The Poetry of Samuel Slater

Book Cover: The Poetry of Samuel Slater
Editions:eBook: $ 4.99
ISBN: 9781387471829
Pages: 162
Paperback: $ 11.99
ISBN: 9781982065416
Pages: 162

The Poetry of Samuel Slater collects all of the author's verse into one volume. Included is "A Discourse Concerning the Creation, Fall, and Recovery of Man", which is modeled on John Milton's "Paradise Lost", yet in a much more approachable style and length. "A Dialogue Between Faith and a Doubting Soul" was written for the comfort of a troubled woman who frequently came to the author for counsel and reassurance. Also included are an elegy for Oliver Cromwell and several biblical songs put to verse. Even readers unfamiliar with Elizabethan poetry will find these works both engaging and encouraging. They are useful for both devotional reading and academic study.

Samuel Slater (c.1629–1704) was a Presbyterian pastor who was deprived of his congregation in Suffolk when the Act of Uniformity was passed in 1662. He later succeeded Stephen Charnock as pastor of the church at Crosby Square, Bishopgate Street, in London, where he ministered faithfully until his death.

The Minister as Shepherd

Book Cover: The Minister as Shepherd
Editions:eBook: $ 3.49
ISBN: 9781300313670
Pages: 128

In The Minister as Shepherd, Charles Edward Jefferson (1860–1937) calls pastors to view their primary role not to be as mere preachers, but more importantly, to be shepherds of the flock of God. This he illustrates with examples from Scripture and history. He describes the work of the shepherd: to prod, provide for, and protect the sheep. He also makes sense of the pastor’s two greatest temptations, and how they may best be avoided. Jefferson concludes the book by encouraging pastors to seek the bountiful reward promised to those who shepherd the flock with gentleness and faithfulness.

This book is an encouragement to pastors everywhere who are often discouraged by the challenges unique to pastoral ministry. It is heartily recommended to both the student in seminary and the pastor who has served his congregation for decades—both will find its refreshing and direct message comforting.

Includes a biographical preface, embedded Scripture references (no internet connection needed), and helpful hyperlinked endnotes.

Private Prayer: A Christian Duty

Book Cover: Private Prayer: A Christian Duty
Editions:eBook: $ 4.99
ISBN: 9781312707023
Pages: 129
Paperback: $ 14.99
ISBN: 9781499524345
Size: 5.25 x 8.00 in
Pages: 129

Many Christians find private prayer a difficult duty, and thus they either totally neglect it, or are negligent in their performance of it. In Private Prayer: A Christian Duty, pastor Oliver Heywood illustrates the necessity of spending time in private prayer each day. Using Matthew 6:6 as his text, Heywood teaches how to cultivate a habit of daily prayer which is both refreshing and delightful. He reviews the time, place, and content appropriate for our private prayers, and answers several objections that are commonly used to excuse ourselves from praying regularly—including lack of time, cold-heartedness, wandering thoughts, and not knowing what to say. Several Scriptural instances of private prayer are explored, including the Lord’s Prayer and the mighty wrestling of Jacob in prayer (Genesis 32). Through this teaching, the believer will find resources and encouragement to help fulfill this beneficial obligation.

Oliver Heywood (1630–1702) was an English Puritan pastor who was deprived of his pulpit for his Protestant beliefs. He cheerfully endured imprisonment and the confiscation of his worldly possessions so that he might bring the truth of the Gospel to his countrymen. Heywood published this book in 1671 while travelling from town to town preaching, in an itinerant ministry that spanned most of his career.

Out-of-print for nearly two hundred years, this classic treatise has been carefully prepared for the benefit of a new generation of Christian readers. Even those not accustomed to Puritan works will find Heywood’s warm and engaging style both eminently useful and Christ-exalting.

Not sure whether to buy it in print or digitally? This title is enrolled in Amazon's MatchBook program: If you purchase a paperback through the "Available at Amazon" link above, the Kindle e-Book of the same title is free.

A Treatise on Afflictions

Book Cover: A Treatise on Afflictions
Editions:eBook: $ 2.99
ISBN: 9781105188336
Pages: 119
Paperback: $ 8.99
ISBN: 9781466499614
Size: 5.25 x 8.00 in
Pages: 119

In A Treatise on Afflictions, Thomas Case (1598–1682) generously applies a soothing salve to the wounds of God’s suffering saints. He begins by compassionately illustrating twenty lessons God teaches his children in affliction. He then proceeds to show the advantages wrought by affliction in the lives of languishing believers. He shows why deliverance from suffering should not necessarily be the believer’s primary goal when dark days come, and explains why suffering may sometimes seem to last longer than it should. The author shows from Scripture how affliction and instruction go hand-in-hand in the life of the child of God.

This work rings true to the suffering reader because it was written while the author was imprisoned in the Tower of London alongside Thomas Watson, Christopher Love (who was beheaded), and others.

Originally titled Correction, Instruction or The Rod and the Word, this classic treatise has been carefully prepared for the benefit of a new generation of Christian readers. It includes a biographical preface by James Reid, and has Scripture references from the English Standard Version (ESV®) embedded in the text as hyperlinks—no wireless connection is needed.

Not sure whether to buy it in print or digitally? This title is enrolled in Amazon's MatchBook program: If you purchase a paperback through the "Available at Amazon" link above, the Kindle e-Book of the same title is free.

The Christian Warrior

Book Cover: The Christian Warrior
Editions:eBook: $ 2.99
ISBN: 9781300134817
Pages: 131
Paperback: $ 10.99
ISBN: 9781481857710
Size: 5.25 x 8.00 in
Pages: 131

In The Christian Warrior, Isaac Ambrose provides armament and strategy to fight our tireless adversary, the devil. He begins by showing, from Ephesians 6:12, how all God’s people are warriors engaged in a battle, that our enemy is both powerful and malicious, and that we must wrestle and strive hard against him. He then gives specific examples of how Satan attacks us at different stages of life: in childhood, at our first conversion, during the prime of life, and at the time of death. Ambrose gives practical, point-by-point advice throughout the book on how to cope with these attacks. He illustrates how Satan attempts to foil the believer coming to Christ at each stage of his conversion. He then shows how Satan tries to convince the doubting believer that his conversion is not genuine, and how to answer those arguments. He continues by showing how to endure persecution, how to resist temptations of the flesh (lust, pride, anger, condemning others, dishonest gain), and how Satan attempts to exploit the special vulnerabilities of both weak and strong Christians. He concludes by preparing the believer for “the final battle” in the hour of his death (which is often his most intense time of attack), by illustrating how to avoid the extremes of presumption and despair.

Even readers not accustomed to Puritan works will find Ambrose’s warm and engaging style both eminently useful and Christ-exalting. Much more than a copy-paste-publish e-book, this Digital Puritan Press reprint has been carefully edited from the original texts. The more difficult language has been smoothed out to make it more accessible to the modern reader. In the digital edition, every Scripture reference hyperlinked as an endnote in the ESV version (no internet connection is needed). The print edition includes a Scripture index and glossary. Both include a helpful biographical preface to the life and times of the author.

Not sure whether to buy it in print or digitally? This title is enrolled in Amazon's MatchBook program: If you purchase a paperback through the "Available at Amazon" link above, the Kindle e-Book of the same title is free.