Numbing, head-shaking...these are the feelings I come away with after reading this book. The life of the fallen Swedish hero Swingli has so much depth that a simple review couldn't do it justice. What the reader might come away with is a new understanding that God is so just and so defensive of his church of believers that he wouldn't even let a great warrior for the Gospel like Swingli, go unpunished after he started down the a very wrong (but understandable) path. The incredible sorrow of the dark medieval times due to the plague, the oppression of anyone lower than the royal or bishop class, and especially the violence of their wars, when the evil Roman Catholic Papacy armies slaughter Biblical Protestants (God chooses to let this happen because they've gone too political) pitted friend vs friend, relative vs relative, countrymen vs countrymen...a must read for anyone that thirsts for more knowledge of what has become to be known as Christianity and how God can allow belief in the Bible as the authority on Salvation flicker down to just a couple of people throughout the world in post Apostle Paul days...very sobering. Hundreds's of thousands of modern day Biblical Christians have much more in common with Swingli than they do with Luther, but probably have never even heard of this guy, this book shows why he was so instrumental. God Bless.

The Puritan Bookshelf CDs are a wonderful collection of rare, out-of-print books which would cost a fortune even if one could spend the time searching for them in libraries and used bookstores in obscure places the world over.

On this CD are 32 works by Reformation authors of the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as several by contemporary covenanters.

Daniel Featley's "Pelagius Redivivus" is a brief booklet, clearly and concisely laid out. In it he parallels the teachings of the Arminians with those of the Pelagians and the Demipelagians, exposing all three to the standard of truth taught in God's Word. The message in this booklet, written nearly four hundred years ago, is timely even now, and a valuable tool for sorting out the many contradictory teachings on soteriology today.

"The Position of John Preston" is also brief, and clearly written. Dr. Preston discusses several false or inadequate definitions of irresistable grace. He shows the striking similarity of the Arminian view of grace, to that of the Jesuits.

John Cameron has done an excellent work in his book, "An Examination of those plausible appearances which seem most to commend the Romish church and to prejudice the reformed." Mr. Cameron successfully demonstrates that "all those allegations 1)of the Magnificence, 2)Unity, 3)Antiquity, 4)Stability, 5)Continuation, 6)Succession, 7)the substance of truth, 8)the holiness pretended to be in the Church of Rome, are but frivolous pretences, devised to hinder an exquisite and solid enquiry of the truth."

If you would prefer a more thorough and lengthy treatment of this subject, you'll want to read, "A Collection of Discourses against the errors and corruptions of the Church of Rome," by such men as William Cave, John Williams, Samuel Freeman, John Hardcliffe, and John Goodman.

Or, if you would rather learn from someone who has "been there and done that," then Thomas Abernethie's "Abjuration of Popery" is the one for you. Abernethie, formerly a Jesuit priest, was converted and became a covenanted member of the Greyfriar Church in Edinburgh. His book is a humble and honest exposure of the errors in the Roman Catholic Church.

"The Best Way to Mend the World," by Samuel Peck, is an excellent challenge to the young, based solidly on Ecc. 12:1. "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." I love the bonus at the end of this book, in the form of two special literary challenges. The first is "The Young Man's Monitor," a poetical paraphrase of Ecc. 12:1-8. This is followed by "A Plain and Profitable Dialogue between a Sinner and Time." This book is so good, I'd like to print out a personal copy for each of my own children!

This is only a small sampling of what is available on this priceless set of CDs. Tremendous value and a wealth of wisdom and biblical instruction are packed into every CD. If you're interested in reformed theology, this is a great way to get an extensive library of books, lectures and sermons, for very little expense.

If you would like to see the full listing for this individual CD (or all 32 CDs in this set) you may view the complete set of Puritan Bookshelf CDs in one place online, at Still Waters Revival Books. SWRB also lists a similar set of 30 CDs in their Reformation Bookshelf CD series.