Publisher's Note
Section IV: If Any of You Lack Wisdom
Publisher's Note This modernized edition of Patience and Its Perfect Work: Enduring
Sudden and Sore Trials with Joy presents a faithful rendering of Thomas Goodwin's exposition of James 1:1–5. First penned in the crucible of 17th-century suffering and devotion, Goodwin's work remains one of the most searching and tender treatments of Christian endurance ever written.
The goal of this edition is not to abridge, summarize, or reframe the original, but to render its full content in clear, contemporary English
—retaining its structure, depth, and pastoral warmth. Every effort has been made to preserve Goodwin's theological precision, devotional fervor, and the Puritan richness of expression, while replacing archaic vocabulary and grammar to make the text accessible for today's reader.
In an age that often seeks comfort without cross, Goodwin calls the Christian to embrace trials as divine appointments for spiritual maturity. May this work instruct, convict, and comfort all who desire that patience should have its perfect work.
Soli Deo Gloria.
JWH