A movement of spiritual revival

Who were the Puritans and what was their purpose?  Those are two questions that some may have.  J.I. Packer provides answers to both questions in his book A Quest for Godliness.  In the chapter "Puritanism as a Movement of Revival," Packer first defines the terms "puritanism" and "revival," and then proceeds to discuss what kind of revival it was.

Puritanism, he says,  was a movement in the 16th and 17th centuries in England which pursued church reformation above and beyond that which was seen under Elizabeth I.  There were various groups involved, clergy and laity alike, but all were united by three things:  a shared biblical Calvinistic conviction, a shared desire for ridding the church of popery, and a shared literature, which was catechetical, evangelistic and devotional.

Revival, Packer says, is a Spirit-led work of God which brings dead spirituality to life.  There is a renewal of a living faith into those who are unmotivated in their faith.

In revival, God makes old things new, giving new power to law and gospel and new spiritual awareness to those whose hearts and consciences had been blind, hard and cold.

The Puritans wanted revival above all else.  They wanted to see the Engish church rise spiritually, and they saw personal holiness as crucial to that end.  This personal revival was accomplished with the help of the written word.  Puritans promoted books of sermons, evangelistic books, books that outlined the standards of conduct, and books that gave comfort and assurance of one's faith. 

The literature as a whole is remarkably homogeneous, and its purpose is constant - to induce faith, repentance, assurance, and joyful zeal in the life of pilgrimage, conflict and good works to which the saints are called; in other words, to create and sustain a spiritual condition for which revival is the truly appropriate name.

And of course, the Word of God was crucial.  This was where the pastoral efforts toward renewal came into importance.  People were taught by pastors through preaching of the Word and by the personal relationship between the pastor and his people.  Packer gives three examples of men who were examples of this, Richard Greehnam, Richard Fourclough, and Richard Baxter.  Preaching and pastoral care were the business of these three men.

I was quite struck how this revival was a revival centred around the written word.  Books and sermons were key to revival.  I thought about how this has actually occurred in my own life.  When I began homeschooling, in 2000, books were a focus, and spiritual training of my children became more of a focus.  I began to think seriously about what I knew about my faith and about certain frustrations I had.  This was when I re-discovered my Calvinistic roots.  When I was a young Christian, I sat under the ministry of a man who was most definitely Calvinistic.  There was an interval of time after he was no longer my pastor when I didn't sit under such a pastor, but homeschooling circles and book suppliers are ready with resources with regard to such things, and I found myself reading quite a little bit.  I don't know as if I experienced a "revival" necessarily, but books and study definitely were beneficial to my spiritual life.  And I would definitely say that being more attentive to personal holiness was very important in my life.

Today, we live in a world of visual images.  I wonder how this can be used to promote the kind of revival that the Puritans were seeking, one that is focused on personal holiness as a means to church renewal.  It seems like with the plethora of resources, especially online, revival is possible.  At the same time, however, the question of a common purpose is crucial.  The Puritans were united in their pursuits.  With the information glut out there, I would imagine that there are purposes and goals galore out there, some of them more biblical than others.

The focus of this book is that Packer sees the Puritan mind as instructive to us.  As far as pursuing literature that is devotional, evangelistic, and catechetical, I think I've benefitted from such a model.