The Gospel Life Series

Burroughs opens the right manner of worshiping God from the judgment on Aaron's sons in Leviticus 10:3, working through fourteen sermons on what it means to sanctify God's name. He moves from general principles of drawing near to God, through hearing the Word, receiving the Lord's Supper, and prayer, treating each as an act of approach to a holy God that demands a holy frame. Published posthumously in 1648, it became one of the most widely used Puritan treatments of worship and the nature of the ordinances.

Drawing from Philippians 1:27, Burroughs argues that Christian conduct must exceed what natural conscience or the Mosaic law could produce, because the gospel reveals a standard of life suited to the excellency of Christ and the glory of the age to come. Eleven sermons examine what it means to live worthy of the gospel in relation to God, to wicked men, and to fellow believers. Published posthumously in 1653, it stands as one of the clearest Puritan statements on the ethics of grace.

Burroughs examines the fear of God as a mark of a blessed and gracious heart, drawing from Isaiah 66:2 and 2 Kings 22:19. Seven sermons distinguish the slavish fear of the unregenerate from the filial fear that belongs to those who have received the spirit of adoption, showing the nature, causes, and fruits of godly trembling at God's Word. Published posthumously in 1674, it is the most sustained Puritan treatment of the fear of God as an evangelical grace.

Expounding 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, Burroughs traces the full work of reconciliation between God and sinners: the nature of the breach, the sufficiency of Christ's mediation, the terms of peace, and the ministry of the gospel as a proclamation of reconciling grace. Published posthumously in 1657, this treatise is the most comprehensive Puritan exposition of the doctrine of reconciliation and remains a searching pastoral guide on how God brings enemies to peace with himself.

Burroughs shows that true blessedness consists in the pardon of sin, expounding the mystery of forgiveness in Christ and the many gospel truths contained in it. Twenty chapters examine what remission is, how it is obtained, its glorious effects, and the ways a believer may come to know and enjoy the assurance of it. Published posthumously in 1657, it is one of the fullest Puritan treatments of the doctrine of forgiveness and its practical application to the soul.

Across nineteen sermons, Burroughs opens three great gospel truths: the nature of God in his essential being, the excellencies of Jesus Christ as the object of saving faith, and the dignity of the immortal soul made in God's image. Published posthumously in 1660, it is the most doctrinal of the Gospel Series, examining the character of God, the glory of Christ, and what it means to bear the divine image, as foundations for a life of worship and devotion.