Resource Type: Puritans

Classic Puritan works and accessible guides that open up Puritan theology and spirituality for today’s readers.

The Lord’s Supper (8.1)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Robert Traill
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

We find in Traill a firm, gospel weighted call to approach the Table with faith in Christ rather than confidence in ourselves.

In a small space he gives us a clear sense of why the Supper matters, and how it serves the believer’s assurance and obedience.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We are helped by Traill’s ability to speak directly to common distortions, either a cold formality that treats the Supper lightly, or a fearful hesitation that treats Christ as unwilling.

We also learn how to keep preparation from becoming a self made ladder. Traill presses self examination, but he insists that the Supper is for those who come needy, repentant, and trusting Christ.

For pastors, the clarity is especially useful. We are given a way of speaking about the Table that is reverent and searching, yet unmistakably gospel rich.

Closing Recommendation

We commend this as a concise and clarifying help for those who lead, and those who come, to the Lord’s Table.

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Lifting Up For The Downcast (8.5)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsTop choice
Author: William Bridge
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

We read this as a careful piece of pastoral medicine, written for believers whose hearts sink under fear, guilt, and spiritual weariness.

Bridge does not offer slogans. He patiently diagnoses discouragement, then applies gospel truth with tenderness and seriousness.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We are helped by Bridge’s realism. He understands how easily the Christian life is clouded by doubts, inward accusations, and providences that feel heavy.

We also learn from his skill in bringing Scripture to bear on the conscience. He aims to comfort, but never by lowering God’s holiness or excusing sin. Instead, we are led back to Christ and to the promises that sustain trembling faith.

For pastors, this is a strong companion for shepherding. We come away with language and categories that can help us care for the downcast without becoming soft, harsh, or vague.

Closing Recommendation

We strongly recommend this for any ministry that involves patient care of tender consciences and discouraged saints.

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The Lord’s Supper (8.3)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Thomas Watson
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

We come to this short work with gratitude, because it puts the Lord’s Table back where it belongs, at the heart of Christian worship and discipleship.

Watson writes with a steady pastoral hand, helping us approach the Supper with reverence, self examination, and fresh delight in Christ.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We are helped by the way Watson keeps the Supper tethered to the gospel. He does not treat the ordinance as mere routine, but as a means by which the Lord strengthens faith, deepens repentance, and stirs love for Christ.

We also benefit from his plain speech. He presses searching questions without crushing tender consciences, and he repeatedly calls us to look away from ourselves to the sufficiency of Christ.

For those who preach or lead the Table, there is a quiet usefulness here. We are given categories for preparation, participation, and fruit, which can shape both teaching and pastoral counsel.

Closing Recommendation

We happily commend this as a bracing, Christ centred guide for approaching the Supper with faith, humility, and joy.

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The Love Of Christ (8.4)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Richard Sibbes
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In The Love Of Christ, Richard Sibbes draws us to the gentleness and strength of our Saviour, showing how Christ deals tenderly with bruised reeds and smouldering wicks.

We are given medicine for despairing hearts, and warmth for cold hearts, as Sibbes unfolds the grace of Christ toward his people.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when we need gospel comfort that does not deny sin, but answers sin with the mercy of Christ. Sibbes is skilled at lifting our eyes to the Redeemer, and then applying that sight to real weakness.

Pastors will find it valuable for counselling the weary, encouraging the fearful, and preaching Christ’s tenderness without sentimentality. It strengthens our ability to speak to troubled consciences with both truth and compassion.

It also guards us from harshness, because it keeps the character of Christ before us.

Closing Recommendation

We gladly recommend The Love Of Christ as a deeply nourishing book for pastors and believers. It helps us know Christ better, and love him more, while learning to trust his gentle care.

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Prayer (8.1)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: John Bunyan
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In Prayer, John Bunyan speaks as a pastor who knows the struggles of the believer, urging us toward real prayer that is honest, persevering, and anchored in God’s promises.

We are helped to see prayer as the life breath of faith, not a performance, and not a last resort.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when we feel weak in prayer, or when we have reduced prayer to a set of phrases. Bunyan teaches us to bring the heart to God, guided by Scripture and sustained by grace.

It serves pastors well because it renews our own practice, and it also equips us to teach others with compassion. We are given categories for praying through fear, dryness, guilt, and delay, without surrendering hope.

Its greatest strength is that it makes prayer feel possible, because it keeps grace in view.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend Prayer for any believer who wants to pray more truly. It is plain, earnest, and profoundly encouraging for ministry and personal devotion.

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Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (8.1)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Thomas Brooks
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Thomas Brooks helps us recognise the patterns of temptation, and then applies Scripture with pastoral wisdom to resist the enemy’s schemes.

We are not encouraged toward fear. We are trained toward watchfulness, humility, and confidence in the Lord’s keeping power.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when we want wiser pastoral instincts about sin’s usual pathways. Brooks observes the heart carefully and offers concrete counsels that expose self deception.

It is also helpful for preaching, because it gives language for the conflict of the Christian life that is realistic and hopeful. We are taught to fight with truth, repentance, and faith, rather than with vague resolve.

For shepherding, it equips us to help believers who are stuck, weary, or ashamed, by bringing them back to Christ with clarity.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices as a dependable guide for personal holiness and pastoral counsel. It is best used with open Bible, asking the Lord for sober mindedness and courage.

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The Reformed Pastor (8.3)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Richard Baxter
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter speaks with urgency about the calling of shepherds, pressing us toward watchfulness, spiritual seriousness, and faithful care of souls.

We are reminded that ministry is not a platform but a charge, and that our labour must be marked by truth, prayer, and love for the flock.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when we are tempted to settle for professionalism. Baxter exposes the danger of doing the work while neglecting the heart, and he calls us back to a life that matches our message.

It is especially valuable for pastors who want a renewed vision of pastoral oversight, including personal instruction, earnest application, and patient discipline. It also helps elders and trainees grasp the weight and beauty of shepherding.

Even where the context differs, the spiritual priorities are timeless.

Closing Recommendation

We strongly recommend The Reformed Pastor for pastors and church leaders. It is demanding, but it has helped many recover seriousness, tenderness, and courage in the work of ministry.

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The Secret Key To Heaven (8.1)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Thomas Brooks
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In The Secret Key To Heaven, Thomas Brooks calls us to recover the lost art of serious prayer, with the Word of God shaping our requests and the glory of God shaping our aims.

We are taught to pray with reverence, faith, and perseverance, not as a spiritual trick, but as a humble approach to our Father through Christ.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when prayer has become hurried, duty driven, or merely reactive. Brooks helps us slow down, examine our motives, and learn what it means to ask rightly.

For pastors, it strengthens both private and public prayer. It also provides language and categories that can help a church pray with more substance, and with steadier confidence in God’s promises.

It is a gentle rebuke, and a sweet encouragement, because it keeps pointing us to the Lord who delights to hear his people.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Secret Key To Heaven for anyone who wants prayer to be more than habit. It is best taken slowly, letting its counsels reshape our practice over time.

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The Shorter Catechism Explained From Scripture (8.0)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Thomas Vincent
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In The Shorter Catechism Explained From Scripture, Thomas Vincent helps us see how catechetical doctrine rises from the Bible and returns us to the Bible.

We are shown that confessional clarity is not a rival to Scripture, but a servant of Scripture, shaping understanding, worship, and obedience.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when we want to teach doctrine with confidence and warmth. Vincent models how to connect clear definitions to biblical reasoning, so that catechism teaching becomes worship, not mere recitation.

It is also a practical aid for family discipleship and church training. Pastors will find it useful for shaping membership classes, youth instruction, and catechetical preaching that remains text driven.

It steadies the mind and strengthens assurance by anchoring truth in the promises of God.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Shorter Catechism Explained From Scripture for pastors and households who want doctrinal depth that remains close to Scripture. It helps build a church that knows what it believes, and why.

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The Sinfulness Of Sin (8.1)

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
Author: Ralph Venning
Series: Puritan Paperbacks
Type: Devotional
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Theological Perspective: Reformed
Resource Type: Puritans

Summary

In The Sinfulness Of Sin, Ralph Venning helps us feel the true weight of sin, not to crush hope, but to drive us to Christ with honesty and gratitude.

We are confronted with sin’s deceit, its ugliness, and its ruin, all set against the goodness of God and the mercy offered in the gospel.

Why Should We Read This Resource?

We should read this when our repentance has become thin, or when we sense that we are treating sin as a minor inconvenience rather than a deadly enemy.

For pastors, it sharpens our preaching of both law and grace. It helps us speak about sin in a way that is serious, concrete, and pastorally wise, without slipping into despair or performance religion.

It also strengthens personal holiness, because it trains us to watch the heart, not merely manage outward habits.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend The Sinfulness Of Sin for pastors and believers who want deeper repentance and clearer refuge in Christ. It is sobering, but it serves joy by leading us back to the Saviour.

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