Cornerstone Church of Knoxville

Relay Resources Recommendations // The Life of God in the Soul of Man

You know a book is really good when you’re reading another book, but spend the whole time wishing you were reading that really good one again. That’s my experience with “The Life of God in the Soul of Man” by Henry Scougal.

Once, I tried reading a Jonathan Edwards book, but had a hard time understanding it. I told this to a spiritual leader of mine, and he asked (told) me, “You’re not very smart, are you?” I thanked him for his observation. We were in the church bookstore at the time, so I began looking for a smaller, easier read. I found a small, un-intimidating book that was the color of newspaper and had zero thought—no, make that less than zero thought—to a cool cover design. I was immediately drawn to it. (I think I felt a little like Charlie Brown did toward his Christmas tree. “This book just needs a friend. I’ll be your friend, little ugly friendless book.”)

So I bought it. And read it. And loved it. And marked it up. And read it again. And marked it up again. And now I re-reread the marked up portions.

Needless to say, my copy is falling apart, ripped up, marked up and coffee-stained.

Why do I enjoy this off-brand-looking book so much? Let me read the title to you again: “The Life of God in the Soul of Man.” Think about that. God’s life…in my soul. That, Scougal says, is the essence of true Christianity. God, in regeneration, imparts his divine life to our souls. What?! Awesome, simple, beautiful.

Assignment: Find the book and read the table of contents. Reading the table of contents alone was enough to convince me to read the whole book!

Henry Scougal died of consumption in 1678, before he was 28. After he died, a friend wrote this of him, which perfectly describes what is so wonderful about his little book:

“His discourses are said to have been so full of thought, his style so plain, his manner of utterance and gesture so sweet, and so expressive of his concern for souls, as quite charmed men’s spirits. And all was so full of light and heat that I may say in the words of our Saviour, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us, while he opened to us the Scriptures?’ His soul seemed to be swallowed up in the contemplation of Jesus Christ.”

Scougal’s words are light and heat. Pick it up, read, repeat.