Shepherd the Flock

Here is where I will list books that I have personally read and recommend. This list will be updated on a regular basis, so make sure to check back often.

Other options for book reviews and recommendations include Discerning Reader and Westminister Bookstore Reviews.

For the best market place on the web for Reformed books, see my favorites:

• Monergismbooks.com
• Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service
• Grace and Truth Books

Below is a short list of books that I have recently read and recommend. Eventually, I’d like to post some kind of review on some of these, but if nothing else, I have recently read and recommend all the books listed here, so feel free to contact me if you’d like further information on a particular read.

Recently Read:
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Remedy For Wandering Thoughts in the Worship of God, by Richard Steele

Publisher Description:

“High and lofty thoughts of God bring reverent worship to God. Casual and familiar thoughts of God incur careless worship.” This book teaches us reverence in worship.
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The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins

Publisher Description:

William Perkins (1558-1602) provides basic guidance to help all Christians to read and use the Bible intelligently. He has a particularly powerful message for those who lead God’s people and especially those who preach. The books was first published in 1592, and is on the critical nature of preaching. One of the most critical errors of modern seeker churches is the decline in importance of what is preached from their pulpits.
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Authority, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Publisher Description:

Dr. Lloyd-Jones expounds the divine authority of Christ, of his Word, and of his Spirit.

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Biblical Theology, by John Owen

“Overall, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. The length and detail of the work will prove way too much for it to be profitable to anyone but the serious student, and this is to be somewhat lamented.”

My full review here.
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Counted Righteous in Christ, by John Piper

“Out of 5 stars, I give this one a strong 5. Without a doubt, this is a must-have must-read.”

My full review of this book can be found here. 

 “Does Christ’s lifelong record of perfect obedience to God get ‘credited’ to your account when you trust in Christ and are ‘justified’ by God? This has been the historic Protestant understanding of the ‘imputation of Christ’s righteousness,’ but John Piper warns that we are in danger of losing this doctrine today because of attacks by scholars within the evangelical camp. In response, Piper shows, in careful treatment of passage after passage, that the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to believers is clearly the teaching of the Bible, and if we abandon this doctrine we will also lose justification by faith alone. I am thankful to God for John Piper’s defense of this crucial doctrine.”
Wayne Grudem

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Justification Vindicated, by Robert Trail

“Overall, I give this book 4 stars out of 5, and would particularly recommend it to new or young Christians for a good defense and explanation of the foundation that lies at the heart of our faith.”

Full Review of this book can be found here. 

Publisher Description:
Can sinners really be justified before God by faith alone? If so, can they go on to live as they please? Robert Traill suffered persecution, exile and prison for faithfulness to the gospel. He shows here, with rare clarity and grace, that only justification by faith alone, shows sinners the way to a holy God, makes them a holy and obedient people, gives them joyful assurance of acceptance with God.
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The Genius of Puritanism, by Peter Lewis

My full review of this book can be found here. 

“Out of 5 stars, I give this one a strong 4. Put it in the top 10% of your ‘must-have’ book list.”

Publisher Description:

“Lewis provides an excellent foretaste of the rich meal that readers of the works of the Puritans can enjoy. His arrangement of the matter — the brief biographical touches, the judicious selections threaded into a continuing theme, etc., is brilliant.” — Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
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Thomas Boston: His Life & Times, by Andrew Thomson

Publisher Description:Few British pastors can claim to have written a book that is amongst the ‘life-books of their generation’, yet Boston is one. His Fourfold State of Man has been the instrument of countless conversions and could be said to have changed the zeitgeist of his era as effectively as Luther’s Commentary on Galatians, Alleine’s Alarm to the Unconverted, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Edwards’ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Wilberforce’s True Christianity or Lewis’ Mere Christianity.

“The author, a godly Scottish biographer of Owen and Baxter, here portrays the gentle country pastor whose exemplary devotion to his calling and Hebrew scholarship and linguistic ability added strength to his advocacy of the theology of the Reformers, Puritans and Covenanters, when this was being undermined by the Moderates of his day. It is so good to find a biographer whose affection for his subject does not mar his judgement, but warms the reader’s heart. Thomson’s fine biography confirms John ‘Rabbi’ Duncan’s description of Boston as a ‘commonplace genius.’ With the emphasis on genius.”
–Peace and Truth
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The Almost Christian Discovered, by Matthew Mead

Publisher Description:John Macarthur in the foreword, writes: “This is not balm for the emotions; it is food for the soul. Those looking for a tranquilizing devotional study will not be soothed by this book. People who have come to Christ only for what they can get out of Him will find no encouragement here! On the other hand, true believers, who want to deepen their walk - even struggling Christians who are open to reproof and instruction - will find plenty of sustenance on these pages.”
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Saved from What?, by RC Sproul

Publisher Description: Challenges readers to understand God’s act of salvation so that they may fully grasp the glory of being saved.

Imagine that you approach someone who has never stepped inside a church or paused long enough on a religious channel to understand what the preacher was shouting about. This is the case for many Americans regarding the question, “Are you saved?” The initial response might be, “Saved from what?” It’s a logical reply. Yet too many of us as Christians don’t really know how to answer that question–for the ones we are trying to witness to, or for ourselves.

R.C. Sproul shows that what we are saved from is really a who–God Himself. That the glory of the gospel is that the One from whom we need to be saved is the very One who saves us. It is when we truly grasp who God is and who we are that we begin to understand the serious demands and joys of repentance.

Written for all Christians, Sproul’s book uses word studies and biblical insight to challenge readers to fully give their hearts to their Savior.

Foreword by Lane T. Dennis.

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Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, by Thomas Brooks

Publisher Description:

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. 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.

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The EXCELLENT Works of Thomas Brooks:

The Works of Thomas Brooks, by Thomas Brooks

Publisher Description: Brooks’ popularity lies both in his subjects - practical truths, central to the Christian life - and in the manner of his presentation. He is ever direct, urgent, fervent, full of Scripture and able to choose words which make his sentences as memorable as melodies.

The definitive edition of the Works of Brooks, here reissued, was first published by James Nichol in 1866. It was edited by A. B. Grosart. At that time, C. H. Spurgeon commented in The Sword and the Trowel,

“The volumes now before us are by that marvelously rich author Thomas Brooks, whose wealth of imagery surpasses all others of his age. The mere marginal notes of Brooks are more valuable than pages of ordinary writers; we take pleasure in the stones of his temple, and the very dust thereof we favor. Of all the Puritans he is the most readable, if we except John Bunyan; and if he cannot display the depth of Owen or the raciness of Adams, he leaves them far behind in excessive [unusual] sweetness and sparkling beauty of metaphor. There is a clear, silvery, refreshing sound in the name ‘Brooks’, and as is the name, such is the man. Every reader who can afford the money should purchase this incorrupt, unmutilated, unchanged, well-printed and perfectly edited copy of Brooks.”

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The Quest for Meekness and Quietness of Spirit, by Matthew Henry

Publisher Description:

In this book Henry writes, “Next to the beauty of holiness, which is the soul’s agreement with God, is the beauty of meekness, which is the soul’s agreement with itself. Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for the powers of the soul to dwell in unity, the reason knowing how to rule, and the affections at the same time knowing how to obey.”
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The Puritans on Prayer, by John Preston, Nathaniel Vincent and Samuel Lee

Publisher Description: Prayer is a language of the soul. It is a privilege as well as a duty. Jonathan Edwards said that the absence of prayer was one of the marks of a nominal Christian, a hypocrite, that they were deficient in the duty of prayer. This is a conglomeration of 3 different treatises on Prayer.

John Preston’s The Saints’ Daily Exercise is the first modern printing of this classic work. The Puritans, seeing all of life as a spiritual battle, also saw prayer as one of the main weapons of spiritual armor. Preston gives us five sermons on 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray continually.” He shows, first, what prayer is, and then teaches us what it is to pray continually.

Nathaniel Vincent’s treatise, The Spirit of Prayer, was first published in 1684. In the preface to that edition he wrote” “Prayer is an ordinance that God has appointed, and it is a great privilege that we are allowed to pour out our souls before Him. His hand is not shortened, His ear is not heavy. Now the Father of mercies is upon the mercy seat. Now the Lord Jesus is will to be your Advocate, and to intercede for you. Now the spirit of grace is ready to help our infirmities.”

Samuel Lee, an English Puritan who came to America after the ejection of 1662, writes of secret prayer, or “closet prayer,” as the Puritans called it. This is a treatise on Matthew 6:6.
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Let the Nations be Glad!, by John Piper

Publisher Description: Since its publication a decade ago, Let the Nations Be Glad! has provided thousands of seminary students, missionaries, and pastors with a sound theological foundation for missions. Piper now offers a revised and expanded edition of this theological and biblical defense of God’s supremacy in all things. Drawing on texts from the Old and New Testaments, Piper demonstrates that worship is the ultimate goal of the church and that proper worship drives missionary outreach. He describes prayer as the fuel of missions work because of its focus on a relationship with God rather than the needs of the world. He goes on to illustrate that while suffering is the price of missions, God is worthy of any sacrifice. He examines whether Jesus is the only way to salvation and discusses the extent of the missionary enterprise, seeking to define the scope of the task and the means to reaching “all nations.”

This revised and expanded edition contains updated references to contemporary literature and debates and new illustrations and quotations. This edition also boasts a new preface and a final section devoted to the practical outworking of compassion and worship. Included in this new section is a chapter encouraging passion for God’s supremacy and compassion for man’s soul, based on Jonathan Edwards’ musings on the unity of motives for world missions. Concluding this section is a chapter containing Piper’s reflections on New Testament worship as an inner reality more than an external form.

Let the Nations Be Glad! is essential reading for all those involved in or preparing for missions work and provides inspiring theological reflection for college and seminary students. This book also offers enlightenment for pastors, youth workers, those involved in campus ministries, and all who want to connect their labors to God’s global purposes.
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Missionary to the New Hebrides, by John G. Paton

Publisher Description:

The autobiography of John G. Paton is a missionary classic. Paton witnessed the triumph of the gospel in two of the South Sea Islands. His life is almost without parallel in missionary annals and his account of it is moving and gripping.

Westminster Bookstore staff:

Paton’s autobiography traces his life from childhood in Dumfries, Scotland through to his last days. His passion to win to Christ cannibals on the New Hebrides Islands brought him into the middle of a life-threatening ministry. After experiencing many losses including the death of his wife and child on the island of Tanna , he is finally driven off the island by the natives. From there his work takes a different shape in fund-raising for the needs of the missionaries on those islands, and finally he is able to return himself to continue the work among the islanders, seeing many give their lives to Jesus. Paton’s life challenges readers to evaluate the depth of their commitment to Christ.

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A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness, by Jeremiah Burroughs

Publisher Description: Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646) is one of the most beloved of the 17th-century English Puritans. In this important work, Burroughs shows from Scripture the great sin of thinking as the world thinks rather than thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Then, realizing that right conduct is the result of right thinking, Burroughs gives us another gem in the second treatise offered here, A Heavenly Conversation, or Walking with God.

The Puritans rightly discerned the relationship between a person’s doctrine, and their walk before God and fellow man. May the Lord use these sermons to give us the same kind of discernment in our day. May we learn to think biblically, and then may we begin to act accordingly.

“We give ourselves with abandon to our pleasures as if we would die tomorrow. But we build houses and we accumulate things as if we would live forever. You ought to consider this more. The Puritans were great at meditating on this life with the next one in view. I encourage you to read Jeremiah Burroughs’ A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness . It is a wonderful meditation on exactly what this kind of worldly mindedness means, and what is looks like in our lives.”
–Dr. Mark Dever, Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
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Lectures to My Students, by Charles Spurgeon

Publisher Description: Combines ageless wisdom with well-tuned wit to produce some of the most memorable, instructive, and inspiring messages to students of divinity ever composed. - Randall J. Pederson, WTS Books staff & author of Day by Day with Jonathan Edwards

“Soon, the floods of his pent-up wisdom poured fourth; the flashes of his inimitable wit lit up every face, and his pathos brought tears to all eyes. It was an epoch in student-life to hear him deliver his Lectures to my Students.”
- From a former student of Spurgeon’s at the Pastors’ College

The substance of Spurgeon’s regular Friday afternoon addresses to the students of the Pastor’s College (founded by Spurgeon in 1857 to train others for the ministry), this new complete and unabridged Banner edition, newly typeset and smyth-sewn, contains all the lectures in the original first and second series, including “The Minister’s Self-Watch,” “The Preacher’s Private Prayer,” “The Minister’s Fainting Fits,” “The Holy Spirit in Connection with our Ministry,” “The Need of Decision for the Truth,” and “On Conversion as our Aim.” This edition also includes a third series of lectures, originally published as “The Art of illustration,” and Spurgeon’s Commenting and Commentaries, which contains two further lectures and a fascinating and often humorously annotated catalogue of commentaries.

Reflecting on nature of this work, Spurgeon writes, “The solemn work with which the Christian ministry concerns itself demands a man’s all, and that all at its best. To engage in it half-heartedly is an insult to God and man. Slumber must forsake our eyelids sooner than men shall be allowed to perish. Yet we are all prone to sleep as do others, and students, among the rest, are apt to act the part of the foolish virgins; therefore have I sought to speak out my whole soul, in the hope that I might not create or foster dullness in others. May He in whose hand are the churches and their pastors bless these words to younger brethren in the ministry, and if so, I shall count it more than a full reward, and shall gratefully praise the Lord.”
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Spurgeon: A New Biography, by Arnold Dallimore

Publisher Description:“Following Spurgeon’s death in 1892, for two years or more new biographies appeared at the rate of about one a month. The early accounts did little but emphasize admiration. Certain areas that should have been presented - for instance, his ability as a theologian and the methods he used in leading souls to Christ - were almost entirely overlooked The situation was remedied to some extent when in 1894 the six volume ‘Life and Work of Charles Haddon Spurgeon’ by Golden Pike appeared and in 1897 when the four volume work by Spurgeon’s wife and secretary, entitled ‘C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography’ began to be published. I have here, (says Dallimore) endeavored to understand and present something of the innerman.’

It is felt that his book will meet the need of those completely ignorant of Spurgeon and at the same time provide a new approach from a biographer who, from past experience of his writings, commands our greatest respect.

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The Great Gain of Godliness, by Thomas Watson

Publisher Description:C. H. Spurgeon had a well-stocked library of Puritan books that contained around 12,000 volumes. However, one rare book was not to be found amongst that valuable collection: Thomas Watson’s Notes on Malachi 3:16-18. With a note of sadness in his voice he said to his College students: ‘This [volume] would be a great find if we could come at it, for Watson is one of the clearest and liveliest of Puritan authors. We fear we shall never see this commentary, for we have tried to obtain it, and tried in vain.’

In this reset and lightly edited edition you can now read the book that was on Spurgeon’s ‘wish-list’! “The Great Gain of Godliness” is Watson’s exposition of Mal. 3:16-18. In it he aims ‘to encourage solid piety and confute the atheists of the world, who imagine there is no gain in godliness.’ This book has all the hallmarks of Thomas Watson’s other writings: a combination of rich spirituality, nourishing doctrine, and sane practical wisdom coupled with fascinating illustrations and a very pleasant style.
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Preaching Christ: The Heart of Gospel Ministry, by Charles P. McIlvaine

Publisher Description:The New Testament leaves us in no doubt that the heart of the preaching of the Apostles and the early church was Christ. Every example of preaching from the apostolic era centers on this same grand theme. Yet so often, in the centuries since, the church has weakened her own witness and effectiveness by veering away from the apostolic example. How did the Apostles preach Christ? What mistakes must preachers today avoid? What is involved in preaching Christ? And what are the essential qualifications of heart and mind for this great work? These are the questions Bishop Charles P. McIlvaine set out to answer in this address to those entering the ministry.
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The Fear of God, by John Bunyan

Publisher Description: This important book addresses the objects and reasons for fear, the rule and various kinds of fear, the true character of the fear of God, the effects of godly fear, the privileges of those who fear God, and the uses of this doctrine. This work contains an introduction, outline of the book, and a study guide at the end for personal or group study. This edition has been completely retypeset for easier reading.

Bunyan’s Treatise on the Fear of God is pure God. It has been very helpful to me in my own study of the fear of God.” - Jerry Bridges
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The Supremacy of God in Preaching, by John Piper

Publisher Description: Book Description
According to Warren Wiersbe, The Supremacy of God in Preaching ”calls us back to a biblical standard for preaching, a standard exemplified by many of the pulpit giants of the past, especially Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon.” This newly revised edition is an essential guide for preachers who want to stir the embers of revival. Piper focuses his study on the example of Jonathan Edwards as an illustration of a leader who submitted to God.

From the Back Cover
“Calls us back to a biblical standard for preaching, a standard exemplified by many of the pulpit giants of the past, especially Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon.”–Warren W. Wiersbe, author and conference speaker

“The Bible is not a book of practical suggestions on how to live a better adjusted life. The Bible is a revelation of God. The Supremacy of God in Preaching reminds preachers of what we easily forget to our peril and the peril of the people in our care.”–Haddon Robinson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“John Piper passionately and prophetically calls all preachers to make God supreme over any method and in every message. The plan is too simple for a fallen world to notice and too powerful for a faithful preacher to ignore.”–Dr. Bryan Chapell, Covenant Theological Seminary

“The Supremacy of God in Preaching is one of the few truly indispensable books on gospel ministry.”–Philip Graham Ryken, senior minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

“Occasionally, among the myriads of books for ministers, a work appears so seminal to the preacher’s calling that it can safely be said: ‘This is a must read.’ The Supremacy of God in Preaching is such a book.”–Sinclair B. Ferguson, Westminster Theological Seminary

“Here’s a book that every preacher should read at least once a year. This book is a powerful antidote to the unbalanced, self-centered preaching of today.”–Erwin W. Lutzer, senior pastor, The Moody Church, Chicago

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The Hidden Smile of God, by John Piper

Publisher Description: He suffered imprisonment for twelve years, even when a simple promise to cease preaching would have gained him freedom. But Bunyan’s steadfast belief that God ordered every trial would not allow him to relent, and moved him to rely even more upon “Him who is invisible.”

William Cowper: Even when his own sky was filled with clouds of dread, Cowper’s poetry was a reflection of the sustaining character of God–music for the mind that led him to endure, and to worship more deeply.

David Brainerd: So great was Brainerd’s desire to honor God that he joyously cried, “Oh for holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press after God.” Through the lonliness of wilderness ministry and the agony of tuberculosis, he pressed on, transforming world missions forever.

Great privilege. Great pain. God’s design. This is God’s way: to take the privilege of faith and strengthen it with trials so that we can worship and witness with a greater passion for God.

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The Bruised Reed, by Richard Sibbes

Publisher Description: This work has been widely valued since its first publication. It is now issued for the first time in a pocket-size format in the Puritan Paperbacks series. Some of the language and punctuation have been modernized to make the work more accessible. Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), one of the most influential figures of affectional theology in the Puritan movement during the earlier years of the seventeenth century, was renowned for the rich quality of his ministry. The Bruised Reed shows why he was known among his contemporaries as “the sweet dropper.”

The title of the book comes from a passage in Isaiah, among the “Servant Songs” which foretell the coming of the promised Messiah and speak of His role as the suffering servant. “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment into truth”. It speaks of Jesus’ ministry being one of gentleness and mercy to sinners. “…by misery he is brought to see sin as the cause it, so that together these, a bruised reed and a smoking flax, make up together the state of a poor, distressed man. This is such an one as our Saviour Christ terms ‘poor in spirit’ (Matthew 5:3), who sees his wants, and also sees himself indebted to divine justice, [with] no means of supply from himself” (pg. 3-4). But this bruising is itself a gift of grace, as it is “required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what we indeed are by nature”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones says of this book: “I shall never cease to be grateful to Richard Sibbes who was balm to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired, and therefore subject in an unusual manner to the onslaughts of the devil. I found at that time that Richard Sibbes, who was known in London in the early seventeenth century as “The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes” was an unfailing remedy. The Bruised Reed quietened, soothed, comforted, encouraged, and healed me”.

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Rediscovering Catechism: The Art of Equipping Covenant Children, by Donald Van Dyken

Publisher Description:

A contribution to the renaissance of catechism. Investigates the meaning and history of catechizing, and outlines practical considerations and steps for productive catechizing.

“A persuasive call to the grand tradition of catechizing our covenant children. May the church hear and heed this call. If we do, perhaps we will reap a harvest of stalwart saints who are zealous for Christ’s crown and covenant.”
–Susan Hunt

“One of the most important and practical tools for pastors, parents, and teachers that I have come across in recent years. I plan on ordering it in boxes.”
–Michael S. Horton

“Van Dyken sets a tone of optimism and joy about this central duty and unspeakable privilege that God has given his churches. Even those who do not share his commitment to the baptism of infants can benefit from his cogent argument and helpful suggestions.”
–Tom J. Nettles

“Parents everywhere-particularly homeschoolers-will rejoice. Historically sound, biblically substantive, practically oriented, immediately accessible-a book every pastor, Sunday school teacher, elder, and principal will be able to recommend.”
–George and Karen Grant

“It is hard to think of anything that would be of greater-or more lasting-benefit to Presbyterian and Reformed churches than to take heed to Van Dyken’s wise counsel.”
–G. I. Williamson

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A Family Well-Ordered, by Cotton Mather

Publisher Description:

Cotton Mather, one of the most prolific writers and significant ministers of Puritan times and in American church history, applies and explains the Bible’s teaching on how to lead your family in a way pleasing in the sight of God. Two simple chapters, the first on the Duties of Parents to their Children, and the second on the Duties of Children to the Parents.

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The Case for Family Worship, by George Hamond

Publisher Description: Family worship involving the instruction of children in the faith is the duty laid upon all parents by the Scriptures (Deut. 6:4–9). Unfortunately, it is a duty often neglected in our own day.

As we take the time to catechize our families and worship with them in addition to the services on the Lord’s Day, they will better understand how worship is to be found in all of life. This book by Puritan author George Hamond presents the biblical mandate and pattern for family worship.

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Practical Godliness: The Ornament of All Religion, by Vincent Alsop

Publisher Description: A life of faith, in which good deeds shine on display from the life, is an ornament, decorating a life to the glory of God. Is anything more missing in the church, for the past 100 years, than Practical Godliness? Alsop is a welcome Puritan guide on this subject. Appendixed is his sermon entitled “The Sinfulness of Strange Apparel”, providing a rare Biblical theology of clothing and fashion.

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The Reformed Pastor, by Richard Baxter

Publisher Description: One of the best known classics on the work of the Christian ministry. Is a most extraordinary performance, and should be read by every young minister, before he takes a people under his stated care; and, I think, the practical part of it reviewed every three or four years; for nothing would have a greater tendency to awaken the spirit of a minister to that zeal in his work, for want of which many good men are but shadows of what (by the blessing of God) they might be, if the maxims and measures laid down in that incomparable Treatise were strenuously pursued. - Philip Doddridge

“Of the excellence of this work, it is scarcely possible to speak in too high terms. It is not a directory relative to the various parts of the ministerial office, and in this respect it may, by some, be considered as defective; but, for powerful, pathetic, pungent, heartpiercing address, we know of no work on the pastoral office to be compared with it.” - William Brown

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The Crook in the Lot, by Thomas Boston

Publisher Description: When calamity and disaster strike as it did on September 11th, many people begin to ask, “Where is God?” and “Why did God allow this to happen?” These are the very questions Thomas Boston addresses in this timeless book. This book includes an introduction and a study guide to maximize the impact of this classic work.

In this book, Thomas Boston explains how the sovereignty and wisdom of God is displayed in the afflictions of men. In his approach to this difficult subject, he is both theologically precise and pastorally tender. Boston does not commit the error of needlessly trying to protect God’s reputation, nor does he go to the opposite extreme of making God a compassionate but helpless bystander. Rather, Boston brings God right into the mix of even the most disastrous events, and shows how He is actively involved in both the events and their resolution. Let the wisdom of the ages be a salve during this time of crisis and bewilderment. May the God of all comfort be your comfort in troubled times.

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Keeping the Heart, by John Flavel

A post on this book can be found here, with a review coming soon. “John Flavel’s Keeping the Heart…Without a doubt this is one of the very best Christian books I have ever read…to be frank: the book has forever impacted me and changed my perspective on the Christian life. Flavel admonishes us to ‘keep the heart’, or keep watch over the heart, as it is the fountain from which all of our actions flow (Prov 4:23)…”

Publisher Description: In this book, John Flavel provides an exposition of Proverbs 4:23: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Flavel reminds us that from the heart flows all wickedness and so therefore we must guard it so that we might not sin against our heavenly Father.
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The Truth War, by John MacArthur

“Overall, I give this book a good 8 out of 10 stars. It’s definitely a book you’ll want to give to a friend who might be caught up in the popular mindset that everybody’s opinion has at least some weight to it –no matter how radical or heretical it may be. It’s simply a good overall introduction to subject of the exclusivity of the gospel.” Read the full review here.

Publisher Description: Right now, Truth is under attack, and much is at stake. Christians are caught in the crossfire of alternative Christian histories, emerging faulty texts, and a cultural push to eliminate absolute Truth altogether. As a result, many churches and Christians have been deceived. Worse still, they propagate the deception that poses itself as Truth! In The Truth War John MacArthur reclaims the unwavering certainty of God’s Truth and anchors Christians in the eternal, immovable promises that are found in His Word.

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The Secret Key to Heaven: The Vital Importance of Private Prayer, by Thomas Brooks

Publisher Description: ‘The power of religion and godliness lives, thrives, or dies as closet prayer lives, thrives or dies.’ This was the deeply held conviction of Thomas Brooks, the author of this book. A pastor who knew his people well, he feared that many Christians do not understand the ‘necessity, excellency, and usefulness’ of private prayer, and live in ‘too great a neglect of this indispensable duty.’ Focusing on our Lord’s words about closet-prayer in Matthew 6:6, Brooks supplies us with a masterful treatment of a vitally important aspect of the Christian’s life. His aim is intensely practical: ‘to preserve and keep up the power of religion and godliness both in men’s houses, hearts and lives.’ The mere marginal notes of Brooks are more valuable than pages of ordinary writers…of all the Puritans he is the most readable. - C.H. Spurgeon

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Doctrine of Repentance, by Thomas Watson

Publisher Description: Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting, are essential to true Christianity. Few better guides have existed in any area of spiritual experience than Thomas Watson. A good case could be made out for believing that “repentance” is one of the least used words in the Christian church today. In a world that will not tolerate the mention of sin, and in churches where it has been defined only in sociological terms, the biblical teaching on repentance has inevitably been ignored. Knowing what repentance is, and actually repenting are essential to true Christianity. Jesus Christ himself said that if we do not repent, we will perish! It is vital, therefore, to read and study what Scripture has to say about this theme. Watson was a master of both Scripture and the human heart, and wrote with a simplicity and directness that keeps his work fresh and powerful for the twentieth century.

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Glorious Freedom, by Richard Sibbes

Publisher Description: The original title of this study was “The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law”, being a comparison of the greater and full revelation of God in the New Covenant. Sibbes joyfully shows us how the Spirit of God produces likeness to Christ and consequent great liberty in those who are members of it. One of few Puritan treatises with much to say about the doctrine of adoption. A renowned Puritan shows the transforming liberty which comes from seeing Christ in the gospel. An exposition of 2 Corinthians 3:17-18. This is a book full of affection that will warm your heart and enrich your walk with Jesus Christ. Sibbes never dissapoints.
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Call the Sabbath a Delight, Walter Chantry

Publisher Description:

“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words” Isaiah 58:13 The author’s concern is to show why and how the Lord’s Day is meant to be one of joy for God’s people. An important book for all Christians to read.
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Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, by J.I. Packer

Publisher Description:

If God is in control of everything, can Christians sit back and not bother to evangelize? Or does active evangelism imply that God is not really sovereign at all? J.I. Packer shows in this classic study how both of these attitudes are false. In a careful review of the biblical evidence, he shows how a right understanding of God’s sovereignty is not so much a barrier to evangelism as an incentive and powerful support for it.
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The Forgotten Spurgeon, Iain Murray

Publisher Description: An incisive, historical and theological insight into the great 19th century Baptist, with emphasis on the doctrines that moulded his life and thought. Murray particularly focuses on Spurgeon’s stance in three major doctrinal controversies of his times. Should be read side-by-side with Murray’s later work, Spurgeon Vs. Hypercalvinism. One whows Spurgeons’ battle with Arminianism and the other against hypercalvinism. With a huge number of quotes from his sermons, personal writings
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The Mystery of Providence, John Flavel

Publisher Description: First published in 1678, this little work well illustrates and explains the purpose of God for his people. Do we believe that everything in the world and in our own lives down to the minutest details is ordered by the providence of God? Do we ever take time to observe and meditate on the workings of providence? If not, are we missing much? It should be a delight and pleasure to us to discern how God woks all things in the world for His own Glory and His people’s good. But it should be an even greater pleasure to observe the particular designs of providence in our own lives. ‘O what a world of rarities,’ say’s John Flavel, ‘are to be found in providence…with what profound wisdom, infinite tenderness and incessant vigilance it has managed all that concerns us from first to last.’ It was to persuade Christians of the excellency of observing and meditating upon this that Flavel first published his Mystery of Providence in 1678. Since then the work has gone through many editions. Based on the words ‘God that performeth all things for me’ (Ps.57v2) this work shows us how providence works for us in every stage and experience of our lives. The book is richly illustrated from the lives of believers and from the author’s wide reading in church history. There are avenues of spiritual knowledge and experience opened to the Christian in this work, which he probably never knew existed. Considered by many to be THE classic work on Providence
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Life & Diary of David Brainerd, edited by Jonathan Edwards

Publisher Description: THERE are two ways of representing and recommending true religion and virtue to the world; the one, by doctrine and precept; the other, by instance and example; both are abundantly used in the Holy Scriptures. Not only are the grounds, nature, design, and importance of religion clearly exhibited in the doctrines of Scripture–its exercise and practice plainly delineated, and abundantly enforced, in its commands and counsels–but there we have many excellent examples of religion, in its power and practice, set before us, in the histories both of the Old and New Testament…True Classic. One of the best Christian missionary biographies ever written. Drenched in prayer.
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