Meet the Puritans

The Wesleys had an enduring friendship and connection with George Whitefield (1714–1770), beginning with their Oxford Holy Club, followed by separate missionary journeys to America, and a call to open-air field preaching in England. During the earlier years of that association, the Wesleys...

Note: this post has been adapted with permission from A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin . There are some things we do in church that go completely unquestioned—until they are. One such usually-unquestioned part of worship is preaching. You all know what preaching is...

I think it is safe to say most people are familiar with the hymn Amazing Grace . Many famous musicians have sung or performed it. It’s heard at many funerals and other events. Yet too few know the grace of which the author wrote and more, what makes it so amazing. John Newton penned this much-loved...

John 10:30 was a critical verse for the early church. As believers wrestled with the documents of the New Testament in terms of their teaching about our Lord’s identity, and in relation to the Old Testament, various views began to be propagated. Some taught that our Lord was not eternal God by...

Editor's Note: This article has been adapted from the preface of Biblical Patterns and Government . Cornell University Professor Barry Alan Shain has determined that rather than a generic republicanism or seventeenth century libertarianism nourishing the root of American democracy, a much older...

The Reformed theology of grace, as articulated in the Canons of Dort, informed and influenced the spirituality of the Puritans. These Canons of Dort, also called the Five Articles against the Remonstrants, consist of doctrinal statements adopted by the Synod of Dort in 1618–19 against the Five...

On September 16, 1620, the crew of the Mayflower weighed anchor to leave Plymouth, England. The Pilgrims gathered on board were anticipating a new homeland, better economic opportunities, and freedom to follow God’s commands without interference. The ship held thirty-seven Pilgrims, sixty-five...

In his classic book, The Doctrine of Repentance , Thomas Watson outlined six ingredients for true repentance: The first is the sight of sin , whereby a person comes to himself (Luke 15:17) and views his lifestyle as sinful. If we fail to see our sin, we rarely, if ever, are motivated to repent. The...

Charles Chauncy (1705-1787) was one of the most influential pastors in Boston during his life. He received his theological training at Harvard and served as pastor of First Church for nearly 60 years. He wrote numerous pamphlets between 1762-1771 against the British proposal to impose a Bishop in...

Satan persuades us to cultivate close friendships with ungodly peers. Even unbelievers know that bad company corrupts good morals. The Bible bristles with instructions to avoid close relationships with ungodly men ( e.g. Proverbs 1:10-15; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Thessalonians...