God’s Battle Plan for the Mind: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation

by David W. Saxton

During the seventeenth century, English Puritan pastors often encouraged their congregations in the spiritual discipline of meditating on God and His Word. Today, however, much of evangelicalism is either ignorant of or turned off to the idea of meditation. In God’s Battle Plan for the Mind, pastor David Saxton seeks to convince God’s people of the absolute necessity for personal meditation and motivate them to begin this work themselves. But he has not done this alone. Rather, he has labored through numerous Puritan works in order to bring together the best of their insights on meditation. Standing on the shoulders of these giants, Saxton teaches us how to meditate on divine truth and gives valuable guidance about how to rightly pattern our thinking throughout the day. With the rich experiential theology of the Puritans, this book lays out a course for enjoying true meditation on God’s Word.

Table of Contents:

The Importance of Recovering the Joyful Habit of Biblical Meditation
Unbiblical Forms of Meditation
Defining Biblical Meditation
Occasional Meditation
Deliberate Meditation
The Practice of Meditation
Important Occasions for Meditation
Choosing Subjects for Meditation
The Reasons for Meditation
The Benefits of Meditation
The Enemies of Meditation
Getting Started: Beginning the Habit of Meditation
Conclusion: Thoughts on Meditation and Personal Godliness

Author

David W. Saxton is senior pastor of Hardingville Bible Church in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith, Meditation

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2015

About the author

David W. Saxton is senior pastor of Hardingville Bible Church in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Marcella Chatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has single-handedly caused me to repent of my neglecting my duties of regular scripture meditation. It is one thing to have read the Bible and another thing to have meditated on it. I loved the endless references to various puritan works, practical applications, and plea to stay consistent because of the profound effect it can have on your faith and sanctification. I will be recommending this to others. 10/5 stars for me.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when an author takes Puritan teachings and makes them more accessible to the modern reader. Mr. Saxton did a great job here. Highly recommended.

[Allyson Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer on defining biblical meditation, demonstrating its importance from Scripture and the tradition of the Puritans, and providing helpful insights to equip believers to start implementing it in their day-to-day life. If you have ever struggled with having a solid Bible reading routine established, but then forgetting what you read throughout the rest of the day (like me), then I would recommend giving this a read! Not only will it convict you of how you have neglected this important discipline, but it will encourage you to strive to commune with God every day through the means He has provided in a simple, but powerful way. It is both a duty and a privilege to meditate on His Word!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a thorough look at the practice of meditation supported by a plethora of bible verses and quotations from the Puritans. It will definitely increase your desire to meditate on the things of God.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. Meditation is the command of God (Joshua 1:8; Haggai 1:5). When people follow God's commands fruit and blessing abound in the believers life. It is the same with meditation.
In mediation believer's mind is trained to think upon heavenly truths and be transformed through the consideration of God's Word with an outflowing of the transformed heart in his or her actions.
Filled with many excellent quotes Saxton walks through what Meditation is, the benefits of it, and the enemies of it. Highly recommend.

[Ben Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favorite books I’ve ever read, mainly because it’s a subject that really interest me. It’s also inarguably under taught in the Church today. The book makes clear the biblical mandate and importance of slowing down and meditating on the Word of God. Why is such a practice so foreign to us? Or seem so forgotten? This book really helps answer these and many other questions.

I read some complaints about the style in which it’s written, with many quotes from the Puritans tied into the text, but I liked it. I benefited greatly from this short exhortation and aim to continue putting it to practice daily, for the rest of my days. I fully recommend this book.

[Blue Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need to take back the proper definition of the word "meditation" and rightly apply it in our daily lives as the Puritans preached.

Saxton defines meditation as "thinking personally, practically, seriously, and earnestly on how the truth of God's Word should look in life." Or as Edmund Calamy writes, "dwelling upon the mercies we receive, the chewing upon the promises."

Saxton argues that one reason modern Christians have neglected the biblical practice of meditation is because many believe the entire practice is based on pagan or Far Eastern religious concepts. Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, and Far Eastern Religion which are about emptying oneself to find truth within (the exact opposite of Biblical meditation) has stolen the pervasive paradigm of the term. However, Scripture and the Puritans taught Biblical Meditation was the most important of the top 3 spiritual disciplines (reading scripture and prayer being the other two). Saxton writes that "many Christians are discouraged because they believe the depressing lies of their fallen hearts rather than actively engaging and controlling their minds with the uplifting truths of God and His great redemption ... mediation transforms feathery Christians into oak tree believers of mature discernment.""

Listen to how the Puritans defined Meditation:

Thomas Hooker: "Meditation is a serious intention of the mind whereby we come to search out the truth, and settle it upon the heart."

William Bates: "Meditation is the serious exercise of the understanding, whereby our thoughts are fixed on the observation of spiritual things in order to practice."

Thomas Watson: "Meditation is the soul's retiring of itself so that, by a serious and solemn thinking upon God, the heart may be raised up to heavenly affections."

Isaac Ambrose: "Meditation is a steadfast bending of the mind to some spiritual matter, discovering of it with our selves, till we bring the same to some profitable issue."

What are the reasons for Meditation?

Thoms Watson: "The hearing of the Word may affect us, but the meditating upon it transforms us ... a true account why there are so few godly Christians in the world, namely there are so few meditating Christians."

Stephen Charnock: "A gracious heart must first delight in precepts and promises before it can turn them into prayers; for prayer is nothing else but a presenting God with His own promises."

Thomas Watson: "The Scripture is a love letter that the great God has written to us. We must not run it over in haste, but meditate upon God's wisdom in writing, and His love in sending it to us."

Thomas Hooker: "Meditation holds the heart upon the rack under restless and unsupportable pressures."

Thomas Watson: "Meditation is a heart warming work, a friend to warmth of heart ... if a thing be cold, you rub it ... [meditation] rubs the soul with a truth ... is the bellows of the affections."

What if I'm simply TOO BUSY? ("We struggle to live in a culture that promotes distractions, and yet God calls His people to regular, undistracted consideration of spiritual truth.")

Saxton writes: "To overcome the busyness that results in failure to meditate, one must be honest about what is most important to him. Why does a person find time to watch a two-hour movie and yet not find time to read God's Word and meditate upon it?"

Jon Ball writes: "Love will find somewhat to do; they that delight in the world, will make business in the world, as children invent matter of play. But if Christ be our beloved and our treasure in heaven, nothing can hold our hearts from Him."

Blue's random thoughts...

I love how Biblical truth, since it is from the same God Who is the source of all truth, is way ahead of modern 20th-21st Century theorists. For example, the School of Advanced Military Studies, the US Army's "Jedi Training Academy" for military strategists, has the ethos that the "mind is the key to victory." Paul centuries earlier said the same thing in Eph 4:23-24 when he said that the battle for sin starts in the mind, hence the need to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind."

The Air Force worships at the altar of John Boyd (most famous for the OODA Loop), who wrote that any inward-oriented process is prone to entropy and decline (not a good theory for Far Eastern meditation). Hence, Boyd writes that the "Orient" phase of the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) is the most important because it leverages truth data outside of the inward oriented loop to avoid this gradual decline and disorder. Thomas Brooks already wrote on this Biblical Truth in the 17th Century when he said that "A man never begins to be good till he begins to know Him that is the fountain of all goodness ... Meditation is the palate of the soul wereby we taste the goodness of God; it is the eye of the soul whereby we view the beauties of holiness. It is the wine cellar, to the banqueting house, to the garden of spices that lets u unto Him whom our soul loves." "Meditation is that exercise of the mind, whereby we call to our remembrance that which we know (OBSERVE), do further debate of it (ORIENT), and apply it to ourselves (DECIDE), that we may have some use of it in our practice (ACT)." - Saxton and Boyd

[Chris Kesting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible book on the lost art of Biblical Meditation. The author uses the writings of many notable Puritans (Manton, Calamy, Edwards, Owen, etc) to demonstrate how to properly meditate/dwell/think deeply on Scripture and godly subjects, especially amidst the struggles and distractions in our modern age. Every Christian should read this - highly recommend!

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will teach you about the spiritual discipline of Christian meditation, which is often misunderstood today. Read it and benefit from the work and writings of the Puritans. Highly recommended!

[Hannah Christmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cross Focused Reviews provided me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meditation is a subject that we don't hear about enough. Before reading this book, I thought it was important, but I wasn't involved in practicing it in my life. I had forgotten all the places in the Bible where God seriously stresses how essential it is in life. We all meditate constantly, but it's God that must be the subject to make our lives truly full. David in Psalms, Solomon in Proverbs, and Jesus all talk about meditation many times (whether explicitly or not). "Meditating on one sermon is better than listening to five," Saxton echoes. After reading this book, I see that to keep your relationship with Christ, as we claim to aim for, we need daily-planned meditation with Him. We need to take time to look into our own lives and hearts and see us as He sees us. First, to look at our own sin and see how dirty and threatening it is. Second, to look at God's unfailing mercy and grace. We need to see Him and all of His attributes. We need to look around us at every event in our lives and every product of creation and see Him. I have since been trying to find these moments where I see Him around me, and I have found so much joy in that.

David W. Saxton has given us such a great resource. We all know the Puritan's work for the church and all the wonderful resources they have given us in great books they've written. But why can't we have the same kind of relationship with God that they did? We need to revisit their practices, one of which was meditation. And they took this practice very seriously. Saxton shows us that they were very intentional about it, making sure that it was not robotic, but had purpose. They took measures to make sure that they planned meditation everyday, but that they also did spontaneous meditation. They meditated about many things, using only the scriptures as a basis. Saxton reminds us and heavily warns us to only ever use scriptures for meditation. He reminds us how worldly meditation is practiced, and reveals the dangers in opening your mind up to lies and putting it in such a vulnerable state.

Saxton does a wonderful job at going through this as a pastor should to his congregation. He explains what it is (and what it's not), he talks about its importance in Christianity, and he goes through different strategies about how to use it in our own lives. He talks about when to do it and special occasions that warrant more meditation. Saxton did very thorough research, but presented it very clearly that made it interesting and easy to follow.

The only part of this book that I disagreed with is how Saxton pushed the idea that we must only meditate on small bits of scripture. Although I agree that we should only chew on small pieces at a time, his idea of small pieces is one verse. This might be a good idea for some, and you can get a lot of fruit out of one verse, but I think it can be dangerous if we take it out of context. I think it's important to read the whole chapter or section just so that we can understand where this verse is taking place and why it's written. And at that moment, we can get the fullness of its weight. I think it's more powerful, and less likely that we confuse it for meaning something else.

Saxton's God's Battle Plan for the Mind: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation is a beautiful representation of our relationship with God and how it should be approached. We need meditation, such as we need to talk to our best friends to keep that relationship going. We need to feel his presence, and we need Him to gain understanding from the Bible. I would recommend this book as a great resource for beginning this necessary practice in the Christian walk.

[Kellie Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really hoped that this book would be more practical, but while there was a lot of information about why, when and on what to meditate, there weren't a lot of instructions on how to meditate. Does is just mean saying the same verse over and over again? After reading this book, I'm still not sure exactly what it looks like, though the book did increase my desire to make Biblical meditation a part of my daily life.

[Ryan Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent compendium of puritan works on meditation. In many ways, it can be viewed as a reader going over the various related topics from meditation with additional thoughts and analysis from the author.

Appreciation

Through the help of many puritan authors, the book lays out the believer's non-negotiable duty of daily meditation with great encouragements to overcome the challenges and obstacles to reaping the numerous benefits and rewards. The biggest takeaway for me was how necessary meditation is as an instrument in our ongoing sanctification, for the seeping in of the believer's interaction with public preaching, and personal devotion. I was greatly convicted at the lack of effort of myself to meditate on the scriptural realities related to my besetting sins and anxieties. The widespread neglect and if not complete ignorance of meditation in our Christian context is no doubt in part due to the increasing earthly mindedness our society presses upon us. The chapter on occasional meditation is especially helpful in further encouraging the believer on how to sanctify one's thoughts throughout the day. One of its biggest strengths aside from the massive bibliography is the number of quotes the author is able to provide to give the reader a wide range of interaction on the various topics.

Critique

The number of quotations can also be a weakness in my opinion on the structure of the book and at times can be tedious like another review has mentioned with the format of thought backed up by quote and so on. It came off to me for there to be a bit of an unnecessary negative association of terms like contemplative and speculative in opposition to meditation being practical, especially given that theology can be said to be partly speculative and partly practical and I think we can expect as much from meditation. I agree and appreciate with the stress of meditation giving us practical benefits and ends, but while not explicitly mentioned by the author, I think it's important to emphasize that meditating on the glory of the blessed trinity is an end of itself, notwithstanding that we will be consequently transformed as we behold God. It was a little ironic that in countering false views of meditation when dealing with the opposition to roman catholic practices, an emphasis was made on protestants confining their meditation to the content of scripture, but later on, in the book, we do see that the book of nature does furnish us with content for meditation, although in distinction we certainly restrain and guard everything by scripture.

Quotes

Wilhelmus à Brakel
"This is a spiritual exercise in which a godly person—having a heart which is separated from the earth and lifted up toward heaven—reflects upon and engages his thoughts toward God and divine things with which he was already previously acquainted. He does so in order to be led further into divine mysteries, to be kindled with love, to be comforted, and to be stirred up to lively exercises.”

Edmund Calamy
“As it is impossible for a man to be nourished by meat if he [lacks] digestion and concoction, so it is impossible for a man to be nourished in grace, if he neglect the duty of divine meditation; for divine meditation is the spiritual concoction [mixing] and digestion of all holy things, and all holy duties.”

Edmond Smith
“Meditation will lead to a calmness of disposition, a serenity of mind and a certainty about the ways of God.”

David Saxton
“It[meditation] is God’s ordained plan for biblical thinking, renewing the mind, overcoming sin, and thus growing in greater Christlikeness."

[Harrison Holder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched. Disagreed w a couple of points made. Case was made against Catholic religious practices claiming “unbiblical meditation,” but the argument was short, & I just disagreed with author’s reasoning. Why condemn an entire practice and limit your case to a couple of paragraphs? The author also warned against modern tech as a hindrance to one’s ability to meditate, which can be true at times, but ultimately lack of biblical meditation is due to the sinfulness of man and not the existence of technology. The author did not make this point and placed blame on technology for lack of meditation in the church.

DESPITE these disagreements (I’m sure there were a couple others), this is well worth reading. This book has changed the way I spend time in scripture and pushed my thought life in the right direction!

[Jen Eidsvoog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and encouraging! Highly recommend for every Christian to read!

[Majo Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXTRAORDINARIO!!!!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent!

[Mystie Winckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paperback (own). Puritan Book Club. 5x5: Christian Living.

[Danielle Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No one can exempt himself from this duty, unless he purposes to live unprofitable to others, uncomfortably in himself, and disobedient to God." This book accomplished encouraging believers to recommit to biblical meditation. The whole time I was reading I felt like I should have been meditating.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an encouraging read!

[David Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

The full version of this abridged review may be found on the Pious Eye site (reviewer’s blog).

Contemporary rediscovery of the intellectually rich yet rigorously practical work of Puritan thinkers continues. Pastor David W. Saxton’s God’s Battle Plan for the Mind: The Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation is a welcome addition to the growing body of works presenting aspects of Puritan thought and practice to today’s Bible-believing public.

It seems obvious—it is obvious—that merely reading the Bible and listening to sermons will have no lasting effect unless one follows-up one’s reading and listening with protracted, reflective, application-oriented thinking about what one has read and heard. Obvious as this is, such extended thinking, biblical meditation, is frequently neglected. In God’s Battle Plan for the Mind, Saxton’s “goal...is to convince God’s people of the absolute necessity of personal meditation” (2), and thus to overcome the neglect.

In Chapter 1, “The Importance of Recovering the Joyful Habit of Biblical Meditation” (1-14), Saxton suggests that the “shallow spirituality” and “weak, meaningless religion” that dominate today’s “anemic Christianity” owe largely to Christians’ failure to bring their thinking (and through it, their emotions and their will) into conformity with God’s (Bible-revealed) thinking through consistent, disciplined practice of biblical meditation (1-2). To practice biblical meditation “means to think personally, practically, seriously, and earnestly on how the truth of God’s Word should look in [one’s] life” (2). Properly pursued, such meditation “imprints and fastens a truth in the mind” and “drives a truth to the heart” (6, quoting Thomas Watson). It’s effectiveness in bringing not only intellect or understanding, but also affections and will, into greater conformity with Scripture owes, in the Puritans’ thinking, to the reality that “Affections always follow the rate of our thoughts, if they are ponderous and serious [as opposed to light or superficial thoughts lacking sustained focus and care, which affections might not follow]” (7, quoting Thomas Manton).

Edmund Calamy, Saxton adds, “wrote that for meditation to be biblical, it must pass through three doors to be any good—the door of understanding, the doors of the heart, and the doors of conversation (lifestyle)” (9). Lifestyle or practice, of course, is a manifestation of will, an expression of decisions that alone evidence the state of one’s will. “Heart” here, unfortunately, seems used as a synonym for emotions or affections, potentially misleading usage given the scriptural indication that one’s “heart” or center not only feels but thinks (Proverbs 23:7) and understands (Psalm 49:3; Proverbs 2:2). This raises an issue that causes me mild discomfort. In places, Saxton seems to embrace today’s sharp division between “mind” and “heart” (note headings on 31), treating “mind” as a synonym for intellect or understanding and “heart” as a synonym for our non-intellectual faculties, emotions and will (51-2, for example). I’m not sure if this not-entirely-biblical dichotomizing accurately expresses the Puritans’ thinking or reads today’s sharp dichotomy into Puritan expressions not meant in quite that way. My hope, as one uncomfortable disagreeing with the Puritans (given their greater piety), is that what someone like Calamy had in mind when he distinguished “understanding” and “heart” was the difference between superficial or initial intellectual consideration and deep, in-the-heart intellectual consideration. The idea would be that in one’s heart, in the center of one’s being, intellect/understanding, emotions/affections, and will/volition all interlock and influence one another, with the meditative ideal being to progressively reform all three faculties through the meditative work that begins in the intellect. The undesirable alternative would be intellectual consideration that does not reach beyond the surface of the self (or soul or mind), where intellectual activity may not affect emotions or will (or even deeper intellect) in any lasting way.

No doubt this is a minor point. But, since I agree with Saxton on all major points, I can only offer criticism on such minor ones. I would prefer to avoid using “mind” to mean only intellect, since “mind” is really all that one is that is not physical (hence the use of “mind and body” to designate one’s entire person). I would also be happier if Saxton had selected his quotations and written his exposition in a way that more carefully and consistently avoided suggesting that the common heart-mind or heart-head dichotomy is acceptable or biblically sound. While intellect, emotions, and will clearly are faculties that can be discussed and analyzed separately, the scriptural picture seems to be that one’s ���heart” is not a subset of these faculties but the deepest and truest part of all of them. This truth seems the whole justification for believing that focused and sustained intellectual activity, thoughtful meditation on the content of God’s written Word, can be relied upon to influence, not only how one thinks, but how one feels and what one wills and does.

Chapter 2, “Unbiblical Forms of Meditation” (15-23), contrasts biblical meditation with meditative practices growing out of Roman Catholicism and Eastern religions, and with non-biblical thinking more generally. The fundamental problem with Roman Catholic meditative practices, says Saxton, is that “Whenever any notion or form of spirituality fails to be tied back to the written Word, the end result inevitably tends toward unbiblical mysticism and religious sentimentality” (17-18). In a footnote, he add this: “Mysticism promotes having spiritual experiences with God apart from one’s mind governed by the objective, written truth of Scripture. It is prevalent within Roman Catholicism as well as in the charismatic and Pentecostal movements” (18 n10). A note in a later chapters offers these additional thoughts: “Mysticism teaches that the Holy Spirit bypasses man’s intellect, dealing directly with his emotions without the means of God’s written Word” (43 n43). The latter note seems to make “mysticism” and “religious sentimentality” synonymous in away the former note does not. Does Saxton believe everything one can label “mysticism” is in fact purely a matter of emotions or sentiment? My own understanding is that mystics claim to have had experiences they cannot satisfactorily describe in words and which they believe exceed the intellect’s ability to comprehend (except, perhaps, in some imperfect and partial, perhaps misleading, way). While moderns who think emotions are the deepest and most central part of people, that they are the human “heart,” may consider mystical experience emotional, I don’t know if this characterization accurately captures what all persons claiming mystical experiences have meant to claim.

In any case, it might be asked whether human experience of God really is limited entirely to experience through “the means of God’s written Word,” as the phrasing of the second note suggests. Every Bible believer must join Saxton in insisting that all alleged spiritual experiences be tested, and interpreted, by “one’s mind governed by the objective, written truth of Scripture.” In fact, I would assert that all human experiences, even the “purely physical” ones from which we (for example) construct scientific and historical theories, must be interpreted under Scripture’s guidance. Even so, none of this seems to rule out the possibility of mystical experiences that really are direct experiences of God. It might be that one can make a biblically-sound case that direct experiences of God cannot today occur except through “the means of God’s written Word.” Saxton, however, has not made this case, perhaps assuming that his Reformed readers will take it for granted. This is another minor point of dissatisfaction for me.

Saxton’s primary example of “Far Eastern religious practices” labeled “meditation,” is Transcendental Meditation (TM). (He also mentions yoga.) Whereas biblical meditation “seeks to fill one’s thoughts with Scripture,” TM “includes a practiced passivity of thinking and emptying the mind of itself” (20) that, advocates claim, “allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought—pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness” (19, quoting the Maharishi Foundation Web site). Such practices, Saxton believes, “open the mind to spiritual predators by creating a kind of mental vacuum” (20). Many in contemporary America, of course, have accepted the idea that practices such as TM and yoga can be treated as “nonreligious” methodologies for achieving various ends, such as (my examples) better health, more positive emotions, or enhanced mental function. (The latter is most commonly claimed for “Mindfulness” meditation, a practice that involves focusing on present experience in a detached, non-analytical, non-judging, appreciative manner.) The thinking behind this, I suppose, is that these practices grow out of past trial-and-error learning that might, even if its religious motivations were in error, have discovered techniques with beneficial effects that can be reliably reproduced by practitioners who question or reject the religious or metaphysical beliefs historically motivating or associated with the practices. In Saxton’s judgment, the effects of these practices are anything but beneficial. More importantly, he holds, they are not biblical (true) meditation.

On the subject of non-biblical thinking more generally, Saxton notes how both sinful thoughts and trivial or earthly thoughts can take the place in our minds of proper biblical meditation. “We must realize,” he emphasizes, “that we are responsible for straying or sinful thoughts” and so strive to keep our minds “focused on those matters that honor the Lord” (22).

Chapter 3, “Defining Biblical Meditation” (25-32), further elaborates on the meaning of biblical meditation, discussing the relevant Hebrew and Greek terms, quoting a number of Puritan definitions of “meditation,” and providing further description of the “ingredients” of biblical meditation as the Puritans understood and practiced it (31-2). This very useful chapter, which makes clear the biblical justification and Puritan understanding of meditation, does seem to dash my earlier-expressed hope that I could maintain my understanding of “heart” and “mind” without disagreeing with the Puritans. Oliver Heywood, for example, seems to treat “working...upon the heart” and “impressing...on the will and affections” as equivalent phrases (quoted on 31-2), which implies he did not consider intellect or thought an operation of the heart. Additionally, Henry Scudder speaks of “the mind or reason” (quoted on 32), indicating he restricts the meaning of “mind” to intellect or understanding alone. I’m not persuaded that this is the best usage, and I can’t be sure it obtained in the writings of all Puritans, but is does seem that the dichotomy so prevalent in our day is pretty close to what at least some Puritans had in mind. This has the unfortunate tendency (it seems to me ) to suggest that emotions and volition are more fundamental and central than thought, so I might wish that Saxton had chosen to modify or correct the Puritan usage somewhat. Whether this minor matter will concern any other reader, I am curious to see.

Chapter 4, “Occasional Meditation” (33-44), discusses a type of biblical meditation meant to allow us to “grow in grace during the many hours when we are unable to study an open Bible” (33). The basic idea is to train oneself to find illustrations of scriptural truths in the objects, occurrences, and activities of one’s daily life. Of course, one must be sure to ground such spontaneous meditation in actual scriptural truths, not to let one’s imagination run wild (43-4). Thus, such meditation does not replace, but depends upon and requires, more regular and planned meditation and ongoing study and memorization of Scripture (44).

Chapter 5, “Deliberate Meditation” (45-9), concerns more regular and planned meditation, what Saxton identifies as “the foundation of a godly person’s thinking and Christian practice” (46). Such meditation is divided into direct and reflexive categories. Direct meditation involves “a mind that focuses complete attention on meditating on something outside of oneself, such as the Word of God or some great truth” which “would, in turn, direct the believer’s path in the right moral choices of life” (47); this sort of meditation is pointed to, Saxton relates, in Joshua 1:8. Reflexive meditation adds to this rigorous reflection on one’s own response to the biblical truths one has come to apprehend through direct meditation (47-8). Such reflection is only complete when it leads to tangible results: resolutions and the actions that follow. “Thus,” Saxton summarizes, “in direct meditation, the believer digs out the treasure of God; but it is in reflexive meditation that he brings this treasure home to his own soul in a practical, personal way” (49).

Chapters 6-8 (51-93)—respectively titled “The Practice of Meditation,” “Important Occasions for Meditation,” and “Choosing Subjects for Meditation”—discuss practical aspects of biblical meditation. These chapters provide excellent nuts-and-bolts guidance for incorporating the discipline of biblical meditation into one’s life. Edifying reading, these chapters (like others) are replete with interesting and helpful quotations from various Puritan authors. Though in places it may seem like Saxton does little more than string many quotation together, he does so in a manner that communicates the most relevant Puritan insights effectively and efficiently.

Chapter 9, “The Reasons for Meditation” (95-103), presents “some of the reasons why each believer should be regularly meditating upon God, His Word, and His works” (95). One particularly noteworthy statement in the chapter is the following: “One of the modern believer’s plaguing sins is possessing only a superficial knowledge of the Bible....This brings widespread lack of discernment throughout the modern church. Deliberate meditation upon Scripture builds a habit of thinking through decisions in a biblically thoughtful manner. Christians easily fall for all kinds of errors because they lack this practice” (98). Also noteworthy (and quote worthy), is this: “Meditation should be seen as a positive assault against sins in one’s life—it works with the goal of replacing them with truth and sincerity. Meditation is how lasting change, progressive sanctification, and victory over sin take place. It is the replacement of vain thoughts with the renewal of the spirit of one’s mind (Eph. 4:23)” (102). This chapter provides solid motivation to undertake and/or continue practicing biblical meditation.

Chapter 10, “The Benefits of Meditation” (105-14), further motivates the Bible-believing reader to begin or continue on the path of biblical meditation by describing some of its benefits. Among these are that it (to quote portions of the section headings) “Deepens Repentance,” “Increases Resolve to Fight Sin,” “Inflames Heart Affection for the Lord,” “Increases Growth in Grace,” “Provides Comfort and Assurance to the Soul,” “Creates a Life of Joy, Thankfulness, and Contentment,” “Deepens and Matures a Christian’s Experience,” and “Improves the Knowledge and Retention of God’s Word.” While the to-me-irksome assumption that the human “heart” is all about emotions, while “mind” is just another word for the “merely rational” stuff of intellect (109), continues, Bible believers certainly should desire for their “Heart Affection[s]” to become “Inflame[d]” for the Lord, just as they should long to see their heart thoughts and heart choices conformed to Scripture’s intellectual and moral content. One statement in the chapter particularly worth marking down is this: “Henry Scudder taught that meditation practically changes and fashions a person ‘so that God’s will in his word and your will become one, choosing and delighting in the same things’” (107).

Chapter 11, “The Enemies of Meditation” (115-27), deals with various excuses and hindrances that can interfere with the practice of biblical meditation. These vary from simple busyness, to a meditation-averse temperament, to unwillingness to endure the feelings of guilt resulting from the sins in one’s life, to the various distractions and entertainments so prevalent in our day. “We live in a day of pervasive mental distractions,” Saxton observes. This day has such “conveniences” as “Cell phones [that] provide instant communication...homes...[with] immediate access to hundreds of television channels[,] Rock music [that] pulsates in every building we walk in....Satellite radio....[and] the Internet. What,” asks Saxton, “is the result of all these so-called conveniences? We now have a society of distracted thinkers who are surrounded by a culture whose practices run counter to a thoughtful life of biblical meditation” (124). An accurate observation, no doubt; tragically, however, it exceeds 140 characters and so cannot hope to be attended to by contemporary readers. I appreciate it, however; hence the quotation.

Chapter 12, “Getting Started: Beginning the Habit of Meditation” (129-32), is brief. It advises readers to pray for God’s assistance getting started and continuing biblical meditation (129-30), and to be prepared for and persevere through difficulties (130-2).

The final chapter, “Conclusion: Thoughts on Meditation and Personal Godliness” (133-8), offers closing thoughts. The chapter gives readers some additional motivation and practical guidelines for practicing biblical meditation. One quotable reads as follows: “The battle against sin starts in the mind—the thoughts or what one dwells upon. This is why meditation is so important. It is God’s ordained plan for biblical thinking, renewing the mind, overcoming sin, and thus growing in[to] greater Christlikeness” (133).

The book also includes a bibliography (139-45).

Overall, this is an excellent, edifying book that I’m happy to recommend.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you know about biblical meditation? Is it relevant? Important? Necessary?

This book explains how and what biblical mediation looks like and describes the command from Scripture.
I listened to this on hoopla, but would recommend the reader to find a physical copy. This book's case in point, my wandering mind had a hard time focusing and I wished I had the text in front of me to re-read when I zoned out.

Here are a few quotes I bookmarked along the way:

Chapter 6
Meditating and spending time with the Lord is like a good meal. It takes time to prepare and time to enjoy. Many Christian devotions resemble a person who is wolfing down a burger while driving on the freeway. However, our time with the Lord should look more like a couple who enjoys each aspect of a seven course dinner.

Chapter 7
Meditation complements personal devotions in God’s word and prayer time. Thomas Manton explained that Bible reading, meditation and prayer ought to each have their rightful place in the believer’s life... What we take in by the Word we digest by meditation and let it out by prayer.

Chapter 9
Failure to use our minds for God’s business makes us guilty of slighting God and His Word. If a king puts forth an edict or proclamation and the subjects never mind it, it is a slighting of the king’s authority.

Chapter 12
Stumbling means that a good work has begun. Anything that is truly worthwhile usually takes great effort to start and continue.

Conclusion
Divine meditation is a universal remedy against sin. It is a help to all goodness. It is a preservative of all godliness. It is an armor of proof against the devil’s temptations.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This [meditation] is a spiritual exercise in which a godly person—having a heart which is separated from the earth and lifted up toward heaven—reflects upon and engages his thoughts toward God and divine things with which he was already previously acquainted. He does so in order to be led further into divine mysteries, to be kindled with love, to be comforted, and to be stirred up to lovely exercises.” -Wilhemus a Brakel

“Meditation is the palate of the soul whereby we taste the goodness of God; it is the eye of the soul whereby we view the beauties of holiness. It is the key to the wine cellar, to the banqueting house, to the garden of spices that lets us in unto Him whom our souls love.” Thomas Watson

Saxton does a thorough job working through the value and necessity of biblical meditation while also weaving in application. He wraps it all up with this wise counsel from Cotton Mather: “Let not a day ordinarily pass you wherein you will not read some portion of [the Bible], with due meditation and supplication of it.”

It’s not one of the easier reads, given the abundance of Puritan quotes; however, it was well worth my time.

[Jordan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meditation is to think personally, practically, seriously, and earnestly on how the truth of God’s Word should look in life. As a much neglected practice in my own life, this book has challenged me to see meditation as necessary for spiritual growth and stability (read Psalm 1 and you’ll see why). This is my #1 reading recommendation for the year. Now warm your heart at the fire of meditation!

Favorite Quotes:
“We must wholeheartedly integrate doctrine with living.”

“Many hear sermons, read Christian books, maintain a semblance of Bible reading, and listen to Christian music; yet they remain weak in holiness, love, and service. Why? The answer is a lack of serious thinking on the Word combined with a life dominated by entertainment.”

“Meditation broadens the shoulders and deepens the experience of God‘s people. It sobers foolish minds and matures childish reasoning.”

“Little meditating makes lean Christians, of little life, little strength, little growth, and of little usefulness to others.”

“Meditation always results in changed actions, resolves, and practices.”

[Tim Casteel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great content and topic. A bit of a slog to read. It’s more of a "compendium of 500 quotes from the Puritans on Biblical Meditation" than a book.

If you take it more as a daily reader, it’s good. If you’re trying to read it like a book, you’ll find it disjointed and roughly patched together.

I’m grateful for the author’s research in compiling and categorizing all of these great quotes, but the result is a bit clunky; e.g.:

Thomas White explained, “No man is converted without meditation, for everyone that is converted…hears the truth,…is convinced,…considers and meditates upon them,…[and] is affected with them.” Bates suggested that David was called a man after God’s own heart because he meditated. It was “because of the heavenly frame and temper of his spirit.” Commenting on Psalms 1:2 and 119:97, 148, Ranew instructed: "Not a watch set in the night, but he had his meditation."

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the church and remember grumbling because sermons were not “practical”. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned more about thinking things through and finding how God wants me to apply what I’ve learned. This book drills down into the topic of meditation, which is really the missing link between Bible knowledge and personal application. I am a no expert at this but I’m convinced that putting into action whats written here will help me to deepen my relationship with God and make me more obedient to His will.
Listened to the audiobook, then borrowed a copy and typed up some notes as I re-read.

[Christabelle]

This was not on my reading list until a sister in Christ mentioned it. It turns out the timing was perfect. God had put on my heart this verse: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord , my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14) but I didn't have a "how." This book goes through some practical advice for the where, when, why of Biblical mediation and gave me some things to consider. This is a "put into action" book and I'm very grateful to have gone through it!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great content, yet overly repetitive. Largely just a stitching together of Puritan quotes.

One of the things that might have helped this book is a more thorough explanation of the practice of meditation. The book is filled with exhortations to meditate---a thing much needed!---but the advice on its actual practice is lacking, in my estimation. Perhaps an appendix with some very concrete examples may have been helpful.

All-in-all, still a great read. A needed reminder that we are to not only read, mark, and learn, but also inwardly digest, the Word of God.

[Mandi Ehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I *loved* this book, but I strongly dislike the title because I don't think it's a great fit for the content. Honestly, if I'd just seen the title, I probably wouldn't have ever picked it up, but I read a recommendation that convinced me to pick it up despite the title. And I'm glad I did!

The book itself is focused on the Puritan practice of Biblical meditation, using hundreds of quotes from early Puritan pastors. It's encouraging, convicting, and practical!

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad that I read this early in the year because it will be staying with me as I pursue a more structured devotional life. This book was warm and pastoral. A warning against lukewarm Christianity and a call to a fervent love for God and his Word. Every Christian should read this. I can't wait to apply some of the practical action steps. I found myself naturally meditating more this week on the scriptures while reading through this book. Highly recommend.

[Eliézer Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book a thousand stars, I would. Every believer NEEDS to read this book. The quotes alone, skillfully placed at the right times by Saxton make the book worth it. My heart is full of a yearning to meditate on God and feast on Him, and then to be of use to my neighbor. I love Christ more after reading this book.