I wondered for a long time, what Preparing for the Lord's Day meant. I have friends online who would refer to this, and yet I never knew anyone in actual life who did so it remained a mystery to me. And then of course, the puritan voice spoke, as the Puritans considered the Lord's Day, to be "Market place for the soul." In many English towns and villages throughout history and sometimes even now continuing, there is one day a week, set aside for a market in the street in the town or village. People come and get bargains, they may barter a little, and yet normally manage to go home with a prized posession, though it may well have taken the day, of getting to, attending, and bartering for the prized object of desire. And this was how the Puritans viewed the Lord's Day. That it was a day set apart in it's entirety to devote to the Worship of God. Public Worship of course would be part of that for many people. Yet I saw this in my own (even though somewhat limited) experience of attending church here in the UK, and though brief it was only three years or so ago I stopped doing so, as illness made it impossible to anyway. People came to the Church service, soemtimes in the morning, sometimes evening, occassionally, if a special notable event maybe both. But it was more like a teddy bears picnic than a place of Worship. People were chattering, and had no idea that the minister was ready to start the service, and yes, of course this may be natural to some extent, except there would always be one or two, who even when the service had started and they could not not be aware would continue chattering, thinking in a hushed voice it would be unobserved or not really matter. The sad thing is, I'm not referring to "seekers" either, but people who have professed faith for many years. But after the service, folks normally leave church and spend the rest of the day to themselves and God and His Worship is put firmly back into place. It's what I tend to refer to as the One hour sunday Christians syndrome, though many of these people are no doubt sincere Christians.
I am a Sabbatarian, I make no bones about that. I won't spend money at any outlet on the Lord's Day; I don't think there is any excuse to ever do so, unless an absolute emergency that cannot be avoided. I won't do recreational things that would be perfectly okay to do on any other day. And yes, I try to prepare for the Lord's Day, though it took me a long time to catch on what this meant. Preparing all possible food that will be consumed on Lord's Day on the Saturday. Making the house tidy and respectable on the Saturday so that come Lord's Day you don't have to lift a finger in domestic servitude apart from essentially. But I think the biggest job of the Lord's Day is to prepare our hearts. To be in a right frame to give the day to God in devotion and worship and to come away with a blessing; the richest type of blessing–SPIRITUAL. To fill oneself up, so that if you have a difficult week ahead, you will be sustained by having had your fill on this day and it will hold you rather than you perhaps floundering because you have been spiritually bankrupt as far as spiritual food, and are running on empty. In those circumstances, a knock, a hardship, suffering, the week can become abysmal and you kind of go through the motions, trying to hold on until the crises passes, but you have no real heart for it, as your heart is not enriched by God's Word and His promises and assurances, so you are somewhat in a wilderness, a dry land.
"Legalist" often comes the cry of sanctifying and giving the whole day to God. (Even given none of us keep it perfectly.). And legalistic is often the way the Puritans are viewed, in many many issues. Of going too far, which can only mean further than Scripture disctates, so if that is the case before crying "legalists" please show from Scripture how these men whose sole aim in life was given to not doing anything other than was actually contained within the pages of Scripture and nothing outside of God's Word or will, and prove to me that they are doing as you say and "going too far."
The neccessity of Sabbath keeping has not diminished. Luke 23:55-56; John 19:31 to name just a few New Testament references. And out of all the preparations which we must do, preparing the heart is the one that should take up our attention. Going before God with a wrong heart, stops you praying with any depth of soul, it makes communing with God on any real level impossible, and is just downright disrespectable to the Great God of Heaven. And the puritans knew the value and importance of this:
"Go seasonably to bed, that you may not be sleepy on the Lord's Day." [Richard Baxter]
And John Flavel from his exposition on the Westminster Assembly's shorter Catechism.
Quest. 60. HOW is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by an holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the whole time in the public and private excercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.
Q. 61. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.
Q. 62. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God's allowing us six days of the week for our own employment, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath-day.
Q. 1. What is the rest which God requires on the Sabbath?
A. It is not a mere natural or civil, but an holy rest, resembling the rest in heaven, wherein the mind is most active and busy in the work of God, though the body be at rest, and the spirit not wearied with its work; Rev. iv. 8. and the four beasts had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Q. 2. May not any works of our civil calling be ordinarily done on that day?
A. No; it is sinful to put our hands ordinarily to our callings on that day, and God usually punishes it. Neh. xiii. 15, 16, 17, 18. In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath, and bringing up sheaves, and lading asses, as also wine-grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day; and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath, unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath-day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.
Q. 3. May we not refresh our bodies by recreations, or our minds by thoughts of earthly business, or discourses, on that day?
A. Recreations of the body, which are lawful on other days, are sinful on this day; and all the recreations of the mind allowed on this day, are spiritual and heavenly; Isa. lviii. 13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Q. 4. What works may lawfully be done on that day?
A. Christ's example warrants works of necessity, and works of mercy, but no other; Mat. xii. 3, 4. But he said unto them, have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him, How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew-bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests. And ver. 7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, &c.
Q. 5. What are the holy duties of the Sabbath?
A. The public worship of God; in reading, and hearing the word preached. Isa. lxvi. 23. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord, Luke iv. 16. – And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood for to read. And prayer; Acts xvi. 13, 14. And on the Sabbath-day we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made, &c. And receiving the Sacrament; Acts xx. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached, &c.
Q. 6. Are private duties in our families required, as well as public, on the Sabbath?
A. Yes; it is not enough to sanctify the Sabbath in public ordinances, but God requires it to be sanctified in family and private duties; Lev. xxiii. 3. – But the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
Q. 7. With what frame of spirit are all Sabbath duties, both public and private, to be performed?
A. They are to be performed with spiritual delight; Isa. lviii. 13. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, &c. And all grudging at, and weariness of spiritual exercises, is a sin forbidden; Mal. i. 13. Ye said also, behold what a weariness is it, and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts, and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord. Amos viii. 5. When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, &c.
Q. 8. What is the first reason annexed to this command?
A. The first reason is the sufficient, and large allowance of time God hath given us for our civil callings, and earthly business. Six days in the week is a large allowance.
Q. 9. What is the second reason annexed to this fourth command?
A. The second reason is God's sanctifying and separating this day by a special command and institution for his service; so that to profane this time, is to sin against an express divine command.
Q. 10. What is the third reason annexed to this command?
A. The third reason is God's own example, who rested the seventh day from all his works, and blessed this day, by virtue of which blessing we are encouraged to sanctify it.
Q. 11. Is it not enough to sanctify this day in our own persons?
A. No; if God hath put any under our authority, their profaning the Sabbath will become our sin, though we be never so strict in the observation of it ourselves.
Q. 12. May we continue our civil employment to the last moment of our common time?
A. Except necessity or mercy urge us, we ought to break off before, and allow some time to prepare for the Sabbath, Luke xxiii. 54. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.
Q. 13. What is the first inference from hence?
A. That we have all great cause to be humbled for our Sabbath transgressions, either in our unpreparedness for it, our want [lack] of delight and spirituality in it, or the due government of our families as God requires.
Q. 14. What is the second inference from hence?
A. That Christians on the Sabbath-day have a fair occasion and help to realize to themselves the heavenly state, in which they are to live abstract from the world, and God is to be all in all to them.
And Matthew Henry, (tho this is only a tiny fraction of representation of the Puritan belief and practice as regards the Christian Sabbath)
The Sabath is a sacred and divine institution; but we must receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery. First, God never designed it to be an imposition upon us, and therefore we must not make it so to ourselves.… Secondly, God did design it to be an advantage to us, and so we must make and improve it.… He had much more regard for our souls. The sabbath was made a day of rest, only in order to its being a day of holy work, a day of communion with God, a day of praise and thanksgiving; and the rest from worldly business is therefore necessary, that we may closely apply ourselves to this work, and spend the whole time in it, in public and private.… See here what a good master we serve, all whose institutions are for our own benefit. [Matthew Henry]
I struggle with this day, unutterably so at times, given my illness and aloneness in that illness and the hardness and affliction this day above any other entails. Samuel Rutherford seems to have felt a very similar struggle each Lord's Day when he was imprisoned at Anwoth. But I am hoping and praying to go to market tomorrow, and barter and work at getting the blessing Spiritually to come from that. Are you too going to the Market tomorrow? Are you going to market to barter for your soul?
Filed under Quotes, Richard Baxter by on Apr 29th, 2009. Comment. 
Most long term readers of this blog, will know that I stand by the puritan doctrine of Sabbath-keeping. I think the Bible clerarly states this is the correct one, though it is much too late in the day at this point in time for me to present an argument with Scriptural references, though at some point, I plan to write a small treatise on Sabbath-keeping full of Biblical citations, much as I did on the why I don't do holy days. So, for now, plese bear with me, and just work with me on the principles involved. If I quote other than Scripture it will because it is already to hand and not something i need to go sorting out, which at almost six am on no sleep yet, when as always ill, I think anyone should be able to live with.
I believe as I have long stated, that the day, the whole day, is to be spent in a holy rest, not an idle rest, a holy rest, in other words, that of spiritual duties, except for works of either mercy or neccessity.
There are certain things I will not do on the Christian Sabbath, excluding unless they come under the two exclusions above of either mercy or neccessity.
I will not buy from shops. It is true that me not buying a loaf of bread, will not stop the bakers working on the Lord's Day, however I am not responsible for what everyone else does on the Lord's Day I can only be responsible for myself and answerable to God for myself. I can set an example, however, and if enough Christians followed suit, at least in some cases, where the population maybe mostly Christian, perhaps some small villages, the shops or stores in question if they found they were not really selling more than a few newspapers come Lord's Day, they may just decide it is not worth their time or the cost of their overheads to actuallly open the shop or store on Lord's Day from that point forth.
Of course, not buying from shops, also includes restaurants There are ample ways to eat, even if in church attendance besides haiving people who run a restaurant or eating place which normally takes a huge staff, waiting on you and serving you. There is always another choice to that, the relevant word being choice. It's not neccessity it is clear choice.
The same would include buying gas or petrol or any other commodity. If we are going to need our cars to get to church the following day, and we are low on gas or petrol then we should prepare for the day ahead in other ways than preparing just our hearts, but as we prepare in the practical ways such as filling up the car with gas or petrol so that we can get to church without having to spend money on the day itself to do so, we will always be preparing our hearts subconcsiously in some ways by this. The external affects the internal.
Of course there will always be the exception. I remember myself when able to attend a church. I cannot dirve because of seizures, I had no other way of getting their except by car and the only car that was available to me was a taxi. In that sense and for other people in similar situations its a case of neccessity. We are all different, and what will be neccessity for one person will not be for another. If not for having a taxi, no way could I have gotten to the church service at the time.
The word "rules" often comes up, among other believers when they hear you say things like this, and when the word "rules" is being used, you know without a doubt they have legalism on their mind. What they seem to forget it that God has given us lots and lots of do's and don'ts. So if we say, I can't do this, or I can't do that, its because w are choosing to be obdeient to our father in heaven who has told us we cannot or should not.
If a father says to his son, don't do that son, its not a good thing to do and I don't want you to dare do it again. If the son went right ahead and did it anyway, he would be in rebellion to his father, much like we are when we ignore the rules or commandments of God.
Obedience leads to holy living. Sabbath-keeping, in and of itself, I think is a very good litmus test to people's commitment to doing as the Lord instructs us to do or not.
The bishops of Calvin's day, would often excommunicate someone for them disobeying one extra biblial law, invented by man, yet the people they excommunicated may have been living lives of lwdness for years, and they could have continued on in their posts, still living lewd lives if not for them disobeying or breaking, this one extra biblical law that was imposed upon them by the church, that had not been imposed upon them by God.
And so we see peopel all around us, who we meet, perhaps once or twice a week. And they may seem some of the most holy people we know. For those few hours of meeting they can fit in with God's peopel and seem really sincere, and it is all but imposible for us, as humans to judge the human heart to know who are the sheep and who are the goats, so we take the chairtalbe view, the Biblical view of accepting them as our brothers and sisters in Christ just on their mere profession, and also because on the occassoins we do meet with them, they seem like awe inspiring splendid Christians. Yet those same people who sit next to you on the pew on Sunday morning at church, as soon as they have left the building and gone home, even though they may be sitting under a faithful ministry and having good solid teaching, teaching where the Lord's day is held as sacrocanct and set apart for the whole day to be devoted to God, yet they go home and spend the rest of their day, in light or silly, or pleasing to themselves things, but having not one jot to do with devotion or worshipping the God of heaven and earth. But at they sat next to you at on the pew that morning, you would never have a clue. If you think of them later on in the day, you may imagine them about this holy duty or that holy duty, when the truth maybe they are doing anything but holy duties.
You see none of us keep the Lord's Day as we should. We are incapable of doing so. But if we have a heart to serve the Lord, to self deny ourselves for his sake, who gave all for us, to self sacrifice out of obedience to HIs Word, we will at least attempt to keep the day set apart for spiritual duties only. And the small things in life, that crowd in on the other six days of the week, will not intrude or impinge, or detract from what we give to the Lord, not out of some sense of depriving ourselves and being miserable, but as the Bible says, the Lord loves a cheerful giver, and to give cheerfullly, you will not feel deprived or hard done by, or as if you have made any big sacrifice. YOu will close the day mightily blessed, more blessed than you perhaps could imagine if you are one of those who has only ever robbed the Lord of what is rightfully his on the day of the Sabbath.
Some people think by indulging their flesh, by this entertainment or that entertainemtn, they will be much happier and feel more blessed than if they spend the day, the whole day in spiritual duties. But if they do, it is ony because they have never fully expereinced the rest or spiritual fulness of a Sabbath devoted to God, where you are so full up by spiritual things and spiritual nourishment and thinking and meditation on good things, that nothing, but nothing, can intrude upon that peace and abundant joy you are full of which you got from that spiritual food, that you will never get from feasting upon the world. People say what you have never had, you will never miss. And in some ways I agree with that maxim. But I bessech those of you who perhaps have never given it a try to devote the whole day unto God and to things of God, to at least try it, and see if you do not come away from the day far more blessed than if you had partaken in wordly pleasures. If its mothers' day, or your birthday, or father's day or any day, whatever, first and foremost it is the LORD's day, and he should be centre stage of that day for the entire day.
I think how people spend the Lord's Day will often be a litmus test, for how commited they are as Christians, and how willing they are to self deny themselves for God or sacrifice what they see as pleasure in favour of going about holy duties instead.
But I beg those of you who fall into this catagory, this Lord's day, give it a try, and see if you do not come out of the day far more blessed than you have in former years when sharing the day between God and men and the world. And I gurantee, if you feel that same blessedness from teh day that I do,e ven though I am in some of the worst of circumstances and still set apart from teh fellowship of the brethren and often bed bound and ill beyond words, you will never ever want to spend the day again, in idle chatter or worldl pursuits, because you will see, that the things yuo thought were pleasing to you on this day, that were not of a holy nature, were in fact, depriving you of the real joy of the Lord, and of the Sabbath rest, which after all is the nearest thing we come on earth to the rest of heaven.
You see if I see people in idle chatter persistently on this day, or doing almost anything but holy duties, I make a general call to holiness and a remberance of the day and exactly who the day belongs to. Not because I think their salvation depends upon it, not because I think I am a better Christian then them, but because several months ago, I decided I would be like John Knox was said to be, and afraid of no man, when it came to putting God first. I would hope if ever I found myelf in wordly pursuits of the Lord's day that someone I knwo would call me to holiness and a remembering of the day in a fitting manner and in the manner that God asks of us.
So, if you are normally one of those folks, who shares the day between God and wordly pursuits and idle chatter, in the extreme I mean, because of all of us do to some extent, then I implore you this Lord's day to set it all aisde and devote the day, teh whole day to God. You do not know of the blessedness you are depriving yourselves of by sharing the day between God and wordly pursuits, but if you will try it just once, and feel the real blesedness of the Lord's day from the Lord himself, then you will never want to return to the wandering ways of formerly, because it will not be a sacrifice to you, or a feeling of deprivation or self denial, you will be so full of the joy of the Spirit, that you will feel richer beyond words.
So… go on.. give it a try.. just once. once is all it takes to taste the heaven of the spirutal joy and rest of a Biblically spent Lord's day.
Its not follwing rules in some legalistic sense, because when peole do that, they always feel it has cost them something, like the preists who self flagellate, or some other cost or deprivation, maybe money, or maybe anything but always a feeling of loss or hurt, and yet if you feel the joy of a spiritually spend Lord's Day, as the Bible dictates and teaches the Lord's dAy should be kept, you will not be counting the cost or feeling the loss, you will be overflowing with more blessedness in this life than you perhaps thought possible.
Filed under Sabbath by on Apr 4th, 2009. Comment.
There are probably more if I could bring them to mind. But 5 major points of disagreement, with caused the remoteness, with brothers and sisters in Christ in my local hemisphere have been:
Not celebrating X-mass and Easter, as they are man made holy days rather than God ordained ones.
EP. Most folks think I'm out of my tree on this one.
Not voting. This got me some very sharp opinions, (none complimentary I may add!) and again out of my tree is the general concensus.
Sanctifying the Sabbath.
Not believing a little evil for the greater good is a Biblical concept.
Richard Cameron when fired for speaking against the indulgences was thought to be somewhat of an upstart, cos he was a young man. I have had similar said because I am not a mature Christian, but I have had wise teachers. And this quote from the bio of Richard Cameron, Lion of the Covenant by Maurice Grant, speaks well to things I share with Richard Cameron, which tho a different kind of fire, is by nature very similar: Its a letter from his teacher John Welwood:
"The Lord hath been training you in the high court to Heaven, which is through many tribulations. I know a little of it through my own experience, that a Christian's life is a warfare, and he that standeth need to take heed lest he fall. We have need often to sit down and to count the cost; and heaven will cost us no small toil, and no few crosses, and many ups and downs and many ups and downs will we ere meet with. Oh but it takes much to humble us many a day, yet the very second that he lifts us up, we are ready to miscarry. Oh but it takes a long time and much pains to teach us wisdom, for we are at first as a wild ass's colt. But in this we may comfort ourselves; all our springs are in him; the fountain is full."
Samuel Rutherford in his letters, during his confinement spoke of how hard he found Lord's Day in his prison and separated from God's people, and I find all these inner conflicts stir in me too almost every Lord's Day without exception
"Let me speak to you, how kind a fellow-prisoner is Christ to me! Believe me, this kind of cross (that would not go by my door, but would needs visit me) is still the longer the more welcome to me. It is true, my silent, Sabbaths have been, and still are, as glassy ice whereon my faith can scarce hold its feet, and I am often blown on my back and off my feet with a storm of doubting. Yet truly, my bonds all this time cast a mighty and rank smell of high and deep love in Christ. I cannot, indeed, see through my cross to the far-end; yet I believe I am in Christ's books, and in his decree (not yet unfolded to me), a man triumphing, dancing and singing on the other side of the Red Sea, and laughing and praising the Lamb, over beyond time, sorrow, deprivation, prelates indignation, losses, want of friends, and death. Heaven is not a fowl flying in the air (as men used to speak of things that are uncertain); nay, it is well paid for. Christ's comprisement lieth on glory for all the mourners in Zion, and shall never be loosed. Let us be glad and rejoice that we have blood, losses and wounds to show our Master and Captain at his appearance, and what we suffered for his cause."
But sometimes you would just like a bit of comfort, or ease, or relief from such a hard existence, and the road can be very tempting at times. But, like Doc Martin who was a lone voice in his Reformation battle cry, and like Richard Cameron who endured persecution rather than compromise, and of course, most of all like our Lord, Christ, who was persecuted more than anyone else ever has been or will be. Standing out from the crowd, or being seen as none conformist, or even at times mad, (folks thought Christ was mad, or demon posessed) has an eternal weight of glory, for sticking to the truths now, even tho they cost us dearly, and make what would already be a difficult or hard existence, seem at times, almost intolerable.
The Sabbath should be sanctified, yet in my personal experience this means different things to different people. Yet, the Bible is explicit about this. So, whether worshipping at home, alone or with others, or whether attending corporate worship, lets seek to sanctify the day, and rid ourselves of vain excuses to do as we please, and justify it in our consciences. No one gets it perfect of course, I'm the first to admit I wish I could do better, yet, I also know God knows what every Lord's Day brings and the degree of emotional affliction that goes along with it, and I don't think for a minute He doesn't understand or know I try my best to keep it hallowed, even allowing like most folks, there is always some falling short. Yet, I also see or witness quite regularly where there is no effort to sanctify it, and vain excuses are made one upon another week after week. And though God doesn't promise to bless us if we keep it Holy, in this life, do think many Christians could be more blessed if they at least gave a heart felt attempt to.
Filed under A Puritan at Heart by on Mar 16th, 2009. Comment.
I am drawing on this, largely from the introduction written by Joel Beeke in the republication of Teelinck's "Path of true godliness," But unless there are quoations marks, the rest is not direct quotes. See how many of the sins of his people that so burdened Teelinck, you can spot which are common place among the Reformed church of our day
Willem Teeninck, took the puritan pathos to The Netherlands. That of vital Christianity, and true to Scripture and the Reformed Confessions.
He was born January 4th, 1579, to a godly, upright family, the youngest of eight children. His dad died when he was just 15 years old.
He was well educated, he studied Law at St. Andrews, in Scotland in 1600. 1604, He spent nine months living among the puritans of England, lodging in banbury with a godly puritan family. It was this family, and their godly examples and putting their faith into daily practice, that so impressed young Willem, in "family worship, private prayer, sermon discussions, Sabbath Day observance, fasting, self-examination, heartfelt piety, and good works," that made the puritan pathos for experimental religion, become part of Willems mindset.
England was very different in those days, to these. "At that time, Psalm-singing could be heard everywhere a person walked in Banbury, particularly on Sabbath Days.
" The Puritans believed that the Reformation had under achieved in England, they esteemed Calvin's Geneva, and his vision. John Dod, Arther Hildersham, William Perkins were their mentors. They lived out whta they taught, not words without the actions to follow it up, like we so often see all around us today. Their Christian walk was such, that it convinced even their most bitter foes, of their sincerity and wholeheartedness, of their faith and practice. Their foes saw faith working powerfully through love, demonstrated in their straight-forward business dealings, charitable deeds to the poor, visiting and comforting the sick and oppressed, educating the ignorant, convincing the erring, punishing the wicked, reproving the idle, and encouraging the devout. And all this was done with diligence and sensitivity, as well as joy and peace, and happiness, such that it was obvious that the Lord was truly with them."
Teelinck believed he was converted during this time in England, and a thirst for holy living was born that was never to be quenched. He met his bride in England–she shared his values and quest for holy living, and the practice of piety. They had four sons, one died in infancy, they also had two daughters.
Willem was a godly example to his family. He always made meal times a time of spiritual or heavenly conversation. Frivolity and idle chatter was not welcome or tolerated. He was scrupulous about family worship, and instructing his children, and once or twice each year, his whole family would hold a day of fasting and prayer, to try and reaffirm their dedication to God and strengthen it.
He was ordained as a pastor in 1606, and served for seven years. But he found the debauchery that surrounded him in village life, a great affliction and burden.
"Sabbath descration, fighting, carnival attendance, and a generally disordel spirit."
The same things in the Netherlands were in England too. The term "Merry old England," has its root in such behaviour here on Sabbath Days.
During this first pastorate of his, is when he started writing his books. In his writings he stressed the role of the civil magistrate to combat the cultures sins. In 1610 he returned to England to rekindle some of his puritan ties. He preached in London in 1612 to the Dutch congregation.
He lived out his faith and was a godly example to all he came into contact with. When contagious disease hit his country, he warned his flock to be cautious about keeping themselves infected, and safe, while he himself would enter infected homes to visit the sick.
He found the dead reformed orthodoxy within his church and outside of it a great burden. The reformed church in that way sounds little different to the majority of the Reformed church in own day.
Yet his sermons, and writings often caused his critics to use the term
"legalistic" about him much like many use that term about stricter Reformed Christians today. Because he preached against dancing, Sabbath day desecration, gluttony, neglect of fasting etc,"
yet what those coined the term legalistic about him, failed to realize, is that these were only elements of a whole life of heartfelt piety. And he preached against these things, because in the dead reformed orthodoxy of his church, (same as ours) these things were common place for the congregations to do. These things were relevant for him to preach about in his own church, because he was trying to guide them towards practical piety. But the strictness of his views, caused him to be held in suspicion by some, and he complained in a letter to his brother, "that many professing Christians, were too worldly, and forget God." And also about the abuse of worship.
Hearing was not respected, or reverenced, people often attended out of habit and nothing else. Some would deliberately make plans so that after they had attended the morning service, their pre made plans would make sure they were unable to attend the evening also. Some fell to sleep during the service, others would openly yawn. Some not instructed in the ways of faith or any true knowledge to speak of, would take the sacraments. Most never gave to the church financially, and those who did were meagre and gave it carelessly. Church members marrying unbelievers was commonplace. Children were allowed to partake in inapprorpriate and sinful activities, and there was little to no discipline.
When Willem Teelinck died, aged 50, in 1629, he could honestly say, he had, "fought the good fight." Thousands mourned him when he died. He was buried in the church yard at St. Pieters, in Middleburge, where his minstry was for his final years. Teelinck had suffered quite terrible health for the life of his minstry.
Willem Teelinck's life, were examples of practicel piety and a sanctified spirit. Words that are often seen as dirty terms today. How far we have fallen to even think so!
Read more on Piety and Sanctimonious are Not Dirty Words…
Filed under Articles by on Jan 17th, 2009. Comment.
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