Learning from the Puritans

The Puritans have a way with words that I have not encountered in any other group of people in Church history. It's not just the beauty of the images they paint for us to help us understand their message, or their uncanny ability to peer into our thoughts and the goings-on in our hearts that is admirable. It is their unmistakable love for Christ and their desire and determination to live their lives for Him.

Just read their prayers - you can almost see the tears wash down the pages as they lay their hearts bare before their Savior or hear their sighs of amazement because of the grace that they experience from knowing the Lord.

Here's an excerpt from the "Valley of Vision", a collection of Puritan prayers edited by Arthur G. Bennet

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold
thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.