I Need Your Insight Please

[Ryan&Amber2013]

I have a lot of Puritan books that deal with doctrine that can be applied, but recently I have been desiring to see how the Puritans lived on a daily basis putting this Theology into practice. I came across this writing from Richard Baxter http://gracegems.org/28/Baxter_day.htm that deals with directions for the holy spending of each day, that really intrigued me. I feel like I hear the Puritans always talk about generalized holy living such as being zealous for the Lord, but I now want to see exactly what that looks like from their perspective in a normal day. Are there any good resources that you can point me to? I really want to be sure I'm living a holy life in areas such as how I enjoy entertainment, how much time I spend in prayer, how I raise my son, etc., so I want to see if the Puritans have clear instructions on daily living. Thanks so much. May God bless you.

 

[jwithnell]

I have found Henry Scudder, A Christian's Daily Walk to be helpful. Be cautious. While it can be helpful to imitate great saints, we must guard our hearts against to-do lists. These books are helpful only in their assistance in making us more like Christ so we can join Him in glorifying His father.

 

[Ed Walsh]

The Sabbath in Puritan New England

but recently I have been desiring to see how the Puritans lived on a daily basis

I am sure that the following book is not exactly what you had in mind, but it should be included in your reading at some point.

The Sabbath in Puritan New England is one of the most delightful books I have ever read. It is silly at times but a true look at the daily lives of saints in early New England. The author regularly pokes fun at what she sees as absurdities in the lives of these early Puritans. Beware!


The Sabbath in Puritan New England - Check this out for the Table of Contents - The book is over 300 pages.
by Earle, Alice Morse, 1851-1911
archive.org -> https://goo.gl/sNSWMm

Kindle Edition FREE
at Amazon -> http://goo.gl/pfubq6

Here’s a some of the 23 chapters:
The New England Meeting House
The Church Militant (Yes they carried their guns to church)
The Drum and Horn and Shell
The Old Fashioned Pews
Seating the Meeting
The Tithingman and the Sleepers
The Length of the Service
The Deacon’s Office
The Psalm Book of the Pilgrims
The Church Music
The Interruptions of the Services
The Observance of the Day
The Authority of the Church and the Ministers
The Minister’s Pay
The Plain-Speaking Puritan Pulpit
The Early Congregations

 

[earl40]

This may sound silly but I suspect many Puritans simply did what they ought to have done Mon-Sat which would be.....work, live, and play unto The Lord.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Thank you so much, I now have both of those books. Does anyone else have good recommendations as well? For example, the Bible gives us a ton of doctrine and we get to observe how it's lived out in the lives of Jesus and the Apostles. Do we have any instances of this with the Puritans or is there mostly only doctrinal discourses? I want to know how they disciplined their children, how a husband would show chivalry to his wife, how much time they would allot to hobbies, etc. Just the practical Puritan beliefs being applied. Thanks!

 

[Don Kistler]

Thank you so much, I now have both of those books. Does anyone else have good recommendations as well? For example, the Bible gives us a ton of doctrine and we get to observe how it's lived out in the lives of Jesus and the Apostles. Do we have any instances of this with the Puritans or is there mostly only doctrinal discourses? I want to know how they disciplined their children, how a husband would show chivalry to his wife, how much time they would allot to hobbies, etc. Just the practical Puritan beliefs being applied. Thanks!

You won't find the answers to all these questions in a single book, although Richard Baxter's "Christian Directory" is as close as you'll get to a comprehensive volume. I've got hundreds of books on some of these topics, some by the Puritan writers, others about their positions. I published a book when I had Soli Deo Gloria titled "The Godly Family" that had a lot of this type of thing in it. Try bookfinder.com to see if there are copies available anywhere. Go to e-bay and type in the word "Puritan" in the search box and designate books and see what's being offered. Just prepare for a life-long journey into these topics.

 

[Miss Marple]

Thanks so much for the Amazon link! I downloaded it.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

You won't find the answers to all these questions in a single book, although Richard Baxter's "Christian Directory" is as close as you'll get to a comprehensive volume. I've got hundreds of books on some of these topics, some by the Puritan writers, others about their positions. I published a book when I had Soli Deo Gloria titled "The Godly Family" that had a lot of this type of thing in it. Try bookfinder.com to see if there are copies available anywhere. Go to e-bay and type in the word "Puritan" in the search box and designate books and see what's being offered. Just prepare for a life-long journey into these topics.

Lol, I just noticed that I was reading your edition of Heaven Taken by Storm. I saw on the back "edited by Dr. Don Kistler", and I thought, "that name looks familiar." That was neat. Thanks for editing that work, it is my favorite Puritan work.