How Then Shall We Live, According to a Puritan

Richard Rogers, "Seven Treatises":

Sundry necessary observations for a Christian, fit also to meditate upon. 

1. That we keep a narrow watch over our hearts, words, and deeds continually. 

2. That with all care the time be redeemed, which hath been idly, carelessly, and unprofitably spent. 

3. That once in the day at the least private prayer and meditation be used.

4. That care be had to do, and receive good in company.

5. That our family be with diligence and regard instructed, watched over and governed.

6. That no more time or care be bestowed in matters of the world, then must needs.

7. That we stir up ourselves to liberality to God's Saints.

8. That we give not the least bridle to wandering lusts and affections.

9. That we prepare ourselves to bear the cross, by what means it shall please God to exercise us.

10. That we bestow some time not only in mourning for our own sins, but also for the sins of the time and age wherein we live.

11. That we look daily for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, for our full deliverance out of this life.

12. That we use (as we shall have opportunity, at least as we shall have neccessity) to acquaint our selves with some godly and faithful person, with whom we may confer of our Christian estate, and open our doubts, to the quickening up of Gods graces in us.

13. That we observe the departure of men our of this life, their mortality, the vanity and alteration of things below, the more to condemn the world, and to continue our longing after the life to come. And that we meditate and muse often of our own death, and going out of this life, how we must lie in the grave, all our glory put off; which will serve to beat down the pride of life that is in us.

14. That we read somewhat daily of the holy Scriptures, for the further increase of our knowledge, if it may be.

15. That we enter into covenant with the Lord to strive against all sin, and especially against the special sins and corruptions of our hearts and lives, wherein we have most dishonored the Lord, and have raised up most guiltiness to our own consciences, and that we carefully see our covenant be kept and continued.

16. That we mark how sin dieth and is weakened in us, and that we turn not to our old sins again, but wisely avoid all occasions to sin.

17. That we fall not from our first love, but continue still our affections to the liking of Gods word, and all the holy exercises of religion diligently hearing it, and faithfully practicing the same in our lives and conversations: that we prepare our selves before we come, and meditate and confer of that we hear, either by our selves, or with other: and so mark our daily profiting in religion.

18. That we be often occupied in meditating on Gods benefits and works, and sound forth his praises for the same.

19. That we exercise our faith by taking comfort and delight in the great benefit of our redemption by Christ, and the fruition of Gods presence, in his glorious and blessed kingdom.

20. Lastly, that we make not these holy practices of repentance common in time, nor use them for course.

Help Me To Be Thankful Always

A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.” (Psalm 92.1)

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

(I Thessalonians 5.18)

“Is any merry, let him sing psalms.” (James 5.13b) 

What return shall I make to my ever-blessed Redeemer for all the favours he hath bestowed upon me? Help, I entreat you, help me to be thankful, and as you abound in prayer, abound in praises. I find my heart too backward to this divine exercise. I am ready enough to ask for mercies, but alas! how slow to return thanks! Indeed sometimes God touches me from above, and my heart, hard as it is, is melted down and quite overcome with the sense of his free grace in Christ Jesus towards me. But I want always to go on my way rejoicing; I want the heart of a seraphim;

 I want to sing as loud as they

Who shine above in endless day. 

I could almost say more than they, and why should I not return angelic thanks? But my heart is as yet unhumbled, I see not what I am, what I deserve, and therefore set not a due value on the divine mercies. Pray therefore, …, that I may receive my sight, that my eyes may be opened, and that seeing what God hath done for me, I may break out into songs of praise, and by such heart-transforming divine exercises be gradually trained up for eternal uninterrupted communion with that heavenly choir, who cease not chanting forth day and night hallelujahs to Him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever.

 – George Whitefield, Letter XXXIII (Jan. 25, 1738), George Whitefield’s Letters: For the Period 1734 to 1742, pp. 35-36 

The whole life of a Christian should be nothing but praises and thanks to God. We should neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep, but eat to God, and sleep to God, and work to God, and talk to God; do all to his glory and praise. 

– Richard Sibbes, “Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations,” in The Works of Richard Sibbes, Vol. 7, p. 185

The Three Books of God

Frank Livingstone Huntley, Bishop Joseph Hall and Protestant Meditation in Seventeenth-Century England, pp. 9-10:

Variety of Subject Matter in the "Three Books of God." Finally, Protestant meditation as opposed to Ignatian has a far greater variety in subject matter and procedure since it is more widely based on the "three books of God." In meditation the Protestant is not confined to the passion of Christ and the four eschatological "facts." He is free to roam through all the majesty of God's creation, through the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and into his innermost soul's perception of God Himself. Two of the "books" have been made familiar through such confessions as this one of Dr. Thomas Browne: "Thus there are two books from whence I collect my divinity: besides that written one of God, another of his servant nature."7 As soon as the "I" is mentioned or even thought, a third "volume" is added for the Protestant, that of the ego, the conscience, the soul -- through which, even were the creatures and the Bible unavailable, one can still know God. In 1623 Owen Feltham recognized the "three books" in his Resolves: "God hath left three bookes to the World, in each of which hee may easily be found: The Booke of the Creatures, the Booke of Conscience, and his written Word."8 Thus Professor Martz summarizes "the Augustinian Quest" for Henry Vaughan by saying: "Such is the paradise within, compounded of the Bible, of Nature, and of the Self, which lies at the heart of Vaughan's Silex Scintillans, 1650...."9 For Protestant meditation in seventeenth century England, perhaps it took Joshua Sylvester's translation of the French Huguenot poet's Les Semaines to popularize the book of the creatures, King James' committees of Anglican bishops and Puritan divines for a new translation of the Bible to lend impetus to the book of Scriptures, and St. Paul, St. Augustine, and Calvin to stimulate the individual's soul-hunger for God.

Of the "three books," that of the Scriptures is central; and for meditation, if one book of the Bible were central to this, it would be the Psalms, a supposition strengthened by the incredibly fruitful custom, from Sydney to Milton, of putting psalms into English verse for singing. In the King James version of the Bible, the term "meditation" occurs more often in the Psalms than in all the other books of the Bible put together, and in the biblical mind of the Protestant the act of meditation is linked more closely to poetry and fervent ejaculatory address than to mental discipline. The Psalmist's most famous religious address (Ps. 19:14) does not mention paradigm or even intellect: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." Joseph Hall had sung the Psalms from his boyhood, and while writing on meditation tried his hand at "metaphrasing" a few of them. "Indeed, my Poetrie was long sithence out of date," he writes in the 1607 publication of the result, "and yielded hir place to grauer studies; but whose vaine would it not revive to looke into these heauenly songs? I were not woorthy to be a Diuine, if it should repent me to be a Poet with DAVID, after I shall haue aged in the Pulpit."10 David's psalms contain all "three books of God": some praise the Lord for his "creatures" (Pss. 33, 104, 148); others cogitate His written commands (Ps. 119, no. 5); and still others seek God by looking into the poet's soul (Pss. 6, 22, 38, 42). One of the psalms that combines all three "books" is Psalm 19, which ends with the phrase "the meditations of my heart." The Psalm is divided into three parts: the first six verses meditate on "the Book of the Creatures"; the next four verses, on "the Book of Scriptures"; and the last four verses open up "the Book of the Soul," that is the individual's conscience. The Psalms of David, as well as the whole Bible from Genesis to the Revelation, provide literally for the Protestant "God's plenty" in varied subjects on which to meditate.

7. Religio Medici, pt. 1, sect. 25.
8. Owen Feltham, Resolves: A Duple Century, 4th ed. (London, 1631), 2nd cent. no. 68.
9. Louis L. Martz, The Paradise Within, p. 30.

Willison's Recommended Sabbath Reading

John Willison (1680-1750), Church of Scotland minister, has the following reading advice for Christians in his "A Treatise Concerning the Sanctification of the Lord's Day" (links provided to works cited and biographical information about the authors where possible for the interested reader):

I am persuaded there is no better way in this world for improving the faculty of sight, and the benefits of light, than by reading the word of God. So far as time can allow you upon the Sabbath, I judge it  very profitable to read other good books also, such as our Confession of Faith, [Thomas] Vincent's Catechism [An Explanation of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism]., Vincent on the last Judgment [Of Christ's Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment], [William] Guthrie's Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ [The Christian's Great Interest], [Joseph] Alleine's Alarm [to the Unconverted], [Richard] Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, [Edward] Pearse's Preparation for Death, Fox's Time and the End of Time [by John Foxe], [Thomas] Doolittle's Call to Delaying Sinners, Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, his Poor Man's Family Book, [Andrew] Gray's Sermons, [John] Flavel's Touchstone of Sincerity, his Saint Indeed, [Matthew] Mead's Almost Christian, the Treatises of Doolittle, Campbell and Henry upon the Sacrament [Thomas Doolittle, A Treatise on the Lord's Supper; Daniel Campbell, Sacramental Meditations on the Sufferings and Death of Christ; Matthew Henry, The Communicant's Companion], [Samuel] Rutherfoord's Letters, the Fulfilling of the Scriptures [by Robert Fleming, Sr.], Clark's Martyrology [Samuel Clarke's (1599-1683) General Martyrologie], [Thomas] Beard's Theatre of God's Judgments. These, and such like books, next to the Holy Bible, I recommend to the perusal of all private Christians, as being easy and plan to common capacities, and some of the most generally useful, instructing, awakening, soul-searching, and heart-warming pieces, that I have seen among human writings, and which have been blessed to the edification of many thousands.

Turmerlebnis

As we consider at this time of year, the mercy of God in bringing about the Reformation, which many date to the October 31, 1517 posting of the 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg, Germany, by Martin Luther, it is worthwhile to note that his own account traces his personal "born-again" conversion experience to an event that occurred two years later in 1519 known as "Turmerlebnis," or, "The Tower Experience." He was studying Romans 1:17 in his study in the tower of the Black Cloister in Wittenberg at the time and wrestling with a text of Scripture: Romans 1.17. In his own words, Dr. Luther explains.

Martin Luther (trans. by Bro. Andrew Thornton, OSB in from the "Vorrede zu Band I der Opera Latina der Wittenberger Ausgabe. 1545" in vol. 4 of Luthers Werke in Auswahl, ed. Otto Clemen, 6th ed., (Berlin: de Gruyter. 1967). pp. 421-428), Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Works (1545) by Dr. Martin Luther, 1483-1546 (c)1983 by Saint Anselm Abbey:

Meanwhile in that same year, 1519, I had begun interpreting the Psalms once again. I felt confident that I was now more experienced, since I had dealt in university courses with St. Paul's Letters to the Romans, to the Galatians, and the Letter to the Hebrews. I had conceived a burning desire to understand what Paul meant in his Letter to the Romans, but thus far there had stood in my way, not the cold blood around my heart, but that one word which is in chapter one: "The justice of God is revealed in it." I hated that word, "justice of God," which, by the use and custom of all my teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically as referring to formal or active justice, as they call it, i.e., that justice by which God is just and by which he punishes sinners and the unjust. 

But I, blameless monk that I was, felt that before God I was a sinner with an extremely troubled conscience. I couldn't be sure that God was appeased by my satisfaction. I did not love, no, rather I hated the just God who punishes sinners. In silence, if I did not blaspheme, then certainly I grumbled vehemently and got angry at God. I said, "Isn't it enough that we miserable sinners, lost for all eternity because of original sin, are oppressed by every kind of calamity through the Ten Commandments? Why does God heap sorrow upon sorrow through the Gospel and through the Gospel threaten us with his justice and his wrath?" This was how I was raging with wild and disturbed conscience. I constantly badgered St. Paul about that spot in Romans 1 and anxiously wanted to know what he meant.

I meditated night and day on those words until at last, by the mercy of God, I paid attention to their context: "The justice of God is revealed in it, as it is written: 'The just person lives by faith.'" I began to understand that in this verse the justice of God is that by which the just person lives by a gift of God, that is by faith. I began to understand that this verse means that the justice of God is revealed through the Gospel, but it is a passive justice, i.e. that by which the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written: "The just person lives by faith." All at once I felt that I had been born again and entered into paradise itself through open gates. Immediately I saw the whole of Scripture in a different light. I ran through the Scriptures from memory and found that other terms had analogous meanings, e.g., the work of God, that is, what God works in us; the power of God, by which he makes us powerful; the wisdom of God, by which he makes us wise; the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.

I exalted this sweetest word of mine, "the justice of God," with as much love as before I had hated it with hate. This phrase of Paul was for me the very gate of paradise. Afterward I read Augustine's "On the Spirit and the Letter," in which I found what I had not dared hope for. I discovered that he too interpreted "the justice of God" in a similar way, namely, as that with which God clothes us when he justifies us. Although Augustine had said it imperfectly and did not explain in detail how God imputes justice to us, still it pleased me that he taught the justice of God by which we are justified.

The Whole Man

Prov. 17.22:

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. 

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 8:

It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves.

Richard Greenham, A Most Sweete Comfort for an Afflicted Conscience, in Paramuthion. Two Treatises for the Comforting of an Afflicted Conscience, p. 44:

I would have wisdom both in considering the state of the body if need so require; and in looking chiefly to the soul, which so few think of.

Timothy Rogers, Trouble of Mind and the Disease of Melancholy, p. xxvi:

As Richard Greenham, in his A Sweet Comfort for an Afflicted Conscience, says, "There is a great deal of wisdom required to consider both the state of the body and the state of the soul." He says that if a man who is troubled in conscience comes to a minister, he will likely look to the soul and not at all to the body; if that same man goes to a physician, he will likely consider the body and neglect the soul. For my part, I would never despise the physician's counsel nor neglect the minister's labor, because, the soul and body dwelling together, it is convenient that as the soul should be cured by the Word, prayer, fasting, or comforting, so the body must be brought into some temperature by medicine and diet, harmless diversions, and such like ways (providing always that it is so done in the fear of God as not to think by these ordinary means quite to smother or evade our troubles, but to use them as preparatives whereby our souls may be made more capable of the spiritual methods that are to follow afterwards).

Richard Gilpin, Daemonologia Sacra: or, A Treatise of Satan's Temptations, p. 218:

Satan can afflict the body by the mind. For these two are so closely bound together that their good and bad estate is shared betwixt them. If the heart be merry the countenance is cheerful, the strength is renewed, the bones do flourish like an herb. If the heart be troubled the health is impaired, the strength is dried up, the marrow of the bones wasted, &c. Grief in the heart is like a moth in the garment, it insensibly consumeth the body and disordereth it. This advantage of weakening the body falls into Satan's hands by necessary consequence, as the prophet's ripe figs, that fell into the mouth of the eater. And surely he is well pleased with it, as he is an enemy both to body and soul. But it is a greater satisfaction to him in that as he can make the sorrows of the mind produce the weakness and sickness of the body, so can he make the distemper of the body, by a reciprocal requittal, to augment the trouble of the mind. How little can a sickly body do! It disables a man for all services; he cannot oft pray, nor read, nor hear; sickness takes away the sweetness and comfort of religious exercises. This gives occasion for them to think the worse of themselves. They think the soul is weary of the ways of God, when the body cannot hold out. All failures which weariness and faintness produce are ascribed presently to the bad disposition of the mind, and this is like oil cast upon the flame. Thus the devil makes a double gain out of spiritual trouble.

Paul's Pagan Poets

There are interesting passages in the New Testament that demonstrate the Apostle Paul's willingness to employ verses from pagan poetry to speak Biblical truth. There may be others; some trace 1 Timothy 5.4 to a line from Terence (195/185–159 BC), Andria IV. Be that as it may, it is clear that Paul was learned in pagan poetry, and found good uses for it, even apart from the idolatrous intentions of the poets themselves. Without adopting the whole false system of belief represented by the sources he quoted, Paul with discernment and for godly purposes, was able, because of his familiarity with pagan poems, to find the good within and bring it to light to God's glory.

Acts 17.28:

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

This verse spoken during his famous speech at Mars Hill in Athens shows the apologetic use that such acquaintance with pagan poetry can provide. The first quote seems derived from a work on Crete by Epimenides in which he rebukes the Cretians for building a tomb to Zeus, whom he believed to be immortal.

Epimenides (6th century BC), Cretica:

They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one—
The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!
But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever,
For in thee we live and move and have our being.

Paul also may have in mind Cleanthes, who said something similar.

Cleanthes (c. 330 BC – c. 230 BC), Hymn to Zeus:

Most glorious of the immortals, invoked by many names, ever all-powerful,
Zeus, the First Cause of Nature, who rules all things with Law,
Hail! It is right for mortals to call upon you,
since from you we have our being, we whose lot it is to be God's image,
we alone of all mortal creatures that live and move upon the earth.

The latter quote seems to come from a work by Aratus again in praise of Zeus.

Aratus (c. 315 BC/310 BC – 240 BC), Phaenomena 1-5:

From Zeus let us begin; him do we mortals never leave unnamed;
full of Zeus are all the streets and all the market-places of men;
full is the sea and the havens thereof;
always we all have need of Zeus.
For we are also his offspring;

It is interesting to see how Paul borrowed expressions intended to glorify a false God, which his hearers would have recognized, and applied them to the true God. Eusebius records (Preparation for the Gospel 13.12) how Aristobulus of Paneas, a Jewish philosopher (c. 160 BC) had similarly quoted from the same beginning lines of Aratus, Phaenomena, but to demonstrate that the praise of Zeus was rightly given to God instead. Aristobulus thus: 'It is clearly shown, I think, that all things are pervaded by the power of God: and this I have properly represented by taking away the name of Zeus which runs through the poems; for it is to God that their thought is sent up, and for that reason I have so expressed it.' The apologetic purpose of Paul -- and Aristobulus -- thus finds truth in a pagan poem and employs it for godly ends.

1 Cor. 15.32-33:

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

The phrase "let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die" may be an allusion to both Isa. 22.13 and Eccl. 8.15. However, it is not unreasonable to suppose that Paul may have had in mind the philosophy of Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC), who put forth a similar view of life.

The phrase "evil communications corrupt good manners" is apparently a direct quote from either Menander or Euripides (John Milton attributes it to Euripides in the preface to his Samson Agonistes). Paul thus bears witness to the maxim of a heathen poet.

Menander (ca. 342–291 BC), Thais:

Bad company corrupts good character.

Euripides (c. 480 BC – 406 BC) (fr. 609):

Evil communications corrupt good manners.

Titus 1.12-13a:

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true.

The quotation here seems to be from Epimenides, cited already above, or perhaps from Callimachus. Again, Paul shows his extensive knowledge of pagan poetry, and selectively quotes as appropriate to demonstrate a true statement found within an idolatrous poem.

Callimachus (310/305–240 BC), Hymn I. To Zeus:

“Cretans are ever liars.”

The Apostle Paul by these examples shows that indeed, as I have noted before, "all truth is God's truth," wherever we may find it. The words of Charles Spurgeon on this point are worth heeding.

Charles Spurgeon, Exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:

"Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die." Oh! wicked Paul! to quote from a heathen poet! How disgraceful. If I were to repeat a verse, and it looked as if Shakespere or any profane author ever wrote such a thing, how criminal! say you. But I like good things wherever I find them. I have often quoted from the devil, and I dare say I shall often quote from his people. Paul quoted this from Meander, and another heathen poet, who wrote far worse things than have been written by modern poets, and if any of us who may have stored our minds with the contents of books we wish we had never read, and if there be some choice gems in them which may be used for the service of God, by his help we will so use them.

Don't Fret Yourself

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity....Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. (Ps. 37.1, 7-8)

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: (Prov. 24.19)

Eric Liddell: Jennie, Jennie, don't fret yourself. (Chariots of Fire)

Obadiah Sedgwick, Providence Handled Practically, p. 39:

If there is a providence that generally extends to all, and especially to the people of God, then we should learn not to vex and disquiet our minds and hearts. This is what Christ taught His disciples: since there was a God who looked to the grass and to the lilies, and a Father who cared for them, therefore they should not take thought and worry (Matt. 6:28), and their hearts should not be troubled. 1 Peter 5:7 advises you to live "casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." By this, Peter means that you must not perplex yourselves about your conditions, your safeties, or your supports. You may ease yourselves of all this worry, for there is a God who takes care of you, who minds you, who thinks on you, who will provide well enough for you. Philippians 4:5 advises, "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Do not rend yourselves with excessive grief, vastness of getting, or impatience in suffering, as if there were no one near to help you; the Lord is at hand -- your help, your strength, your supply, your comfort is not far from you. In verse 6 of the same chapter we read, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." This means, whatsoever your condition may be, do not afflict yourselves with anxieties, fear, and worries. Instead, bless the Lord for what you have, and pray for that which you lack; then, leave it to God, and so in patience, possess your souls.

Sit At The Feet Of Jesus

Miles Coverdale, "Preface to the Reader," in Remains of Myles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter, pp. 16-17:

Go to now, most dear reader, and sit thee down at the Lord's feet, and read his words, and, as Moses teacheth the Jews, take them into thine heart, and let thy talking and communication be of them, when thou sittest in thine house, or goest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And, above all things, fashion thy life and conversation according to the doctrine of the Holy Ghost therein, that thou mayest be partaker of the good promises of God in the Bible, and be heir of his blessing in Christ: in whom if thou put thy trust, and be an unfeigned reader or hearer of his word with thy heart, thou shalt find sweetness therein, and spy wondrous things, to thy understanding, to the avoiding of all seditious sects, to the abhorring of thy old sinful life, and to the stablishing of thy godly conversation.

MHCC 43: Sweet Secret Communion

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues (Ps. 31.20).

Having completed Matthew Henry's Commentary through the Book of Esther, and commenced my study of the Book of Job, I was struck, like Henry, by a quote from Desiderius Erasmus, which speaks to the sweetness of secret communion with the Lord.

Matthew Henry on the Preface to the Vol. 3 (Job-Song of Solomon):

I was much pleased with a passage I lately met with of Erasmus, that great scholar and celebrated wit, in an epistle dedicatory before his book De Ratione Concionandi, where, as one weary of the world and the hurry of it, he expresses an earnest desire to spend the rest of his days in secret communion with Jesus Christ, encouraged by his gracious invitation to those who labour and are heavy laden to come unto him for rest (Matt. xi. 28), and this alone is that which he thinks will yield him true satisfaction. I think his words worth transcribing, and such as deserve to be inserted among the testimonies of great men to serious godliness. Neque quisquam facilè credat quàm miserè animus jamdudum affectet ab his laboribus in tranquillam otium secedere, quodque superest vitæ (superest autem vix brevis palmus sive pugillus), solum cum eo solo colloqui, qui clamavit olim (nec hodiè mutat vocem suam), "Venite ad me, omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis, ego reficiam vos;" quandoquidem in tam turbulento, ne dicam furente, sæculo, in tot molestiis quas vel ipsa tempora publicè invehunt, vel privatim adfert oetas ac valetudo, nihil reperio in quo mens mea libentius conquiescat quàm in hoc arcano colloquio—No one will easily believe how anxiously, for a long time past, I have wished to retire from these labours into a scene of tranquility, and, during the remainder of life (dwindled, it is true, to the shortest span), to converse only with him who once cried (nor does he now retract), "Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you," for in this turbulent, not to say furious, age, the many public sources of disquietude, connected with the infirmities of advancing age, leave no solace to my mind to be compared with this secret communion. In the pleasing contemplation of the divine beauty and benignity we hope to spend a blessed eternity, and therefore in this work it is good to spend as much as may be of our time.

Guest Blogger: Katie Myers on an Early Spring

This year's early Spring-like weather reminds me that God is faithful. He made all of creation, which was like the first Spring:

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat (Gen. 1.29).

And then after the Flood, God promised that he would give us four special seasons, including seedtime, or Spring:

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8.22).

In the Song of Songs, God speaks of the beauty of Springtime:

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away (Cant. 2.11-13).

These verses and others have special meaning to me each Spring. God not only makes all things beautiful in its season (Eccl. 3.11), but he also remakes what was cold and barren in the Winter into something beautiful every Spring, just as God made us in His image, and remakes us in the image of His Son when we are born again.

I want to share the poem below about my favorite season.

Christina Rossetti, Spring:

Frost-locked all the winter,
Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,
What shall make their sap ascend
That they may put forth shoots?
Tips of tender green,
Leaf, or blade, or sheath;
Telling of the hidden life
That breaks forth underneath,
Life nursed in its grave by Death.

Blows the thaw-wind pleasantly,
Drips the soaking rain,
By fits looks down the waking sun:
Young grass springs on the plain;
Young leaves clothe early hedgerow trees;
Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,
Swollen with sap, put forth their shoots;
Curled-headed ferns sprout in the lane;
Birds sing and pair again.

There is no time like Spring,
When life’s alive in everything,
Before new nestlings sing,
Before cleft swallows speed their journey back
Along the trackless track,—
God guides their wing,
He spreads their table that they nothing lack,—
Before the daisy grows a common flower,
Before the sun has power
To scorch the world up in his noontide hour.

There is no time like Spring,
Like Spring that passes by;
There is no life like Spring-life born to die,—
Piercing the sod,
Clothing the uncouth clod,
Hatched in the nest,
Fledged on the windy bough,
Strong on the wing:
There is no time like Spring that passes by,
Now newly born, and now
Hastening to die.

When Righteousness and Peace Kiss

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Ps. 85.10)

Ralph Venning, A Spiritual Garden of Sweet-Smelling Flowers, or Mr. Ralph Venning's Divine Sentences:

The Kiss of Justice, is to love our Enemies, to forsake our Parents and Possessions for the love of God; to endure with Patience injuries inflicted, and in all places to flie from honours that are offered.

The Kiss of Peace, is to invite Foes to friendship, peaceably to sustain Adversaries, lovingly to instruct such as do amiss, meekly to comfort those that mourn, and to be at amity with all men.

Into Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit

It is noteworthy how many saints of old (and sometimes their enemies) have died with the words of Christ upon their lips. The words of David ("Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth," Ps. 31.5) were uttered by Christ on the cross ("And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost," Luke 23.46). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, likewise, when he was dying, said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7.59). Others who emulated this example are listed below.

January 1, 379 -- Basil the Great's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
January 28, 814 -- Charlemagne's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
December 29, 1170 -- Thomas Becket's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
July 6, 1415 -- John Hus died repeating the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
May 30, 1416 -- Jerome of Prague died uttering the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
May 20, 1506 -- Christopher Columbus' last words were "Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
May 4, 1535 -- John Houghton died after reciting Psalm 31.
June 22, 1535 -- John Fisher died reciting "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
July 28, 1540 -- Thomas Cromwell's last words were "Lord into Thy hands I commend my Soul, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, Amen."
February 18, 1546 -- Martin Luther's last words were "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth."
March 1, 1546 -- George Wishart's next-to-last words were "O Thou Saviour of the world, have mercy upon me! Father of Heaven, I commend my spirit into Thy holy hands."
February 12, 1554 -- Lady Jane Grey's last words were "Lorde, into Thy hands I commende my spirite!"
February 23, 1554 -- Henry Grey's (father of Lady Jane Grey) last words were "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" ("Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit").
February 9, 1555 -- John Hooper's last words were "Into Thy handes I commend my spirite; Thou haste redeemed me, O God of truthe."
October 16, 1555 -- Nicholas Ridley's last words were "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum; Lord, Lord, receive my spirit."
July 11, 1556 -- Julian Palmer recited Psalm 31 as he died.
September 21, 1558 -- Charles V's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit: for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth."
April 19, 1560 -- Philip Melancthon on his deathbed was attended by Veit Winsheim, who repeated the words "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; O Lord, thou hast delivered me, thou righteous and faithful God!" He was asked if he heard those words. Melanchthon's last word on earth was "Yes!"
June 5, 1568 -- Lamoral, Count of Egmont's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
June 5, 1568 -- Philip de Montmorency's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
November 24, 1572 -- John Knox on his deathbed said "Come, Lord Jesus; sweet Jesus, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 8, 1587 -- Among the last words of Mary, Queen of Scots' was "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 21, 1595 -- Robert Southwell's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
April 25, 1595 -- Torquato Tasso's last words were "Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
March 1, 1633 -- George Herbert's last words were "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
December 22, 1666 -- Hugh M'Kail sang from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter at his execution, "Into thine hands I do commit / My spirit; for thou art he, / O thou, Jehovah, God of truth, / Who has hast redeemed me."
July 27, 1681 -- Donald Cargill's last words were "Into thy hands I commend my spirit."
February 26, 1686 -- Francois Teissier's (first martyr of the 'Church of the Desert') last words were "My God, to Thee I commend my spirit."
February 17, 1688 -- James Renwick's last words were "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth."
July 22, 1794 -- Among the last words written by Louise de Duras (née Noailles)'s was "Accept, O Lord, the sacrifice of my life, Into Thy hands I commend my spirit. My God, haste Tee to help me. Forsake me not when my strength faileth me."
October 16, 1812 -- Among the last written words of Henry Martyn was "So closes the easy part of my life; enriched by every earthly comfort, and caressed by friends, I may scarcely be said to have experienced trouble; but now, farewell ease, if I might presume to conjecture. 'O Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit! Thou hast redeemed me, Thou God of truth!' may I be saved by Thy grace, and be sanctified to do Thy will, and to all eternity; through Jesus Christ."

Mourners in Zion, Be Comforted!

James Buchanan, Comfort in Affliction: A Series of Meditations, pp. 9-14:

Mourners in Zion, be comforted! if yours be a life of sorrow, yours also is a religion of hope. If the book of Providence seems to you to be "written within and without," like Ezekiel's roll, in characters of "lamentation, and mourning, and woe," the Bible is filled with consolation and peace; and the more stormy your passage through this world, the more awful God's judgments, the more severe and confounding your trials and bereavements may be, the more should that blessed books be endeared to your hearts of which every true disciple will say, with the afflicted Psalmist, "This is my comfort in mine affliction."

It is not one of the least benefits of severe affliction, that it shatters our confidence in every other stay, and breaks up our hopes from every other quarter, and leads us, in simplicity, to search the Word of God for comfort; nor is it one of the least recommendations of that precious book, that is characters become more bright in proportion as all else around us is dark, and that, when all other information becomes insipid or nauseous, its truths are rendered only the more sweet and refreshing by the bitter draught of sorrow. The Bible cannot be known in its excellence, nor its truths relished in their sweetness, nor its promises duly appreciated and enjoyed, until, by adversity, all other consolation is lost, and all other hopes destroyed; but then, when we carry it with us into the firey furnace of affliction, like the aromatic plant, which must be burnt before the precious perfume is felt, it emits a refreshing fragrance, and is relished in proportion as our sufferings are great. Glorious peculiarity! other books may amuse the hours of ease; other knowledge may suffice to pass the short day of prosperity, but this book only is for the hour of sorrow; this knowledge comes to my aid when all other knowledge fails; and, like the sweet stars of heaven, the truths of God shine most brightly in the darkest night of sorrow.

And why is it so? Is it because the Bible denies the existence of sorrow and suffering? or, because it represents the afflictions of life as being few in number, or easy to be borne? Does it seek to withdraw our attention from them? or, does it ridicule the feelings which such afflictions awaken, and enjoin a heartless indifference to whatever may befall us? Does it mock the friendships of nature, and scorn our feelings when these friendships are broken up by bereavement? God forbid! On the contrary, the Bible proceeds on the assumption that sorrow and suffering prevail in the world; that all, without exception, are liable to their depressing influence, and, so far from representing them as being few in number, or easy to be borne, it presents a picture of human life, which, in the season of youth and hope, many may be disposed to regard as gloomy and exaggerated, but which, in the hour of sorrow, comes home to the heart as the only faithful representation of this state of trial. It declares to every disciple, that in "the world he shall have tribulation," and that, although "troubles springs not from the dust, nor sorrow from the ground, yet man is born to sorrow as the sparks fly upwards." Nor does it seek to withdraw our attention from the afflictions of life; on the contrary, it presses them on our regard; it declares them to be a proper and salutary subject of contemplation, and affirms, "that it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of mirth." And, in doing so, it is far from enjoining us to contemplate any scene of sorrow, with heartless indifference, or stoical unconcern. That religion which commands us to "weep with those who weep," cannot be supposed to condemn the tears which we shed over our own sorrows or bereavements; nor can its Divine Author, who wept over the grave of Lazarus, be regarded as the pattern of his people, if, unlike him, they are to derive their support in the hour of sorrow from the suppression of those feelings which nature prompts, and of those tears which nature sheds, over the grave of friendship. And if stoical apathy and indifference be not enjoined, far less does the Bible sanction or countenance that bitter ridicule of human suffering, and that sarcastic contempt of human life, which, in the madness of despair, some have been tempted to indulge, and which has led them to strip man of his rightful dignity, and life of its due importance, and to regard the chequered scene of his existence with misanthropic bitterness, and even the last tragic scene of dissolution with morbid unconcern. Ah! little would such a scheme have suited the hearts which God hath given us! but the Bible breathes the spirit of compassion over all our sorrows; its Divine Author sympathizes with us in the lowest depths of our afflictions; he ridicules not even the weakness of nature, but tenderly upbinds the heart when it bleeds; for, "even as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him," and that divine pity breathes throughout every page of Scripture.

The grand peculiarity of the Bible, as a book of consolation, is, that while it seeks not to cast our sufferings into the shade, but rather sets them before us in all their variety and magnitude, it teaches us to find consolation in the midst of acknowledged sorrow, and causes light to arise out of the deepest darkness. In many respects, it gives a more gloomy view of human life than we are ofttimes willing to entertain. It represents affliction as ordained for us, and appointed so that it cannot be escaped. It tells us that our future life will be chequered with trials, even as the past has been. It gives no assurance of respite from suffering, so long as we are in this world. And, when it traces these afflictive events to their causes, -- when it represents suffering as the fruit and the wages of sin, -- when it charges us with guilt, and affirms that we have provoked the Lord to anger, -- when it leads us to regard our sorrows as connected with our characters, and inflicted by a righteous governor and judge, -- and when, carrying our eye beyond this world altogether, it points to an eternal state of retribution, where sorrows infinitely more severe, and judgments infinitely more confounding, await impenitent and unforgiven guilt, -- it does present such a view of our present condition and future prospects, as may well fill us with awe and alarm; -- and yet still it is the book of consolation; still it contains the elements of peace, the seed of hope, the well-spring of eternal joy. It is out of the very darkness of our present state and our eternal prospects, that the brightness of that dawn appears which shall issue in everlasting day; the golden rays of divine light and love appear in the midst of that thick cloud; the cup of bitterness is sweetened by an infusion of mercy, so that the Christian can be "joyful in the midst of tribulation," and "greatly rejoice, though now, for a season, if need be, he is in heaviness, through manifold temptations."

For, while the Bible spreads out to our view the whole scene of human life, chequered with every variety of shade, it raises our eye above it, and reveals a superhuman and spiritual System, which stretches over and comprehends every part of it, -- a System founded on principles which are as fixed as the incidents of human life are fluctuating, -- a System which overrules every event that may happen, and determines them all, however casual they may seem to be, to some great and lofty end, -- a System which, although in its immensity it is incomprehensible, and, in many of its bearings, mysterious, is, nevertheless, when in any measure understood, a great and lofty System, and obscure only because of its transcendent grandeur, -- which gives stability to what was before uncertain, and throws light on what was formerly dark, and imparts regularity and order to what might otherwise seem to be a world not only of vicissitude, but of chance. It is by revealing this spiritual and superhuman System, that the Bible seeks to elevate our minds out of the depression which the present aspects of the world might occasion; not by concealing the dark aspect of "things seen and temporal;" not by disputing the reality of those afflictions which we feel, and underrating their magnitude, but by showing us their necessity and suitableness, as means under a higher economy than that of the present life -- an economy which stretches from eternity to eternity -- which comprehends in its courses all orders of creatures, and every class of events, and which controls and overrules them all for the promotion of an end worthy of the magnitude of the scheme, and infinitely important to ourselves.

MHCC 42: One-Year Status Update

One year ago, on January 1, 2010, I launched the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge. It was aimed at encouraging Christians to take up his famous devotional commentary on the Bible and read through it, or as much as each person felt able to do so. After one year of reading, I am pausing to take stock of where I am and what has been gained.

As of July 1, 2010, I had read through Numbers 21. Now, as of December 31, 2010, I have read through 1 Chronicles 29. Progress has been slow but steady, and the pace of 1 or more chapters per day has worked for me, allowing me the opportunity to meditate upon that which I read. Each day's reading has given me food for thought, and I have grown in my understanding of God's Word. I have tried to pass along some bits of wisdom here and there, as well as some historical context, as I have had opportunity, but much that I read I am still digesting and aiming, by God's grace, to put into practice.

Of those who began the Challenge with me, some have discontinued the reading, while others have persevered, and others have picked up the commentary and read along according to their time and interest. I am thankful for all, because even reading a little Matthew Henry is, I am sure, a blessing to the reader. I am especially appreciative of all those who have posted Matthew Henry gems on the Facebook page to share with others. Most particularly, my friend Stefanie D. has been a real encouragement to us all in her diligent efforts and with respect to all the gems she has shared.

It's not too late. If you have an interest in reading along but find the prospect of reading it all overwhelming, simply pick it up and start where you like in 2011. Read as you can, and you too will be blessed.

I plan to keep reading as the Lord gives me the ability. Happy New Year (read here for New Year's thoughts from Matthew Henry and his father Philip), dear readers, and may the Lord bless each of you in the coming year and beyond.

Light From the Psalter

In the dark winter months, when light is scarce, it can be particularly illuminating to meditate upon light as it comes from God and his Word, especially within the Psalms. May God lift up his countenance upon us, and shine his light on his hearts, and may these selections (from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter) be an encouragement to any who are in darkness.

Psalm 4.6:

6 O who will shew us any good?
is that which many say:
But of thy countenance the light,
Lord, lift on us alway.

Psalm 18.28:

28 The Lord will light my candle so,
that it shall shine full bright:
The Lord my God will also make
my darkness to be light.

Psalm 19.8:

8 The statutes of the Lord are right,
and do rejoice the heart:
The Lord's command is pure, and doth
light to the eyes impart.

Psalm 27.1:

1 The Lord's my light and saving health,
who shall make me dismay'd?
My life's strength is the Lord, of whom
then shall I be afraid?

Psalm 36.9:

9 Because of life the fountain pure
remains alone with thee;
And in that purest light of thine
we clearly light shall see.

Psalm 37.6:

6 And, like unto the light, he shall
thy righteousness display;
And he thy judgment shall bring forth
like noon-tide of the day.

Psalm 43.3:

3 O send thy light forth and thy truth;
let them be guides to me,
And bring me to thine holy hill,
ev'n where thy dwellings be.

Psalm 56.13:

13 Wilt thou not, who from death me sav'd,
my feet from falls keep free,
To walk before God in the light
of those that living be?

Psalm 74.16:

16 Thine only is the day, O Lord,
thine also is the night;
And thou alone prepared hast
the sun and shining light.

Psalm 78.14-15:

14 With cloud by day, with light of fire
all night, he did them guide.
15 In desert rocks he clave, and drink,
as from great depths, supply'd.

Psalm 92.2:

2 Thy loving-kindness to shew forth
when shines the morning light;
And to declare thy faithfulness
with pleasure ev'ry night.

Psalm 97.11:

11 For all those that be righteous
sown is a joyful light,
And gladness sown is for all those
that are in heart upright.

Psalm 104.2:

2 With light, as with a robe, thyself
thou coverest about;
And, like unto a curtain, thou
the heavens stretchest out.

Psalm 112.4:

4 Unto the upright light doth rise,
though he in darkness be:
Compassionate, and merciful,
and righteous, is he.

Psalm 118.27:

27 God is the Lord, who unto us
hath made light to arise:
Bind ye unto the altar's horns
with cords the sacrifice.

Psalm 119.105-106, 129-130:

105 Thy word is to my feet a lamp,
and to my path a light.
106 I sworn have, and I will perform,
to keep thy judgments right.

129 Thy statutes, Lord, are wonderful,
my soul them keeps with care.
130 The entrance of thy words gives light,
makes wise who simple are.

Psalm 139.11-12:

11 If I do say that darkness shall
me cover from thy sight,
Then surely shall the very night
about me be as light.

12 Yea, darkness hideth not from thee,
but night doth shine as day:
To thee the darkness and the light
are both alike alway.

Not A Square Inch

It was 90 years ago this week that a remarkable saint passed into glory. Abraham Kuyper died on November 8, 1920. Minister of the gospel, theologian, scholar, journalist, author, editor, educator, politician, and patriot, he stands tall almost a century after his passing among the heroes of the Christian faith.

It might fairly be affirmed that his credo was: "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'"

A brilliant and diverse man, who served his God and his country in many capacities, he meditated upon Psalm 73 (To Be Near Unto God 1):

You have love for your native land, you have love for the beauty and grandeur of nature, you have love for the creations of art, from the sense of compassion you have love for suffering humanity, you are conscious of love for what is noble, true and of good report, and thus in all honesty almost every man can say that he also has love for God, and that his love for God even exceeds all other loves, since all good that inspires love is from God, and God Himself is the highest good. And yet while this love for God can be a lofty sentiment, can be deeply serious, and can even be able to ignite a spark of enthusiasm, the soul may have no fellowship with the Eternal, and have no knowledge of the secret walk with God; the great God may not have become his God, and the soul may never have exclaimed in passionate delight: "I love God!"

Love for God, taken in general, is still largely love for the idea of God, love for the Fountain of Life, for the Source of all good, for the Watcher of Israel Who never slumbers, for the One Who, whatever changes, eternally abides. But when there echoes in the soul the words "I love God!" then the idea, the sense and the reality of the Eternal Being becomes personified. Then God becomes a Shepherd Who leads us, a Father Who spiritually begat us, a Covenant-God with Whom we are in league, a Friend Who offers us His friendship, a Lord in Whose service we stand, the God of our confidence, Who is no longer merely God but our God.

A defender of hymnody in worship, he nevertheless wrote (Our Worship, p. 39):

1. In Holy Scripture we do not find a separate collection of prayers, but we do find a separate collection of psalms.
2. The spiritual depth of the psalms exceeds by far anything that afterward was composed as a church hymn and was sometimes claimed to be even more spiritual.
3. Whenever hymns came into the churches, they always seemed, first, to push back the psalms, and then to supplant them.
4. The psalms have always echoed the enduring, eternal keynote of the pious heart, while hymns usually had a temporary quality and were marked by what was popular at the moment.
5. Hymns in most cases led to the singing by choirs, with the congregation becoming listeners.
6. In the struggle between hymn and psalm, all nominal members favored the hymns over the psalms while the truly pious members were much more inclined to use the psalms rather than the hymns.

At his funeral, 90 years ago, the mourners sang the timeless words of Psalm 89.7-8:

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? (KJV)

In All Thy Ways

George Bowen, Daily Meditations, pp. 4-5 (January 5):

'In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.' -- Proverbs 3. 6.

Acknowledge him as thy guide, thine only, thy necessary guide. Refuse to stir a step without him, as the blind man that stops the moment he misses his guide. Without him thou art in utter darkness, and thy next step may be into a pit. He has made thee thus dependent. It is not enough that the sun shines for thee, the earth upholds thee, and all God's works wait upon thee; all these finite ministers cannot guarantee thee one safe step. God has ordained it. He created thee to be guided by himself, and unless thou canst call into existence another God like him for thyself, thou hast, without him, no guarantee in any of thy paths. Therefore acknowledge him as thy guide.

In all thy ways. In thy worship. In thy study of his word. In thy intercourse with his people. In thy traffic with the world. In thy business and in thy recreation. At thy meals. In thy correspondence. In thy reading. In thy dress. What! in these petty matters? Yes! in all thy ways. Thinkest thou that God will have no word for thee on such topics? Be undeceived. Thou shalt find a revelation of the will of God for every one of thy paths. There is no need for thee ever to let go of his hand. Not a single hair in thy head receives its aliment without him. Why then should a single step be taken without him? Think, and you shall see that the fate of millions may be involved in the least step that you may be called to take.

Our North Star

James Hervey, Meditations and Contemplations, Vol. 2, pp. 169-171:

Of the polar star, it is observable, that, while other luminaries alter their situation, this seems invariably fixed*. While other luminaries now mount the battlements of heaven, and appear upon duty, now retire beneath the horizon, and resign to a fresh set the watches of the night, this never departs from its station. This, in every season, maintains an uniform position, and is always to be sound in the fame tract of the northern sky.—How often has this beamed bright intelligence on the sailor, and conducted the keel to its desired haven! In early ages those who went down to the sea in ships, and occupied their business in great waters, had scarce any other sure guide for their wandering vessel. This therefore they viewed with the most solicitous attention. By this they formed their observations, and regulated their voyage. When this was obscured by clouds, or inveloped in mists, the trembling mariner was bewildered on the watery waste. His thoughts fluctuated as much as the floating surge; and he knew not where he was advanced or whither he should steer. But when this auspicious star broke through the gloom, it dissipated the anxiety of his mind, and cleared up his dubious passage. He reaffirmed with alacrity the management of the helm, and was able to shape his course with some tolerable degree of satisfaction and certainty.

Such, only much clearer in its light, and much surer in its direction, is the holy word of God, to those myriads of intellectual beings, who are bound for the eternal shores, who, embarked in a vessel of feeble flesh, are to pass the waves of this tempestuous and perilous world. In all difficulties, those sacred pages shed an encouraging ray; in all uncertainties, they suggest the right determination, and point out the proper procedure. What is still a more inestimable advantage, they, like the star which conducted the eastern sages, make plain the way of access to a Redeemer. They display his unspeakable merits: they discover the method of being interested in his great atonement, and lead the weary soul, tossed by troubles, and shattered by temptations, to that only harbour of peaceful repose.— Let us, therefore, attend to this unerring directory, with the same constancy of regard, as the seafaring man observes his compass. Let us become as thoroughly acquainted with this sacred chart, as the pilot is with every trusty mark that gives notice of a lurking rock, and with every open road that yields a fase passage into the port. Above all, let us commit ourselves to this infallible guidance, with the same implicit resignation; let us conform our conduct to its exalted precepts, with the same sedulous care as the children of Israel, when sojourning in the trackless desert, followed the pillar of fire, and the motions of the miraculous cloud.—So will introduce us, not into an earthly Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, but into an immortal paradise, where is the fulness of joy, and where are pleasures for evermore. It will introduce us into to those happy, happy regions, where our sun shall no more go down, nor our moon withdraw Itself; for the LORD shall be our everlasting light, and the days of our mourning, together with the fatigues of our pilgrimage, shall be ended**.

* I speak in conformity to the appearance of the object. For though this remarkable star revolves round the pole, its motion is so slow, and the circle it describes so small, as render both the revolution and change of situation hardly perceivable.

** 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42. The great Mr. Mede prefers the sense here given; and the learned Dr. Hammond admits it into his paraphrase; whose joint authority, though far from excluding any other, yet is a sufficient warrant for this application of the words.

Laus Deo

Sprinkled throughout the Diary of Samuel Sewall, which he kept from 1674 to 1729, one finds the Latin phrase Laus Deo, "Praise God." He often wrote this short ejaculatory thanksgiving after returning safely from a trip and finding "all is well," reporting on the healing or comfort of the sick, or receiving other good news. For example,

Monday, about 3. mane, June 4 [1688]. My wife is taken very ill with pains like travailing pains, of which afterward has an abatement. Laus Deo.

Wednesday, Augt. 9 [1693]. There falls a plentifull Rain after a long distressing Drought. Laus Deo.

Jany 31 [1703/4]. Second day of the week, about four hours before day, my Daughter Hirst was delivered of a Living lively Daughter. Her mother went to her after the forenoon exercise Jany 30. Mother Hirst came the evening before. We have an Answer of Peace to our many Prayers. Laus Deo.

Feria tertia, March 25, 1707....Am well notwithstanding my journeying in the Rain, and find mine well; Laus Deo!

Lord's Day, June, 15th [1707]. I felt my self dull and heavy and Listless as to Spiritual Good; Carnal, Lifeless; I sigh'd to God, that he would quicken me.
June, 16. My House was broken open in two places, and about Twenty pounds worth of Plate stolen away, and some Linen; My Spoon, and Knife, and Neckcloth was taken: I said, Is not this an Answer of Prayer? Jane came up, and gave us the Alarm betime in the morn. I was helped to submit to Christ's stroke, and say, Wellcome CHRIST!
June, 19th. The measuring Bason is found with Margaret Barton just carrying of it to Sea, to Hingham; said she had it of James Hews, he gave it her to sell for him. Mr. Secretary sent her to Prison.
June, 21. Billy Cowell's shop is entered by the Chimney, and a considerable quantity of of Plate stolen. I give him a Warrant to the Constable, they find James Hews hid in the Hay in Cabal's Barn, on the Back side of the Common; while they was seising him under the Hay, he strip'd off his Pocket, which was quickly after found, and Cowell's silver in it. At night I read out of [Joseph] Caryl on Job, 5. 2. The humble submission to the stroke of God, turns into a Kiss -- which I thank God, I have in this instance experienced. Laus Deo.

June, 30 [1711]....Just as I had written this I went to look of the Rain at my East-Chamber, and saw a perfect Rainbow. I think the setting of the Sun caus'd its Disappearance. Laus Deo.

In reviewing the three volumes of Sewall's Diary, published in 1878-1882 in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, I came across about 113 instances of this expression of praise and thanksgiving over a 55-year period. Many more instances, I suspect, went unrecorded. In this way, Sewall exemplified the Apostle's injunction to "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thess. 5.18).