The Mystery of Providence


John Flavel - 1678
    First published in 1678, this little work well illustrates and explains the purpose of God for his people.

The Bruised Reed


Richard Sibbes - 1620
    In this famous exposition of Isaiah 42:3, Sibbes unfolds the tender ministry of Jesus Christ, who is 'a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of the broken heart'.

Heaven Taken by Storm: Showing the Holy Violence a Christian Is to Put Forth in the Pursuit After Glory


Thomas Watson - 1669
    But the Puritans saw it as warfare, as wrestling, as “holy violence,” to use their term. The Apostle Paul spoke of beating his own body into subjection. And this holy violence is to be brought not only against one’s self, but against Satan, the world, and heaven too. And in this confrontation, we must use the weapons God has given us—reading the Word, hearing the Word, prayer, meditation, self-examination, and the due observance of the Lord’s Day. The writings of Thomas Watson, replete with sound doctrine, practical wisdom, and heart-searching application, need no introduction to readers of the Puritans. His profound spirituality, terse style, gripping remarks, practical illustrations, and beauty of expression make him one of the most irresistible, quotable, and devotional of all the Puritans. Heaven Taken By Storm is a precious little volume of practical Christian living.

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices


Thomas Brooks - 1652
    Brooks treated the seductive influence and terrible power of Satan in a way 'greatly more full and suggestive than in the literature of the present day'.

Acceptable Sacrifice


John Bunyan - 1978
    In this moving exposition of Psalm 51:17, the last work which he prepared for the press, Bunyan shows from Scripture why a broken heart is so acceptable to God. He characterizes the unbroken heart of man, showing why it must be made contrite, and explains the nature of the change which is involved. He also guides the reader in discerning whether this change has taken place, and shows how the heart, once broken, can be kept tender.

The Saints' Everlasting Rest


Richard Baxter - 1650
    The original work consists of some eight hundred thousand words-a clear example of Baxter's prolific pen-yet in Baxter's own life-time it reached twelve editions! First abridged in 1754 by John Wesley, in the Christian Library, five years later another abridgement was made by Benjamin Fawcett, and innumerable reprints of this have since been issued. The book has also been translated into Welsh, Gaelic, German and French. The purpose of this abridgement, first published in 1962, was to present the work in a form suitable to the modern reader. No change has been made in the text of the passages selected from the original work, and the spirit and language of Baxter have been so preserved that the movement of his thought and style not only remains unimpaired but stands out even more clearly.

The Sinfulness of Sin


Ralph Venning - 1993
    Here is reliable medicine for a fatal epidemic.

Practical Religion


J.C. Ryle - 1977
    Deals with 'the daily duties, dangers, experience and privileges of all who profess and call themselves true Christians'.

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment


Jeremiah Burroughs - 1648
    This book remedies this spiritual disease in practical biblical ways.

Licensed To Kill: A Field Manual For Mortifying Sin


Brian G. Hedges - 2011
    One of the fiercest foes in this battle dwells within our own hearts: the enemy of indwelling sin. The Scriptures command us to put sin to death. This is what pastors and theologians of another generation called the mortificationof sin. But how do we mortify sin? And what role does the gospel play in this effort to apply lethal force against sin? How can we avoid falling into legalism while still maintaining a passion for holiness? And what kinds of strategies actually work in the daily battle? Brian Hedges answers these questions and more in this biblical and practical guide for waging war against sin in the power of the gospel and dependence on the Spirit.

Lifting Up for the Downcast


William Bridge - 1961
    To encourage the depressed, Bridge wrote this choice book and filled it with the kind of rich encouragement which our generation too rarely hears.

The Heart Of Christ


Thomas Goodwin - 2005
    It is a fine example of his Christ- centredness and his mix of theological rigour and pastoral concern. In it he aims to show from Scripture that, in all his heavenly majesty, Christ is not now aloof from believers and unconcerned, but has the strongest affections for them.Goodwin begins with the beautiful assurances given by Christ to his disciples, taking as an example of that love Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet (John 13). The heart of his argument, however, lies in his exposition of Hebrews 4:15, in which Goodwin shows that in all his glorious holiness in heaven, Christ is not sour towards his people; if anything, his capacious heart beats more strongly than ever with tender love for them. And in particular, two things stir his compassion: our afflictions and—almost unbelievably—our sins.How we need Goodwin and his message today! If we are to be drawn from jaded, anxious thoughts of God and a love of sin, we need such a knowledge of Christ.

Maturity: Growing Up and Going On in the Christian Life


Sinclair B. Ferguson - 2019
    What are the most important lessons the New Testament has to teach us about being a Christian?Sinclair Ferguson shows that a deep-seated concern of the writers of the New Testament was to see Christians grow to spiritual maturity—and if that was the concern of the first believers, then it should be our concern too.In clear and logical chapters that are rooted in the reality of the Christian life, the author, who has had long experience in pastoral ministry and seminary teaching, seeks to show what Christian maturity is, and how it is to be obtained.It was the apostle Paul’s desire to present those to whom he ministered ‘mature in Christ’—for such a maturity would lead to stable, servant-hearted Christians, and healthy, fruit-bearing churches.All those who desire to live useful, mature, and consistent Christian lives will gain much wisdom from reading and reflecting upon the contents of this book.

Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure


D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 1965
    Martyn Lloyd-Jones, each originally delivered at Westminster Chapel in London, carefully and compassionately analyzes an undeniable feature of modern society from which Christians have not escaped -- spiritual depression."Christian people," writes Lloyd-Jones, "too often seem to be perpetually in the doldrums and too often give this appearance of unhappiness and of lack of freedom and absence of joy. There is no question at all but that this is the main reason why large numbers of people have ceased to be interested in Christianity."Believing the Christian joy was one of the most potent factors in the spread of Christianity in the early centuries, Lloyd-Jones not only lays bare the causes that have robbed many Christians of spiritual vitality but also points the way to the cure that is found through the mind and spirit of Christ.

A Method for Prayer: Freedom in the Face of God


Matthew Henry - 2009
    True prayer comes from the heart, so why do we need a method? The great devotional commentator and pastor shows here that Christians benefit from discipline just as much as talking freely with God. You will discover the methods Jesus taught, look at styles of prayer, and see helpful examples. Duncan has incorporated some of Henry's other work on prayer.