Some do more im…
Posted: October 16, 2013 Filed under: Just for Fun | Tags: Adoption, Puritans Leave a commentSome do more improve their privileges than others do; now they cannot rationally expect the best and richest fruits of this gift, and to be enabled and enlarged by the Spirit, who do not give such ready entertainment and obedience to his motions, as the more serious and fruitful Christian doth.
– Thomas Manton
Visibly Adopted but Still Under the Spirit of Bondage
Posted: October 15, 2013 Filed under: Adoption | Tags: Adoption, Ezekiel Hopkins, Puritans Leave a commentSome professing members of the church are under “the Spirit of bondage,” that is, those who are under the Holy Spirit’s power to convict of sin, but do not as yet have liberty in Jesus Christ. Some Puritans—though by no means all—understand this to mean what is at times called “a preparatory work of grace.” Ezekiel Hopkins lays out the essence of this approach more succinctly. His key thoughts form an apt summary:
- The preparatory work of conversion is usually carried on in the soul by legal fears and terrors.
- This legal fear is slavish, and engenders bondage.
- This slavish fear is wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God, though it be slavish.
- When the soul is prepared for the work of grace by the work of conviction, when it is prepared for comfort by the work of humiliation, the same Spirit, that was before a Spirit of bondage, becomes now a Spirit of adoption.
- To whom the Spirit hath once been a Spirit of adoption, it never more becomes to them a Spirit of bondage and fear.
- A reverential, filial fear of God, may and ought to possess our souls, while the Spirit of God, who is a spirit of adoption, is, by the clearest evidences, actually witnessing our sonship to us.
Pastorally, the Puritans advised those who were under the Spirit of bondage of their danger, their invitation, and their encouragement. Their danger is that they will perish if they do not take refuge to Christ with penitent faith and come to know the Spirit of adoption. Their invitation is to come to Christ immediately, confessing their sins—also the sin of lacking childlike fear. They must ask the Holy Spirit to drive them out of their self-confidence and cause them to storm the mercy seat. Their encouragement is, according to Simon Ford,
That God will not keep His elect indefinitely in bondage for several reasons. Thus, religion would become uncomfortable and unappealing, people would faint under their burden of sin, and they would develop hard thoughts of God. God will lead those under bondage into liberty to show that it is not in vain to serve Him. He wants to wean His own from this world, and He wants to commune often with them.”
Adoption is Not Regeneration
Posted: September 3, 2013 Filed under: Adoption, Puritans | Tags: Adoption, Puritans, Regeneration, Theology 1 CommentIn short, the Puritans taught that regeneration and adoption are to be distinguished in several ways. Here is a summary of points made by Thomas Manton and Stephen Charnock on the differences between the doctrines of adoption and regeneration:
- Regeneration brings us to close with Jesus Christ – adoption causes the Spirit to abide in our hearts.
- Regeneration is the Spirit’s renewing. Adoption, the Spirit’s inhabiting. In regeneration, the Holy Spirit builds a house for Himself, in adoption, He dwells in the house—much like bees that “first make their cells, and then dwell in them.”
- Regeneration is not conditioned by faith, adoption is.
- Regeneration enables us to believe unto justification and adoption.
- Regeneration engraves upon us the lineaments of a father; adoption relates us to God as our Father.
- Regeneration makes us God’s sons by conveying the principle of new life (1 Pet. 1:23); adoption keeps us God’s sons by conferring the power of new life (John 1:12).
- Regeneration makes us partakers of the divine nature; adoption makes us partakers of the divine affections.
- Regeneration affects our nature, adoption, our relationships.
The Puritans on Adoption
Posted: August 27, 2013 Filed under: Adoption, Just for Fun | Tags: Adoption, books, Puritans Leave a commentThe most important Puritan works ever written on adoption, are:
John Crabb, A Testimony concerning the VVorks of the Living God. Shewing how the mysteries of his workings hath worked many wayes in and amongst mankind. Or, The knowledge of God revealed, which shews the way from the bondage of darkness into the liberty of the Sons of God.
Simon Ford, The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption: Largely and Practically handled, with reference to the way and manner of working both those Effects; and the proper Cases of Conscience belonging to them both.
M.G., The Glorious Excellencie of the Spirit of Adoption.
Thomas Granger, A Looking-Glasse for Christians. Or, The Comfortable Doctrine of Adoption.
Cotton Mather, The Sealed Servants of our God, Appearing with Two Witnesses, to produce a Well-Established Assurance of their being the Children of the Lord Almighty or, the Witness of the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of the Beleever, to his Adoption of God; briefly and plainly Described.
Samuel Petto, The Voice of the Spirit. Or, An essay towards a discoverie of the witnessings of the Spirit.
Samuel Willard, The Child’s Portion: Or the unseen Glory of the Children of God, Asserted, and proved: Together with several other Sermons Occasionally Preached.
Sadly, none of these books have been reprinted, which, in part, serves to promote the misrepresentation that the Puritans rarely addressed this subject. However, you can fully be made aware of the Puritans understanding and theological development on the doctrine of adoption in Dr. Joel Beeke’s Heirs with Christ through RHB Publications.
The Puritan Practical Use of Election
Posted: August 19, 2013 Filed under: Just for Fun | Tags: Election, John Owen, Puritans, Theology Leave a commentThe Puritans used this doctrine to preach to the unconverted, knowing that it humbles man and can alarm man. Puritan Dickson wrote on this topic,
“Election and reprobation may be safely taught, others say it could make men despair, let none take offense at this doctrine, because Christ’s sheep will hear his voice, forces men to turn to God or force men to become reprobates, either turn to God or take home the black news that they are reprobate, very needful to put men to their decisions.”
The Puritans used the doctrine to the comfort and awakening of distressed souls. Thomas Horton wrote on the matter,
“Doctrine of comfort takes all out of ourselves and deserts, doctrine of arrogance, presumption are of despair they will not hold out or support a man when he is in need of them, doctrines of free grace are doctrines of comfort because it reduces everything to God that he will fulfill what he has promised.”
Parr writes,
“Unworthiness may dismay thee, but remember it is God’s will that matters. Use this doctrine of election for believers to teach them of their privileges and safety, use their election as a motive to live holy unto God.”
Owen writes,
“God makes a consideration of electing love as free and undeserved, his principal argument for obedience, (Col. 3) as elect of God, bowels of mercies, also an encouragement to holiness, the fountain of electing grace will never fail us.”
The Duty & Necessity of Meditation
Posted: August 12, 2013 Filed under: Just for Fun | Tags: Meditation, Puritans Leave a commentThe Puritans stressed the need for meditation in six major thoughts, they are the following.
1. Our God who commands us to believe, commands us also to meditate, sufficient for doing it. Deut. 6:7; Psalm 19:14; 119 7x; Luke 4:44, John 4:24, Eph. 1:18; Heb. 3:1; used biblical characters, Melchisedec, Isaac, Moses, Paul, Timothy, Joshua, David, Mary.
2. Meditate on the word because it is God’s letter to us; not run over God’s letter in haste, but meditate on his love in sending it, Ps. 119.
3. One can not be a mature Christian without meditation; Manton: faith is lean and ready to starve without meditation.
4. Without meditation the preached word will fail to benefit us; reading without meditation is like swallowing raw and undigested food, Baxter, a man may eat too much, but cannot digest too well.
5. Without meditation our prayers will not be effective; a middle sort of duty between word and prayer; word feeds med. and med. Feeds prayer; hear that we be not erroneous, meditate so that we be not barren.
6. Christians who fail to meditate are unable to defend the truth, no backbone, no self-knowledge, Manton: man who is a stranger to meditation does not know himself; Watson: tis meditation that makes a Christian.
HT: Notes taken from Puritan Theology, taught by Dr. Joel Beeke.
Lessons from Richard Greenham on Reading the Word
Posted: August 6, 2013 Filed under: Just for Fun | Tags: Bible, Puritans, Scripture Leave a commentPuritan Greenham, A Profitable Treatise for the reading and understanding of the Holy Scriptures. Dr. Beeke writes, “Though Greenham is used here as a model, many Puritans have addresed the “how-to” of Bible reading.” His points are worthy of your time;
1. Diligence, if you read The Scriptures diligently it will make your rough places plain, difficult easy, and unsavory tasty.
2. Wisdom, choice of matter, do not spend the bulk of time on the most difficult portion of the Word, do not move from revealed to unrevealed, the wise reader will aim to be established in a well rounded doctrine. Time, never let a day pass without reading the Bible, Sunday most of the day.
3. Preparation, approach the Bible with a reverential fear, swift to hear, and slow to speak. Approach with faith in Jesus Christ, sincerely desirous to learn of God, and put your heart into reading the Bible.
4. Meditation, if you don’t meditate you won’t get depth, the difference between rowing and drifting to a destination in a boat; reading without meditation is barren
5. Conference, Proverbs 21:7, iron sharpening iron, concerned about small group discussions, not too large; should be able to be free to speak.
6. Faith, faith is the key to profitable reception.
7. Practice, the doing of a sermon; “is the sermon finished? It has been preached, but not yet been done” reply of a Puritan husband to his wife’s question upon returning home from church.
8. Prayer, indispensable for all our reading of Scripture; before and after the reading of the Bible, pray as you read them, memorize verses, meditate, think about it and then put it into practice.
If you need nourishment of your body, then you need a blessing for nourishment of spiritual things; we need to do these things to get the bible into us; we must get into it in a genuine and saving way.
HT: Notes taking while in Puritan Theology under Dr. Joel Beeke. Read his full article on Reading and Hearing the Word in a Puritan Way.
Gospel-Centered Musings 