Meet The Puritans

How to Meditate on the Glory of Christ

Posted on 11. May, 2010 by Ryan McGraw.

Meditation is a difficult duty. Most Christians struggle even with where to begin with respect to this duty. It is particularly important for us to mediate upon the Person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, since beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is the primary means by which we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). In his devotional work, The Glory of Christ, John Owen has provided five useful ways that we can meditate upon the glory of Christ as a divine/human Person. Our congregation in Conway found these instructions particularly helpful, so I pass them along with the hope that they will help you in your devotion to Christ (you can read the full section in Owen, Works, 1, 312–322).

1. Consider that the knowledge of Christ as fully God and fully man in one Person is the most useful object of our contemplations and affections (1, 312–314). Christ’s identity as the God-man places him in a unique position to make your redemption possible. He also reveals the glory of God to your understanding in a unique manner.

2. Diligently study the Scriptures with the express purpose of finding the glory of Christ in them (1, 314–316). The Scriptures assert that Christ is their central object (Lk. 24:26–27, 45–46; 2 Cor. 3:13–16). The three primary ways that Christ is revealed in the Old Testament is by direct descriptions of his Person and his incarnation, by prophecies concerning him, and by the Old Testament ceremonies of worship (Owen richly expands each of these). Too often Christians read the Old Testament in a manner that is no better than the Jews. Even if we do not see Christ in everything in the Old Testament, we must be careful to take our knowledge of Christ with us while reading the Old Testament.

3. Meditate frequently upon the knowledge of Christ that you have already obtained, both from Scripture and from sermons (1, 316–317). Failing to use and to build upon the knowledge of Christ that we have already received is the “fundamental mistake” standing behind the lack of spiritual growth among so many Christians. This is the error of treating the doctrines of Christ as fundamental and basic, thus taking them for granted. Owen adds that although we must not isolate ourselves from the world, we must love solitude as well. Without some measure of regular solitude, meditation upon the Lord Jesus Christ is impossible.

4. Do not simply rely upon fixed times set aside for meditation, but think upon Christ at every possible occasion throughout the day (1, 317–320). This is particularly important during those seasons in which Christ “withdraws” himself from our “spiritual experience.” If we know what it is like to “miss” Christ sometimes, then we should take comfort from the fact that this means that we have truly known what it is to have fellowship with him. When the comforts of communion with Christ diminish, we must seek him with the desperation with which a thirsty man seeks water. Christ acts in this way for our good, since his withdrawals increase our dependence upon him and the fervency with which we seek him. The truth is that Christ is always near to us, but “the principal actings of the life of faith consist in the frequency of our thoughts concerning him” (1, 319).

5. Accompany your thoughts of Christ with admiration, adoration, and thanksgiving (1, 320–322). The more we contemplate our divine/human Lord, then the more we shall realize that he is beyond the limits of our comprehension. This should lead us to love the Lord Jesus Christ with every faculty of our souls. In heaven, we shall exercise all of the faculties of our souls simultaneously in the worship and service of Christ, but in this world both our understanding and our strength is incomplete. Therefore, sometimes our thoughts of Christ should lead to admiration, others to adoration, and still others to thanksgiving according to our understanding and our capacity. You must never lose sight of the fact that the purpose for which you know Christ is worship.

Owen closes this section with the useful reminder that meditation upon the glory of the Person of Christ only occurs in the context of a heavenly-minded life. This is an important thought. Perhaps one reason why meditation is so hard for us is that we have not set our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in everything that we set our hands to (Col. 3:1–2). Meditation upon the glory of Christ is a jarring and painful interruption when our minds are trained to run along the well-worn grooves of our earthly routine. Let us never forget that we are pilgrims and strangers in the world! Let us never be surprised at the difficulty of heavenly-mindedness on this side of glory! Let us make use of means to help us contemplate the glory of our Savior more fully! And may we come to our heavenly Father who is able and ready to help us to meditate upon the glory of his Son through the power of the Holy Spirit!

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Audio Lectures through Owen’s “Mortification”

Posted on 06. May, 2010 by Danny Hyde.

I have recently begun a new Wednesday evening series of lectures through John Owen’s, “Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers.” You can follow along reading the treatise online at Google Books here as well as listening to the audio here.

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New Book on Christ’s Descent Into Hell

Posted on 12. Apr, 2010 by Danny Hyde.

The Apostles’ Creed claims that Christ “descended into hell,” but do we really believe that? Should we believe that? In this book, Daniel R. Hyde analyzes this controversial claim, bringing valuable light to this long confessed doctrine. He presents the arguments raised against the descent clause, discusses the various understanding of it throughout church history, explains how the Reformed churches have adopted it, and demonstrates the benefits of retaining it as a point of our Christian confession today. For those who question why Christians would believe in the descent of Christ, In Defense of the Descent is an informative and helpful guide.

Now available for pre-order and will be available as of April 15th from Reformation Heritage Books where you can also read chapter 1 as a .pdf here.

Endorsements:

“For creedal and confessional Christians, the clause in the Apostles’ Creed ‘he descended into hell’ is important, but sometimes puzzling. Even as intelligent lay folk often struggle to articulate a brief, cogent, accurate reply as to its precise meaning, they may not fully appreciate the history of discussion behind the phrase, or the origins and function of its inclusion in what is probably still, liturgically, the most widely used creed in the Reformation churches. Daniel Hyde has come to the rescue with a brief, helpful, historical, biblical, and pastoral treatment of this clause, and the crucial theological truth it is designed to propound and protect. I warmly commend it to the Christian reader.”

— Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi and Adjunct Professor of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Every pastor knows that sinking feeling when the congregation recites the ‘descent into hell’ clause of the Creed. What do we say to them? Written for laypeople and pastors alike, this slim volume not only gives us a good answer; it offers a terrific summary of broader Christian reflection. Danny Hyde convincingly argues that, far from an idle question, our Lord’s descent into hell is a precious facet of the gospel.”

—Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California (Escondido, CA)

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Birds of a Feather …

Posted on 11. Apr, 2010 by Mark Jones.

Removed for copyright reasons.

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Bruce Waltke and Evolution

Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by Mark Jones.

Removed for copyright reasons.

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Word & Sacraments or the Holy Spirit?

Posted on 01. Apr, 2010 by Danny Hyde.

I’m having another late night tonight, winding down my ThM thesis on John Owen’s liturgical theology. It’s interesting as I read his sermons on issues related to worship how often Owen repeats himself (I think Mark made this point once with Goodwin and “cutting and pasting”). His sermon on 1 Corinthians 12:11 (Works 9, 441–452) does this, but there is one section where he breaks some new ground in my reading of him that has opened my mind this evening. In speaking of Christ’s presence with his church, he distinguished between his presence “essentially . . . by the immensity of his divine nature” his presence “in his human nature” and his presence “by his Spirit” (Works 9, 443–444). It is this final mode that is principal and fundamental. After proving this from John 14–16 and the account of the giving of the Spirit in Acts, Owen gives a very memorable and striking line that will surely stick with me: “And Christ hath no vicar, but the Spirit” (Works 9, 444). What a great line.

It’s what he goes on to say, though, that is really the substantive material. If the Spirit is Christ’s vicar in this age, what does that mean for us? Let me let Owen speak for himself:

Some begin to say in our days, that Christ is no otherwise present than by the outward ordinances of it [the church],—his word and sacraments. I grant he is present with them, as pledges of his presence, and instruments wherewith, by his Spirit, he doth effectually work; but to make them the whole presence of Christ with us, I do not know what better church-state we have than the Jews, when they had the law of old (Works 9, 444).

Is Christ with us today by the word and sacraments or by the Holy Spirit? Too often we who have come to the Reformed church from all forms and manifestations of evangelicalism have replaced the Holy Spirit with the word and sacraments. I have been guilty of this. Of course Owen shows that this is a false dichotomy, but the emphasis needs to be on the Holy Spirit, and not the instruments of his presence. I once heard Hywel Jones give a lecture at Westminster Seminary California on this very point as he said his coming to the States was a shock to him. He said he heard so much emphasis on the sacraments, on law-gospel preaching, on biblical theological preaching, on Christ-centered preaching, but almost no talk of what makes those methods effectual: the Holy Spirit. May God give us the sensitivity to the need of the work of the Spirit in our churches today with and through the word and sacraments.

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Study Guide to Owen’s, Communion with God

Posted on 29. Mar, 2010 by Danny Hyde.

Ryan McGraw has produced a chapter-by-chapter study guide including questions of John Owen’s magnificent, Communion with God. The link to the .pdf is on the right side of the blog under “Print Resources.” Blessings on your reading and studying.

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Review of “A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness”

Posted on 23. Mar, 2010 by Ryan McGraw.

Jeremiah Burroughs, A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness (1649, repr., Orlando: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2006). 259 pages.

In his introduction and recommendation of this book, Dr. R. C. Sproul wrote, “My guess is that few people will ever pick up this book and read it. Its theme and content are too alien to modern Christianity to evoke much interest” (pg. vii). Without the awareness of many, modern Christianity has gradually become earthly-minded, shifting its focus away from the glories of heaven without being aware of it. When people do not know that a problem exists, they do not seek a remedy for that problem. This book both diagnoses the problem of worldliness and offers medicine to treat the disease.

In a sense, the title of this book is misleading. The treatise on earthly-mindedness only occupies the first third of the book. The rest of the book is divided into two sections. The first teaches us how to live our lives as those whose citizenship is in heaven, and the second teaches us how to walk with God throughout our lives.

Among many things, one thing that struck my heart closely in this book was Burroughs’ evaluation of anxiety. The Scriptures forbid believers to have anxiety over the things of this life (Luke 12). This is one of the most difficult points of practical godliness for many, if not most, of God’s people, whether they are currently under trials or not. Burroughs argued that the only causes of anxiety are the fear of some evil coming upon us, and the fear that we shall not have the means or ability to prevent that evil (pg. 12). Some people become completely miserable if they have nothing but the promises of God to protect them. All believers shall struggle with anxiety, but if we allow our anxiety to grow unchecked, we are implying that we have relinquished the care of God over us and have decided to take things into our own hands. If this is convicting (as it should be), Burroughs offers many helps and encouragements from the Scriptures. He is a physician who always wounds before he heals, but though he wounds deeply, he always provides what is necessary to heal his patients.

There are at least two sections that I intend to return to often in this volume. Section 1, chapter 8, provides “Five Directions How to Get our Minds Free from Earthly-Mindedness,” and section 2, chapter 22 contains, “Seven Directions How to Get a Heavenly Conversation.” The entire third section on “Walking with God” is very comforting as well, and the latter parts of this section provide many practical helps on how to persevere with comfort and joy in our daily devotional lives.

This book originated as a series of sermons that Burroughs preached for the profit of his congregation. His friends published the sermons after his death and noted that they had been “twice preached”—once in the practice of the preacher, and once in the hearing of the congregation. In my experience, Burroughs stands out even from among the great men of his age.  He is always simple and easy to follow, always profitable, and always eager to comfort God’s people and promote peace between men and God as well as between men and men.

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What Can We Learn from John Owen on the Hebrew Vowel Points?

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by Ryan McGraw.

John Owen believed that the vowel points of the Hebrew Scriptures were divinely inspired and given through Moses. On the basis of the idea that it would be impossible to read the Hebrew text without the vowel points, Owen viewed it as blasphemous to assert that the vowel points originated with the Masoretic scribes, since this would threaten the integrity and the authority of the text of Holy Scripture. The idea here is that a group of scribes known as the Masoretes added the vowel points between the seventh and eleventh centuries, while making their hand copies of the Hebrew Bible. Today, most students of the Hebrew text, both liberal and conservative, take for granted the later origination of the vowel points through the Masoretic scribes. Owen’s contention that the text could not be read without the vowel points is demonstrated to be wrong even by the simple fact that newspapers in modern Israel do not include the vowel points unless there is need for clarification. Because Owen saw the authority of Scripture itself bound up with the vowel points, he often criticized his opponents sharply, even harshly at times (John Owen, Biblical Theology: The History of Theology from Adam To Christ, trans. Stephen P. Westcott [Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1994], 499–500). In spite of this fact, we have much to learn from Owen’s teaching on the vowel points. Owen’s criticisms of the unbelieving “scholarship” of his time provide an excellent model for how we should study the Bible today.

1. “Boldness and industry” wedded to scholarship leads to great error (Biblical Theology, 498). Pride with intense labor in influential positions can do great harm to the Church.
2. “The greater gain and reputation . . .” leads to increased boldness in dishonoring Scripture (Biblical Theology, 503). Today this is often hidden under the guise of “progress” in theology.  Do we love the praise of men more than the praise of God?
3. Be wary of “naked conjectures and unsupported claims” (Biblical Theology, 505).
4. Beware of only accepting evidence that “contributes to the furtherance of [our] own cause” (Biblical Theology, 509). In a sense Owen was guilty of this by presupposing the divine inspiration of the Hebrew vowel points, but the truth is that we all come to the text and doctrines of Scripture with our own presuppositions. We must be willing to come to Scripture with a willingness to criticize and correct the causes we have adopted, rather than to twist Scripture to affirm what we already believe.
5. A scholarly thirst for continual “advances” is dangerous (Biblical Theology, 513). For many scholars, “advancement” is equivalent to change and novelty. For us as believers, however, “advancement” should equal a clearer understanding and application of Scripture.
6. Convictions cannot be formed by a “display of authorities,” but by Scripture only (Biblical Theology, 519). “No man is more ready than I to give due reverence to the names and reputations of great scholars, but still it would be a sheer waste of time to bother to undertake a refutation of some of the ‘reasons’ which are advanced, while even in our own day the converse camp may boast of names as great, of reputations in literature as notable, as any of theirs.”
7. Do not trust sources cited by reputable scholars without verifying them (Biblical Theology, 519). How often do we act as though a well-respected pastor or professor cannot possibly be wrong in his area of expertise?
8. Truth is not determined or denied by the ability or inability of scholars to understand it (Biblical Theology, 527–528). “Shall man sit in judgment of the Word of God, using the measuring rod of their own admitted ignorance? Is this fair dealing? I, for one, have greater hopes of him who professes to know nothing than he who claims to know everything!”

May we follow Owen’s counsel so that we may contend for the truth once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). As we benefit from the work of gifted men, may we learn to call no man teacher or father (Matt. 23:8–10). May we learn from the Father, as we come to him through the Son, and as the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth by and with the Scriptures in our hearts.

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Introducing Ryan McGraw

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by Danny Hyde.

Meet the Puritans is pleased to announce that Rev. Ryan McGraw, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Conway, South Carolina, has joined us. You can read more about Ryan’s family, education, and publications at his author page here.

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