PB Brothers and Sisters,

I have been given a gift of $125.00 by a Grandparent (who just remembered I graduated from seminary ) and I would like to purchase a complete works of a Puritan writer with it. I currently do not have any volumes of any of them so it is a clean slate. So help me decide which one to buy.

Blessings and Thanks as always!

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Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div, Licentiate, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Member Fairmount ARP Church
Pittsburgh, PA

Deo Vindice

I think Ferguson and Packer would say..... Rev. John Owen.

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Norseman Moderator

R. Martin Snyder
1689er
http://www.puritanboard.com/blogs/puritancovenanter/

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

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Manton, Brooks, or Flavel.

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Chris Coldwell, Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Dallas, Texas.
• Naphtali Press: Presbyterian & Reformed Books
• Westminster Letter Press
• The Confessional Presbyterian Journal
• The Blue Banner Archive

The Regulative Principle: The Scriptures are the “only infallible rule of faith and practice, no rite or ceremony ought to have a place in the public worship of God, which is not warranted in Scripture, either by direct precept or example, or by good and sufficient inference” (Samuel Miller).

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Er... not with only $125!

If you've got $125, and you're only going to use that (with no additional money of your own) I would recommend John Flavel, Richard Sibbes, or Thomas Brooks. Both are excellent guy, deep in the Scriptures, helpful in their sermons (not only for content, but for examples in preaching), pastoral in their aim, and guys you "feel" more than other Puritans.

Hope that helps!
~Jacob

PS - However, if you can add your own money to get Owen, do it!

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Jacob
Sovereign Grace Ministries
Covenant Fellowship Church
WTS M.A.R. in Theology student
West Chester, PA

"Grace renews nature; glory perfects grace." ~ John Owen
"Grace tried is better than grace, and more than grace. It is glory in its infancy." ~ John Flavel
Blog - The Strasbourg Inn

If you want something highly thoughtful and devotional, go with the works of David Clarkson. There are a million blessings in those three volumes.

Beyond that, I'd go for the works of Manton, Thomas Goodwin, and then John Owen. John Owen has no equal but slugging through the volumes can be real tough.

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David Miller
Orlando, FL

I voted for something else.
I bought a number of sets a few years ago and hardly cracked them, so they're on my "to eBay" list. Everything but John Owen.

For $125, maybe you should buy a few of mine

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Philip A - Member, High Desert United Reformed Church, Apple Valley, CA.

"Reason also is choice" - Milton, Paradise Lost
"And then shall every word also seem consistent to him, if he for his part diligently read the Scriptures in company with those who are presbyters in the Church, among whom is the apostolic doctrine, as I have pointed out." - Irenaeus, Against Heresies, IV:XXXII.
"where there is text, there is hope" - Richard A. Muller

I voted for John Murray. If you want to get a set that will give you the flavor of old WTS.

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Kenneth Kneip
Member @ New St. Peter's PC (PCA), Dallas TX
Pastoral Intern @ New Covenant PC (PCA), Dallas TX
M. Div. student @ Redeemer Seminary, Dallas TX

Philip may have a good idea--like exercise machines, Puritan sets can often be found virtually unused, with just a few miles on them. Buying used would stretch your dollars a bit further. The only caveat would be that this is gift money, and you may have to take that into account. The grandparent might expect to see new on the shelf.

I voted for Flavel--you'd get excellent content that will hold up to multiple re-readings.

One set you didn't have on your list--The Morning Exercises at Cripplegate, aka, The Puritan Sermons. Six volumes, reprinted by Richard Owen Roberts in the 1980s, but sets are still around. His son still runs the bookstore.

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Wayne Sparkman, Th.M.
Director, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO
Blogs: The Continuing Story and PCA History Blog

Can you ever go wrong with Owen?

(and have you seen my Reformed Books For Sale thread? No Owen, but some other good things in there...ok, enough shameless plug for me)

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Seth Stark
Member, Communion Presbyterian Church (ARP), Irvine, CA
Biola University, Graduate Student, M.A. - Science and Religion
Seth's Blog

One could get the complete works of Owens (including the Hebrews commentaries) from Ages Library for $15 if an electronic copy would suffice. That would leave plenty of room for other items.

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Blessings!
Greg
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Terre Haute, IN (for now)
Residing in Paris, IL

“The principal damning sin, is to make any thing besides God our end or rest. And the first true saving act, is to choose God only for our end and happiness.” - Richard Baxter -

I'll repeat the call for Owen. If you can only have one set, then scrape up a little more and go for Owen. Otherwise, I voted for Murray. The others are great too. Don't get me wrong. It's like picking one precious gem over another. But Murray would be one example of great Puritan thinking brought forward into more contemporary issues.

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Patrick
MDiv, RTS Jackson
Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC), Lisbon, NY

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.
"Let us not please ourselves that we have deep understandings, but let us shew our understandings by our practice." Richard Sibbes

Stephen Charnock!

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Jim
An Elder, Harvest Reformed Church (RCUS),Minot, ND
http://www.harvestreformedchurch.org/
http://tbftgoggi.wordpress.com/

Upon a life I did not live; upon a death I did not die, Another's death, Another's life, I'd rest my soul eternally
Omnia dicta fortiora,si dicta Latina
Si vis pacem, para bellum

If you are going to by any one set of any Puritan, you need to get either Owen or Goodwin. $125 won't cover that, but these are the two heavy weights of the 17th c. English theologians.

If you want "the king of preachers" of the 17th c. English, get Manton.

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Rev. Daniel R. Hyde
Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad/Oceanside, California
Th.M. candidate, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Flavel would be nice. I'd say Manton though - a master of language and word pictures. He'll awaken your mind in a way perhaps only Spurgeon can do.

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For the Glory of our King,
Joe Johnson
Slave of Christ, husband, father, Preacherboy at Cornerstone Community Church, Escanaba, MI. and TMS graduate. Personal website - SoundLife.org

I do not know, and I do not say, that a person cannot believe in Revelation and in evolution, too, for a man may believe that which is infinitely wise and also that which is only asinine. ~ CHS

Have you guys noticed many of these works are in google books? They can be downloaded for free.

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Aaron Josh Wright
Deerbrook Baptist Church, Humble Tx
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

What about Thomas Boston? One of my profs (unnamed) said he is better than Calvin.

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Charlie Johnson
Downtown Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, student

Thomas Manton's Complete works.

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Pastor Jerrold H. Lewis. (Dipl. IT; Assc. A; B.Th; M.Th Candidate, PRTS)
Lacombe Free Reformed Church
"A hot iron, though blunt, will pierce sooner than a cold one, though sharper."

JOHN FLAVEL

My Blog - Click HERE
Our Church site - Click HERE

John Owen.....HINT

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~ Charles Stephen Barribeau ~
Christ Presbyterian Church , OPC (They sing alot of Psalms!)
Original Westminster Standards (I need to study more...)
The Puritans were best! Also... I NEED TO READ MORE!!!
Philipians1:29(KJV) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Janesville, Wisconsin (In the fellowship of Bob Vigneault and Matt+Megan Meisberger)

As one who reads and writes about Owen for his ThM, I have to say, though, that reading Manton's sermons is a whole other level of edification...

I know some of y'all mean well with all the links and electronic offers but seriously, can that really compare to a good (physical) book? It's just my opinion, but I'd rather fork out the extra money and have something in my hands that can one day be passed on to others!

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Ben Franks

I attend: Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC)
in Purcellville, Virginia
I'm a member of: Heartland Community Church (PCA)
in Wichita, Kansas
I blog here (along with my Dad): http://rrfranks.blogspot.com/
And I'm a student here: www.phc.edu

"Remember the speeches we have spoken so often over our mead, when we raised boast on the bench, heroes in the hall, about hard fighting. Now may the man who is bold prove that he is."-Aelfwine at the Battle of Maldon

Newton and Murray are not Puritans, of course, and "something else" might be or might not be.

I would get Sibbes, if I had the money, both because he is rather earlier than some of the others, and because his method of approach is soothing and encouraging, as well as learned and profound. A sample:

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Ruben
Moderator
F.P.C.I.
Indiana

Vanities and disguises have covered us, and thereby we are naked; licenciousness hath inflam'd us, and thereby we are frozen; voluptuousness hath fed us, and thereby we are sterved, the fancies and traditions of men have taught and instructed us, and thereby we are ignorant.
John Donne

Board Rules - Signature Requirements - Suggestions?

Calvinistas Conversando
Teología en Mexico
The Howling Wilderness

Thank you Ruben. I was in total agreement with what you wrote, plus the quote really blessed me.
I don't think a better response to the OP could've been written.

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Alex - Orange County, CA - PCA

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

Manton - "The sovereign dominion of God is a great prop to our faith."