Review: The Art of Prophesying
Perkins, William. The Art of Prophesying. Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth, 1996.
First published in Latin in 1592 and then in English in 1605, William Perkins' The Art of Prophesying has long been an expected find on the shelves of most preachers. "Prophesying," in this case, is about preaching or proclaiming the Word of God.
Perkins was born in 1558 and studied at Christ's College, Cambridge. From 1595 until his death in 1602, he was the preacher at Great St Andrews. History has fixed Perkins' place among the Puritans, chiefly due to his contribution to preaching with the writing of The Art of Prophesying. His 'plain style,' which he used in preaching, also shapes this short book.
"The better something is," writes Perkins, "the more it deserves to be carefully presented with a wide variety of rich and wise counsel. But this everyday task is frequently described in a scarcely adequate and even improvised matter by comparison with the attention other disciplines receive. I have, therefore, carefully studied the writing of the theologians, composed a series of rules and principles from their teaching and tried to explain them in a way that will be both useful and easily remembered" (4). Perkins achieved his goal, offering an easily understandable explanation of sound principles for preaching.
Likely bolstered by Perkin's influence, Puritan sermons maintained a basic structure. They opened with a reading of the Word, followed by an explanation of the Scripture. The next part of the sermon revolved around any doctrines touched by the sermon Text. In many ways, the middle portion of a Puritan sermon is a study of systematics. Finally, "If the preacher is suitably gifted," writes Perkins, "applying the doctrines thus explained to the life and practice of the congregation in straightforward, plain speech" concludes the sermon. (87) "Uses" is often the Purtain term for application. The Art of Prophesying assumes this format for every sermon.
The book opens with a discussion of what Scripture is, followed by a discussion of how to study and explain it clearly. Chapter four is titled "The Interpretation of Scripture." "Principles for Expounding Scripture" comes next, then "Rightly Handling the Word of God." Eventually, Perkins offers a couple of chapters on applying the Text or "uses." Finally, the book moves to some basic "how to preach" material.
The Art of Prophesying is a short, easy read. It's a long-standing classic, and anyone who identifies as a preacher should have read it. A word of caution, however. Perkins was writing for another time, and the reader should keep the age of this book's birth and Perkins as a preacher in mind. Most modern sermons follow similar rules and principles, but not as rigidly. The book's greatest weakness is found in the absoluteness of the way to preach, leaving little room for any variation as the Text itself may demand of the preacher and his sermon. Otherwise, The Art of Prophesying is a must-read for preachers and those who desire to one day preach. At only 87 pages, Perkins should be assigned reading in every seminary preaching class.