol. 5], which is itself a brief Body of Divinity, the Rev. Thomas Case, A.M., wrote a preface, and the first sermons, which is called “the Introduction.”

3. “The Morning Exercise against Popery: or the principal Errors of the Church of Rome detected and confuted, in a Morning Lecture preached lately in Southwark,” &c; published in 1675. The editor of this volume [i.e., vol. 6], was the Rev. Nathaneal Vincent, A.M.; and by competent judges it has always been deemed a standard book on that great controversy which is recently revived. The first sermon in this valuable course was delivered by the Rev. Matthew Poole, A.M., celebrated as the judicious and erudite author of Synopsis Criticorum, and of other theological works of great merit.

This six-volume set represents Puritan preaching at its best. “Morning Exercises” clearly illustrates the care of the Puritan pastorate in aiming at balance in preaching. From these volumes we learn at least four things about Puritan preaching:

Firstly, by balanced preaching the Puritans never intended that every sermon had to be a balancing act between, for example, divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Rather, they allowed the text to dictate particular emphases for each message. For example, when Jonathan Edwards preached on hell there is not one word about heaven in his entire sermon, and when he subsequently expounded a scriptural sermon about heaven, there is not so much as one paragraph about hell. The point here is this: The Puritans preached their text to the full, whatever its theme, but over a space of time they were sure to address every major theme of Scripture.

Secondly, the Puritan pastors aimed to enhance appreciation for each scriptural doctrine for its own sake through such a mode of preaching. Practically speaking the typical Puritan could relish a sermon on “Make haste for thy life’s sake” for its warning note of urgency and responsibility one Sabbath, and just as deeply savor the same pastor’s message the following week on, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to Me.” Both the Puritan pastor and layman were individuals who treasured the full scope of God’s counsel rather than being held captive by so-called “favorite” doctrines of tenents through which they rated the sermon at hand.

Thirdly, this carefully cultivated appreciation for all scriptural doctrine allowed the Puritans to present a wide variety of sermonic topics. To randomly illustrate, volume 3 of Puritan Sermons addresses the following specific topics as the contents of separate sermons: “How May We Experience in Ourselves, and Evidence to Others, that Serious Godliness is more than a Fancy?”; “What Are the Best Preservatives Against Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow?”; “How May We Grow in the Knowledge of Christ?”; “What Must We Do To Prevent and Cure Spiritual Pride?”; “How May We Graciously Improve Those Doctrines and Providences That Transcend Our Understanding?”; “What Distance Ought We to Keep In Following the Strange Fashions of Apparel Which Come Up in the Days In Which We Live?”; “How May We Best Know the Worth Of The Soul?”

Finally, these three hallmarks of Puritan preaching that is, close adherence to the textual theme, appreciation for all of God’s counsel, and exposition of a wide variety of subjects, lends itself to a fourth: clergy and laymen both demanded excellence in Puritan preaching. Indeed, their very style of preaching demanded this: Can you imagine an entire sermon on, “What Are the Best Preservatives Against Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow?”, if it were not well-researched and excellently presented? Puritan pastors believed that the pulpit must be practical enough to answer the bulk of private questions, which becomes abundantly clear in these six volumes.

Anyone who values “the inheritance of our fathers” (1 Ki. 21:3) ought to purchase and prayerfully read this set of sermons. The $90 price of these practical, experiential volumes is miniscule compared to the wealth of the material it embraces.

Appended to volume 6 are excellent author, textual, and subject indices. ?

*Recommended for church libraries.

Questions on religious books may be addressed to 2115 Romence St., N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503.

For assistance in obtaining new books at discount prices, try Bible Truth Books, P.O. Box 2373, Kalamazoo, Ml 49003 and/or Puritan Reformed Discount Book Service, 1319 Newport Gap Pike, Plaza 41, Wilmington, Delaware 19804. In Canada, Valley Cospel Mission, Box 412, Sardis, B.C. V2R 1A7.

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