Articles (Page 6)

Ralph Venning wrote in The Sinfulness of Sin, “let me again, then, entreat, beseech and beg you for God’s sake and for your souls’ sake not to sin.”  Ralph Venning (1621-1674) was born in Devon, England, and spent his childhood and young adult life in Tavistock. It was there that Venning met a Puritan preacher, George Hughes, who faithfully ministered to him and two other men who also went on to minister. Historians note that Venning owed a lot of his…

“Contentment is not such a poor business as many make it. They say, ‘you must be content,’ and so on. But Paul needed to learn it, and it is a great art and mystery of godliness to be content in a Christian way, and it will be seen to be even more of a mystery when we come to show what lessons a gracious heart learns when it learns to be contented. Take a scholar who has great learning and…

Many Christians have read, used, or heard of Matthew Henry’s New and Old Testament Biblical Commentary. Many have seen his Commentary online and without much careful consideration never thought much of the man.  Matthew Henry was born in a farmhouse in a border town between Wales and England. It was around the time of his birth that his father, Philip Henry, was ejected from the pastorate for not complying with the Act of Uniformity. During his childhood, his father, Philip,…

John Bunyan is well recognized for his famous book Pilgrim’s Progress, but most do not know his life’s story was filled with many trials, he approached each challenge with courage grounded in his Savior, Jesus Christ.  John Bunyan was born in Elstow, near Bedford, in 1628 and died in 1688 in London. During his childhood and youth, he rebelled against God by living for himself. In his biography Bunyan said, “that from a child I had but few equals, both…

William Gurnall (1617-1679), was born at King’s Lynn, Norfolk about 100 miles from London. As a conformist, Gurnall is a controversial figure in Puritan history, he is well-known to readers of Puritan theology, but his personal details and history are scarce. There are three key overarching themes about Gurnall’s life, he was a Puritan of the seventeenth century, he was an Anglican Minister of Lavenham, and he wrote a well-known book of practical divinity “The Christian in Complete Armour.” Gurnall’s…

Thomas Goodwin was born on October 5, 1600, in Rollesby, Norfolk, England, and died on February 23, 1680, in London. Goodwin was a powerful Puritan who was a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell and friends with John Owen. With Owen and with other like-minded separatists, he helped draft the Savoy Declaration, a confession of faith for the Congregationalists, a group of independent Presbyterians. Goodwin was an intellectual, he earned his B.A. from Christ’s College, Cambridge at the age of 16 and…

The preacher whom Cotton Mather called “the Light of the Western Churches” was far from being a man of one subject. Nonetheless, Thomas Hooker’s overriding interest was evangelistic or with what was then called ‘the application of redemption’.  Thomas Hooker was born at Markfield, Leicestershire, on July 7, 1586. When he was nineteen, he went to Queen’s College, where he was older than most new students. That same year, he started going to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, which was known as a…

Robert Traill (1642–1716) was a minister who experienced persecution from a young age and approached each of his trials with grace. Traill was born in Scotland into the family of a Presbyterian minister. Due to his upbringing and convictions, he stood with the Presbyterian cause pushing back against the Church of England. Traill promoted and advanced true Christianity through the regions of Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Due to not aligning with Anglicanism, he and many other Scottish ministers suffered…

Edward Dering (1540-1576) was a preacher without compromise, and in 1570 he was invited to speak before Queen Elizabeth I and her royal subjects. Dering did not hold back any punches. Here is part of his message: “Look upon your ministry (clergy), and there are some of one occupation, some of another: some shake bucklers, some ruffians, some hawkers and hunters, some dicers and carders, some blind guides and can not see, some dumb dogs and will not bark. And…

Donald Cargill (1619-1681), a Scottish Puritan died in 1681, and his last words were recorded saying, “The Lord knows I go on this ladder with less fear and perturbation of mind than ever I entered the pulpit to preach.” Cargill grew up in a Christian home, but during a trying season in his adolescence, he struggled with depression and doubt. One day, his mental struggle became so strong that he contemplated taking his own life by hurling himself into a…

“Oh be of good comfort, we hold Christ by faith and not by feeling.” – Richard Greenham Richard Greenham’s (1540—1594) life emphasized the ‘Puritan Work Ethic’ of diligence and hard labor. The details of his birth and upbringing are scarce, but sources say he studied at Pembroke hall, Cambridge as a mature student in 1559. He earned his M.A. degree and spent about twelve years studying and teaching. When he left his comfortable position at university around 1570, he moved…

“Christ is a sea of sweetness, without one drop of bitterness.” – John Flavel Flavel was born at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, about 1630 and died June 26, 1691, he was 64, in the city of Exeter. In 1656, Flavel became the minister at the seaport town of Dartmouth and spent most of his life ministering in the area. His constant prayer and hope were that Dartmouth would be a town of people who loved to pray and commune with God.  In…