Why Read Worldly Saints?

"Horse racing is said to be the sport of kings. The sport of slinging mud has, however, a wider following. Pillorying the puritans, in particular, has long been a popular pastime on both sides of the Atlantic, and most people's image of Puritanism still has on it much disfiguring dirt that needs to be scraped off."

And so begins J. I. Packer's introduction to Worldly Saints. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, I was taught repeatedly, year after year, the same simple story of the Pilgrims coming to America to escape religious persecution. In this public school tale, we were clearly instructed that the Pilgrims were the first to arrive, they learned to plant corn from the Indians with fish in each mound, and that they had a big party to celebrate. Oh, and a little boy was born on the way over. It was a very sanitized version that really left a distorted image in my mind. It didn't even begin to truly touch on the hardships these people faced or their tenacity to persevere through circumstances that most modern Americans have never even imagined enduring. In my young and ignorant mind, why all the big hoopla to give thanks?

It wasn't until years later that I began to see the Pilgrims and Puritans much differently. Somewhere in high school or college, Puritan bashing became fashionable. Or rather it was already fashionable, but I just caught wind of it having stepped into the shadows of the ivory towers. I'll spare you all the phrases and ideas that were thrown about because I'm sure you heard enough of your own. Stop and think for a minute... what is your image of the Puritans?
I can almost guarantee that if you will read this book, your ideas of this Christian group will radically change.

Far from a perfect group of believers, they had faults just like we do. We certainly wouldn't want to emulate them in every way. But because they did do so many things right, we should take a look at their lives and consider what we can learn from them. In Packer's introduction to Leland Ryken's book, he lists six things in which we should take note:

1. The integration of their daily lives. Their lives were "wholistic" in that everything was done for the glory of the Lord with no distinction between the sacred and the secular. All activities were to be considered holy and unto the Lord whether it was work or rest, eating or fasting, and so on.

2. The quality of their spiritual experience. Because the Holy Scriptures reigned supreme for the Puritan, they sought to know and understand God's Word through study and meditation. And they went further by developing habits of self examination which included cultivating humility and seeking out blind spots. Puritans were well aware of the condition of the human heart and it's need for redemption and daily conviction and guidance by the Holy Spirit.

3. Their passion for effective action. Neither idle or passive, these believers were people of action; crusaders and activist utterly dependent upon God whether they battled governments or the state church. They had a keen sense that a nation which sins, by commission or omission, would be judged as a nation.

4. Their program for family stability. Romantic love was not an emotion to be sought after, but rather a mate was to be chosen as a friend that one could practice loving for a lifetime. Parents sought to establish order, courtesy and family worship as they raised children to be sober, godly, and socially productive citizens. And because life was physically difficult for most Puritan believers, they had many opportunities to cultivate and teach patience, consistency, goodwill, fortitude, and other Christian character traits.

5. Their sense of human worth. While they had little tolerance for those of other persuasions, they did hold all humans as having great worth in the eyes of God, as lost souls that needed Christ. Individuals were seen as precious, unlike much of society today that sees the collective body as more important than one person.

6. Their ideal of church renewal. While they certainly longed to see the church changed, what they were seeking was each individual heart quickened by the Holy Spirit as to personal love for Christ and His Word, as well as spiritually alert soul that was expectant, wise, mature, obedient, humble, and joyous.

I know I've done a poor job summarizing the introduction, but trust me when I say the book is so much more interesting! Being a Puritan was not for the faint of heart! Packer suggests that if the Hebrews 11 Hall of Fame were to be continued, we'd find many a Puritan saint listed among such greats. We should know these misunderstood believers better.
The Cottage Comtesse

One Final Word About Religious Affections

I have to admit the book Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards was a difficult read. Reading the shortened version The Experience that Counts was much easier. I really needed to hear its message. All my life I've been told you can't trust your emotions so I lived out my faith mostly in my head and not my heart. Edwards helped correct my thinking in this area of my life. He talked about all the emotions God gave us and encourages us to express like: love, joy, gratitude, sorrow. We shouldn't be just empty shells like some of the churches I saw in Europe this summer: full of tourists during the day but empty of worshippers. Our faith should affect the way we feel and all of us, heart, soul, mind and might, should be actively involved in worshipping God. We shouldn't be just an empty shell going through religious motions. That was the second part of Religious Affections/The Experience that Counts. Edwards laid out what a true Christian will look like and what a true Christian will not look like. The bottom line was: if you really are a true believer you will act like one. True spiritual emotions like love, result in wanting to please God, to obey Him, and your life and actions will express that obedience in Christian practice.

Sunday's Meeting: Religious Affections

We just finished our Sunday gathering where we discussed the book Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. What a blessing!! There were only four of us, and most of us struggled with reading the book and didn't finish it, but the discussion was still rich and edifying! If there was ever an example of how the Lord's day should be spent, I believe that the gathering of the saints to talk about Jesus and His Word is near the top of the list. And let me add that it isn't just "lofty talk" that sounds academic. Our discussions are rich with testimony from our own lives about how The Lord has and is working out our salvation among us.

We are now starting Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken. If you've been nervous that the books will be too difficult, now is the time to jump in. This is actually a history book on what the Puritans were really like. So many of us have a distorted view of this group of fellow believers and we need to get an accurate picture so that when we read some of their works, we don't come to the book with misconceptions. (To order, just click on the title link above).

Become a Follower of this blog for updates and information about the club. We were a little remiss in keeping it updated toward the end of summer, but we are hoping to be more diligent now that school is in session and things are becoming routine again.

Blessings,

The Cottage Comtesse

Long-Awaited Update

Sorry that things have been so quite over here at The Cottage Library. Summer vacations, trips to the pool, lazy days reading, house cleaning, etc, etc, etc. We all got a bit side tracked. But, school has started and we are getting back into the swing of things. 

A neat little tid-bit on Pilgrims Progress that a friend just emailed me. Did you know that the story was the inspiration behind the Wizard of Oz? At least according to the August 31st edition of the American Minute. Upon reflection, one can certainly see similarities in places.

If you have become discouraged reading Religious Affections, don't toss in the towel as far as the book club goes. We all have been struggling with it; some of us have just given up - but only on the book, not the club. Our next book, Worldly Saints, is a MUCH easier read. We'll be starting this new book in October. Until then, we will finish out September with a meeting on the 27th in the home of Amy Walker at 1:30 in the afternoon (call the church office for directions and a pass into BVS). Please bring a dish of any kind to share and join us even if you did not read the book. We will be discussing future meetings and compile a list together of books we want to read for 2010. Your input is needed! So join us and enjoy the fellowship. 

The Cottage Comtesse

Thank God for Books!

It's me. I was the one gallivanting about England and France during the month of June. A graduation gift for my daughter. What an experience. I had picked up my copy of Religious Affections and started reading it before I left. Inside the cover it said, "A Record of this Publication is available from the British Library." We had already planned on dropping by the British Library even before I read that. I am a lover of books and libraries and didn't want to miss seeing one of the best ones. As a child, my parents once punished me by not allowing me to go to the library for a week. I was devastated. Talk about a 4-eyed geek.

I wasn't disappointed in the British Library. Funny thing though...I expected to be bowled over by the Gutenberg Bible. It was impressive but what I found even more awe-inspiring was the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the earliest extant Bibles. Here's what http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/ has to say about it: "Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament."

Laying open in a glass case in front of me was this delicate vellum parchment perserved since the 300's. Our God is amazing. He made sure to preserve a complete copy of His Word so that all of us in the year 2009 could simply open up our Bibles and read with confidence. After cruising through the British Museum and seeing how idol after stone idol was perserved, it was amazing to see this fragile book containing the complete word of God laying before me. My soul was deeply moved.

I thank God for books! I thank God that the Creator of the Universe is a writer. He actually communicated with His creation and made sure His thoughts were written down and preserved for us. I thank God for people like Jonathan Edwards and others like him who write books about God's thoughts. Take some time this summer to slow down. Read. Read the love letter that is the Bible. Read what others have learned about the Lover of our Souls. And then take some time to thank God for preserving His Word. Thank God for His Book!

Summer Reading

Sorry this blog has been silent for a couple of weeks. Summer has turned out to be busier than we all expected. Our authors have been in Europe (not me, but isn't it nice someone can go?), summer camp as a counselor, or at the doctors offices. Not too much pool time at this point where one can relax and read.

While we get ourselves together, I thought you might like to pop over to the Desiring God website and check out what their staff is reading this summer. Notice number 11 is Religious Affections. Appears we will be in good company when we finally start this book. You may wish to opt for The Experience That Counts, which is the abridged version of Religious Affections. The unabridged is a tough read, and we won't be making fun of anyone who opts for the abridged edition. I plan to read it so that I can get my brain around the concepts!

Right now I am reading (or rather scanning and spot reading) several books on canning and freezing as well as The Country Living Encyclopedia, Sabbath Keeping by Lynne Baab, The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (for another book club I attend occasionally). I read from one of these each day depending on my mood or how tired I am. So, I'd love to hear what you are reading this summer! Won't you leave a comment and share!

The Cottage Comtesse

Sunday's Book Club Meeting

I don't usually post blogs on Sunday, but I think the Lord would approve in this case. I had to share how blessed I have been at the past two meetings, even today with only three of us in attendance. 

I realize that many of you are reading the book whether or not you attend the discussion. That is the main goal of the book club and I applaud you for being so disciplined to keep up with the reading on your own. Several of you have had family conflicts and of course, that is the greater priority. But I fear some feel they have nothing to contribute or feel intimidated to share. Let me encourage you that our discussions are casual and fun! But most of all, after each meeting, I feel so uplifted and blessed!

Today we enjoyed visiting over a buffet of salads and afterwards, spent about an hour and a half discussing some questions about our book. Everyone was able to share their own thoughts, experiences, and ideas as well as struggles. As we wrapped it up, I thought to myself, "so many are missing out on such sweet fellowship!"

Be sure to watch this site for information about our next book. I'll be posting the details very soon. And make plans to come to our next meeting and share and be blessed. What a beautiful way to spend the Lord's Day!

The Cottage Comtesse