The Puritans and Counseling

Justin Taylor has a very helpful post at The Gospel Coalition on the Puritans and how helpful they can be in biblical counseling. 

His reference to Tim Keller gives great reasons why the Puritans are so helpful. But I especially liked his reference to the book by Mark Deckard, Helpful Truth in Past Places: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Counseling (Christians Focus, 2010). Taylor notes:

The introduction, “New Is Not Necessarily Better,” can be read online for free. Deckard takes six questions that people struggle with, and uses a classic Puritan work to help us answer it:

• Why is this happening to me? (John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence)

• Why am I so anxious and dissatisfied? (Jeremiah Burroughs, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment)

• What does sin have to do with my problem? (John Owen, On the Mortification of Sin in Believers)

• Why doesn’t anyone understand my problems? (John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress)

• Don’t I need just to stop feeling? (Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections)

• How can I find joy again? (William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast)

Check it out.