Clearly Owen was not opposed to all types of contemplative prayer, only those that
ignored the mind and the other faculties of the soul. Therefore, what at first appears
to be resistance to contemplation dissolves upon closer examination and in reality
many Puritans eagerly embraced contemplative practices.
Reception of Isaac Ambrose Since the Seventeenth-Century
Before examining the contemporary resistance to a contemplative-mystical
piety it is significant to recognize the reception of Ambrose’s works following his
death.^22 The popularity of his writing is reflected in the numerous editions of his
Complete Works beginning with the first edition in 1674 followed subsequently by
those republished in 1682, 1689, 1701, 1723, 1759, 1768, 1769, 1799, 1813, 1816,
1820, 1829, 1835, 1839, etc. Additionally many of his individual publications went
through numerous editions. John Wesley edited major portions of his writings that
filled two volumes in his Christian Library.^23 Furthermore references to Ambrose
appear in the eighteenth^24 , nineteenth^25 , and twentieth-centuries.^26
Contemporary Resistance to Contemplative-Mystical Piety within the Reformed
Tradition: Karl Barth
There is no evidence that anyone criticized Ambrose during his time or since
for his contemplative-mystical piety. However, in traveling across the centuries since
Ambrose, Karl Barth towers above most in his resistance to a more experiential
(^22) For a broader treatment of the heritage of Puritanism see Coffey, “Puritan
Legacies.” 23
24 Wesley, Christian Library, 7:311-9:132.^
Gillies, Historical Success of the Gospel, 2:170-1; Oliver, History of English
Calvinistic Baptists 25 , 264; and Jones, “Evangelical Revival in Wales,” 242.
Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 51 (first series) and Treasury of David, 1:348,
360, 436; 2:30, 399; and 26 3:245.
numerous editions of Ambrose’s works in Dutch. See pages 309 Griffiths, Example of Jesus, 7, 38, 44, 57, 87, 184. In addition there have been -10 for details.