Prior to computers and excellent bible software programs and prior to having concordances, how did SO MANY of the puritans and reformers know so much scripture?

The obvious question is time, but I am hoping someone could shed more light on this. Maybe you have found where Edwards or Owen or Spurgeon or Luther or whoever wrote about their study methods. I would love to hear more on that...

I recently read a small book "The precious promises of the gospel" by the puritan, Joseph Alleine, and was amazed at all the scripture usage. Obviously this brother was one of many. So how? Any insight?

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Lee Dodd | Twitter: @LeeDodd
Layperson - FBC Daisetta
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"We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work." - John 9:4

I know this is going to sound "preachy" but the puritans didn't have the following:

1. Telephones/Cell phones
2. TV/Movies/DVD's/VHS/Beta/Blu-Ray
3. Radio/Tapes/CD's
4. Computers/Internet/iPod's/mp3 players/etc.

So they didn't have the distractions that we have (or the modern tools that we do, to put a more positive spin) so they spent more time in the word and committed more to memory than we do.

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Chris Bryant
Attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA), McKinney, TX
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Yes, totally in agreement. I am just hoping someone can shed light on different puritan's study habits. How often? How much? How long?

For example, I know that Jonathan Edwards spent as much as 13 hours a day in his study. It would be nice to know how much of that was spent memorizing? How much reading scripture? How much reading other books?

That is what I am hoping to find out and not about Edwards only, but any of those beloved saints of old.

Plus you will read of most of them spending twelve to sixteen hours a day in their studies. Easily 3000 hours per year.

Incidentally, I read somewhere that it takes 10,000 hours of study in a given subject to master that subject. Most likely, a Puritan pastor had that volume of study under his belt by the time he was installed in a church.

Do you have a copy of Reid's Memoirs of the Westminster Divines? Good reading, plus it would probably answer some of those questions.

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Wayne Sparkman, Th.M.
Director, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO
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The Practice of Piety might shed some light as well as Serious call to the devote and holy life and anything on puritan meditation.

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Nick Jenkins
Pilgrim Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Lapeer, MI

Do you recommend a source where I might get a copy?

Moving to a Theological Forum. This does not belong in "General Discussions." Please see this thread: ***REMINDER*** - All PB Members

p.s. - please note that the Mods and Admins can't catch every single thread, etc. that has these same problems, so it's nothing personal.

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Thanks Josh...I wasn't sure if this really belonging there. Thanks for moving it!

How did the Puritans and Reformers do it? Honestly, what came to mind was the lyric "No phones, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury - like Robinson Crusoe, as primitive as can be!"


I hate to say it (but I will). They loved the Word more deeply than we do. Delight in the Word of the Lord begets study and meditation. We need (**I** need) more of it. The Puritans and Reformers certainly had fewer distractions, but oftentimes I fear that "distraction" is an excuse for laziness. I know I don't study and meditate on the word as much as I ought to given my professed love for it... and it's not a question of having too little time.

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Todd K. Pedlar
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Todd, I believe that you have hit the nail on the head.

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Instead of get on the internet, watch T.V., watch a movie, etc., people read- a lot.

That and I'm pretty certain they were a lot more educated than us, probably as a result of the aforementioned.

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Andrew DeShazo
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Not sure if it is in print. If money is tight, better to borrow a copy from a library or read it online. Google Books has a copy posted [wonderful day we live in, in that respect anyway]:

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with Todd or anybody else, but when comparing the Puritans learning to ours consider that the comparison is not entirely apt. For instance, the writings, by in large, that we have from the Puritans were penned by ministers. I am not a minister. So to compare my knowledge (or another member of the laity) to that of a minister in a bit off. If we were to compare apples to apples -- Reformed ministers from the 16th century to Reformed ministers from the 21st centruy -- I suspect we would not see as great a disparity in learning and love of the Word. Narrow the comparison a bit more: Reformed ministers from the 16th century who published to Reformed ministers of the 21st century who publish.

Keep in mind as well that the best of that era is what tends to continue in print. Were there ministers that didn't know the Word as well as John Owen? I suspect the answer is "Yes."

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Jon Peters
Member, Reformation Fellowship (OPC) (Roseville, CA)
Folsom, CA

Two words:

Classical Education

By the time a classically educated child is 13, he has already learned the grammar, logic and rhetoric of his basic areas of study. Then university just deepened this knowledge, and applied the trivium to a specific area of study.

The average modern person needs much more time because we were never trained to learn; we were trained to be sucklings.

Cheers,

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Adam B., Wine Country, California, PCA

"I fear not to hold with Junius, de Politia Mosis cap. 6, that he who was punishable by death under that Judicial law, is punishable by death still; and he who was not punished by death then, is not to be punished by death now."

Magic beans and formulas.

That's why all the best theology comes out of Moscow, Idaho.

Seriously, I do agree that their ability to remember had much to do with techniques we no longer teach because books are so readily available. There are memory retention techniques that can bin information and aid in retention.

I also think (sadly) that it was a time where those with great natural talents were attracted to ministry where those same great minds are typically drawn to other fields today.

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Rich
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Certainly a good point there. This has branched off in to a fine discussion.

I am still hoping for some insight about actual tactics and study habits / methods they used. Time spent and doing what?

This has been touched on in another thread a while back, but I honestly think one of the things that the Puritans did regularly that I certainly don't do enough of is meditation on Scripture... taking time to prayerfully, seriously, and deeply consider the Word of God, with an explicit aim to apply it to one's life, outlook on the world, etc. Those who are the most prolific writers and expositors, whom we love for depth of exposition and breadth of application were, I imagine, the most able and practiced meditators.

mmmmmmyeahhhhhhhh

I have to agree with Todd too! We do what we love to do plain and simple.

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"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

ouch!

The puritans didn't have Christian book stores full of everyone's opinions, either. There were few books at their disposal in comparison to what is available now. I imagine the libraries of the puritans were much smaller than that of most pastors today.

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J Baldwin
Keowee Presbyterian Church, PCA
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It's not any one of these things, it is ALL of these things. The Puritans were classically trained as logical thinkers. Their lives were not cluttered with things of no eternal value. They were committed to the study of Scripture above all else. The books they read were substanitive. They spent hours and hours in study. They were not loaded down with all kinds of administrative duties. We tend to look for one thing, but it's many things.

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Dr. Don Kistler

Brother Don, I know you have spent much time looking at these men we consider giants of the faith. Do you know of any resources that would better describe exactly (or closely) how these saints of old spent their time in study?

Adair's book on the Puritans and Education would help. My book on Christopher Love has a chapter on what education was like at Oxford and Cambridge in the 16th century. Cotton Mather's book "A Manual for Ministers," which is mainly in Latin, would be good (if you read Latin). There are others, but most of my books have been in boxes in a garage for the last 3 years, so I can't look at the spines to give you titles, I'm afraid.

A few years ago I went through a period of lengthy unemployment...it's one of those periods of life you don't want to think about so I can't remember exactly how long it was, but it was very long. I do remember that in a one year time period (during my unemployment) I read through the Bible three times, while also studying areas of the Bible in great depth and reading excellent books written by saints past and present.

Because of my unemployment I was VERY frugal with what I had, meaning I didn't have many of the distractions mentioned above. I truly believe God put me through that period of unemployment to teach me many things and to get deeper into His Word. Looking back now, although I didn't think of it in a positive way at the time, I think it was one of the high points in my life and I praise God for it.

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Ivan R. Schoen, B.A., M.A., M.L.I.S.
Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church (SBC)
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