The Works of William Perkins, Volume 1: Digest or Harmony of the Books of the Old and New Testaments, Combat Between Christ and the Devil, Sermon on the Mount

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 Contents:
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 Saints: 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

William Perkins (1558-1602) earned a bachelor's degree in 1581 and a master's degree in 1584 from Christ's College in Cambridge. During those student years he joined up with Laurence Chaderton, who became his personal tutor and lifelong friend. Perkins and Chaderton met with Richard Greenham, Richard Rogers, and others in a spiritual brotherhood at Cambridge that espoused Puritan convictions.

From 1584 until his death, Perkins served as lecturer, or preacher, at Great St. Andrew's Church, Cambridge, a most influential pulpit across the street from Christ's College. He also served as a teaching fellow at Christ's College, catechized students at Corpus Christi College on Thursday afternoons, and worked as a spiritual counselor on Sunday afternoons. In these roles Perkins influenced a generation of young students, including Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, John Preston, and William Ames. Thomas Goodwin wrote that when he entered Cambridge, six of his instructors who had sat under Perkins were still passing on his teaching. Ten years after Perkins's death, Cambridge was still 'filled with the discourse of the power of Mr. William Perkins ministry,' Goodwin said.

Perkins's influence as a theologian continued unabated after his death. This was due in large part to the widespread popularity of his writings. His writings were translated into several European languages and greatly influenced British and American Reformed theology, the Dutch Further Reformation, and European Pietism.

Editor
J. Stephen Yuille is preaching-teaching pastor of Grace Community Church in Glen Rose, Texas. He is also the director of Baptist studies at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas, and the author of Living Blessedly Forever: The Sermon on the Mount and the Puritan Piety of William Perkins.