"Puritan Piety: Writings in Honor of Joel R. Beeke" ed. by Haykin and Smalley. A Review

 

It's not only an interesting subject, but one worthy of focused attention: the piety of the Puritans, those 16th and 17th Century believers who wanted the purity of the church to be advanced. Was that piety superficial, self-righteous, sincere, substantive? What fueled their devotion, and gave them direction? Those are good questions to be asked and answered. So, very fittingly, this volume is dedicated to Joel R. Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, editor of Puritan Reformed Journal and Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. "Puritan Piety: Writings in Honor of Joel R. Beeke" is a 304-page softback that delves into samples of Puritan reverence and zeal. It's a full-blooded historical study, written in a straightforward manner, easy to digest, and beneficial for thoughtful readers.

In this volume one will meet John Calvin, John Owen, John Cotton, Thomas Gouge, Daniel Dyke, Jonathan Edwards, and a host of others. Though much of the work has biographical content, the various authors take on each Puritan's primary thought regarding piety specifically. The authors include Michael Haykin, Paul Smalley, Ryan McGraw, Mark Jones, Joseph Pipa, Chad Van Dixhoorn, W. Robert Godfrey, Sinclair Ferguson, Richard Muller, Randall Pederson, Leland Rykan, J. Stephen Yuille, and Robert Oliver. Simply wading through the cast of contributors shows the breadth of Beeke's relationships, and the importance of this subject.

Most of the authors focus on specific pastors and writers, drawing the significant themes from their works, whether the subject is preaching, Psalm-singing, the Lord's Supper, or self-deception. Other of the authors cover larger topics and pile samples into their focused topic, tackling what theology is, Christology, or the Westminster Assembly and moral reform. In whichever chapter a reader strolls through, there is much here that will encourage, bring reflection and reorientation, and at times put one to the test. For example, as McGraw is answering the question "What is Theology" he points out how it is possible for "Reformed Christians to act like false teachers by the wake of strife, anger, rudeness, and division they leave behind them" and that therefore it is important "to hold our beliefs in the right way" as well "as to hold right beliefs" (31). Or when Chad Van Dixhoorn recounts the situation with the Westminster Assembly and moral reform and observes that for "moralists the current decade is always the worst" (93).

"Puritan Piety" will benefit any pastor or parishioner who works through the volume with intent and purpose. They will find themselves becoming more appreciative of the aims and desires of the Puritans, and better informed in their historical contexts. A reader will walk away glad they invested the time to peruse these pages. I highly recommend the book.