The Puritan Hope
Must prospects for succeeding generations be darker than those of today? Can we even expect any period of history to intervene before the Advent of Christ? How can readiness for Christ's coming be consistent with the belief that revivals are yet to be given to the Church? Such questons are brought to the fore in this book and the author, employing both exposition of Scripture and much historical and biographical material, sets out the case for believing that it is not 'orthodox' to indulge in gloom over the prospect for Christianity in the world. Perhaps the most important practical aspect of this study is its demonstration of the influence which the 'Puritan Hope' had on the beginnings of the modern missionary movement. Carey and others, who attempted great things for God because they expected great things from God, were far from giving any place in their thoughts to that pessimism over the future of the Church's work in the world which here and there, in more recent generations, has acquired the status of a new orthodoxy .... Mr. Murray has written a book of high importance, which deserves to be studied and pondered by evangelical Christians.F.F. Bruce in The Life of FaithTracing this 'Puritan Hope' from Calvin to Spurgeon, Iain Murray raises visions to which Calvinists may once again aspire. His book could be a landmark, if it is studied and its inspiration caught widely among those who are seeking a Power which promises, yea, who promises - to effect more changes in human history than too many of us have even dared dream of.'Lester DeKoster in The Banner
Today the Church’s hope in respect to her mission of discipling all nations is in eclipse. The world gives Christianity no future and evangelicals themselves doubt whether the cause of Christ can ever attain to a greater triumph before his Second Advent. Must the prospects for succeeding generations be darker than those of today? Can we even expect any period of history to intervene before the Advent of Christ? How can readiness for Christ’s coming be consistent with the belief that revivals are yet to be given to the Church? Such questions are brought to the fore in The Puritan Hope and the author, employing both exposition of Scripture and much historical and biographical material, sets out the case for believing that it is not ‘orthodox’ to indulge in gloom over the prospect for Christianity in the world.
| Introduction | xv | |
| I | Revival Christianity: England | 1 |
| II | Revival Christianity: Scotland | 19 |
| III | Unfulfilled Prophecy: The Development of the Hope | 37 |
| IV | Apostolic Testimony: The Basis of the Hope | 57 |
| V | The Hope and Puritan Piety | 83 |
| VI | The Eighteenth-Century Awakening: The Hope Revived | 105 |
| VII | World Missions: The Hope Spreading | 129 |
| VIII | The Hope and Scotland’s Missionaries | 157 |
| IX | The Eclipse of the Hope | 185 |
| X | Christ’s Second Coming: The Best Hope | 207 |
| XI | The Prospect in History: Christ our Hope | 221 |
| APPENDICES | ||
| John Howe on The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | 241 | |
| C. H. Spurgeon’s Views on Prophecy | 256 | |
| Notes | 267 | |
| Index | 289 | |
| Index to Scripture References | 300 |