save
$4.00
Learning in Christ’s School (Ralph Venning)
$6.00$10.00
In this unique account of growth in grace, this Puritan author uses the Apostle John’s description of us all as passing through the stages of “babes”, “little children”, “young men”, and “fathers”, as the four stages through which students in Christ’s school pass before we enter “the academy of heaven.”
In stock
&description=Learning in Christ’s School (Ralph Venning))
Learning in Christ’s School
In Ralph Venning’s study of Christian growth in grace, ‘babes’, ‘little children’, ‘young men’ and ‘fathers’ are the stages through which the learners in Christ’s school pass on their way to the ‘academy of heaven’. While supporting and comforting beginners in the school of grace, Venning encourages all Christians to make further progress towards ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph. 4:13).
Table of Contents
Preface: James Barron & John Collins
- Introduction: The Purpose and Scope of these sermons
- Babes in Christ, Their attainments and deficiencies (1 Cor. 3:1-2 and Heb 5:11-14)
- Little children in Christ, their attainments of knowledge, the means of gaining it, and their privileges (1 John 2:12-13)
- Young men in Christ, their attainment of strength, the reality of conflict and conquest (1 John 2:13-14)
- Fathers in Israel, their characteristics and abilities
- Conclusions
- The benefit of knowing where one belongs
- Reaching forward
About the Author
Ralph Venning  was born in Devon around the year 1621. Early in life, he encountered the Puritan preacher, George Hughes, under whose diligent pastoral ministry he was converted, along with two other young men who also went on to become gospel ministers. Venning described Hughes in affectionate terms as his spiritual ‘father’.
Venning attended Cambridge, then Emmanuel College in 1643. During college years he served as chaplain in the Tower of London, and found time to write and publish two book! Venning completed his BA and MA degrees before entering into the preaching ministry.
Upon beggining to preach, he had fellowship with men such as Joseph Caryl, John Owen, and Richard Baxter. London was a hub for godly preaching at that time. Known for his gentle moderation, Venning was nonetheless unequivocally committed to the goals of the Reformation and the Puritan revolution.
During the 1650s Venning was primarily occupied as Lecturer at St Olave’s, Southwark. The church was fully demolished by 1928, and Olaf House, part of London Bridge ÂHospital, now occupies the spot.  Venning also ministered at St Mary Magdalen from 1657. In 1661 he married Hannah Cope, a widow; they had at least two children.Refusing to conform to the 1662 Act of Uniformity, Venning was ejected from this post. In the years that followed, he served as co-pastor with Robert Bragge to a nonconformist congregation which met at the Pewterers’ Guild Hall in Lime Street. His last sermon, after which he was taken ill and died (March 1674), was preached to a similar congregation meeting at Joiners’ Hall.
A Ministry heard across England
In addition to his ministry among the Reformed churches during the heady days of the 1650s, Venning also preached on occasions at Paul’s Cross, an open air pulpit adjacent to St Paul’s Cathedral, and described by historian Patrick Collinson as the seventeenth century equivalent of national broadcasting. Those who listened would have included the Aldermen and Mayor of London, as well as a broad spectrum of both Londoners and visitors to the capital. This was a platform to present to the widest possible audience sermons on matters of national importance.
Venning’s works The Sinfulness of Sin and Learning in Christ’s School are available in the Puritan Paperbacks series.
| Weight | 0.6 lbs |
|---|
Related products
-
The Way to True Happiness: Pocket Puritans Series (Ralph Venning)
$4.80Puritan Ralph Venning (1621-74) here proposes that true happiness is only to be found in understanding and doing the will of God. Venning was admired not only for his preaching but also for the consistency of his life. This, together with his powerful call to a pleasure-obsessed world to seek happiness only where it may be found, are perhaps the reasons why his writings continue to speak so powerfully to us today.
In this edition, English spellings have been updated as have some of Venning’s seventeenth century idioms, while quotations from Latin sources have been translated for the benefit of the reader unfamiliar with the language. The text, however, remains substantially Vennings’ and has not been abridged.
$6.00 -
The Sinfulness of Sin (Ralph Venning) (#8)
$9.75We cannot understand the Christian gospel until we know what sin is. Yet modern secular counselors urge us both to ignore the term “sin” and what it implies about our rebellion against God and His law.
Sadly, the church has succumbed to embracing much of this worldly wisdom rather than remain faithfully reliant on the Word of God to help us understand the truth about sin. Only when we accept our sinfulness, on God’s terms, can we ever rejoice in His forgiveness.
“Works like Ralph Venning’s The Sinfulness of Sin have steered me into a greater understanding of God, his word, and indeed even my own heart. Few today would dare think so carefully and comprehensively about the Bible’s teaching on the stuff of sin. Fewer still would dare write it. Perhaps even fewer have sat to read Venning’s cogent study. But any who read this book will never think the same way about sin, evil, and God’s grace in Christ Jesus.” – David Garner
First published in the aftermath of the Great Plague of London and entitled Sin, The Plague of Plagues, this book gives a crystal-clear explanation of what sin is, why it is so serious, and what we need to do about it. Here is reliable medicine for a fatal epidemic.
$11.00