"The Genius of Puritanism" by Peter Lewis

Lewis, Peter. The Genius of Puritanism. Morgan, Penn: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1997.   

It's no trouble to see why Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Joel Beeke would recommend Peter Lewis' book, The Genius of Puritanism.  Lewis sets out to show what the Puritans believed about preaching (both in proclamation and in the hearing) and spiritual formation. Part 1 is the Puritan in the Pulpit, Part 2 is the Puritan in the Pew, and Part 3 is the Puritan in Private. Part 1 has the most force and relevance to the problems of our day, and Part 3 is the most helpful to the person in the pew. The best feature of this book is the large and copious quotes from the Puritans, first explained with biographical sketches.  

This book is a great place to start if you've never read the Puritans or know little about them. It will provide a broad introduction to the people behind the revolution of the 16th and 17th Century Church. These sketches include men like William Perkins, Richard Sibbs, Jeremiah Burroughs, Richard Baxter, John Owen, Thomas Goodwin, John Owen, Thomas Brooks, and many more. In the following chapters, entire pages are quoted, with just a few sentences of explanation, followed by more passages from Puritan writings. 

If you're looking for a history of the Puritans, you'll need to look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a sample of the various writers of the time, you won't find a better option. In 136 pages, you'll discover much of the writing belongs to the 47 Puritans quoted. And while Lewis directed Part 1 toward preaching, you won't find more helpful writing for your soul than the samples in Part 3.  

Part 3 is focused on spiritual desertions and depression. What causes them? What ought we do about them? What about spiritual formation? The Puritans thought a lot about these matters and wrote many works on these topics. After reading sections from Part 3, I suspect that few can ignore the desire to seek out the complete volumes and read beyond the quoted material.  

While The Genius of Puritanism by Peter Lewis was first written in 1977 and came to us in reprints from the late 20th Century, it is as relevant and helpful as it was the day it was initially published.