I do not and have not read fiction, of any kind, for a very long time now it seems. My reasons for this, are, that I have an illness that is likely to not give me as long on earth than I may have otherwise expected, (even given none of us know how long we have), and to me, reading fiction did not fulfill the Biblical mandate of Redeeming the time well, because there was absolutely no spiritual gain to be had by it. And reading books, any book, takes huge chunks of time.  I know other Christians who also do not read fiction, though I am unaware of what their own reasons are, but the above is mine.  It was pleasing to me under that consideration, to read In John Newton’s autobiography, how he laid aside his earthly pleasures this way,  his times of recreation in them, for very similar reasons.  The art of self denial or the practice of it to any extent,  needs to be brought back into the church as part of daily life for all professors; because many Professors, (though by far not all) wouldn’t know how to practice self denial if their life depended upon it, it often seems.  Christ said,  let any man who followed him take up his cross and deny himself, (Matt 16:24), yet by enlarge the spirit of self-denial seems to belong to a bygone age.  I also note in the below quote, that when Newton is taking of the things he laid aside, he also didn’t want learning or knowledge for its own sake; he laid them aside, realizing the real riches, were not knowledge for its own  sake,   but Christ, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit by being nourished enough by what he fed upon, for him to practice experimental religion, and  not merely  have knowledge without understanding or practice. I’m afraid to say, that many or even most of us today, (self included) have more theology and learning than we know or have the ability to practice ind day to day life, which is a reflection of the age we live in I think, where filling our brains with as much information as we can,  because we can show off or out-do each other in our learning and knowledge, than does  heart work.

John Newton’s example is a worthy one to be followed I believe:

Having now much leisure time, I committed myself to the study of Latin with good success. In the space of two or three voyages I became tolerably acquainted with the best classics. I conceived a plan of becoming a Ciceronian myself, and I thought it would be a fine thing indeed to write pure and elegant Latin. I wrote some essays, but by this time the Lord was p leased to draw me nearer to Himself. he gave me a fuller view of the “Pearl of great price” (Matt. 13:46), the inestimable treasure hid in the file of the Holy Scriptures. For the ake of this, I was willing to part with all my newly-acquired riches.
I began to think that life was too short, especially my life, for such elaboratete trifling. Neither poet nor historian could tell me a word of Jesus, and I therefore applied myself to those who could. the classics were at first confined to one morning in te week, and at length, completely laid aside I prefer Buchanan’s Psalms to a whole shelf of Elzevirs. I have gained much from Latin since it enables me to read any useful or interesting book in that language. Beyond this, however, I have no interest. About the same time, and for the same reason, I laid aside mathematics. I found that it not only took up considerable time, but also so engrossed my thoughts that my  head was literally full of it. I was weary of cold, contemplative truths that can neither warm nor amend the heart, but rather tend to amplify self. I found no traces of this “wisdom” in the life of Jesus or the writings of Paul. I do not regret that I have had some opportunities of knowing the first principles of these things, but I praise the Lord that He inclined me to stop in time. While I was “spending my labour for that which is not bread” (Isa. 55:2), he was pleased to set before me “wine and milk, without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1)
—John Newton “Out of the depth’s”

One thing that is quite clear, about the majority of Christians today, (self included) is that we do not have knowledge and indepth understanding that the puritans had nor before them the  Reformers.  The Bible was at the heart of the reformation, to making it accessible to the common man, and it not being shut up in darkness and obscurity and only having what the Pope said to understand and be able to interpret it for the common people. Our forefathers, paid for the freedom and easy accessibility we have today to the pages of God’s Word, with their blood and very lives often times. And what do we today do with this inestimable treasure? we do not prize it, as they did, at least over all, that is to be sure.. They had the Word in their hearts, as Scripture tells us to have it.  They were Biblicists in the real sense of the word, (and believe it or not I have even heard them called that in a way of trying to put them down!) Oh for more  such Biblicists among us today.  Knowledge or rather ignorance of the Bible, its teachings, God’s will, God Himself and Christ, are, in my opinion one of the major causes for the church to be in its current state of declination.  Even among  parts of the so-called Reformed church.  To know Him is to love him, that much is true. The more we know HIM, the more we will love HIM, and the more we will be the shining lights that we should be.  Rather than groping our way along, still in darkness and not being able to discern if we turn to the right or the left, so limping blindly on regardless and hoping for the best.  That we, of the Reformed faith, are no less culpable of this than any other branch of Christianity, is an abomination, when the Bible and its freedom and accessibility and availability to the common man,  was at the heart of the Reformation, and that they started off not having that glorious liberty we have today. And yet, we turn liberty to licentiousness, by refusing or rejecting the godly liberty of a Bible for every man, woman and child; to the ungodly liberties we find in the pleasures of the world.

Today we have Bible memorization programmes, and the technology to help them stick, such as this one by John Piper’s  ministry So, what excuse do we have. And also, God makes it quite clear, that ignorance is not an excuse for sin. And I myself have long believed, that ignorance is often a choice.

A New England Antinomian  was heard to utter:

I had rather hear such a one that speaks from mere notion of the Spirit, without any study at all, than any of your learned scholars, although he maybe fuller of Scripture.

Which would also seem to confirm my theory that often, ignorance is a choice.

According to a biography on John Bruen, Robert Pasfield who was an illiterate servant of Bruen’s was:

“a man utterly unlearned, being unable to read a sentence or write a sylablle. Yet he was so well acquainted with the history of the Bible, and the sum and substance of every book and chapter, that hardly could any ask him where such a sayinkg or sentence were, but he would with very little ado tell them in what book, and what chapter they might find it.”

We all have to start somewhere. You can’t expect a two year old Christian to have the vast stores of understanding and knowledge  that a 15 year old on will have. But if after, considerable time has passed, and  medical reasons notwithstanding, that could cause it,   the person remains ignorant as many a new born babe, then, I think that person should do some soul searching to ask why it is so.

Lord perseve us from ignorance, and from choosing the worldly pelasures to the dteriment of spiritual concerns. Give us grace to perservere, even when we don’t see  progress, but trust that your grace is sufficient, in this matter, as much as it is, in any other. In Jesus, Name. Amen.

This seems like it maybe an appropriate post to start off my series of “Reformed or Deformed” which at the moment I am trying to organize in my mind to set down on paper in an organized way.

Usually men divide themselves  between God and the world; they would give their consciences to Christ, and their hearts to mammon…. Having given up yourselves to God’s service, you must walk as his servants… earnestly desire the knowledge of his will, and readily comply with it… When God and our lusts and our interests command contrary things, then you are apt to put to the trial whether you are God’s servants.
—Thomas Manton “Epistle of Jude.”

What has brought usury, simony, bribery, cruelty, subtilty, envy, strife, and deceit to to this city…. and made every shop a market of oaths lies and frauds, but the superfluous love of money? [Here] is the root of all evil… the spawn of all sin.
—-Henry Smith “The Benefit of Contentation.”