The Glory of Grace (Review)

"The Glory of Grace: An Introduction to the Puritans in The Own Words by Lewis Allen and Tim Chester is your welcome mat to the readings of Puritans. While they can hardly scratch the surface of these deeply biblical and grace-driven Christians in such a short volume, they will help whet your appetite to devour more of the Puritan literature and, most importantly, God’s Word."

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever heard a respected pastor bring a sermon quote that seemed to knock the wind right out of you? Maybe it was John Piper’s “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you”, as he famously quoted by John Owen. That one was a gamechanger for me. Perhaps it was a quote by Richard Sibbes, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan. Only a cursory reading of this era of Christian literature will leave your head spinning, bring conviction and encouragement, and give you a list of pithy quotes to pass on, paraphrase, or ponder in your reading and devotional time.

These men (and women like Anne Bradstreet) represent an amazing period of post-Reformation church history. The Puritans knew grace, committed themselves to education, longed to see the power of gospel transformation, and strove to know God above all else.

The Glory of Grace: An Introduction to the Puritans in The Own Words by Lewis Allen and Tim Chester is your welcome mat to the readings of Puritans. While they can hardly scratch the surface of these deeply biblical and grace-driven Christians in such a short volume, they will help whet your appetite to devour more of the Puritan literature and, most importantly, God’s Word.

The list of Puritans in this short volume is far from exhaustive but gives you a glimpse of the riches found in the writings of the Puritan era. Allen and Chester highlight the following Puritans pastors, authors, and poets:

• Richard Sibbes
• Thomas Goodwin
• Samuel Rutherford
• William Bridge
• Jeremiah Burroughs
• Anne Bradstreet
• John Owen
• Richard Baxter
• John Bunyan
• John Flavel
• Thomas Boston

Each chapter includes a very brief biography of the author followed by excerpts of their most popular and noteworthy writings. Since the Puritan writings can be rough waters to wade through, Lewis and Allen gently edited their writings, replacing archaic words with contemporary ones as well as adding headings to aid in reading comprehension—think King James Version without “thee”, “thou”, or “superfluity of naughtiness”.

Whether you’re just getting introduced to the Puritans or have read several Puritan works, The Glory of Grace is a great introduction to the Puritans. As an avid reader, I always get excited to see recommended further readings. Every chapter, including the introduction, has them. Be sure to grab some of those readings—many found at Banner of Truth—and continue reading the Puritans. Not only will you get pithy quotes and convicting sermons, but you’ll also get biblical references galore. Consider The Glory of Grace a wade into the shallow end of rich Puritan theology.