Puritan Reformed Spirituality: A Practical Theological Study from our Reformed and Puritan Heritage

by Joel R. Beeke

In Puritan Reformed Spirituality Joel Beeke provides us with a first-class tour of some of the great sites of Reformed theology and spirituality. Here we meet John Calvin, reformer extraordinaire; then we encounter the learned Dr William Ames and the insightful Anthony Burgess.

Soon we have travelled north to meet the Scotsmen John Brown of Haddington, the great Thomas Boston and the remarkable brothers, Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine.

Predictably, but happily our guide brigs us to The Netherlands and to the time of the Nadere Reformatie, before taking us back to the New World in the company of the remarkable Theodorus Jacobus Freylinghuysen.

But the climax of this tour is not reached until our trusted guide has brought us to the family roots from which all these theologians and pastors came - to the strong foundations of Christian living in justification by faith and sanctification in life, nourished by the power of biblical preaching.

Genres: Theology, History, Spirituality, Church History, Nonfiction, Christian Living

475 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Dr. Joel R. Beeke serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church, Heritage Reformed Congregation, since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

Reviews

[James Sturge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro extraordinario, difícil de leer porque cada página confronta tu vida cristiana. Es uno de los libros que más me ha impactado gracias al pastor Beeke.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is vintage Beeke. While not a collection of independent essays, most of them can be read independently, although the essays on the Erskines build on each other. In this book the reader gets an outstanding (if sometimes limited) perspective on Reformed and Puritan spirituality. Aside from some editorial hiccups, this book is a treasure.

The flow of the essays moves from Calvin's piety, which involves the work of the Spirit through proper channels, to England, where we find Puritan spirituality. Beeke takes a lengthy detour in Scotland to discuss Boston and the Erskines. From there we sail to Netherlands and conclude with comparisons between Puritanism and the Dutch Second Reformation.

Key themes are assurance and godliness. Beeke clears up several myths about Puritanism but he does highlight, if only briefly, areas where the Dutch Second Reformation really couldn't keep it together without going full pietist. Some examples on content:

Calvin on Assurance: The Holy Spirit is the bond that unites us to Christ. Excellent opening by Beeke. Places the internum testimonium Spiritus within the larger working of salvation, and not just as it relates to Scripture.

I do appreciate the fact that Beeke notes several of the 18th century Scots did *not* hold to the Covenant of Redemption. Sometimes there is a tendency to think all of our heroes are united in these points. John Brown and Thomas Boston, by contrast, knew what the Covenant of Redemption was and collapsed it under the Covenant of Grace.

This book is eminently useful, though not every essay. The essays on Teelink and Frelinghuysen are helpful, if only to see what happens when one goes full pietist (though of course, that was not Beeke's intention).

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! The point of the book is to introduce us to the Puritans in a way that also draws us into a deeper walk with God. Beeke did a tremendous job of interlacing Scripture, Puritan godliness, and his own giftedness to show that others have gone before us and have braved things we can't even imagine in their striving to be men and women of God.

It is a book written by a scholar, quoted a lot of really smart people, but it is well worth the struggle of reading it. Beeke says that Luther said that some of his best friends are dead, when referring to reading things written by our ancestors. Lewis made some similar comment about reading old dead guys. It feeds our souls to know that we are not reinventing the wheel when we read the Bible and seek to apply it in our lives. We do well to read the Puritans.

If you are interested in being a growing Christian, but you find this sort of thing scary, I suggest you get the book and start by reading the chapter called, "Cultivating Holiness." It was outstanding and might help give you the courage to read more.

I don't get the comment that an earlier fellow made about the book containing way too many Puritan quotes and not enough Scripture quotes. Most of the chapters were biographical, which I really enjoyed, so quoting Puritans in these chapters makes sense. But in the chapters where it is about theology, Scripture is everywhere. This book was preeminently Biblical and Scriptural.

Again, Great Book!

[Suzanne McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't come to this book expecting anything like a comprehensive overview of the key themes and characteristics of a Puritan Reformed spirituality. It looks as though this volume was simply an excuse to pull together a motley assortment of lectures and previously published articles. As a result, it is a largely random and at times highly repetitive collection of mostly disassociated essays, and almost half of the book is taken up with biographies of a handful of figures with a surface skate over some of their key works. Poor editing too - several pages are repeated verbatim.

[Josué · Rating 4 out of 5]

He aquí uno de los mejores compilados de teólogos y teología de reformadores clásicos y ortodoxos como se caracterizaron en personajes como Calvino, los puritanos ingleses y presbiterianos escoceses. El Dr. Beeke en diversos capítulos nos enseña sobre la teología, piedad y práctica del movimiento puritano ejemplificado por las vidas de distinguidos teólogos que trataron de transmitir una teología práctica y no sólo de conocimiento.

Lamentablemente, en español no se cuenta con los recursos suficientes para estudiar, leer y conocer a los gigantes de la predicación i. e. los puritanos. Le pongo de calificación 4 estrellas no por el contenido de lo que se expone sino porque tiene una traducción confusa, una redacción pesada para leer en algunas partes, algunas faltas de ortografía y creo que necesitó ser revisado más en su gramática. Tal vez la versión en inglés llegue a tener las 5 estrellas.

[Rubén Zúñiga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un excelente libro para comenzar a leer Teología puritana y reformada. La independencia de sus capítulos permite una fácil lectura y cada capítulo trae una reflexión práctica la utilidad para nuestra vida cristiana.

[Iand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy going, lots of "learned" quotations, but not a lot of Scripture. Latinisms & quotations in Latin & Dutch in the text don't make for easy reading. Information on 18th C Church of Scotland schisms is hardly useful or relevant to the reader.

It needs to state where it is going succinctly & Biblically before it proceeds with all the "name dropping" quotations.

May be useful for the determined Reformed student.

[James]

This is a must read, the Puritans are probably the most underestimated, and under-appreciated era of Christian church history. This is a great devotional reader

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful topics on piety and abiding in Christ in practical ways. Love the Puritans on sanctification.

[Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dando lectura a esta obra que esta en mis manos, recomiendo.