MHCC 51: Brown Bread and the Gospel

Matthew Henry on Isa. 30.19-20:

It was a common saying among the old Puritans, Brown bread and the gospel are good fare.

The Worthy Sayings of Old Mr. [John] Dod, p. 32:

Brown bread with the Gospel is good fare.

Old Mr. Dod's Sayings, p. 16:

Though we have things below, very rare / Yet brown bread with the Gospel is good fare.

Robert Leighton, Exposition of the Lord's Prayer, in Works, Vol. 4, p. 91:

Though he hath no more of the world but daily bread, and of the coarsest sort, he hath a continual feast within, as he that said, Brown bread and the gospel is good fare.

John Spencer, Things New and Old, Vol. 1, p. 20:

Brown bread and the Gospel (said Mr. [Richard] Greenham), is good cheer; and indeed, brown bread, and the blessing of God, is a rich banquet.

MHCC 3: Sanctified Afflictions Are Spiritual Promotions

On Gen. 7.17-20, Matthew Henry borrows from John Dod and writes concerning the rising of the flood waters in the deluge, how at the same time they both executed God's judgment and lifted the saints in the ark higher towards heaven: "The more the waters increased the higher the ark was lifted up towards heaven. Thus sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions; and as troubles abound consolations much more abound."

Recreation

Far from being killjoys, Puritans aimed to do all to the glory of God, so they not only worked hard but played hard, when it was appropriate to do so. Below is a snapshot of Puritan views on recreation in general and particularly with respect to the Lord's Day.

William Burkitt, A Help and Guide to Christian Families, p. 27:

It being impossible for the mind of man to be always intent upon business, and for the body to be exercised in continual labours, the wisdom of God has therefore adjudged some diversion and recreation (the better to fit both body and mind for the service of their Maker) to be both needful and expedient: such is the constitution of our bodies, and the complexion of our minds, that neither of them can endure a constant toil without some relaxation and delighting diversion. As a bow, if always bent, will prove sluggish and unserviceable; in like manner will a Christian's mind if always intent upon the best things: the arrow of devotion will soon flag, and fly but slowly towards heaven. A wise and good man perhaps could wish that his body needed no such diversion; but finding his body tire and grow weary, he is forced to give way, and choose such recreations as are healthful, short, and proper to refresh both mind and body.

William Perkins, The Order and Causes of Salvation and Damnation in The Works of William Perkins, Vol. 1, pp. 57-58:

Recreation is an exercise joined with the fear of God, conversant with things indifferent, for the preservation of bodily strength and the confirmation of the mind in holiness (Eccl. 2.2; Isa. 5.12; 1 Cor. 10.9; Luke 6.25; Deut. 12.7). To this end hath the Word of God permitted shooting (2 Sam. 1.18); musical consort (Neh. 7.67); putting forth riddles (Judges 14.12); hunting of wild beasts (Cant. 2.15); searching out or the contemplation of the works of God (1 Kings 4.33).

James T. Dennison, Jr., The Market Day of the Soul: The Puritan Doctrine of the Sabbath in England, 1532-1700, Appendix 2: The Puritan Attitude Toward Recreation, pp. 174-176:

Appendix 2

The Puritan Attitude Toward Recreation

The Puritans were not opposed to recreations per se. Lawful ("honest") recreations were encouraged on the other six days of the week. Bownd's remark was typical: "I am not of that minde...to thinke that men should never take delight, and that all recreation were sinfull..."1 However, even honest recreations were to be suspended on the Lord's day because they interfered with the proper sanctification of the Sabbath.2 The Puritans also cited Isaiah 58:13-14 in defense of their position; God had clearly revealed His opposition to taking one's own "pleasure" on the Sabbath.3

Some would counter the Puritan arguments with the observation that recreation was not possible on any day other than Sunday.4 The Puritan reply is significant: "If men will allow seruants recreations, let them allow part of their owne time, and be liberall in that which their owne, and not in that which God hath giuen them no such warrant to bestow on their seruants."5

Labor was not to be exploited. Men were to be allowed honest recreations Monday through Saturday.6 Though the general rule was that Sunday was playday, people did find time for sport on week-days; witness Bridenbaugh's remark: "...young men who would 'endure long and hard labour in so much that after twelve hours hard work they will go in the evening to football, stoole ball, cricket, prison-base, wrestling, cugel throwing, or some such like vehement exercise.'"7

Richard Baxter maintained that the argument from lack of spare time on week-days was a "sad argument to be used by them that by racking of rents do keep them (laboring people) in poverty."8 The Puritan protest against Sabbath profanation was also a protest against overwork on the other six days of the week.

But the truth is, it is not the minds of poor laboring men, that are overworked and tired on week-days, but it is their bodies; and therefore there is no recreation so suitable to them as the ease of the body, and the holy and joyful exercise of the mind, upon their Creator, and their Redeemer, and their everlasting rest.9

1 Bownd, Sabbathum Veteris, p. 271; cf. Dudley Fenner, A Short and Profitable Treatise, of lavvful and unlavvful Recreations; William Perkins, 1558-1602: English Puritanist, ed. by Thomas F. Merrill (Nieuwkoop, 1966), pp. 217-22 with extracts from Perkins' The Whole Treatise of Cases of Conscience, Book 3.
2 Elton, An Exposition of the Ten Commandments, pp. 54-56; George Walker, The Doctrine of the Holy Weekly Sabbath (London, 1641), p. 157; Richard Baxter, The Divine Appointment of the Lord's Day, pp. 440, 444-445.
3 Cf. Nicolas Bifield (Byfield), The Beginning of the Doctrine of Christ, or, A Catalogue of Sinnes (London, 1636), p. 63.
4 For a survey of the relative truth of this point, see Carl Bridenbaugh, Vexed and Troubled Englishmen, 1590-1642 (New York, 1968), pp. 109-118.
5 John Dod and Robert Cleaver, A Plaine and Familiar Exposition of the Ten Commandments (London, 1628), p. 140.
6 Percy Scholes (The Puritans and Music in England and New England (London, 1934), pp. 104-111) mentions the provisions of a bill presented to Parliament in 1647 which allowed every other Tuesday to be designated as a holiday. Scholes' judicious treatment of the Puritan attitude toward recreation is refreshing as well as accurate; cf. also pp. 302-331. Compare Hugh Martin, Puritanism and Richard Baxter (London, 1954), pp. 101-106.
7 Bridenbaugh, Vexed, p. 115.
8 Baxter, Divine Appointment, p. 444.
9 Ibid., p. 445.

Two Important Questions

Richard Steele, A Remedy for Wandering Thoughts in Worship, p. 191:

Mr. [John] Dod adviseth us to ask ourselves often these two questions: 1. What am I? 2. What am I doing? We are well, if we can well answer these two questions. If thou canst answer, "I am a child of God," and "I am doing God's will," it will stand thee in more stead than if thou couldest answer all the questions in [Thomas] Aquinas.

Dod's Directions for the Lord's Day

The Worthy Sayings of Old Mr. [John] Dod, p. 4:

Directions for the Lord's Day. Make the Sabbath the Market-Day for thy Soul: Lose not one Hour, but be either praying, conferring, or meditating: Think not thy own Thoughts: Let every Day have its Duties: Turn the Sermon heard into Matter of Prayer, Instruction into Petition, Reproof into Confession, Consolation into Thanksgiving: Think much of the Sermon heard, and make something of it all the Week long.

Spiritual Promotions

The Worthy Sayings of Old Mr. [John] Dod, p. 4:

Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions, and are far better for the Christian than all the silver and gold in the world, seeing that the trial of our faith is much more precious than of gold which perisheth.

MALT Sermon

One day the Puritan John 'Decalogue' Dod (1549-1645) was accosted by some drunkards soon after he had preached a sermon against drunkenness. They forced him by threat of violence to preach a very extemporaneous sermon on the word 'Malt'. Here is the incident and the sermon as recounted in Memorials of John Dod, p. 7:

Certaine Drunkards, retorning from a merry meeting at a Country Alehouse, by the way overtooke a Preacher: who in a Sermon, he had lately made against Drunkenes, amongst other bitter reproofes, (as the seete Lyquore fellowes construed it) had tearmed them Malt-Wormes. whefore they agreed to take him, & by violence compell him to preach them a Sermon, appointing him his Theame to be

M A L T
...
Beloved,

I am a little man, come at a short warning, -- to deliver a brief discourse -- upon a small subject, -- to a thin congregation, -- and from an unworthy pulpit.

Beloved, my text is

M A L T.

Which cannot be divided into words, it being but one; nor into syllables, it being but one; therefore, of necessity, I must reduce it into letters, which I find to be these;

M.--A.--L.--T.

M -- my beloved, is Moral.

A -- is Allegorical.

L -- is Litteral.

AND

T -- is Theological.

The moral is set forth to teach you drunkards good manners; therefore,

M -- my Masters

A -- All of you

L -- Listen

T -- to my Text.

The allegorical is when one thing is spoken, and another is intended; the thing expressed is MALT; the thing signified is the oil of MALT, which you Bacchanals make

M -- your Meat,

A -- your Apparel,

L -- your Liberty,

AND

T -- your Text.

The litteral is according to the letter

M -- Much

A -- Ale

L -- Little

T -- Thrift.

Now to wind up the whole and draw to close take with you the characteristic of a drunkard.

A drunkard is the annoyance of modesty.

The spoil of civility.

His own shame.

His wife's sorrow.

His children's curse.

His neighbor's scoff.

The alehouse man's benefactor.

The devil's drudge.

A walking swill bowl.

The picture of a beast.

And, monster of a man.

F I N I S.

Little Zoar

Early Puritans spoke of a godly wife as a "little Zoar," a place of refuge as it were for her husband.

Henry Smith, A Preparative to Marriage (1591), in his Works, Vol. I, p. 8):

Beasts are ordained for food, and clothes for warmth, and flowers for pleasure, but the wife is ordained for man; like little Zoar, a city of refuge to fly to in all his troubles, Gen. xix.20; and there is no peace comparable unto her but the peace of conscience.

John Dod & Robert Cleaver, A Godly Forme of Household Government (1598), p. 125:

The wife is ordained for man: like a little Zoar, a city of refuge to fly to in all his troubles: and there is no peace comparable unto her but the peace of conscience.

And so I wrote this poem in 1994 (and by God's grace I found my little Zoar soon after).

Little Zoar

She's out of sight, but not of mind
A godly woman, who can find?
The landscape littered I must flee
Show me, my God, who feareth thee
With her my soul shall live and love
Our Lord Jesu who reigns above
Plant a tree in this dying plain
For of my sins I am ashamed
Make me a man and she my wife
Whom I will cherish in this life
My heart with diligence I'll keep
While seeking her among thy sheep
From salt and sulfur far away
We'll make a home where we can say
Thanks be to God and to the Son
In vale of death to taste heaven