One of my favorite Puritans is named Thomas Boston. Among his most notable works are Human Nature in It’s Fourfold State, The Crook in the Lot, and The Art of Man-Fishing. The latter work was completed when Boston was the age of twenty-two and “has been constantly hailed by evangelicals as a masterpiece on ministry, worthy to stand on the same shelf as Baxter’s Reformed Pastor.” ¹ Man-Fishing is a “soliloquy,” or sermonic meditation, on gospel ministry modeled after the word. It houses Boston’s personal thoughts on pastoring with faithfulness, evangelistic purpose, prayerfulness, single-mindedness, and enterprise in usefulness.

It just so happened that I read Man-Fishing earlier this year while preaching through 1 Timothy and I doubt a more pastorally challenging couplet for young pastors can be found. One text is inspired and the other is inspiring; it was a blessed elixir for this young pastor.

I ended up writing my own kind of soliloquy on pastoral ministry this summer in response and thought it could be useful to share with other young pastors and church planters. Thus, starting next week I hope to have a weekly “Pastoral Postcard,” ² one short sermonic meditation intended to encourage pastors in long-term faithfulness and fruitfulness.