One of my favorite Puritan authors is the little known George Swinnock. Stephen Yuille introduced me to this great divine in his academic work The Fear of God in the Affective Theology of George Swinnock. I later bought, with Christmas money, ¹ the Works of George Swinnock put out by Banner of Truth and have been feasting ever since.

Few details of Swinnock’s life have survived the centuries. We know his great contemporary Edmund Calamy called him a “serious, warm . . . practical, useful preacher.” Spurgeon said, “George Swinnock had the gift of illustration largely developed, as his works prove.” He died at the tender age of 46 in 1672, ten years after being ejected from The Church of England for Nonconformity. One wonders what works he would have produced if God granted him a few more decades of ministry.

Swinnock’s magnum opus is The Christian Man’s Calling, a 1,252 page work applying 1 Timothy 4:7 – “exercise thyself unto godliness” – to all areas of life. Some people might accuse it of being the epitome of Puritan redundancy, but I like to think of it as the epitome of fruitful Puritan meditation. Of particular help are the thirteen “means whereby Christians may exercise themselves unto godliness” he offers at the book’s end:

1. Living by faith

2. Setting God always before our eyes

3. A constant watchfulness

4. Frequent meditation of death

5. Daily communion with God

6. Frequent meditation on the day of judgment

7. Daily examination of the heart

8. Mortification of sin

9. A humble frame

10. Increased knowledge of God

11. A contented spirit

12. The vanity of all other pursuits

13. The brevity of man’s life

I wish he had a fourteenth point emphasizing the role of the local church as God’s gymnasium, the ordinary arena in which we train ourselves for godliness. Nevertheless, Swinnock’s list provides thirteen compelling topics for spiritual exercise and meditation. Consistent exercise in each area will put some godly sweat on your spiritual exercise.