Puritan books on relationship between biblical counseling and expository preaching?

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reaganmarsh

Puritan Board Senior
Greetings PB brethren,

I am interested in reading Puritan works dealing with the private ministry of the word (biblical pastoral counseling) and public ministry of the word (expository preaching).

In particular, I'd like to study the relationship between the two, as the Puritans understood it.

Do you have any suggestions for me as to where to start, or as to particular Puritans whose works deal heavily with one or the other?

I'll also welcome and value any secondary sources which you may suggest. However, my main interest at present is primary sources (the Puritans themselves).

Thanks in advance!
 
Greetings PB brethren,

I am interested in reading Puritan works dealing with the private ministry of the word (biblical pastoral counseling) and public ministry of the word (expository preaching).

In particular, I'd like to study the relationship between the two, as the Puritans understood it.

Do you have any suggestions for me as to where to start, or as to particular Puritans whose works deal heavily with one or the other?

I'll also welcome and value any secondary sources which you may suggest. However, my main interest at present is primary sources (the Puritans themselves).

Thanks in advance!

Mark Deckard's book might be a helpful starting point:

Helpful Truth in Past Places: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Counseling

He lays out particular Puritan's approaches to specific counseling issues (the definition of Puritan is fairly broadly conceived - he goes as far as Edwards, but also has chapters on Flavel and Burroughs). I doubt he'll answer all your questions but he might give you some ideas about places to dig further.
 
For primary sources, a good comparison will be found in Perkins' Cases of Conscience and Art of Prophesying. What we call "counselling" falls under "cases of conscience" in Puritan terms. The "uses" of the sermon were often expressive of these cases.

A good secondary text would be Peter Lewis' Genius of Puritanism. It looks at the Puritan in the Pulpit, in the Pew, and in Private. The works of the Puritans naturally reflect the public side of their ministry; in the depths of their thought is a great well of personal experience, and Lewis' work helps to bring out that personal side.
 
Greetings PB brethren,

I am interested in reading Puritan works dealing with the private ministry of the word (biblical pastoral counseling) and public ministry of the word (expository preaching).

In particular, I'd like to study the relationship between the two, as the Puritans understood it.

Do you have any suggestions for me as to where to start, or as to particular Puritans whose works deal heavily with one or the other?

I'll also welcome and value any secondary sources which you may suggest. However, my main interest at present is primary sources (the Puritans themselves).

Thanks in advance!

Mark Deckard's book might be a helpful starting point:

Helpful Truth in Past Places: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Counseling

He lays out particular Puritan's approaches to specific counseling issues (the definition of Puritan is fairly broadly conceived - he goes as far as Edwards, but also has chapters on Flavel and Burroughs). I doubt he'll answer all your questions but he might give you some ideas about places to dig further.


Thank you, sir -- I will look into that volume!
 
For primary sources, a good comparison will be found in Perkins' Cases of Conscience and Art of Prophesying. What we call "counselling" falls under "cases of conscience" in Puritan terms. The "uses" of the sermon were often expressive of these cases.

A good secondary text would be Peter Lewis' Genius of Puritanism. It looks at the Puritan in the Pulpit, in the Pew, and in Private. The works of the Puritans naturally reflect the public side of their ministry; in the depths of their thought is a great well of personal experience, and Lewis' work helps to bring out that personal side.

Thank you, Rev. Winzer. Those works look helpful and the note on "cases of conscience" is clarifying.
 
One last bump! Any other resources to which you might point me (individual chapters, sermons, essays, treatises, etc)?

Many thanks to those who have already made suggestions!
 
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