Catchy title isn’t it? While I was hanging out at the surgery center with George last week I was able to read a new book I got through Reformation Trust titled “The Christian Lover” by Michael A.G. Haykin with Victoria J. Haykin. This is a great little book containing love letters between noted authors, preachers, and theologians and their wives from the 16th century through to the 20th century. Each chapter gives historical information about the relationship between the spouses, challenges they endured and their love for God followed by a few letters between the couple. The book contains letters between well known reformers Martin Luther and his wife, John Calvin and his wife, as well as lesser known believers such as the Hemuth and Freya con Moltke (Helmuth was involved in trying to overthrow the Nazi regime and was put to death because of it). The authors who put together this anthology pointed out the fact that the reformers and the Puritans had a biblical perspective on marriage that is not seen today. I really appreciated this book because it gave me a glimpse into the lives and hearts of the couples and showed me how their faith was essential to maintaining their strong marriages. I will end my review with a quote in the book by Richard Baxter (1615-1691):
“It is a mercy to have a faithful friend, that loveth you entirely, and is as true to you as yourself, to whom you may open your mind and communicate your affairs, and who would be ready to strengthen you, and divide the cares of your affairs and family with you, and help you to bear your burdens, and comfort you in your sorrows, and be the daily companion of your lives, and partaker of your joys and sorrows. And it is a mercy to have so near a friend to be a helper to your soul; to join with you in prayer and other holy exercised; to watch over you and tell you of your sins and dangers, and to stir up in you the grace of God, and remember to you of the life to come, and cheerfully accompany you in the ways of holiness.”