DrBeekeConcerning the importance and relevance of reading the Reformers and the Puritans today, Dr. Joel R. Beeke writes:

The Holy Spirit revived the church in the Reformation and Puritan era, filling jars of clay (men like Luther, Calvin, Perkins, Owen, Bunyan, and Edwards) with treasures of spiritual gold. God illuminated the Reformers to rediscover fundamental biblical truths about salvation and worship. The Puritans wedded vibrant spirituality to a rich, Bible-based theology.

Being people of the living Book, the Puritans shape their readers’ lives by their own books, most of which are repackaged sermons. And they show us in their writings how to wed doctrine and daily Christian practice to foster experiential Christianity and fruits of piety such as heartfelt prayer, habitual meditation on the truths of the Bible, mature responses to personal affliction, and reliance on the Spirit. Like no other group of writers in church history, their writings address the mind with clarity, confront the conscience pointedly, and woo the heart passionately. Then, too, the Puritans are masters at maintaining biblical balance in their writings–between the objective and subjective dimensions in Christianity, between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, and between Arminianism and hyper-Calvinism, carving out a middle path and rejecting them both as unbiblical.

Reading Puritan writings moves your soul with awe at the glory of God, builds up your mind with faith in the truths of Scripture, ignites your heart with love for Christ the all-sufficient Savior, and expands your life out of its shrunken puddle of selfishness to expect great things from God and attempt great things for God. In other words, the Puritans give us fuel for worship and missions.

This quote is an excerpt from a letter by Dr. Joel Beeke celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Reformation Heritage Books. Part of the letter is available online here: http://heritagebooktalk.com/tag/beeke/