be alarmed to discover the growing tendency among his Reformed descendants to
reduce or ignore the importance of Scripture as well as over emphasizing either the
intellect or the affections to the neglect of the other. Further, his method of
meditation to “first lay down the Object [i.e. the biblical theme], and then direct you
how to look upon it [i.e. stir up the affections to experience it]”^228 would quiet the
fears of Bavinck who felt many Anabaptist mystics discounted Scripture. A close
corollary is the development of a sanctified imagination for reading Scripture. While
there is a growing receptivity to spiritual reading today this has not always been well
received in some sections of the Reformed tradition. To form healthy and biblically
balanced disciples of Jesus, the restrictions of binary thinking must be transformed
into a welcome dependency upon the Word and Spirit through a sanctified
imagination to experience the fullness of God, including contemplative experiences of
God.
Next, it was noted that Ambrose has much to teach Reformed Christians about
a theology of intentionality. This forms a critical component of Ambrose’s
theological structure from which he intentionally engaged in the cultivation of
solitude and spiritual practices. Though he withdrew for his annual May retreats he
was cognizant of the subtle dangers and temptations of these prolonged periods of
isolation. In chapter 3 Ambrose recognized that the Holy Spirit and good angels were
not the only ones to inhabit the spiritual world. He was personally aware of spiritual
combat with the powers of darkness and realized that one should carefully discern if
God was calling a person to withdraw into solitude. Richard Foster articulates a
similar caution, “[i]n the silent contemplation of God we are entering deeply into the
(^228) Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus (^) , 129, 259, 365, 539, etc. cf. Media (1657), 222.