Soul Recreation: The Contemplative-Mystical Piety of Puritanism

Description: Spiritually there is a great hunger today for contemplative and more satisfying experiences with God. Puritanism might seem to be an unlikely source for this yet few groups in the history of Christian spirituality have written more extensively or wisely on the subject. Isaac Ambrose (1604-64) a relatively forgotten English Puritan developed a theological foundation for the spiritual life based upon the Christians intimate union with Christ which the Puritans often called spiritual marriage. Schwanda demonstrates that this vibrant relationship of union and communion with Jesus inspired by the Holy Spirit was manifested in a deep contemplative piety of gazing lovingly and gratefully upon God. At the same time Ambrose did not neglect loving his neighbors. This study reveals how heavenly meditation was one of the significant practices engaged by Ambrose to cultivate spiritual intimacy and enjoyment of God. Further his experiential reading of Scripture in particular the Song of Songs provided him with a language of ravishment and delight in God. This book provides a distinctively Protestant foundation for recovering the contemplative life while recognizing the significant contributions of the Western Catholic tradition. Endorsements: In this fine book Tom Schwanda lets us in on something that has regrettably been kept a secret in recent years: that the Puritans have much to teach us about a genuinely Christian-yes and even a profoundly Calvinist!-mysticism. Isaac Ambrose here offers us profound guidance from the seventeenth century about matters that are of crucial importance for the present-day quest for godliness. --Richard Mouw President and Professor of Christian Philosophy Fuller Theological Seminary As Tom Schwanda shows in this fascinating study of Isaac Ambroses spiritual delight in the ravishing beauty of Christ such a piety is typically Puritan and also of enormous value for our day. Forgetfulness nay rejection of the way the Puritans read texts like the Song of Solomon has hindered contemporary appreciation of their piety and its exegetical basis. May a renewed appreciation of their exegesis lead to an ever-deepening recognition of the importance of Puritan piety! --Michael A. G. Haykin Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality Southern Baptist Theological Seminary While mystical ideas must always be sifted with biblical discernment it is undeniable that the Reformed and Puritan tradition contains a richly experiential emphasis on delighting in God through Christ. Tom Schwanda has done us a great service in probing that tradition in this study of Isaac Ambrose in his historical context. He offers a nuanced explanation of Ambroses view of being ravished with Christ the Bridegroom of the church. He . . . encourages evangelicals to return to our Reformed roots in order to grow in authentic spirituality. --Joel R. Beeke President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Grand Rapids Schwandas study of the contemplative-mystical piety of seventeenth-century English Puritan Isaac Ambrose exhibits the best kind of Christian scholarship. This deeply researched book by an accomplished historian also explores the relevance of Ambroses sense of intimacy with Christ for spiritual practice today. Schwanda renders a great service to the academy and church alike by bringing the writings and spiritual life of this key figure in the Puritan movement to light. --Charles Hambrick-Stowe Pastor First Congregational Church of Ridgefield Connecticut Puritans are often depicted as legalistic disciplinarians who agonized over predestination. This richly researched book offers an important corrective. Isaac Ambrose was a Puritan pastor devoted to contemplative piety a man who long before Thoreau enjoyed month-long annual retreats in the woods. Schwanda situates his subject within a variety of broader contexts and makes a compelling case for Puritan mysticism . . .