Westminster Directory of Public Worship: Discussed by Mark Dever and Sinclair Ferguson

Publisher's Description

The Directory of Public Worship was composed by the same group who wrote the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. They were appointed by the British parliament to restructure the Church of England. Their recommendations were adopted in England and Scotland but later revoked in England. These documents form the basis of the Presbyterian system of church government and practice. Here it is discussed by Sinclair Ferguson and Mark Dever. They write with clairty making it palatable even to modern readers beset by busyness & multiple distractions.

From the Editors:

"To read and study the Puritans is akin to standing in a familiar house and noticing there is an extra door one had never noticed. Press it open and a large basement full of unimagined resources come into view. Here one may linger often, and from here Christians - and not least Christian pastors - may return to the world of their daily service with renewed vigor, with a greater sense of the gospel and its power, deeply challenged to live for their chief end: 'to glorify God and enjoy him for ever.'

"Here we find ourselves in a world of men with a clear vision of the nature of true pastoral ministry, and an unreserved commitment to it, whatever the personal cost. This is an environment of clear-sightedness, single-mindedness, and a deep love of God which, if applied to the work of the pastor today would have a profound, if at times a disturbing, impact on our understanding of the real task of the ministry.
- Sinclair B. Ferguson

"The Westminster Directory of Public Worship represents a flowering of Puritan understanding on topics such as the public reading of scripture, public prayer, and the preaching of the Word. The best way to introduce you to the Puritans' thinking is to urge you to read the pages that follow, in which the Puritans speak for themselves . . .

"It will come as no surprise to the reader that the Puritans' united thoughts are quite clearly expressed in the Westminster Directory for Public Worship. The Directory, like the Confession and the Catechisms which bear the Westminster name, contains a wealth of insight on topics relevant to the church in any age. Its brevity and clarity make it palatable even o the modern reader beset by busy-ness and multiple distractions."
- Mark Dever