 |
| |
|
A GOOD AND FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: Puritan Ordination Sermons
Compiled and Edited by Dr. Don Kistler
WE HAVE REDUCED THE PRICE AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 25, 2025!!!
People in 17th century England who were known as Puritans had many vocations. But we mainly think of them as preachers, as ministers. They had strict and high standards for those men who wished to lead the Church of Jesus Christ in that capacity. But what were those standards, those qualifications?
This book addresses that question. Here are 15 ordination sermons preached by various Puritans, both from England and New England, showing what makes a man “a good and faithful shepherd.”
But this book is not just for ministers. It does describe what a minister of the gospel should aspire to be. But it is also a tool for congregations as to what they should look for in the man to lead that flock.
Among the authors are Thomas Foxcroft, Jonathan Edwards, Jr., Benjamin Colman, William Fenner, Thomas Taylor, and the venerable Cotton Mather.
"At some point most Christians will be present at the ordination or induction service of a new minister. He may be our pastor for the rest of our lives, and perhaps also the pastor of our children and grandchildren (what could be more important to us than that?). He will be with us in our joys and sorrows; we will watch him at baptisms, at the Lord’s table, at family weddings, at hospital beds, at death beds and at funerals. We will hear him expound God’s Word to us as many as a hundred times a year (and perhaps even more). He will have a vital role in our own lives and in our families. So he should know what the Lord Jesus Christ has called him to be and to do. And we too should know that. These classic ordination sermons are therefore a great gift to help all of us—both pastor and people—to appreciate, desire, and pray for such men, and for the God-honoring Spirit enabled and Christ-centered ministry these pages describe." —Sinclair B Ferguson
“Here is edifying reading for pulpit and pew alike.” —Dr. Joel Beeke
“These Puritan ordination sermons are a treasure. They will serve today’s Church well.” —Dr. Derek Thomas
“These messages are not for pastors only. There’s much in each of these sermons that will benefit all Christians.” —Phil Johnson
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Authors
1. The Duty of Ministers to Preach the Truth —Jonathan Edwards, Jr.
2. A Good Minister of Jesus Christ —George Hamond
3. Love to Christ a Necessary Qualification in a Gospel Minister —Joseph Fish
4. The Qualification of a Gospel Minister —John Frost
5. The Importance of Ministers Being Men in Christ —Thomas Foxcroft
6. The Character of a Pastor According to God’s Own Heart Considered —John Shaw
7. The Great Concern of Ministers Is to Preserve the Doctrine of Christ in Its Purity —William Williams
8. The Duty of Ministers to Make Known The Mystery of the Gospel —Charles Chauncy
9. Faithful Pastors the Angels of the Churches —Benjamin Colman
10. The Service of God in the Gospel Ministry Recommended and Encouraged —Peter Clark
11. Christ Victorious Over the Powers of Darkness by the Light of His Preached Gospel —Joseph Sewall
12. The Gospel Ministry the Rich Gift of the Ascended Savior unto His Church —Benjamin Colman
13. The Christian’s Imitation of Christ —William Fenner
14. Ministers Are Spiritual Parents or Fathers in the Church of God —Thomas Foxcroft
15. The Ambassadors’ Tears (A Minister of the Gospel Making His Just and Sad Complaint of an Unsuccessful Ministry) —Cotton Mather
NEW FIRST-TIME TITLE APPEARING IN JUNE 2025
 SGCB Price: $28.95 (list price $45.00)
PRICE REDUCED AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 25, 2025
|
