Lessons on Suffering from the Puritans

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Ligon Duncan 

My name is Ligon Duncan. I serve on the council and the board of the gospel coalition, and my day job is to work as a chancellor and professor at reformed Theological Seminary. And I’m delighted to be talking to you today about the Puritans on suffering and what they have to teach us in this day. And of course, they would want to point us to Christ and the scriptures. They wouldn’t say our ideas aren’t the most important ideas about suffering. God’s ideas are the most important ideas and but they’re so good in pointing us to the Scriptures. And then I think one thing you’ll find as you read various Puritans, and there are a few that I’ll highlight that have this gift. They have a real gift of turning a phrase in about a sentence length that really sticks, and you remember it, and then it helps you when you run into particular situations in the Christian life, because it’s kind of stuck in your mind. And I’ll give you some of those phrases, hopefully, as we talk today, it’s not surprising that a lot of us would gather in the room to think about suffering, because suffering is a part of human experience universally, and it is a part of Christian experience universally. I don’t claim to know much personally about suffering, certainly in comparison to many other wonder wonderful Christians that I know. I have had friends who have been thrown into prison because they are Christians. I’ve never had that experience. I have had friends who have lost children, I have not had that experience. I have friends who struggle with chronic pain, just relentless, 24 hour pain, and they’ve struggled with it for decades and decades, I’ve never struggled with that. Recently, Matt smithhurst and I, who do the everyday pastors, everyday pastor podcast together, interviewed Joni Eareckson Tada. She’s been a hero of mine for years. And by the way, if you wanna learn about suffering, just you know, go read Joni Eareckson Tada on on this, we ask her lots of questions on the podcast about her experience. And by the way, now, because of where she is in, in in her age and stage of life, and in the long duration of those injuries, she is now struggling with chronic pain, which she you know she was, she was made up paraplegic, but it didn’t immediately manifest itself with chronic pain. Now she’s struggling with chronic pain and and she still has that. When you talk to her, there’s this glow of Christ in her, in her conversation, and you know. So there I could point you to a lot of Christians who know more experientially about suffering than I do, but as a pastor, what happens is I get invited into people’s lives, and they let me see just a little glimpse of what they are going through, and then hopefully I’m a little bit of a help and encouragement to them as they travel along that way. And so I must say, a lot of what I know about suffering, I know vicariously somebody else has let me into their life, and then I’ve seen how they have stuck with God, trusted in Christ, believed the word, and walked with Him, sometimes for a long, long time in hard, hard things. And then I I’m encouraged by that, I’m helped by that. I’m instructed by that. And then hopefully what little I know I can pass along to you today. We’re talking about the Puritans on suffering. What do we mean by Puritans? Really? That term originally refers to ministers in the Church of England from 1562 to 1662, so about 100 year period, ministers in the Church of England who wanted the Church of England to be a more scriptural, Christ centered church, and they often paid for that concern by persecution and marginalization and mocking. One of the greatest Puritans you may have heard of is John Owen. John Owen was the Vice Chancellor of Oxford University and one of the most learned men of his age, but in the very same time frame, the. There was a Baptist minister named John Bunyan who John Owen greatly admired. In fact, Owen once said, I would give all my degrees, all my learning, if I could preach Christ like that Tinker from Bedford can. Isn’t that a wonderful thing to say about Bunyan, who was a Baptist minister at the same time. So you had, you had a real spiritual wealth in England in those days. Now I’m going to use the term Puritan a little bit with a little bit of elasticity, because I’m going to mention one Scottish writer. And really, you didn’t have Puritans in Scotland. The Presbyterians in Scotland were sort of cousins. They were spiritual cousins to the English Puritans, and they shared very much a similar theology of the Christian life with the Puritans, but they were a little bit different animal. But I am going to mention some, at least two particular Scottish ministers who were really helpful in this area of suffering. And then I’m going to mention a few modern authors, because there’s actually been a lot of good work done by Christians in this area in the last few years. So we’ll just see how far we can get today. I’m going to try and say 10 things about the Puritans on suffering, and we’ll see whether I get through all 10 of those things, and then I’m going to recommend some resources to you. So let’s pray before we begin. Heavenly Father, you have called us as believers to trust in your son, who was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. It should not surprise us, then that we will be acquainted with sorrows and grief, but it still does so we pray in what we do this afternoon, we will be a little less surprised about the sorrows and grief of life, and a little more informed about your good and loving and kind purposes in those sorrows, griefs and sufferings of life in a sinful and fallen world, help us. We pray, open our eyes and behold wonderful things in your Word, we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen, the Puritans developed a very rich and deeply pastoral theology of suffering, shaped by their understanding of God’s sovereignty, God’s providence and God’s purposes in suffering for our sanctification. And they found these messages, these themes, in the Word of God. And so I want to look at some of their main applications in the area of the theology of suffering for the Christian Life. And here’s the first one. The Puritans wanted us to view suffering as an instrument that God uses for our discipline in the Christian life. They wanted us to view suffering as an instrument that God uses for discipline, for good. In the Christian life, you know suffering by itself produces nothing. Right? I mean, you’ve seen people suffer and become bitter, so suffering in and of itself, doesn’t make you holy. Some people suffer and they say, Well, I don’t believe God exists because I’m suffering. Some people suffer and they they say, Well, God must have nothing to do with this, because God would never make me suffer. And sort of suffering is sort of wasted on them. But then you see some people that suffer and they grow and they encourage you. What’s going on in Christians the Spirit uses sufferings as divine discipline, and the Puritans wanted us to understand that. Where did they get that idea? Well, in passages like Hebrews chapter 12, you remember where the author of Hebrews says, Hebrews 12, five, my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are approved by him for those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines and He scourges every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as sons. For what son is there whom his father. Does not discipline. And so they wanted us to understand that suffering is a species of divine discipline for believers, and that it’s an expression of God’s fatherly love for you as His child that reorients the way that you view suffering. I have often, as a pastor, looked at people in my congregation that were suffering, and this was the thought that popped into my mind first, because I’m struggling to really believe the Lord as I ought. I’ve often thought, Lord, why is it always the good ones that you that you put through these things? And of course, what the Lord would say back to me when I say that kind of a questioning statement is because I love them, because they’re precious to me, because they’re my children, because I want to see them grow. So that reorients the way you think about suffering. It doesn’t lead you to say, Oh, I’m really not suffering. No, you really are. But that suffering is not meaningless. It’s not random. It’s not purposeless. It’s it’s an instrument in the Spirit’s hands in order to show you the Father’s love for you and grow you in grace. If you look at suffering that way, it will change the way you approach suffering. You know one, one thing is to say, Lord, you’re teaching me here that you love me. You’re showing your love for me, even in this here’s the second thing that we see the Puritans viewed suffering as a way that God refines our faith. Turn with me, if you have Bibles to First, Peter, chapter one, where Peter says, in verse six, in this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the res, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So the sufferings there, the distress is there that Peter is talking about, are meant to refine God’s grace in you so that your faith is tested and strengthened for the living of the Christian life. One One Puritan John Flavel, f L, A, V, E L, who wrote a wonderful book called The Mystery of Providence. One Puritan named John Flavel said, This affliction is a furnace for grace. It’s a furnace for grace. And then Thomas Watson added these words, affliction is not meant by God to consume you but to refine you. It’s a furnace for grace. It’s not meant to consume you but to refine you. You know when you sing, how Firm a Foundation you say to the Lord, you get to that line where it says the flame will not hurt you. And what’s he riffing on there? He’s riffing on the story of the three Jewish boys, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, the flame shall not hurt you. I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine. So the Puritans are again wanting to emphasize God’s good purposes in that suffering, not to diminish the suffering, not for us to say, Oh, I’m not really suffering. Some of us really are. But to say, Lord, even in this difficult experience, I know that your person, your purpose, is not. To destroy me, it’s to build me up. You’re not trying to consume me. You’re trying to refine me. You’re trying to make me more like your son, who what Hebrews five eight, learned obedience through that which He suffered. See, I mean, should we be surprised, right? If He learned obedience through that which He suffered, should we be surprised if we’re united to him, that God does the same thing with us? So the Puritans want us to look at things from that perspective. Third, suffering is a means or an instrument of sanctification. Turn with me to Romans, chapter five. The Puritans wanted us to understand that God’s afflictions, the suffering of the Christian life, is meant to produce in us character, godliness, he uses it with the purpose of growing us in grace. So in Romans, chapter five, we read this. Verse three, we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance, proven character and proven character, hope and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. So God is up to something specific and definite in us. He wants us to grow in perseverance. And the older I get, the more I realize that endurance is an underestimated quality in the Christian life. You know, I’ve seen people struggle more with lesser trials that last longer than with greater trials that last a shorter period of time, because just the drip, drip, drip of a trial never going away wears you down. Don’t underestimate how important endurance is, and God’s purpose is to build us up in perseverance and endurance and to make sure that we endure with a hope in us that can’t be put out. And if we if our hope is just here, then suffering is going to destroy us, right? Because we’ve been disappointed here, but if our hope is in the new heavens and the new earth, nothing that happens here can put that hope out. So suffering is a means of sanctification. Jeremiah burrows, wonderful English Congregationalist wrote a book called The rare jewel of Christian contentment. When, when I got married, I said, my wife, let’s read some books together. And so the first book that I brought home to read was Jeremiah burrs, the rare jewel of Christian contentment. And my wife said, Oh no, not contentment. Well, one of the things that Burroughs says is that suffering is a way that the Spirit teaches Christians the secret of contentment in Christ. And boy, do you see that with Joni Eareckson, tada, you know she, she has every, you know it, humanly speaking, every reason to be bitter.

But there’s just not a drop of bitterness there, because the spirit has taught her the secret of contentment in Christ. So suffering is a means of sanctification. God has purposes in our suffering. Here’s another theme. Suffering is a participation in Christ’s suffering. He’s the head. We are his body, and we participate in his sufferings. This is something that Paul talks about in Philippians chapter three. Remember what Paul says there. This is an aspiration of Paul’s Philippians 310, that I may know him. I think. All of us have that as we want to know Christ, I want to know Him. Not just know about him. I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. I think that’s another thing we Lord. We want to know the power of your resurrection in our life. And then Paul goes on to say a third thing, and the fellowship of His sufferings. And usually we’re sitting on our hands on that one, Okay, Lord, I’ll take two out of three. I’d like to know you. I’d like to know the power of your resurrection, but the fellowship of your sufferings, that Paul says, I want that. I want to know the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. So you here’s, here’s the thing. You can’t know the power of his resurrection unless you know the fellowship of His sufferings. And so Paul says, What a privilege it is for me to be a part of the body of Christ and to have a fellowship with Him in His sufferings. And I have when I have a close relationship with a person, and I know that I’m not sort of pointing my finger to them and being inappropriately preachy at a hard place in their life, but let’s say I’ve got a close relationship with a person who’s enduring significant suffering. I will sometimes say it is a privilege for me to watch you experience the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, and especially when they’re doing it in faith and to let and just so that they then feel the privilege of what they’re going through. Our Lord suffered, and you’re experiencing that in which you have a fellowship with Him, you have an understanding of your relationship to him that you wouldn’t have had if you hadn’t gone through this. For instance, I have had too many occasions as a pastor to talk to parents who’ve lost a child and and one thing again, if I have a close relationship and they’re godly and mature, sometimes, I’ll say, you know, God knows what it’s like to lose a son and you have a fellowship with Him in this that I don’t begin to understand because I’ve not gone through this. What a privilege to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. Fifth your suffering is actually an evidence of your sonship. Your suffering is actually an evidence of your sonship. Every Christian is a son. That’s you too, ladies, every Christian is a son. And why did Paul use, why didn’t he just say children? And children is used in various places in the New Testament. Why does, Why does Paul, and why is the author of Hebrews, want to emphasize to you that you’re a son, because in the Greco Roman world and in the Jewish world, sons inherited. And what Paul wants every Christian man and woman to understand is you are an inheritor. You are inheritor of the inheritance of Christ, and so you are a son in legal standing before God. And let me say, I think the doctrine of adoption, here’s another thing I think I’ve learned. The doctrine of adoption may be one of the last things that Christians learn experientially in the Christian life. I think most of us are excited about the beautiful truth of justification by grace, alone, through faith, alone in Christ, alone, early on in the Christian life, if not exactly simultaneously with our conversion. You know, we’re profoundly aware that the Lord has forgiven us of our sins because of the work of Christ on our behalf, and we’re thankful for that, that that, though we do not deserve to be forgiven, we have been forgiven because of what Christ has done for us. And so justification is precious to us, and most of us know that we need to grow in grace. We need to be sanctified. But many, many godly Christians struggle to really know and feel that God loves them as his own child. And suffering is one of the ways that he proves to us that he loves. Loves us as his own child. You’ve heard the very famous statement that God had one son without sin, but none without suffering. God had one son without sin. That’s our Savior, Jesus Christ, but none without suffering. And he proves that we are His children. He proves that we are his sons and the CO heirs and inheritors of Jesus Christ in our suffering. That’s one of the themes that we saw in Hebrews chapter 12, especially in verse seven and eight. So suffering is not a sign that God has abandoned you. It’s a sign that he cares about you. It’s an evidence of sonship. Six, suffering is preparation for glory. Second Corinthians, chapter four, verses 16 to 18, says this, Therefore we do not lose heart, though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed, day by day, for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. That’s extraordinary. God in our suffering is preparing us for glory. Samuel Rutherford is one of those two Scottish ministers I wanted to mention. He’s not really a Puritan, though he lived during the era of the Puritans. He was a Presbyterian minister in a tiny, little church in Anwar Scotland. That church building was no larger than the front part of that section right over there, tiny, little church, but he was probably one of the two greatest theologians in the history of Scotland. And by the way, C H Spurgeon said that Samuel Rutherford’s letters are the nearest thing ever written to inspired scripture by an uninspired man. So if you ever get a chance to read Rutherford’s letters, they’re kept in print. Banner of Truth has a little short selection of them, and then they have a really big, thick hardback selection of them. The letters of Samuel ruff. They are beautiful, and he wrote many of them to his congregation. When he was in exile, he was exiled halfway across the country by the government and separated from his congregation, and he wrote them letter after letter after letter. And here’s one of the things that Rutherford said, when we shall come home and enter into the possession of our brother’s fair kingdom. Speaking of Jesus Christ, we shall wonder that ever we took such a faint heart at the way he wrote a woman in his congregation, Lady kenmure, who had lost several children. He wrote her a letter, and he said, Dear woman, I tell you, when you are got up thither, you will say four and 20 hours in this place is worth three score years and 10 sorrow on this earth. He is preparing us for a glory that we cannot even begin to comprehend. Suffering further is a call to dependence on God and prayer.

The Psalmist speaks about this Psalm 50, verse 15. Psalm 50 verse 15. The psalmist says, Call upon me in the day of trouble. I shall rescue you and you will honor me. Suffering ought to press us into God, in prayer. You know, all of us, all of us. I’m guilty of this. Something happens in life, and I immediately kick into what do I need to do? What do I need to do? What do I need to do? How do I need to address this? What do I need to do? And oftentimes, I’ll be in my list of things that I’m doing, and I’ll think I haven’t prayed, and my first instinct ought to be something happens, I pray. And very, very often, what? Happens is God turns up the heat until I have to pray. Yeah, it just happens. So he wants us to come to him, call on me in the day of trouble isn’t beautiful. He knows the day of trouble is coming. Call on me. I’m here waiting. I’m here waiting for come to me. Call on me, and I’ll rescue you. So the Puritans knew that suffering was meant to call us to prayer and dependence on God, but suffering is also an opportunity for witness. Suffering testifies to a watching world that our faith is real, that our Christ is real, that our God is real. I have often thought there is no way that that man is standing, there is no way that that woman is standing. If there is no God, they couldn’t have gotten through what they are going through without God. In fact, I’ve often had people come to my office at the church and they’re discouraged because of what they’re going through, and I feel the weight of what they’re going through too, but what I’m thinking is, it’s amazing, they still believe. And so inside there’s a part of me going, woo, they still believe, and they wouldn’t if God weren’t working in them. And don’t you think the world doesn’t see that when we go through trials and tribulations and afflictions, it bears testimony that this person believes in someone who is eternal and powerful and true and real, and does not abandon them in their time of need. Peter talks about this, doesn’t he, in first. Peter again, chapter three, Peter will say, even if you should suffer, this is verse 14, even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed, and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence and keep a good conscience, so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. And he makes it clear that the way we endure trials and tribulation and suffering and even persecution and slander bears witness to the Gospel, bears witness to Christ, bears witness to the truth of God, to the world. Ninth, suffering is a means of weaning us from the world. Suffering is a means of weaning us from the world. The the apostle Paul in Colossians chapter three says this set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. You know when we sing, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, you remember the line and the things of this world goes yes in the light of His wonderful face, yes and sufferings are meant to help us set our affections on those things that are going to last. Brister ware, who was my minister of pastoral care for many years, used to say, this, God uses the afflictions of this life to wean us from the affections of this life. So often our affections are set here, and God wants our affections to be set on him and on things that will last forever. And the afflictions then teach us, oh yeah, this world is not my home. This world the way it is now is not the way it’s supposed to be. But God is going to make all things new. God is going to make a new creation, and he and the Lamb who. Are going to reign forever and ever, and I want my affections to be on things that will never be corrupted, that will never change, that will never fade, but will last forever. And I need to start that now. Doesn’t mean that the duties of life are unimportant. It doesn’t mean that there are real, wonderful pleasures to enjoy, but they’re never, never to be the highest affection that we have. CS Lewis used to say, you know, our problem so often is not that we want too much, is that we’re satisfied with too little. This world. We weren’t made to be satisfied by this world, we were only made to be satisfied by God, and the afflictions of the Christian Life helped teach that to us by the work of the Holy Spirit. By the way, this is one of the great lessons of Thomas Boston. Thomas Boston was a Scottish minister in the early 18th century. And he also ministered in a tiny little church in Ettrick, Scotland, south of Edinburgh by about an hour. And he wrote a book called The crook in the lot. The crook in the lot now that terrible title, right? What does, what does that mean? But it’s, it’s all about suffering. It’s all about suffering. And he emphasizes in that book that suffering is meant to detach our hearts from worldly affections and attach them to God. Detach them from worldly affections and attach them to God. And then finally, and perhaps counter intuitively, suffering is a source of comfort in the Christian life. Suffering is a is a source of comfort in the Christian life. The Apostle Paul says in Romans, 828, we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Now notice what Paul does not say that all things are good. He says that God causes or works all things for good, and that means even and especially our suffering. He forces it to serve our good. And by the way, we may not know exactly. How have you ever thought about it? We know the end of Job’s story. What we don’t know is whether job ever knew the end of Job’s story. In other words, God explained to us what he was doing in the life of job. We don’t know whether he ever explained to job what he was doing in the life of job, but, but job will testify warning in job 42 he’ll say this, I know this God that I have heard. I had heard of you, but now I see you, in other words, God had drawn him closer to himself through all the awful things that Job went through. And that is a comfort in the Christian life. And that Puritan John Flavel that I talked about, who wrote the mystery of Providence, says Providence is like a Hebrew word. It can only be read backwards. You read Hebrew from right to left, not like we read English from left to right. And so there’s a funny little play there. Providence is like a Hebrew word. It can only be read backwards when you’re in the middle of it. You don’t often know what, what is the what’s the Lord doing here? But if he is the one who knows the end from the beginning. And if He is all powerful and is and if he is good, we can know that whatever he is doing, he is doing for good, even if we don’t understand it in the midst of it. That’s one of the reasons, I think the Old Testament version of Romans, 828, Is Genesis, 5020, you remember when Joseph, Jacob has died, and Joseph’s brothers are going, Oh no, he’s going to get us now, Dad’s not around, he’s going to have his revenge. And Jacob says, No, no no. Joseph says, no, no. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. And Romans, 828, I think Paul is just riffing on that same idea. And what? What does that mean that even suffering can be a source of comfort in the Gospel, because you know that God has good purposes in this, by the way, even if you don’t see them, you know, some suffering, we will be able to look back and say, Yeah, I see At least part of what you were doing. God, sometimes we just say, I have no idea what that was about, but we can be confident that he was up to good. He was up to do good to us and in us. So those are, those are great emphases that you will find in the writings of the Puritans. Where will you find this? Let me. Let me rifle off a few things, just in case you’re interested in reading first I’ve mentioned several times John Flavel, F, L, A, V, E, L. He lived from 1627, to 1691, and he wrote a book called The Mystery of Providence, and it addresses this issue of God’s providence, even in sufferings in the Christian life. Then I’ve also mentioned Jeremiah burrows, the rare jewel of Christian contentment. Then there is Thomas Watson, who wrote a book called all things for good, which is an exposition of Romans, 828, and it addresses how even suffering works for the believers ultimate good. Thomas Watson, all things for good. And then there’s the great Richard Sibbes, s, I, B, B, E, S, they called him the sweet dropper. And Sibbes wrote a book called The bruised reed. You know the he will not break the bruised reed or extinguish the smoking flax you know, a picture of a bruised, wounded believer have gone through much trial. And Sibbes emphasizes the love and the gentleness of God in suffering. And he says times of affliction are usually gaining times. To God’s people, they’re usually gaining times. I’ve even heard an American football coach say, I’ve never seen people grow in success, it’s always in failure and difficulty. He says that I’ve seen players grow in their in their skills. Well, times of affliction are usually gaining times for God’s people. Sib says Thomas Brooks one of my favorite Puritan writers, and let me say, one of Charles spurgeons favorite writers. Spurgeon liked Brooks so much he wrote a collection of Brooks sayings, and in a Spurgeon esque way, he named the book smooth stones from ancient Brooks. And so if you read much of Charles Spurgeon, you’re going to find Thomas Brooks quotes. But Thomas Brooks wrote a book called precious remedies against Satan’s devices. And one of the things that he addresses in that book is how Satan will try to use our suffering to discourage us. And then He gives you biblical ways to fight back against Satan’s discouragements and Brooks, beautifully, says, affliction. Afflictions are but a dark entry into our Father’s house. Afflictions are but a dark entry into our Father’s house. Then I mentioned Thomas Boston, who wrote the crook in. Lot, and again, he’s explaining God’s sovereignty in trials, and he says affliction is a messenger of Heaven Sent to bless us. Then I’ve mentioned Samuel Rutherford’s letters, and let me just if that big book of letters is too intimidating, here’s an easy way to start faith Cook, who was a pastor’s wife, took a series of Samuel ruthers letters and turned them into poetry, and she produced a little book called grace in winter. It’s published by the Banner of Truth, trust, Grace in winter by faith cook. It is so good. Rutherford’s prose is so poetic. It’s almost like reading a poem, and she just takes it the next step and turns it into a poem. And some of his, some of his letters, have been turned into songs. So some of you may have sung the song Glory, Glory dwelleth in Emanuel’s land. Well, that comes from a letter from Samuel Rutherford. And faith cook turns a lot of those letters into poems, and she tells you enough about the story in the background that you can get the gist of it. That’s a great way to get into Samuel Rutherford’s letters. Those are some great Puritan and a few Scottish Presbyterian resources to help you on suffering. Thank you so much for being with me today. May the Lord bless you richly and help you in all your trials and efforts.