Kaufmann’s research distilled “two divergent traditions in Puritan meditation.”^42 The
first originated with Hall and his major disciples Ambrose and Calamy. Kaufmann
characterized this stream as strongly logical in approach eschewing the use of
imagination and the senses.^43 The second was the heavenly meditation stream best
represented by Sibbes and Baxter and recovered the use of imagination ignored by
Hall.^44 This distinction appears overly simplistic and I agree with the critique of
Knott, Beeke, and Lewalski.^45 As will soon be seen Ambrose had a strong sense of
imagination and meditation on heaven. Additionally, Baxter was often considered to
be a strong proponent of reason.^46 Further, one scholar cites both Hall and Baxter as
examples of heavenly meditation.^47 Baxter’s name is also closely associated with the
groundbreaking research of Louis Martz who declared The Saints’ Everlasting Rest
was “the first Puritan treatise on the art of methodical meditation to appear in
England.”^48 The content of this paragraph clearly challenges the accuracy of Martz’s
assessment.^49 The ensuing debate has involved many participants and is quite sterile.
Martz brought a predominant Medieval and Roman Catholic reading to the devotional
literature of seventeenth-century England and while he was helpful in recognizing this
influence the reality is that both Roman Catholic and Protestant contributions existed
side-by-side within English Puritanism.
42
(^43) Kaufmann, Kaufmann, Pilgrim’s Progress in Puritan MeditationPilgrim’s Progress in Puritan Meditation, 118, 124.- 50.^
(^44) Kaufmann, Pilgrim’s Progress in Puritan Meditation, 135-6.
(^45) Knott, Sword of the Spirit, 68; Beeke, “Puritan Practice of Meditation,” 77; and
Lewalski, 46 Protestant Poetics, 150.
47 Baxter, Saints’ Everlasting Rest, 306. cf. Knott, Sword of the Spirit, 76-^7
48 Chan, Spiritual Theology, 99.^
49 Martz, Poetry of Meditation, 154.^
Practice of Piety For a critique of Martz see Wakefield, , viii-ix, 38; and Knott, Sword of the SpiritPuritan Devotion, 5, 87; Hambrick, 64-5. - Stowe,