Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Review: "A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness"

Jeremiah Burroughs is one of my favorite Puritan authors, so it is always a joy to report on one of his works. A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness is actually two works: A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness and A Treatise of Conversing in Heaven and Walking with God.

Despite stereotypes to the contrary, the Puritans were warm and practical in their writings, and such is the case here. In the first treatise, Burroughs explains that one’s mind is set on earthly things – above God – when we value them most, when we are most concerned about them, when we conceive of heavenly things merely in an earthly way. He goes on to show why earthy-mindedness is wrong – in fact, sin, how one gets to that point, and how to turn away from it.

In the second treatise, he looks at examples of saints who had their conversation in heaven and gives recommendations for how one might converse and walk more deeply with God.

This is the type of book that our entitlement generation is desperately in need of – if we are Christians – because that must come first – how are we to grown in our sanctification – our holiness – how are we to come to the point of being like-minded with God. This is a book every Christian would do well to read – with Bible at the ready.

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