This new edition of the Christian classic includes an introduction from Sinclair Ferguson From the introduction: Thomas Boston never sought a prominent congregation or pulpit. He knew that, at the end of the day, the only thing that makes a pulpit lastingly prominent is the manner in which God's word is preached from it in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. The Beauties of Boston is a book that has been treasured by many Christians in past generations. It is full of rich gospel truth and health-giving spiritual prescriptions. Part of its 'beauty' is that while a big book it is not really a long book, but a series of smaller and manageable passages that will - as The Marrow of Modern Divinity did for Boston himself - stimulate thought, enhance understanding of the gospel, point us to Christ, and strengthen both mind and spirit in the knowledge and service of God. Thomas Boston was born at Duns in Berwickshire in 1676. After studying in Edinburgh, he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Duns and Chirnside in 1697. Shortly afterwards, he published his first book, A Soliloquy on The Art of Man-fishing, based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 4:19, 'Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.' In 1699, he became the minister of the small congregation in a village called Simprin, located quite close to his birthplace. He was there until 1707 when he became minister in Ettrick, and he would serve there until his death in 1732. The collected writings of Boston are found in twelve volumes, and from them the selections in The Beauties of Boston were selected by the editor. Boston's best-known book is Human Nature in Its Fourfold State. It was published in his lifetime, as were two others books by him: a Collection of Sermons and an edition of the Marrow of Modern Divinity which he annotated. After his death, several volumes of his writings were published, including his View of the Covenant of Works and of Grace, The Christian Life, A Body of Divinity, and The Crook in The Lot.

Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, many thousands of Protestants fled religious persecution in France and the Low Countries. They became one of the most influential immigrant communities in the countries where they settled, and many families in modern-day Britain will find a Huguenot connection in their past. Kathy Chater's authoritative handbook offers an accessible introduction to Huguenot history and to the many sources that researchers can use to uncover the Huguenot ancestry they may not have realized they had. She traces the history of the Huguenots; their experience of persecution, and their flight to Britain, North America, the West Indies and South Africa, concentrating on the Huguenot communities that settled in England, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands. Her work is also an invaluable guide to the various sources researchers can turn to in order to track their Huguenot ancestors, for she describes the wide range of records that is available in local, regional and national archives, as well as through the internet and overseas.Her expert overview is essential reading for anyone studying their Huguenot ancestry or immigrant history in Britain.

This lively book not only unpacks the history of Christianity, but also explains how church history is created and organized. Different from traditional church history textbooks, the book: Has a global emphasis, rather than an exclusively Euro-American one; Explains the discipline of church history in addition to the content; Is readable, engaging, and inviting to new students; Makes church history accessible rather than stressing obscure dates and names. Conceptually, this book is revolutionary. The story of Christianity is never complete: it only expands. By allowing fresh players into the story, broadening our perspective to include women, the working class, heretics, and priests outside mainstream "orthodoxy," we become open to new ways of understanding. And these new perspectives enhance our comprehension of the endlessly surprising story of Christianity's past.

The definitive biography of John Knox, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Scotland "Never before has there been such a thoroughly and sympathetically critical treatment of the 16th-century Scottish reformer's thought and times. . . . A joy to read and a book to value."-Sean Michael Lucas, Gospel Coalition Based in large part on previously unavailable sources, including the recently discovered papers of John Knox's close friend and colleague Christopher Goodman, this biography challenges the traditionally held stereotype of the founder of the Presbyterian denomination as a strident and misogynist religious reformer whose influence rarely extended beyond Scotland. Instead, Jane Dawson maintains that Knox relied heavily on the support of his "godly sisters" and conferred as well as argued with Mary, Queen of Scots. He was a proud member of the European community of Reformed Churches and deeply involved in the religious Reformations within England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and the Holy Roman Empire. Casting a surprising new light on the public and private personas of a highly complex, difficult, and hugely compelling individual, Dawson's fascinating study offers a vivid, fully rounded portrait of this renowned Scottish preacher and prophet who had a seismic impact on religion and society.