The Roots of Endurance, 3: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce

I received this book from a colleague of mine almost one year ago, and it is part of a Piper series called The Swans are Not Silent. I regularly read, listen and watch Piper's sermons, interviews and books, and once again I was not disappointed. The Roots of Endurance is the third book of five in this series, and the lives of three Christ-loving men are examined. I had some knowledge of the lives of Newton and Wilberforce prior to reading this book, but The Roots of Endurance gave me a better understanding of the battles they often faced and the God who carried them through it all. I probably enjoyed reading about Charles Simeon the most. I knew virtually nothing of the man and reading about the hardship he faced preaching at his own church is an example of suffering for Christ that more should hear. I think I would very much enjoy reading other books in this series, particularly Piper's book on Augustine, Luther and Calvin.

I love biographies. I love John Piper. So I really love biographies written by John Piper. The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce is the third book (of four) in the Swans are not Silent biography series. Each book contains short, 30-40 page biographies of three saints; each section focusing on particular distinctives of that specific saint. John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce are the subjects of book three and are brought together under a common theme: each man possessed and exhibited character qualities that are essential to perseverance in Christian life and ministry. For Newton, it was the "tough roots of his habitual tenderness"; for Simeon, it was the "ballest of brokeness" that kept his ship from being tossed to and fro; and for Wilberforce, it was child-like joy in Christ that enabled him to steadily persevere with patience and hope in the midst of great opposition. Piper shows us John Newton as a man who, after his conversion to Christ, lived out these words: "Whoever...has tasted of the love of Christ, and has known, by his own experience, the need and the worth of redemption, is enabled, yea, he is constrained, to love his fellow creatures. He loves them at first sight, and, if the providence of God commits a dispensation of the gospel and care of souls to him, he will feel the warmest emotions of friendship and tenderness, while he beseeches them by the tender mercies of God, and even while he warns them by his terrors" (54). There is much, much more; but to suffice it to say, Newton was a man who lived the truth of II Timothy 2:24-26. Charles Simeon helps us to obey the commandment, "Be patient in tribulation" Romans 12:12. Piper wants Simeon's life to help us "see persecution, opposition, slander, misunderstanding, disappointment, self-recrimination, weakness, and danger as the normal portion of faithful Christian living and ministry" (78). Simeon himself endured such things and so becomes a model to us as we seek to live faithfully in the present age. Piper explains that Simeon's ability to persevere grew from "Roots of Endurance": He had a strong sense of his accountability before god for the souls of his flock He was free from the scolding tone even through controversy He was not a rumor tracker He was not a heresy-hunter He dealt with opponents in a forthright, face to face way He learned to receive rebuke and grow from it He was unimpeachable in his finances and he had no love of money He saw discouraging things hopefully He saw suffering as a privilege of bearing the cross with Christ But the deepest roots that gave health and life to these other 'roots' was Simeon's devotion to Bible study and meditation; and his experience of "Growing downward in humiliation before God and upward in adoration of Christ." Simeon said, "Meditation is the grand means of our growth in grace; without it prayer itself is an empty serv

What a great book - in my opinion Piper is such a great writer and the subject of his essay this time was one of my personal heroes - William Wilberforce. But this wasn't just a book about the life and ministry of Wilberforce, it was a look at the interaction of three incredible men of God that all lived at the same time in England and how they each endured through extraordinary conditions. The elder statesman was John Newton, well-known today as the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace." Newton, a former slave-trade captain, became an outspoken abolitionist as he pastured a church and ministered to the lives of his parishioners. Piper also brings into the mix another pastor, a contemporary of Wilberforce, Charles Simeon who pastured Trinity Church on the campus of Cambridge for fifty-four years. The primary emphasis of this book is simply to introduce Christians today to some of the great men of the faith from years past - the great cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12. This book is actually Book Three of The Swans are not Silent series and after reading this one, I'm looking forward to diving into the others. But the book is not just biographical in nature - Piper does a great job applying the lessons learned from the lives and struggles of these great men to our own personal spiritual journeys. In this book, specifically, each man had to overcome significant opposition to their faith and the common root of endurance they shared was their deep devotion to God's Word and their unwillingness to compromise their principles for expediency or approval. However, each individual did have opportunities to demonstrate God's grace in their own lives as they worked with those who stood in opposition to them, and in most cases, won them over as brothers-in-Christ by their compassion. Three incredible stories of three god-sized challenges overcome by three humble, but God-centered, men. The book is a great read for almost anyone - a friend struggling with a life issue, a young person wondering how God could use them, or a pastor as he sacrifices to lead and minister to his flock - The Roots of Endurance is a challenging, uplifting and encouraging read and just what the doctor ordered to spur one another one toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24).

John Piper produced another top-notch work. This book is articulate, to the point, and easy to read. He clearly did a tremendous amount of scholarly work in writing this book. Very few works exist in Reformed circles wherein non-theologians can read and understand due to the concise nature of the writing. Piper did an excellent job describing how these men dealt with tremendous strife - and where the ability to do so originated. These men understood God's grace... and that is a point not lost, but rather promoted, by Piper. This is another book I can highly recommend.

In this third biographical study, Piper gives us three excellent sketches of men who persevered in ministry and righteousness in the face of incredible difficulty. John Newton, the converted slave-trader who penned Amazing Grace, is a model in "habitual tenderness" towards the hurting (most notably the manic-depressive poet William Cowpoer). Charles Simeon is lesser known, but proves to be a powerful demonstration of endurance in the face of almost unrelenting opposition and affliction. His endurance was rooted primarily in his high view of God and his low view of self (what a word for the self-esteem gurus filling America's pulpits today!!). Finally, William Wilberforce, the greatest instrument God used in the abolishment of slavery in Britain, is studied, along with the doctrine which gave him strength and moved him into action (the doctrine is justification by faith). This is a great book and very encouraging. Highly recommended.