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The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd (Swans Are Not Silent)

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In our day of self-help and "feel good" religion this may seem a strange book to many. Through the looking glass of the lives of John Buyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd, John Piper reminds us of something the Purtians called "The frowning providence of God."

This is the second in a series of books called, The Swans are Not Silent. Each book in this series takes a theme and then examines that theme in the Scripture and the lives of believers of the past. The theme of this work is suffering and affliction.

As always, Piper stretches our faith well beyond the normal comfort zones of evangelical thought. One can feel hid sorrow as Buyan parted from his family to spend 12 years in prison. It was in that prison however, that Pilrgims Progress was born. Piper carries us with William Cowper into the darkness of an insane asylum where in utter despair he finally found the grace and mercy of God. From that darkness Cowper broke into glorious light, writing that great hymn, There is a Fountain Filled With Blood. We are transported back to the apparent failure of David Brainerd as he was expelled from Yale for questioning the salvation of an instructor. We walk with Brainerd through his short years as a missionary to the Indians. Piper reminds us that none of us know what waves will spread out from a pebble dropped into the ocean of God's will.

The Hidden Smile of God is the kind of book that you won't put down once you open it. This is a much needed book in our day. So-called Christian broadcasting is beaming a message around the world of feel-good easiness. It may be a hard word to embrace but it is true. God's people are not spared from affliction and trouble. They are brought through these things in the grace and mercy of God.

This second book in Piper's new series "The Swans are not Silent" is an excellent biographical account of three men: John Bunyan, William Cowper (pronounced Cooper),and David Brainerd. The common thread joining the lives of these three men is suffering. Hence the subtitle: "the fruit of affliction in the lives of ..."

Piper gives us a good introduction to Bunyan, the tinker turned Baptist preacher who spent twelve years in Bedford jail in the 1600's because he wouldn't promise to quit preaching. Bunyan was also the author of The Pilgrim's Progress - probably the most widely-read Christian book besides the Bible ever published. Piper shows how Bunyan learned the secret to enduring suffering by "seeing God who is invisible." This sketch is a great encouragement to persevere.

The second biography is of a different sort, looking at the life of the melancholy poet, William Cowper, who authored the best hymn on God's providence ever written, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way." Cowper's life was checkered with depression, insanity, and multiple suicide attempts - a strange candidate for a Christian hero. Yet, Piper shows how through John Newton's tireless encouragement, Cowper managed to find windows of hope in his all but despair-filled life. It is a sad story, but an encouraging one. Those who appreciate poetry and the agony of soul that often breeds it, will appreciate this sketch of Cowper.

The third sketch covers the life of David Brainerd, the Yale student who was expelled for an untimely word, and became a missionary to the Indians. Despite tuberculosis and harsh living conditions, Brainerd pressed on in the wearisome labor of translation and preaching for the conversion of dozens of Indians. Drawing from the diary and journal compiled by Jonathan Edwards, Piper shows how Brainerd's fasting, prayer, and study helped sustain him through unmitigated suffering and affliction in the work of evangelizing the heathen - and how his example has inspired generations of missionaries (William Carey, Henry Martyn, and Jim Elliot to name a few) ever since. Brainerd's great passion was well expressed in his own words: "O that I may not loiter in my heavenly journey!" What an example.

These biographical masterpieces were first delivered as lectures at the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Dr. Piper pastors. The audio cassettes are available from their ministry outreach (web site). I recommend these without reserve to those who want to be encouraged in the midst of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom.

The second of Piper's The Swans are Not Silent series, this book was the most difficult to read because of the subject it dealt with - suffering. Piper selected three great men of the faith, known for their devotion to the Lord and their godly walk and let the reader peak behind the curtains of their lives - and the suffering, depression, attempted suicide and struggles of these three men was very distressing. Yet, even as Bunyan face his twelve years in prison for preaching the gospel, he saw his struggles actually ordained and orchestrated by God for His own glory; a view that both Cowper and Brainerd shared regarding their own hardships and turmoil.

In a country where suffering is avoided at all costs and seen by many as spiritual weakness, the lives of Bunyan, Cowper and Brainerd shout a different story about the sovereign hand of God in the lives of His children. 1 Peter chapter 4 tells us that we should not consider suffering strange, but rather as a sign that the Lord truly is in control and that He is working out our salvation for His own glory through our hardships. Looking back at the lives of these three saints, it is easy to see how God has been glorified in their struggles - from the writings of Bunyan to the poems and hymns of Cowper to the effectual call to ministry that the life of Brainerd has had on hundreds if not thousands who followed him. While these three struggled greatly, many have tasted the fruit of eternal peace from their hardships.

All four books of this series are outstanding - highly recommended for all Christians to read. Piper introduces us to some great men of the faith and challenges us with their lives to walk in a manner worthy of our calling as those who went before us have done.

Affliction - it is a word that few Christians in our day would like to use in refrence to life. In the midst of the purpose-driven, make me happy Jesus generation comes this wonderful book by John Piper on the lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper (pronouced Cooper), and David Brainerd. What we learn from this book is just what the title suggests: there is fruit in affliction. Reading this work by Piper helps me to see that Romans 8:28 is still true even when it seems life is tough. God is able to use the difficult times in our lives not only for His purpose (Ephesians 1:11) but for others. Did David Brainerd know that his short 29 years on planet Earth would shake up so many Christians and call so many to abandon it all for the sake of world evangelism (Luke 14:33)?

I urge all disciples of Jesus to read this work by John Piper. The chapters are fast paced and you will not get lost in minute details of these men's lives. Piper covers the basics of their life and then he shows you what lessons we can learn from their affliction to help us in ours. An excellent book that I give five stars too without any reservations.

This is the second book in the series The Swans are Not Silent. Like the other books in the series, it contains three of Piper's biographical sermons on historical Christians. In this case, those featured are John Bunyan, William Cowper and David Brainerd, three men who endured great suffering during their lives, and whose suffering bore fruit, both in their own times and onward through history to the present day. Piper's purpose in telling the stories of these men's lives and expounding on them is so that the story of "how they suffered, how they endured, and how it bore fruit will inspire in [the reader] that same radical Christian life, God-centered worship, and Christ-exalting mission."

The first section is on the life of John Bunyan, best known for writing The Pilgrim's Progress, one of the best-selling books of all times, although he wrote at least fifty-seven other books. Bunyan was a "brasyer", a tinker who became a nonconformist preacher. He suffered in many ways throughout his life, including spending 12 years in jail away from his wife and children for refusing to stop preaching. Bunyan's imprisonment drove him to God's word, and developed in him a keen sense of the presence of Christ. Hie suffering and what he wrote about suffering in the life of the Christian can teach us much about following Christ in difficult times.

Next up is William Cowper, who suffered from from depression and insanity, and yet left behind marvelous hymns of God's goodness that we still sing two hundred years later. He is proof of the truth of one of his most famous hymns, God Moves in a Mysterious Way His Wonders to Perform.

And then there's David Brainerd. Brainerd was a young missionary to the Indians in the 1700s who died at aged 29 of tuberculosis, following several years of illness. We remember him because of his journal, which has inspired many others to missionary service, including William Carey and Jim Elliot.

The lives of these three men, Piper says, are like pebbles dropped into a pond: "God has breathed on the waters and made their ripple into waves. And now the parched places of our lives are watered with the memories of sustaining grace."

This is a wonderfully inspirational book. It's not a long book, and I expected to finish it in a snap, but things didn't work out that way because of the richness of the stories. Don't take this to mean that The Hidden Smile of God is a difficult book. I'd call it an easy read, but one worth pondering as it's read.

This book is a great encouragement, especially for any depressed or discouraged Christian. It's good to be reminded that God causes all things to work together for good for those that love Him... and that He can work through us, even through depression. "Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend"

In the second part of Piper's eulogies to great men of the faith, in 'The Swans Are Not Silent' series, we get to meet Bunyan, Cowper (pronounced Cooper) and Brainerd.

The introduction to the book brings us to an important aspect of the Christian life: the fruit of affliction. It is by these means of trials and tests, that God shapes the character of the lives of men and women, who lay claim to being Christ's. The cost of discipleship is ravaging, demanding, painful and yet, brings much glory to God, only if we continue to see His good in our circumstances.

Of this school, John Bunyan was an unchallenged leader. Most probably the most famous of Puritan preachers and pastors, the Bedford tinker grew in stature and favor with the English folk, which extends right to this day. Those that say Bunyan only had to agree to not preaching without a licence, at no other cost was his gaol term enforced, fail to know those days. As Piper explains, they were the non-conformists, who refused to bow the knee to the Church of England with her popish traditions and catholic conventions. If you read Bunyan's sermons, you will readily see the sort of principle he disagreed with. For example, that they had a Common Prayer Book, and for every circumstance, Holy Day, or gathering, they were required to pray from it word-for-word. NO! says Bunyan, for 'I will pray by the Spirit and by my understanding!' 1 Cor 14:15

What really touched my heart was that Bunyan confessed he loved his oldest daughter most. Blind from birth, she was his weak spot. During the twelve years imprisonment when she had occasion to visit with his second wife, he claims that it was extremely hard to part with her. A father's heart! If ever he needed an excuse to conform and be released from prison, she was there. Yet God graciously supplied in His means of grace to Bunyan.

Quote: 'Let me beg of thee, that thou wilt not be offended either with God, or men, if the cross is laid heavy upon thee. Not with God, for He doth nothing without a cause, nor with men, for...they are the servants of God to thee for good. Take therefore what comes to thee from God by them, thankfully.'

It were as if Bunyan saw Christ in his tormentors, and heard Christ plead with him to transfer their guilt, their actions, onto Christ, and thus be free to love them.

Bunyan is with reason well-loved.

Cowper was a hymnist and could rise above his melancholy to deliver the most beautiful odes of praise to God. Suffering from depression, he regularly had to keep the foes of darkness at bay, and dug deeply from the wells of grace to bring forth his fruit, much of which is still well-known and in use today.

Brainerd was made public by Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian. Brainerd was a missionary who lived in the most depriving of conditions amongst the Indians he was doing missionary work to. He also had ailments and was ill during most of his missionary effort, yet continued to thank God for every breath and word he was able to bring. God sustained him and then He mercifully took him away, at a relatively young age. Missionaries who are pitted against hardship, tests, deaths of various kinds, always refer to Brainerd's work for exhortation.

This is a remarkable book in the sense that these men were principled and knew not the easy way out. They continued to live out their witness, knowing that it was the Holy Spirit at work in their life's calling, despite the odds being stacked against them. In good times and tough, God was sovereignly ruling their lives.

Solemn and awe-inspiring.

The Hidden Smile of God is Book Two of John Piper's series The Swans are Not Silent. Each volume collects three biographical messages Piper's given on historical figures in the Christian faith. In this volume, Piper expounds on the afflicted lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd and explains how their suffering can help us today.

John Bunyan is most famous for his book The Pilgrim's Progress, though many are also familiar with his biographical Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Living in England in the 17th century, Bunyan saw times of religious freedom and religious persecution. Due to his commitment to his faith, he was imprisoned for twelve years away from his wife and children.

While most of us have heard of John Newton (author of Amazing Grace), few of us have heard of his friend William Cowper. They both lost their mothers at age six, but Cowper also suffered from not having a father who loved him properly. Though his poetic gift resulted in some beautiful hymns, he suffered from severe depression and attempted suicide numerous times throughout his life.

Piper claims that Jonathan Edwards' biography of David Brainerd "has inspired more missionary service, perhaps, then any other book outside the Bible." (13) Failing to succeed at Yale, Brainerd looked to opportunities aside from education in which to serve God. He found his calling in evangelizing Indians, a service he recounted as incredibly lonely in his diary. Though his lonely depression was difficult, his battle with tuberculosis was his most costly challenge and it took his life at only twenty-nine years of age.

The Hidden Smile of God is a great opportunity to learn about three men I knew very little of through the helpful pen of John Piper. As usual, Piper's insights are thoughtful and immensely practical. I particularly benefited from his reflections on four points Bunyan made about suffering: "God has appointed who shall suffer... when they shall suffer... where this, that or the other good man shall suffer... and what kind of sufferings this or that saint shall undergo." (68-70) Through all our sufferings, be they external, physical, or mental William Cowper reminds us, "Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face." (80)

As a Christian, I have often struggled with depression and feelings of being lost. What a joy to discover that I was not alone in these feelings, and God has used even this to His glory. All the biographies were helpful - I was previously acquainted with John Bunyan and Daivd Brainerd, but had completely forgotten about William Cowper. I am sure this is a volume I will turn to again and again to remind myself that there is a purpose even in trials and sufferings, and what God can accomplish through them.

Piper's Hidden Smile of God is a journey through the sufferings of three men: John Bunyan, William Cowper and David Brainerd, with a view to how these sufferings were used by God to bring long-term spiritual influence through each man's life. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, the second most important book in the English language for many years, was born of imprisonment and persecution. Cowper's legendary hymns, There is a Fountain and God Moves in a Mysterious Way, came from the pen of a tormented soul which had seen many times the frown of providence. Brainerd's diaries arose from a frail body and a heart given to discouragement and influenced many toward missions and lives of sacrificial service. Piper sees the incredible tragedies in the lives of each of these men as the unfolding of the plan of God for them. He contends that their impact would have been less without their sufferings. Their trials were the crucible where their faith was strengthened and where they were produced their lasting legacy to the Church, parable and poetry and diary.

Piper shows how each man affirmed the mysterious providence of God and affirmed His sovereignty. These giants of faith did not see life as a place of ease but as a spiritual war.

The book is a great encouragement that as we walk with a sovereign God He will order the steps of our lives for His glory and our everlasting joy.