The Greatest Source of Trouble in the Life of Faith (Manton)

In his treatise, The Life of Faith, Thomas Manton (d. 1677) spent some time explaining how to improve one's cheerful walking with God in obedience. For example, he wrote about meditating on God's promises and pleading God's promises in prayer. In this section, Manton also wrote a very brief paragraph explaining the source of all …

The Law, The Gospel, Our Salvation (Witsius)

 I like how Herman Witsius ended his discussion on the antinomian and neonomian controversy in Britain around 1700.  In the concluding part of this book Witsius discussed the preaching of the law and the gospel.  Here are the last two sections which I've slightly edited for length: ...The beginning of the new life is not …

The Native Language of the Law (Gurnall)

 Here are two sections of William Gurnall's discussion of "the gospel of peace" (Eph 6:15): The news which the gospel hath in its mouth to tell us poor sinners is good.  It speaks promises, and they are significations of some good intended by God for poor sinners.  The law, that brings ill news to town. …

The Gospel Gives; The Law Demands (Walther)

 The more I preach and teach in a historic Christian church, the more I see the value in properly distinguishing between the law and the gospel.  Luther and the subsequent Reformers were not exaggerating when they strongly emphasized the need to distinguish between law and gospel.  Here's how C. F. W. Walther explained it in …

The Puritans on the Law/Gospel Distinction

One thing I always appreciate about the Puritans is the fact that they make the proper distinction between the law and the gospel.  From Thomas Watson to John Bunyan to William Perkins, the Puritans did not mix the law with the gospel or the gospel with the law.  I got to thinking about this again …