periods ranging from his heavenly existence before his birth to the second coming.
Each of these nine categories begins with the biblical foundation, or laying down the
doctrine for that aspect of Jesus’ life, followed by nine movements of increasing
intensity of looking at Jesus intended to stir up the affections. The nine ways of
looking consist of knowing, considering, desiring, hoping, believing, loving, joying^170 ,
calling, and conforming to that aspect of Jesus’ life. This pattern is once again
reflective of the structure of a Puritan sermon and meditation that follows Bernard’s
practice of beginning with the intellect and moving to the affections.^171
Some scholars have asserted that the Puritans did not write about the humanity
of Christ and more specifically his passion, as was common among Roman Catholic
authors.^172 Charles Herle’s Contemplations and Devotions on the Severall Passages
of Our Blessed Saviours Death and Passion is the exception, though he specifically
asserts his motivation for publishing this was to counter the rather unusual criticism
of Roman Catholics that Puritans “spend all [their] devotion on the Pulpit, and keeps
none for the Closet.”^173 Ambrose specifically references Herle’s work in Looking
unto Jesus.^174 Horton Davies observes that while Puritans typically eschewed
meditation on Christ’s humanity and passion those writers of mystical persuasion
170
While “joying” is not a standard English word Ambrose employs it throughoutLooking Unto Jesus (^171) Ambrose, Media (1657), 222.. (^)
(^172) Martz, Poetry of Meditation, 163-4 and Kaufmann, Pilgrim’s Progress in Puritan
Meditation 173 , 126.
Herle, Contemplations on Our Blessed Saviours, Epistle Dedication, [6]. Green
lists a number of other Puritan works that addressed Jesus as Saviour and Exemplar,
including Perkins, Preston, Reynolds, Thomas Hooker, and Thomas Goodwin. Print
and Protestantism 174 , 322-5.
183 The name is unclear, but the titles match. Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus, 612. cf. Ultima in Prima, Media, Ultima (1654),