AFFLICTION ACCORDING TO THE PURITANS

By Bill Muehlenberg - Posted at Culture Watch:

The Puritans have much to teach us about suffering and affliction:

As is known, suffering will make us better or bitter. How we respond to hardships, trials and afflictions makes all the difference in the world. And the Christian has a way of looking at these things that differs from others. And as I have written before, some of the best writings on sufferings and how to deal with them are by the Puritans. See here for example: billmuehlenberg.com/2022/06/14/why-wont-christians-talk-about-this/

They wrote often about afflictions and trials, and their biblical, theological and devotional writings on the subject are a deep fountain and a terrific treasure trove. We have much to learn from the Puritans, and their ability to trust and worship God in the midst of great sufferings can teach and encourage us all.

Several major emphases of the Puritans can be mentioned here when it comes to suffering and affliction. One of course is their belief that God is allowing and even behind what we go through, and he remains sovereign throughout. God is not absent from us in our sufferings, nor is he surprised by them. He is with us in the midst of them, as he was with Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace.

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