{Book Review} The Works of Thomas Goodwin

Just this year (2021), The Works of Thomas Goodwin have been reprinted into a gorgeous, 12 volume set. Goodwin’s works were initially published between 1861-1866 by James Nichol, and then reprinted by Tanski Publications in 1996. They have now been reprinted by Soli Deo Gloria Publications, an imprint of Reformation Heritage Books, and we can surely thank them for this massive achievement. 

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The Works of Thomas Goodwin

Let me begin by mentioning how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing these volumes are! The hardcover books are cloth-bound with a dark gray color and gold lettering on the spine, with a splash of red behind “The Works of Thomas Goodwin.” The paper is quite heavy with very little to absolutely no ghosting. Probably my only critique of the books is the color and size of the font. I found the font to be just a tad too small, and I wish it were just a little darker. This makes it easier on the eyes when reading for an extended period of time. Regardless of that, the physical book is a beautiful product! 

Much more important than the aesthetics, the contents of these 12 volumes is top-notch! Thankfully, Thomas Goodwin has become more and more popular amongst contemporary Christians today. Most likely, his work The Heart of Christ has grabbed the attention of many, and they are most inclined to investigate the other writings of this towering Puritan. All it takes is the reading of one page of Goodwin, and any Christian will likely be hooked! Goodwin’s writing is extremely readable, understandable, devotional, powerful, and able to stir up the affections for the Lord! These 12 volumes contain 6660 pages of that type of writing! 

Here is what you’ll find in these 12 volumes:

• Volume One: An Exposition of Ephesians 1
• Volume Two: An Exposition of Ephesians 2; An Exposition of Various Portions of Ephesians; Patience and Its Perfect Work 
• Volume Three: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation; Certain Select Cases Resolved; The Vanity of Thoughts Discovered
• Volume Four: Christ Set Forth; The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth; Aggravations of Sin; Encouragements to Faith; The Glory of the Gospel; A Discourse of the Glory of the Gospel; The Knowledge of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ
• Volume Five: Christ the Mediator; The Supereminence of Christ above Moses; The Reconciliation of the People of God by Christ’s Death; The One Sacrifice; Reconciliation by the Blood of Christ; Three Sermons on Hebrews 1:1-2
• Volume Six: The Work of the Holy Ghost in Our Salvation
• Volume Seven: Of the Creatures, and the Condition of Their State by Creation; Of Gospel Holiness In the Heart and Life; Of the Blessed State of Glory Which the Saints Possess after Death; Three Several Ages of Christians in Faith and Obedience; Man’s Restoration by Grace; On Repentance 
• Volume Eight: The Object and Act of Justifying Faith
• Volume Nine: A Discourse of Election; A Discourse of Thankfulness
• Volume Ten: An Unregenerate Man’s Guiltiness Before God, in Respect of Sin and Punishment
• Volume Eleven: The Constitution, Right Order, and Government of the Churches of Christ 
• Volume Twelve: Miscellaneous Sermons; Indexes 

I certainly haven’t read through every page of this set, but I would say that, without a doubt, this is a set that every Christian would greatly benefit from having and reading. Read through a sermon on a Sunday. Pick a specific work (such as “On Repentance”) and take time to read through it. Then pick another one and dig into it. These volumes should not necessarily (in my opinion) be read in order (volume 1 through 12). Feel free to jump around and enjoy whatever you’re most interested in at that time. But whatever you do, take the time to dig in and grow as a result of these most excellent writings! I would recommend you read a sermon, then choose one of Goodwin’s books, and then read another sermon, and then choose another book. There’s nothing special to that method, but I think the reader will benefit from Goodwin’s different styles of writing in that way.

There’s so much that could be said about these writings, but instead of attempting and failing miserably, I’ll simply provide a little quote to whet your appetite: 

“Christ is worth all God is worth, as he is the Son of God; for he is the only Son, the ‘well-beloved Son, in whom God is so well pleased,’ that he will not give a penny away from him; he is the heir, the shall have all. And the gospel makes him yours, with all his riches, which riches is ‘Christ in you.’ Thus the apostle argues and pleads the evidence of the right a Christian hath to all things, 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23, ‘All things are yours, for you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.’ God himself can be worth but all things, Christ is worth what God is, for all things that are God’s are Christ’s. And you have as much as Christ hath. What riches are here!” 

Thomas Goodwin

That statement itself could be meditated upon for hours! These 12 volumes contain thousands of pages worth of that type of spiritual food. Now, as you have noticed, the English is not updated, so some people may not like the Old English in these volumes. But for Old English, Goodwin is definitely one of the easier-to-understand Puritans, so I don’t think that will be a stumbling block for people. It may just require a little bit of a slower pace of reading. 

I’m very pleased with this 12 volume set, and I want to highly recommend it to you. Tolle lege, take up and read! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.