There are two intended audiences for discourses on the Christian ministry: the pastor or elder who cares for the church, and his congregation who are called to willing and prayerful submission. In Gospel Ministry, a collection of nine sermons delivered in his fruitful later years, John Owen addresses both.

Whether expounding the role of the Holy Spirit in shaping the ministry, presenting the purposes of the church, savouring God’s care of his people, or warning against being ashamed of the gospel, Owen’s teaching is invaluable for any minister – or member – of the body of Christ.

This book is complemented by its companion volume, Gospel Life, which beautifully sets forth the foundational steps of faith in Christ, assurance, and humble walking with him.

N.B. The sermons in this volume have been selected from The Works of John Owen, Volume 9, and modernised.

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In Gospel Life, a posthumous compilation of thirteen sermons from the zenith of his preaching career, John Owen answers these questions with great compassion for the Christian who longs for growth and assurance. He draws on a wide range of Scripture to display the character of the Saviour, the acceptance of the Father, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Owen addresses the death and eternal hope of the believer, offering encouragement to all who love Christ.

A companion volume, Gospel Ministry, expounds the calling of Christian ministers, and exhorts congregations to loving and prayerful church life.

N.B. The sermons in this volume have been selected from The Works of John Owen, Volume 9, and modernised.

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The apostle Paul often taught young converts to the Christian faith that ‘we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God’ (Acts 14:22). For first-century Christians suffering for Christ was an inevitable accompaniment to a life of serious discipleship.

In many parts of the world little has changed since those early days. But in the West, Christians have long enjoyed a period of unusual rest from such troubles. However, there are ominous signs that change is on the way. Suffering ‘for righteousness’ sake’ may once again mark the lives of faithful Christians in the West.

In this exposition of Paul’s words, ‘For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’ (Acts 21:13), John Flavel shows us how vital and excellent a thing it is to prepare ourselves for the onset of sufferings.

‘The cup of sufferings is a very bitter cup, and it is but needful that we provide somewhat to sweeten it…’ — JOHN FLAVEL

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More than anything else, Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) was a great preacher. He never lost sight of the fact that the best Christian counselling is done by the Holy Spirit through the patient and lively exposition of God’s word. Sibbes excelled as a comforter of the troubled and doubting. But he also possessed a rare gift of illuminating every passage of Scripture he handled by drawing out its significance for his hearers and readers.

These features of Sibbes’s ministry figure prominently in The Glorious Feast of the Gospel. Sibbes takes for his text Isaiah 25:6-9 in order to display ‘Christ’s gracious invitation and royal entertainment of believers.’ The subject-matter is a perfect blend of rich doctrine and practical application. Here is an ‘admirable feast indeed … Jesus Christ is the master of the feast, and the cheer and provision too.’

If you have lost the ‘spiritual relish of savoury practical truths,’ these sermons, if read prayerfully, will help you recover it.

‘Now, I will shew why Christ, with his benefits, prerogatives, graces, and comforts, is compared to a feast…’

— RICHARD SIBBES

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George Swinnock is one of the easiest Puritan authors to read. He is theological yet his doctrine is expressed in vivid fashion and, while he is practical, his counsel is marked by a keen sensitivity to the doctrines taught in Scripture. Thomas Manton commended his work as coming ‘from one both of a good head and heart.’ In this exposition of Psalm 89:6, which looks at the incomparable being, attributes, works, and word of God, Swinnock is not content to let the truth lie on the surface of the mind. He drives it home to the heart, using powerful arguments, colourful illustrations, and personal applications. His great desire is for the reader to come to know, enjoy and love the incomparable God of the Bible. ‘He who knows God aright is fully satisfied in him; when he once drinks of the “fountain of living waters,” he thirsts no more after other objects.’

‘The holiness and happiness of the rational creature consists in these two: his holiness, in conformity to God; his happiness, in communion with him. And these two have a dependence on each other. They only who are like him, can enjoy him.’

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We live in difficult days and in trying times. This book, with its quaint yet vivid title, points us to the One in whom Christian men and women have always found the strength to persevere come what may. Taking Lamentations 3:24 as his starting-point – ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him,’ – Thomas Brooks expounds the attributes of God with the aim of comforting those who have felt not only the stresses and strains of daily life but also the searing pain of loss in its various forms. God, he says, ‘is a portion that is exactly suited to the condition of the soul in its desires, needs, wants, longings and prayers. All the soul needs is found in God. There is light to enlighten the soul, wisdom to counsel the soul, power to support the soul, goodness to supply the soul, mercy to pardon the soul, beauty to delight the soul, glory to ravish the soul, and fullness to fill the soul.’

‘All true comfort and happiness is only to be found in having an all-sufficient God for your portion.’

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Robert Traill (1642–1716) lived to span the ripest period of the Puritan age. Distinguished in the classes of Edinburgh University, Traill early felt the inner constraint to preach Christ. Although he was endowed with a first-class mind and had enjoyed a very complete theological education, Traill was above all a preacher and a pastor who strove at all times to promote practical godliness in his sermons and writings. Every reader who shares his outlook will find him warm, instructive, and encouraging.

This selection of Traill’s practical writings is an excellent introduction to the two-volume edition of his Works.

Strive for the knowledge of him. It is the ignorance of God that is the most universal cause of all the sin and misery in the world, and in the church.

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‘How many people have said to you this year that these are difficult times? COVID 19 alone has produced widespread anxiety which has been coupled with widespread unrest in society, and deep-seated divisions in our political world. What are we to do? Who can draw on deep personal experience of such days to give us wise guidance? John Owen lived in precisely such a time of suffering, of terrible political divisions that cost many lives, of war and of plague. So in Searching our Hearts in Difficult Times we find the voice of Scripture married to a life of deep personal experience to bring us exactly the counsel we need.’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

Book Description

‘O that we might advise one another as to what to do; to help one another to recover from our weaknesses!’

Following Jesus is not easy. It involves self-denial, daily cross-bearing, and lifelong obedience. Salvation is promised to the one who ‘endures to the end.’ Christians need much encouragement, especially in ‘difficult times’. This the Lord supplies through pastors who love him and care for his people.

John Owen was such a pastor. One way he sought to help his fellow-believers was to hold occasional meetings for spiritual conference and fellowship at which various topics were addressed and discussed, with Owen providing a concluding summary of the proceedings.

The short chapters in Searching Our Hearts in Difficult Times contain a number of Owen’s talks and sermons on a wide range of subjects which are as relevant to Christians today as they were to believers some three and a half centuries ago.

Abridged and made easy to read.

‘In these records we are transported back three hundred and fifty years to a relatively small gathering of serious Christians. We have the privilege of eavesdropping on one of the great spiritual masters answering questions that arose in the hearts and minds of the congregation he loved and served. They are also perennial questions. Owen deals with the issues that trouble serious-minded Christians in every age: “How much conviction of sin do I need to have?” “Can sin and grace both be in my life simultaneously?” “How can I overcome a sin-habit?” “How can I be sure I really am a Christian?” We may not be able to listen to Owen’s voice on the web; but we can easily enough allow our imagination to wander back to these gatherings and almost hear his voice as we benefit form these wonderfully preserved transcripts of spiritual counsel. They are a banquet for hungry souls!’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

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Published the year after his Pilgrim’s Progress, in 1679, Bunyan’s Treatise on the Fear of God takes a widely misunderstood and neglected theme, wipes off the grime of confusion, and lets it sparkle. And sparkle really is the word: where most assume that the fear of God must be the gloomy theological equivalent of eating up your greens, Bunyan shows what a delightful and helpful subject it is.

— From the Foreword by Michael Reeves

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Duties of Christian Fellowship deals with a matter of perennial concern for every truly Christian church. In just a few pages it sets out in very concise terms the responsibilities all Christians have, first, to their pastors, and then second, to one another within the fellowship of the local church.

John Owen was a pastor as well as a theologian and therefore this is a most practical manual of church fellowship. It was likely intended to be read by individuals with self-examination, meditation and prayer, but it would also be very suitable for group Bible study or adult Sunday School classes. This edition is enhanced by a modernized text and the addition of questions which have been added to facilitate group discussion.

Commendations

• Commendation from Tony Doppke
• Jeremy Walker on the benefits of a church studying Duties of Christian Fellowship

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Do you ever underline helpful passages in books you are reading? This is exactly what C. H. Spurgeon used to do when reading the Puritans. Whilst reading Thomas Manton, he was struck time and time again by the ‘solid, sensible instruction, forcibly delivered’ that he found there.

To Manton’s thoughts, Spurgeon added his own; the result being, as Spurgeon put it, that he cleared Manton’s house of all his pictures, and then hung them up in frames of his own. These newly framed pictures are exhibited in Flowers From a Puritan’s Garden, which Spurgeon intended to be used as an aid to meditation and prayer. Preachers will also find inspiration in these Manton-Spurgeon combinations for sensible and clear sermon illustrations.

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Numerous stories are told from John Flavel’s life of how people just ‘happened to meet him’ and yet came away deeply thankful to God, full of resolve to walk with Christ as a result. The same is true of encounters made with Flavel’s writings.

Flavel spent almost his entire ministry in a busy town serving working people. He believed that the gospel impacts and shapes every thought, every feeling, every ambition, emotion, desire, success, tragedy and joy. Christ makes all things new for the believer, and teaches us to follow him with confidence, until that day when he truly renews all things. To read Flavel is to catch and to be changed by the same vision.

Selected and Edited by Lewis Allen.

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It was said of Robert Bruce that ‘no man in his time spake with such evidence and power of the Spirit’. One is certainly left with that impression after reading The Way to True Peace and Rest, his six sermons on Isaiah 38, a chapter that records the illness that afflicted King Hezekiah of Judah and his reaction to it. Although various sicknesses are common to all humanity, yet people react in very different ways when such trials are visited upon them.

With a wonderful blend of faithful exposition, keen insight, and practical application, Bruce urges his hearers to ‘take heed to the various aspects of this account, that we may learn how to conduct ourselves in the event of our suffering some serious disease; thus, learning from King Hezekiah’s behaviour, we may come to obtain the same comfort he experienced.’

Translated and edited by David C. Searle.

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Thomas Boston (1676-1732) was a remarkable Scottish theologian and pastor. His Works run to 12 volumes and contain some lengthy theological treatises. But Boston also wrote brief, very accessible, and pastoral books, and chief among these is the quaintly titled, The Crook in the Lot: The Sovereignty and Wisdom of God, in the Afflictions of Men Displayed. This little book is a pastoral masterpiece, in which Boston reflects on the words of Ecclesiastes 7:13, ‘Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked?’

By ‘lot’, Boston means our ‘lot in life’, the shape of our lives as they are styled by God’s many providences. By ‘crook’, he means those unforeseen troubles that afflict, unsettle, or disturb us in any way. Boston sets out to minister pastoral wisdom and help to God’s people experiencing what Paul calls ‘the sufferings of this present time’ (Rom. 8:18).

The Crook in the Lot is pastoral medicine prepared in the laboratory of Boston’s own personal and ministerial sufferings. It is little wonder that Jonathan Edwards considered Boston ‘a truly great divine’. He was indeed!

From The Foreword by Ian Hamilton

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‘Christians today need not only the truth and comfort Sibbes offers here; they need his heartfelt delight so that they live for no other end than the very glory of God.’ — MICHAEL REEVES

Book Description

A Heavenly Conference is Richard Sibbes’ exposition of the memorable meeting that took place on the first Easter Sunday when the risen Christ met Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Though only a few words were exchanged between the Lord and Mary, Sibbes saw in them the gospel in a nutshell.

A Heavenly Conference is a wonderfully original treatment of the doctrine of the believer’s union with Christ. It is written by a loving and tender-hearted pastor whose main aim is to help believers enjoy the comfort that comes from knowing that Jesus’ God and Father is our God and Father too. ‘For from this, that God is our God, cometh all that we have that is good in nature and grace. Whatsoever is comfortable cometh from this spring, that God in Christ is our God, our reconciled God.’

Without such assurance, we simply cannot live Christian lives as God would have us. God would have us thankful, cheerful, rejoicing, and strong in faith: but we will be none of these things unless we are sure that God and Christ are ours for good. Here, then, are pastorally vital truths that Sibbes seeks to work into us.

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‘Turning to nearly any page in this volume, readers will be rewarded with a remarkably pastoral theology of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.’ — MICHAEL HORTON

Book Description

First published in 1642, Christ Set Forth — one of Thomas Goodwin’s most beloved and enduring works — is a book full of theological riches and penetrating pastoral insights. Addressing, from an exposition of Romans 8:34, the pastoral problem that many believers stray in their faith by looking into their own hearts for signs of grace instead of looking away from themselves to Christ, Christ Set Forth is primarily a book written to encourage Christians. As Scott Berggren says in the Foreword,

It is a guidebook for keeping one’s heart and faith pointed in the right direction, towards Christ himself. In it Goodwin pushes aside anything that might displace Christ in one’s heart. In chapter after chapter he sets forth the glory of Christ and his work as mediator as the only object of one’s faith and affection.

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1. Does our being made free by Christ free us from the law?
2. Does our being made free by Christ deliver us from all punishments or chastisements for sin?
3. Is it consistent with Christian freedom to be under obligation to perform duties because God has commanded them?
4. May Christ’s freemen come into bondage again through sin?
5. Is it consistent with Christian freedom to perform duties out of respect for the recompense of the reward?
6. Does the freedom of a Christian free him from all obedience to men?

The True Bounds of Christian Freedom is a clear, scriptural exposition of the place of the law in the life of the Christian. One of the few works currently available which shows the danger of Antinomianism, while also avoiding legalism.

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**Please note that since we are in the process of updating the covers and typesetting, sets ordered will include some older editions**

EndorsementsRead More ↓

‘I cannot exaggerate the blessing that Banner of Truth has been to my life and the lives of my colleagues. Young people often ask me to share with them the books which have most shaped my theology and fanned into flame my zeal. The answer is always the same – Banner books and the Puritans. It is with the greatest urgency that I encourage every young Christian to read the Puritans, and the very best place to start is the Puritan Paperback Series from Banner of Truth.’– PAUL WASHER

‘I started reading the Puritan Paperbacks when I was in college. I’ve read around a dozen of them by now and have always found them edifying, convicting, and deeply spiritual. There are several—like Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor and Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices—that I come back to often. You won’t find better physicians of the soul than the Puritans.’– – KEVIN DEYOUNG

Book Description

This is the complete set of the currently available Puritan Paperbacks. A great gift for the willing reader, this set contains some of the greatest writings of the Puritans that have been read and enjoyed by Christians for centuries.

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‘These sermons that Edmund Calamy put together, about the Great Ejection, 1662, are powerful sermons. These are pastors, choosing to be on the last day of their ministry, because they can’t in good conscience affirm everything in The Book of Common Prayer, who resign their jobs, lose their livings, generally had to move away from where they were to be faithful — these are their final sermons to their congregations — moving, moving sermons.’ — MARK DEVER

Book Description

A fine introduction to Puritan preaching, this little book also recalls one of the great turning points in English Christianity—for these sermons were preached on ‘the Farewell Sunday’ in August, 1662, when two thousand ministers left the national Church for conscience’ sake. Much has been written on that Great Ejection, but nothing is more important than to hear the ejected speak for themselves. Their watchword was:

I preach as never sure to preach again,
And as a dying man to dying men.

This new edition of Sermons of the Great Ejection not only commemorates the 350th anniversary of a noteworthy historical event but, more importantly, gives a real insight into the theology, godliness, and preaching of the Puritans. Why is this relevant? For two reasons: (i) as the blurb on the first edition said, ‘such preaching could set England alight again in our own times’; and (ii) the issues of 1662 are directly relevant to the present situation in the church when the emphasis is once again upon conformity and unity at the expense of truth and holiness. May this little book be an encouragement to men of gospel truth and integrity everywhere.

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Reviews

• Review by David Burke
• Review by David Campbell
• Review by Alan Hill

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In this abridged and easy to read edition of John Owen’s classic work Of Temptation, the famous Puritan theologian opens up Matthew 26:41, carefully explaining what temptation is and what is involved in entering into it.

He then shows how Christ teaches two means for Christians to use to guard against this danger, namely watching and praying: ‘These two’, Owen says, ‘comprise the whole endeavour of faith for the soul’s preservation from temptation’, and he insists that it is the duty of every believer to follow diligently Christ’s instructions to avoid falling into temptation.

Owen helpfully applies his teaching, showing us how we can know whether we have entered into temptation, what practical steps should be taken to preserve our souls from entering into it, how to identify those particular times when people tend to enter into temptation, and the best ways of watching the heart itself.

Sinclair B. Ferguson has written: ‘Many of Owen’s readers have come away from reading him on such themes as temptation and indwelling sin feeling that Owen knew them through and through.’ However, not only do Owen’s penetrating insights open up areas of need in our own hearts, they also open up correspondingly profound assurances of grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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How do Christians come to the certainty that the Bible is the Word of God, and gain an understanding of His mind and will from it? How do they acquire the ability to pray, and lead others in prayer? how are they comforted and supported in all the difficulties they meet? And how can the church be led, taught and guided aright, when Christ is not here on earth?

According to the great Puritan leader John Owen, the answer to all these questions is the same: by the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

He it is who convinces, assures, teaches, comforts and equips the church and all its members for all the work they are called to do. In an age when many think Christianity is nothing more than human effort, based on fallible human conclusions, Owen calls the church back to divine certainty and divine resources.

The style in which the Puritans wrote can present difficulties for modern readers, but this updated abridgement by Dr. R.J.K. Law will allow Owen to speak to Christians today on a theme which remains as vitally important for the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century as it was when Owen first wrote.

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Jeremiah Burroughs is worthily reckoned as belonging to the front rank of English puritan preachers. As such he played a prominent part in the Westminster Assembly of divines, but died prematurely before the Assembly’s work was concluded.

Burrough’s writings, some published before and others after his death, were numerous, but The Rare-Jewel of Christian Contentment is one of the most valuable of them all. Its author was much concerned to promote (1) peace among believers of various ‘persuasions’ (2) peace and contentment in the hearts of individual believers during what he describes as ‘sad and sinking times’. The Rare Jewel concentrates upon this second aim. It is marked by sanity, clarity, aptness of illustration, and warmth of appeal to the heart. ‘There is an ark that you may come into, and no men in the world may live such comfortable, cheerful and contented lives as the saints of God’. Burroughs presses his lesson home with all the fervour and cogency of a true and faithful minister of God.

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REVIEW

• Review by John Piper

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In this abridgement of a classic work, the famous Puritan John Owen shows the need for Christians to engage in a life-long battle against the sinful tendencies that remain in them, despite their having been brought to faith and new life in Christ.

Owen is very insistent that believers cannot hope to succeed in this battle in their own strength. He sees clearly that the fight can be won only through faith in Christ, and in the power of the Spirit. Fighting sin with human strength will produce only self-righteousness, superstition and anxiety of conscience. But with faith in Christ, and with the power of the Spirit, victory is certain. The temptations in times like Owen’s and ours are obvious on every side; the remedy to them is clearly pointed out in this practical and helpful book.

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In this unique account of growth in grace, ‘babes’, ‘little children’, ‘young men’ and ‘fathers’ are the stages through which the learners in Christ’s school pass on their way to the ‘academy of heaven’. While supporting and comforting beginners in the school of grace, Venning encourages all Christians to make further progress towards ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ’ (Eph. 4:13).

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This book does not belong to the ordinary run of anthologies but is a masterful selection by an author who has given many years to his work. The 1500 quotations from a wide range of Puritans have been chosen with great care, and arranged under topical headings. They form an ideal introduction to the writings of the great and godly men of the 17th century, and will prove to be devotional reading of the highest quality. Those who are already familiar with the Puritan writings will find the ‘Treasury‘ to be a perfect stimulus to further reading.

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Richard Sibbes always sought to get under the superficial layer of his listeners’ behaviour and deal with their hearts. He knew that the outward acts of sin spring from the inner desires of the heart. Merely to alter a person’s behavior without dealing with those desires would cultivate hypocrisy, the self-righteous cloak for a cold and vicious heart. Sibbes believed that hearts must be turned, and evil desires eclipsed by stronger ones for Christ.

This book is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1629. Our busyness and activism so easily degenerate into a hypocrisy in which we keep up all the appearance of holiness without the heart of it. Christians even use Christ as a package to pass on to others, instead of enjoying him first and foremost as their own Savior. But true reformation must begin in the heart, with love for Christ. And that can only come when the free grace of God in Christ Jesus is preached.

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Review

• Review by Trevor Kirkland
• Review by Alan Hill

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Few preachers in the Puritan era (or any other period of church history) match Thomas Watson for his ability to combine rich spirituality, nourishing doctrine and sane wisdom with fascinating illustration and a pleasant style. Watson is remembered chiefly for his posthumously published Body of Practical Divinity (reprinted by the Trust in three volumes). But his extant sermons also include this marvellous series on the character of the Christian. It is, as C.H. Spurgeon said of his other work, ‘a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching experience and practical wisdom’.

Watson is always the essence of sanity and reliability. But in addition, this work shows how attractive the grace of God is. Christians of all stages, reading it for the first time, will feel as if they have entered the gallery of a great portrait painter. As his sub-title suggests, Watson works with ‘a Scripture pencil’ in this priceless sketch of the true believer.

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All Loves Excelling is Bunyan’s sermon on Ephesians 3:18-19, ‘That ye … may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.’ It was first titled ‘The Saints’ Knowledge of Christ’s Love’ and is worthy of being ranked alongside Sibbes and deals with a much neglected subject area.

FROM THE FOREWORD: This is a new edition of John Bunyan’s treatise on Ephesians 3:17b-19 which he himself prepared for the press. It is taken from the second volume of Bunyan’s works (George Offor edition) which was re-published by Banner of Truth in 1991. The text remains largely unaltered but slight adjustments have been made in order to accommodate the arrangement of the material into chapters. Even these divisions, however, correspond to Bunyan’s own layout of his material. A detailed breakdown of the structure of Bunyan’s meditation on the greatness of the love of Christ is found at the end of this book by way of an appendix.

The subject matter of this work which was first preached, is greatly needed today. On the one hand, experiences of the Spirit are being claimed from which the glory of the redeemer and the wonder of his love are quite absent, while on the other, an almost total attention to the understanding and practising of scripture truth is having the effect of marginalising the experiential element in true, spiritual knowledge.

Bunyan’s description of Christ’s love to believers and how they ought to know it, cuts in both the above-mentioned directions. From some 440 Bible references he shows how knowing Christ’s love is the message of Scripture and also the essence of heaven, partly possessed and expressed on earth. Those who know it are rich beyond measure and they are the people who ‘sweeten the churches and bring glory to God and to religion’.

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What can man bring to God which will be excellent and acceptable in His sight? John Bunyan’s answer may surprise us – a broken and contrite heart. This is the ‘acceptable sacrifice’ of the title.

In this moving exposition of Psalm 51:17, the last work which he prepared for the press, Bunyan shows from Scripture why a broken heart is so acceptable to God. He characterizes the unbroken heart of man, showing why it must be made contrite, and explains the nature of the change which is involved. He also guides the reader in discerning whether this change has taken place, and shows how the heart, once broken, can be kept tender.

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‘All saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth. That saints might enjoy two heavens is the project of this book.’ — JOSEPH CARYL

Book Description

The subject of assurance is one of the most important elements in Christian experience. There is no higher privilege than to be a child of God and to know it, for assurance brings joy to worship and prayer, and provides strength and boldness to our witness. Correspondingly, failure and weakness in all these areas can often be traced back to a lack of assurance, or even false assurance. This work of Thomas Brooks, first published in 1654, deals with all of these aspects of assurance in a way that is both biblical and pastoral. Brooks ‘scatters stars with both his hands’ wrote C.H. Spurgeon. His teaching is clear, thorough and greatly needed in the present spiritual climate. Brooks both explains what true assurance is and guides the reader in how it may be fully experienced.

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Owen on the Holy Spirit, as this work has been known to generations of Christians, was written by the greatest theologian of the Puritan era. It is, without question, one of the truly great Christian books.

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The Heart of Christ in Heaven towards Sinners on Earth was first published in 1651, and it soon became Thomas Goodwin’s (1600-1680) most popular work. It is a fine example of his Christ-centredness and his mix of theological rigour and pastoral concern. In it he aims to show from Scripture that, in all his heavenly majesty, Christ is not now aloof from believers and unconcerned, but has the strongest affections for them.

Goodwin begins with the beautiful assurances given by Christ to his disciples, taking as an example of that love Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet (John 13). The heart of his argument, however, lies in his exposition of Hebrews 4:15, in which Goodwin shows that in all his glorious holiness in heaven, Christ is not sour towards his people; if anything, his capacious heart beats more strongly than ever with tender love for them. And in particular, two things stir his compassion: our afflictions and—almost unbelievably—our sins.

How we need Goodwin and his message today! If we are to be drawn from jaded, anxious thoughts of God and a love of sin, we need such a knowledge of Christ.

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Reviews

• Review by Wilfred Weale
• Review by Alan Gibbs

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C. H. Spurgeon had a well-stocked library of around 12,000 volumes. However, one rare book was not to be found amongst that valuable collection: Thomas Watson on Malachi 3:16-18. With a note of sadness in his voice he said to his College students: ‘This volume would be a great find if we could come at it, for Watson is one of the clearest and liveliest of Puritan authors. We fear we shall never see this commentary, for we have tried to obtain it, and tried in vain’.

In this reset and lightly edited edition you can now read the book that was on Spurgeon’s ‘wish-list’! The Great Gain of Godliness is Watson’s exposition of Malachi 3:16-18. In it he aims ‘to encourage solid piety and confute the atheists of the world, who imagine there is no gain in godliness.’ This book has all the hallmarks of Thomas Watson’s other writings: a combination of rich spirituality, nourishing doctrine, and sane practical wisdom coupled with fascinating illustrations and a very pleasant style.

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Reviews

• Review by Erik Raymond

About the author

Thomas Watson (c. 1620-1686), the Puritan preacher and author, was probably born in Yorkshire, although the exact place and date of his birth are unknown. He studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge … Read More >>

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‘These pages are indeed – as we sense from Owen’s preface and from the work itself – his own “last will and testament” – an heirloom to those fellow believers and close friends who, in turbulent times, gathered together under his ministry. It remains an encouragement to us to “consider Jesus” (Heb. 3:1).’ — SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON

Book Description

In The Glory of Christ, here abridged and made easy to read, we have the great Puritan pastor and theologian John Owen at his richest and most mature. Here he writes about Jesus Christ, the heart of the gospel. Owen himself tells us that the substance of the work began in his own private meditation and study and only later was shared with his congregation. Here, then, is a master theologian writing about the things, or better, the person, nearest to his heart. The work itself was composed almost at the end of Owen’s life and first published in 1684, the year after his death. Indeed, the material in chapters fifteen to seventeen of this abridgement appeared for the first time in the second edition of 1696, having been found among Owen’s papers only after his death but clearly intended as the closing section of the work.

On the day of Owen’s death (24 August 1683) William Payne, a minister in Saffron Walden who had accepted responsibility for seeing the manuscript of this work through to publication, visited him in Ealing (now part of London) to share the good news that Meditations on the Glory of Christ was now going through the press. Owen’s biographers record his memorable and beautiful reply:

I am glad to hear it; but, O brother Payne! the long-wished-for day is come at last, in which I shall see that glory in another manner than I have ever done, or was capable of doing in this world.

It is clear from these pages that Owen had already seen the glory of Christ from afar and pondered long on its significance. His teaching is well-suited to bring us to share in his longing to know Christ better, to see his glory more clearly and to serve him more faithfully. It is the conviction of the publisher that many readers will discover this book to be one of the hidden treasures of Christian literature and will return to it again and again for instruction and spiritual refreshment.

Reviews

• Review by Joshua Mills

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The post The Glory of Christ appeared first on Banner of Truth UK.

A renowned Puritan shows the transforming liberty which comes from seeing Christ in the gospel. This is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.

The original title of this study was The Excellency of the Gospel above the Law. In it Sibbes described the fuller self-revelation of God in the coming of Christ and its greater effect in those who behold that glory by the Spirit. The vitality of the new covenant results in spiritual liberty and likeness to Christ.

Thomas Goodwin and Philip Nye supervised the first edition of this work which was first published in 1639, four years after Sibbes’ death. They described it as showing ‘the liberty of the sons of God… the image of their graces here and glory hereafter’ and as providing ‘much comfort and great encouragement to all (who) begin timely and continue constantly in the ways of God’.

The text of the original treatise is reproduced here with the minimum of editing.

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In 1674, two years after his second wife’s death, John Flavel published A Token for Mourners. In it he meditates on the words of Luke 7:13: ‘And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, ‘Weep not.’ From this verse the author helps the reader to think about grief, distinguishing ‘moderate’ sorrow from ‘immoderate’. He spells out what is appropriate for a Christian mourner and what is not. This book is full of Scripture, counsel, warning, and wisdom gained from prayerful reflection on the personal experience of affliction in loss and grief.

A best-seller for more than 150 years in both Britain and America, this little book gave much comfort to generations of Christian parents who suffered the heart-breaking experience of the loss of children.

Now republished as Facing Grief: Counsel for Mourners, this attractive new edition makes Flavel’s Token accessible once again in the form in which it knew such popularity – a small book, just the right size for carrying, and reading slowly, with meditation, reflection and prayer.

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Review

• Review by Shane Lems

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More well known for his Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter was the outstanding pastor of Kidderminster. Dying Thoughts is his exposition of Paul’s words in Philippians 1:23: ‘For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better.’ Benjamin Fawcett who made this abridged version of the original work wrote, ‘The Dying Thoughts of Mr. Baxter chiefly present to our view what every Christian may attain, and what it is the highest interest, as well as the indispensable duty of every Christian to aspire after.’

In this little book, we see Baxter wrestling with his own doubts and fears as he faces eternity, jealously examining his own heart, anxious to test his own sincerity, taking nothing for granted. Baxter wanted to die with every grace in his soul in full vigour. A man of life passions as ourselves, his Dying Thoughts provides much needed counsel, strength and comfort because it deals with the same conflicts, complaints and desires which fill our own hearts.

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‘The Doctrine of Repentance is probably one of the most needed books, not only for us as ministers, but for our people, because repentance is so trivialized today. [This book] stresses the need for ongoing repentance, a daily repentance, a lifestyle of repentance. Like Luther said, “God will have his people repenting all life long.” Watson shows you how to do that.’ — JOEL BEEKE

Book Description

A good case could be made out for believing that ‘repentance’ is one of the least used words in the Christian church today. In a world that will not tolerate the mention of sin, and in churches where it has been defined only in sociological terms, the biblical teaching on repentance has inevitably been ignored.

Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting are essential to true Christianity. Jesus Christ himself said that if we do not repent, we will perish! It is vital, therefore, to read and study what Scripture has to say about this theme.

Few better guides have existed in this or any other area of spiritual experience than Thomas Watson. He was a master of both Scripture and the human heart, and wrote with a simplicity and directness that keeps his work fresh and powerful for the twenty-first century.

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Reviews

• Review by Mike Leake
• Review by Guy Davies

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John Owen believed that communion with God lies at the heart of the Christian life. With Paul he recognized that through the Son we have access by the Spirit to the Father. He never lost the sense of amazement expressed by John: ‘Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ’. In this outstanding book he explains the nature of this communion and describes the many privileges it brings.

Communion with God was written in a day, like our own, when the doctrine of the Trinity was under attack and the Christian faith was being reduced either to rationalism on the one hand or mysticism on the other. His exposition shows that nothing is more vital to spiritual well-being than a practical knowledge of what this doctrine means.

Until now, Communion With God has been read by only small numbers of Christians with access to the 275 closely-printed pages in The Works of John Owen. Now Dr. R. J. K. Law has produced a splendidly readable abridgement of one of the greatest Christian classics of all time, bringing Owen’s rich teaching to a much wider readership.

Review

• Review article by Ian Hamilton

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Of all John Bunyan’s writings, this book most fully expresses his delight and joy in the free and gracious welcome given to sinners by Jesus Christ.

It is a thorough exposition of John 6:37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Bunyan not only explains the meaning of the terms used in the text, but also labours to remove the doubts and difficulties of sinners and backsliders in their approach to Christ.

This work could be said to have given rise indirectly to the modern missionary movement, since it strongly influenced Andrew Fuller, the first secretary of the pioneering Baptist Missionary Society, and helped him to set his denomination free from the grip of hyper-Calvinism. It is a Christian classic that deserves a wide modern readership.

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‘One of the greatest divines that ever wrote.’ — JOHN OWEN

‘It has long been the favourite work of our peasantry in Scotland. One admirable property of [The Christian’s Great Interest] is that, while it guides, it purifies.’ — THOMAS CHALMERS

Book Description

All of Guthrie’s teaching and pastoral experience were poured into The Christian’s Great Interest – his only book. The remarkable fact that is has gone through more than eighty editions and been translated into several languages testifies to its value. This book describes in a clear and attractive style what it means to be a Christian, and how to become one.

This book is all about Christ: the Christian’s great interest should be Christ; the unbeliever needs to develop an interest in Christ. It describes in a simple, clear, and attractive style what it means to be a Christian, and how to become one.

Preaching on Revelation 22:2, C. H. Spurgeon once said:

our Lord Jesus Christ is life from the dead, and life to his own living people. He is All-in-All to them. And by him and by him, alone, must their spiritual life be maintained…Jesus Christ is a Tree of Life and we shall so speak of him in the hope that some may come and pluck of the fruit and eat and live forever.

This too, is Guthrie’s purpose. In the first part, he looks at how someone is drawn to Christ, what the evidences are of true saving grace, and the difference between a true Christian and a hypocrite. In the second part he describes how to ‘close’ with Christ, and deals with various objections, difficulties, and doubts.

Rhett Dodson onThe Christian’s Great Interest

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Review

• Review by Cornelis Pronk
• Review by Matthew Vogan
• Review by Wil Owens

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In this Treatise of Christian Love, the Scottish Covenanting minister Hugh Binning movingly presents the need for Christians to show by their love for one another that they belong to Christ. Basing his remarks on John 13:35, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another, he argues, ‘This badge that Christ left to his disciples: if we cast this away on every disagreement, we disown our Master, and disclaim his token and badge.’

Binning describes the excellence of Christian love, demonstrating its nature from 1 Corinthians 13. He gives strong reasons why Christians should love one another, and shows that love is rooted in Christian humility and meekness, after the pattern of Christ himself.

Also included in this edition are three sermons from Binning’s work The Sinner’s Sanctuary, an exposition of Romans 8:1-15.

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Review

• Review by Terry Delaney.

About the author

Hugh Binning (1627–53) was born in Dalvennan, Ayrshire, the son of a wealthy landowner. As a young boy he showed a strong aptitude for learning … Read More >>

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‘I shall never cease to be grateful to. . .Richard Sibbes who was balm to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired, and therefore subject in an unusual manner to the onslaughts of the devil. I found at that time that Richard Sibbes, who was known in London in the early seventeenth century as “The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes” was an unfailing remedy. . . The Bruised Reed. . . quietened, soothed, comforted, encouraged and healed me.’ — D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Book Description

Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), one of the most influential figures in the Puritan movement during the earlier years of the seventeenth century, was renowned for the rich quality of his ministry. The Bruised Reed shows why he was known among his contemporaries as ‘the sweet dropper’.

The Bruised Reed is now issued for the first time in a smaller format in the Puritan Paperbacks series. Some of the language and punctuation have been modernized to make the work more accessible.

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Reviews

• Review by Nick Roark
• Review by Derek J. Brown (TGC)

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Few things are more evident in contemporary churches than the decline in the importance attached to what is said from their pulpits. The deeper tragedy is that in many places the church has become a valley of dry bones. Something is needed to waken the dead and to breathe new life into the people of God. William Perkins (1558-1602) provides basic guidance to help all Christians to read and use the Bible intelligently. He has a particularly powerful message for those who lead God’s people and especially those who preach.

The Art of Prophesying carries sparks capable of igniting a preacher. It should be beside every minister’s desk as a book to turn to again and again.

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Review

• Review by Terry Delaney.

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Few subjects have received less attention from contemporary Christian writers than that of apostasy. The idea that professing Christians may prove not to be true Christians is, in many respects, too serious a prospect for our facile age. But, for John Owen, such avoidance of the issue was itself a pressing reason for writing on it at length and in great depth of spiritual analysis. His exposition is a masterpiece of penetration and discernment.

Now, in this modernised abridgement of Owen’s work, Dr. R. J. K. Law makes its powerful teaching readily accessible to modern readers. Some will find its pages deeply soul-searching; others will be struck with the clarity of Owen’s insight; all will find a work which wounds in order to heal.

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Review

• Review by Terry Delaney.

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Thomas Watson, the 17th century minister of St. Stephen’s Walbrook, believed he faced two great difficulties in his pastoral ministry. The first was making the unbeliever sad, in the recognition of his need of God’s grace. The second was making the believer joyful in response to God’s grace. He believed the answer to the second difficulty could be found in Paul’s teaching in Romans 8.28: God works all things together for good for his people.

First published in 1663 (under the title A Divine Cordial), the year after Watson and some two thousand other ministers were ejected from the Church of England and exposed to hardship and suffering, All Things For Good contains the rich exposition of a man who lived when only faith in God’s Word could lead him to such confidence.

Thomas Watson’s exposition is always simple, illuminating and rich in practical application. He explains that both the best and the worst experiences work for the good of God’s people. He carefully analyses what it means to be someone who ‘loves God’ and is ‘called according to his purpose’.

All Things For Good provides the biblical answer to the contemporary question; Why do bad things happen to good people?

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Reviews

• Review by Brian Garrard
• Review by Joey Cochran

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Can sinners really be justified before God by faith alone? If so, can they go on to live as they please? Robert Traill suffered persecution, exile and prison for faithfulness to the gospel. He shows here, with rare clarity and grace, that only justification by faith alone, shows sinners the way to a holy God, makes them a holy and obedient people, gives them joyful assurance of acceptance with God.

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The Puritan John Dod wrote that this book is ‘so full of heavenly treasure, and such lively expressions of the invaluable riches of the love of Christ’ that it kindles ‘in the heart all heavenly affections unto Jesus Christ’. Indeed it does! And that was very much what Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) was about in all his ministry.

The Love of Christ is a series of sermons preached on Song of Solomon 4:16-6:3. For Sibbes, this Bible book ‘is nothing else but a plain demonstration and setting forth of the love of Christ to his church, and of the love of the church to Christ’. The Song of Solomon does not simply mouth a doctrine: its sensuous imagery sings its message. It is as if this love story is played on violins. The reader is thus brought, not simply to understand, but to taste and share the delights of the lovers. This is precisely what Christ’s people need, as Sibbes knew: it is not enough to be aware of Christ’s love; we must sense, grasp and enjoy it. Only then will we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts.

That is one reason why so many avoid books like this one: they want information, and they want it fast. But Sibbes intends to affect you, to hold your eyes on Jesus that you might develop a stronger appetite for him. Such work cannot be fast work, but it is profoundly transforming.

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Reviews

• Review by Ben Ramsbottom
• Review by David Morris (page 15)
• Review by Alan Hill

About the author

Richard Sibbes was born at Tostock, Suffolk, in 1577 and went to school in Bury St Edmunds. His father, ‘a good sound-hearted Christian’, at first intended … Read More >>

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These thirteen sermons on Psalm 42:11, preached at Stepney, London, in the year 1648 are the work of a true physician of souls. In dealing with believers suffering from spiritual depression, Bridge manifests great insight into the causes of the saints’ discouragements such as great sins, weak grace, failure in duties, want of assurance, temptation, desertion and affliction. A correct diagnosis is more than half the cure but Bridge does not leave his readers there. He gives directions for applying the remedy. For example in dealing with ‘great sins’ he says, ‘If you would be truly humbled and not be discouraged; not be discouraged and yet be humbled; then beat and drive up all your sin to your unbelief, and lay the stress and weight of all your sorrow upon that sin.’ The general causes of spiritual depression are the same in every age. Downcast Christians of the twenty-first century can find help here as surely as did past generations.

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Extract

• Extract from Sermon 3 – ‘Saints should not be discouraged whatever their condition be’.

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‘It is a wonderful book, the Banner serves us all by keeping it in print. Flavel does a wonderful job of helping you to meditate on how God’s sovereign kindness is seen even in the strangest circumstances… he knew suffering himself, and he was faithful.’ — MARK DEVER

Book Description

First published in 1678, this little work is based on the words ‘God that performeth all things for me’ (Psalm 57:2). It shows us how providence works for us in every stage and experience of our lives. The book is richly illustrated from the lives of believers and from the author’s wide reading in church history. There are avenues of spiritual knowledge and experience opened to the Christian in this work which he probably never knew existed.

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Reviews

• Review by Brian Garrard

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