Ever since she sent her kids off to college (regardless of the fact that we returned home at some point), my mommy has made the time to do a fair bit of reading. Occasionally she writes out quotes from what she reads. This is an anonymous (unless or until she remembers who said it) quote which has hung on our kitchen cabinet for a few years now.
"What is prayer but the breathing forth of that grace which is breathed into the soul by the Holy Spirit? When God breathed into man the breath of life, he became a living soul. So, when God breathes into the creature the breath of spiritual life, it becomes a praying soul. 'Behold he prayeth!' saith God of Paul ... Acts 9.11."
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Christian's Daily Walk by Henry Scudder
A few weeks back, my mommy handed me a book she read recently. In thinking about this blog, the recommendation written by Richard Baxter for the book stuck me as both informative and a guiding principle for what books I read should be. Perhaps another time I will divulge what Scudder himself has to say in this book, but for now, consider this.
Recommendation
by the
Rev. Richard Baxter.
by the
Rev. Richard Baxter.
Reader, I take it for some dishonour of our age, that such a book as this should need any man's recommendation, to procure its entertainment, having been so long known and so greatly approved by the most judicious and religious ministers and people, as it hath been; even to be practical Christians, the one instead of many, for the ordering of their daily course of life, and securing their salvation and well-grounded peace. And though I know that there are some few words, especially about perseverance, of which all good Christians are not fully of one mind, (and I never undertake to justify every word, in my own books, or any others, while we all confess that we are not absolutely infallible;) yet I must say, (without disparagement to any man's labours,) that I remember not any book which is written to be the daily companion of Christians, to guide them in the practice of a holy life, which I prefer before this: I am sure, none of my own. For so sound is the doctrine of this book, and so prudent and spiritual, apt and savory the directions, and all so fully suited to our ordinary cases and conditions, that I heartily wish no family might be without it; and many volumes (good and useful) are now in religious people's hands, which I had rather were all unknown than this. And I think it of more service to the souls of men, to call men to the notice and use of such a treasure, and to bring such old and excellent writings out of oblivion and the dust, than to encourage very many who overvalue their own, and to promote the multiplication of things common and undigested, to the burying of more excellent treatises in the heap.
Reader, if thou wilt make this book (after the sacred Scripture) thy daily counsellor, and monitor, and comforter, I am assured the experience of thy own great advantage, and increase of wisdom, holiness, and peace, will commend it to thee more effectually than my words can do.
Read, love, and practise that which is here taught thee, and doubt not of thy everlasting happiness.
Reader, if thou wilt make this book (after the sacred Scripture) thy daily counsellor, and monitor, and comforter, I am assured the experience of thy own great advantage, and increase of wisdom, holiness, and peace, will commend it to thee more effectually than my words can do.
Read, love, and practise that which is here taught thee, and doubt not of thy everlasting happiness.
RICHARD BAXTER.
Jan. 16th, 1673-4.
Taken from The Christian's Daily Walk, in holy Security and Peace. Henry Scudder, Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication.
Taken from The Christian's Daily Walk, in holy Security and Peace. Henry Scudder, Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hannah More on Prayer
I like little books. My dad is very generous. Thus, he semi-regularly gives me little books. Sometimes when he bestows small volumes on me he does so for size or binding. This particular book he gave me for the content (and because I asked nicely).
Herewith, an excerpt from The Spirit of Prayer, by Hannah More. New York: Swords, Stanford, and Co., 1883, pages 22-25.
Adoration is the noblest employment of created beings; confession, the natural language of guilty creatures; praise, the spontaneous expression of pardoned sinners. Prayer is desire; the abasement of contrition; the energy of gratitude. It is not a mere conception of the mind, nor an effort of the intellect, nor an act of the memory; but an elevation of the soul towards its Maker. It is the devout breathing of a creature struck with a sense of its own misery, and of the infinite holiness of Him whom it is addressing, experimentally convinced of its own emptiness, and of the abundant fulness [sic] of God, of his readiness to hear, of his power to help, of his willingness to save. It is not an emotion produced in the senses, nor an effect wrought by the imagination; but a determination of the will, an effusion of the heart.
"Prayer is the guide to self-knowledge, by prompting us to look after our sins, in order to pray against them; it is a motive to vigilance, by teaching us to guard against those sins which, through self-examination, we have been enabled to detect.
"Prayer is an act both of the understanding and of the heart. The understanding must apply itself to the knowledge of the Divine perfections, or the heart will not be led to the adoration of them. It would not be a reasonable service, if the mind was excluded. It must be rational worship, or the human worshipper [sic] would not bring to the service the distinguishing faculty of his nature, which is reason. It must be spiritual worship, or it would want the distinctive quality to make it acceptable to Him who is a spirit, and who has declared that he will be worshipped [sic] "in spirit and in truth." Prayer is right in itself as the most powerful means of resisting sin and advancing in holiness. It is above all right, as every thing is, which has the authority of Scripture, the command of God, and the example of Christ.
"There is a perfect consistency in all the ordinations of God; a perfect congruity in the whole scheme of his dispensations. If man were not a corrupt creature, such prayer as the Gospel enjoins would not have been necessary. Had not prayer been an important means for curing those corruptions, a God of perfect wisdom would not have ordered it. He would not have prohibited every thing which tends to inflame and promote them, had they not existed; nor would he have commanded every thing that has a tendency to diminish and remove them, had not their existence been fatal. Prayer, therefore, is an indispensable part of his economy and of our obedience."
Herewith, an excerpt from The Spirit of Prayer, by Hannah More. New York: Swords, Stanford, and Co., 1883, pages 22-25.
Chapter III.
Prayer.-- Its Definition.
"Prayer is the application of want to Him who alone can relieve it, the voice of sin to him who alone can pardon it. It is the urgency of poverty, the prostration of humility, the fervency of penitence, the confidence of trust. It is not eloquence, but earnestness; not figures of speech, but compunction of soul. It is the "Lord, save us, we perish," of drowning Peter; the cry of faith to the ear of mercy.Prayer.-- Its Definition.
Adoration is the noblest employment of created beings; confession, the natural language of guilty creatures; praise, the spontaneous expression of pardoned sinners. Prayer is desire; the abasement of contrition; the energy of gratitude. It is not a mere conception of the mind, nor an effort of the intellect, nor an act of the memory; but an elevation of the soul towards its Maker. It is the devout breathing of a creature struck with a sense of its own misery, and of the infinite holiness of Him whom it is addressing, experimentally convinced of its own emptiness, and of the abundant fulness [sic] of God, of his readiness to hear, of his power to help, of his willingness to save. It is not an emotion produced in the senses, nor an effect wrought by the imagination; but a determination of the will, an effusion of the heart.
"Prayer is the guide to self-knowledge, by prompting us to look after our sins, in order to pray against them; it is a motive to vigilance, by teaching us to guard against those sins which, through self-examination, we have been enabled to detect.
"Prayer is an act both of the understanding and of the heart. The understanding must apply itself to the knowledge of the Divine perfections, or the heart will not be led to the adoration of them. It would not be a reasonable service, if the mind was excluded. It must be rational worship, or the human worshipper [sic] would not bring to the service the distinguishing faculty of his nature, which is reason. It must be spiritual worship, or it would want the distinctive quality to make it acceptable to Him who is a spirit, and who has declared that he will be worshipped [sic] "in spirit and in truth." Prayer is right in itself as the most powerful means of resisting sin and advancing in holiness. It is above all right, as every thing is, which has the authority of Scripture, the command of God, and the example of Christ.
"There is a perfect consistency in all the ordinations of God; a perfect congruity in the whole scheme of his dispensations. If man were not a corrupt creature, such prayer as the Gospel enjoins would not have been necessary. Had not prayer been an important means for curing those corruptions, a God of perfect wisdom would not have ordered it. He would not have prohibited every thing which tends to inflame and promote them, had they not existed; nor would he have commanded every thing that has a tendency to diminish and remove them, had not their existence been fatal. Prayer, therefore, is an indispensable part of his economy and of our obedience."
Saturday, March 15, 2008
About the Antiquarian Bookworm
To all who have ever drooled over the contents of my house:
It took about 24.6 years for this to permeate my thick skull in practical terms, but I do indeed live surrounded by a veritable feast for bookworms. In fact, I dare say I live in a fantastic world of which most antiquarian bookworms can only dream.
Those who know my situation will attest to this. After all, my father is a bookseller, dealing in antiquarian and theological books and Bibles. Our Victorian three-story home is filled with stack upon stack as well as (too few) bookcases filled to overflowing with old leather- or cloth-bound puritan and reformed theology. Mix in Bibles, miniatures, Salesman's Samples, communion tokens, Spurgeon's original sermons, Matthew Henry, Richard Sibbes, Samuel Rutherford, and many more authors and bits of ephemera than I am aware of and you imagine only a small portion of the piles I avoid as I walk down the hallway.
Bookworms thrive in this sort of environment, where stacks are left untouched from one year to the next. Fortunately not many of them survive squashing in this home. Bookworms of the human variety also thrive, and instead of facing their demise, they are encouraged to read. Unfortunately, they aren't encouraged to read here (it's not a lending-library except to the privileged few... family members) and many would-be bookworm patrons find that the cost of admission (the temptation to covet a multiplicity of good books at reasonable prices) is too great for their budget.
Having always been a self-proclaimed bookworm, I have decided it is long past time that I share some of the treasure-trove to which I have access. I hope you enjoy these appetizers of out-of-print volumes as I share with you a variety of the books I try not to trip over on a daily basis.
-SML
It took about 24.6 years for this to permeate my thick skull in practical terms, but I do indeed live surrounded by a veritable feast for bookworms. In fact, I dare say I live in a fantastic world of which most antiquarian bookworms can only dream.
Those who know my situation will attest to this. After all, my father is a bookseller, dealing in antiquarian and theological books and Bibles. Our Victorian three-story home is filled with stack upon stack as well as (too few) bookcases filled to overflowing with old leather- or cloth-bound puritan and reformed theology. Mix in Bibles, miniatures, Salesman's Samples, communion tokens, Spurgeon's original sermons, Matthew Henry, Richard Sibbes, Samuel Rutherford, and many more authors and bits of ephemera than I am aware of and you imagine only a small portion of the piles I avoid as I walk down the hallway.
Bookworms thrive in this sort of environment, where stacks are left untouched from one year to the next. Fortunately not many of them survive squashing in this home. Bookworms of the human variety also thrive, and instead of facing their demise, they are encouraged to read. Unfortunately, they aren't encouraged to read here (it's not a lending-library except to the privileged few... family members) and many would-be bookworm patrons find that the cost of admission (the temptation to covet a multiplicity of good books at reasonable prices) is too great for their budget.
Having always been a self-proclaimed bookworm, I have decided it is long past time that I share some of the treasure-trove to which I have access. I hope you enjoy these appetizers of out-of-print volumes as I share with you a variety of the books I try not to trip over on a daily basis.
-SML
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