Packer begins this chapter with a discussion of Redwoods; large, stately majestic and awesome trees. Such are the Puritans – looming figures of evangelical spirituality towering over the landscape of Anglo-American church history. The introduction of the book primarily features Packer’s reasons for loving the historical Puritan’s and their legacy passed on in their writings. Packer lists seven things he counts as debts he owes to men like John Owen and Richard Baxter – men unworthy of mercy who left us gems of the faith for generations to come. The seven things Packer rips off are as follows. 1) A realization of our continuing sinfulness and the necessity of self-suspicion and mortification over our sin. 2) The Sovereignty of God and the particularity of redemption, 3) The value of discursive meditation; the meditative manner of the Psalms where a man talks to himself before the Almighty, 4) A vision for the pastoral office 5) To see how transient life is and to life in light of death and eternity, 6) A vision of the wholeness of the work of God – reformation/renewal, and finally 7) All Theology is Spirituality – the very practical nature of our Vision of God and his truth. To these I say, Amen! Theology is the thrilling of the soul with the beauty of God for our everlasting joy, satisfaction and hope in the midst of suffering. I need to have that hammered into the skull – no fearing the T-word.

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