“Easy”, profitable, and reverent Bible-reading

I was doing some reading and came across some helpful words from a Puritan, Lewis Bayly. One of the chapers in his book, “The Practice of Piety” is called: “BRIEF DIRECTIONS HOW TO READ THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ONCE EVERY YEAR OVER, WITH EASE, PROFIT, AND REVERENCE.” He outlines six guidelines for profitable Bible reading. Although they seem profitable, I’m not sure they make reading the Bible in a year “easy” as he claims. Regardless, I offer them as suggestions for reflective Bible reading.

I’ve taken the liberty to “”modernize” and paraphrase what Bayly wrote.

“Just as faith is the soul of Bible reading, so reading and meditating on the Word of God are the parents of prayer, therefore, before you pray in the morning read a chapter in the Word of God, then meditate on all the excellent things there are in that passage. The following is a guide for meditation:

First: How is the passage challenging you to live a holy life filled with good works?

Second: Are there any warnings of God’s judgment on particular sins that you need to hear?

Third: What blessings does God promise to those who demonstrate patience, chastity, mercy, gift-giving, zealous service, love, faith and trust in God, and other Christian virtues?

Fourth: How is God the gracious deliverer and gift-giver to his faithful people in this passage?

Fifth: Apply these things to your own heart; don’t read the passage merely as history, but as God’s letter sent from heaven to you.

Sixth: Receive God’s Word with reverence as if God stood by your side speaking His word directly to you. Apply all that you read in Scripture to yourself and respond appropriately – either growing in faith or in genuine repentance.”

I loved the section: “reading and meditating on God’s Word are the parents of prayer…”; what a great metaphor!

stories from the country of beulah

The other night I attended an evening lecture given by Dr. Maxine Hancock. She is an incredibly bright and articulate speaker and teacher. Her topic was something like: “Grace in Transitions: Spirituality in Life and Literature.” Although there were many topics covered in her lecture, I want to focus on one – that is telling and listening to stories – that is stories of faith.

She lamented that in so many of our churches we have fragmented and separated the generations so that one generation does not hear the faith-stories of the other generations. She particularly lamented the fact that younger generations don’t often hear the faith-stories of the elderly (and for that matter, many elderly don’t often tell their faith-stories).

She referenced the old Puritan practice of gathering around a aging or dying family member to hear their last words for the Puritans believed that the closer one got to heaven, he or she might have words of increasng wisdom. Hancock then discussed Pilgrim’s Progress in which Christian and Hopeful (Christian being the main character of the journey and Hopeful his companion) enter into the “country of Beulah” – the borders of heaven. While they traveled through the “Borders of heaven” they conversed and talked with wise people there so that they were strengthened to carry on and to finish their journey well.

So it is with us argued Hancock. We need to converse with those who have walked the path of faith before us. That means those who are yet living but older than ourselves and those who are already in glory by reading their biographies and their writings.

I know that I have a list of folks who are in the country of Beulah (or are apparently closer to it than I) from whom I want to hear faith-stories. I hope to do so. Perhaps you, too, can think of residents of Beulah that could enrich our lives. Let’s hear their stories (and if you think yourself to be a resident of Beulah, please do share!).

humiliation and intimidation

I haven’t able to break away long enough to really put some concrete thoughts together for a complete post, but a quick story from today.

Today I met with Dr. Packer to discuss my paper to get some clarification and direction. We met for only about 10 minutes but it was very helpful. I am going to be writing about how the Puritans read the Bible devotionally and meditatively. Dr. Packer was able to give not only the Puritan books that I should read but also what page numbers I could find the material on (from the top of his head!). He was extremely kind and gracious in our conversation.

Not so smooth on my part, however. Here I am speaking with the definitive mind on all of Puritanism and I ask him if it would be worthwhile exploring Jeremy Taylor’s Puritan method of reading the Bible. He smirked, cocked his head, and said, “I think Jeremy Taylor would turn over in his grave if he knew that you call him a Puritan. He was a High Church Anglican largely opposed to the Puritans.” A bit embarassing no doubt. (Later, however, I found comfort from a new friend Joanne, a professor at Biola, who knows that there is at least one reference where Taylor is called a Puritan loosely.)

Finally, as I was about ready to leave, he told me that he looks forward to reading the final product and I joked back with him, saying that I hope he has that same sentiment after reading it. He chimed back, “I expect the best, and I mean the BEST.” A bit intimidating coming from arguably THEE leading evangelical writer/theologian. A high standard to live up to. So, please pray for me.

“The market day of the soul”

So far in Packer’s Puritan class, we have been outlining a basic structure (historical and theological) from which to understand the Puritans. Much of this has been review (except for the historical aspect). However, I want to ponder briefly (I think we will spend an entire day on this in the future) about what the Puritans taught regarding the Sabbath. In comparison to the Continental Reformers (Luther, Calvin, et al) the Puritans were much more strict (for better or for worse) regarding Sabbath observance (that is, Sabbath rest). Towards the end of yesterday’s lecture, Packer mentioned two quotes from the Puritans about the Sabbath. I think they are worth chewing on, particularly because we have become so careless in our Sabbath preparation and observance.

The first from John Geree (1646). “The Lord’s day he esteemed a divine ordinance, and rest on it necessary so far as it induced to holiness. He was very conscientious in the observance of that day as the market day of the soul.”

And the second from the classic Puritan commentator, Matthew Henry: “The Sabbath was ordained to be a day of holy rest in order that it might be a day of holy work.”

The Sabbath was not a day to do whatever, nor a day to not do nothing but eat roast beef and mashed potatoes and then, while watching the football game, doze into a food-induced coma. Rather, it seems for the Puritan that the Sabbath was a resourceful day. The “market day of the soul,” the day when we accumulate the supplies that our spiritual lives need to live on. Or as Henry put it, we take a holy rest so that we may attend to our holy work. The Sabbath is not a passive receptivity, but an active time of work.

The Sabbath is the time (and a space I think) where we intentionally hear God speak through the preaching of his word, encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith, be instructed and instruct one’s family, study God’s word, spend time in self-examination and confession, and so forth. I wonder what this could look like in 2007? What could this look like on a practical level?

I know that I need to frequent the marketplace of the soul more often!

Affectionate Intellectuals

Packer, describing the Puritans, writes,

“Knowing themselves to be creatures of thought, affection, and will, and knowing that God’s way to the human heart (the will) is via the human head (the mind), the Puritans practised meditation…on the whole range of biblical truth as they saw it applying to themselves. … [I]n meditation the Puritan would seek to search and challenge his heart, stir his affections to hate sin and love righteousness, and encourage himself with God’s promises…” (24).

There are two things that stick out to me from this reflection.  First, the Puritans had a holistic vision of our humanity.  We are people of intellect (thought), passions (will), and emotions (affections).  This seems to be a biblical perspective as well – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.”  Here is the challenge to me – the intellect is not an end but a means.  As Packer writes, “God’s way to the human heart (the will) is via the human head (the mind).”  The essence of Christianity is not a well-developed mind but “heart-work” (Richard Baxter).  This is an area that I need continual reminders in.  I love to read and to learn, but if it has no connection to my heart it is actually detrimental.  Intellect, theology, knowledge about God, MUST lead to the heart and to worship. 

The second point is closely tied to the first.  The essence of Christianity is “heart-work” but for the Puritans that is accomplished “via the human head.” The Puritans were not anti-intellectuals.  In fact, without knowledge, they argued, one would be baseless and easily led astray.  Richard Baxter, one of the greatest Puritan pastors, pleads with his congregation:

“If you think, therefore, that you may be excused from knowledge, you may as well think that you may be excused from love and from all obedience; for there can be none of this without knowledge. … Were you but as willing to get the knowledge of God and heavenly things as you are to know how to work in your trade, you would have set yourself to it before this day, and you would have spared no cost or pains till you had got it.  But you account seven years little enough to learn your trade, and will not bestow one day in seven in diligent learning the matters of your salvation” (70).

Just as I need to be reminded that the head leads to the heart, others may need to be reminded that the heart is informed by the head.  We spend a lot of time becoming knowledgeable in our professional fields or even researching our hobbies, but how often do we engage ourselves in the act of “diligent learning the matters of [our] salvation.”

We all have a lot to learn from our Puritan predecessors – may their “fresh air” revive our souls.