# A Habitual Sight of Him and Devotions and Prayers



## py3ak (Oct 22, 2009)

Heidi wrote a review of a couple of books, and I thought it might be of interest to some people here. 
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Ruben got me both these books as when he asked what I would like, I could only think that as I haven't made any progress lately through his bookshelves, I really want something that would help me to be more encouraged in the truth when I am having difficulty focusing. I expect most women have both the trouble of staying encouraged and the trouble of being able to focus on a book or even a thought for long periods of time, so I expect most women would like something similar.

_The Devotions and Prayers of John Calvin_ is a book of 52 selections and prayers from Calvin's commentaries on the minor prophets, which are probably more valuable for the collection of prayers than for the selections. The prayers are wonderful to pray from one's own heart, and as Ruben says, the quality of Calvin's exposition is always such that you can 'smite it and it's still there' -- so it's always going to be worthwhile to come into contact with his thoughts; but I am not sure of what value to the day's practical piety most women are going to find most of the selections. It is very unclear on what principle they were selected -- the first day's reading gives a short exposition of why 'heifer' and 'lamb' are used in Hosea 4:16 which is very helpful to clearing that point up, but leaves one wondering a little bit about where this rubber meets one's own road. The next day's seems to be an exposition about the duties of priests and kings; and so on. I am inclined not to read the selections out of their context in the commentaries as they don't seem to have been chosen for any particular 'standalone' significance they could have to the reader. This is of course, just a housewife's point of view, but I'm reviewing this with the idea that other men want to buy books for their wives, and other women want to request them: apart from the prayers, I don't think this book is very 'devotional' (and by that, I don't mean that it makes you 'feel' a certain way, but that its special aim is to promote daily piety).

_A Habitual Sight of Him_ is a book of 35 selections from the work of Thomas Goodwin, and an essay on the piety of the same, which takes up the first half of the book. I can't speak to the essay at this point, but the readings are splendid. I don't see that it is designed for 'practical application' in the sense of telling one ten ways to apply the doctrine today etc; but the selections are exactly the sort of help in looking to Christ that I personally most wish to have when I can't read a lot. The style is not difficult, and just reading over the table of contents, starting with 'Christ excels Joseph', it is apparent that each of the readings are selected especially for the purpose of helping the reader to focus on and learn of Him (I have not actually been able to read it without 'reading ahead', the thoughts have been so much like a cup of cold water). That is the most practical help to daily joy, encouragement, and piety that there is; and I think that with the shortness of the readings, and the easiness of the style, and subject matter, this is a very good devotional not only for anyone interested in being introduced to Goodwin on Christ, but for those of us ladies who are not able to give much in-depth attention to theology. We still need to have our thoughts 'habitually' refocused on our Saviour.


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