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David Brainerd was not a genius, nor an orator. His scholarship was not very remarkable. He laid no foundations of empire. He made no discoveries. He achieved no literary fame. And yet young Brainerd had that in him of which heroes and martyrs are made. He was a representative man of the truest and noblest type. His is a character of such saintliness, of such lofty aims and principles, of such intense loyalty to “Christ and him crucified,” and of such all-absorbing love for souls and desire for God’s glory, that it has left a lasting impression on the Christian Church, and his name will travel down the centuries, hallowed in the memory of the good, and regarded as one of the brightest stars in the constellation of Christian worthies.” – J.M. Sherwood

Even to this day, believers in Christ are influenced by the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards. Numerous books are available which detail his life, his family, his ministry and his legacy. There is no question that Edwards left an enduring legacy.

Edwards’ impact upon the church of Jesus Christ is unquestionable. However, there is one singular individual who made a lasting impact upon Edwards. That individual was the missionary David Brainerd.

David Brainerd (1718 – 1747) was an American Presbyterian minister and missionary to the Native Americans known as the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. Missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot, and Brainerd’s cousin, the Second Great Awakening evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1801–1829) cite Brainerd as an inspiration in the lives and ministry.

Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut. His parents were Hezekiah, a Connecticut legislator, and Dorothy. Brainerd had nine siblings, one of whom was Dorothy’s from a previous marriage. He was orphaned at the age of nine; his father died in 1727 at the age of 46 and his mother died five years later.  

Following his mother’s death, Brainerd moved to East Haddam to live with one of his older sisters, Jerusha. At the age of nineteen, he inherited a farm near Durham, but returned to East Haddam a year later to prepare to enter Yale College.

Brainerd was converted to Christ when he was twenty-one. On July 12, 1739, he recorded having an experience of “unspeakable glory” that prompted in him a “hearty desire to exalt [God], to set him on the throne and to ‘seek first his Kingdom'”.

In September of that same year, Brainerd enrolled at Yale. While in his second year at Yale, he was sent home because he was suffering from a serious illness that caused him to spit blood. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

One historian explains, “When he returned in November 1740, tensions were beginning to emerge at Yale between the faculty staff and the students. This was because the staff considered the spiritual enthusiasm of the students to be excessive. The students fervent behavior of the Lord and His Word had been prompted by visiting preachers such as George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennent, Ebenezer Pemberton and James Davenport. Brainerd was soon expelled because of his derogatory comments about, what he called, the impious Yale faculty. 

Due to a recent law forbidding the appointment of ministers in Connecticut unless they had graduated from Harvard, Yale, or a similar and approved European institution, Brainerd had to reconsider his ministerial plans. 

In 1742, Brainerd was licensed to preach by a group of New Light evangelicals.  As a result, he gained the attention of Jonathan Dickinson, the leading Presbyterian in New Jersey, who unsuccessfully attempted to reinstate Brainerd at Yale. Therefore, Dickinson suggested that Brainerd devote himself to missionary work among the Native Americans, supported by the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge. The society approved Brainerd for this missionary work on November 25, 1742.  

More to come. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Edwards worked hard to correct false notions of piety. His aim was twofold: he cared immensely about the spiritual welfare of his congregation’s souls, and he wanted to save the Awakening from disrepute.” – Dr. Joel Beeke

Jonathan wrote many sermons providing a biblical context and understanding of the Great Awakening. He wanted people to have a correct understanding of what God was doing during that particular time period. While his intentions were understandably focused on the people of Northampton and the 18^th century American colonies, Edwards’ writings benefit believers in Christ living in the 21^st century.

In September of 1741, Edwards explained the Awakening in a sermon entitled The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. He articulated that non-traditional worship services and emotion neither proved, nor disproved, the moving of God’s grace among people.

“After testing the revival for evidences of true piety, which essentially involved devotion to Jesus as Savior, reverence for and sound interpretation of Scripture, Edwards concluded that it indeed was the work of the Spirit of God,” Dr. Joel Beeke writes,

The First Great Awakening, as previously noted, had both its detractors and supporters. In order to reconcile both sides, Edwards’ wrote Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion. Edwards took great effort to denounce the extremists from both perspectives.

“Edwards enlarges and develops the arguments put forward in his The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, with the aim of defending this unprecedented period of revival against the unjust words of its critics and the overzealous excesses of its friends, both of which, he feared, would quench the Spirit and put a stop to the blessing,” an Edwards’ biographer explains.

Edwards sought to answer the following questions. One author states, “What is a revival? How is it to be recognized? Is it a genuine work of the Spirit of God? If it is, then how is revival to be guarded against the spurious errors and unspiritual tendencies of its over-zealous promoters? These are the questions taken up and ably answered by ‘the theologian of revival’, who, in God’s providence, has supplied future generations of Christians with a sure guide on this vital subject.”

When Minister Charles Chauncey (705-1787), of Boston’s famed First Church, denounced the Awakening in Seasonable Thoughts On the State of Religion in New England (1743), Edwards responded with Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746). In what is considered one of his most important works, Edwards distinguished between true and false religious experience.

In 1958, biblical commentator Philip Edgcumbe Hughes wrote about Jonathan Edwards in Christianity Today magazine. “Ever since Pentecost, there have been revivals, and there have been other Peters who have won multitudes to Christ. Occasionally and tragically, there have been revivalists who were interested first in the living they could make. As for laymen, too often the Christian experience became a matter of periodicity; in between the annual excitement of being “revived,” they lapsed into a corpse-like coma. Of the meaning of true revival, few seem to have an understanding, ” he stated,

“This year, which marks the two hundredth anniversary of the death of Jonathan Edwards, evangelicals would do well to turn back to the writings of that remarkable man of God who was so notably used as an instrument of revival in New England. They would find of particular interest Edwards’ Faithful Narrative of Surprising Conversions, his Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, and his Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God. Add to these the penetrating Treatise on Religious Affections, and you have a study of the subject of revival, its various aspects and operations, which for depth of perception and scriptural insight has never been surpassed, and is as relevant to our day as it was to his.”

“In approaching the discussion of this subject, Edwards has one overruling principle, namely, that “we are to take the Scriptures as our guide” and to resort to them as “an infallible and sufficient rule.” Doing this, we shall recognize that “the Holy Spirit is sovereign in his operation.”

The First Great Awakening can best be summarized in one sentence by Edwards’ himself. “There was an appearance of a glorious progress of the work of God upon the hearts of sinners, in conviction and conversion, this summer and autumn, and great numbers,  I think we have reason to hope, were brought safely home to Christ,” he wrote, in 1741.

May such a work of God, in bringing many souls safely home to Christ, be seen in our lives today. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!   

“Historians call it the First Great Awakening. It remains one of the most significant events in United States history.” – Dr. Stephen J. Nichols

The First Great Awakening had not only its supporters but also its detractors. The movement had its proponents, opponents and zealots. Let’s examine all three.

Jonathan Edwards’ was the First Great Awakening’s strongest supporter, along with evangelist George Whitefield. As one author explains, “If Edwards was the Awakenings great theologian, then Whitefield was the Awakening’s great evangelist.”

Another supporter was Gilbert Tennent. At the time, he was a well-known Presbyterian minister. His sermon The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry caused a strong reaction the church. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains, “The sermon helped lead to a split in the Presbyterian church between the New Side and the Old Side. In the Congregational churches, where Edwards roamed, the split was referred to as New Lights and Old Lights.”  

However, there were also opponents to the movement. As previously mentioned, these were the Old Lights. One such detractor was Charles Chauncy. Along with his criticism of the behavior of recent converts and the lack of proper decorum, he was opposed to the movement’s underlying theology, which stressed the sovereignty of God in salvation. This was because Chauncy was a universalist who believed that everyone was destined for heaven.

The zealots were fanatical in their opposition to the First Great Awakening. Whereas the recently converted displayed great emotion in their conversion, ministers like James Davenport displayed great emotion in their opposition. He referred to Edwards, and other pastors like him, as wolves in sheep’s clothing. He also led in public bonfires for the burning of books. Later on, Davenport regretted his actions, but the damage was already done.

Yale College, Edwards’ alma mater, was split down the middle regarding the First Great Awakening. On September 10, 1741 Edwards delivered the annual commencement address for the new school year. His text was I John 4:1-6. He identified five marks which demonstrated an authentic work by the Holy Spirit. The sermon resulted in the published work entitled The Distinguishing Marks of a Word by the Spirit of God (1741).

Edwards set forth five marks to indicate an authentic work by the Holy Spirit. Those marks of a true work (1) raises people’s esteem of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world; (2) leads them to turn from the corruptions and lusts to the righteousness of God; (3) increases their regard for Holy Scriptures; (4) establishes their minds in the objective truths of revealed religion; and (5) evokes genuine love for God and man.

May these marks of a true work by the Holy Spirit be seen in our lives today. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” (Deuteronomy 32:35 (ESV)

Jonathan Edwards was the most vigorous defender of The Great Awakening. He believed the Holy Spirit truly moved among the people of the American Colonies in 1740-1742. This awakening not only brought about conversions unto salvation in Jesus Christ, but also brought about a renewed commitment by believers in Christ to personal consecration and holiness.

The pinnacle of the Great Awakening occurred on July 8, 1741. Jonathan Edwards was in Enfield, Conn. for a midweek service. He was not scheduled to preach that night. However, the intended preacher became ill and Edwards provided pulpit supply. His text was Deuteronomy 32:35. Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains what then occurred.

“Edwards delivered what is likely the most famous and the most read sermon ever preached on American soil, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The drama overwhelmed the crowd. They shrieked and cried out. But the drama did not stem from Edwards’ technique. Rather than whoop up the crowd into a frenzy, Edwards waited for the congregation to regain its composure, and then he pressed on in his sermon. The drama came not in the technique but in the truth, the truth of eternal damnation, the truth that all of us are on the precipice of eternal judgment. The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow is pointed directly at us. We are like spiders dangling over the pit of hell, saved from the flames for the time being by a mere thread. God used Edwards’ words to pierce hearts.”

“Edwards equally matched his imagery of judgment with imagery of redemption. Christ has ‘flung the door of mercy wide open and stands in the door crying and calling with a loud voice to poor sinners.’ This was passion for the gospel.”  

“Edwards had preached the sermon a month earlier in his own church with little visible effect. But when he delivered it at Enfield, a powerful revival occurred. Sinners were convicted and souls were shaken. Edwards was forced to motion for silence as people clung to the pews for fear of dropping into hell,” Dr. Steven J. Lawson states

We must again note that drama of that evening was not sourced in Edwards’ preaching technique. The drama was not in technique but rather in truth. Edwards preached the truth of eternal damnation and God’s eternal judgment of sinners without faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit brought conviction of sin. This distinguishes Edwards from being a motivational speaker to being a herald of the Word of God.

Eternal damnation is a truth which continues to be denied today, by even some well-meaning pastors. However, it remains a truth to be preached, leading to the gospel to be believed (Romans 1:16-17).

Soli deo Gloria!

“It was no ‘superstitious panic,’ but a plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost.” – George Whitefield

“Now, God is pleased again to pour out His Spirit upon us; and He is doing great things among us…You have had your life spared through these six years past, to this very time, to another outpouring of the Spirit.” –Jonathan Edwards, 1740.

The surprising work of God broke through the spirit of slumber among the people of Northampton in the 1730’s. Unfortunately, this gave way to “a long season of coldness and indifference” to the Word of God in the beginning of the 1740’s. However, “The Great Awakening broke upon the slumbering churches like a thunderbolt rushing out of a clear sky, ”  one minister wrote.

The Great Awakening, often referred to as the First Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival, was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestant churches as believers in Christ strove to renew their individual holiness and religious devotion to God and His Word.

The Great Awakening marked the emergence of American evangelicalism as a multi-denominational movement within the Protestant churches. The movement built on the foundations of three older traditions: Puritanism, Pietism and Presbyterianism. The major leaders of the revival include evangelist George Whitefield, John & Charles Wesley along with Jonathan Edwards. All of them articulated a theology of recommitment and salvation that transcended denominational boundaries. This helped to forge a common evangelical unity.

Characteristics of the Great Awakening were several. These included a passion for the doctrinal imperatives of the 16^th century Protestant Reformation, an emphasis on the providential outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and the extemporaneous and expository preaching of God’s Word.

“Throughout New England, it is estimated that out of a population of 300,000, between 25,000 and 50,000 new members were added to the churches during the revival,” Dr. Steven J. Lawson states,

People became aware of a sense of deep personal conviction of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. This repentance of sin and trust in Christ as Savior and Lord also fostered introspection and commitment to a new standard of personal and biblical morality. Revival theology stressed that religious conversion was not only an intellectual assent to correct Christian doctrine but had to be initiated by the “new birth” or regeneration (John 3:1-8). This was done solely by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of God’s Word.. The leading proponents also taught that receiving an assurance of salvation was a normal expectation in the Christian life.

“In 1740–42, God brought about another season of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as awakening came not only to the churches up and down the Colonies, but also in the lands of Old England. In Old England, George Whitefield and brothers John and Charles Wesley preached to tens of thousands—mostly gathered outdoors. Soon, Whitefield crossed the Atlantic and preached to crowds of similar size in the Colonies. An indefatigable evangelist, Whitefield crisscrossed the Atlantic and logged thousands of miles on horseback,” Dr. Stephen J. Nichols explains,

The Great Awakening would produce one of the most famous and most read sermons ever preached in America. Jonathan Edwards would be an instrument God would use to proclaim it. Join us next time as we examine Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.   

Soli deo Gloria!

“Jonathan Edwards’ first letter was an account of the outpouring of the Spirit of God. His first published sermon was a clear proclamation of the sovereignty of God in the work of redemption. His first book chronicled a revival. Awakening was a dominant theme of the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards.” – Dr. Stephen J. Nichols, 2018.

In 1739 Jonathan Edwards preached a series of thirty sermons in his church at Northampton, Massachusetts. These sermons were based on Isaiah 51:8: “For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.” Edwards crafted a book containing these messages. He entitled the book A History of the Work of Redemption.

A History of the Work of Redemption traced God’s work of redemption from the beginning to the end of history. It was Edwards’ pronouncement of the truth of the gospel.

Whatever originality the book possesses is literary and theological. Edwards’ used figures of speech to connect the events of redemption history. These included the metaphors of a river and its tributaries, a tree and its branches, the construction of a building, the conduct of war, and “a wheel,” or “a machine composed of wheels” reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision of the divine throne chariot and of clockwork.

The book also consists of Edwards’ examination of typology, the practice of interpreting things, persons, or events (the “type”) as symbols or prefiguration’s of future realities (the “antitype”). Protestants had restricted typology to figures, actions, and objects in the Old Testament which foreshadowed forth Christ as their antitype. Edwards interprets the New Testament typologically as well, arguing that relevant passages prefigure events in the church’s later history. Most radically, Edwards interprets nature typologically.

Finally, Edwards’ placed great emphasis on the objective and historical side of God’s act of redemption. The perspective was rare in Puritanism, which tended to stress the redemption’s application to the individual souls of sinners.

A History of the Work of Redemption is structured as follows.

General Introduction.

I. From the Fall to the Incarnation.

A. From the Fall to the Flood.

B. From the Flood to the calling of Abraham.

C. From Abraham to Moses.

D. From Moses to David.

E. From David to the Babylonian Captivity.

F. From the Captivity to Christ.

G. Improvement of the First PERIOD.

II. From Christ’s Incarnation to his Resurrection.

A. Of Christ’s Incarnation.

B. The Purchase of Redemption.

C. Improvement of the Second PERIOD.

III. From Christ’s Resurrection the End of the World.

A. Scriptural Representations of this PERIOD.

B. How Christ was capacitated for effecting his Purpose.

C. Established Means of Success.

D. How the Success was carried on.

E. To the Destruction of Jerusalem.

A History of the Work of Redemption is available as a free download at monergism.com. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“We acknowledge that some particular appearances in the work of conversion among men may be occasioned by the ministry which they sit under, whether it be of a more or less evangelical strain, whether it be more severe and affrighting, or more gentle and persuasive. But wheresoever God works with power for salvation upon the minds of men, there will be some discoveries of a sense of sin, of the danger of the wrath of God, and the all-sufficiency of his Son Jesus, to relieve us under all our spiritual wants and distresses, and a hearty consent of soul to receive him in the various offices of grace, wherein he is set forth in the Holy Scriptures.” – Isaac Watts & John Guyse, 1737.  

It was in 1734 that Jonathan Edwards witnessed the first occasion of spiritual power and success in his pastoral ministry. It was in December of that year that Edwards wrote the following words in an article entitled The Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God.

“In the latter part of December, 1734, the Spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work amongst us; and there were, very suddenly, one after another, five or six persons, who were to all appearances savingly converted.”

The conversion of souls continued in the initial weeks of 1735. A great interest and concern of the Christian Gospel began to take hold upon the residents of Northampton. A noticeable difference in behavior and conviction began to be seen in the life of the town.

Edwards wrote, “The minds of people were wonderfully taken off from the world. It was treated amonst us as a thing of very little consequence. When once the Spirit of God began to be so wonderfully poured out in a general way through the town, people had soon done with their old quarrels, backbiting’s, and intermeddling with other men’s matters. The tavern was soon left empty and persons kept very much at home.”

The surprising work of God reached its peak in March and April of 1735. Edwards’ biographer Iain Murry explains, “Edwards believed the work of conversion appeared to be at the rate, at least, of four persons in a day, or near thirty in a week.”

This surprising work was not uniformly believed or received by others within New England. A widespread revival was unheard of at that time. Edwards’ contemporaries, Isaac Watts and John Guyse with whom he corresponded and who lived in England, not only believed the news but shared it with their congregations. They said, “So strange and surprising work of God that we have not heard anything like it since the Reformation…should be published and left upon record.”

“ The most successful method of preaching is that which aims at thorough and radical convictions of sin. The law must be applied with power to the conscience, or the precociousness of grace will be inadequately known.” – James Henley Thornwell

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Awakening was a dominant theme of the life and ministry of Jonathan Edwards.” – Stephen J. Nichols, 2018.

 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:1–8 (ESV)

Jonathan Edwards was committed to the biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Throughout the 1730’s, he consistently preached the doctrines of God’s grace to the congregation of Northampton. He understood that true conversion, along with true revival, is solely the product of the Holy Spirit’s work through the preaching of the Word of God by the faithful man of God.

In 1734, Edwards preached a sermon titled A Divine and Supernatural Light. “When dead souls rise to new life, when blind eyes see the beauty of the gospel, and when deaf ears hear the transforming truth of the redemptive work of Christ—all of this is because of the divine and supernatural light. It is not a human or a natural light. Spiritual awakening comes from heaven above,” Edwards stated,

Edwards was not only concerned about the conversion of the lost, but also deeply concerned about the spiritual growth and maturity of his believing congregation. He faced the challenge of promoting godliness within the Northampton church that often seemed to lapse into spiritual indifference. The fervent task of the faithful pastor has remained the same.

“To correct the errors into which some had fallen during the last years of (Solomon) Stoddard’s pastorate, Edwards focused his preaching in the early 1730’s on common, specific sins. He urged people to repent and to embrace the gospel by faith, explains Dr. Joel Beeke. ”

Edwards’ sermons resulted in a series of spiritual “awakenings” at Northampton. Edwards described, in his first book entitled Faithful Narrative of Surprising Conversions in the winter of 1734-1735, that young people and their parents responded to biblical truth with renewed interest. They began examining both their public and private behavior.

“People who visited Northampton noticed the change of spiritual climate and returned to their homes bearing Edwards’s message. Meanwhile, independently of Northampton, the Holy Spirit brought revival to other places as well,” Dr. Beeke states.

The periodic awakenings which took place in the Connecticut River Valley in the mid to late 1730’s would serve as a prelude for what the Lord would bring forth in the early 1740’s throughout the American colonies and beyond. More to come.

Soli deo Gloria!    

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ (Ephesians 2:1–5 (ESV)

“It is affecting to think how ignorant I was, when as a young Christian, of the bottomless, infinite depths of wickedness, pride, hypocrisy and deceit left in my heart.” – Jonathan Edwards

One of the most fertile places in the Christian’s pilgrimage is what Puritan John Bunyan called the Valley of Humiliation. It is in this so-called valley that the believer in Christ becomes acutely aware of the depths of their sinfulness prior to their conversion and the heights of God’s graciousness that brought about their conversion. It is in this valley that man’s erroneous perspective of free-will is finally discarded and God’s free and sovereign grace is fervently embraced and appreciated.

It was in this valley that Edwards began to acquire a deepening understanding of God’s sovereign and divine grace in salvation. Like many other before him, and after him, Edwards became aware of the real nature of sin, and fallen man’s inability to independently repent of sin and believe the Gospel unto salvation. He came to understand that God saves sinners according to His good pleasure and for the praise of His glorious and sovereign grace alone (Eph. 1:3-11).

As a youth, Edwards had no affection at all with the doctrine that God appoints men to salvation. However, as he grew in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), he acquired a heart-felt awareness of the power and depth of sin in the unconverted individual.

“Spiritual experience and sound theology go together. Accordingly, the Reformers, and the Puritans after them, had attributed opposition to the doctrines of grace as evidence of spiritual ignorance. Men must be saved by sovereign mercy or not at all, and the more he (Edwards) saw of this way of salvation – God giving grace to those who had no claim or right – the more he saw his own dependence upon it,” Edwards’ biographer Iain Murray explains,

“It appears to me that were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up to the infinite height of all the fullness and glory of the great Jehovah, and the arm of His power and grace stretched forth in all the majesty of His power, and in all the glory of His sovereignty, I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself – far beyond the sight of everything but the eye of sovereign grace that can pierce even down to such a depth, ”  Edwards wrote,

Edwards was deeply impacted by the biblical doctrine that God owes salvation to no one and that He may justly withhold pardon from any. To say otherwise, is to deny the very concept and definition of grace itself. For if anyone believes that grace is deserved, then it is no longer grace that they believe.

Have you had your own valley of humiliation? I pray you have as I have. May the Lord be glorified and praised by us today.

Soli deo Gloria!

“As the philosopher he could discern, and discern truly, between the sterling and the counterfeit in Christianity –still it was as the humble and devoted pastor that Christianity was made, or Christianity was multiplied, in his hands.” – Thomas Chalmers.

Jonathan Edwards not only left behind a whole host of messages and sermons, but also personal reflections in his diaries. He referred to these entries as his Personal Narrative. These were primarily composed in the 1730’s while he served as the pastor of the church in Northampton.

“While telling us nothing of his outward life, the document gives us the key to his mind and, as Cromwell once told the English Parliament, ‘The mind is the man’,” explains Edwards’ biographer Iain Murray.

What follow are excerpts from Edwards’ Personal Narrative. The personal knowledge of God is the main theme.

• “God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any, or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.”
• “God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”
• “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.”
• “A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God; of his dependence on Him; of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom; and that it is by God’s power that he is upheld and provided for, and that he needs God’s wisdom to lead and guide him, and His might to enable him to do what he ought to do for Him.”
• “If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God’s.”
• “Since I came to this town, I have often had sweet complacency in God, in views of His glorious perfections and the excellency of Jesus Christ. God has appeared to me a glorious and lovely Being; chiefly the account of His holiness. The holiness of God has always appeared to me the most lovely of all His attributes.”

Today, consider beginning a personal narrative of your own concerning God. What attributes of God completely captivate you? Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!