EMMANUEL
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This "0-P Book" Is an Authorized Reprint of the Original Edition, Produced by Microfilm-Xerography by University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1966
SELECTED SERMONS
OF
JONATHAN EDWARDS
EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY
II. NORMAN GARDINER
PKOFKSSOU OF PHILOSOPHY IN SMITH COLLEGE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1904
All rights reserved
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SELECTED ' SERMONS OP JONATHAN EDWARDS
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CopTi-mnr, 1904, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
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CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION .......'.. vii
SERMONS :
I. GOD GLORIFIED IN MAN'S DEPENDENCE (1731) "f ? II. THE REALITY OF SPIRITUAL LIGHT (1733) . . 21
III. RUTH'S RESOLUTION (1735) . . . . .45
IV. THE I^NV MANSIONS (1737) .... 64 V. SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD (1741) ' 78
--VI. A STRONG ROD BROKFN ANJ> WITHERED (1748) 98 VII. FAREWELL SERMON (1750) 118
NOTES , . 155
INTRODUCTION
JONATHAN EDWARDS was born October 5, 1703, in what is now South Windsor, Conn., a part of the parish then known as " Windsor Farrnes." His father, the Rev. Timothy Edwards, the minister of the parish, a Harvard graduate, was reputed a man of superior ability and polished manners, a lover of learning as well as of religion ; in addition to his pastoral duties, he fitted .young men for college, and his liberal views of education appear in the fact that he made his daughters pursue the same studies these youths did. His mother, a daughter of the Rev. Solomon Stoddard, the minister of Northampton, is said to have resem bled her distinguished father in strength of character and to lui^e surpassed her husband in the native vigor of her mind. As regards remoter ancestry and their intellectual and moral qualities, Edwards seems also to have been well born ; an ex ception, however, must be made of the eccentric and possibly insane grandmother on his father's side, whose outrageous con duct led to her divorce.1
Brought up the only son in a family of ten daughters, apart; from all' distracting influences, in an atmosphere of religion and serious study in the home, amid natural surroundings of mead ows, woods, and low-lying distant hiils singularly conducive lo a life of contemplation, the boy early developed that absorbing interest in the things of the spirit, and that astonishing acuteness
l See- ,T A StouMitoTi, Wimhnr Pamirs, p. W awl p. M u. Students of heredity msiy perhaps here find :i dew to the character of !uhvar<l brilliant, wiWNvan! urramlson, Aaron !»IUT.
INTRODUCTION
of intellect which are the most prominent characteristics of his "enius While a mere child he spent much of his time in re gions exercises and in conversation on religious matters wit other boys, with some of whom he joined to build a booth in a retired spot in a swamp for secret prayer ; he had besides sev eral other such places for prayer in the woods to winch he was wont to retire. His mind also dv/elt much on the doctrines he was taught, especially on the doctrine of God's sovereignty in election " against which lie at that time violently rebelled. When only° ten year, of age he wrote a short, quaint, some what humorous little, traet on the immortality of the soul; s\ about twelve he composed a remarkably accurate and ingemo paper on the habits of the " Hying spider."
He entered the Collegiate School of Connecticut at Saybrook — Afterwards Yale College — at thirteen, and in 1720, shortly before his seventeenth birthday, graduated at New Haven with the valedictory. Fn his Sophomore year he made the ac quaintance of Locke's KM,;/ on tit" Human Und*r*trni<Ung- a work which left :i permanent impress on his thinking. read it, he savs, with afar higher pleasure "than the most crrecdy miser iinds when gathering up handful* of silver and "old from some newly-discovered treasure." Under its influ ence lie began a series of Notes on the Mind,, with a view t comprehensive treatise on mental philosophy. He also begin, possibly somewhat later, a series of Notes on Natural Science with reference to a similar work on natural philosophy.^ It is in these early writings that we lind the outlines of an H istic theory which resembles, but was probably not at all derived from, that of Berkeley, and which beems to have remained a determining factor in his speculations t
''"
i See II. N. Gar-liner, Th* E«rl» L1e«U*m « Fdwirds- a Retrospect, ]>p. II.VIW: Boston, 1W1. Cf. J. H. M-*' Criokcn The™irc?8 of Jonathan Awards'* Iwalism, Philos. Kev.f xi.UOil. (Juii. 1W:>).
INTRODUCTION 1*
After graduating he continued to reside for two years in New Haven, studying for the ministry. From August, 1722, till the following April he supplied the pulpit of a small byterian congregation in New York, but declined the invitation to remain as their minister. After returning to his father's home in Windsor, he received at least two other calls, one of which he seems to have accepted.1 In September, 1723, he wont to New Haven to receive his Master's degree, was ap pointed a tutor at the college, entered upon the .« vtive duties of that office in June, 1724, and continued in the same till September, 1726, when he resigned his tutorship to becon.e col league-pastor with his grandfather Stoddard in the church at Northampton.
The spiritual history of Edwards in these years of growth from youth to early manhood is recorded by his own hand in a narrative of personal experiences written at a later date for his own use, in fragments of a diary, and in a scrk > of resolutions which he drew up for the conduct of his own life. documents, which were first published by his biographer and descendant, SereiuvE. Dwight, in 1820, throw a Hood of light on Kdwards's character and temperament, and serve to explain much in his life which would otherwise be obscure. TJ-3 tells us in his narrative how the childish delight in the exercises of religion before referred to gradually declined ; how at length " he turned like a dog to his vomit, and went on in the ways of sin-" then how, after much conflict of soul, he experienced toward the end of his college course a genuine conversion issuin^ in a new life and, in the course of time, a deep and delightful sense of Cod's sovereignty, the excellency of ' !hrist, amftheleauty of holiness. There is possibly some exaggera-
iTlmt to the churc-h at Bolton, Comi. But for some reason not
i,ow apparent, h. was never installed there See S. Simpson, Jonathan
Mtoards- a Historical Jieview, Hartford Seminary Kecord. xiv. H (November, 11)03).
X INTRODUCTION
tion in EdwardeVdewcription of this lapse and this recovery, but it was at least a very real experience to him, and it doubtless contributed to the emphasis which he afterwards put on con version in his preaching. His own state after this decisive change was at times one of mystic rapture — " a calm, sweet abstraction of soul from all the concerns of this world; and sometimes a kind of vision, or fixed ideas and imaginations, of being alone in the mountains or some solitary wilderness, far from all mankind, sweetly conversing with Christ and wrapped and swallowed up in God." His diary is the record of a soul straining in its flight. He watches the fluctuations of his moods with almost morbid intensity, and yet in a way by no means merely conventional, and with a singular absence of sentimentality, so evidently sincere and, in a sense, objective are his observations. Of his seventy Resolutions, all written before he was twenty, the following may be taken as a speci men : it is the language of a mind as truly original as religious, ami is eminently characteristic. " On the supposition that there never was to be but one indhidual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed, Resolved: To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time." And he dftl^so^aot ; these resolu tions were not empty, they really determined his"" life.
Edwards was ordained at Northampton, February 157 1727, being then in his twenty-fourth year. Five months later, July 28, lie married the beautiful Snrah Picrrepont, then seventeen, the daughter of the Rev. James Pierrepont, of New Haven, one of the founders, and a prominent trustee, of Yale College, and on her mother's side, the great-granddaughter of Thomas Hooker, " the father of the Connecticut churches." Edwards's description of her, written four years before their marriage, is
1NTROD UCTION XI
famous.1 The union proved a singularly happy one, the intelli gence, cheerfulness, piety, and practical sagacity of Mrs. Ed wards combining to make her at once a congenial companion and a most useful helpmeet to her j5eaJ(msJ^L.dc_yput, ..highly intellectual, but often low-spirited husband, immersed in his writings 'and his Looks. They had twelve children, all born in Northampton. Mr. Stoddard died February 11, 1729, leaving the you"g minister in full pastoral charge. It was a responsible undertaking for so young a iiian to guide the affairs of a church reputed the largest and wealthiest in the colony outside of Boston, one too on which the venerable and venerated Stoddard Irid stamped the impress of his strong personality during a ministry of nearly sixty years. Edwards, as he later confesses. made mistakes. Nevertheless, he succeeded in winning and hold iitg the confidence, admiration, and affection of the people during the greater part of the twenty-three years of his minis try in°Northampton. He carried the church through two great periods of revival (1734-35, 17 -10-42), and added over five hun dred and fl% names to its membership.2 This, however, repre sents but a small part of his influence in these years. Both by his preaching in Northampton and elsewhere and by his published writings, notably his printed sermons and his works dealing with the revivals, in which must be included his treatise on the IMi'nous Affections, lie powerfully affected the currents of religious thought and life throughout New England and the neighboring colonies and, to some extent also, in England
1 First printM l>v Dv/ight, Life of Prcsi'luit Ktlwarth, p. 114, and froquciitlyrciinMliU'Cil. It has Ix'-en 'compare,! to Unte's description of Beatrice which in pure lyric quality it certainly equals, though it lacks the lattor's sensuous coloring and imaginative idealization^ parison is made by A. V. (i. Allen, The Place <>f Xdwrit* \nUMory t in Jonathan Edwards: a Ketrospeet, p. 7; the contrast is pointed out by John De Witt, Stockbridgo (1W3), Oration, p. 45 (pub. by the j
, Historical Catalog of the Northampton First Vhurch, pp. 40-07 (Northampton, IS'Jl), prints the list in full,
Xll
INTRODUCTION
/
land Scotland. IIU mission bad been to recall the Puritan 1 churches, which for some seventy years had languished in a ; period of decline, to the old high Puritan standards both of I creed and of conduct, and to infuse into them a new spirit of ! vital piety. In this he was largely successful ; and still to-day, ' in spite of wide departures from his theological system, he • remains an effectual spiritual force in the churches inheriting . the Puritan tradition.
The estrangement between Edwards and his people began in 1744, in comieccion with a case of discipline in which a large number of the youth belonging to the leading families of the town were brought under suspicion of rending and circulating immoral books.1 During the excitement of the revival the people had willingly accepted his high demands. But now, in the reaction, ilesh and blood rebelled. Edwards, however, was not the man to accommodate the claims of religion, as he con ceived those claims, to the weaknesses of human nature, would not be strange if, under the circumstances, the people looked on their minister as something of a spiritual dictator, exercising a kind of spiritual tyranny. Still, this feeling, so Effas it then existed, was not likely to have led to an open rupture, had it nob been that four years later, on occasion of an* application — the first in those years — for membership in the church, Edwards sought to impose a new test of qualification. He required, namely, that the candidate for full communion should give evidence of being converted, and as such converted person, should make a public profession of godliness. This restriction ran counter to the principles and usage established by .Mr. Stoddard, accepted by most of the neighboring churches, and hitherto followed by Edwards himself, according to which, not only might persons be admitted to church membership on the terms oAhe "Halfway Covenant," but they might come to
1 See note, p. 17'J,
JLV rn on uc TJ ON xm
the Lord's Supper, if they desired to do so, even without the assurance of conversion, the hope being that the rite might itself prove a converting ordinance. Edwards was now openly charged with seeking to lord it over the brethren, and the indignation was intense. He, on his part, was convinced of the correctness of his position, and was prepared to inaini.-tin it • at all costs. The unhappy controversy lasted for two years : Edwards dignified, courteous, disposed to be conciliatory, yet in sisting on the recognition of his rights, and showing through out his great moral and intellectual superiority ; the people prejudiced, obstinate, refusing even to consider his views or to allow him to set them forth in the pulpit, bent only on getting rid of him. Finally, on June 22, 1750, the Council, convened to advise on the matter, recommended, by a vote of 10 to 9, the minority protesting, that the pastoral relations should be dissolved. The concurrent sentiment of the church was ex pressed by the overwhelming vote of about 200 to 20 of the male members. The next Sunday but one Edwards preached his Farewell Sermon.1
Edwards was now forty-six years of age, unfitted, as he says, for any other business but study, and with a " numerous and
lit is impossible here to go into the history of this famous controversy.
Something concerning it will be found in the notes, pp. 172 IT. ; Dwight, o/?. wY., pp. 2(.)K-44K, prints the documents from Kdwards's Journal in full ; the records of the church :ire silent. It should l>e stated, perhaps, in fairness to the Northampton people, that the pastoral relation was not then, as is sometimes supposed, regarded as indissoluble ; six clergymen were "dismissed " from neighboring churches between 1721 and 17f>.r>. Moreover, Edwards, eminent as he undoubtedly was as a preacher, was to them only the parish minister : his great fame as a theologian was established later. Cf. Trmnbull, Ilixtorii of Xnrthuniptnn, II, 22.x is also not unreasonable to suppose that the spiritual capacities of the people had been overstimulated. The later repentance of Joseph llawley (see l)wight,o/>. r//.,p.421), Edwards's cousin, who had _tal<en a leading part in the movement againsthim, concerns only the spirit of the opposition ; it. does not seriously question the wisdom, under the cir cumstances, of the separation.
xiv INTRODUCTION
chargeable family " to face the world with. The long contro versy and the circumstances attending the dismissal had had a depressing effect on his spirits, and the outlook seemed to him gloomy in the extreme. But his trust was in God, and friends did not fail. From Scotland came the offer of assistance in pro curing him- a charge there ; his Northampton adherents desired him to remain and form a separate church in the town. Early in December he received a call from the little church in Stock- bridge, on the frontier, and about the same time an invitation from° the Commissioners in Boston of the " Society in London for Propagating the Gospel in New England and the parts ad jacent " to become their missionary to the Indians, who then formed a large part of the Stockbridge settlement. ^ After ac quainting himself by a residence of several months in Stock- bridge with the conditions of the work, and after receiving satisfactory assurances, in a personal interview with the Gov ernor, with regard to the conduct of the Indian mission, he accepted both of these proposals. He had scarcely done so when he received a call, with the promise of generous support, from a church in Virginia.
The opposition which had driven him from Northampton followed him to Stockbridge. For several years a persistent effort was made to obstruct his work, particularly his work among the Indians, and even to secure his removal But ho successfully met this opposition, won tlu confidence of the Indians, and greatly endeared himself to the " English." Here, too, in the wilderness he found time and opportunity for the writing of those great treatises on the Freedom of the Will, on* the End for which God created the World, on the Nature of True Virtue, and on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin, which are the principal foundation of his theological, reputation. Meanwhile sm event had occurred in Edwards's family des tined to have important consequences — the marriage of his daughter Esther to the Rev. Aaron Burr, President of Nassau
IN T U 0 1) 1 1 C 77 0 /V XV
Hall, in Princeton.1 In September, 1757, Mr. Burr died; two days' later, the Corporation appointed Edwards as his successor. Edwards was for various reasons reluctant to accept the ap pointment ; he mistrusted his fitness, he especially feared that the duties of the oilice would seriously interrupt the literary work in which he was now engrossed. Nevertheless, on the recommendation of a Council called at his desire to advise in the matter, he accepted the call. He left Stockbridge in Jan uary, and toward the end of the month reached Princeton. But the only work he did as President of the College was U) preach for five or six Sundays and to give out themes in divin ity to the Senior Class, with whom he afterwards discussed their papers on them. The small-pox was epidemic in the town when he arrived, and as a precautionary measure he had himself inoculated. The disease, mild at first, developed badly, and on March 22, 1758, lie died. From his death-bed he sent this tender and characteristic message to his wife, who was still in Stockbridge : " Give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her that the uncommon union, which has so long sub sisted 'between us, has been of such a nature, as, I trust, is spiritual, and therefore will continue forever." His last words, also characteristic, were, "Trust in God, and ye need not fear."
A tall, spare man, with high, broad forehead, clear piercing eyes, prominent nose, thin, set lips and a rather weak chin, his whole appearance suggested the perspicacity of intellect and the integrity, refinement, and benevolence of character of one possessing little physical energy, little suited to practical affairs, but intensely alive in the spirit, intensely absorbed in the con templation of things invisible and eternal. The two qualities, indeed, for which he is most distinguished are spirituality and intellectuality. Spiritual-minded ness was the very core and
i Aaron Burr, the Vice-president of the United States, who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, was their son.
xvi IN TROD UCT10N
essence of his being. Religion was his element. God was to him absolute Reality ; His will and His thoughts alone consti tuted the ultimate truth and meaning of things. ^ Nor was this with Edwards a mere philosophical speculation ; it was the high region in which he drew vital breath, the solid ground on which he" walked. He walked with God. He has been called the " Saint of New England." Like other saints, he too has on occasion his ecstasies.1
To this high spirituality, with its rich emotional coloring, was united a power and subtlety of intellect such as is possessed by only the very greatest masters of the mind. The spiritual world "in which Edwards moved was for him no mere shadowy realm of pious sentiment or vague aspiration, but a world whose main outlines, at least, were sharply defined for thought. conceived it, namely, in accordance with the scheme of things systematized by Calvin, but originally wrought out ^ with the compelling force of transcendent genius by Augustine, theological thought of Augustine is concerned -- to put the mat ter as°simply as possible — with 'the elaboration of four funda mental ideas : the absolute sovereignty of God ; the absolute dependence of man; the supernatural revelation of a divinely originated plan of salvation administered by the Church ; and a phflosophy of history according to which the whole created universe and the entire temporal course of events are ordered and governed from all eternity with reference to the establish ment and triumph of a Kingdom of saints in the Church, the holy " City of God." Augustine's conception of the Church i: modified, but not in principle rejected, by the Protestant theo logians ; the other features of the scheme remain substantially unchanged. The idea of God's absolute sovereignty leads nat urally, °in connection with the motives supplied by certain
i see e ". the incident, recorded hy l)\vi-ht, op. cit.. p. l."»°,, where the rapture' lasts for about an hour, accompanied for the gre. ol tho time " with tours and \veepiii
INTRODUCTION xvii
teachings of Scripture, Roman jurisprudence, Greek philosophy, and the experiences of a profound religious consciousness, to the doctrines of God's eternal foreknowledge, His "arbitrary," i.e., unconditional decrees, — the eternal world-plan, — predestina- ' tion, election, the historic work of redemption, everlasting pun ishment for the unrepentant wicked, everlasting felicity for the elect saints. Over against the sovereignty of God stands man's absolute dependence, historically conditioned, as regards his present spiritual capacities, by the Fall, with original sin, total depravity, and the utter inability of man to recover by himself his lost heritage as its consequence. Hence the great, the essen tial tragedy of human life — man naturally corrupt, in slavery to sin, at enirttty with God, utterly incompetent to change a condition in which, by a sort of natural necessity, he is the sub ject of God's vindictive justice, utterly dependent for salvation on the free, unmerited grace of God, who has mercy on whom He will have mercy, while whom He will He hardencth, reveal ing alike in mercy and in punishment the majesty of His divine and sovereign attributes.
This, in general, is the scheme which Edwards stands for, he most conspicuously of all men of modern times. His specula tive genius gave to this scheme a metaphysical background, his logical acumen elaboration and defence. He modified it in some respects, e.g., in his doctrine of the will. "What is more impor tant, he gave a prominence to the inward state of man — the dispositions and af Vcctions ofhis mind and heart — which appre ciably affected the relative values of the scheme, and which has, in fact, changed the entire complexion of tht^tcligious thought of New England. But as to the general scheme itself, the philosophy of religion, the philosopIyJTbf life it expresses, there is nothing in that which is essentially original with Edwards. In standing for these doctrines he but champions the great orthodox tradition.
But however little original may be the content of his thought,
xviii ISTROD UCTWN
there is nothing that is not in the highest degree original in his manner of thinking. The significant thing about Edwards is the way he enters into the tradition, infuses it with his person ality and makes it live. The vitality of his thought gives to its product the value of a unique creation. Two qualities in him especially contribute to this result, large constructive imagina tion and a marvellously aciite power of jibstmct reasoning. With the vision" of the seer he looks steadily upon his world, which is the world of all time and space and existence, arid sees it as a whole ; God and souls are in it the great realities, and the transactions between them the great business in which all its movement is concerned ; and this movement has in it nothing haphazard, it is eternally determined with reference to a supreme and glorious end, the manifestation of the excellency of God, the highest excellency of being. All the dark and tragic aspects of the vision, which for him is intensely' real, take their place along with the other aspects, in a system, a system wherein every part derives meaning and worth from its relation to the whole. People have wondered how Edwards, the gentlest of men, could contemplate, as he said he did, with sweetness and delight, the awful doctrine of the divine sovereignty interpreted, as he interpreted it, as implying the everlasting misery of a large part of the human race. The reason is no revolting indifference, cal lous and inhuman, to suffering ; the reason is rather the personal detachment, the disinterested interest, the freedom from the " pathetic fallacy " of the great poet, the great constructive thinker. It is this large quality in Kdwanls's imagination which is one source of his power. Another is the thoroughness and ability with which he intellectually elaborates the details of his scheme. He wrote, indeed, no system of divinity ; yet he is the very opposite of a fragmentary thinker, and few minds have been less episodic than was his. His intellectual constructions are large and solid. Of the doctrines with which he deals, he loaves nothing undeveloped; with infinite patience he pushes
INTRODUCTION XIX
his inquiries into every minute detail and remote consequence, putting his adversaries to confusion by the unremitting attack, the overwhelming massivencss of the argument. Rarely in deed can one escape his conclusions who accepts his premises. Moreover, by the thoroughness, acutencss and sincerity of his reasoning he powerfully stimulates the intellectual faculties. Even in his most terrific sermons he never appeals to mere hope \ and fear, nor to mere authority ; in them, as in his theological » treatises, he is bent on demonstrating, within the limits pre scribed by the underlying assumptions, the reasonableness of his doctrine, its agreement with the facts of life and the constitution of things, as well as with the inspired teachings of the Word.
Now these qualities appear, as in his other writings, so also, and perhaps most conspicuously, in his sermons. Edwards's chief public work and his chief reputation in his lifetime was as a preacher ; the fame of his theological treatises is largely, indeed, posthumous. He was a great preacher. In the case of many of the older divines, it is difficult for us now to under stand how they could ever have been considered groat preachers : to us their sermons seem dry and insipid. But it is not so with Edwards. Even in print, after more than a hundred and fifty years, and notwithstanding the gulf which separates our age from his, his sermons are still deeply interesting. They are in teresting because, among other things, they reveal a great and interesting personality. They are instinct with the energy of his intellect, they are vital with the vital touch of his genius. He preached his theology"; some of his sermons — for instance, the sermon, or rather combination of sermons, on Justification by Faith — seem to be loss sermons than highly elaborate theo logical disquisitions, adapted to the use of professional students. And there is doubtless no sermon of his which does not reflect, to some extent, his theological system. Edwards was certainly impressed with The Importance and Advantage of a Thorough Knowledge of Divine Truth — the theme and title of one of his
XX IN TROD UCTION
ablest discourses. He held that God had revealed Himself not only to the heart, hut to the mind of man, and that an intelli gent apprehension of the revelation was indispensable, in some measure, alike to saving faith and to the development of Chris tian character. But it would be a mistake to think of Edwards as preaching the dry bones of his theology. He was far, indeed, from supposing, as some now seem to suppose, that a Christian society can be the' more perfectly organized in proportion a* all definiteness of theological, that is, distinctively religious, con ceptions is eliminated. He had too profound a respect for the intellect to exclude it from matters of the deepest speculative as well as practical moment, and he had too lofty an idea of religion to identify it either with vague, transcendental emotion or with merely personal, social, or political morality. His ser mons, however, are by no means all of one type. On the con trary, they are of a great variety of types. They are " doctrinal," "practical," "experimental," and — taking into account the unpublished manuscripts — there is an unusually large number of " occasional " sermons.1 And there are a good many varieties within the types. .But even when the sermons are most "doc trinal," the practical interest of a livlnfj conviction of the truth is never absent. The abstract antithesis of thought and lit*1, of theory and practice, as though thinking were not itself a doing or as though an attitude toward truth were not itself practical or capable of determining other practical attitudes, is an error from which Edwards is wholesomely free.
To say this is not necessarily to approve the content of his doctrinal preaching. The thought of the churches with which Edwards was associated has moved away from his thought. He contended stoutly for his scheme of things, but he fought, it would seem, a losing fight. It is not that he has been refuted by abstract logic; the Argument by which he has been set aside,
1 $<•<» F. H. Dextor, Th*. .VdnuMripts of Jonathan. Edi^anh, p. 7. (Reprinted from tho Proceedings of the M:is,s. Hist. Soc., March, I'.KM.)
IN TROD UCTION
so far as he has been set aside, is the logic of events. The change has been brought about no doubt by many influences. Some of them seem purely sentimental. But there are two things at least of fundamental divergence in the character of our time — the development in us of a critically disciplined historical sense and the dominating influence in our modern science and philosophy of the idea of evolution. These have broken down those hard and fast distinctions between nature and the supernatural, nature and grace, human reason and divine revelation in which Edwards delighted, at least in the form in which he habitually preached them. AVith the establishment, on the lines of historical criticism, of new canons of exegesis in the interpretation of Scripture and with the gradual disappearance of the idea of the Bible as an external authority, Protestant Christianity is at present confronting the question, whether the entire claim of Chris tianity to be a supernatural revelation, in the sense in which the term " supernatural " is used by orthodox theologians, has not been misplaced. This is a question which Edwards never raises and which he does not help T^S directly to solve. He has the mind of a speculative philosopher, has a very profound thought, of God, grasps firmly the eternal spiritual significance of things; but he is deficient in the historical sense — his History of Redemption is a wholly uncritical, dogmatic con struction, and lie is not speculative enough to find, or at least he works under conditions which prevent him from showing, the mediating principles by which the antitheses and contradictions of experience and theory can be reconciled and annulled.
But to return to the sermons. Edwards's sermons arc con structed, in general, on a definite model. AVe have, first, the Exposition of the text. We have, secondly, a clearly formu lated statement of the Doctrine, which is then developed under its appropriate and preaimounced divisions. Finally, we have what is variously called the Improvement, Use, or Application,
XXli INTRODUCTION
similarly developed. The " Doctrine " is not usually an abstract theological dogma : it is simply the theme of the discourse stated in proposition.il form. Thus an unpublished sermon on John i. 41, 42 has this for its statement of doctrine: "When persons have truly come to Christ themselves, they naturally desire to bring others also to him." Another unpublished sermon on John iii. 7 lias this : " Tis no wonder that Christ said that we must be born again." In another — also unpublished — from the text John i. 47 the doctrine is the similarly simple state ment, "Tis a great thing to be indeed a converted person." Sometimes, though rarely, the statement of a doctrine is omitted altogether, the text itself being regarded as sufficiently defining the subject.1 This, however, is never the case with the Appli cation. Indeed, so "practical" is Edwards in his preaching that the Application is sometimes much the larger part of the discourse. In the sermon on John i. 47, for example, it fills about two-thirds of the manuscript. In fact, the proportion of these parts, Exposition, Development of Doctrine and Applica tion, depends entirely on the nature of the theme and the special ends of the sermon. And similarly of the length and number of the subdivisions. One feature is constant — strictly logical a/rangemont. However finely articulated the sermons may be, they are constructed so as to make a distinctly unified impres sion. Nor is this unity of impression seriously interfered with, as a rule, by the length of the sermon. Edwards was not in the habit of exhausting the attention of his audience. Occasion- idly, however, he would develop his theme through two or more sermons. When these appear in the printed editions as a single discourse, the length naturally seems inordinate. In the manu scripts the parts of such compound sermons are indicated by the word " Doc " (Doctrine) at the divisions, suggesting that
1 As, e.g., in the great ethical sermon cm the Sin of Theft and of Injustice from the text, "Thou shall not steal." Works, Worcester reprint, IV, 001.
INTRODUCTION xxiii
the preacher was wont, in renewing the theme, to remind his hearers of the precise nature of the subject under discussion.1
And as there was no confusion in the thought, so the styje of Ed wards'* sermons is singularly clear, simple and unstudied. He affects no graces, seeks iiojidomments, which the subject- matter itself and his interest in it do not naturally lend. " The style is the man " is a saying which peculiarly applies to him. The nobility, strength and directness of his thought, the vivid ness and largeness of his imagination, the truthfulness and elevation of his character, the intensity of his convictions, his impassioned earnestness are reflected in his discourses. They seem to have been to an unusual degree a spontaneous form of self-expression. But attention is never diverted from the sub ject to the skill of the workmanship. The object is not to delight, but to convince, and the attainment of this cud is sought by direct methods of argument, persuasion and appeal. Yet the style, though simple and straightforward, is very far from being barren. The sermons are full of great, rich, beauti ful words ; and there are many passages in them of wonderful charm as well as many of great sublimity and rhetorical power. But Edwards's interest in these seems never merely verbal. He is not a maker of phrases. He makes use of striking metaphor and startling antithesis, his style is often picturesque, he well knows the rhetorical value of iteration, when the repeated phrase is employed in a varied context ; but lie never seeks to produce his effects by literary indirection. He can be easy, familiar, colloquial even, on occasion, if that suits his purpose ; but he is never undignified, never vulgarly sensational, nor does he seem ever to be intentionally humorous. The construction of his sentences is often such as the pedantry of modern standards would condemn ; but however old-fashioned, it is seldom indeed that the expression can be called whimsical or quaint. The
1 Examples of this arc found in the manuscript sermons on John i. 47 and John i. 41, 4'J. \vhirh arc here taken as typical.
xxiv INTRODUCTION
most determining external influence on his style was unquestion ably the old, so-called King James version of the English bible. ' His language is saturated with its thought and phraseology.
',:' And as he is intimately acquainted with it in all its parts, ^so '''he is continually quoting it and constantly surprising us with fresh discoveries, in novel collocations, of its variety, beauty and impressiveness. He was influenced also doubtless by his too 'exclusively theological and philosophical reading. But it is, in the end, the originality of his o\vn genius, the depth and subt lety and force of his mind and the richness of his spiritual experiences, which we must regard as setting the stamp upon hi« style. Edwards's sermons are hall-marked : they have not only interest as historical memorials oi' the religious conditions of their time; as the personal expressions of an original mind, working in traditional material, indeed, but animating and so refashioning it with the unique form of a great personality, they have also the value of literature.
Largely to the union of the intellectual and emotional ele ments mentioned — the deriniteness of the message, the logical unity of the thought, the singleness and sincerity of the aim, the intensity of the conviction, the thorough knowledge of Scripture, the profound acquaintance, through personal expe rience, of the religious movings of the human heart — must be attributed, in connection with the state of religious thought and feeling of the time and the respect aroused by the character of
' the preacher, the .power which he exercised on his contem poraries. Of his manner of preaching we have from his pupil, Hopkins, the following authentic testimony. " His appearance in the desk was with a good grace, and his delivery easy, nat ural and very solemn. He had not a strong, loud voice, but appeared with such gravity and solemnity, and spake with such distinctness, clearness and precision, his words were so full of ideas, set in such a plain and striking light, that few speakers have been .so able to demand the attention of an audience as he.
INTRODUCTION XXV
His words often discovered a great degree of inward fervor, without much noise or external emotion, and fell with great weight on the minds of his hearers, -lie made but little motion of his head or hands in the desk, but spake as to discover the motion of his own heart, which tended in the most natural and effectual manner to move and atl'ect others.
" As he wrote his sermons out at large for many years, and always wrote a considerable part of most of his public dis courses, so he carried his notes into the desk with him, and read the most that he wrote ; yet he was not so confined to his notes, when he wrote at large, but that, if some thoughts were suggested, while he was speaking, which did not occur when writing, and appeared to him pertinent and striking, he would deliver them ; and that with as great propriety, and oftener with greater pathos, and attended with a more sensible good effect on his hearers, than all he had wrote."1
The sermons in the present volume have been selected as representative of Edwards the preacher nther than of Ed wards the theologian. Any such collection must include at^ least the following four: the sermon on Man's Dependence, < ,. the. sermon on Spiritual Light, the^ijiii'^lrBernwri and the Farewell Sermon. These are classic. Moreover, they repre sent Edvraras in four of his most distinguishing aspects : as the powerful champion of a theology resting ultimately ^on the principle of a transcendent, righteous, sovereign Will ; as V the equally convinced advocate of the mystical principle of an immediate, intuitive apprehension, through supernatural illumination, of divine truth ; as 4he flaming revivalist^ with pitiless logic and terrible realism 'of description, arousing, startling, overwhelming the sinner with the sense of impending doom; finally, as the rejected minister appealing, without rancor or bitterness, from the judgment of this world to the i Samuel Hopkins, Life of Edwards, p. 48.
Xx vi INTRODUCTION
judgment of an infallible tribunal and displaying what must ever make him more interesting, more precious as a heritage to the Church and. the world, than any of his opinions or his works, the dignity and repose, the patience, strength and depth of a great character, perfected through suffering and apparent defeat, in what was virtually the Apologia of his ministerial life. These sermons alone would suffice to justify Edwards's reputation as the foremost preacher of his age. Still, they cannot, of course, be taken as adequately represent ing the whole range and power of his discourses. In particular, the Enfield sermon, which has loomed so large in the popular imagination of Jonathan Edwards, and which, in fact, is but one —to be sure, the most extreme — of a number of the same type, cannot be taken as fairly representative even of Edwai;ds's revival sermons. There has, therefore, been added, in this reference," a revival: sermon of another type, the sermon on Ruth's Resolution. This sermon was chosen, not because it is better than some others, but because, while being an excel lent sermon of its kind, it is also brief, and so better adapted to the scope of this volume. There has been further added, ;ts representing a type distinctly different from any of the others, the funeral sermon entitled A Strong Rod Broken and Withered, which is certainly one of the noblest, in thought and expression, of Edwards's discourses, and which is probably uninue among his writings as dealing with the subject of civil government and the management of affairs. Had space permitted, the picture of the Christian statesman in this sermon might have been matched by the picture of the Chris tian minister in one of the ordination sermons ; but the omis sion is the less serious since the conception is so largely realized in Edwards himself. »
The above six sermons were selected independently of the fact that they are among the ten published by their author; but this circumstance confirms the choice and, moreover, serves
INT ROD UCTJ.ON XXVil
to authenticate the text. Edwards has suffered not a little at the hands of his editors, particularly Dwight, who seems to have been possessed by the idea that his author would appear to better advantage in a style, and language more elegant and refined. " Don't do as Orpah did," pleads Edwards in the Ruth sermon; "Do not as Orpah did," is the feeble refinement of his editor. But even the generally accurate Worcester or First American Edition (1809) is not to be implicitly trusted; for instance, two whole pages are omitted at the end of the En- field sermon, giving to that sermon a startling and bi/arre close, wholly out of keeping with Edwards's habitual manner. Later editions import other errors and, even while professing to follow the Worcester edition, sometimes, in fact, follow not that edition, but Dwight's (e.g., in the Ruth sermon). ^ The present text is based upon a careful comparison of the original editions, now very scarce, in the Boston Athemeum. The original expressions, 'tis, won't, don't, etc., as Edwards him self printed them, have been restored, a number of verbal errors in the later editions corrected and several omitted lines recovered, besides the long passage already mentioned, which is, however, in Dwight, at the end of the En field sermon. No attempt, however, has been made to give a facsimile re production (if the first editions with all their printer's errors, capricious spelling, antiquated punctuation and uncouth use of capitals and italics. These externalities could but distract the modern reader, while adding nothing essential to accuracy. In these respects, therefore, the more modern usage has been followed. The aim lias simply been to give the exact words of the originals and to preserve their spirit, treating the ser mons iis sermons to be preached and not as essays to be read. Accordingly, while avoiding the extremes of the first editions, italics have been used where Edwards used them to mark divisions, or for special emphasis, somewhat more freely than would be customary now. This edition also follows his, and
xxviii IX TROD UCTION
the Biblical, use of ordinary type in personal pronouns refer ring to divine beings, the verbal reverence in the modern use of capitals being regarded as needless to enhance the real reverence of Kdwards's thought and possibly a little out of place. Added words are enclosed within square brackets.
Besides the six sermons mentioned, the present collection includes one, the interesting if not exactly great sermon on the Many Mansions, which has not before been published. A copy of this sermon made for the late Professor Edwanls A. Park, of AndoviT, was kindly put at the disposal of the editor by his son, the Rev. Dr. William E. Park, of Gloversville, X.Y. ; but it has also been carefully collated with the original manu script. The editor has also examined the original manuscripts of all the other sermons in this volume, except that of the Fare well Sermon, which could not be discovered. These manuscripts are all in the collection of between eleven and twelve hundred of Edwards's sermons now in the Yale University Library. Most of these manuscripts are written in an exceedingly minute hand, with many abbreviations anil occasionally with insertions in shorthand, on sheets of paper about 3£x4J- m- i'1 size, stoutly stitched together. The facsimile of the first page of the sermon on Spiritual Light given in this volume opposite p. 21 is representative ; a relatively small number are slightly larger. Of the particular manuscripts some account will be found in the notes. The handling and deciphering of the.se manuscripts give one a curious sense of intimacy with the working of Edwards's brain and heart : one is with him in his workshop and sees, as it were, the very thing in the making. One seems to feel the intensity of the excitement a^, with his audience present in imagination, and with keen delight in the activity of literary creation, he works out his theme. One observes how alternative forms of expression, alternative lines of development, suggest themselves, and how now whole paragraphs, whole pages are struck off at white heat, while now, ol'tenest towards
INTRODUCTION xxix
the end, the barest outlines are jotted down, to be filled out in delivery. But the manuscripts of the sermons which Edwards himself published afford no help in the fixing of the text. The sermons as lie printed them are invariably expanded and often greatly altered in other respects ; and the copy prepared for the printer is no longer extant.1 This circumstance should not be overlooked in judging of sermons printed directly from the manuscripts. In the Yale collection, there are sermons which were written out pretty fully; others are only fairly fully written out in parts, others again are mere skeletons. The majority of those of the Northampton period are of the second sort. Among the hundreds of Kdwards's unpublished sermons, there are doubtless many that it would be interesting to have in print just as they stand ; it is doubtful if there are any which would add materially to his reputation as a preacher in com parison with the great sermons already published.
The portrait of Edwards in this volume is from a recent photograph of the original painting of 1740. The photograph was kindly furnished by the present owner of the painting, Mr. Eugene- P. Edwards, of Chicago, to whom the editor takes this opportunity of expressing his obligations, lie also desires to express his thanks to Dr. William E. Park for the use of the copy of the sermon on the Many Mansions ; to the publishers for allowing the extra space required for printing this new sermon ; to Professor Franklin B. Dexter for generous help in the study of the manuscripts and for permission to photograph the sermon on Spiritual Light; to Mr. Charles K. Bolton, Librarian of the Boston Athemeum, for courtesies in the use of the fiist editions ; and to Mr. George N. "Whipple of Boston, for verifying a number of references.
NORTHAMPTON, MASS., Maivh,
1 As illustrating th«> expansion in the printed sermon as compared \\\\.\\ the manuscript prepared for preaching, see note p. 157.
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SELECTED SERMONS OF JONATHAN EDWARDS
GOD GLORIFIED IN MAN'S DEPENDENCE0
1 COR i. 29-31. — That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifi cation, and redemption : that according as it'ls written, 'He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
THOSE Christians to whom the apostle directed this epistle dwelt in a part of the world where human wisdom was in great repute; as the apostle observes in the 22d verse of this chapter, •" The Greeks seek after wisdom." Corinth was not far from Athens, that had been for many ages the most famous seat of philosophy and learning in the world.
The apostle therefore observes to them how that God, by the gospel, destroyed and brought to nought their human wisdom. The learned Grecians and their great philosophers by all their wisdom did not know God : they were not able to find out the truth in divine things. But after they had done their utmost to no effect, it pleased God at length to reveal himself by the gospel, which they accounted foolishness. He " chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, ami the base things of the world, and things that are despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought tbe tilings that arc." And the apostle informs them why he thus
n
2 SELECTED SERMONS
did, in the verse of the text : That nojlesh should glory in his presence, &c.
In which words may be observed,
1. What God aims at in the disposition of things in the affair of redemption, viz., that man should not glory in himself, but alone in God : That no f.csh should ylory in his presence,
that, wording as it in written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord.
2. How this end is attained in the work of redemption, viz., by that absolute and immediate dependence which men have upon God in that work for all their good/ Inasmuch as,
First, All the good that they have is in and through Christ ; he is made unto ns wisdom, righteousness, sanctijication, and reth'.'inption. All the good of the fallen and redeemed creature is concerned in these four things, and cannot be better distributed than into them ; but Christ is eavji of them to us, and we have none of them any otherwise than in him. He is made of God unto us wisfloni: in him are all the proper good and true excellency of the understanding. Wisdom was a thing that the Greeks admired ; but Christ, is the true light of the world, it is through him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind. Tis in and by Christ that we have righteousness: it is by being in him that we are justified, have our sins par doned* an<l are received as righteous into God's favor. 'Tis by Christ that we have sanctijication : we have in him true excellency of heart as well as of understanding ; and he is made unto us inherent, as well as imputed righteousness. 'Tis by Christ that we have redemption, or actual deliverance from all misery, and the bestowment of all happiness and glory. Thus we have all our good by Christ, who is God.
Secondly, Another instance wherein our dependence on God for all our good appears, is this, that it is God that has given us Christ, that we might have these benefits through him ; he of God is mada unto as wittdum, righteousness, &c.
OF JONATHAN XI) WARDS 3
Thirdly, 'Tis of him that we are in Christ Jesus, and come to have an interest in him, and so do receive those blessings which he is made unto us. It is God that gives us faith whereby we close with Christ.
So that in this verse is shown our dependence on each person in the Trinity for all our good. We are dependent on Christ the Son of God, as he is our wisdom, righteousness, sanetifica- tion and redemption. We are dependent on the Father, who lias given us Christ, and made him to be these things to us. We are dependent on the Holy Ghost, for 'tis of him that we are in Christ Jetw.s; 'tis the Spirit of Go-. I that gives faith in him, whereby we receive him and close with him.
DOCTRINE
God in glorified in the work of redemption iv this, that there appears in it so absolute and universal a dependence of the redeemed, on him.
Here I propose to show, I., That there is an absolute and universal dependence of the redeemed on God for all their good. And II., That God hereby is exalted and glorified in the work of redemption.
I. There is an absolute and universal dependence of the redeemed on God. The nature and contrivance of our redemp tion is such, that the redeemed are in every thing directly, immediately and entirely dependent on God : they are depend-""! cut on him for all, and are dependent on him every way.
The several ways wherein the dependence of one being may be upon another for its good, and wherein the redeemed of Jesus Christ depend on God for all their good, are these, viz., that they have all their good of him, and that they have all through him, and that they have all /// him. That lie is the cause and original whence all their good comes, therein it is of
4 SELECTED SKRMOXS
him ; and that lie is the medium by which it is obtained and conveyed, therein they have it through him ; and that he is that good itself that is given and conveyed, therein it is in him.
^STow those that are redeemed by Jesus Christ do, in all these respects, very directly and entirely depend on God for their all.
First, The redeemed have all their good of God ; God is the great author of it ; he is the first cause of it, and not only so, but he is the only proper cause.
' Tis of God that we have our Redeemer : it is God that has provided a Saviour for us. Jesus Christ is not only of God in his person, as he is the only begotten Son of God, but he is from God,- as we are concerned in him and in his office of Media tor : he is the gift of God to us : God chose and anointed him, appointed him his work, and sent him into the world.
And as it is God that gives, so 'tis God that accepts the Saviour. As it is God that provides and gives the Redeemer to buy salvation for us, so it is of God that salvation is bought : he -^ives the purchaser, and he affords the thing purchased.
'Tis of God that Christ becomes ours, that we are brought to him and are united to him : it is of God that we receive aith to c'.ose with him, that we may have an interest in him Eph. ii. 8, " For by grace ye are saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." 'Tis of God than we actually do receive all the benefits that Christ has purchased. 'Tis God that pardons; and justifies, and delivers from going down to hell, and it is his favor that the redeemed are received into, and are made the objects of, when they arc justified. So ! it is God that delivers from the dominion of sin, and cleanses Mis from our filthiness, and changes us from our deformity. 11; is of God chat the redeemed do receive all their true excellency, wisdom and holiness; and that two ways, vi/., as the Holy Ghost, by whom these things are immediately wrought, is fr m God, proceeds from him and is sent by him ; and also as the
f [
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS O
Holy Ghost himself is God, by whose operation and indwelling the knowledge of divine things, and a holy disposition, and all grace, are conferred and upheld.
And though means are made use of in conferring grace on men's souls, yet 'tis of God that we have these means of grace, and 'tis God that makes them effectual. ' Tis of God that we, have the holy Scriptures ; they are the word of God. 'Tis of God that we have ordinances, and their ettivaey depends on the immediate influence of the Spirit of God. The ministers of the gospel are sent of God, and all their sufficiency is of him. ''2 Cor. iv. 7, " We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may l>e of (Hod, and not of us." Their success depends entirely and absolutely on the immediate blessing and influence of God. The redeemed have all.
1. Of the (/rare of God. It was of mere grace that God gave us his only begotten Son. The grace is great in propor tion to the dignity and excellency of what is given : the gift was infinitely precious, becair^ it was a person infinitely worthy, a person of infinite glory ; and also because it was a person infinitely near and dear to God.' The grace is great in proportion to the benefit we have given us in him : the bene fit is doubly infinite, in that in him we have deliverance from an infinite, because an eternal, misery ; and do also receive eternal joy and glory. The grace in bestowing this gift is great in proportion to our unworthiness to whom it is given ; instead of deserving such a gift, we merited infinitely ill of God's hands. The grace is great according to the manner of giving, or in pro portion to the humiliation and expense of the method and means by which way is made for our having of the gift. He gave iiim to us dwelling amongst us ; he gave him to us incarnate, or in our nature ; he gave him to us in our nature, in the like infirmi ties in which we have it in our fallen state, and which in us do accompany and are occasioned by the sinful corruption of our nature. He iravc him to us in a low and afllicted state :
and nut only so, but lie gave him to us slain, that he might 1>3 a feast for our souls.0
The grace of God in bestowing this gift is most free. It was what God was under no obligation to bestow : he might have rejected fallen man, as he did the fallen angels. It was what we never did any thing to merit. 'Twas given while we were yet enemies, and before we had so much an repented. It was from the love of God that saw no excellency in us to attract it ; and it was without expectation of ever being requited for it. ' And 'tis from mere grace that the benefits of Christ arc applied to such and such particular persons. Those that are called and sanctified are to attribute it alone to the good pleasure of God's goodness, by which they arc distinguished. He is sovereign, and hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, lie hardens.
Man hath now a greater dependence on the grace of God than he had before the fall. Pie depends on the free goodness of God for much more than he did then : then he depended on God's goodness for conferring the reward of perfect obedience : for God was not obliged to promise and bestow that reward : but now we are dependent on the grace of God for much more: we stand in need of grace, not only to bestow glory upon us, but to deliver us from hell and eternal wrath. Under the first covenant we depended on God's goodness to give us the reward of righteousness ; and so we do now. And not only so, but we stand in need of God's five and sovereign grace to give us that righteousness; and yet not only so, but we stand in need of his grace to pardon ouv sin and release us from the guilt ami infinite demerit of it.
And as we are dependent on the goodness of God for more 'now than under the first covenant, so we are dependent on a much greater, more free and wonderful goodness. We are now more dependent on God's arbitrary and sovereign good pleasure. We were in our first estate dependent on God for holiness:
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 1
we had our original righteousness from him ; but then holiness was not bestowed in such a way of sovereign good pleasure as it is now. Man was created holy, and it became God to create holy all the reasonable creatures he created : it would have been a disparagement to the holiness of God's nature, if he had made an intelligent creature unholy. But now when a man is made holy, it is from mere and arbitrary grace ; God may for ever deny holiness to the fallen creature it' he pleases, without any disparagement to any of his perfections.
And we arc not only indeed more dependent on the grace of God, but our dependence is much more conspicuous, because our own insufficiency and helplessness in ourselves is much more apparent in our fallen and undone state than it was before we were either sinful or miserable. We are more apparently dependent on God for holiness, because we are first sinful, and utterly polluted, and afterward holy : so the pro duction of the effect is sensible, and its derivation from God more obvious. If man was ever holy and always was so, it would not be so apparent, that he had not holiness necessarily, as an inseparable qualification of human nature. So we are more apparently dependent on free grace for the favor of God, for we are first justly the objects of his displeasure and after wards are received into favor. We are more apparently depend ent on God for happiness, being first miserable and afterwards happy. It is more apparently free and without merit in us, because we are actually without any kind of excellency to merit, if there could be any such thing as merit in creature excellency. And we are not only without any true excellency, but arc full of, and wholly defiled with, that which is infinitely odious. All our good is more apparently from God, because we are first naked and wholly without any good, and afterwards enriched with all good.
2. We receive all of the power of God. Man's redemption is often spoken of as a work of wonderful power as well as grace
8 SKLKCTKI) SKKMOXS
The great power of God appears in bringing a sinner from his low state, from the depths of sin and misery, to such an exalted state of holiness and happiness. Eph. i. 11), " And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe, accord ing to the working of his mighty power*"
We are dependent on God's power through every step of our redemption. We are dependent on the power of God to con vert us, and give faith in Jesus Christ, and the new nature. Tis a work of creation : " If any man be in Christ, lie is a new creature," 2 Cur. v. 17. "We are created in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 10. The fallen creature cannot attain to true holiness, but by being created again: Eph. iv. 24, "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteous ness and true 'holiness." It is a raising from the dead: Col. ii. 12, 13, "Wherein ye also arc risen with him, through the faith of the opcratio?: of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Yea, it is a more glorious work of power than more creation, or raising a dead body to life, in that the effect attained is greater and more excellent. That holy and happy being and spiritual life which is reached in the work of conversion is a far greater and more glorious effect than mere being and life. And the state from whence the change is made, of such a death in sin, and total corruption of nature, and depth of misery, is far more remote from the state attained, than mere death or nonentity.
'Tis by God's power also that we arc preserved in a state of grace : 1 Pet. i. 5, " Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." As grace is at first from God, so 'tis continually from him, and is maintained by him, as much as light in the atmosphere is all day long from the sun, as well as at fiist dawning or at sunrising.
Men are dependent on the power of God for evcrj exercise of grace, and for carrying on the work of grace in the heart, for the subduing uf sin and corruption, and increasing holy
OF JON A Til A N E D I VA U I) 8 0
principles, and enabling to bring forth fruit in good works, and at last bringing grace to its perfection, in making the soul com pletely amiable in Christ's glorious likeness, and filling of it with a satisfying joy and blessedness ; and for the raising of the body to life, and to such a perfect state, that it shall be suitable for a habitation and organ for a soul so perfected and Messed. These are the most glorious effects of the power of God that are seen in the series of God's acts with respect to the creatures.
Man was dependent on the power of God in his first estate, but he is more dependent on his power now ; lie needs God's power to do more things for him, and depends on a more wonderful exercise of his power. It was an effect of the power | of God to make man holy at the first ; but more remarkably so ; now, because there is a great deal of opposition and difficulty.-- in th.5 way. Tis a more glorious effect of power to make that holy that was so depraved and under the dominion of sin, than to confer holiness on that which before had nothing of the con trary. It is a more glorious work of power to rescue a soul out of the hands of the devil, and from the powers of darkness, and to bring it into a state of salvation, than to confer holiness where there was no prepossession or opposition. Luke xi. :M, "2'2, "When a strong man armed keepcth his palace, his goods arc in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takcth from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." So 'tis a more glorious work of power to uphold a soul in a state of grace and holiness, and to carry it on til) it is brought to glory, when there is so much sin remaining in the heart resisting, and Satan with all hi* might opposing, than, it would have been to have kept man from falling at first, when Satan had nothing in man.
Thus we have shown how the redeemed are dependent on God for all their good, as they have all of him.
10 SELECTED SERMONS
Secondly, They arc also dependent on God for all, as they have all through him. 'Tis God that is the medium of it, as well as the author and fountain of it. All that we have, wis dom and the pardon of sin, deliverance from hell, acceptance in God's favor, grace and holiness, true comfort and happiness, eternal life and glory, we have from God by a Mediator; and . this Mediator is God, whi«-h Mediator we have an absolute dependence upon as he through whom we receive all. So that here is another way wherein we have our dependence on God for all good. God not only gives us the Mediator, and ac cepts his mediation, and of his power and grace bestows the things purchased by the Mediator, but he is the Mediator.
Our blessings arc what we have by purchase; and the pur chase is made of God, the blessings are purchased of him, and God gives the purchaser; and not only so, but God is the pur chaser. Yea, God is both the purchaser and the price; for Christ, who is God, purchased these blessings for us by ottering up himself as the price of our salvation. He purchased eter nal life by the sacrifice of himself: Heb. vii. 'J7, "He ottered up himself;" and ix. !>(>, "He hath appeared to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Indeed it was the human nature that was offered ; but it was the same person with the divine, and therefore was an infinite price: it was looked upon as if God had been ottered in sacrifice.
As we thus have our good through God, we have a depend ence on God in a respect that man in his first estate had not. >','Man was to have eternal life then through his own righteous- . Vss ; 'so that he had partly a dependence upon what was in himself; for we have a dependence upon that through which we have our good, as well as that from which we have it. And though man's righteousness that he then depended on was indeed from God, yet it was his own, it was inherent in him self; so that his dependence was not so immediately on God. But now the righteousness that we arc dependent on is not in
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 11
ourselves, but in God. We are saved through the righteous ness of Christ: lie is made unto us righteousness; and there fore is prophesied of, Jer. xxiii. G, under that name of " the Lord our righteousness." In that the righteousness we are justified by is the righteousness of Christ, it is the righteous ness of God: 2 Cor. v. 21, " That we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Thus in redemption we han't only all things of God, but by and through him : 1 Cor. viii. 21, ".But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."
Thirdly, The redeemed have all their good m God. "VVe not only have it of him, and through him, but it consists in him ; he is all our good.
The good of the redeemed is either objective or inherent. l>y their objective good I mean that intrinsic object, in the possession and enjoyment of which they are happy. Their inherent good is that excellency or pleasure which is in the soul itself. With respect to both of which the redeemed have all their good in God, or, which is the same thing, God him self is all their good.
1. The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the pos session and enjoyment of by redemption. He is the highest good and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints ; he is the portion of their souls. God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling-place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and 'glory. They have none in heaven but God ; lie is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they arc to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God, he is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem ; and is the "river of the water of life," that runs, and "the tree of
12 ,s' /;/,/•;< "/'/•; /j &•/•;/; J/</AT,S
life that grows, in the midst of the paradise of God." The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will he what will for ever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed en joy other things ; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another; hut that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in any thing else whatsoever that will yield them delight and happiness, will he what will he seen of God in them.
2. The redeemed have all their inherent good in God. In herent good is twofold; 'tis either excellency or pleasure. These the redeemed not only derive from God, as caused by him, but have them in him. ' They have spiritual excellency and joy by a kind of participation of God. They arc made excellent by a communication of God's excellency : 'God puts his own beauty, i.e., his beautiful likeness, upon their souls: they arc made partakers of the divine nature, or moral image of (rod, *J Pet. i. 1. They are holy by being made partakers of God's holiness, Ileb. xii. 10. The saints are beautiful and blessed by a communication of God's holiness and joy, as the moon and planets are bright by the sun's light. The saint hath spiritual joy and pleasure by a kind of effusion of God on the soul. In these things the redeemed have communion with God ; that is, they partake with him and of him.
The saints have both their spiritual excellency and blessed ness by the gift of the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, and his dwelling in them. They are not only caused by the Holy Ghost, but are in the Holy Ghost as their principle. \ The N Holy Spirit becoming an inhabitant, is a vital principle in the soul ^ he, acting in, upon and with the soul, becomes a fountain of true holiness and joy, as a spring is of water, by the exertion and diffusion of itself: John iv. 11, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life," — compared with chap, vil
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 13
38, 39, "He that belicveth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water; but this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." The sum of what Christ has purchased for us is that spring of water spoken of in the former of those places, and those rivers of living water spoken of in the latter. And the sum of the blessings which the redeemed shall receive in heaven is that river of water of life that proceeds from the throne of God and the Lamb, Kev. xxii. 1, — which doubtless signifies the same with those rivers of living water explained John vii. 38, 39, which is elsewhere called the "river of God's pleasures." Herein consists the fulness of good which the saints receive by Christ. Tis by partaking of the Holy Spirit that they have communion with Christ in his fulness. God hath given the Spirit, not by measure unto him, and they do receive of his fulness, and grace for grace. This is the sum of the saints' inheritance; and therefore that little of the Holy Ghost which believers have in this world is said to be the earnest of their inheritance. 2 Cor. i. 22, "Who hath also scaled as, and given us the Spirit in our hearts." And chap. v. 5, " Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God' who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." And Eph. i. 13, 14, "Ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession."
The Holy Spirit and good things are spoken of in Scripture * as the same ; as if the Spirit of God communicated to the soul comprised all good things: Matt. vii. 11, "How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him?" In Luke it is, chap. xi. 13, "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him '? " This is the sum of the blessings that Christ died to procure, and that are the subject of gospel promises : Gal. Hi. 13, 14, "He was made a curse for us, that we might receive
14 SELECTED SERMONS
the promise of the Spirit through faith." The Spirit of God is the great promise of the Father: Luke xxiv. 49, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you." The Spirit of God therefore is called "the Spirit of promise," Eph. i. 13. This promised thing Christ received, and had given into his hand, as soon as he had finished the work of our redemption, to bestow on all that he had redeemed: Acts ii. 33, "Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye both see and hear." So that all the holi ness and happiness of the redeemed is in God. Tis in the communications, indwelling and acting of the Spirit of God. Holiness and happiness are in the fruit, here and hereafter, because God dwells in them, and they in God.
Thus 'tis God that has given us the Redeemer, and 'tis of him that our good is purchased : so 'tis God that is the Redeemer and the price ; and 'tis God also that is the good purchased. So that all that we have is of (Jod, and thronf/h him, and in him : Rom. xi. 3G, " For of him, and through him, and to him (or in him), are all things." The same in the Greek that is here rendered to him is rendered in him, 1 Cor. vii. 6.
II. God is glorified in the work of redemption by this means, viz., by there being so great and universal a dependence of the redeemed on him.
1. Man hath so much the greater occasion and obligation to take notice and acknowledge God's perfections and all-sufficiency. The greater the creature's dependence is on God's perfections, and the greater concern he has with them, so much the greater occasion has he to take notice of them. So much the greater concern any one has with, and dependence upon, the power ami grace of God, so much the greater occasion has he to take notice of that power and grace. So much the greater and more immediate dependence there is on the divine holiness, so much the greater occasion to take notice of and acknowledge that. So much
OF JONATHAN EDWARJtS 15
the greater and more absolute dependence we have on the divine perfections, as belonging to the several persons of the Trinity, so much the greater occasion have we to observe and own the divine glory of each of them. That which we are most concerned with, is surely most in the way of our observa tion and notice ; and this kind of concern with any thing, viz., dependence, does especially tend to commend and oblige the attention and observation. Those things that we are not much dependent upon, 'tis easy to neglect ; but we can scarce do any other than mind that which we have a great dependence on. By reason of our so great dependence on God and his perfec tions, and in so many respects, he and his glory are the more directly set in our view, which way soever we turn our eyes.
We have the greater occasion to take notice of God's all- sufrtciency, when all our sufficiency is thus every way of him. We have the more occasion to contemplate him as an infinite good, and as the fountain of all good. Such a dependence on God demonstrates God's all-sufficiency. So much as the de pendence of the creature is on God, so much the greater does the creature's emptiness in himself appear to be ; and so much the greater the creature's emptiness, so much the greater must the fulness of the Being be who supplies him. Our having all of God shows the fulness of his power and grace : our hav ing all throiwjh him shows the fulness of his merit and worthi ness ; and our having all in him demonstrates his fulness of } Beauty, love and happiness.
And the redeemed, by reason of the greatness of their dependence on God, han't only so much the greater occasion, but obligation to contemplate and acknowledge the glory and fulness of God. How unreasonable and ungrateful should we be if we did not acknowledge that sufficiency and glory that we do absolutely, immediately and universally depend upon !
2. Hereby is demonstrated how great God's glory is con sidered comparatively, or as compared with the creature's. By
10 - SELECTED 8KKMONS
the creature's being thus wholly and universally dependent on God, it appears that the creature is nothing and that God is all. Hereby it appears that God H infinitely above us ; that God's strength, and wisdom and holiness are infinitely greater than ours. However great and glorious the creature appr,- hends God to be, yet if he be not sensible of the ditfere ice between God and him, so as to see that God's glory is pveat, compared with his own, he will not be disposed to givj God the glory due to his name. If the creature, in any resp.-ct, sets himself upon a level with God, or exalts himself to ary compe tition with him, however he may apprehend that g' eat honor and profound respect may belong to God from those that arc more inferior, and at a greater distance, he will not be so sensible of its being due from him. So much the more men exalt themselves, so much the less will they surely be dis posed to exalt God. Tis certainly a tiling that God aims at in the disposition of things in the affair of redemption (if we allow the Scriptures to be a revelation of (rod's mind), that God should appear full, and man in himself empty, that God should appear all, and man nothing. 'Tis God's declared design that others should not "glory in his presence"; which implies that 'tis his design to advance his own comparative glory. So much the more man " glories in God's presence," so much the less glory is ascribed to God.
3. By its being thus ordered, that the creature should have so absolute and universal a dependence on God, provision is made that God. should have our whole souls, and should be the object of our undivided respect. If we had our dependence partly on God and partly on something else, man's respect woidd be divided to' those different things on which he had de pendence. Thus it would be if we depended on God only for a part of our good, and on ourselves or some other being for an other part: or if we had our g;»od only from God, and through another that was not God, and in something else distinct from
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 17
joth, our hearts would be divided between the good itself, and him from whom, anil him through whom we received it. But now there is no occasion for this, God being not only lie from or of whom we have all good, hut also through whom, and one that is that good itself, that we have from him and through him. So that whatsoever there is to attract our respect, the tendency is still directly towards God, all unites in him as the centre.
USE
1. We may here observe the marvellous wisdom of God in^" the work of redemption. God hath made man's emptiness and misery, his low, lost and ruined state into which he sunk by the fall, an occasion of the greater advancement of his own glory, as in other ways, so particularly in this, that there is now , a much more universal and apparent dependence of man on / (Jod. Though God be pleased to lift man out of that dismal abyss of sin and woe into which he was fallen, and exceedingly to exalt him in excellency and honor, and to a high pitch of glory and blessedness, yet the creature hath nothing in any respect to glory of; all the glory evidently belongs to God, all is in a mere and most absolute and divine dependence on the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
And each person of the Trinity is equally glorified in this work : there is an absolute dependence of the creature on every one for all : all is of the Father, all through the Son, and all in the lloly Ghost. Thus God appears in the work of redemption as all hi (dl. It is lit that he that is, and there is none else, should be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the all, and the only, in this work.
2. Hence those doctrines and schemes of divinity that are in any respect opposite to such an absolute and universal depend ence on God, do derogate from God's glory, and thwart the design of the contrivance for our redemption. Thof-e schemes
c
18 SELECTED SERMONS
that put the creature in God's stead, in any of the mentioned respects, that exalt man into the place of either Father, Son or Holy Ghost, in any thing pertaining to our redemption ; that, however they may allow of a dependence of the redeemed on God, yet deny a dependence that is so absolute and universal ; that own an entire dependence on God for some things, but not for others ; that own that we depend on God for the gift and acceptance of a Redeemer, but deny so absolute a dependence on him for the obtaining of an interest in the Redeemer ; that own an absolute dependence on the Father for giving his Son, and on the Son for working out redemption, but not so entire a dependence on the Holy Ghost for conversion and a being in Christ, and so coming to a title to his benefits ; that own a de pendence on God for means of grace, but not absolutely for the benefit and success of those means ; that own a partial depend ence on the power of God for the obtaining and exercising holi ness, but not a mere dependence on the arbitrary and sovereign grace of God ; that own a dependence on the free grace of God for a reception into his favor, so far that it is without any proper merit, but not as it is without being attracted, or moved with any excellency • that own a partial dependence on Christ, as he through whom we have life, as having purchased new terms of life, but still hold that the righteousness through which we have life is inherent in ourselves, as it was under the first covenant; and whatever other way any scheme is incon sistent with our entire dependence on God for all, and in each of those ways, of having all of him, through him, and in him, it is repugnant to the design and tenor of the gospel and robs it of that which God accounts its lustre and glory.
3. Hence we may learn a reason why faith is that by which we come to have an interest in this redemption ; for there is included in the nature of faith a sensiblcncss and acknowledg ment of this absolute dependence on God in this affair* 'Tis very fit that it should be required of all, in order to their hav-
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 19
ing the benefit of this redemption, that they should be sensible of, and acknowledge the dependence on God for it. Tis by this means that God hath contrived to glorify himself in re demption ; and 'tis fit that God should at least have this glory of those that are the subjects of this redemption, and have the. benefit of it.
Faith is a sensibleness of what is veal in the work of redemp tion ; and as we do really wholly depend on God, so the soul that believes doth entirely depend, on .God for all salvation, in its own sense and act. Faith abases men and exalts God, it frives all the glory of redemption to God alone. It is neces sary in order to saving faith that man should be emptied of himself, that he should be sensible that he is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Humility is a great ingredient of true faith : lie that truly receives redemp tion, receives it as a little child: Mark 'x. '15, "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child, he shall not enter therein." It is the delight of a, believing soul to abase itself and exalt God alone : that is the language of it, Psalm cxv. 1, "Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give glory."
4. Let us be exhorted to exalt God alone, and ascribe to him all the glory of redemption. Let us endeavor to obtain, .und increase \r. a sensibleness of our great dependence on God, to have our eye to him alone, to mortify a self-dependent and self-righteous disposition. Man is naturally exceeding prone to be exalting himself and depending on his own power or goodness, a? though he were ho from whom he must expect happiness, and to have respect to enjoyments alien from God and his Spirit, as those in which happiness is to be found.
And this doctrine should teach us to exalt God alone, as by trust and reliance, so by praise. Let him that (florid h, i/Iory In the LonL IL'ith any man hope that he is converted and sanctified, and that his mind is endowed with true excellency
20 SELECTED SERMONS
and spiritual beauty, and his sins forgiven, and he received into God s favor, and exalted to the honor and blessedness of being his child, and an heir of eternal life : let him give God all the glory ; who alone makes him to (litter from the worst of men in this world, or the miserablest of the damned in hell. Hath any man much comfort and strong hope of eternal life, let not his hope lift him up, but dispose him the more to iibasc himself aul reflect on his own exceeding un worthiness of such a favor, and to exalt God alone. Is any man eminent in holiness and abundant in good works, let him take nothing of the glory of it to himself, but ascribe it to him whose "work manship we are, created in Christ Jesus unto good works."
OF JONATHAN KD WARDS 21
II
A DIVINE AND SUPERNATURAL LIGHT, IMMEDIATELY IMPARTED TO THE SOUL BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, SHOWN TO BE BOTH A SCRIPTURAL AND RATIONAL DOCTRINE.0
MATT. xvi. — AiulJesus answered and said unto him, Blessed artthou, Simon Barjona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
CHRIST says these words to Peter upon occasion of his pro fessing liis faith in him as the Son of God. Our Lord was inquiring of his disciples, who men said he was ; not that he needed to be informed, "but only to introduce and give occasion to what follows. They answer, that some said he was John the Baptist, and some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. When they had thus given an account who others said he was, Christ asks them, who they said he was. Simon Peter, whom we find always zealous and forward, was the first to answer : he readily replied to the question, TJtou art Christ, the Son of the Itfhi'j God.
Upon this occasion, Christ says as he does to him, and o/him in the text : in which we may observe,
1. That Peter is pronounced blessed on this account. Massed art Thou. — "Thou art a happy man, that thou art not ignorant of this, that I am Christ, the Son of the living Clod. Thou art distinguishingly happy. Others are blinded, and have dark and deluded apprehensions, as you have now given an account, some thinking that I am Elias, and some that I am Jeremias, and some one thing, and some another; but none of them thinking right, all of them misled. Happy
22 SELECTED XERUOXS
art thou, that art so distinguished as to know the truth in this matter."
2. The evidence of this his happiness declared ; viz., that God, and he only, had recealed it to him. This is an evidence of his being blessed.
First, As it shows how peculiarly favored he was of God above others ; q. <!., " How highly favored arfc thou, that others that arc wise and great men, the Scribes, Pharisees and Rulers, and the nation in general, are left in darkness, to follow their own misguided apprehensions ; and that thou shouldst be singled out, as it were, by name, that my Heavenly Father should thus set his love on theo, Simon IJzirjona. This argues thcc blessed, that thou shouldst thus be the object of God's distinguishing love."
Secondly, It evidences his blessedness also, as it intimates tluit this knowledge is above any that tlcsh and blood can reveal. "This is such knowledge as my Father which is in heaven only can give : it is too high and excellent to be com- municrCed by such means as other knowledge is. Thou art blesse< , that thou knowcst that which God alone can teach thcc."
Tie original of this knowledge is here declared, both nega tively and positively. Positively, as God is here declared the authoi- of it. Negatively, as it is declared, that llesh and blood had not revealed it. God is the author of all knowledge and 'understanding whatsoever. He is the author of the knowledge that is obtained by human learning : he is the author of all moral prudence, and of the knowledge and skill that men have in their secular business. Thus it is said of all in Israel that were wise- hearted and skilful in embroidering, that God had filled them with the spirit of wisdom, Kxod, xxviii. 3.
God is the author of such knowledge; but yet not so but that flesh and blood reveals it. Mortal men are capable of imparting the knowledge of human arts and sciences, and skill in temporal affairs. God is the author of such knowledge by
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 23
those means : flesh and blood is made use of by God as the mediate or second cause of it ; he conveys it by the power and influence of natural means. But this spiritual knowledge, spoken of in the text, is what God is the author of, and none else : he reveals it, and flesh and blood reveals it not. lie imparts / this knowledge immediately, not making use of any intermediate :f natural causes, as he does in other knowledge.
What had passed in the preceding discourse naturally occasioned Christ to observe this ; because the disciples had been telling how others did not know him, but were generally mistaken about him, and divided and confounded in their opinions of him : but Peter had declared his assured faith, that lie was the Son of God. Now it was natural to observe, how it was not llcsh and blood that had revealed it to him, but God : for if this knowledge were dependent on natural causes or means, how came it to puss that they, a company of poor fishermen, illiterate men, and persons of low education, attained to the knowledge of the truth ; while the Scribes and Phari sees, men of vastly higher advantages, and greater knowledge and sagacity in other matters, remained m ignorance? This could be owing only to the gracious distinguishing influence and revelation of the Spirit of God; Hence, what I would make the subject of my present discourse from these words is this
DOCT1UNE,
viz., That there ^ swft a thimj a* a Sniritnd.l and Divine Li(/ht, hnwaiatdtj unjtartwl to tli<> son! />// <'()<J9 °f a ^>ffcr' cut nature from aiuj that /N obtained l»j natural means.
In what I say on this subject at this time I would
I. Show what this divine light is.
II. How it is given immediately by God, and not oVn.ined by natural means.
24 SKLKCTKl) SERMONS
III. Show the truth of the doctrine.
And then conclude with a brief improvement.
I. I would show what this spiritual and divine light is. And in order to it, would show,
First, In a few things what it is not. And here,
1. Those convictions that natural men mat/ have of their sin and misery, is not this spiritual and divine light. Men in a natural condition may have convictions of the guilt that lies" upon them, and of the anger of God and their danger of divine vengeance. Such conviction* are from light or sensibleness of truth. That some sinners have a greater conviction of their guilt and misery than others, is Because some have more light, or more of an apprehension of truth than others. And this light and conviction may be from the Spirit of God ; the Spirit convinces men of sin : but yet nature is much more con- corned in it than in the communication of that spiritual and divine ligl.it that is spoken of in the doctrine; 'tis from the Spirit of God only as assisting natural principles, and not ^ as infusing any new principles. Common grace differs from special, in that it influences only by assisting of nature ; and not by imparting grace, or bestowing anything above nature. The light that is obtained is wholly natural, or of no superior kind to what mere nature attains to, though more of that kind be obtained than would be obtained if men were left wholly to themselves : or, in other words, common grace only assists the faculties of the soul to do that more fully which they do by nature, as natural conscience or reason will, by mere nature, make a man sensible of guilt, and will accuse and condemn him when he has done amiss. Conscience is a principle natural to men ; and the work that it doth naturally, or of itself, is to give an apprehension of right and wrong, and to suggest to the mind the relation that there is between right and wrong and a retribution. The Spirit of God, in those convictions wjich unregencrate men sometimes have, assists conscience to do this
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 2i)
work in a further degree than it would do if they were left to themselves: he helps it against those tilings that tend to stupefy it, and obstruct its exercise. But in the renewing and sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost, those things are wrought in the soul that arc above nature, and of which there is nothing qf the like kind in the soul by nature ; and they are caused to exist in the soul habitually, and according to such a stated con stitution or law that lays such a foundation for exercises in a^ continued course, as is called a principle of nature. Not only are remaining principles assisted to do their work more freely and fully, but those principles are restored that were utterly destroyed by the fall; and the mind thenceforward habitu ally exerts those acts that the dominion of sin had made it as wholly destitute of, as a dead body is of vital acts.
The Spirit of God acts in a very diitcrent manner in the one case from what he dotli in the other. He may indeed act upon the mind of a natural man, but he acts in the mind of a saint as an indwelling vital principle. He a-'ts upon the mind of an unregenerate person as an extrinsic, occasional M-.ciint; for in acting upon them, he doth not unite himself to them / notwithstanding all his influences that they may be the subjects of, they are still sensual, having not the Spirit, Jude 19. But he unites himself with the mind of a saint, takes him for his temple, actuates and influences him as a new, super natural principle of life and action. There is this difference, that the Spirit of God, in acting in the soul of a godly man, exerts and communicates himself there in his own proper nature. Holi ness is the proper nature of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit operates in the minds of the godly by uniting himself to them, and living in them, and exerting his own nature in the exercise of their faculties. The Spirit of God may act upon a creature^ and yet not in acting communicate himself. The Spirit of God may act upon inanimate creatures ; as the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters in the beginning of the creation;
20 SELECTED SKHMOXS
so the Spirit of God may act upon the minds of men many ways, mid communicate himself no more than when he acts upon an inanimate creature. For instance, he may excite thoughts in them, may assist their natural reason and under standing, or may assist other natural principles, and this with out any union with the soul, but may act, as it were, as upon an external object. JJtit us he acts in his holy influences and spiritual operations, he acts in a way of peculiar communica tion of himself; so that the subject is thence denominated spiritual.
2. Tin's spiritual awl divine light don't consist in any imprvfixivn nutde >ij>on tint imagination. It is no impression upon the mind, as though one saw any thing with the bodily eyes : 'tis nu imagination or idea of an outward light or glory, or any beauty of form or countenance, or a visible lustre or brightness of any object. The imagination may be strongly impres-ed with such things ; but this is not spiritual light. Indeed when the mind has a livoly discovery of spiritual things, and \A greatly u fleeted l.y the power of divine light, it may, and probably very commonly doth, much affect the imagination ; so that impressions of an outward beauty or brightness may accompany those spiritual discoveries. ]5ut spiritual light is not that 'impression upon the imagination, but an exceeding different thing from it. Natural men may have lively impres sions on their imaginations ; aw', we can't determine but that the devil, who transforms himself into an angei of light, may cause imaginations ol';>n outward boauty, or visible glory, and of sounds and speeches and other siu;h things ; but these are things of a vastly inferior nature to spiritual light.
3. This spiritual light is not the suggesting of any nnv tnttJis or jh'opoMttoiis -not fOHtaiw-d in the word of God. This suggesting of new truth* or doctrines to the mind, inde pendent of any antecedent revelation of those propositions, either in word OL- writing, is inspiration; such as the prophets and
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 27
apostles had, and such as some enthusiasts pretend to. But this spiritual light that I am speaking of, is quite a different tiling from inspiration : it reveals no new doctrine, it suggests no new proposition to the mind, it teaches no new thing of God, or Christ, or another world, not taught in the Bible, but only gives a due apprehension of those things that are taught in the^ word of God.
4. ' Tfs not every affecting view that men hare of the things of religion that is this spiritual and divine light. Men by mere principles of nature are capable of being affected with things that have a special relation to religion as well as other things. A person by mere nature, for instance, may be liable to be affected with the story of Jesus Christ, and the sufferings lie underwent, as well as by any other tragical story : he may be the more affected with it from the interest he conceives mankind to have in it : yea, he may be affected with it without believing it; as well as a man maybe affected with what he Breads i!) a romance, or sees acted in a stage play. He may be affected with a lively and eloquent description of many pleasant' things that attend the state of the blessed in heaven, as well as his imagination be entertained by a romantic descrip tion of the pleasantness of fairy-land, or the like. And that common belief of the truth of the things of religion that persons may have from education or otherwise, may help forward their affection. We read in Scripture of many that were greatly affected with things of a religious nature, who yet are there represented as wholly graceless, and many of them very ill men. A person therefore may have affecting views of the things of religion, and yet be very destitute of spiritual light. Flesh and blood may be the author of this : one man may give another an affecting view of divine things with but common assistance ; but God alone can give a spiritual discovery of them.
But I proceed to show,
Secondly, Positively what this. spiritual and divine light is.
28 SELECTED SERMONS
And it may be thus described : a true sense of the divine excellency of the th'tmjs revealed in the word, of God, and a conviction of the truth and reality of them thence arising.
Tins spiritual light primarily consists in the former of these, vi/., a real sense and apprehension of the divine excellency of things revealed in the word of God. A spiritual ,ind saving con viction of the truth and reality of these tilings arises from such a sight of their divine excellency and glory ; so that this conviction of their truth is an effect and natural consequence of this sight of their divine glory. There is therefore in this spiritual light,
1. A true se/)M of the divine and superlative excellency of the thiny* of reUijion. ; a real sense of the excellency of Clod and Jesus Christ, and of the work of redemption, and the ways and works of God revealed in the gospel. There is a divine and superlative glory in these things ; an excellency that is of a vastly higher kind and more sublime nature than in other things; a glory greatly distinguishing them from all that is earthly and temporal. He that is spiritually enlightened truly apprehends and sees it, or has a sense of it. He does not [merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a ] sense of the gloriousncss of God in his heart. There is not only a rational belief that God is holy and that holiness is a good thing, but there is a sense of the loveliness of God's holiness. There is not only a spmilatively judging that God is gracious, but a sense how amiable God is upon that account, or a sense of the beauty of this divine attribute.
There is a twofold understanding or knowledge of good that God has made the mind of man capable of. The first, that which is merely speculative or notional ; as when a person only speculatively judges that anything is, which, by the agreement of mankind, is called good or excellent, viz., that which is most to general advantage, and between which and a reward there is a suitableness, and the like. And the other is that which con sists in the sense of the heart : as. when there is a sense of the
Or JONATHAN EDWARDS 20
beauty, amiableness, or sweetness of a thing ; so that the heart is sensible of pleasure and delight in the presence of the idea of it. In the former is exereised merely the speculative faculty, or the understanding, strictly so called, or as spoken of in distinc tion from the will or disposition of the soul. In the latter, the will, or inclination, or heart, are mainly concerned.
Thus there is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness. A man may have the former, that knows not how honey tastes ; but a man can't have the latter unless he has an idea of the taste of honey in his mind. So there is a difference between believing that a person is beau tiful, and having a sense of his beauty. The former may be obtained by hearsay, but the latter only by weeing the counte nance. There is a wide diflVrence between mere speculative rational judging anything to be excellent, and having a sense of its sweetness and beauty. The former rests only in the head, speculation only is concerned in it ; but the heart is concerned in the latter. "When the heart is sensible of the beauty and amiableness of a thing, it necessarily feels pleasure in the apprehension. It is implied in a person's being heartily sensi ble of the loveliness of a thing, that the idea of it is sweet and pleasant to his soul ; which is a far different thing from having a rational opinion that it is excellent.
2. There ..irises from this sense of divine excellency of things contained in the word of God a con ration of the truth and rectify of them; and that either indirectly oi1 directly.
First, Indirectly, and that two ways.
1. As i\\^ prejudices tit at are in the heart against the truth of divine things are lierelty remored ; so that the mind be comes susceptive of the due force of rational arguments for their truth. The mind of man is naturally full of prejudices against
30 SELECTED SE/tMONS
the truth of divine things : it is full of enmity against the doe- trincs of the gospel ; which is a disadvantage to those argu ments that prove their truth, and causes them to lose their force upon the mind. I>ut when a person has discovered to him the divine excellency of Christian doctrines, this destroys the enmity, removes those prejudices, and sanctifies the reason, and causes it to lie open to the force of arguments for their truth.
Hence was the different effect that Christ's miracles had to convince the disciples from what they had to convince the Scribes and Pharisees. Not that they had a stronger reason, or had their reason more improved ; but their reason was sanc tified, and those blinding prejudices, that the Scribes and Pharisees were under, were removed by the sense they had of the excellency of Christ and his doctrine.
L>. It not ordy removes the hinderances of reason, but posi tively heljts reason. It makes even the speculative notions the more lively. It engages the attention of the mind, with the more fixedness and intenseness to that kind of objects; which causes it to have a clearer view of them, and enables it more clearly to see their mutual relations, and occasions it to take more notice of them. The ideas themselves that other wise are dim and obscure are by this means impressed with the greater strength, and have a light cast upon them ; so that the mind can. better judge of them : as he that beholds the objects on the face of the earth, when the light of the sun is cast upon them, is under greater advantage to discern them in their true forms and mutual relations than he that sees them in a dim starlight or twilight.
The mind having a sensibleness of the excellency of divine objects, dwells upon them with delight; and the powers of the sold are more awakened and enlivened to employ themselves in the contemplation of them, and exert themselves more fully and much more to the purpose. The beauty and sweetness of the objects draws on the faculties, and draws forth their exercises :
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 31
so that reason itself is under far greater advantages for its proper and free exercises, and to attain its proper end, free of darkness and delusion. But,
Secondly, A true sense of the divine excellency ^* the things of God's word doth more directly and immediately convince of the truth of them ; and that "because the excellency of these things is so superlative. There is a beauty in them that is so divine and godlike, that is greatly and evidently distinguishing of them from things merely human, or that men are the invent ors and authors of; a glory that is so high and great that, when clearly seen, commands assent to their divinity and reality. When there is an actual and lively discovery of this beauty and excellency, it won't allow of any such thought- as that it is a human work, or the fruit of men's invention. This evidence that they that are spiritually enlightened have of the truth of the things of religion is a kind of intuitive and immediate evi-^ deuce. They believe the doctrines of God's word to be divine, because they see divinity in them ; i.e., they see a divine, and transcendent, and most evidently distinguishing glory in them ; such a glory as1 if clearly seen, does not leave room to doubt of their being of God, and not of men.
Such a conviction of the truth of religion as this, arising, these ways, from a sense of the divine excellency of them, is that true spiritual conviction that there is in saving faith. And this original of it is that by which it is most essentially distin guished from that common assent which unregencrate men are ca] table of.
II. I proceed now to the second thing proposed, viz., to show how thin light is immediately t/iveii by God., and not obtained by natural means. And here,
1. 'Tis not intended that the natural faculties are not made nxe of in it. The natural faculties are the subject of this light : and they are the subject in such a manner that they are not merely passive, but active in it ; the acts and exercises
30 SELECTED SERMONS
of man's understanding are concerned and made use of in it. God, in letting in this light into the soul, deals with man accord ing to his nature, or as a rational creature; and makes use of his human faculties. But yet this light is not the less immedi ately from God for that ; though the faculties are made use of, 'tis as the subject and not as the cause ; and that acting of the faculties in it is not the cause, but is either implied in the .thing itself (in the light that is imparted) or is the consequence of it : as the use that we make of our eyes in beholding various objects, when the sun arises, w not the cause of the light that discovers those objects to us.
2. 9Tis not intended that outward means have no concern in this affair* As I have observed already, 'tis not in this affair, as it is in inspiration, where new truths are suggested : for here is by this light only given a due apprehension of the same truths that arc revealed in the word of God; and therefore it is not given without the word. The gospel is made use of in this affair : this light is the " light of the glorious gospel of Christ," 2 Cor. iv. 4. The gospel is as a glass, by which this light is con veyed to us, 1 Cor. xiii. 12 : " Now we see through a glass." —
But,
3. When it is said that this light is given immediately by God, and not obtained by natural means, hereby /,s intended, that 'tis ffirfln by God without malthuj use of any mean* that operate, by their own power, or a natural force. God makes use of means ; but 'tis not as mediate causes to produce this effect. There are not truly any second causes of it ; but it is produced by God immediately. The word of God is no proper <;au*3 of this effect : it does not operate by any natural force in it. The word of God is only made use of to convey to the mind the subject matter of this saving instruction : and this indeed it doth convey to us by natural force or influence, conveys to our minds these and those doctrines ; it is the cause of the notion of them in our heads, but not of the sense of the
OF JONATHAN KDWAttDS 33
divine excellency of them in our hearts. Indeed a person can't have spiritual light without the word. But that don't argue that the word properly causes that light. The mind can't see the excellency of any doctrine, unless that doctrine be first in the mind ; but the seeing of the excellency of the doctrine may be immediately from the Spirit of God; though the conveying of the doctrine or proposition itself may be by the word. So that the notions that are the subject matter of this light are conveyed to the mind by the word of God ; but that due sense of the heart, wherein this light formally consists, is immediately by the Spirit of God. As for instance, that notion that there is a Christ, and that Christ is holy and gracious, is conveyed to the mind by the word of God : but the sense of the excellency of Christ by reason of that holiness and grace, is nevertheless immediately the work of the Holy Spirit. — I come now,
III. To show the truth of the doctrine; that is, to show that there is such a thing as that spiritual light that has been described, thus immediately let into the mind by God. And here I would show brieily, that this doctrine is both scriptural and rational.
First, Tis scriptural My text is not only full to the pur pose, but 'tis a doctrine that the Scripture abounds in. We arc there abundantly taught that the saints differ from the ungodly in this, that they have the knowledge of God, and a sight of God, and of Jesus Christ. I shall mention but few texts of many. 1 John iii. G, " Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, nor known him." 3 John 11, "He that doeth good is of God : but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." John xiv. 19, "The world scetli me no more ; but ye see me." John xvii. 3, "And this is ctern;il life, that they might know thee the only true God, and Je-:*us Christ, whom thou hast sent." This knowledge, or sight of God and Christ, can't be a mere speculative knowledge ; because it is spoken of as a seeing and knowing wherein they differ from the ungodly. And by these
L>
34 SELECTED SERMONS
Scriptures it must not only be a different knowledge in degree and circumstances, and different in its effects ; but it must be entirely different in nature and kind.
And this light and knowledge is always spoken of as imme diately given of God, Matt. xi. 25, 26, 27 : " At that time J.jsus answered and said, I thank thec, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even go, Father : for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my father : and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father : neither knoweth any man the father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Here 'this effect is ascribed alone to the arbitrary operation and gilt of God, bestowing this knowledge on whom he will, and distin: guishing those with it, that have the least natural advantage or means for knowledge, even babes, when it is denied to the wise and prudent. And the imparting of the knowledge of God is here appropriated' to the Son of God as his sole prerogative. And again, 2 Cor. iv. G : " For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This plainly shows that there is such a thing as a dis covery of the divine superlative glory and excellency of God and Christ, and that peculiar to the saints : and also, that 'tis as immediately from God, as light from the sun : and that 'tis the immediate "etlcrt of his power and will ; for 'tis compared to God's creating the light by his powerful word in the beginning of the creation ; and is said to be by the Spirit of the Lord, in the 18th verse of the preceding chapter. God is spoken of as giving the knowledge of Christ in conversion, as of what before was hidden and unseen in that, Gal. i. 15, 16 : " But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me." The Scripture also speaks plainly "of such a knowledge of the word of God as has been de-
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 35
scribed, as the immediate gift of God, Psal cxix. 18: " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." What could the Psalmist mean when he begged of God to open his eyes 1 Was he ever blind 'I Might he not have resort to the law and see every word and sentence in it when he pleased ? And what could he mean by those " wondrous things " ' Was it the wonderful stories of the creation and deluge, and Israel's passing through the Red Sea, and the like 1 Were not bis eyes open to read these strange things when he would? Doubtless by "wondrous things5' in God's law, he had respect to those distinguishing and wonderful excellencies, and marvel lous manifestations of the divine perfections and glory, that there was in the commands and doctrines of the word, and those works and counsels of God that were there revealed. So the Scripture speaks of a knowledge of God's dispensation, and covenant of mercy, and way of grace towards his people, as peculiar to the saints, and given only by God, Psal. xxv. 14 : " The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him ; and he will show them his covenant."
And tbtit a true and saving belief of the truth of religion is that which arises from such a discovery, is also what the Scripture teaches. As John vi. 40 : "Ami this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sectU the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life ;" where it is plain that a true faith is what arises from a spiritual sight of Christ. And John xvii. G, 7, 8 : "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavcst me out of the world. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For J have given unto them the words which thou gavcst me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me;" where Christ's manifesting God's name to the disciples, or giving thorn the knowledge of God, was that whereby they knew that Christ's doctrine was of God, and
3G SELECTED SERMONS
that Christ himself was of him, proceeded from him, and was sent by him. Again, John xii. 44, 45, 46: "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, belicveth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sccth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." Their believing in Christ, and spiritually seeing him, are spoken of as running parallel.
Christ condemns the Jews, that they did not know that he was the Messiah, and tliat his doctrine was true, from an inward distinguishing ta.ste and relish of what was divine, in Luke xii. 5(5, 57. lie having there blamed the Jews, that though they could discern the face of the sky and of the earth, and signs of the weather, that yet they could not discern those times — or, as 'tis expressed in Matthew, the signs of those times — he adds, yea, and why even of your own selves judge ye not what is right? i.e., without extrinsic signs. Why have ye not that sense of true excellency, whereby ye may distinguish that which is holy and divine ? Why have ye not that savor of the things of God, by which you may see the distinguishing glory and evident divinity of me and my doctrine?
The Apostle Peter mentions it as what gave them (the apostles) guod and well grounded assurance of the truth of the gospel, that they had seen the divine glory of Christ, 2 Pet. i. 1(5 : " For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." The apostle lias respect to that visible glory of Christ which they saw in his transfiguration : that glory was so divine, having such an ineffable appearance and semblance of divine holiness, majesty and grace, that it evidently denoted him to be a divine person. But if a sight of Christ's outward glory might give a rational assurance of his divinity, why may not an apprehension of his spiritual glory do so too? Doubtless Christ's spiritual glory is in itself as distinguishing, and as plainly showing his divinity,
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 37
as his outward glory ; and a great deal more : for his spiritual glory is that wherein his divinity consists ; and the outward glory of his transfiguration showed him to be divine, only as it was a remarkable image or representation of that spiritual glory. Doubtless, therefore, he that has had a elear sight of the spiritual glory of Christ, may say, I have not followed cunningly devised fables, but have been an eyewitness of his majesty, upon as good grounds as the apostle, when he had respect to the outward glcry of Christ that he had seen.
But this brings me to what was proposed next, viz., to show that,
Secondly, This doctrine is rational.
1. Tis rational to suppose that there is really such an excellency in divine things, that is so transcendent and exceed ingly different from what is in other things, that, if it were seen, would most evidently distinguish them. We cannot rationally doubt but that things that are divine, that appertain to the Supreme Being, are vastly different from things that are human ; that there is that godlike, high and glorious excellency in them, 'that does most remarkably difference them from the things that are of men; insomuch that if the difference were but seen, it would have a convincing, satisfying influence upon any one, that they are what- they are, viz., divine. What reason can be offered against it? Unless we would argue, that God is not remarkably distinguished, in glory from men.
If Christ should now appear to any one as he did on the mount at his transfiguration ; or if lie should appear to the world in the glory that he now appears in in heaven as he will do at the day of judgment ; without doubt, the glory and majesty that he would appear in, would be such a& would satisfy every one that he was a divine person, and that religion was true : and it would be a most reasonable and well grounded conviction too. And why may there not be that stamp of divinity or divine glory on the word of God, on the scheme and
.°>8 XKI.KCTKl) HKHMOXS
doctrine of the gospel, that may be in like manner distinguish ing and as rationally convincing provided it be but seen? T?s rational to suppose that when God speaks to the world, there should be something in his word or speech vastly differ ent from men's word. Supposing that God never had spoken to the world, but we had noticed that h ; was about to do it ; that he was about to reveal himself from heaven and speak to us immediately himself, in divine speeches or discourses, as it were from his own mouth, or that he should give us a book of his own inditing : after what manner should we expect that he would speak? ' Would it not be rational to suppose that speech would be exceeding different from men's speech, that he should speak like a God ; that is, that there should be such an excellency and sublimity in his speech or won!, Mirh a stamp of wisdom, holiness, majesty and other divine perfections, that the word of men, yea of the wisest of men, should appear mean and base in comparison of it? Doubtless it would be thought rational to expect this, and unreasonable to think otherwise. When a wise man speaks in the exercise of his wisdom, there i something in every thing he says that is very distinguishable from the talk of a little child. So, without doubt, and much more, is the speech of God (if there be any such thing as the speech of God) to be distinguished from that of the wisest of men ; agreeable to Jcr. xxiii. l>8, L>(.). God having there been reprovhig the false prophets that prophesied in his name an;l pretended that what they spake was his word, when indeed it was their own word, says, "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream ; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the cliatf to the wheat? saith the Lord. Is not my word like as a lire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that hrcaketh the rock in pieces?"
2. If there K» such a distinguishing excellency in divine things, 'tis rational to suppose that th<*r<>. ///"// l»' *'"'//. '-'< ^'".'/ cw sevhi' it. What should hinder but that it may be seen?
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 39
Jt is no argument, that there is no such thing as such a dis tinguishing excellency, or that, if there be, that it can't be seen, that some don't see it, though they may be discerning men in temporal matters. It is not rational to suppose, if there be any such excellency in divine things, tluit wicked men should see it. Tis not rational to suppose that those whose minds are full of spiritual pollution, and under the power of filthy lusts, should have any relish or sense of divine beauty or ex cellency ; or that their minds should be susceptive of that light that is in its own nature so pure and heavenly. It need not seem at all strange that sin should so blind the mind, see ing that men's particular natural tempers and dispositions will so~much blind them in secular matters ; as when men's natural temper is melancholy, jealous, fearful, proud, or the like.
\\. 'Tis rational to suppose that M/.s kHOidwlye should be yiceu iniincdhaihj bt/ (M, and not be obtained by natural means. Upon what account should it seem unreasonable, that there should be any immediate communication between God and the creature'? It is strange that men should make any matter of ditliculty of it. Why should not he that made all things, still have something immediately to do with the things that* ho has made? Where lies the great ditliculty, if we own the being of a Cod, and that he created all things out of noth ing, of allowing some immediate influence of God on the creation still 1 And if it be reasonable to suppose it with respect to any part of the creation, it is especially so with respect to reasonable, intelligent creatures; who are next to God in the gradation of the different orders of beings, and whose business is 'most immediately with God; who were made on purpose for those exercises that do respect Goil and wherein they have nextly to do with God: for reason teaches, that man was made to serve and glorify his Creator. And if it be ra tional to suppose that God immediately communicates himself to man in any affair, it is in this. 'Tis rational to suppose
40 SKLKVTKD 8KHMOXS
that God would reserve that knowledge and wisdom, that is of such a divine and excellent nature, to be bestowed immediately by himself, and that it should not be left in the power of second causes. Spiritual wisdom and grace is the highest and most excellent gift that ever God bestows on any creature : in this the highest excellency and perfection of a rational creature consists. 'Tisalso immensely the most important of all divine gifts : 'tis that wherein man's happiness consists, and on which his everlast ing welfare depends. llo\v rational is it to suppose that God, however he has left meaner goods and lower gifts to second causes, and in some sort in their power, yet should reserve this most excellent, divine and important of all divine communica tions in his own hands, to be bestowed immediately by him self, as a thing too great for second causes to be concerned in ! 'Tis rational to suppose that this blessing should be immedi ately from God ; for there is no gift or benefit that is in itself so nearly related to the divine nature, there is ^ nothing the creature receives that is so much of God, of his nature, so much a participation of the deity: 'tis a kind of emanation of God's beauty, and is related to God as the light is to the sun. 'Tis therefore congruous and fit, that when it is given of God, it should be nextly from himself, and by himself, according to his own sovereign will.
Tis rational to suppose that it should be beyond a man's power to obtain this knowledge and light by the mere strength of natural reason; for 'tis not a tiling that belongs to reason, to see the beauty and loveliness of spiritual things ; it is not a specula tive thing, but depends on the sense of the heart. Reason, in deed, is necessary in order to it, as 'tis by reason only that we are become the subjects of the means of it ; which means I have already shown to be necessary in order to it, though they -have no proper causal influence in the attain "Tis by reason that we become possessed of a notion of those doctrines that are the subject matter of this divine light ; and reason may
OF JONATHAN Kl) WARDS 41
many ways be indirectly and remotely an advantage to it. And reason has also to do in the acts that are immediately consequent on this discovery : a seeing the truth of religion from hence is by reason ; though it be but by one step, and the inference be immediate. So reason has to do in that accepting of, and trusting in Christ, that is consequent on it. But if we take reason strictly, not for the faculty of mental perception in general, but for ratiocination, or a power of inferring by argu ments ; I say, if we take reason thus/the perceiving of spiritual beauty and excellency no more belongVto reason than it belongs to the sense of feeling to perceive colors, or to the power of seeing to perceive the sweetness of food. It is out of reason's prov ince to perceive the beauty or loveliness of any thing : such a per ception don't belong to that faculty. Reason's work is to perceive truth and not excellency. It is not ratiocination that gives men the perception of the beauty and amiableness of a coun tenance,! thoughjt may be many ways indirectly an advan tage tolt; yet'tis no more reason that immediately perceives it than it is reason that perceives the sweetness of honey : it depends .on the sense of the heart.] Reason may determine that a countenance is beautiful to otHcrs, it may determine that honey is sweet to others; but it will never give me a perception of its sweetness. — I will conclude with a very brief
IMPROVEMENT
of what has been said.
First, This doctrine may lead us to reflect on the goodness of God, that has so ordered it, that a saving evidence of the truth of the gospel is such as is attainable by persons of mean capacities and advantages, as well as those that are of the greatest parts and learning. If the evidence of the gospel depended only on history, and such reasonings as learned men only are capable of, it would be above the reach of far the
42 SELECTED SERMONS
greatest part of mankind. But persons with but an ordinary de gree of knowledge are capable, without a long and subtile train of reasoning, to see the divine excellency of the things of religion : they are capable of being taught by the Spirit of God, as well as learned men. The evidence that is this way obtained is vastly better and more satisfying than all that can be obtained by the arguings of those that are most learned, and greatest masters of reason. And babes are as capable of knowing these things as the wise and prudent ; and they are often hid from these when they are revealed to those : 1 Cor. i. 20, 27, " For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the llesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world. ..."
Secondly, This doctrine may well put us upon examining ourselves, whether we have ever had this divine light that has been described let into our souls. If there be such a thing indeed, and it be not only a notion or whimsy of persons of weak and distempered brains, then doubtless 'tis a thing of great importance, whether we have thus been taught by the Spirit of God ; whether the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, hath shined unto us, giving us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ; whether we have seen the Son, and believed on him, or have that faith of gospel doctrines that arises from a spiritual sight of Christ.
Thirdly, All may hence be exhorted earnestly to seek this spiritual light. To influence and move to it, the following things may be considered.
1. This is the most excellent awl ilimie wisdom that any creature is capable of. Tis more excellent than any human learning ; 'tis far more excellent than nil the knowledge of the greatest philosophers or statesmen. Yea, the least glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Christ doth more exalt and ennoble the soul than all the knowledge of those that have the
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 43
greatest speculative understanding in divinity without grace. This knowledge has the most noble object that is or can be, viz., the divine glory or excellency of God and Christ. The knowledge of these objects is that wherein consists the most excellent knowledge of the angels, yea, of Cod himself.
2. This knowledge is that which is above all others sweet and joyful. Men have a great deal of pleasure in human knowledge, in studies of natural things ; but this is nothing to that joy which arises from this divine light shining into the soul. This light gives a view of those things that are im mensely the most exquisitely beautiful, ami capable of delighting the eye of the understanding. This spiritual light is the dawning of the light of glory in the heart. There is nothing so power ful as this to support persons in affliction, and to give the mind peace and brightness in this stormy and dark world.
3. This light is such as effectually influences the inclination, and ch<uiff<'is thv 'nature of the xonl. It assimilates the nature to the divine nature, and 'changes the soul into an image of the same glory that is beheld: 2 Cor. iii. 18, "But we all, with open flvee," beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." This knowledge will wean from the world and raise the inclination to heavenly th.ngs. It will turn the heart to God as the fountain of good, and to choose him for the only portion. This light, and this only, will bring the soul to a saving close with Christ. It conforms the heart to the gospel, mortifies its enmity and opposition against the sc heme of salvation therein revealed. It causes the heart to embrace the joyful tidings, and entirely to adhere to, and ac quiesce in the revelation of Christ as our Saviour. It causes the whole soul to accord and symphonic with it, admitting it with entire credit and respect, cleaving to it with full inclina tion and affection ; and it effectually disposes the soul to give up itself entirely to Christ,
41 SKLKVTKD SKKMOXS
4. This light, and this only, //<>* ite fruit in an universal holiness of life. No merely notional or speculative under standing of the doctrines of religion will ever bring to this. But this light, as it readies the bottom of the heart, and changes the nature, so it will effectually dispose to an universal obedience. It shows God's worthiness to be obeyed and served. It draws fortli the heart in a sincere love to God, which is the only principle of a true, gracious and universal obedience. And it convinces of the reality of those glorious rewards that God has promised to them that obey him.
O/*' JONATHAN EDWARDS 45
ITI
HUTU'S RESOLUTION °
RuTH i ic>. _ And Ruth said, Intrcat mo not to leave thee, or to return from fohowin^ after thoe: for whither thou Roest .wi I RO ; *d where thou lod-est, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, ami thy God my (Jod.
THE historical things in tins book of Ruth seem to- be in serted into the canon of the Scripture especially on two
irst 'Because Christ was of Faith's posterity. The Holy Ghost thought fit to take particular notice of that marriage oi Boaz with Ruth, whence sprang the Saviour of the world. We may often observe it, that the Holy Spirit who indited the Scriptures, often takes notice of little things, minute occur- rences, that do but remotely relate to Jesus Christ
Secondly, Because this history seems to be typical oi c'lllin"- of the Gentile church, and indeed of the conversion ot every°believer. Ruth was not originally of Israel, but was a Moabitess, an alien from the commonwealth of Israel: but she forsook her own people, and the idols of the Gent lea, to wor ship the God of Israel, and to join herself to that people. Herein she seems to be a type of the Gentile church and also of every sincere convert. Ruth was the mother of Christ ; he came of her posterity : so the church is Christ's mother, as she is represented, Rev. xii., at the beginning. And so also is every true Christian his mother : Matt. xii. 50, " Whosoever shall
46 SKLKVTED SERMONS
do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Christ is what the soul of every one of the elect is in travail with in the new birth. Ruth forsook all her natural relations and her own country, the land of her nativity, and all her former possessions there, for the sake of the God of Israel ; as every true Christian forsakes all for Christ. Psalm xlv. 10, " Hearken, 0 daughter, and con sider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house."
Naomi was now returning out of the land of Moab into the land of Israel with her two daughters in law, Orpah and Kutli ; who will represent to us t\vo sorts of professors of religion : Orpah, that sort that indeed make a fair pro fession, and seem to set out well, but dure but for a while, and then turn back; Ruth, that sort that are sound and sincere, and therefore are steadfast and persevering in the way that they have set out in. Naomi in the preceding versus represents to these her daughters the difficulties of their leaving their own country to go with her. And in this verse ma)' be observed,
1. The remarkable conduct and behavior of Ruth on this occasion; with what inllcxible resolution she cleaves to Naomi and follows her. When Naomi first arose to return from the .country of Moab into the land of Israel, Orpah and Ruth both set out with her; and Naomi exhorts them both to return. And they both of them wept, and seemed as if they could not bear the thoughts of leaving her, and appeared as if they were resolved to go with her: verse 10, "Ami they said unto her, Suicly we will return with thee unto thy people." Then Naomi says to them again, "Turn again, my daughters, go your way," &c. And then they were 'greatly affected again, and Orpah returned and went back. Now Ruth's steadfast ness in her purpose had a greater trial, but yet is not overcome: "She clave unto her," verse 14. Then Naomi speaks to her
OF JONATHAN EDWAEDS 47
again, verse 15, "Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods : return thou after thy sister in law." And then she shows her immovable resolution in the text and following verse.
2. I would particularly observe that wherein the virtuousiicss of this her resolution consists, viz., that it was for the sake of the God of Israel, and that she might be one of his people, that she was thus resolved to cleave to Naomi : " Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." It was for God's sake that she did thus ; and therefore her so doing is afterwards spoken of as a virtuous behavior in her, chap. ii. 11, 12: "And Boaz an swered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband : and how thou hast left thy father, and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, awl art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The Lord recom pense thy work, and a full reward be given thce of the Lord Cod of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." She left her father and mother, and the land of her nativity, 'to come and trust under the shadow of God's wings : and -she had indeed a full reward given her, as Boa/ wished ; for besides immediate spiritual blessings to her own soul and eternal re wards in another world, she was rewarded with plentiful and prosperous outward circumstances in the family of Boaz. And God raised up David and Solomon of her seed, and established the crown of Israel (the people that she chose before her own people) in her posterity; and — which is much more — of her seed he raised up Jesus Christ, in whoni all the families of the earth are blessed.
From the words thus opened, I observe this for the subject of my present discourse :
When those, tlmt. ice ham formerly been rniirprsmit ?''////, are tumuiy to God, and joint wj themselves to his people, it
48 SKLKVTKl) SERMONS
outfit to be our firm resolution, that we will not leave them; but that their people shall be our people, and their God oar God.
It sometimes happens, that of those who have been conver sant one with another, that have dwelt together as neighbors, and have been often together as companions, or have been united in near relation, and have been together in darkness, bondage and misery in the service of Satan, some arc en lightened, and have their minds changed, are made to see the great evil of sin, and have their hearts turned to God, and are •influenced by the Holy Spirit of God to leave their company that are on Satan's side to go and join themselves with that blessed company that are with Jesus Christ ; they are made willing to forsake the tents of wickedness, to dwell in the land of uprightness with the people of God.
And sometimes this proves a final parting or separation be tween them and those that they have been formerly conversant with. Though it may be no parting in outward respects, they may still dwell together and may converse one with an other ; yet in other respects, it sets them at a great distance one from another: one is a child of God, and the other the enemy of God ; one is in a miserable, and the other in a happy condition ; one is a citizen of the heavenly Zion, the other is under condemnation to hell. They are no longer together in those respects wherein they used to bo together. They used to be of one mind to serve sin and do Satan's work ; now they are of contrary minds. They used to be together in worldlincss and sinful vanity ; now they are of exceeding different disposi tions. They are separated as they are in different kingdoms ; the one remains in the kingdom of darkness, the other is trans lated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And sometimes they are finally separated in these respects ; while one dwells in the land of Israel, and in the house of God, the other, like Orpah, lives and dies \\\ the land of Moab.
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 49
Now 'tis lamentable when it is thus. Tis awful being parted so. 'Tis doleful, when of those that have formerly been together in sin, some turn to God, and join themselves with his people, that it should prove a parting between them and their former companions and acquaintance. It should be our firm and inflexible resolution in such a case that it shall be no part ing, but that we will follow them, that their people shall be our people, and their God our God ; and that for the following reasons :
I. Because their God is a glorious God. There is none like him, who is infinite in glory and excellency. He is the most high God, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. His name is excellent in all the earth, and his glory is above the earth and the heavens. Among the gods there is none like unto him ; there is none in heaven to be compared to him, nor are there any among the sons of the mighty that can be likened unto him. Their God is the fountain of all good, and an inexhaustible fountain ; he is an all-sufficient God, able to pro tect and defend them, and do all things for them. (He is the King of- glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the iSord mighty in battle : a strong rock, and a high tower./ There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rideth on the heaven in their help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is their refuge, and underneath are everlasting arms. He is a God that hath all things in his hands, and does whatsoever he pleases : he killeth and maketh alive ; he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up ; he maketh poor and maketh rich : the pillars of the earth are the Lord's. Their God is an infinitely holy God ; there is none holy as the Lord And he is infinitely good and merciful. Many that others worship and serve as gods are cruel beings, spirits that seek the ruin of souls ; but this is a God that jlelightetli in mercy; his grace is infinite and endures forever, file is love itself, an infinite fountain and x ocean of it.J '
50 SELECTED SERMONS
Such a God is their God ! Such is the excellency of Jacob ! Such is the God of them who have forsaken their sins and are converted ! They have made a wise choice who have chosen this for their God. They have made a happy exchange indeed, that have exchanged sin and the world for such a God !
They have an excellent and glorious Saviour, who is the only-begotten Son of God ; the brightness of his Father's ^glory ; one in whom God from eternity had infinite delight ; a Saviour of infinite love; one that has shed his own blood and made his soul an ottering for their sins, and one that is able to save them to the uttermost.
II. Their people, are an excellent and happy people. God has renewed them, and iustampcd his own image upon them, and made them partakers of his holiness. They are more excellent than their neighbors, Prov. xii. '26. Yea, they are the excellent of the earth, Psalm xvi. 3. They are lovely in the sight of the angels; ami they have their souls adorned with those graces that in the sight of God himself are of great price.
The people of God are the most excellent and happy society in the world. That God whom they have chosen for their God is their Father ; he has pardoned all their sins, and they are at peace with him ; and he has admitted them to all the privileges of his children. As they have devoted themselves to God, so " God has given himself tu them. He is become their salvation and their portion : his power and mercy and all his attributes are theirs. Tlioy are in a safe state, free from all possibility of perishing: (Satan has no power to destroy them. God carries them on eagle's wings, far above Satan's reach, and above the reach of all the enemies of their souls. God is with them in this world ; they have his gracious presence. God is for them ; who then can be against them? As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so Jehovah is round about them. God is their shield and their exceeding great reward ; and their fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christj
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 51
And they have the divine promise and oath that in the world to come they shall dwell forever in the glorious presence of God.
Tt may well be sufficient to induce us to resolve to cleave to those that forsake their sins and idols to join themselves with this people, that God is with them, Zech. viii. 23 : " Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, \Ve will go with you : for we have heard that God is with you." So should persons as it were take hold of the skirt of their neighbors and companions that have turned to God, and resolve that they will go with them, because God is with them.
111. Jlapjiinesi* is nowhere else to be had, but in their God, and with their people. There are that are called gods many, and lords many. Some make gods of their pleasures; some clu)ose Mammon for their god \ some make gods of their own supposed excellencies, or the outward advantages they have above their neighbors : some choose one thing for their god, and others another. .But men can be happy in no other God but the God of Israel: he is the only fountain of happiness. Other gods can't help in calamity ; nor can any of them afford what the poor empty soul stands in need of. Let men adore those other gods never so much, and call upon them never so ear nestly, and serve them never so diligently, they will nevertheless remain poor, wretched, unsatisfied, undone creatures. All other people are miserable, but that people whose God is the Lord. — The world is divided into two societies. There are the people of God, the little flock of Jesus Christ, that company that we read of, Rev. xiv. 4. "These are they which were not denied with women ; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were re deemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb/' And there are those that belong to the kingdom of darkness, that are without Christ, being aliens from the com-
T>2 SELECTED 'SERMONS
mon wealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. All that are of this latter company are wretched and undone ; they are the enemies of God. and under his wratli and condemnation. They are the devil's slaves, that serve him blindfold, and are befooled and ensnared by him, and hurried along in the broad way to eternal perdition.
IV. When those that we have formerly been conversant with are turning to God, and to his people, their example ought to influence us. Their example should be looked upon as the call of God to us to do as they have done. God, when he changes the heart of one, calls upon another ; especially does he loudly call on those that have been their friends and acquaintance. We have been influenced by their examples in evil ; and shall we cease to follow them when they make the wisest choice that ever they made, and do the best thing that ever they did 1 ^ If we have been companions with them in worldliness, in vanity, in unprofitable and sinful conversation, it will be a hard case, if there must be a parting now, because we be not willing to be companions with them in holiness and true happiness. Men arc greatly influenced by seeing one another's prosperity in other things. If those whom they have been much conversant with grow rich, and obtain any great earthly advantages, it awakens their ambition and eager desire after the like prosperity. How much more should they be influenced, and stirred up to follow them, and be like them, when they obtain that spiritual and eternal happiness that is of infinitely more worth than all the prosperity and glory of this world !
C V. Our resolutions to cleave to and follow those that are (turning to God, and joining themselves to his people, ought to ibe fixed and strong, because of the great difficulty of it. If we will cleave to them, and have their God for our God, and their people for our people, we must mortify and deny all our lusts, and cross every evil appetite and inclination, and forever part
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 53
with call sin. But our lusts are many and violent. Sin is naturally exceeding dear to us; to part with it is compared to plucking out our right eyes. Men may refrain from wonted ways of sin for a little while, and may deny their lusts in a partial degree, with less difficulty ; but 'tis heart-rending work, finally to part with all sin, and to give our dearest lusts a bill of divorce, utterly to send them away. But this we must do, if we would follow those that are truly turning to God. Yea, we must not only forsake sin, hut must, in a sense, forsake all the world : Luke xiv. 33, " Whosoever he be of you that for- saketh not all he hath, he cannot be my disciple." That is, lie must forsake all in his heart, and must come to a thorough disposition and readiness actually to quit all for God and the glorious spiritual privileges of his people, whenever the case^muy require it; and that without any prospect of any thing of the like nature, or any worldly thing whatsoever, to make amends for it ; and all to go into a strange country, a land that has hitherto been unseen ; like Abraham, who being called of God, /'went out of his own country, and from his kindred, and from his father's house, for a land that God should show him, not knowing whither he went."
Thus it was a hard thing for Ruth to forsake her native country and her father and mother, her kindred and acquain tance, and all the pleasant tilings she had in the land of Moab, to dwell in the land of Israel, where she never had been. Naomi told her of the difficulties once and again. They were too hard for her sister Orpah ; the consideration of them turned her back after she was set out. Her resolution was not firm enough to overcome them. But so firmly resolved was Ruth, that she broke through all ; she was steadfast in it, that, let the difficulty be what it would, she would not leave her mother in law. So persons had nued to be very firm in their resolution to conquer the difficulties that are in the way of cleaving to them who are indeed turning from sin to God.
51 SELECTED SKRMQNS
Our cleaving to them, and having their God for our God and their people for our people, depends on our resolution and i choice ; and that in two respects.
1. The firmness of resolution in using means in order to it, is the way to have means effectual. There are means ap pointed in order to our becoming some of the true Israel and having their God for our God ; and the thorough use of these means is the way to have success ; but not a slack or slighty use of them. And that we may be thorough, there is need of strength of resolution, a firm and inflexible disposition and bent of mind to be universal in the use of means, and to do what we do with our might, and to persevere in it. Matt. xi. P2, "The kingdom of heaven sutlcretli violence, and the violent take it by force."
2. A choosing of their God and their people, with a full de termination and with the- whole soul, is the condition, of an tinton with them. God. gives every man his choice in .this jnatter :
* as Orpah mid Kuth had their choice, whether they would ..go
with Naomi into the land of Israel, or stay in the land of Moab.
r^A natural man may choose deliverance from hell ; but no man
Idoth ever heartily choose God and Christ, and the spiritual
: benefits that Christ has purchased, and the happiness of God's
> (people, till he is converted. On the contrary, he is averse to
'them ; he has no relish of them ; and is wholly ignorant of the
inestimable worth and value of them.
Many carnal men do seem to choose these things, but do it not really : as Orpah seemed at first to choose to forsake Moab to go into the land of Israel. ]Jut when Naomi came to set before her the difficulty of it, she v;?nt back ; and thereby showed that she was not fully determined in her choice, and that her whole soul was not in it as Ruth's was.
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 55
APPLICATION
The use that I shall make of what has been said is to move sinners to this resolution, with respect to those amongst us that have lately turned to God, and joined themselves to the flock of Christ. Through the abundant mercy and grace of God to us in this place, it may be said of many of you that are in a Oh ristless condition, that you have lately been left by those that were formerly with you in such a state. There are those that you have formerly been conversant with that have lately forsaken a life of sin and the service of Satan, and have turned to God, and lied to Christ, and joined themselves to that blessed company that arc with him. They formerly were with you in sin and in misery ; but now they are with you no more in that state or manner of life. They are changed, and have lied from the wrath to come ; they have chosen a life of holiness here and the enjoyment of God hereafter. They were formerly your associates in bondage, and were with you in Satan's business ; but now you have their company no longer in these things. Many of you have seen those you live with, under the same roof, turning from being any longer with you in sin, to be with the people of Jesus Christ. Some of you that arc hus bands have had your wives ; and some of you that are wives have had your husbands; some of you that are children have had your parents ; and parents have had your children ; many of you have had your brothers and sisters ; and many your near neighbors and acquaintance and special friends ; many of you that are young have had your companions : I say, many of you have had those that you have been thus concerned with,' leaving you, forsaking that doleful life and wretched state that you still continue in. Gou, of his good pleasure and wonderful grace, hath lately caused it to be so in this place that multitudes have been forsaking their old abodes in the land of Moab, and under the <rods of MOM!), and going into the land of Israel, to put
56 SELECTED SERMONS
their trust under the wings of the Lord God of Israel. Though you and they have been nearly related, and have dwelt together, or have been often together and intimately acquainted one with another, they have been taken and you hitherto left. 0 let it not be the foundation of a final parting ! But earnestly follow them ; be linn in your resolution in this matter. Don't do as Orpah did, who, though at first she made as though she would follow Naomi, yet when she had the difficulty of it set before her went back : but say as Ruth, " I will not leave thee ; but where thou goest, I will go : thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Say as she said, and do as she did. Con sider the excellency of their God and their Saviour, and the happiness of their people, the blessed state that they are in, and the doleful, state that you iire in.
You who are old sinners, who have lived long in the service of Satan, have lately seen some that were with you, that have travelled with you in the paths of sin these many years, that with you enjoyed great means and advantages, that have had calls and warnings with you, and have with you passed through remarkable times of the pouring out of God's Spirit in this place, and have hardened their hearts and stood it out with you, and with you have grown old in sin ; I say, you have soon some of them turning to God, i.e., you have seen those evidences of it in them, whence you may rationally judge that it is so. 0 let it not be a final parting ! You have boon thus long together in sin, and under condemnation ; let it be your firm resolution, that, if possible, you will be with them still, now they are in a holy and happy state, and that you will follow them into the holy and pleasant land.
You that tell of your having been seeking salvation for many years, though, without doubt, in a poor dull way, in comparison of what you ought to have done, have seen some that have been with you in that respect, that were old sinners and old seekers, as you arc, obtaining mercy. God has lately roused them from
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS f>7
their dulness, and caused them to alter their hand, and put them on more thorough endeavors ; and they have now, after so long a time, heard God's voice, and have fled for refuge to the Rock of Ages. Let this awaken earnestness and resolution in you. Resolve that you will not leave them.
You that are in your youth, how many have you seen of your age and standing that have of late hopefully chosen God for their God and Christ for their Saviour ! You have followed them in sin, and have perhaps followed them into vain company ; and will you not now follow them to Christ 1
And you that are children, there have lately been some of your sort that have repented of their sins, and have loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and trusted in him, and are become God's children, as we have reason to hope : let it stir you up to resolve to your utmost to seek and cry to God, tlmt you may have the like change made in your hearts, that their people may be your people, and their God your God.
You that are great sinners, that have made yourselves dis- tinguishingly guilty by the wicked practices you have lived in, there are some of your sort that have lately (as we have reason to hope) had their hearts broken for sin, and have forsaken it, and trusted in the blood of Christ for the pardon of it, and have chosen a holy life, and have betaken themselves to the ways of wisdom : let it excite and encourage you resolutely to cleave to them and earnestly to follow them.
Let the following things be here considered : —
1. That your soul is as precious as theirs. It is immortal as theirs is ; and stands in ns much need of happiness, and can as ill bear eternal misery. You were born in the same miserable condition that they were, having the same wrath of God abid ing on you. You must stand before the same Judge ; who will be as strict in judgment with you as with them ; and your own righteousness will stand you in no more s+ead before him than theirs ; and therefore you stand in as absolute necessity of a
58
Saviour as • ,y. Carnal confidences can no more answer your end than t! <• ,; nor can this world or its enjoyments serve to
Wht "he 1 T Witll°Ut G°d,aiKl 4*» ££ than tie, U hen the bridegroom comes, the foolish virgins stand in -ls much need of oil as the wise, Matt. xxv. at the bcginlg - Unlm you follow them in their turning to God then- conversion will be a foundation of an eternal serration betw you ami then,. You will be in different intcres I and in exceed |ng .httercnt states as long as you live ; they the clul l"c, of God, and you the children of Satan ; and you will be parted in another world ; when you come to die, there will be a vast sepa ration made between you : Luke xvi. 20, " And besides all us, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed : so that they winch won d pass from hence to you, cannot ; neither can they pass to us that would come from thence." And you will be parted .-it the day of judgment. You will be parted at Christ's list appearance in the clouds of heaven. While they are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, to be ever with U,,, Y™, you 'ill remain below, confined to this cursed ground • kept ,» store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. You will appear sepa rated from them win e you stand before the great judgment-seat they bc,,,g a the nght hand, while you arc set; at the left- Matt. xxv. 32, S3, "And before him shall bo gathered all nations : an, he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd d.v.deth his sheep from the goats: and he shall s,t e sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left " And u shall then appear in exceeding different circumstances. lnle you stand with devils, in -the image and deformity of <leu Is, and in ineffable horror and amazement, they shall appear 'i glory, sitting upon thrones, as assessors with Christ and as such passing judgment upon you, 1 Cor. vi. 2.] And what shame and confusion will then cover you, when so many of vonr con- mporanes, your equals, your neighbors, relations and compan-
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 59
ions, shall be honored, and openly acknowledged and confessed by the glorious Judge of the universe and Redeemer of saints, ' and shall be seen by you sitting with him in such glory, and you shall appear to have neglected your salvation, and not to have improved your opportunities, and rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, the same person that will then appear as your great Judge, and you shall be the subjects of wrath, and, as.it were, trodden down in eternal contempt and disgrace ! Dan. xii. 2, " Some shall rise to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." And what a wide separation will the sentence then passed and executed make between you and them ! When you shall be sent away out of the presence of the Judge with indignation and abhorrence, as cursed and loathsome crea tures, and they shall be sweetly accosted and invited into his glory as his dear friends and the blessed of his Father ! When you, with all that vast throng of wicked and accursed men and devils, shall descend with loud lamentings and horrid shrieks into that dreadful gulf of fire and brimstone, and shall be swal lowed up in that great and everlasting furnace, while they sha-1 joyfully, and with sweet songs of glory and praise, ascend with Christ, and all that beauteous and blessed company of saints and angels, into eternal felicity, in the glorious presence of God, ami the sweet embraces of his love ; and you and they shall spend eternity in such a separation and immensely different circumstances ! And that however you have been intimately acquainted and nearly related, closely united and mutually con versant here in this world ; and how much soever you have taken delight in each ether's company ! Shall it be so after you have been together a great while, each of you in undoing yourselves, enhancing your guilt, and heaping up wrath, that their so wisely changing their minds and their course, and choos ing such happiness for themselves, should now at length be the beginning of such an exceeding and everlasting separation be tween you aud them ? How awful will it be to be parted so !
60 SELECTED SERMONS
3. Consider the great encouragement that God gives you, ear nestly to strive for the same blessing that others have obtained. There is great encouragement in the word of God to sinners to seek salvation, in the revelation we have of the abundant pro vision made for the salvation even of the chief of sinners, and in the appointment of so many means to be used with and by sinners, in order to their salvation ; and by the blessing which God in his word connects with the means of his appointment. There is hence great encouragement for all, at all times, that will be thorough in using of these means. But now God gives extraordinary encouragement in his providence, by pouring out his Spirit so remarkably amongst us, and bringing savingly home to himself all sorts, young and old, rich and poor, wise and unwise, sober and vicious, old self-righteous seekers and profligate livers : no sort are exempt. There is now at this day amongst us the loudest call and the greatest encouragement and the widest door open to sinners, to escape out of a state of sin and condemnation that perhaps God ever granted in New England. Who is there that has an immortal soul so sottish as not to improve such an opportunity, and that won't bestir himself with all his might now? How unreasonable is negli gence, and how exceeding unseasonable is discouragement, at such a day as this ! Will you be so stupid as to neglect your soul now? Will any mortal amongst us be so unreasonable as to lag behind, or look back in discouragement when God opens such a door? Let every single person be thoroughly awake I Let every one encourage himself now to press forward, and fly for his life !
4. Consider how earnestly desirous they that have obtained are that you should follow them, and that their people should be your people, and their God your God. They desire that you should partake of that great good that God has given them, and that unspeakable and eternal blessedness that he has prom ised them. They wish and long for it. If you do not go with
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 61
them, and arc not still of their company, it won't be for want of their willingness, but your own. That of Moses to Hobab is the language of every true saint of your acquaintance to you, Numb. x. 29, " We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you : come thou with us, and we will do thce good : for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel." As Moses, when on his journey through the wilder ness, following the pillar of cloud and fire, invited Hobab, that he had been acquainted with and nearly allied to out of the land of Midian, where Moses had formerly dwelt with him, to go with him and his people to Canaan, to .partake with them in the good that Cod had promised them ; so do those of your friends and acquaintance invite yon, out of a land of darkness and wickedness, where they have formerly been with you, to go with them to the heavenly Canaan. The company of saints, the true church of Christ, invite you. The lovely bride calls/ you to the marriage supper. She hath authority to invite guests to her own wedding; and you ought to -look on her invitation and desire as the call of Christ the bridegroom ; for it is the' voice of his Spirit in her : Rev. xxii. 17, " The Spirit and the bride say, Come." Where seems to be a reference to what had been said, chap. xix. 7-9, "The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in line linen, clean and white : for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." 'Tis with respect to this her marriage supper, that she, from the motion of the Spirit of the Lamb in her, says, Come. So that you are invited on all hands ; all conspire to call you. Cod the Father invites you : this is the King that lias made a marriage for his Son ; and he sends forth his servants, the ministers of the gospel, to invite the guests. And the Son himself invites you : 'tis he that speaks, Rev. xvii. 17, "And let him that hearcth say,
02 SELEVTEn SEKMONS
Come; and let him that is athirst, come; and whosoever will, let him come." lie tolls us who lie is in the foregoing verse, "I Jesus, the root and offspring of David, the bright and morn ing star.'' And God's ministers invite you, and all the church invites you ; and there will be joy in the presence of the angels of God that hour that you accept the invitation.
5. Consider what a doleful company that will be that be left Rafter this extraordinary time of mercy is over. We have reason to think that there will be ;i number left. We read that when Ezekiel's healing waters increased so abundantly, and the heal ing effect of them was so very general ; yet there were certain places, where the water came, that never were healed : Ezek. xlvii. 9-11, "And it shall come to pass, that every thing that livcth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live : and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither : for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it, from En-gedi even unto Kn-oglaim ; they shall be a place to spread forth nets ; their lish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed ; they shall be given to salt." And even in the apostles' times, when there was such wonderful success of the gospel, yet wherever they came, ther^ were some that did not believe : Acts xiii. 48, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord ; and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." And chap, xxviii. 24, "And some believed, and some believed not." So we have no reason to expect but there will be some left amongst us. 'Tis to be hoped it will be a small com pany. But what a doleful company will it be ! How darkly and awfully will it look upon them! If you shall be of that company, how well may your friends and relations lament over you, and bemoan your dark and dangerous circumstances ! If
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 63
you would not be one of them, make haste, delay not and look not behind you. Shall all sorts obtain, shall every one press into the kingdom of God, while you stay loitering behind ii) a doleful undone condition? Shall every one take heaven, while you remain with no other portion but this world ? Now take up that resolution, that if it be possible you will cleave to them that have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them. Count the cost of a thorough, violent, and perpetual pursuit of salvation, and forsake all, as Ruth forsook her own coun try and all her pleasant enjoyments in it. Don't do as Orpah did ; who set out, and then was discouraged, and went back : but hold out with Ruth through all discouragement and oppo sition. When you consider others that have chosen the better part, let that resolution be ever firm with you : " Where thou goest, I will go; where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
C4 SKLKCTKl*
IV
THE MANY MANSIONS0
JOHN xiv. 2. —In my Father's bouse are many mansions.
IN these words may be observed two things,
1. The thing described, viz., Christ's Father's house. Christ spoke to his disciples in the foregoing chapter as one that was about to leave them. He told 'em, verse 31, " Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him," and then goes to giving of them counsel to live in unity and love one another, as one that was going from them. By which they seemed somewhat surprised and hardly knew what to make of it. And one of them, viz., Peter, asked him where he was going ; verse 30, " Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou ?" Christ did not directly answer and tell him where he was going, but he signifies where in these words of the text, viz., to his Father's house, i.e., to heaven, and afterwards, in the verse \'2, he tells ?em plainly that he was going to his Father.
2. We may observe the description given of it, viz., that in it there are many mansions. The disciples seemed very sorrowful at the news of Christ's going away, but Christ comforts 'em with that, that in his Father's house where he was going there was not only room for him, but room for them too. ° There were many mansions. There was not only a
•mansion there for him, but there were mansions enough for them all ; there was room enough in heaven for them. When the disciples perceived that Christ was going away, they manifested a great desire to go with him, and particularly
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS C5
Peter. Peter in the latter part of the foregoing chapter asked him whither he went to that end that he might follow him. Christ told him that whither he went he could not follow him now, but that lie should follow him afterwards. But Peter, not content with Christ, seemed to have a great mind to follow him now. "Lord," says he, "why cannot I follow tliee now?" So that the disciples had a great mind still to be with Christ, and Christ in the words of the text intimates that they shall be with him. Christ signifies to 'em that he was going home to his Father's house, and lie encourages 'em that they shall be with him there in due time, in that there were many mansions there. There was a mansion provided not only for him, but for them all (ior Judas was not then present), and not only for them, but for all that should ever believe in him to the end of the world ; and though he went before, he only went to prepare a place for them that should follow.
The text is a plain sentence ; 'tis therefore needless to press any doctrine in other words from it : so that I shall build my discourse on the words of the text. There are two propositions contained in the words, viz., I, that heaven is God's house, and II, that in this house of God there are many mansions.
Prop. I. Heaven is God's house. An house of public wor ship is an house where God's people meet from time to time to attend on God's ordinances, and that is set apart for that and is called God's house. The temple of Solomon was called God's house. God was represented as dwelling there. There he had his throne in the holy of holies, even the mercy-seat over the ark a:id between the cherubims.
Sometimes the whole universe is represented in Scripture as God's house, built with various stories one above another: Amos ix. G, "It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven;" and P.s. civ. 3, "Who layeth the beams of ^ his chambers in the waters." But the highest heaven is especially
CO SELECTED SERMONS
represented in Scripture as the house of God. As to other
parts of the creation, God hath appointed them to inferior
uses; but this part he has reserved for himself for his own
abode. We are told that the heavens are the Lord's, but the
earth he hath given to the sons of men. God, though he is
everywhere present, is represented both in Old Testament and
New as being in heaven in a special and peculiar manner.
Heaven is the temple of God. Tims we read of God's temple
in heaven, Rev. xv. 5. Solomon's temple was a type of
heaven ; it was made exceeding magnificent arid costly partly
to that end, that it might be the most lively type of heaven.
The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews does from time
to time call heaven the holy of holies, as being the antitype not
only of the temple of Solomon, but of the most holy place in
that temple, which was the place of God's most immediate
residence: Heb. ix. 12, "lie entered in once into the holy
place;" verse 21, "For Christ is not entered into the holy
places made with hands, which are the figures of the tme, but
into heaven itself." Houses where assemblies of Christians
worship God are in some respects figures of this house of God
above. When God is worshipped in them in spirit and truth,
they become the outworks of heaven and as it were its gates.
As in houses of public worship here there 'are assemblies of
Christians meeting to worship God, so in heaven there is a
glorious assembly, or Church, continually worshipping God :
Heb. xii. 22, 23, " 13 ut ye are come unto mount Sion, [and
unto] the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, that are written in heaven."
Heaven is represented in Scripture as God's dwelling-house ; Ps. cxiii. 5, " Who is like [unto] the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high," and Ps. cxxiii/1, "Unto thoe I lift up mine eyes, 0 thou that dwellest in the heavens." Heaven is God's palace. 'Tis the house of the great King of the
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 67
universe ; there he has his throne, which is therefore represented us his house or temple ; Ps. xi. 4, " The Lord is in his holy temple ; the lord's throne is in heaven."
Heaven is the house where God dwells with his family. God is represented in Scripture as having a family ; and though some of this family are now on earth, yet in so being they are abroad and not at home, but all going home : Eph. iii. 15, " Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Heaven is the place that God has built for himself and his children. God has many children, and the place (It-signed for them is heaven ; therefore the saints, being the children of God, are said to be of the household of God, Kpk. ii. 19: "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow- citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." God is represented as a householder or head of a family, and heaven is his house.
Heaven is the house not only where God hath his throne, but also where he doth as it were keep his table, where his children sit down with him at his table and where they are feasted .in a royal manner becoming the children of so great a King: Luke xxii. 30, "That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom ; " Matt. xxvi. 29, " But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when. I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
God is the King of kings, and heaven is the place where he keeps his court. There are his angels and archangels that as the nobles of his court do attend upon him.
Prop. II. There are many mansions in the house of God. By many mansions is meant many scats or places of abode. As it is a king's palace, there are many mansions. Kings' houses are wont to be built very large, with many stately rooms and apartments. So there are many mansions in God's house.
When this is spoken of heaven, it is chiefly to be understood
C8 SELECTED SERMONS
in a figurative sense, and the following things seem to be taught us in it. i
1. There is room in this house of God for great numbers. There is room in heaven for a vast multitude, yea, room enough for all mankind that are or ever shall be ; Luke xiv. 22, " Lord it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room."
It is not with the heavenly temple as it often is witli houses of public worship in this world, that they fill up and become too small and scanty for those that would meet in them, so that there is not convenient room for all. There is room enough in our heavenly Father's house. This is partly what Christ intended in the words of the text, as is evident from the occasion of his speaking them. The disciples manifested a great desire to be where Christ was, and Christ therefore, to encour age them that it should be as they desired, tells them that in his Father's house where he was going were many mansions, i.e., room enough for them.
There is mercy enough in God to admit an innumerable mul titude into heaven. There is mercy enough for all, and there is merit enough in Christ to purchase heavenly happiness for millions of millions, for all men that ever were, arc or shall be. And there is a sufficiency in the fountain of heaven's happiness to supply and fill and satisfy all: and there is in all respects enough for the happiness of all.
2. There are sufficient and suitable accommodations for all the different sorts of persons that are in the world : for great and small, for high and low, rich and poor, wise and unwise, Ixjnd and free, persons of all nations and all conditions and circumstances, i:br those that have been great sinners as well as for moral livers ; for weak saints and those that are babes in Christ as well as for those that arc stronger and more grown in grace. There is in heaven a sufficiency for the happiness of every sort ; there is a convenient accommodation for every creature that will hearken to the calls of the Gospel. None
OI'1 JONATHAN EDWARDS 69
that will come to Christ, let his condition be what it will, need to fear but that Christ will provide a place suitable for him in heaven.
This seems to be another thing implied in Christ's words. The disciples wore persons of very different condition from Christ : he was their Master, and they were his disciples ; he was their Lord, and they were the servants; he was their Guide, and they were the followers ; he was their Captain, and they the soldiers ; he was the Shepherd, and they the sheep ; [he was, as it were, the] Father, [and they the] children ; he was the glorious, holy Son of God, they were poor, sinful, cor rupt men. But yet, though they were in such different circum stances from him, yet Christ encourages them that there shall not only be room in heaven for him, but for them too ; for there were many mansions there. There was not only a man sion to accommodate the Lord, but the disciples also; not only the head, but the members ; not only the Son of God, but those that are naturally poor, sinful, corrupt men : as in a king's palace there is not only a mansion or room of state built for the king himself and for his eldest son and heir, but there are many rooms, mansions for all his numerous household, children, attendants and servants.
:>. It is further implied that heaven is a house that was actually built and prepared for a great multitude. When God made heaven in the beginning of the world, he intended it for an everlasting dwelling-place for a vast and innumerable multi tude. When heaven was made, it was intended and prepared for all those particular persons that God had from eternity de signed to save: Matt. xxv. 34, "Come, ye blessed [of my Father, inherit the Kingdom] prepared for you [from the foun dation of the world]." " And that is a very great and innumer able multitude: Rev. vii. 9, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne
70 SKL1WTK1) SKHMOXS
and before the Lain)), clothed with white robes." Heaven being built designedly for these was built accordingly; it was built so as most conveniently to accommodate all this multi tude : as a house that is built {'or a great family is built large and with many rooms in it ; as a palace that is built for a great king that keeps a great court with many attendants is built exceeding great with a great many apartments ; and as an house o*' public worship that is built for a great congregation is built very large with many scats in it.
4. When it is said, [" In my father's house are many man sions "], it is meant that there are scats of various dignity and different degrees and circumstances of honor and happiness. There are many mansions in God's house because heaven is intended for various degrees of honor and blessedness. Some are designed to sit in higher places there than others; some are designed to be advanced to higher degrees of honor and glory than others are ; and, therefore, there are various mansions, and some more honorable mansions and seats, in heaven than others. Though they are all seats of exceeding honor and blessedness, yet some are more so than others.
Thus a palace is built. Though every part of the palace is magnificent as becomes the palace of a king, yet there are many apartments of various honor, and some are more stately and costly than others, according to the degree of dignity. There is one apartment that is the king's presence-chamber ; there are other apartments for the next heir to the crown ; there are others for other children ; and others for their attendants and the great officers of the household : one for the high steward, and another for the chamberlain, and others for meaner officers and servants.
Another image of this wa.s in Solomon's temple. There were many mansions of dillercnt degrees of honor and dignity. There was the holy of holies, where the ark was that was the place of God's immediate residence, where the high priest alone might
'OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 71
come ; and there was another apartment called the holy place, where the other priests might come ; and next to that was the inner court of the temple, where the Lcvites were admitted : and there they had many chambers or mansions built for lodg ing-rooms for the priests ; and next to that was the court of Israel where the people of Israel might come ; and next to that was the court of the Gentiles where the Gentiles, those that were called the " Proselytes of the Gate," might come.
And we have an image of this in houses built for the worship of Christian assemblies. In such houses of God there are many seats of different honor and dignity, from the most honor able to the most inferior of the congregation.
Not that we are to understand the words of Christ so much in a literal sense, as that every saint in heaven was to have a certain seat or room or place of abode where he was to be locally fixed. Tis not the design of the Scriptures to inform us much about the external circumstances of heaven or the state of heaven locally considered ; but we are to understand what Christ says chiefly in a spiritual sense. Persons Khali be set in different desrees'of honor and glory in heaven, as is abundantly manifested in Scripture: which may fitly be represented to our imaginations by there being different seats of various honor, as it was in the temple, as it is in kings' courts. Some seats shall be nearer the throne than others/ Some shall sit next to Christ in glory : Matt. xx. 23, " To sit on my right hand and on my left, ^is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is pre- parod of my Father."
Christ lias doubtless respect to these different degrees of glory in the text. When he was going to heaven and the disciples were sorrowful at the thoughts of parting with their Lord, he lets them knew that there are seats or mansions of various de grees of honor in his Father's house, that there was not only one for him, who was the Head of the Church and the elder brother, but also for them that were his disciples and younger brethren.
72 SELECTED 8
Christ also may probably have respect rot only to different decrees of glory in heaven, but different circumstances. Though the employment and happiness of all the heavenly assembly shall in the general be the same, yet 'tis not improbable that there may be circumstantial difference. We know what their employment [is] in general, but not in particular. We know not how one may be employed to .subserve and promote the happi ness of another, and all to help one another. Some may there be set in one place for one office or employment, and others [in] another, as 'tis in the Church on earth. God hath set every one in the body as it hath pleased him ; one is the eye, another the ear, another the head, etc. But because God has not been pleased expressly to reveal how it shall be in this respect, there fore I shall not insist upon it, but pass to make some
IMPROVEMENT
of what has been offered.
I. Here is encouragement for sinners that are concerned and exercised for the salvation of their souls, such as are afraid that they shall ne« or go to heaven or be admitted to anyplace of abode there, and are sensible that they are hitherto in a doleful state and condition in that they are out of Christ, and so have no right to any inheritance in heaven, but are in danger of going to hell and having their place of eternal abode fixed there. You may be encouraged by what has been said, ear nestly to seek heaven ; for there are many mansions there. There is room enough there. Let your case be what it will, there is suitable provision there for you ; and if you come to Christ, you need not fear but that he will prepare a place for you ; he'll see to it that you shall be well accommodated in heaven.
But II. I would improve this doctrine in a twofold exhor tation.
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS 73
1. Let all be hence exhorted earnestly to seek that they may be admitted to a mansion in heaven. You have heard that this is God's house ; it is his temple. If David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah and in the land of Geshur and of the Philistines, so longed that he might again return into the land of Israel that he might have a place in the house of God here on earth, and prized a place there HO much, though it was but that of a door-keeper, how great a happiness will it be to have a place in this heavenly temple of God ! If they are looked upon as enjoying a high privilege that have a ^seat appointed them in kings' courts or in apartments in kings' palaces, especially those that have an abode there in the quality of the king's children, then how great a privilege \yill it be to have an apartment or mansion assigned to us in God's heavenly palace, and to have a place there as his children ! How great is their glory and honor that are admitted to be of the household of God !
And seeing there are many mansions there, mansions enough for us all, our folly will be the greater if we noglcct to seek a place in heaven, having our minds foolishly taken up about the worthless, fading things of this world. Here consider three
things \
(f) How little a while you can have any mansion or place of abode in this world. Now you have a dwelling amongst the living. You have a house or mansion of your own, or at least one That is at present for your use, and now you have a seat in the house of God ; but how little a while will this continue ! In a very little while, and the place that now knows you in this world will know you no more. The habitation you have here will be empty of you ; you will be carried dead out of it, or shall die at a distance from it, and never enter into it any more, or into any other abode in this world. Your mansion or place of abode in this world, however convenient or commodious it may be, is but as a tent that shall soon be taken down, but a
74 SELECTED SERMONS
lodge in a garden of cucumbers. Your stay is a.<j it were but for anight Your body itself is but a house of clay which will quickly moulder and tumble down, and you shall have no other habitation here in this world but the grave.
Thus God in his providence is putting you in mind by the repeated instances of death that have been in the town within the two weeks past, both in one house : in which death he has shown his dominion over old and young. The son was taken away first before the father, being in his full strength and flower of his days ; and the father, who was then well and having no appearance of approaching death, followed in a few days : and their habitation and their seat in the house of God in this world will know them no more.
Take warning by these warnings of Providence to improve your time that you may have a mansion in heaven. We have a house of worship newly created amongst us which now you have a seat in, and probably are pleased with the ornaments of it ; and though you have a place in so comely a house, yet you know not how little a while you shall have a place in this house of God. Hero are a couple snatched away by death that had met in it but a few times, that have been snatched out of it before it was fully finished and never will have any more a seat in it. You know not how soon you may follow, and then of great importance will it be to you to have a seat in God's ho'j«c above. Both of the persons lately deceased were much on their death-beds warning others to improve their precious time. The first of them was much in expressing his sense of the vast importance of an interest in Christ, as I was a wit ness, and was earnest in calling on others to improve their time, to be thorough, to get an interest in Christ, and seemed very desirous that young people might receive council and warning from him, as the. words of a dying man, to do their utmost to make sure of conversion ; and a little before he died left a re quest to me that I would warn the young people in his room.
OF JONATHAN EDWARDS To
God has been warning of you in his death and the death of his lather that so soon followed. The words of dying persons should be of special weight with us, for then they are- in cir cumstances wherein they are most capable to look on things as they are and judge aright of 'em, — between both worlds as it were. Still that we must all be in.
Let our young people, therefore, take warning from hence, and don't be such fools as to neglect seeking a place and man sion in heaven. Young persons are especially apt to be taken with the pleasing things of this world. You are now, it may be, much pleased with hopes of your future circumstances in tins world ; [and you are now, it may be, much] pleased with the ornaments of that house of worship that you with others have a place in. But, alas, do you not too little consider how soon you may be taken away from all these things, and no more forever have any part in any mansion or house or enjoy ment or happiness under the sun? Therefore let it be your main care to secure an everlasting habitation for hereafter.
(2) Consider when you die, if you have no mansion in the house of God in heaven, yon must have your place of abode in the habitation of devils. There is no middle place between them, and when you go hence, you must go to one or the other of these. Some have a mansion prepared for them in heaven from the foundation [of the world] ; others are sent away as cursed into everlasting burnings prepared for the [devil and his angels]. Consider how miserable those must be that shall have their habitation with devils to all eternity. Devils are foul spirits ; God's great enemies. Their habitation is the blackness of darkness ; a place of the utmost filthiness, abomination, darkness, disgrace and torment. 0, how would you rather ten thousand times have no place of abode at all, have DO being, than to Lave a place [with devils] !
(3) If you die unconverted, you will have the worse place in hell for having had a seat or place in. God's house in this
76 SKLKVTKD 8KKMON8
world. As there arc many mansions, places of different de grees of honor in heaven, so there are various abodes and places or degrees of torment and misery in hell; and those will have the worst plaee there that [dying unconverted, have had the best place in God's house here]. Solomon speaks of a pecul iarly awful sight that he had seen, that of a wicked man buried that had gone [from the place of the holy], Eccl. viii. 10. Such as have had a scat in God's house, have been in a sense exalted up to heaven, set on the gate of heaven, [if they die unconverted, shall be] cast down to hell.
2. The second exhortation that I would offer from what has been said is to seek a high place in heaven. Seeing there are many mansions of different degrees of honor and dignity in heaven, let us seek to obtain a mansion of distinguished gloiy. 'Tis revealed to us that there are different degrees of glory to that end that we might seek after the higher degrees. God offered high degrees of glory to that end, that we might seek them by eminent holiness and good works : 2 Cor. ix. G, " He that sows sparingly [shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully]." It is not becoming persons to be over anxious about an high seat in God's IIOUFC in this world, for that is the honor that is of men ; but we can't too earnestly seek after an high seat in God's house above, by seeking eminent holiness, for that is the honor that is of God.
'Tis very little worth the while for us to pursue after honor in this world, where the greatest honor is but a bubble and