Puritans and Calvinism by Peter Toon Review
Several months ago we began a series asking who were the Puritans? and looked at different books that answer that question. One book I'd intended to review but couldn't at the time was Peter Toon's Puritans and Calvinism. It's several months late, but here it is.
The book and the author
It's a 100-page book, 110 with notes, appendix and index. A standard glued paperback, printed in Korea, which is interesting. I think it's the only book I own printed in Korea!
Peter Toon was born in 1939 (I couldn't find an exact date) and died on April 25, 2009. He studied at Cliff College and King's College London (BD), the University of Liverpool, and Christ Church, Oxford (DPhil), and as if that weren't enough, at the University of Durham, earning three master's degrees from the Universities of London and Liverpool. He was an expert in Puritan history (which is why this works so well in our series), the history of the Church of England, and the life of John Owen. He was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1973 in the Diocese of Liverpool, which fascinates me, because that was Ryle's diocese. Toon actually wrote a biography of Ryle that I hope to read one day. In 1991 he moved with his wife and daughter to the USA, where he was professor of systematic theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He's best known for books like his biography of John Owen, Genuine Godliness and True Piety, and Let God Be God, among some 25 other titles. He was married to Vita, herself extremely educated, for 47 years until his death, and they had one daughter, Deborah. A multifaceted, hardworking man, and a blessing to the church of Christ.
What's in it
I reread it yesterday and was not let down. It's a concise but detailed history of the Puritans and Calvinism. In the preface, Toon explains that chapters 1–4 are for the ordinary lay Christian or busy minister, introducing the history and essence of English Puritanism, and chapters 5–6 are for the more serious student of Calvinist theology.
It's academic, but each chapter is broken into short lettered sections, so you can read one at a time. The first chapter is over 40 pages, so you can split it into several sittings. The first three chapters each end with a list for further reading (16 titles in all), and there's a fairly in-depth index of names and topics.
The contents: Preface; English Puritanism; The Westminster Confession of Faith; The Cromwellian Church; The Savoy Declaration of Faith; Westminster and Savoy Compared; Calvinists in Dispute; an appendix; and the index.
What made a Puritan a Puritan?
At the start of the book (pp. 9–10), Toon suggests six characteristics a person, clergy or lay, must possess in lesser or greater degree to be called a Puritan:
- A commitment to the Bible as the Word of God, authoritative in all matters of faith, morals and worship.
- A commitment to Reformed theology.
- A desire for a reformed national Church of England.
- A belief in the necessity of personal regeneration, justification by faith and sanctification by the Spirit.
- The need for reformation at the national, local and domestic level, through legislation, catechizing, religion in the home, and fervent prayer and fasting.
- A strong sense that the last days had dawned or were about to dawn.
Who they really were
At the beginning of this series I mentioned that many people see the Puritans as legalists or even murderers. That did happen at Salem, but that was a very small portion, and those were American Puritans, not English ones.
On page 24, Toon describes what Puritan reformation meant for most Puritan ministers: the pursuit of holiness in personal and family life. A Puritan was marked by his emphasis on biblical, Calvinistic theology, regular sermons and catechizing, personal religious discipline, and devotion to duty in every part of life. He was often called a "precisian." And a Puritan home was a place where the Bible was read and studied daily, prayer was offered, six hard days' work were done, and the Sabbath was kept holy. In short, a place where God was honored.
That's what the Puritans truly were. It sounds pretty Christian to me! I hope to one day live in the same light, living and breathing the Word of God, studying it daily in my home, catechizing children and praying often.
The book's last section looks at the effects on the eighteenth century: Arminianism, Unitarianism, hyper-Calvinism and other controversies. Toon ends by asking whether we can learn from their errors and avoid more schisms over small matters. Yes, we can, if we only listen. Let's live as Christians together in harmony and unity in the Word of God.
Are there better books on this topic?
Probably not at this length and readability. There are lots of histories of Puritanism and of Calvinism, but this one is so short and accessible that I'd call it the best book on the history of the Puritans I'm aware of.
Would I buy it?
Absolutely. It's extremely affordable, about $2.50 when I checked. One worth having on your shelf.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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