The Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation
by David W. Saxton
Reformation Heritage Books
The Puritan authors were big on the practice of Biblical meditation and David Saxton has provided a well ordered view of their thoughts on this spiritual discipline in his book God's Battle Plan for the Mind. Far from being a new age mysticism that empties the mind, Biblical meditation is a filling and directing the mind to pondering God's Word. Teeming with quotations from the old masters, Saxton gives us the Puritan's thoughts on guiding their people through this necessary discipline in the Christian life.
After providing the reason why we should meditate on the scriptures, Saxton defines the practice and shows us how to meditate on the Word of God, and then warns us against some common hindrances to the practice. It is one thing to say "you need to meditate" and move on, but Saxton points out that the Puritans didn't leave it at the command, but also gave practical advice on how to practice mediation and exhorted their people to the good and godly work. Meditation is not the same as a daily reading program, nor is it a study on an unknown or unfamiliar topic, but a concentrated time devoted to thinking upon known Biblical truths and how these truths are to be applied to Christian walk. The section on topics for meditation and why the familiar doctrines are those that are best suited for mediation will prove, I believe, to be a helpful guide.
Saxton's style works well in a book that where quotations necessarily abound. His writing smoothly transitions from the Puritan quotations to his own observations. Using the KJV, there is a good flow stylistically throughout; quoting authors covering a 400 year period is a difficult task to carry out, but he did a good job making this book very accessible for the modern reader. In fact, books like these show how readable and delightful the Puritan works can be.
Interestingly, meditation on the scripture is not a problem that is isolated in smart phone societies. The Puritans bemoaned the fact that a lack of mediation was a serious problem in their day as well. I found the advice addressing this problem both stirring and practical. Exhorting their readers 300 years ago on how to keep their mind focused upon God during their busy workday is as relevant today as it was then. It is easy to blame our problems on our technology and think that if we could only go back to simpler times, we would be more spiritual, but sadly, it just is not the case. Our sin nature is the problem, not our apps.
Overall, this is a very good summary of what the Puritan teachers described and urged in the practice of Biblical meditation and an excellent resource for those who do not currently practice Scriptural meditation and excellent motivation to spur you on if you are already in the habit. Far from being a rigid and uptight practice, this book shows us that meditation is a way to increase our love for Jesus and not only benefits our soul, but becomes a lovely duty as we worship our our great God, with our hearts and minds.
My thanks to Cross Focused Media for the review copy.
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