The Works of Edward Reynolds

Edward Reynolds

This six-volume set is without doubt one of the most significant Puritan reprints of the last decade. Charles Spurgeon once described Edward Reynolds as “a man of vast learning and thoroughly evangelical spirit.”[1] A preacher, peacemaker, and Presbyterian, Reynolds (quite surprisingly for a Puritan!) served as the bishop of Norwich between 1660 and 1676. In addition to a biography of his life, volume 1 of this collection includes three of Reynolds’s works—The Vanity of the Creature, The Sinfulness of Sin, and The Life of Christ. Volume 2 includes his exposition of Psalm 110, while volume 3 includes his Meditations on the Holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, as well as his sermons on Hosea 14. Volume 4 includes his commentary on Ecclesiastes, as well as several sermons—most notably on self-denial and joy, while volume 5 includes more sermons and treatises. Finally, volume 6 includes A Treatise on the Passions and Faculties of the Soul, where he deals with such topics as memory, imagination, understanding, the will, the conscience, and the passions. Volume 6 concludes with the sermon that was preached at Reynolds’s funeral. Quite sobering at times in a most welcome way (particularly in his excellent treatise on sin in volume 1), Bishop Reynolds is an eminently valuable and easy-to-read Puritan whose writings have stood the test of time.

Aaron’s Rod Blossoming: or, The Divine Ordinance of Church Government Vindicated

George Gillespie

This magisterial work, now accessible as a critical and annotated edition, is George Gillespie’s most forceful critique of Erastianism and his defense of Presbyterian church government in the Scottish tradition. Gillespie was a theological prodigy in the Church of Scotland. At only thirty years of age, he became the youngest delegate appointed to the Westminster Assembly, where he served—along with Robert Baillie, Alexander Henderson, and Samuel Rutherford—as a ministerial commissioner to the assembly from the Church of Scotland. In Aaron’s Rod, Gillespie defends the distinction between civil and ecclesiastical authority and opposes Erastianism, the idea that the civil government has authority over the church. Drawing from Scripture and ecclesiological writings throughout church history, Gillespie defends Presbyterian church government, considers issues surrounding excommunication and admission to the Lord’s Table, and discusses the twofold kingdom of Christ. Even those who are not of Presbyterian conviction will benefit from this work, not least for its historical significance. Most importantly, Gillespie draws connections between ecclesiology and Christology in his discussion of the mediatorial work of Christ in relation to church government.

The Complete Gathered Gold: A Treasury of Quotations for Christians

Compiled by John Blanchard

Among the treasure troves of theological and devotional writings that have been written through the centuries, some flashes of inspiration are so pithy, timeless, and memorable that they are like gems for their value and like seeds for their potential to stimulate meditation and inspire transformation of life. This work is perhaps the ultimate collection of such gems of spiritual insight. In this collection, you can hear the voices of early church fathers, Reformers, Puritans, and their successors up to the modern day on such varied and fruitful topics as Christ, faith, the gospel, justification, prayer, the promises of God, suffering, and zeal. This compilation of fifteen thousand quotations is ideal for pastors as well as for personal edification.

The Vanity of Thoughts: Puritan Treasures for Today Series

Thomas Goodwin

What do you think about when there is nothing to think about? And how can we sift vain thoughts from our minds and focus on what glorifies the Lord (Phil. 4:8)? It is to such questions that Thomas Goodwin directs his attention in this fine exposition of Jeremiah 4:14—ably modernized by Brian Hedges, yet without sacrificing substance. Our minds can be like beautiful palaces that house true, noble, and pure thoughts, or else they can be like sewers with vain, impure, and self-centered thoughts. Our God desires us not only to submit to Him in our emotions, our will, and our behavior, but also in our innermost thoughts—for our thought life is the spring of our feelings and actions. Let this treatise convict you for the vanity of your thoughts, lead you to trust more fully in the Christ whose thoughts were without sin, and guide you to greater depths of holiness in your thought life. Like any of the books in the Puritan Treasures for Today series, The Vanity of Thoughts can easily be read by young teenagers and is ideal for those who are new to the Puritans.

Worshiping on the Way: The Psalms of Ascent

Jonathan Landry Cruse

Whether in its description of the choirs of Solomon’s Temple, the churches of the apostolic age, or the praise that surrounds the throne of God, the Bible makes it clear that the people of God are a singing people. In particular, singing from the Psalms—the inspired songbook of Scripture—is one of God’s ordained means to illuminate the minds, ignite the affections, and shape the lives of His people. As a Reformed pastor and a gifted hymnwriter, Jonathan Landry Cruse is well-qualified to expound the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120–134)—fifteen sacred songs that apply as powerfully to pilgrims on their journey to the New Jerusalem today as they did for Israelites on pilgrimage to the earthly Jerusalem thousands of years ago. Cruse considers such topics as the church’s experience of divinely guaranteed security, divinely guaranteed redemption, and divinely grounded unity. In this book, you will encounter doxological reading for the joyful worshiper on the road to the Celestial City.

Bread for the Soul: Nourishing Your Faith Daily

Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Perhaps you feel like there is a trade-off between breadth and depth in your study of God’s Word. It can certainly be difficult to read Scripture broadly without sacrificing meditation; and it can likewise be difficult to meditate deeply without sacrificing breadth of reading. In this fresh edition of Milk and Honey (previously published by Reformation Heritage Books in 2010), a group of ministers from both sides of the Atlantic (including Joel Beeke, Gerald Bilkes, and Maurice Roberts) spread a spiritual feast and combine breadth and depth in delightful balance. As they guide us through the mountain peaks of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, the authors provide soul-stirring meditations on key passages to the story of redemption and the Christian life. As you sit under the pulpits of these twelve men—each of whom are thoroughly biblical, warm, experiential, and practical—you will find that your mind, affections, and will are trained in godliness as you pursue holiness in your daily life. Plus, the quality of this book and the beautiful pictures of God’s creation throughout this devotional make it a perfect gift for a loved one.

Making Sense of Man: Using Biblical Perspectives to Develop a Theology of Humanity

Vern Poythress

Vern Poythress is not only gifted as a theologian, but also as a mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. Throughout his writing career, he has skillfully weaved insights from his manifold fields of expertise to help people better understand the Bible. This work on the biblical doctrine of man is a welcome contribution from his pen, for we live in a day of much confusion over the very nature of humanity. Our society does not know what to make of mankind; indeed, it hardly knows what it even means to be human. Some say that we are nothing but highly evolved animals; others say that we are preeminently sexual beings; others insist that we must define ourselves; and still others declare that we (along with the rest of nature) are in fact divine. All such narratives fall short of the biblical portrait of man as a unique creature made in the image of God, as well as a creature who can be redeemed and glorified through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Poythress takes us back to this biblical picture, discussing such topics as the image of God, embodiment, sexuality, the soul, original righteousness, the intermediate state, the covenant with Adam, the fall, sin, and the will.

Proclaiming the True God: The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Life of the Church

Matthew Barrett, Ronni Kurtz, Samuel G. Parkison, and Joseph Lanier

The classical doctrine of God is under attack. In the modern church, we need a recovery (or rediscovery, as the authors put it) of classic trinitarian theology in the wake of such erroneous and heretical views as the social Trinity and open theism. This book is based on sermons that the authors preached in 2021 when they served together as pastors at Emmaus Church in Kansas City, Missouri. In this work, you will find several pastoral yet no less scholarly contributions from these pastors on divine simplicity, the eternal generation of the Son, the procession of the Holy Spirit, and the inseparable operations of the Trinity. The last chapter, quite appropriately, addresses the believer’s experience of union and communion with the Trinity, as well as the beatific vision.

Things Unseen: One Year of Reflections on the Christian Life

Sinclair Ferguson

Adapted from the 2023 episodes of his excellent podcast (also called Things Unseen), Sinclair Ferguson provides meditations to help the believer renew his or her mind every day. Each of the fifty-two weeks of the year has a different theme. These themes include such topics as Scripture, worship, the fruit of the Spirit, the Ten Commandments, the passion of Christ, the Lord’s Prayer, the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the emotions of Jesus, sanctification, the sacraments, covenant theology, eschatology, angels, and the Second Coming. Here is excellent, edifying reading for those who want to spend a year with Dr. Ferguson!

To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse

Carl Trueman

Critical theory has taken the world by storm. From a Christian perspective, Trueman traces the roots and fruits of critical theory in modern society, showing how Karl Marx, the scholars of the Frankfurt School, and other ungodly philosophers contributed to the dissemination of cultural Marxism in the Western world and the ensuing transformation of society’s view of such matters as gender, sexuality, and race.

[1] C. H. Spurgeon, Commenting & Commentaries (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1876), 101.