A LABOR OF LOVE
Puritan pastoral priorities
By J. Stephen Yuille
Reformation Heritage Books. 136 pages, £9.13
ISBN 978 1 601 782 663
Do you want to pray for your pastor? Or, pastor, do you want to be a better one? Then you need this sparkling book! Think of John Piper’s Brothers, We Are Not Professionals meeting Jonathan Edwards’s Resolutions, and you have an idea of its depth and passion.
The book is in two sections. The first is 16 chapters, covering 16 ‘wishes’ – extended Scripture-based prayers or meditations – of Puritan pastor George Swinnock, concerning various aspects of the pastor’s calling. They are each five or so pages in length, and every one brimful of stirring and profound content. We see the ‘wish’ first, very helpfully in sparkling (not dumbed-down!) modern English, after which Yuille gives several pages of further comment and application, often based on other parts of Swinnock’s works.
Savour at length
The titles commence with: Royal Ambassador, True Vessel, Sincere Suitor, Wise Builder… and so on. They are all potent, and almost too readable; but they deserve to be savoured at length rather than hastily devoured. Daily devotions? Very possibly. And they would reward many a return visit. A yearly refresher course? Again, very possibly.
Yuille’s supporting writing is also well-judged, as well as very readable, clear and excellently illustrated. Nearly every page contains insightful, thought-provoking gems that warrant inclusion here – but which to choose? His preacher’s training is somewhat evident (at least to another preacher) in his frequent use of alliteration, and three-part arguments, but I’d say these were helpful hooks for the memory, rather than intrusive.
The second section of the book is Swinnock’s parting sermon to his flock of 11 years. But while the chapters of the first section were bite-sized concentrated delicacies, the 40(!) pages of the sermon, even (thankfully!) in modern English, and even a thoroughly biblical expository sermon, stills comes over as far too ponderous for this modern reader’s taste. Nevertheless, thoroughly recommended.
