This is not really a review as such since I have not yet finished reading the volume; indeed it is to a large degree a reference work which some will not read from cover-to-cover (though such would be recommended). The book itself is the result of twenty years of careful labour by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson; two men who have already done much to encourage the reading of the Puritans. It is published by Reformation Heritage Books and is a large attractively produced volume of almost a thousand pages.

After a very useful preface there follows a brief history of Puritanism written by Kelly Kapic and Randall Gleason (there are other small sections of this book which are at least partially the work of individuals other than J. Beeke and R. Pederson). What then follows are brief biographies of every English and American Puritan who has had one or more of their works republished since 1956; or at least all those known to the authors. The Biographies themselves are short – sometimes extremely short – but warm and informative, nonetheless. However the chief value of this volume lies in the book reviews/descriptions which follow each biography. In the authors’ own words we have then “In all…comments on close to 700 volumes from more than 75 publishers, and nearly 150 brief biographies.”

In addition there are two appendices which do the same for a selection of ‘Scottish Puritans’ – Covenanters and Eighteenth Century Scottish Presbyterians – and ‘Dutch Further Reformation Divines’ or ‘Dutch Puritans’. The reviews of all these Puritan works also include such information as the date of the reprint, the number of pages, and the publisher of the reprint (a list of the addresses of these publishers is given at the start of the book). Most helpfully, an asterisk has been placed beside those works of a Puritan which have not been included in the reprinted Works of that same Puritan.

We have then a guild to almost every Puritan Volume that has been reprinted between 1956 and 2005. A few exceptions should be noted however. According to the authors they “have not usually attempted to include all the paperback editions of a particular author when his complete works have been reprinted. Nor have [they] included more than one edition of a book that has been reissued two or more times.” In the later case they explain that the best edition has been listed; or if two were equal they chose the volume that was still in print. Additionally we should note that only those volumes that have been reprinted in English have been included – this especially affects the list of reprints by the ‘Dutch Further Reformation Divines’, but is not limited to them as some Puritan works were written in Latin. Again early Puritans such as “John Bradford and John Hooper” have not been included.

I have already noted that with a broad definition of Puritanism, Scottish and Dutch Divines have been included in this volume. This definition also allows for the inclusion of later writers such as Jonathan Edwards in America, Thomas Boston and Ebenezer Erskine in Scotland, and Alexander Comrie in Holland (the authors make their time parameters 1558-1758 – the start of Queen Elizabeth’s reign to the death of Jonathan Edwards; though this fails to cover Comrie and one or two others). However, as well as time and geographic extensions of the term ‘Puritanism’, there is an ecclesiological extension – thus Episcopalians such as Thomas Adams, Ezekiel Hopkins and Joseph Hall are incorporated. Such men are said to be Puritan in ‘Spirit’, and we fully concur. Such men inconsistently applied Calvinistic theology, but their practical works are full of ‘Wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined.’ (Isa. 25 v 6)

Several other beneficial appendices have been added to this book to make it a thorough reference work for any who want to build a ‘Puritan Library’. Firstly there is an appendix which supplies details and comments on ‘Collections of Puritan Writings’ which is extremely helpful. This section informs us of books such as The Puritans in America – A Narrative Anthology, Fast Sermons to Parliament, 1640-1653 (34 Volumes), The Puritans – A Sourcebook of Their Writings (which includes such subjects as ‘Manners’, ‘Customs and Behaviour’, ‘The Theory of the State and Society’, ‘Poetry’, ‘Literary Theory’, and ‘Education and Science’), and The Mourning Exercises or Puritan Sermons 1659-1689 (6 Volumes). (By the way, that last named set of Puritan Sermons is worth re-mortgaging your house to obtain.)

Secondly there is an appendix on selected ‘Secondary Sources on the Puritans’. This appendix is quite short, but very valuable since it is annotated. It includes such works as The Everyday Work of the Westminster Assembly by William Carruthers, Worldly Saints – The Puritans as They Really Were by Leland Ryken (one of the most important modern books for understanding Puritanism), and The Puritan Hope by Iain Murray (which is one of my favourite books).

Thirdly there is a final word by J.I. Packer on ‘The Great Tradition’ which deals with Puritanism and our need today. I can say nothing about this as I have not read it yet.

Finally there is a non-annotated – though relatively extensive – ‘Bibliography of Secondary Sources on the Puritans’. This adds to the annotated bibliography and will prove useful for searches on the likes of Amazon.

I believe this volume will prove exceedingly useful to all who wish to build a Puritan ‘library’ of any size. It is designed to be of use to the individual who is only beginning to read the Puritans, as well as the ‘seasoned collector’. As the authors themselves state, this volume is a kind of companion volume to Robert P. Martin’s A Guide to the Puritans which supplies a topical and textual index to many Puritan volumes that have been reprinted since the 1950’s (as well as some of the works of modern authors). Martin’s work was published in 1997 by the Banner of Truth Trust and so at least fails to provide details of works published since that date which are now included in Meet the Puritans.

The authors hope to update this volume periodically – which I most certainly hope they are enabled to do.

G.M.

Classical Education and the Homeschool. Douglas Wilson, Wes Callihan, Douglas Jones. Bkl 47pages. Canon Press.

On becoming interested and then convinced of the need for Christian Education, the next question many people ask is ‘how?’ The answer is that there are a variety of approaches but one that is increasing in popularity is Classical Christian Education. Doug Wilson and his friends have produced a considerable amount of helpful literature on this subject and in this booklet they helpfully apply the approach to a homeschool situation.

Here you will find a brief description of Classical Education with it’s component parts of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. The importance of language and imagination in education are stressed and the basics of Latin, Logic and Rhetoric are introduced, all within the framework of a biblical worldview and the historical success of the Classical approach in past. The reader is left in no doubt that to embark on such a course demands hard work on the part of parent and child. The parent must read, and read substantially, not thinking of this as a hobby but as a vocation. As a guide, the authors have helpfully supplied a number of books for various subjects to direct parents where to begin their own education.

This is a very useful booklet and serves its stated purpose well. It will whet the appetite for further study.

G.B