A Puritan Theology

I’ve just received my long awaited and much anticipated copy of

“A Puritan Theology” by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones, 2012, published by Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, MI.

It consists of one thousand pages and over one million words of Puritan teaching and doctrine, systematised into theological divisions, – I think it may well be the first of its kind.

The book opens with Prolegomena – dealing with Puritan hermeneutics with a chapter on ‘The Marrow of Theology’ by William Ames. Later divisions deal with Theology Proper, (The Doctrines of God) Covenant Theology, Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology (an interesting looking section there on John Owen and the Christian Sabbath and Worship, and Bunyan on Preaching to the heart) The section on Eschatology deals with the American optimistic view of the End Times, and Manyon’s theology on judgement according to our works. The last section, in typical puritan style, where doctrine is followed by ‘uses’ shows how the Puritans’ applied their teaching.

I have to say, I have seldom been so excited! As I plod through the book, I’ll write a little bit about what I learn from it on the blog.

Happy reading days ahead!