Why Do We Still Read the Puritans?

by Keith Comparetto

Thus saith the LORD, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, wherein is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…” (Jeremiah 6:16)

“Pulp Christian Books”

A generation or two ago, the reading public developed a taste for cheaply produced and often poorly written novels, books that earned the rather contemptible name of “pulp fiction.” Today, we believe the same phenomenon exists in Christian bookstores, which have filled up with doctrinally shallow, hastily written, “pop-Christian” books that often not worth the paper they are printed on. This has led to an explosion of interest in the great Christian literature of the Puritan era, and of those who were influenced by that literature. Why are books written centuries ago still relevant to us today?

Unfortunately, the negative feelings associated with the term “Puritan” have caused many Christians today to shy away from their writings, thinking of a “Puritan” as a stuffy prude, a religious hypocrite, someone who is out of touch with the modern world, and one who is self-focused with little concern for the souls of men.  Although these criticisms have been around for centuries, and there have always been some who deserve them, the stereotype is often unfair, and it has resulted in many Christians neglecting some of the greatest and deepest spiritual and devotional literature ever written.

The Events that Shaped the Men

The reasons the Puritan era produced this wealth of literature are not hard to determine.  The era of the Puritans (primarily the 17th century) was a turbulent time in church history. While the leaders of the establishment churches were often more concerned about political and religious domination than about truth or the eternal souls of those under their authority, the Puritans sought to continue the spiritual progress that began a hundred years earlier with the coming of the Reformation.  Called “Puritans” after their desire to “purify” the church of its many corruptions, those Puritans who could not progress towards those goals from within the church (in some cases because they were cast out of it) continued their labors as “non-conformists” or “dissenters,” often facing great persecution or even death.  Such persecution often has a great cleansing effect on the church, cleansing it of hypocrites and lighting the fires of spiritual passion and intensity.   On the other hand, affluent times, and times that lack the crucible of persecution, tend to result in a “Christianity” that is shallow, self-indulgent and often a counterfeit of true Christian faith.  We believe the latter characterizes our times.  If that is the case, we need more Puritans today!

Debunking the Myths

What kind of men were the Puritans?  The truth is, they probably contradicted the above stereotypes in every way.  “Stuffy and prudish”?  If by that we mean they were more serious than the glib and careless world we live in, we cannot deny it; but if we mean they were somehow not quite human, that they did not laugh and cry and love just as we do, we simply have not read them, and it is our loss.  “Out of touch with the modern world”?  In the sense that they lived and moved in a world filled with pride, ambition, lust, and all the sins of every age, their worlds were little different from our own.  “Religious hyprocrites”?  Who would not want to leave this world as beloved as a Richard Baxter, a John Bunyan, a Samuel Rutherford, a John Owen, and scores of other exemplary men of God who labored among their congregations for many years and put their joys, their struggles and their tears into their writings?  “Self-focused”?  Certainly they were introspective of their own hearts and ways, believing “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and they encouraged their congregations to do the same, for they dreaded any hint of the carnal self-assurance that has brought many to spiritual destruction (Matthew 7:22-23; Hebrews 3, etc.).  “Little concern for the souls of men”?  One cannot have this view and have read their passionate pleas for their hearers to repent and believe the Gospel, or of the marvellous spiritual fruit that accompanied their ministries.

Puritan Theology

In their theology, the Puritan writers sought to find the balance between several companion biblical truths.  They believed, as did the Reformers, in the perseverance of all true saints, and that a sound, biblical assurance of one’s faith was possible and desirable.  On the other hand, they believed that some of the Reformers had so emphasized free grace, in countering the Roman Catholic system of salvation by works, that they sometimes neglected to remind their hearers of the reality of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in all true believers.  The Puritans believed no one can safely rest in the finished work of Christ if he has no spiritual evidences to indicate that a spiritual work has been done in his soul, and because of this, their writings often bring a level of conviction and discomfort, but it is balanced out by their superb writings on biblical assurance, works such as Richard Sibbe’s The Bruised Reed, which Martyn Lloyd-Jones said brought great comfort to him at a time when he was in a state of spiritual despair.

The Spiritual Heritage of the Puritan Writers

Though the Puritan age was not without its faults and needless divisions, the great influence of Puritan literature even centuries after it was written speaks for itself.  The “Puritan era” itself lasted less than a hundred years.  But the spiritual heritage of the Puritans took root in the greatest Gospel ministers and missionaries of later centuries, and will almost without exception be found at the root of every great revival since the Reformation.   We believe the books of the great Puritan writers are well worth the extra effort to read them, and in many cases modernized versions are available that are very readable without losing their great spiritual content.  We recommend the following writings to those interested in entering the world of Puritan literature, but unsure where to begin.

Links to some good articles about the Puritans

Some Great Books by Puritan Authors (These receive “Readers Choice” Awards from our congregation!)