Product Description

Walter Marshall was born in 1628 at Bishops Wearmouth in Durham, England. At age eleven, he went to study at Winchester College. He then became a fellow at New College, Oxford, from 1648 to 1657. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1652. Two years later, he was approved for the living of Fawley, Hampshire. In 1656, he was appointed to the vicarage of Hursley, Hampshire, four miles from Winchester. From 1657 to 1661, he served as a fellow at Winchester College. He married and had two daughters.

When the Act of Uniformity passed in 1662, ministers of the Church of England were asked to give proof of Episcopal ordination and their conformity to the Book of Common Prayer. Like hundreds of his Puritan colleagues, Marshall decided on the basis of conscience not to conform. He and other Nonconformists were ejected from their parishes on St. Bartholomew’s Day, August 24, 1662. In the preface to Marshall’s work on sanctification, a friend said, “He [Marshall] was put under the Bartholomew Bushel with near two thousand more lights whose illumination made the land a Goshen.”

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1944658 in Books
• Brand: Brand: Sovereign Grace Publishers Inc.
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.21" h x .38" w x 6.14" l, .75 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 140 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781589600638
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Review
The most important book on sanctification ever written. --John Murray (1898 1975), professor of systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

Walter Marshall s Gospel Mystery of Sanctification is the classic Puritan work on the relationship between justification and sanctification. This book has helped deliver scores of people throughout church history from the bondage of legalism and antinomianism and enabled them to embrace the precious doctrine of justification by gracious faith alone with liberty, without sacrificing the need for grateful fruits of personal holiness. --Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

If you are Reformed and want to know how to preach a robust biblical doctrine of growth in grace in the Christian life that is gospel-shaped, Spirit-empowered, and Christ-centered and that does not denigrate the third use of the law, then Marshall is your man, and Gospel Mystery is your book. --J. Ligon Duncan III, senior minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi

From the Inside Flap
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification presents the culmination of Puritan thought on living the Christian life. Combining doctrinal precision and pastoral sensitivity, Walter Marshall shows how sanctification is essential to spiritual life, dependent on spiritual union with Jesus Christ, and inseparable though distinct from justification. He shows how holiness involves both the mind and the soul of the believer and that it is the aim of the Christian life. It is no wonder that this book has been reprinted many times throughout the years and received such high praise from leading ministers of the gospel.

"The most important book on sanctification ever written." John Murray (1898 1975), professor of systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

About the Author
Walter Marshall (15 June 1628 -- August 1680) was an English, non-conformist Puritan pastor and author best known for his book on the Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, which Wesley praised as perhaps the single greatest work on sanctification ever composed. For several years, Marshall experienced seasons of spiritual depression. For years, Marshall sought assurance, holiness and peace, consulting contemporaries like Richard Baxter. However, it was not until a life altering conversation with Thomas Goodwin that he began to focus more on Christ's spiritual power in comparison with his own natural power. With this new focus, he found "holiness, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost".[2]

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
One of the great classics
By Will Riddle
I do not know of any other books which can properly claim to be equal to this one. Written in 1692, this book plainly shows what real salvation is all about and how to walk in it.
First, Marshall support everything he says directly with Scripture.
Second, against the timeless 'antinomian' error he shows that a faith that does not include faith for sanctification is not a saving faith.
Third he shows in detail the difference between works and faith. He goes deeply into the psychology that entraps so many people, especially of 'holiness' type traditions, from actually receiving the transforming power.
In essence, he shows what the Gospel is and what it is not, in the most convincing way. The church, especially the charismatic church (I'm a charismatic), would benefit greatly by learning more deeply the truths in this book, and in fact many do teach them, but few with the depth and insight that Marshall does here. Moreover, Marshall leads you to Christ through His Word-- all other ground being truly sinking sand.
This book is difficult to read however. Though it is small, the print is tiny, and the material is dense, and the presentation plain. The langauge itself however, is not a barrier.
It was this book that was instrumental in the young life of A.B. Simpson founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
Puritan preaching on grace at its finest!
By Glenn
Jack Miller learned from this book and Dr. John Murray called it the best book ever written on sanctification. It is deep and challenging to read, because it was written long ago in a language style that is a bit hard for us moderns. But it is a deep lake of delightful waters of grace leading to holiness. Though we commonly think that we must produce a holy frame in ourselves, the mystery is that it is all of Christ and all of grace. Bryan Chapell's Holiness by Grace is not as deep, but teaches and applies the same ideas quite well. Many might prefer to begin by digesting Chapell before wrestling with Marshall.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
MUST READ!!!
By Reviewer
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification is a MUST read. It is the single BEST book written on sanctification and the Christian life. I cannot encourage people enough to get this book and read it. I have read both the original and Bruce McRae's updated version into Modern English. Read both. Both are excellent. Every believer should read this book at least 10 times before reading another book on sanctification and the Christian life. There is simply nothing like it in modern Evangelicalism. Get this book. Read it. Think about it. Study it. Digest it and then read it again. Your life will NEVER be the same! I rate this book 5 to the billionth power and more!