The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety

Book excerpt: In "The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety," J. Stephen Yuille demonstrates how the doctrine of the believer's union with Christ lies at the heart of the Puritan pursuit of godliness. He analyzes the whole corpus of Flavel's writings, showing how this mystical union is set upon the backdrop of God's covenant of redemption and established on the basis of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Chapters on the nature and acts of this union help readers gain a better understanding of what this union is, while chapters on the blessings, fruit, suffering, evidence, joy, practice, and hope associated with this union, show more fully the experiential direction of Flavel's approach to theology. Table of Contents: The Covenant of Redemption The Basis of Union with Christ The Nature of Union with Christ The Act of Union with Christ The Blessings of Union with Christ The Fruit of Union with Christ The Evidence of Union with Christ The Suffering of Union with Christ The Joy of Union with Christ The Practice of Union with Christ The Hope of Union with Christ