© 2018 Christy K Robinson
"I do prize him above
Kingdoms: I desire him more than Life."
If you’re been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve
probably noticed the dramatic testimonies that are occasionally made in church:
the Lord came into a person’s life and gave them physical healing, or strength
to overcome an addiction, or willpower to overcome a particular sin. Or maybe
they were trapped in gangs or crime, or a rebellious time of life until someone
stepped in and introduced them to Jesus.
But what about the person who didn’t rebel, didn’t take
illicit drugs or alcohol, didn’t dabble with the devil? What about the person
who accepted Christ early and did all the “right” things? What if your
testimony is nothing to make people say “Amen” to, or bring a tear to their
eyes when you’ve contrasted your old life to your new life?
 |
Richard Baxter, a Puritan minister in England, lived roughly
the same time span as Roger Clapp. According to Wikipedia,
"His views on justification and sanctification
are somewhat controversial
within the Calvinist tradition
because his teachings seem, to some, to
undermine
salvation by faith, in that he emphasizes the
necessity of
repentance and faithfulness." |
And what about the people—and they are many—who are trying
and failing to be perfect, and agonizing that they won’t be saved for eternal
life? They seem to live in Romans chapter 7, where they are sinful and a slave
to the wicked flesh, but haven’t turned the page to Romans 8, which begins
with, “But now, therefore, there is no condemnation…”
In most of my research into 17th-century Puritanism, which
was more zealous in New England than old England, I read of people who were so
distraught at not being admitted to church membership with the Elect (people
predestined to salvation who showed their salvation by performing good works),
that they took their own lives, or tried to kill their children. Not being recognized as a church member meant that they were not recognized as one of the Elect who would be saved. One man in Weymouth jumped
from an upper-floor bedroom window into the snow and stumbled several miles in
the deep cold, kneeling down to pray several times. They found his body the next
day.
There was a ray of warm sunlight for a few years in the
1630s, when Rev. John Cotton, the teacher of Boston First Church, preached a
“Covenant of Grace,” which offered some relief and comfort to the afflicted
souls, in contrast with the other Puritan ministers in the colony. He seemed to
allow parishioners to relax a little in agonizing over their sin, by preaching
salvation by faith in Jesus—but in thanks for that forgiveness, they proved
their love for God by scrupulously keeping the biblical Commandments and laws
of the colony and reporting those who did not, thus setting up even more
pressure to conform.
One of my favorite research finds was a man whose journal I
ran across while in search of local “color” for writing my novels. I like
finding peoples’ opinions about their culture or faith, and it’s even better if
they’re name-droppers for people I know are associated with Mary Dyer or Anne
Hutchinson, the subjects on whom I’ve written. And then if I’m related to
them—it’s a trifecta of ice cream, cherry, and caramel sauce.
Captain Roger Clapp, 1609-1690,
was my uncle, 13 generations back, but as it turns out on another line, he’s the also father-in-law of my eighth great-grandfather (I descend from a second wife who was not a Clapp). However, he did
write of Dyer and Hutchinson without naming names, so I’ve kept a copy of his
memoir in my files.
One of the things that attracts me to this old Puritan was
that the first chapter of his book was full of gratitude, which I’m actively
cultivating in my life as a resolution from a few years back. I heartily
endorse learning gratitude as a daily practice.
Good old Roger wrote of the succession of miracles God
wrought in bringing him to Massachusetts, even though they’d suffered and
nearly starved their first year. He exemplified the bromide, “If life hands you
lemons, make lemonade.”
“It was God that did draw me
by his Providence out of my Father's Family, and weaned me from it by degrees; It was God put it into my Heart to
incline to Live abroad; and it was God
that made my Father willing. God by his
Providence brought me near [Rev.] Mr. Warham, and inclined my Heart to his
Ministry: God by his Providence moved
the Heart of my [employer] Master Mossiour to ask me whether I would go to
New-England: It was God by his Providence
that made me willing to leave my dear Father, and dear Brethren and Sisters, my
dear Friends and Country: It was God
that made my Father willing on the first Motion I made in Person, to let me go:
It was God that sent Mr. Maverick
that pious Minister to me, who was unknown to him, to seek me out that I might
come hither. So God brought me out of
Plymouth [England] the 20th of March in the Year 1629-30, and landed me in
Health at Nantasket on the 30th of May, 1630, I being then about the Age of Twenty
one Years. Blessed be God that
brought me Here!”
But the memorable paragraphs for me were a few pages later,
when he wrote of meeting with churches in the Dorchester area from 1630 on,
where its members lived in mortal fear of an eternity in hell. He said they
lived in terror for their lost condition. But Roger heard Rev. John Cotton in
Boston, when Cotton arrived in 1634, and gained hope that the prophecies of
Revelations showed God’s people winning in the end, and that a small stream of
godly sorrow (at their sins) was better than a flood of great horror. Still,
the bottom line was that few would be saved, and most would be lost.
And then the light truly broke through for Roger: that if
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and Roger was a sinner, then why couldn’t he be saved? "Why not me?" And
instead of trying to obey the harsh laws out of fear of hell, he could hardly
wait for an eternity with his beloved Savior Jesus. He wrote: “If my Heart do not deceive me, I do prize him above
Kingdoms: I desire him more than Life, and to be made more and more like him in
Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of my Life.”
After
God had brought me into this Country, He was pleased to give me Room in the
Hearts of his Servants; so that I was admitted into the Church Fellowship at
our first beginning in Dorchester, in the Year 1630. Jesus Christ being clearly
Preached, and the way of coming to him by Believing was plainly shown forth:
yet because many in their Relations spake of their great Terrors and deep Sense
of their lost Condition, and I could not so find as others did, the Time when
God wrought the Work of Conversion in my Soul, nor in many respects the Manner
thereof; it caused in me much Sadness of Heart, and Doubtings how it was with
me, Whether the Work of Grace were ever savingly wrought in my Heart or no? How
to cast off all Hope, to say, and verily to Believe that there was no Work of
Grace wrought by God in my Heart, this I could not do: yet how to be in some
measure assured thereof was my great Concern: But hearing Mr. Cotton Preach out
of the Revelations, that Christ's Church did come out of great Tribulation, he
had such a Passage as this in his Sermon, "That a small running Stream,
was much better than a great Land Flood of Water, tho' "the Flood maketh
the greatest Noise: So, saith he, A "little constant Stream of godly
Sorrow, is better than great Horrour: God spake to me by it, it was no little
Support unto me. And God helped me to hang on that Text (and thro' his Grace I
will continue so to do).
This
is a faithful saying that is worthy of all Acceptation, that Jesus Christ came
into the World to save Sinners. God has made me sensible that I am a Sinner,
and Jesus Christ came to save Sinners, and why not me, tho' a very-sinful man:
Thro' the Grace of God I desire to rest alone upon Jesus Christ for Salvation.
In
my saddest Troubles for want of a clear Evidence of my good Estate, I did on a
Time Examine myself upon my Bed in the Night, concerning my spiritual Estate;
putting my self upon this Trial, How my Heart stood affected to Sin. The
Question to my Soul was this (pitching upon that Sin which I did confess my
natural Corruption most inclined me to):
The Question, I say, which by God's help, I put to my very Heart and Soul was,
Whether if God would assure me that I should be saved, although I should commit
such a Sin, my Heart were willing to commit it or no. And my very Heart and
Soul answered. No, I would not Sin against God, though I should not be damned
for sinning, because God has forbidden it.
At
that Time my conscience did witness to me that my State [of salvation] was
good: And God's holy Spirit did witness (I do believe) together with my Spirit
that I was a Child of God; and did fill my Heart and Soul with such a full
Assurance that Christ was mine, that it did so transport me as to make me cry
out upon my Bed with a loud Voice, He is come, He is come. And God did melt my
Heart at that time so that I could, and did mourn and shed more Tears for Sin,
than at other Times; Yea the Love of God, that he should Elect me, and save
such a worthless one as I was, did break my very Heart. I say again, When I had
most Assurance of God's Love, I could mourn most for my Sins.
The
Scripture saith, He that Believeth shall be saved: I hope God has not only
wrought Historical Faith in me, but also true Justifying Faith; Faith to
receive Jesus Christ to be my King, Priest and Prophet: If my Heart do not
deceive me, I do prize him above Kingdoms: I desire him more than Life, and to
be made more and more like him in Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of my
Life.
Oh
the Riches of his free Grace to put any holy Desires in my Heart! I leave this
with you, that you may plead God's free Promises, which are, That He will
circumcise our Hearts and the Hearts of our Seed.
God's
Covenant is unto the Faithful and to their Seed. Pray earnestly that God will
be pleased to circumcise your Hearts, and cause you to walk in his Ways; so
shall you be serviceable to him here, and be everlastingly Happy in the World
to come.
*****
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| Clapp headstone from Find a Grave. |
Roger Clapp spent an honorable life, and lived to see
several generations of descendants. He was buried in the Kings Chapel Burying
Ground at Tremont and School Streets in the heart of Boston, near the people he
respected: Gov. John Winthrop, Rev. John Cotton, and Rev. John Wilson. But his
own words tell me that Roger is “everlastingly happy in the world to come,”
full of assurance that Christ is his, and he is Christ’s.
If you are a person who agonizes over confessing the sin you
can’t remember, for fear of not being saved, take comfort from the revelation
of Roger Clapp, that though you’re a sinner, you are loved by God—loved so much
that Jesus died for you, that you would not be condemned, but would have
everlasting life.
John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
*****
Christy K Robinson is author of
these books:
And of these sites:
Discovering
Love (inspiration and service)
Rooting
for Ancestors (history and genealogy)
William and Mary Barrett Dyer
(17th century culture and history of England and New England)
