For a number of years now, I have followed, and benefited from, the work of Still Waters Revival Books, particularly the Reformation and Puritan Bookshelf CD sets... and now the Puritan Hard Drive.
The common Christian can now have a world-class Presbyterian and Reformed library at his fingertips, for only pennies per volume.
I do not think that it is an exaggeration to say that the Puritan Hard Drive presents an historic and singular opportunity.
The works on the Puritan Hard Drive have been invaluable to me in sermon preparation and in improving personal and familial piety. If these had been the only blessings attached to the reading of these documents, the expense (even if it had been much greater) would have been justified; but there is more here.
In this present time, a great many Presbyterians (particularly in North America) have forgotten and implicitly (perhaps unwittingly) rejected their Presbyterian heritage. Strangely, Westminster confessing churches have rejected the theological distinctives of the Westminster Standards.
Although the Westminster Assembly produced a beautiful statement of soteriological Calvinism, the histories clearly demonstrate that soteriology was not the principle focus, nor chief interest, of the Assembly. The Westminster Assembly was primarily concerned with uniformity in worship (in accordance with the Regulative Principle), the form of church government (Presbyterianism jus divinum), and Church-State relations (the Establishment Principle). It is a sad irony that the great and distinctive attainments of the Westminster Assembly have been ignored and rejected by so many Westminster confessing churches.
However, we may yet entertain the hope that these great attainments are rejected largely because of ignorance. The best books on these subjects have not been readily available; but (thanks be to God) they are available again on the Puritan Hard Drive.
For anyone interested in recovering our Presbyterian and Reformed past, the Puritan Hard Drive is a must.
It is my hope and prayer that the Puritan Hard Drive will be used by God to bring to light the things that were hidden, to call to remembrance the things that were forgotten.
