The Works of William Perkins, Volume 1

by William Perkins, J. Stephen Yuille (Editor)

The present volume contains three of Perkins's treatises. The first is A Digest or Harmony of the Books of the Old and New Testament , which offers a synopsis of the Bible that relates sacred history to the chronology of the world. Dating God's creation of the universe in 3967 BC, Perkins develops his overview of redemptive history that culminates in the final judgment. The second treatise is The Combat between Christ and the Devil Displayed . Expounding Matthew 4:1-11, Perkins shows how Christ's temptation in the wilderness (1) set Jesus up to serve as the second Adam, overcoming Satan's temptation in a way the first Adam did not; (2) reveals how the devil assaults the church so that we might be better prepared to resist his temptations; and (3) equipped Christ to be a sympathetic high priest to those who are tempted. The third and most significant treatise is A Godly and Learned Exposition upon Christ's Sermon in the Mount . 'Hereof I have chosen to entreat,' says Perkins, 'because it is a most divine and learned sermon, and may not unfitly be called the Key to the whole Bible ; for here Christ opens the sum of the Old and New Testaments.' The fact that Perkins saw the Sermon on the Mount as unlocking the meaning of Scripture in its entirety suggests that his understanding of what Christ declares in Matthew 5-7 was pivotal to the development of his theology and piety. Table of
General Preface
Biographical Preface
Preface to Volume 1
1. Digest or Harmony of the Books of the Old and New Testaments
2. Combat Between Christ and the Devil
3. Sermon on the Mount
Scripture Index
Subject Index Endorsements
'There was no more important leader in the Puritan movement than William Perkins. To see his works reprinted in a reader-friendly format and with state-of-the-art critical apparatus as a bonus seems too good to be true. This project is a landmark event for both Reformation scholarship and the spiritual edification of Christians.' -- Leland Ryken, author of Worldly The Puritans as They Really Were 'Without a doubt, the Puritans were theological titans. The Puritan theological tradition did not emerge out of a vacuum. It was shaped by leaders and theologians who set the trajectory of the movement and shaped its commitments. William Perkins was one of those men. Perkins's contribution to Puritan theology is inestimable, and this new reprint of his collected works is a much-awaited addition to all who are still shaped and influenced by the Puritans and their commitment to the centrality of the grace of God found only in Jesus Christ. Even now, every true gospel minister stands in debt to Perkins, and in his shadow.' -- R. Albert Mohler Jr., president, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 'Sixty years ago, hardly any Puritan books remained in print. Now, in the kindness of God and through the diligent labors of Christian scholars, we have a veritable feat of Puritan reprints to consume and enjoy. Unfortunately, the complete works of William Perkins, a foundational leader in early English Reformed orthodoxy, has not been reprinted in 379 years. Thanks to Joel Beeke, Reformation Heritage Books, and several fine editors, this is no longer the case. They have produced a new standard edition of Perkins's works, which I trust will be profitably used and enjoyed until the return of Christ.' -- Justin Taylor

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christian

783 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2014

About the author

William Perkins (1558–1602) was an influential English cleric and Cambridge theologian, receiving both a B.A. and M.A. from the university in 1581 and 1584 respectively, and also one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in the Church of England during the Elizabethan era. Although not entirely accepting of the Church of England's ecclesiastical practices, Perkins conformed to many of the policies and procedures imposed by the Elizabethan Settlement. He did remain, however, sympathetic to the non-conformist puritans and even faced disciplinary action for his support.

Perkins was a prolific author who penned over forty works, many of which were published posthumously. In addition to writing, he also served as a fellow at Christ's College and as a lecturer at St Andrew's Church in Cambridge. He was a firm proponent of Reformed theology, particularly the supralapsarian theology of Theodore Beza and John Calvin. In addition, he was a staunch defender of Protestant ideals, specifically the five solae with a particular emphasis on solus Christus and sola Scriptura.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of the book is his fantastic exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, in addition to Christ's temptations, and a harmony of Scripture. Everything is exposited thoroughly and all is made relevant. Perkins shows us who God is, what Christ did, how deep our sin is, and how to live as a child of God. This edition is also excellent. Endnotes are there for definitions of words that aren't used anymore--not 'big words', or Thee's and Thou's, which were removed, but truly strange ones--and information that Perkins wrote in the margin. Reading the Kindle version of the book makes looking up these endnotes very easy by just tapping on the number and then going back. I would love to have the (expensive) paper book, but it's great to have an electronic version for only $10. I look forward to Volume 2, which is his exposition of Galatians.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perkins is just excellent. Plain, practical, simple, deep, and pastoral. His exposition of the Sermon on the Mount was fantastic.

[Ronnie Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding exposition of the temptation of Christ and the Sermon on the Mount! Perkins delivers with plenty of milk for the babes and meat for the mature. One of the better books I’ve ever read. Looking forward to starting Volume 2.

[Shawn Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume of the William Perkin's works that I have read. He is very thorough in his commentary on the sermon on the mount. I found his work on chapter 7:1-6, refreshing. His work on the OT and NT is a good alternative to Ussher, and whole lot more succinct.

[Andrzej Stelmasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was going through the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer, Perkins was of great help. Short and to the point, yet rich and profound. 100% recommended, don't neglect to read him especially when modern commentators or authors don't interact with Perkins.

[Brian Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, challenging writing on the Sermon on the Mount and the Temptations of Christ.