Praying With The Puritans

Christian Love

O Lover of the loveless,
It is thy will that I should love thee
with heart, soul, mind, strength,
and my neighbour as myself.
But I am not sufficient for these things.
There is by nature no pure love in my soul;
Every affection in me is turned from thee;
I am bound, as slave to lust,
I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art,
until thou dost set me free.

By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee,
for I believe thou art my God in Jesus,
and that through him I am redeemed,
and my sins are forgiven.
With this freedom I would always obey thee,
but I cannot walk in liberty,
any more than I could first attain it, of myself.
May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways.

Thou art the end of all means,
for if they lead me not to thee,
I go away empty.
Order all my ways by thy holy Word,
and make thy commandments the joy of my heart,
that by them I may have happy converse with thee.
May I grow in thy love and manifest it to mankind.

Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus;
give me his benevolent temper,
his beneficent actions,
that I may shine before men to thy glory.
The more thou doest in love in me and by me,
humble me the more;
keep me meek, lowly,
and always ready to give thee honour.

- Taken from "The Valley of Vision" A Collection of Puritan Prayers

Love's Incarnation

Scripture informs us that "God is love" - 1 John 4:8.  But what exactly does the love of God look like?  Where can we go to observe His love or which portrait may we gaze upon to perceive His loving nature fully displayed?  Surely the answer to such questions cannot be compared with in terms of the heart-felt need to know and to be known by the love of one's own Creator.  And yet those questions have been answered by God in a more profound and concrete way than any other truth known in human history.  The absolute description of God's love is found in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.  No where do we find a more complete and perfect depiction of the manifestation of God's love than in the person, words, and works of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Scriptures teach us that Jesus was not merely a messenger of God's love, but that He was in fact the Incarnation of God's love in human flesh.  Concerning the character of Jesus being the character and nature of God Himself, Hebrews 1:3 testifies that "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being."  The greatest testament to Jesus being the true embodiment of God in every way is from Jesus Himself.  In John 14:8-9 Philip says to Jesus "Lord show us the Father" to which Jesus responds "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."  In Jesus Christ we have the very love of and face of God unveiled in the flesh for all to see.

There were many acts of Jesus which portray to us the nature and type of love God has for us, but the pinnacle of God's love is openly and unabashedly demonstrated in Jesus on the Cross.  It was on Calvary that the full length, breadth, and depth of God's love were revealed to the whole world.  Jesus, as God, dying on the Cross presents to us the incomprehensible and sacrificial love that was poured out to ensure a living and eternal relationship between us and our Creator.  It ensures that our relationship with God is to be alive because Jesus died in our place of condemnation, and is now our interceding and forever-living Mediator.  This truth concerning the purpose of Jesus' Incarnation should move us to indulge in the fact that God loves us not in word only, but literally went through intense pain to show us the fullest extent of how He loves us in physical reality.

Love, Love

Reveal thyself to me

I wish to know thy nature so

To dwell in thine company

Love, Love

Pour onto me thy tender grace

As I look upon the Cross you hung on

And there I behold Love's face

So let us take both comfort and confidence in knowing that Jesus coming into the world, clothed in human flesh, was actually God's love coming into the world and clothed in Jesus Christ.  Jesus being born was the Incarnation of God's love, and Jesus dying on the Cross was the embodiment of that love towards us, as the 17th century Puritan Richard Baxter concludes, "It hinders the soul's approach to God, when the infinite distance makes us think that God will not regard or take notice of such contemptible worms as we: we are ready to think that He is too high for our converse or delight.  In this case the soul hath no such remedy, as to look to Christ, and see how the Father hath regarded us, and set His heart upon us, and sent His Son to seek and save us.  Oh wonderful astonishing condescension of eternal love!  Believe that God assumed flesh to make Himself familiar with man; and you can never question whether He regards us, or will hold communion with us."

"God is love." - 1 John 4:8

"The Word was God... and the Word became flesh." - John 1:1,14

Quoting The Puritans

The Holy Spirit

"To believe in the Holy Ghost, is to take him for Christ's agent or advocate with our souls, and for our Guide, and Sanctifier, and Comforter, and not only to believe that he is the third person of the Trinity."

- Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory, Chapter 3, pg 69

"What would you be without the Holy Spirit but like so many carcasses?  Without this, Christ would not profit you.  The blood of God is not enough without the breath of God.  Oh then, be thankful for the Holy Spirit."

- Thomas Watson, The Godly Man's Picture, pg 76

"Among those who walk with God, there is no greater motive and incentive unto universal holiness, to the preserving of their hearts and spirits in all purity and cleanness, than this, that the blessed Spirit, who hath undertaken to dwell in them as temples of God and to preserve them meet for him who so dwells in them, is continually considering what they give entertainment in their hearts unto, and rejoiceth when his temple is left undefiled."

- John Owen, The Mortification of Sin, Chapter 10, pg 117

"Holiness is the nature of the Spirit of God, therefore is called in Scripture the Holy Ghost.  Holiness, which is as it were the beauty and sweetness of the divine nature, is as much the proper nature of the Holy Spirit, as heat is the nature of fire, or sweetness was the nature of that holy anointing oil, which was the principal type of the Holy Ghost in the Mosaic dispensation... The Spirit of God so dwells in the hearts of the saints, that he there, as a seed or spring of life, exerts and communicate himself, in this his sweet and divine nature.  He makes the soul a partaker of God's beauty and Christ's joy, so that the saint has true fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus, in thus having communion or participation of the Holy Ghost."

- Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1, pg 1707-1708

Puritan Poetry

A Friend That Sticks Closer Than A Brother

One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of Friend;
His is love beyond a brother's,
Costly, free, and knows no end;

They who once His kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love.

Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconciled to Him in God;

This was boundless love indeed.
Jesus is a friend in need.

Men, when raised to lofty stations,
Often know their friends no more;
Slight and scorn their poor relations,
Though they valued them before;

But our Savior always owns
Those whom He redeemed with groans.

When He lived on earth abased,
Friend of sinners was His name;
Now above all glory raised,
He rejoices in the same:

Still He calls them brethren, friends,
And to all their wants attends.

Could we bear from one another
What He daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother
Loves us though we treat Him thus;

Though for good we render ill,
He accounts us brethren still.

Oh, for grace our hearts to soften,
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
We, alas, forget too often,
What a Friend we have above;

But when home our souls are brought,
We will love Thee as we ought.

John Newton
1725-1807

Puritan Library

"The Life of God in the Soul of Man"

Written by 17th century Puritan Henry Scougal, the book "The Life of God in the Soul of Man" has been used by many men and women throughout the past 300 years as a encouraging, exhorting, and convicting treatise on the necessity of mankind to have God permeate every area of life.  Henry Scougal wrote, "True religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the Divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul."  The best instance of Scougal's book having an impact on those who lived after him, was a century later when the great 18th century hymn-writer Charles Wesley gave a copy of Scougal's book to his friend George Whitefield.  One year before he died Whitefield stated the importance of that book in his life as follows, "I must bear witness to my old friend Charles Wesley; he put a book into my hands, called 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man', whereby God showed me I must be born-again, or be damned."  The relevance of Whitefield in Christianity is that he became one of the most important individuals whom God used to bring about the "Great Awakening" revival, and he would also develop into one of the greatest preachers in church history.

In the forward of "The Life of God in the Soul of Man", modern-day theologian J.I. Packer wrote the following words concerning the importance of Scougal's book both in Whitefield's life as well as how it would greatly benefit Christians to read today, "God used Scougal to awaken the man who himself came later to be known as the Awakener.  And all that remains to be said is that some today, who would call themselves Christian if asked, clearly stand in need of a similar awakening: which Scougal, under God, may bring them, if only they will read his smooth late-seventeenth century rhetoric thoughtfully and let it speak to them.  Real Christians will gain from Scougal a healthy reminder that heart-change and character-change thence resutling is what their faith is all about."

I personally recommend Henry Scougal's "The Life of God in the Soul of Man" as a very firm but very warm-hearted dissertation on allowing God to intrude all aspects of your nature and existence.  It is firm, because it is very uncompromising when sustaining biblical truths, but it is also very warm-hearted because the book was originally written as a letter Scougal sent to a personal friend of his for spiritual encouragement.  May it again produce encouragement and God-centeredness for those of us who read it in our time.

"Behold on what sure foundation his happiness is built whose soul is possessed with divine love, whose will is transformed into the will of God, and whose greatest desire is that his Maker should be pleased!  Oh, the peace, the rest, the satisfaction that attendeth such a temper of mind!"

- Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, Chapter 2, pg 78

The Westminster Confession of Faith

Of The Last Judgment - Chapter 32 Section 3

"As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity; so will he have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Amen."

Hanging On To Mercy

Mercy!  Mercy!  Mercy!

Since the beginning of this year, I have become increasingly and overwhelmingly convicted of how much I need God's mercy literally every second of every day of my life.  I have been a Christian walking with the Lord now for twenty years (since 1991), but although God has brought me through many personal trials and tribulations, I do not rest in and find comfort in those past victories in regards to my present and future state of sinfulness.  The only thing I can rely on to get me through each passing moment of my life is God's undeserved and seemingly unending mercy.  When I meditate on past and present sins, I have neither the inclination nor the desire to utter long-winded and eloquent prayers to God for forgiveness, but simply cry out and beg for His mercy to be extended to me again and again and again.  One might naturally assume that the longer you walk with God, the more righteous you become, and hence need less and less of His mercy.  But this was certainly not the case with the most celebrated saints in history who experienced more intimacy with God than we can ever hope to attain, and yet they drank deeper and deeper from the fountain of God's mercy as they grew in the knowledge of their own sinfulness in comparison to God.  I am just beginning to learn that inescapable truth in my own relationship with Jesus.  The closer He draws me to Himself, and the more of His holy presence I sense in my life, the more I am brought low to my knees in utter disdain and despair of my darkened deeds and polluted heart.  I dare not bring to God's attention my own "righteousness" or my own "good works" when seeking forgiveness of my sins, but rather I rely solely and desperately on His awe-inspiring mercy, as the prophet Daniel said in a prayer to God, "We do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy" - Daniel 9:18.  Let us never entertain thoughts or impressions of our own perceived worthiness when we kneel before the Most High seeking for forgiveness or even daily bread, but rather may we seek out His mercy as the sole distributor of everything good that comes from His gracious hands to our unworthy lives.

"A child of God keeps two books always by him: one to write his sins in, so that he may be humble; the other to write his mercies in, so that he may be thankful."

- Thomas Watson, The Godly Man's Picture, pg 132

Although being severely humbled by God's mercy is not itself a pleasant experience, one tremendously pleasant and joyful affect of God's mercy in our lives is the fruit of thankfulness that it produces in our hearts and conscience.  As the 17th century  Puritan Thomas Watson noted in the quote above, God's gracious mercy and our indebted thankfulness go hand-in-hand.  Our outpouring of thankfulness to God in response to His mercy is as natural as a flower blooming when it is touched by the sun's life-giving rays.  And just as it brings us great joy to receive God's mercy, so it brings God joy to extend His mercy to us, as Micah 7:18 states, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy."  Let us be forever grateful not only for the mercy itself, but for the joy it brings to God's own heart to grant that same mercy to us.  As Thomas Watson writes, "God loves to bestow his mercies where there is the best echo of thankfulness."

Do you rely on God's mercy every morning He awakens you to a new day?  Do you literally walk in His mercy with each step He allows you to take in your life?  Or do you only seek out God's mercy during the most troublesome times in your life, and ignore it the remainder of your days?  If you seldom live in conscious knowledge of God's continual mercy over you, then I fear your thankfulness to Him will be just as seldom.  Therefore, let us hunger after God's mercy and allow it to simultaneously create in us a heart of solemn thankfulness.  Let us glory only in our God's infinite and precious mercy, which is an absolute necessity to our continued existence.  Thomas Watson concludes, "We have been made to swim in a sea of mercy."

"I am in deep distress.  Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great."

- 2 Samuel 24:14

"May your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need."

- Psalm 79:8

"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."

- Habakkuk 3:2

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

- Luke 18:38

Praying With The Puritans

The Precious Blood

Blessed Lord Jesus,
Before thy cross I kneel and see
The heinousness of my sin,
My iniquity that caused thee to be
Made a curse,
The evil that excites the severity
Of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by
The crown of thorns,
The pierced hands and feet,
The bruised body,
The dying cries.

Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God,
Its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.
Infinite must be the evil and guilt
That demands such a price.
Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
Born in my birth,
Alive in my life,
Strong in my character,
Dominating my faculties,
Following me as a shadow,
Intermingling with my every thought,
My chain that holds me captive in the
Empire of my soul.

Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
The air supply breath,
The earth bear my tread,
Its fruits nourish me,
Its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet thy compassions yearn over me,
Thy heart hastens to my rescue,
Thy love endured my curse,
Thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths of humiliation,
Bathed in thy blood,
Tender in conscience,
Triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

- Taken from "The Valley of Vision" A Collection of Puritan Prayers

The Cross - The Pinnacle of Thought and Meaning

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the height of revelation, wisdom, and emotive expression.  No humanly conjured thoughts, philosophic ideas, nor scientific discoveries can attain the same majestic altitude or ultimate relevance as the Son of God substituting His life on a wooden cross for the salvation of lost souls.  Consider one of the most awe-inspiring feats that has been undertaken by Man in recent history; the breakthrough of space travel.  Although it is a great accomplishment indeed, in what way can the idea of Man walking on the Moon even compare to the sinless Son of God walking on the road to Calvary carrying a cross which had our own names written on it as guilty and hell-deserving malefactors?

Even if and when Man accomplishes the feat of building actual habitats on other planets (such as Mars), what good would that serve mankind if all those inhabitants bring with them their sinful, darkened, depraved and enslaved hearts?  There would still be a continuance of evil actions from Man against both God and fellow-men.  This would in turn make space travel utterly useless except to serve the curiosity of astronomers, engineers, and those whose lives revolve around technological advances.

Man entering into space cannot compare in significance with the Lord of that same universe entering into human flesh to take the sins of the world unto Himself.  Traveling in space means nothing for Man if he has not first traversed the treacherous steps of Jesus to Calvary's Cross, for it is the Cross that brings meaning and significance to every other endeavor in life.  Without it, life itself is rendered an arbitrary abyss where meaning and significance are confined to illusion and self-delusion.

You can substitute space travel with every other pursuit of Man, whether it is business, politics, philosophy, science, music, even humanitarianism itself.  None of them have the capacity nor the innate properties to rise to the level of thought and meaning found in the divine essence of the Son of God dying for the sons of men.  All earthly pursuits are devoid of purpose if they are not intricately linked to the eternal purposes of the Cross of Jesus Christ, where the Creator and His creation are wholly reconciled, and results in an infusion of Man's creative enterprises with eternal substance and intrinsic value.

"We should not glory so much in the Cross, were we not convinced that it is the greatest moral power in all the world.  We glory in the Cross because it gets at men's hearts when nothing else can reach them.  The story of the dying Savior's love has often impressed those whom all the moral lectures in the world could never have moved."

- Charles Spurgeon, from the sermon - "Three Crosses"

"I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

- 1 Corinthians 2:2

Quoting the Puritans

The Bible

"The Word written is our pillar of fire to guide us... it is the map by which we sail to the New Jerusalem."

- Thomas Watson, The Godly Man's Picture, pg 63

"If we would have God's Word ready in our mouths when we have occasion for it, we must keep it in our hearts at all times."

- Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, pg 1145

 

"The Bible has passed through the furnace of persecution, literary criticism, philosophic doubt, and scientific discovery, and has lost nothing but those human interpretations which clung to it as alloy to precious ore."

- Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Psalm 12:6

"Let us read our Bibles reverently and diligently, with an honest determination to believe and practise all we find in them.  It is no light matter how we use this Book.  Eternal life or death depends on the spirit in which it is used."

- J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, Volume 1, pg 2