Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Blog
→
Did the Puritans Die Without Assurance?

Did the Puritans Die Without Assurance?

February 20, 2018 by Bob Wilkin in Blog

I received this question by email from RH in Florida:

In your August 15, 2017 blog article, “Anybody Can Be a Christian for Five Hours or for Five Years,” you wrote:

“Dr. R. T. Kendall in his book Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649 reports that nearly to a man the great Puritan theologians lamented on their death beds that they probably were going to hell because they did not see enough evidence in their works to convince them that they had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.”

Could you supply the page number or numbers where Kendall says this?

I could not find the precise quote. On page 75 of Kendall’s book, Calvin and English Calvinism, he indicates that when William Perkins died—like most Puritans, he was troubled about where he would go:

Thomas Fuller says that Perkins reportedly died “in the conflict of a troubled conscience.” This is “no wonder,” for God “seemingly leaves his saints when they leave the world, plunging them on their death-beds in deep temptations, and casting their souls, down to hell, to rebound to higher heaven.”

I also found a Puritan website where a blogger, Ron Henzel, saw my blog and wrote a response blog of his own. He posted a video featuring a short clip by Dr. R. C. Sproul and then another short video by me. (Interestingly, the video is by a church I’m not familiar with.) Henzel questioned my claim that Kendall had said that nearly to a man the Puritan divines died in despair that they might not be regenerate. He said that he had several email exchanges with Kendall in which he agreed that he did write that, but that Kendall could not find the actual quote either. Kendall thinks it may have been cut because when his dissertation was converted to a book, some was cut. (Henzel also says that he reached out to me and that I did not respond. I do not recall the contact.) Here is Henzel’s article.

Did the Puritans die without assurance of salvation? Note the quote by Ed Walsh in the 14th comment which follows Henzel’s article:

Here’s an excerpt from The Puritan Way of Death where the author seems to agree, although he only presents one supporting story in some detail. He relates the doubts of Increase Mather as told by his son Cotton.

…Or, as Allan I. Ludwig has more recently-and somewhat more dramatically-put it: “In the midst of darkness and confusion there was light, the triumph of Death was overcome by eternity. The fear of death gave way to the thrill of spiritual pleasures yet to come as archangels trumpeted the glorious day.” The evidence does not confirm this interpretation. Instead, it suggests that the Puritans were gripped individually and collectively by an intense and unremitting fear of death, while simultaneously clinging to the traditional Christian rhetoric of viewing death as a release and relief for the earth-bound soul.

—David E. Stannard. The Puritan Way of Death: A Study in Religion, Culture, and Social Change. Kindle Edition. Kindle Locations 814-816.

Kendall and I are not the only ones to notice the Puritan fear of death and lack of assurance.

In doing this research, I also came across multiple references to my debate on regeneration, perseverance, faith, and assurance in 2005 with Dr. James White. You can watch it here. It is over two hours long, so you might want to skim. But at the 1 hour and 42-minute mark, you will note that I mention Kendall’s claim that the Puritan divines, nearly to a man, died in despair. If you only have a few minutes, I suggest you check out the closing remarks, 5 minutes long each, by Dr. White and by me (from 2:16 to 2:25:43).

Sorry I couldn’t find the precise Kendall quote. But I’m glad to find this blog by Henzel, the comment by Walsh, and the book by Stannard.

Subscribe by Email

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
Bob_W

by Bob Wilkin

Bob Wilkin (ThM, PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is the Founder and Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society and co-host of Grace in Focus Radio. He lives in Highland Village, TX with his wife, Sharon. His latest books are Faith Alone in One Hundred Verses and Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance.

If you wish to ask a question about a given blog, email us your question at ges@faithalone.org.

Cart

Recently Added

February 3, 2023

Romans–Part 05–The Solution

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Kathryn Wright and Ken Yates conclude this short series as they get to the good part of the...
February 3, 2023

Here’s Why Your February Partner’s Letter Will Be Late

We send a letter each month to those who financially support the ministry of GES. We call the newsletter Partners in Grace. We try to...
February 2, 2023

Romans–Part 04–The Problem

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Ken Yates and Kathryn Wright continue this short series about Romans. Jumping to Chapter 3, they begin with...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Inerrancy for Dummies $7.95 $5.00
  • The Journey of Faith $15.00 $9.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • Grudem Against Grace: A Defense of Free Grace Theology $15.00 $10.00
  • Grace in Eclipse: A Study in Eternal Rewards (Second Edition) $15.00 $8.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube