“Why should
Christians care about what historic people (like Spurgeon) thought on a
passage/topic? Aren’t they old and out
of date?”
This was a
question submitted to the Spurgeon Study Bible contest on the Truth &Circumstances podcast. It was asked
tongue-in-cheek, but I’d like to answer it here because it’s possible that some
people aren’t sure why we care about historical figures like the Spurgeon
and the Puritans and their writings.
There are
at least a couple of reasons that we should value the writings of historical saints. First, they serve as guard rails on our
theology. Some of you may not be old
enough to see this happening in yourself, but I’ve known myself to drift
theologically when I don’t keep a close watch on things. Likewise, there is such a phenomenon as
collective drift, where a community of people gradually move from a theological
position together. By consulting the
writings of the past, we make sure we’re not doing that.
Some might
say, “well, don’t we just need the Bible as our guard rails?” Good point.
But when it comes to interpreting the
Bible, there is safety in numbers. When
interpreting a passage of Scripture or considering a particular doctrine, is it
better only to consult our contemporaries, or all the best interpreters and
theologians of all church history? The
answer should be obvious.
Second,
historical figures like the Spurgeon and the Puritans write with poignant
wisdom that is very difficult to find even among the most accomplished writers
of today. When you factor in how technology has degraded
our attention spans and ability to communicate,
these writers of old read like something straight out of heaven. Only on the rarest of occasions have I read a
tweet that has made my heart soar. (And
typically, that tweet has been a one-liner from the writing of a Puritan!) But when I read Spurgeon or the Puritans, I
cannot but feel edified with every line.
Once when reading On Keeping the Heart by John Flavel, I was underlining all the lines that stood out to me
as especially gripping. Eventually, I
stopped because I noticed that in the span of five pages there were two lines I
did not underline! You simply cannot
find that kind of wisdom that well written in modern books. We need these writings.
I want to
give you a brief taste. Below is one
prayer from The Valley of Vision: ACollection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. As we’ve been focusing on prayer at PBF this
year, I thought it would be appropriate.
It’s a great place to start if you want to get your feet wet reading
older writings. A piece of counsel: Read
this slowly and mindfully. Don’t scarf
it like you would a Facebook post. Read each
line and think about what it means.
SPIRITUAL HELPS
Eternal
Father,
It is
amazing love,
That thou hast sent thy Son to
suffer in my stead,
That thou hast added the Spirit to
teach, comfort, and guide,
That thou hast allowed the ministry
of angels
To wall me round;
All heaven
subserves the welfare of a poor worm.
Permit thy
unseen servants to be ever active on my behalf,
And to rejoice when grace expands in
me.
Suffer
them never to rest until my conflict is over,
And I stand victorious on salvation’s
shore.
Grant that
my proneness to evil, deadness to good,
Resistance to thy Spirit’s motions,
May never provoke thee to abandon
me.
May my
hard heart awake thy pity, not thy wrath,
And if the
enemy gets an advantage through my corruption,
Let it be seen that heaven is
mightier than hell,
That those for me are greater than
those against me.
Arise to
my help in richness of covenant blessings,
Keep me
feeding in the pastures of thy strengthening Word,
Searching Scripture to find thee there.
If my
waywardness is visited with a scourge,
Enable me to receive correction
meekly
To bless the reproving
hand,
To discern the motive of
rebuke,
To respond promptly, and
do the first work.
Let all
thy fatherly dealings make me a partaker of thy holiness.
Grant that
in every fall I may sink lower on my knees,
And that when I rise it may be to loftier
heights of devotion.
May my
every cross be sanctified,
Every loss be gain,
Every denial a spiritual advantage,
Every dark day a light of the Holy
Spirit,
Every night of trial a song.
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