A Really Good Puritan Book

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Every now and then one reads a book that is really eye-opening, paradigm shifting, earth shattering...

Most books, of course, are anything but, and one reads 10, 20, 30 books to find one really good one.

But so far, everything I have read from the Puritan William Fenner has been just that. Right now it's Treatise of the Affections. I wish I had known about this book 10 years ago.


I found the following quote very insightful and something I had never really thought about before (but it is far from the only good point he makes).


"[It is good that we have affections,] thirdly, because the affections are good channels for grace to run down in. Be there never so full a fountain of good water, yet if it have not a channel to run all along in, the fountain may be ever a bubbling, but it choketh itself for want of a channel. So though God should put never so much grace into thy heart, yet if it should have no channel to run down in, it would smother itself. Now God hath given thee affections like channels, for grace to run down in. Art thou covetous and full of desires? what a fine channel is that for grace to run down in? it is easier for thee to covet the best things: art thou of a cholerick and angry constitution? what a fine channel is that for zeal to God's glory to run down in? it is the easier for thee to be zealous in God's worship: art thou melancholy and of a sad disposition? what a fine channel is that for repentance to run down in? it is the easier for thee to despise the vain pleasures of the world, and to sorrow for sin: art thou merry and of a cheerful nature? what a fine channel is this for delight in the Lord to run down in? it is the easier for thee to joy in the Holy Ghost; art thou fearful and of a timorous spirit? what a fine channel is that for fear of God's judgments and truth to run down in? it is the easier for thee to tremble before God, and fear to offend him. Solomon was full of the affections of love, it is true he let lust after women, and uncleanness a while run down in that channel, but when grace and repentance recovered his soul what an excellent channel was it for love unto Christ to run down in? Never was there such a love-song to Christ, as the Canticles, since the creation of the world to this day, and therefore it is called, Canticum Canticorum, the song of songs, Cant. 1. 1.

Certainly Jeremy was a man of a sad constitution, but see what an advantage this bent of affection was to him, it was a channel for spiritual sadness to run down in. Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, to weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people, Jer. 9. 1. The woman in the Gospel which was a sinner, a whore in plain terms, one bewitched with the affections of love to her lovers; as soon as ever any grace did look into her heart, see how these affections did advantage her. She loved our Saviour more affectionately than St. Peter himself, She loved much, says the Text, Luke 7. 47. Before no question but she was full of her whorish and strumpet-like tears; now the channel was turned, she washed Christ's feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head: and she loved much, says the Text."

 

[philomath]

Thank you for sharing this Charles, it is very helpful. I'll have to add Treatise of the Affections to my reading list. Are there any other specific works by Fenner that you would recommend?

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Thank you for sharing this Charles, it is very helpful. I'll have to add Treatise of the Affections to my reading list. Are there any other specific works by Fenner that you would recommend?

So far I've read The sacrifice of the faithfull, or, A treatise shewing the nature, property, and efficacy of zealous prayer together with some motives to prayer, and helps against discouragements in prayer. It was the best thing I have read on prayer (the runner up would probably be the section on prayer in Calvin's Institutes or the Westminster Standards).

And I've read Christs alarm to drowsie saints, or, Christs epistle to his churches, which is very good and is mostly focused on preaching and gospel ministry. I think it would be a very good book for pastors and seminarians to read, but less pertinent for laity (although still interesting).

 

[DNM300]

Are you obtaining physical copies of these? Or otherwise which versions are you using?

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Are you obtaining physical copies of these? Or otherwise which versions are you using?

Right now I'm using a scan of the Works of William Fenner off of EEBO.

It would be nice if Banner or another publisher did a new edition. We now have 60 volumes of Spurgeon sermons but zero of Fenner.
[automerge]1781803369[/automerge]
Back in 2002, Banner did some conference sessions on Fenner. So at least two people have read him in the last 30 years

Conscience: The Soul's Looking Glass

The primary bond of the conscience derives from special revelation and the secondary bond from providential and voluntary arrangements. God alone has the power to bind the conscienceby Geoff Thomas At the Westminster Conference in London in Westminster Chapel on 10th December 2002 Philip Craig...

banneroftruth.org

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Here is another golden quote from Fenner:

The sixth [means of setting the affections upon God] is this, when we see how apt our affections are to fly out upon vanity, to clip their wings of much of their lawful liberty; not only to abstain from things that are evil and unlawful, but also to abstain from many things that are lawful. There be a thousand lawfuls that that thy heart does affect, which if thou do not abridge thyself of, thou shalt never be able to set thine affections upon God. This rule Socrates the very Heathen observed; no man can be safe from falling into unpredictables, but only this man, says he, that abstains from many things that are lawful. It is lawful to drink strong drink; but for thee that art apt to over-desire it, it is dangerous. It is lawful to go finely; but for thee that art apt to be proud of it, it is not safe to go to the utmost bounds of what is lawful. If thou uses the utmost of a thing that is lawful, one step further is unlawful. It is not wisdom to go to the utmost ridges of a rock, just at the brow of a high cliff; though the ground thou goest on be sure, yet thy going is not sure: how soon mayest thou slip with thy foot? How soon may a giddiness in the head come upon thee, and then thou break thy neck? Perhaps thou mayest go steady, yea, but perhaps not, but topple down on a sudden and be dashed to pieces.

It was lawful for Dinah to go forth, and to see the daughters of the land, but thus she fell to be ravished & used like a whore, Gen. 34.1. It was lawful for Jehoshaphat to visit King Ahab, but his visiting this lawful visitation drew him to partake in some measure of his sins. It was lawful for Daniel to eat the portion of meat that the King gave him, but he would not, Dan. 1.8. That very lawful thing if he had used it, it would have defiled him. All these things are lawful for me, sayest thou, yea, but all these things are not expedient; because if thou takest thy liberty in all things that are lawful, thou wilt quickly be a slave to thy lusts, and under the power of inordinate affections. All things are lawful for me, says St. Paul, 1 Cor. 6.12. As if he had said, all things of this nature are lawful, but I count it not expedient to use them for all that, why? Because if I should take liberty in this kind, I should be brought under the power of my sinful affections. Cavendi sunt affectus, ne illis nos ipsos subjiciamus, says Pet. Martyr. Take heed of thine affections, they will instantly enslave thee. Follow not thy pleasure so much as thou mayest, nor thy profits and earthly employments so much as thou mayest; drink not, and sleep not, and jest not so much as thou mayest, for it thou doest, thine affections will be caught or ever thou art aware. Many men and women, they will be enquiring and questioning, what, is not this lawful? And is not that lawful? Is it not lawful to have a little recreation every day? Is it not lawful to be merry, and to tell a merry tale, and to break a jest, now and then? Is it not lawful to sell Ale? And keep a victualling-house? Is it not lawful to wear such a gewgaw? Or to plait ones hair after such or such a fashion? These questions sound like the speeches of fools, that are likely to be gulled in their affections by Satan. For what though they be lawful; I do not deny they are lawful; but the question is this, be they safe and expedient for thee, when thine affections are sure to be needlessly a gogge upon these things? O do not needlessly endanger thine affections, if ever thou mayest remedy it.

Σκόπει μή γίνη ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ πάθους, says Chrysostom, Look thou be not a slave of thine affections: thine affections itch after this and that, look thou do curb them: if thou doest not curb them of many things that are lawful, thou wilt never be able to set them upon God. This is the sixth means to set our affections on God, to clip their wings from flying upon the things here below.

I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago. All I seemed to hear back then was "Christian liberty means you can drink, smoke, and do anything else not explicitly prohibited by the bible." How foolish!

 

[DNM300]

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience, &c.” Hebrews 12:1. I wonder if the lawful-but-not-expedient-for-me things are the weight of Hebrews 12:1, that is to say - not sinful categorically but a hindrance to my race.

 

[moral necessity]

Copies of A Treatise on the Affections can be found here:
- https://www.monergismbooks.com/book/treatise-affections
- https://www.amazon.com/Treatise-Aff...efinements=p_27:William+Fenner&s=books&sr=1-3

Copies of Practical Divinity can be found here:
- https://www.lulu.com/shop/william-f...erback/product-gjde76d.html?page=1&pageSize=4
- https://www.puritanpublications.com/product/practical-divinity-by-william-fenner-1600-1640/
- https://puritanboard.com/threads/new-book-william-fenner-1600-1640-practical-divinity.117873/

Blessings!

 

[MW]

I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago. All I seemed to hear back then was "Christian liberty means you can drink, smoke, and do anything else not explicitly prohibited by the bible." How foolish!

I think the point is that you "can," but simply because you "can" does not mean you "should." The biblical concept of wisdom is to go deeper than the letter of the law so as to consider means and ends.

 

[Joshua]

Every now and then one reads a book that is really eye-opening, paradigm shifting, earth shattering...

Most books, of course, are anything but, and one reads 10, 20, 30 books to find one really good one.

But so far, everything I have read from the Puritan William Fenner has been just that. Right now it's Treatise of the Affections. I wish I had known about this book 10 years ago.


I found the following quote very insightful and something I had never really thought about before (but it is far from the only good point he makes).


"[It is good that we have affections,] thirdly, because the affections are good channels for grace to run down in. Be there never so full a fountain of good water, yet if it have not a channel to run all along in, the fountain may be ever a bubbling, but it choketh itself for want of a channel. So though God should put never so much grace into thy heart, yet if it should have no channel to run down in, it would smother itself. Now God hath given thee affections like channels, for grace to run down in. Art thou covetous and full of desires? what a fine channel is that for grace to run down in? it is easier for thee to covet the best things: art thou of a cholerick and angry constitution? what a fine channel is that for zeal to God's glory to run down in? it is the easier for thee to be zealous in God's worship: art thou melancholy and of a sad disposition? what a fine channel is that for repentance to run down in? it is the easier for thee to despise the vain pleasures of the world, and to sorrow for sin: art thou merry and of a cheerful nature? what a fine channel is this for delight in the Lord to run down in? it is the easier for thee to joy in the Holy Ghost; art thou fearful and of a timorous spirit? what a fine channel is that for fear of God's judgments and truth to run down in? it is the easier for thee to tremble before God, and fear to offend him. Solomon was full of the affections of love, it is true he let lust after women, and uncleanness a while run down in that channel, but when grace and repentance recovered his soul what an excellent channel was it for love unto Christ to run down in? Never was there such a love-song to Christ, as the Canticles, since the creation of the world to this day, and therefore it is called, Canticum Canticorum, the song of songs, Cant. 1. 1.

Certainly Jeremy was a man of a sad constitution, but see what an advantage this bent of affection was to him, it was a channel for spiritual sadness to run down in. Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, to weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people, Jer. 9. 1. The woman in the Gospel which was a sinner, a whore in plain terms, one bewitched with the affections of love to her lovers; as soon as ever any grace did look into her heart, see how these affections did advantage her. She loved our Saviour more affectionately than St. Peter himself, She loved much, says the Text, Luke 7. 47. Before no question but she was full of her whorish and strumpet-like tears; now the channel was turned, she washed Christ's feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head: and she loved much, says the Text."

Excellent!