A Lasting Legacy

J. I. Packer, in his book on the Puritan vision of the Christian life, A Quest for Godliness, argues that we today can learn a great deal from the Puritans.  Packer writes about the lasting value of their teaching: “The authority is still felt, and the mature wisdom still remains breathtaking, as all modern Puritan-readers soon discover for themselves.  Through the legacy of this literature the Puritans can help us today towards the maturity that they knew, and that we need.”  Dr. Packer then outlines several specific ways they can do this.  First, the Puritans saw all of life in relation to God.  Every part of life was integrated in the single purpose of glorifying Him.  The Puritans saw no distinction between sacred and secular; all creation was sacred, and all activities needed to be sanctified, that is, done for the God’s glory.  They viewed time as very precious and planned their lives with care.  “We today,” contends Packer, “who tend to live unplanned lives at random in a series of non-communicating compartments and who hence feel swamped and distracted most of the time, could learn much from the Puritans at this point.”  I can say that I have been impressed virtually every day with the wisdom that I meet with in the pages of Puritan books, and can testify with Dr. Packer that often their understanding is indeed nothing short of breathtaking!  Life is too short not to learn from the best.