William Perkins (1558–1602) is one of the most important of the English Reformed writers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries but, until recently, his works were mostly unavailable. Until this new series by RHB, his works had been out of print for centuries. His relative absence from our bookshelves and libraries belies his significance. Perkins was one of the most important voices in the development of English Reformed theology and piety.He was a fellow in Christ’s College Cambridge and preacher in Great St Andrews (1584–1602). He was a major influence on the congregationalist Reformed theologian William Ames (1576–1633), who took Perkins’ theology and piety to the Netherlands and, in turn, whose theology and piety was transmitted to the American colonies.

In his own time and in the 17th century Perkins’ works were widely read in the British Isles and across Europe. He was an important influence on the theology and piety of the Westminster Assembly. Indeed, we might think of him as a bridge between the European Reformed theology of the 1560s and the English Reformed theology of the mid-17th centuries. Perkins was a gracious, thoughtful, and pastoral expositor of Scripture.  Thanks to RHB for a modern edition of these most important works.