The Value of Old Voices

“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  Aren’t they old and out of date?”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.

Comments

Amen! My newest books tend to paraphrase my oldest books, diminishing the potency of the old.