Musings

Persecution distills our devotion to Christ. Reflection upon the current oppression to our brothers and sisters in Syria and other countries gives us a prayerful and content attitude almost immediately. It causes serious pursuit of eternal matters, and appreciation for our “great cloud of witnesses.” Some of these witnesses were persecuted for their beliefs and convictions. One group is termed “Puritans.” Originally a negative term, these people were cast out of their congregations for not conforming to the Book of Common Prayer issued by the English government in the 17 th century. Many of these Godly pastors wrote. And wrote. And wrote. And much of their writing, spurred by a deep commitment to an accurate understanding of Scripture, is very edifying and thoughtful. With a rediscovery of these men in recent years, it can become overwhelming to determine which puritans to read, and how much coffee one will need to follow the archaic language! Many words (like ‘religion’) the