In "A Treatise on Afflictions," Thomas Case generously applies a soothing salve to the wounds of God's suffering saints. He begins by compassionately illustrating twenty lessons God teaches his children in affliction. He then proceeds to show the advantages wrought by affliction in the lives of languishing believers. He shows why deliverance from suffering should not necessarily be the believer's primary goal when dark days come, and explains why suffering may sometimes seem to last longer than it should. The author shows from Scripture how affliction and instruction go hand-in-hand in the...

In The Case and Cure of a Deserted Soul, Puritan Joseph Symonds (d.1652) explores the nature, causes, and treatment of spiritual depression-a state that arises when God seems to hide his face, leaving the Christian to walk alone in a "dark night of the soul." Every aspect of this condition is examined with a surgeon's precision, a philosopher's insight, and the Word of God's wisdom on how to gain a firmer footing and emerge from this melancholy hour with renewed strength and vivacity.

In "The Christian Warrior," Isaac Ambrose (1604-1664) provides armament and strategy to fight our tireless adversary, the devil. He begins by showing, from Ephesians 6:12, how all God's people are warriors engaged in a battle, that our enemy is both powerful and malicious, and that we must wrestle and strive hard against him. He then gives specific examples of how Satan attacks us at different stages of life: in childhood, at our first conversion, during the prime of life, and at the time of death. Ambrose gives practical, point-by-point advice throughout the book on how to cope with these...

"Am I really a Christian?" At one time or another, all believers encounter periods of doubt regarding the genuineness of their faith. In this book, Puritan pastor Obadiah Sedgwick explores the kinds of doubt that commonly arise in the context of true saving faith, gently guiding the reader through fourteen circumstances likely to produce uncertainty. Using the Bible as a roadmap, the author helps us navigate away from the rocky shoals of doubt into the safe harbor of assurance. Obadiah Sedgwick (c.1600-1658) was a Presbyterian pastor and member of the Westminster Assembly. Originally...