The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mystical Union with Christ

Author(s):

In “The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety,” J. Stephen Yuille demonstrates how the doctrine of the believer’s union with Christ lies at the heart of the Puritan pursuit of godliness. He analyzes the whole corpus of Flavel’s writings, showing how this mystical union is set upon the backdrop of God’s covenant of redemption and established on the basis of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Chapters on the nature and acts of this union help readers gain a better understanding of what this union is, while chapters on the blessings, fruit, suffering, evidence, joy, practice, and hope associated with this union, show more fully the experiential direction of Flavel’s approach to theology.

Table of Contents:

The Covenant of Redemption
The Basis of Union with Christ
The Nature of Union with Christ
The Act of Union with Christ
The Blessings of Union with Christ
The Fruit of Union with Christ
The Evidence of Union with Christ
The Suffering of Union with Christ
The Joy of Union with Christ
The Practice of Union with Christ
The Hope of Union with Christ
Author

J. Stephen Yuille (Ph.D. London School of Theology) lives in Peterborough, Ontario, with his wife, Alison, and daughter, Laura. He is the preaching elder at Braidwood Bible Chapel. He is also a part-time professor of Biblical studies with Toronto Baptist Seminary.

Endorsement

“The subjects that Dr. Yuile has therefore chosen to focus on in this study of Flavel’s thought, union with Christ, is one that is at the very center of the Puritan’s entire ministry. May the perusal of these pages have a revivifying effect similar to that of bygone days and that for the glory of the One whom Flavel delighted in calling the God-Man, his Lord and ours.” – Michael Haykin