The Fallen Saint Restored

Dr. Reynolds wrote his Fall and Rise of Peter in the form of thirty “meditations,” each one considering a different aspect of Peter’s sin and restoration. These meditations are filled with insightful and pointed thoughts concerning this part of Peter’s life and provide a rich reserve of Christian counsel. They are as convicting as they are comforting. Reynolds brings the fallen Christian from the depths of sin and despair to the heights of victory in Christ. He encourages us with the power of the resurrection, the same power that drew Peter back and raised him up and drove him forward.

There is a need for these meditations in the world we live in, where sin is so popular and accessible and still so destructive. My prayer in preparing these mediations is that the Spirit of God will both warn the Christian to “take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12) and comfort those who have been “overtaken in a fault” (Galatians 6:1).

Reynold’s meditations is an excellent place to begin reading the puritans and get a feel for puritan writing. In editing these I have tried as far as possible to maintain the Puritan style of thought and writing. I have modernized the wording in places and for clarity of thought on occasion modified the structure. I have also included some biblical references and the section heading which were not in the original edition.