The Whole Duty of Divine Meditation


Book Description

Richard Allestree says, “meditation is a serious and solemn considering of heavenly things in the word of God, to the end that Christians may understand how much of God’s word concerns them, and that their hearts may be raised to holy passion and resolution to do what it says every day they live here on earth.” Godly meditation is part of the three legs to the stool of a Christian’s spiritual devotions. Spiritual devotions, or the three spiritual disciplines comprise Bible reading, prayer and pondering the word of God, or what we call godly meditation. This meditation is the musing and mental study of heavenly truths. It is working the practical truths of the Bible into one’s soul. In this, Christians are captivated with God’s disclosure of heavenly truths to them in the bible. In the bible God displays himself to them. God is the infinite First-being, worthy of all love for Himself, and communicates that love to His people. They in turn love him back. Loving him back includes thinking about him. Though Christians live in the world, they have communion with the God of heaven through the word of God, throughout the whole course of their lives. They do this through godly meditation. Allestree not only shows what meditation is, and how it is to be done, but gives the reader twenty-eight meditations so that he can enter into a profitable time of daily meditation by practical example. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.




THE PRACTICAL RULE OF CHRISTIAN PIETY


Book Description

In 1575 Christopher Plantin sent to press Arias Montano's Dictatum Christianum sive communes et aptae disciplinorum Christi omnium partes. It is presumed that shortly after the publication of the Latin original the treatise was translated into French, Dutch, and Italian, yet, though there is written evidence of the French impression, no copy of this translation nor of the Italian or Dutch are extant. During years the only known surviving translation of the Dictatum was the one rendered into Spanish by Montano?s disciple Pedro de Valencia thirty years after the publication of the original. These circumstances certainly underline the exceptionality of the 1685 English translation of the Dictatum Christianum, which has remained unknown to scholars until very recently, and to which its translator, Archibald Lovell, gave the title of The Practical Rule of Christian Piety: Containing the Summ of the Whole Duty of a True Disciple of Christ. Printed in London in 1685 by Joseph Hindmarsh, this unique translation of The Practical Rule will surely prove particularly interesting to scholars who study Spanish and English Humanism and early modern spirituality, philosophy, and culture. With this new edition of the text, our aim is to make it known to modern researchers, and to explore the peculiarities of the translation and of the ideological backdrop against which Lovell Englished Montano's Dictatum Christianum almost a century after the death of the Spanish Hebraist, and in a country where Anglicanism had become the established official creed in stern opposition to Catholicism.







The Beauty of Holiness


Book Description

In this work, Allestree invites you into the sublime realm of God’s holiness, providing an exploration of the transformative power and inherent beauty of a life humbly dedicated to Jesus Christ. Drawing from the richly woven threads of scripture, he illuminates the noble path of righteousness and the profound fulfillment that ensues when we embrace life as God ordains. His main text is 1 Chronicles 16:29, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” With spiritual clarity and wisdom, Allestree reveals the magnetic allure of holiness, venturing deep into its multi-dimensional essence and emphasizing its transformational effect on earnest disciples of Christ's church. With the heart of a shepherd, he unveils the need for holiness, not merely as a moral obligation, but as a radiant testament to God's mercy, with the power to revolutionize every facet of our earthly existence in Jesus. Throughout, Allestree's profound insights reverberate, calling on Christians to reconceptualize their understanding of holiness in the light of Holy Scripture, and beckoning them to commence on a transformative pilgrimage towards a deeper communion with the divine; an intimate walk with the triune God. He uncovers the unparalleled beauty and harmony that arise when faithful believers mold their lives in line with divine ordinances, looking to God's will to transform their own. His will becomes their will. This inspiring work transcends the bounds of theoretical virtue; it serves as a practical manual for cultivating a life imbued with the divine gift of the Spirit. Allestree's teachings impassion readers to aim for moral excellence, to pursue purity of heart, and to undertake a life dedicated to fervent worship and devotion. “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:16). He assures us that holiness is not an oppressive mandate, but a liberating journey of ultimate fulfillment, a state of true freedom where we can relish the joy of aligning our steps with Christ's divine purpose.