Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings Volume 1 is published by the Banner of Truth Trust. This volume was originally published in 2009 and edited by Richard Rushing.
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Voices from the Past
This is hands down one of the greatest devotional books I’ve ever encountered. I’m personally a huge fan of the Puritans. I have hundreds of books that are either written by the Puritans or about the Puritans, but this is one of my favorite books when it comes to Puritan writings. Let me explain why.
First, I love the format of the book. Like many other devotionals, there are 365 daily devotions in this book. Each devotional is one page long. A Bible verse and reference is located at the top center of the page, and the remaining content is a portion of a Puritan writing. Now, this is why I love this format! If you’ve ever read the Puritans, you know that they were never short on words. Many of the books that I have by the Puritans are literally 15-20+ volumes. They were quite wordy to say the least. But in this case, that’s not a bad thing since their words were typically used to exegete the Bible and to apply its glorious truths to life in this sin-filled broken world that is desperate for the hope of Christ. But…many (most?) Christians are not interested in reading 22 volumes of one man’s work. But even if one were to do so, not every single page of that 22 volumes is equal in helpfulness, clarity, and ability to grab our attention. Enter Richard Rushing! Rushing has done the hard work of combing through tons of pages of Puritan writings, and he pulls out the best of the best. So in other words, he has done all of the hard for you. You only need to take a few minutes a day to read one page of excellent Puritan writing that will certainly challenge, encourage, and edify you. But, in case you’re interested in diving deeper, each devotional places the author and the specific reference in their works on the bottom of the page.
Second, I also love that Rushing at times updated the language. It makes it easier to read a devotional when you’re not trying to translate from our own English language to a much more antiquated English. Likewise, I personally love that the ESV translation was used for the Scripture passages.
Most of these devotionals are based on the following topics: the glory and attributes of God, divine providence, fellowship with God, holiness of life and the mortification of indwelling sin, heavenly mindedness, prayer, evangelistic zeal, and trust in times of affliction. As you can see, there is so much to glean from in this tremendous volume. I have personally been greatly blessed by reading this devotional. It leads me to greater love for my Lord, and I’m confident it will do the same for you.
Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to the Banner of Truth Trust for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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