The early Puritan preachers of England did not write and preach from ivory towers. The Act of Uniformity of 1662 declared the public ministry of all nonconformist preachers illegal, but hundreds continued faithfully, preaching under the pressure of persecution and possible arrest. One of this courageous band was John Flavel, who from the crucible of hardship wrote for the heart as well as the mind.
In Method of Grace, Flavel thoroughly outlines the work of God's Spirit in applying the redemptive work of Christ to the believer.