I am currently reading through a couple of books. One of them is titled “Light and Heat: The Puritan View
of the Pulpit” by Dr. R. Bruce Bickel. If you have visited this blog site before you might observe that I love to quote the Puritans. Today I found a wonderful quote by the Puritan Thomas Watson about the importance of hearing God’s word. Here it is:
it was by the ear, by our first parents listening to the serpent, that we lost paradise; and it is by the ear, by hearing of the Word, that we get to heaven. ‘Hear, and your souls shall live.’ (Isaiah 55:3)
This book has everything to do with the importance given by the Puitans to the preaching of God’s word and it’s centrality for worship. I’m sure this is only the beginning of a series of posts related to this book. You may want to check back and see more nuggets from the Puritans.
Soli Deo Gloria
Upon This Rawk 
Really Robin
October 8, 2008 at 11:43 am
Amen!
Erik
October 9, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I have this book on my nightstand right now. There is something to appreciate about the God-centered approach to preaching with the Puritans. It is so VERY different from the “look at me as I make you laugh and share stories with you” stuff that permeates so much of the modern day pulpits.
To the Puritans, the conviction of their preaching was “to save the sinner and edify the saint.” (p.21) Man, do I wish God would raise more and more men like this, who’s convictions were like the Puritans!
To God Be the Glory Barry!
barrydean
October 10, 2008 at 9:16 am
Man, do I pray for the same brother Erik. Men like that are hard to find but they need to sought and encouraged.
Amy
October 10, 2008 at 8:50 pm
We’ve come a long way from the Puritans! I’m praying as a country we might move back to purer values rather than the incessant seeking of *stuff* and the *dumbing down* of religion.
Nathan W. Bingham
October 12, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Barry:
I’m looking forward to seeing your future posts on this book. I have not read it, but can appreciate what its pages must contain, and how contrary it would be to a lot of ‘evangelicalism’ today.
Sadly, many have fallen into the trap of being ashamed of preaching, and so they have to add something to it. Whether it is a stool, a joke or a multimedia presentation.
I contend preaching is foolish to the outside world – fancy standing there proclaiming the words from an old dusty book? However, we know that it is more than an old dusty book; it is the Word of the Living God, it is the all sufficient Word, and we know that through its proclamation it is the means that the Lord uses to save His elect, and to edify His elect.
Praise God that He chose to reveal Himself to us – and may we, by His grace, never shrink away from His ordained means!