Holy Helps for a Godly Life

Puritan Treasures for Today

by Richard Rogers, Brian G. Hedges (Editor)

As the Christian life does not begin without means, neither can it grow without them.

The Christian life can be daunting, especially in a world hostile to the ways of God. But the good news is that the God who calls us to be holy has also appointed helpful means so that we can grow in godliness. In Holy Helps for a Godly Life, Richard Rogers shows what the means of godliness are, describes their nature, and explains how they should be used. God has promised to give grace to those who use these means in a right and reverent way, and those who use these means in faith will discover their value for themselves.

Contents

Means to Living a Godly Life

The Ministry of the WordThe SacramentsPublic PrayersThe Necessity of Private HelpsWatchfulnessMeditationThe Armor of the ChristianThe Benefit of This ArmorSpiritual Experience and Company in Family ExercisesPrivate Prayer and Its PartsReadingSolemn Thanksgiving and Fasting Several Cautions for Rightly Using the Helps
Helps for Meditation

Series Description

Interest in the Puritans continues to grow, but many people find reading these giants of the faith a bit unnerving. The Puritan Treasures for Today Series seeks to overcome that barrier by presenting Puritan books that are convenient in size and unintimidating in length. Each book is carefully edited with modern readers in mind, smoothing out difficult language of a bygone era while retaining the meaning of the original authors. Books for the series are thoughtfully selected to provide some of the best counsel on important subjects that people continue to wrestle with today.

Genres: Christian Living, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christianity

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best guides to the practice of Christianity that you can read. Despite originally being written in the early 17th-century, this book is relevant to every age and this modern reprint really serves to make it accessible to the contemporary reader.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Title Says It All

Holy Helps for a Godly Life has made Richard Rogers my new favorite Puritan! Rogers (known as “the Enoch of His Age”) ranks right up there with Thomas Watson in convicting and comforting your heart toward greater godliness and personal holiness. This handy little book on spiritual disciplines is a great companion to Don Whitney’s contemporary book on the spiritual disciplines.

Two of Rogers’ greatest strengths are: (1) Addressing “Watchfulness” as the essential “holy help” for all other spiritual disciplines. (Whitney himself was gently admonished by J. I. Packer for not including watchfulness in his own book on spiritual disciplines.)

(2) Explaining how taking the Lord’s Supper is a spiritual discipline. His insights are extremely practical and much needed in our present day.

Rogers’ greatest weakness is never connecting the various pieces of the armor of God to the character of the indwelling Christ. This weakness is surprising for the Puritans were great practitioners of the spiritual armor in Ephesians 6. (See The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall and Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks) The wisdom found in the rest of the book more than makes up for this disappointing omission.

Richard Rogers’ Holy Helps for a Godly Life would be a great men’s study and profitable for elder training or parental discipleship. Brian Hedges has done the Body of Christ a great service in editing Rogers’ work for a new generation.

It was a joy to read and I will be reading it again!

[Kristi Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot in this book to think about and apply. Not an easy read. Lots of depth. Definitely a call to abandon sinful habits and ways and grow deeper in our faith, cooperating with the Holy Spirit and giving no opportunity for the flesh. Jesus Christ provides the means and the grace to live a holy life. Now and into eternity.

[Lyndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better books by Puritan writers out there. This one was wordy and a bit repetitive to find some good insights.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book contains powerful words of wisdom and application. It is a come-back-too-read book. I found the information theologically sound. This book helps with the call to Sanctification. The passive side of sanctification is God's work, but we must be cautious of laziness and complacency. The active side of sanctification is by our desire to seek and know the will of God. The caution is not to be self-righteous or prideful.
I want to suggest this for our Bible Study. Will they be up to the hard honesty of self and take on the challenge this book offers? The blessings from this book are profound.

[Gannon Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that would benefit any Christian and be worth their time to read. Rogers clearly and succinctly describes the Christian life and how each believer needs the holy helps given to them by God in their public life, their private life, and their combined public and private life. He shows how the Lord offers help to the believers through the public ministry of God's word, the private ministry of family worship, private prayers, and watchfulness, and the combined life of reading, praying, fasting, and offering thanksgiving to God. This book has further convinced me that Christians today (myself included) would benefit greatly by seeing their Christian walk as more than a private affair punctuated with a Sunday recharge, but rather seeing the entirety of their life as a means and opportunity to minister to others and themselves through the work of the Holy Spirit in public and private.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short read on practical helps for living the Christian life. The abridgment of Rogers' original work is well written, edited, and updated into modern English. The chapters are all well put, by and large, and are easy to understand for any Christian to soak up lots of wisdom from. The chapters on the armour of God in particular are useful for the reader and the section on Christian reading. The final chapter on fasting and solemn thanksgiving I thought was lacking due to too much brevity. The book isn't as thorough as something like Scudder's work on Christian living, but it's an excellent early Puritan work on the subject. I'd highly recommend it for any Christian seeking to understand more regarding practical helps on Christian living.

[Amber Thiessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

VT Reading Challenge #14 - A Book Written by a Puritan

I'm always challenged by the Puritans ability to practically share biblical truths. This title is on the topic of spiritual disciplines, the means of grace.

He writes, "as the Christian life does not begin without means, neither can it grow without them." He goes through prayer, thanksgiving, reading, watchfulness and meditation. There's also two chapters on the armour of God, which I hadn't considered specifically as a spiritual discipline and appreciated his thoughts.

[Danhibbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and accessible material, very pertinent to the life of any believer in Christ. Can’t help but be humbled and impressed by the obvious devotion to Christ the writer shows. Very practical advice as well and some areas of daily habits introduced to me that’d I’d never thought on before - eg ‘Watchfulness’.

The editors did a great job of abridging and updating the language to make it easier to read in this day and age.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first Puritan manuals on the Christian life, Rogers was an Elizabethan Puritan and contemporary of William Perkins. I originally started reading this book on recommendation. Not having heard of Rogers, I had somewhat low expectations, but I was totally surprised. This was a gem of a book, the work of a judicious Puritan who understands intimately the ins and outs of the Christian life. I am planning to read this with the men at my church, I loved it so much.

[Ryan Jankowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an abridgement of Rogers' work which has been made available by Brian Hedges. Rogers is difficult to read in the original - this is a well-done modernization. The editor did a spectacular job. The content itself is useful and a good summary of the various means of grace.

[Jona Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this little book very helpful, practical and it sticks to what God’s Word teaches on sanctification. I highly recommended to any believer. Richard Roger’s is a humble man with a pastor’s heart.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly practical! I was challenged to read a Puritan book and this was a good one! Not overly complicated, and quite thought provoking. Would make a good Christian growth guide.

[Melissa Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good overview of practical Christian living from a Puritan perspective. Highly recommend this entire series of Puritan Treasures for Today

[Shannon Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the audiobook edition, but it is not listed on Goodreads.

[Secret Agent Gavin Ritsema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well edited, easy to read, straightforward, and true.

[Daniel Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is deep and searching, it ought to be read slowly and meditative. No wonder why puritans where called the doctors of the soul. Will certaintly review my highlights and notes again. The content is very practical. My only critique is that the explanation on the armor of God wasn't very clear. Brian Hedges did a great job in dividing the content into short chapters and subheadings.