The Puritan View of Substantive Biblical Law


Book Description

The Puritans, who settled in America in the early 1600s, believed that if they followed God's laws as individuals and as a society, God would prosper them. America would become "the new Israel," God's light for the rest of the world. The Rev. Dr. George Gatgounis wrote The Puritan View of Substantive Biblical Law both as a constitutional attorney and a biblical scholar. He did much of the research at Harvard, which was founded by the Puritans to train their clergy. Despite its outward appearance of harshness--such as the dozen transgressions that merited the death penalty in the Massachusetts Bay Colony--Puritan society was founded on the consent of the citizens. At the center was individual spirituality. That spirituality was to be maintained by a strict observance of the Sabbath, which centered around biblical preaching. Certainly there is no going back to a Puritan society in this postmodern era. But perhaps there is something to be learned to guide our way forward.




The Existence and Attributes of God (2-volume set)


Book Description

A Classic Work on the Nature of God by Stephen Charnock Stephen Charnock was a highly regarded seventeenth-century English Puritan theologian whose writings have continued to influence the church for centuries. He is known for his sophisticated approach to topics such as the existence and attributes of God, the person and work of Christ, and the doctrine of sin. This ebook, edited by Mark Jones, contains an updated and unabridged edition of Charnock's classic work, Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God, written to instruct and encourage Christian pastors, theologians, and laypeople. Jones precedes each discourse with an introductory summary that explains Charnock's general approach. In this clear, modernized presentation of this classic work, readers will experience his skillful exegesis, his influential way with words, his insight into human nature, his concern with the practical implications of who God is, and his Christ-focused approach to theology. Modernized Language: Archaic punctuation, words, and phrases have been updated for the modern reader Updated Bibliographic Information: In the footnotes, Charnock's sources have been located and updated with fuller bibliographic information, showing how widely read he was Chapter Summaries: Each discourse begins with a summary of the chapter to follow Extensive: Covers Charnock's defense of God's existence and 11 attributes of God Includes In-Depth Chapter on the Life of Stephen Charnock by William Symington




The Christology of John Owen


Book Description

The Puritans are often accused of being weak on Christology. In this revision of his doctoral dissertation for Westminster Theological Seminary, Richard Daniels shows how wrong that assessment is. He plumbs the depths of John Owen's views on Christ, covering His person, natures, offices, and states. Dr. Daniels also relates how Owen taught that believers can have personal communion with Christ. This is a masterful work that will be deeply appreciated by readers who love both the Puritans and their theology. ~ Joel R. Beeke, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Who Do Men Say That I Am? 3. Who Do You Say That I Am? 4. Flesh and Blood Has Not Revealed it unto You" 5. The Doctrine of the Trinity 6. Owen's Proof of the Deity of Christ 7. God's Eternal Counsels 8. Creation and Providence 9. Cur Deus Homo: The Manifestation of the Glory of God 10. Beginning with Moses 11. God was Manifested in the Flesh 12. He Ascended into Heaven 13. A Priest Forever 14. He Who Speaks from Heaven 15. Thy Throne, O God 16. A Christ-Centered Church 17. To Live is Christ 18. Conclusion










The Hebrew Idiom of Permission


Book Description

We appropriately use the Bible as our foundation for all Christian belief and practice because we rightly recognize it as God’s written Word. Why then is there such a lack of clarity on the God that this book is supposed to reveal to us within its pages? Why does He claim to be good, compassionate, and merciful while He is accused of hardening hearts, tempting people, causing sickness and accidents, etc. in so many other places? The issues arise from our failure to accurately understand and apply the “idiom of permission” to our reading and study of this holy text. In this book, Pastor Troy J. Edwards provides the scholarly evidence that the Bible uses the idiom of permission frequently, and he discusses how the application of this idiom will resolve many issues related to our understanding of God’s character.







The Alluring Brightness of His Glory


Book Description

The real problem of the hour is not that we view our problems as insurmountable, nor that we fail to view our God as insuperable in the midst of all these problems, but primarily that we fail to count our God as inestimable, even above our need to solve all of these problems. It is the failure to perceive the supreme glory of Christ that moves the church to promote counterfeit offers that compete with His glory, and moves men to receive a counterfeit Christ, whose highest value consists not of His own excellency, but of His willingness to bestow upon us that which our earthly, carnal and temporal nature counts most excellent. This magnetic pull of the world upon our affections will only cease by a God-ward attraction. It is in the face of Jesus Christ that the brightness of the glory of God shines forth. He alone is the brightness of His glory. And unless we exalt Him to preeminence, we know nothing of that glory.