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.

Happy Art of Winning Souls

He that winneth souls is wise (Prov. 11.30), and William Guthrie's (1620-1665) methods of evangelism, though unorthodox, reveal the wisdom of one particular Puritan minister's labors to bring forth much good fruit from stony ground.

John Howie, The Scots Worthies, pp. 435-436:

Soon after having obtained his license, Guthrie left St. Andrew's, and became tutor to lord Mauchlin, eldest son to the earl of London, in which situation he remained until appointed pastor to the parish of Fenwick, which at that time was disjoined from Kilmarnock. Having been appointed to preach at Galston, on a day preparatory to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and a number of persons belonging to the newly erected parish being present, they were so much captivated by his discourses, that they immediately resolved to call him to be their pastor, which being very harmonious, he felt it to be his duty to accept. It is said that he, along with the people, made choice of the spot of ground on which the church was to be built, and that he preached within the walls before the edifice was completely finished.

Many were the difficulties and discouragements he had to encounter at the outset; yet through the divine blessing upon his labours, he was eminently successful in reforming the manners of the people. Many of them, indeed, were so unconcerned about religion as never to enter a place of worship; and the face of their pastor was altogether unknown by them. Numbers even refused his visits, and would not suffer him to enter their houses. Such was the state of Fenwick at the time this pious man entered upon his ministerial duties among them. But things did not remain long in that state; for, he had a happy art of winning souls to the Saviour. Disguised in the habit of a traveller, he frequently called at their houses in the evening, and asked lodgings, which he did not even obtain without much entreaty; but, when once admitted, he made himself a very agreeable guest, by his amusing and instructive conversation. One question always was,—how did they like their minister?—and when told that they did not go to church, he pressed them to go, and hear what he had to say. To some he even gave small sums of money to visit the house of God; and, before retiring to rest for the night, he was always solicitous to know if family worship was observed by them.

Upon one occasion, in a family where the duty had never been performed, he urged the goodman of the house to make the attempt; and, as this person's only objection was, that he could not pray, that he had never been in the habit of praying, and therefore could not, Gnthrie was so very earnest in his entreaties to make trial, that the man cried out:—"O Lord, thou knowest that this man would have me to pray; but thou knowest I cannot pray!" This was sufficient, —Guthrie desired him to stop, saying, he had done enough, and immediately began himself, to the great wonder and edification of the family. When prayer was over, the mistress of the house said to her husband—"Surely this man must be a minister." The people were overawed, and felt as if a charm had come over them. It was no difficult matter, under such feelings, to gain their compliance to appear in church on the following Sabbath. But, what was their surprise, when they saw that it was the minister himself who had been their guest, and who, in the guise of an humble peasant, upon their own hearth, had supplicated for them so many blessings.

Within his parish, too, there was a person who, instead of going to church on the Lord's day, betook himself to the fields with his dog and gun. Guthrie was determined to reclaim this man, and the effort was blessed. The minister asked him what reason he had for desecrating the Sabbath; and the answer he received was, that it was the most fortunate day in the week for that exercise. Guthrie asked him how much he could make by it; and, upon being told that he could at least realize half a crown, the good pastor at once told him that he would pay him that sum, if he would appear in church next Sabbath. After the congregation was dismissed, Guthrie told him that he would renew the bargain, if he would appear again, which the man consented to do. From that time afterward, he never failed to give regular attendance in the house of God; and, relieving the minister from his obligation, he felt to his sweet experience that godliness was of itself great gain. This man, ere long, became a member of the kirk-session, and ever after continued to live a godly and useful life.

A Bargain With the Devil?

John Brown of Haddington was a poor, orphaned shepherd boy in 1742 or so when, having been affected following a series of illnesses by a spiritual awakening in connection with reading the Bible and various theological works (he mentions the Westminster Larger Catechism and the expositions of the Shorter Catechism by Thomas Vincent and John Flavel, Joseph Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted, William Guthrie's The Christian's Great Interest, Samuel Rutherford's Letters, and Thomas Gouge's Christian directions Shewing How to Walk with God All the Day Long), Brown was inspired to take it upon himself to learn the Latin, Greek and Hebrew languages. It is said that, leaving his sheep "on the braes of Abernethy" in the care of a trusted companion, he set off on a midnight hike to St. Andrews, twenty-four miles away. The next morning he visited a bookseller seeking to purchase a Greek New Testament. The bookseller only smiled at his request, but a Professor from the University of St. Andrews, having engaged him in conversation, told him that if he could read a passage from the Testament, he would buy the book for him. He did so, and obtained the book, which was the beginning of a life-long love of languages that would lead him to learn Greek and Hebrew without a tutor, and Latin, studying under a tutor for one month; as well as, later, Arabic, Syrian, Persian, Ethiopian, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Italian.

After mastering the first three languages, he casually conferred with a student at the University about his accomplishments, but this individual took it amiss and accused him of having acquired his great linguistic learning by means of a compact with the Devil. Others supported his accuser, and in fact, the accusation, as outrageous as it sounds, dogged him over the years to such an extent that at one point he was denied a certificate of church membership based on this allegation. He was forced to vindicate his learning in a letter dated August 6, 1745 (when he was 23 years old), in which he gives an account of his studies and relates his thought processes in some detail, a published extract of which maybe found here (pp. 29-33). Despite the false aspersion, Brown would go on to become one of Scotland's greatest and most famous and godly ministers of the eighteenth century.

His great-grandson Dr. John Brown would later quip, speaking of the Devil, "That astute personage would not have employed him on the Greek Testament."