Lives of the Puritans

A Biographical Account of Those Divines Who Distinguished Themselves in the Cause of Religious Liberty from the Reformation under Queen Elizabeth to the Act of Uniformity in 1662

In 1813, Benjamin Brook, a church historian and Congregational minister, published his compilation of biographical sketches and bibliographies of many of the English Puritans. He provides a basic Puritan history of nonconformity from the Reformation to the Act of Uniformity (1662), followed by accounts of more than 450 Puritans. Full of fascinating historical detail and edifying anecdotes, Brooks opens windows through which we may observe divine grace transforming the inner man to walk in the footsteps of Christ. The set has been one of the most sought after and, at the same time, rarest to find on the used book market.

The Lives of the Puritans was first published in 1813 in London for Jack Black. The Soli Deo Gloria edition was first printed in 1994. It is now reprinted in 3 volumes.

1,576 pages; 3 Volumes

“This reprinting of Benjamin Brook’s Lives of the Puritans serves as a great introduction to the lives of the most well-known and beloved Puritan figures. Despite their tendency toward hagiography at times, these biographical accounts inspire as much as they inform readers to pursue God with a zeal like that of these Puritan figures.”

— Greg Salazar, assistant professor of historical theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary 

“While interest in the Puritans has increased greatly over the past several decades, much of the focus has been limited to a handful of prominent figures such as John Owen and Richard Baxter. What is often overlooked is that the movement was comprised of numerous ordinary pastors who labored faithfully in small parish churches across the land. These pastors are now but dust on the lintel of time, their names long forgotten, yet they were pillars in a movement that shaped the history of God’s people on both sides of the Atlantic. In The Lives of the Puritans, Benjamin Brook introduces us to more than 450 of these Puritans, providing a valuable glimpse into their lives and ministries. These volumes are full of intriguing details and compelling narratives that will prove both encouraging and challenging to the reader. I highly recommend them to you.”

— J. Stephen Yuille, professor of pastoral theology and spiritual formation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas