The Art of Suffering and the Impact of Seventeenth-century Anti-Providential Thought
The Art of Suffering and the Impact of Seventeenth-century Anti-Providential Thought

Author: Ann Thompson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-11-01

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1351760734

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This title was first published in 2003. 'The art of suffering' is one of many strands of literature on suffering published in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This book explores through the art of suffering the way in which the meaning for suffering, which the seventeenth century inherited from the Middle Ages and which centres on the role of suffering as a manifestation of the hand of God in the process of salvation, is refined and enhanced by successive puritan writers only to crumble under the impact of emerging anti-providential thought. It goes on to explore the challenge which the absence of meaning for suffering presents to the Judaeo-Christian concept of an omnipotent and infinitely good God, and the ways in which themes and doctrines already present in the literature on suffering are reshaped and recombined to defend the omnipotence and infinite goodness of God.

Suffering and Sovereignty
Suffering and Sovereignty

Author: Brian H. Cosby

Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books

Published: 2012-12-29

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1601782136

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John Flavel wrote extensively on the subject of human suffering and how it relates to divine sovereignty. He himself experienced great suffering through the deaths of three wives and a son and continual persecution from state officials. Because many of his writings deal directly with the theme of suffering and because of his own experience with it, Flavel is a significant resource for understanding a Puritan theology of human suffering and divine sovereignty. In this book, Brian H. Cosby examines John Flavel’s teachings on suffering and how that theology translated into practical application for suffering believers. Serious consideration is given to issues related to the origin and nature of suffering, how it relates to divine sovereignty, God’s purpose for it, how people were encouraged to respond to it, and the benefits of comfort and consolation such understandings produce in believers. Cosby ably gathers these elements together so as to present a Puritan theology of suffering drawn from Flavel’s writings. Table of Contents: 1. Toward a Puritan Theology of Suffering 2. Origin and Nature of Suffering 3. Divine Sovereignty and Human Suffering 4. God’s Purposes in Ordaining Suffering 5. The Right Response to Suffering 6. Assurance of Salvation 7. The Cessation of Suffering

Infertility in Early Modern England
Infertility in Early Modern England

Author: Daphna Oren-Magidor

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-08-09

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1137476680

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This book explores the experiences of people who struggled with fertility problems in sixteenth and seventeenth-century England. Motherhood was central to early modern women’s identity and was even seen as their path to salvation. To a lesser extent, fatherhood played an important role in constructing proper masculinity. When childbearing failed this was seen not only as a medical problem but as a personal emotional crisis. Infertility in Early Modern England highlights the experiences of early modern infertile couples: their desire for children, the social stigmas they faced, and the ways that social structures and religious beliefs gave meaning to infertility. It also describes the methods of treating fertility problems, from home-remedies to water cures. Offering a multi-faceted view, the book demonstrates the centrality of religion to every aspect of early modern infertility, from understanding to treatment. It also highlights the ways in which infertility unsettled the social order by placing into question the gendered categories of femininity and masculinity.