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Reading Scripture with Isaac Ambrose by Tom Schwanda, Ph.D

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KNOWING OING &D. C S L EWI S I N S TITUTE The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation: Reading Scripture with Isaac Ambrose by Tom Schwanda, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Christian Formation & Ministry,Wheaton College This article originally appeared in the Fall 2012 issue of Knowing & Doing. saac Ambrose (1604–1664) was a moderate English Understanding the Nature Puritan minister living in Lancashire, England. and Purpose of Spiritual Unfortunately little has been written on Ambrose; Duties I 1 he has much to teach the church. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, as a young The Puritans typically ap- man he served as one of the king’s preachers—a proached spiritual disciplines select group of four itinerants originally charged by dividing them into three with preaching the Reformation doctrines of grace categories: secret, private, and 3 in Lancashire. After briefly serving two small- public. Secret duties refers to the er congregations, around 1640, Ambrose became individual’s personal spiritual Tom Schwanda the pastor of St. Johns Church, Preston. In 1657 he practices and reflect Jesus’ command to withdraw to moved to a more obscure location farther north in a place of privacy to practice one’s piety (Matt. 6:6). A Garstang. Ambrose specifically states his need for a private context refers to a small group, such as family less stressful parish due to the challenges of Roman or friends gathered in one’s house. The word public Catholicism as well as the superstition prevalent in describes the larger gatherings in church buildings for the region. worship or other spiritual exercises. While Ambrose Supporting the effort to develop Presbyterianism himself actively cultivated all three categories, we here in this region of northwest England, he served as one focus on his exhortation regarding the secret disci- of the moderators of the annual meetings. Through pline of meditation on Scripture. various committees he also sought to provide relief to According to Ambrose spiritual duties are any prac- those suffering financial hardship resulting from the tices that awaken, strengthen, or deepen a person’s re- local battles of the English Civil War. As a noncon- lationship with the triune God. Ambrose provides a forming minister of the Church of England, Ambrose compelling metaphor of spiritual disciplines when he was eventually ejected from his pulpit by the Act of asserts that: Uniformity of 1662. Ambrose was a well-respected devotional author, ...the saints look upon duties (the Word, Sacraments, best known both then and now for his massive work, Prayers, etc.) as bridges to give them a passage to God, Looking unto Jesus. He also wrote a significant work on as boats to carry them into the bosom of Christ, as means sanctification titled Media: The Middle Things, In Refer- to bring them into more intimate communion with their ence to the First and Last Things: or, The Means, Duties, heavenly Father, and therefore are they so much taken with Ordinances, both Secret, Private and Public, for Continu- them.4 ance and Increase of a Godly Life, (Once Begun,) Till We Come to Heaven.2 Media, first published in 1650, was Spiritual disciplines have the ability to create a re- enlarged and revised in 1652, followed by a third ex- ciprocal relationship that is marked by a growing in- panded edition in 1657. timacy based upon both gratitude and love for God. 2 The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation Ambrose cautions his readers that there is nothing This integrated approach of balancing the intel- unique about these practices, and great care must be lectual with the affective reflects the experimental exercised so as not to use them to bargain with God. or experiential piety of Puritanism. J.I. Packer main- He also reminds us that spiritual practices cannot save tains, “Puritanism was essentially an experimental a person. Yet Ambrose stresses that spiritual duties faith, a religion of ‘heart-work’, a sustained practice of can be a source of delight and joy, bringing us into seeking the face of God.”7 The writings of Isaac Am- God’s presence. Further, practicing them brings believ- brose breathe with the inspired pulse of a person who ers a portion of heaven, as if “their hearts [were] sweet- has experienced the love and joy of God. He urges ly refreshed.”5 In other words, spiritual practices can his readers to “labor so to know Christ, as to have a both confirm the reality of God’s presence and provide practical and experimental knowledge of Christ in a foretaste of heaven’s joy because we have been joined his influences, and not merely a notional [mental] with Christ. one.” The Puritans stressed this message repeatedly, Ambrose’s descriptive language on the effect of knowing that people could easily receive speculative cultivating spiritual disciplines must not be ignored. head knowledge of Jesus without their hearts being Finding “hearts sweetly refreshed” reveals a critical touched or transformed. Ambrose was interested in dimension of Puritan piety; while their focus was al- changed hearts, beginning with himself. He and his ways on the intellect, they never excluded the affective fellow Puritans recognized that this sort of trans- dimension of the soul. In reality, the Puritans chal- formation was dependent on God’s inner working lenge contemporary Christians with the much-needed through the Holy Spirit in the human heart. balance between head and heart. Ambrose also emphasizes the importance of God’s On the one hand, some Christians today are overly inward teaching when he declares, “Man may teach cognitive in their faith, giving little attention to how the brains, but God only teaches the heart; the knowl- Scripture, worship, or spiritual practices might affect edge which man teaches is a swimming knowledge; them. Ignoring the transformative power of these spir- but the knowledge which God teaches is a soaking itual means is unwise; they are intended as reminders knowledge.”8 This does not limit the importance of of God’s presence and desire to be in communion with knowledge or the human effort that is motivated by us. There is an equal danger at the opposite extreme; God’s initiative of grace; it rather emphasizes the criti- some people today are so intentional about seeking cal dimension of depending on the Holy Spirit’s guid- experiences that they display little sensitivity to the ance in the cultivation of the spiritual life. origin of that experience. Further, the Puritans, like their earlier Reformed The Puritans were spiritually alert and discerning guides such as Calvin, always sought to connect to recognize that the Holy Spirit was not the only One the Word with the Spirit. One can trace this theme who was present in the spiritual realm. They under- throughout the history of the church. When the stood the need to “test the spirits to see whether they church has been careful to maintain a healthy bal- are from God” (1 John 4:1 NIV). It is interesting to note ance, a vibrant spirituality has flourished. But when that Ambrose devoted a full book to this topic, titled either the Word or the Spirit was elevated to the ex- War with Devils. clusion of the other, aberrant theology and piety was This intentional combination of integrating the head the result. Ambrose consistently reminds readers and the heart did not originate with the Puritans; it that the witness of God’s Spirit always is agreeable has a long history within Christian spirituality. The to Scripture. writings of many Puritans reveal a deep appreciation So it is not surprising that Ambrose asserts that for Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153). Bernard, a key the accumulation of knowledge, even that of bibli- founder of the Cistercian (“school of love”) movement, cal knowledge, is of limited value unless it is applied was a favorite writer of John Calvin. Ambrose quotes to one’s life. This principle guides both his personal directly from Bernard’s method of employing both method for meditation on Scripture and his instruc- the intellect and the will (often synonymous with the tion to others in reading and praying Scripture. This affections) when he asserts, “holy contemplation has is clearly evident in the structure of Looking unto Jesus. two forms of ecstasy, one in the intellect, the other in As he approaches each new section of his examination the will; one of enlightenment, the other of fervor.” In of Christ’s life, he begins with a detailed exegesis of summary, Ambrose declares that the foundations for the appropriate biblical texts. Only then does he seek “our meditation are in this method: to begin in the to apply it to his readers’ lives. Ambrose consistently understanding and to end in the affections.”6 follows this pattern, first studying the objective truth The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation 3 of Scripture and then stirring up the affections to ap- role and participation within the human practice of ply it to the heart, so that he and his readers might spiritual disciplines underscores the significant role experience the subjective nature of those same passag- of Christ’s ascension in Ambrose’s theology. es. Summarizing the purpose of spiritual disciplines, Ambrose declares, Preparation for Reading and Meditating Study therefore, and study more, but be sure your study on Scripture and your knowledge is practical rather than specula- The Puritans understood the great importance of tive; do not merely beat your brains to learn the history preparing themselves for the spiritual disciplines. of Christ’s death, but the efficacy, virtue, and merit of it; Isaac Ambrose recognized that there were ways by 9 know what you know in reference to yourself. which his listeners could improve their ability to hear Scripture more effectively and fully: (1) prayer—pray- Being a good Reformed theologian, Ambrose recog- ing especially for the minister who preaches, for our nized that the human brokenness due to sin distorts fellow Christians that they might be strengthened in a person’s ability to perform properly these spiritual faith, and ourselves that we might be blessed in hear- practices.
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