Ebook
This work is an academic study of marriage in the lives and theologies of eighteenth-century English Baptists. It explores the historical context of marriage laws and practices in eighteenth-century England and demonstrates the theological continuity that existed between the English Puritans and the Particular Baptists on the subject of marriage. The study concentrates on four specific Baptist leaders of this era: John Gill, Anne Dutton, Samuel Stennett, and Andrew Fuller. This work will benefit students of history and readers interested in the spirituality of marriage.
“Helped on Our Way to Heaven is a fine example of retrieval of the development of doctrine in history for the sake of contemporary renewal. Matthew Haste’s examination of eighteenth-century English Baptists is a delight to see, and a help to all who will read it.”
—Jason G. Duesing, professor of historical theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Matthew Haste offers a masterful historical introduction to the doctrine and practice of marriage among eighteenth-century Baptists (focusing on John Gill, Anne Dutton, Samuel Stennett, and Andrew Fuller), who inherited a renewed biblical appreciation for the blessed state of matrimony from the Reformers and Puritans. Readers of this well-researched study will find it both informative and inspiring.”
—Joel R. Beeke, president, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
“Helped on Our Way to Heaven is a delightful book from the pen of a devoted husband, parent, scholar, and author. Matthew Haste combines academic muscle, practical concern, and winsome writing in a gripping narrative that reaches beyond the academy and into the hearts and homes of everyday readers. Haste’s book doesn’t simply tell us about history and marriage, it provides examples that help us to look back as a means of finding our way forward.”
—Ray Rhodes Jr., author of Yours, till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon
“There is nothing quite like Matthew Haste’s new book on marriage among eighteenth-century Baptists. Haste shows, without descending into hagiography, that great attention was given to personal relationships and that Baptists sought to live out their faith in private as well as in public. This work is a great resource and highly recommended. It adds to our understanding of this vital historical period and challenges Christian readers about what it means to live as a Christian disciple today.”
—Peter Morden, senior pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church
Matthew D. Haste is associate professor of biblical spirituality and biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the co-author of Held in Honor: Wisdom for Your Marriage from Voices of the Past (2015) and the co-author of The Pastor’s Life: Practical Wisdom from the Puritans (2019).