Silent solitude comes like a sigh. I welcome it…
and I read of his love for it,
read how it was the well from which he drew the Father’s resources,
and drank deeply:
Richard Baxter, Puritan preacher extraordinaire…
“In him the virtues of the contemplative and active life were eminently united. His time was spent in communion with God, and in charity to men. He lived above the world, and in solitude and silence conversed with God. The frequent and serious meditation of eternal things was the powerful means to make his heart holy and heavenly, and from thence his [outward conduct]. His life was a practical sermon, a drawing example. There was an air of humility and sanctity in his… countenance; and his deportment was [indicative of] a stranger upon earth and a citizen of heaven.”
-his familiar colleague Dr. William Bates
Ah, another witness, speaking from the past, telling me, yes, yes, here is where you find it best, your Christ life: wrapped in this transparent sanctuary, settled in this breath of rest.
*****
Linked to
The peace and joy the world seeks in their senses can’t lead them to the only place the soul finds rest. “Meditation of eternal things.”
I’ll be partaking today…
So true, Floyd. Amen.
Yes, yes, yes, here is where you find it best. I want my life to be a practical sermon too, Sylvia. Thank you for introducing me to Mr. Baxter.
Laura, what I find interesting is how many people that I adopt as role models, though they come from so many different eras and backgrounds, turn out to share this draw to solitude and silence with Him. Some then gain so much ability in sensing His presence that they have no trouble doing that even in noisy crowds, to the point that it’s like just God and them alone. (I’m not there yet! Still seem to need the stillness, at least some time in my days!)