A TREATISE CONCERNING by Jonathan Edwards (Outline by Section)
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CONTENTS
PART I : | Concerning The Nature Of The Affections And Their Importance In Religion. | |
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Introductory remarks respecting the affections. | |
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True religion, in great part, consists in the affections. | |
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Some inferences deduced from the doctrine. |
PART II : | Showing What Are No Certain Signs That Religious Affections Are Gracious, Or That They Are Not. | |
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It is no sign one way or the other, that religious affections are very great, or raised very high. | |
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It is no sign that affections have the nature of true religion, or that they have not, that they have great effects on the body. | |
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It is no sign that affections are truly gracious affections, or that they are not, that they cause those who have them to be fluent, fervent, and abundant, in talking of the things of religion. | |
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It is no sign that affections are gracious, or that they are otherwise, that persons did not make them themselves, or excite them of their own contrivance and by their own strength. | |
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It is no sign that religious affections are truly holy and spiritual, or that they are not, that they come with texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the mind. | |
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It is no evidence that religious affections are saving, or that they are otherwise, that there is an appearance of love in them. | |
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Persons having religious affections of many kinds, accompanying one another, is not sufficient to determine whether they have any gracious affections or no. | |
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Nothing can certainly be determined concerning the nature of the affections, by this, that comforts and joys seem to follow awakenings and convictions of conscience, in a certain order. | |
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It is no certain sign that the religious affections which persons have are such as have in them the nature of true religion, or that they have not, that they dispose persons to spend much time in religion, and to be zealously engaged in the external duties of worship. | |
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Nothing can be certainly known of the nature of religious affections by this, that they much dispose persons with their mouths to praise and glorify God. | |
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It is no sign that affections are right, or that they are wrong, that they make persons that have them exceeding confident. | |
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Nothing can be certainly concluded concerning the nature of religious affections, that the relation persons give of them, are very affecting and pleasing to the truly godly. |
PART III : | Showing What Are Distinguishing Signs Of Truly Gracious And Holy Affections. |
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Affections that are truly spiritual and gracious, do arise from those influences and operations on the heart, which are spiritual, supernatural and divine. | |
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The first objective ground of gracious affections, is the transcendently excellent and amiable nature of divine things as they are themselves; and not any conceived relation they bear to self, or self-interest. | |
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Those affections that are truly holy, are primarily founded on the loveliness of the moral excellency of divine things. Or a love to divine things for the beauty and sweetness of their moral excellency is the first beginning and spring of all holy affections. | |
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Gracious affections do arise from the mind’s being enlightened, richly and spiritually to understand or apprehend divine things. | |
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Truly gracious affections are attended with a reasonable and spiritual conviction of the judgment, of the reality and certainty of divine things. | |
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Gracious affections are attended with evangelical humiliation. | |
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Another thing, wherein gracious affections are distinguished from others, is, that they are attended with a change of nature. | |
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Truly gracious affections differ from those affections that are false and delusive, in that they tend to, and are attended with the lamb-like, dove-like spirit and temper of Jesus Christ; or in other words, they naturally beget and promote such a spirit of love, meekness, quietness, forgiveness and mercy, as appears in Christ. | |
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Gracious affections soften the heart, and are attended and followed with a Christian tenderness of spirit. | |
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Another thing wherein those affections that are truly gracious and holy, differ from those that are false, is beautiful symmetry and proportion. | |
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Another great and very distinguishing difference between gracious affections and others is, that gracious affections, the higher they are raised, the more is a spiritual appetite and longing of soul after spiritual attainments increased. On the contrary, false affections rest satisfied in themselves. | |
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Gracious and holy affections have their exercise and fruit in Christian practice. | |
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Christian practice and holy life, is a manifestation and sign of the sincerity of a professing Christian, to the eye of his neighbors and brethren. | |
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Christian practice is a distinguishing and sure evidence of grace to persons’ own consciences. |
THERE
is no question of greater importance to mankind, and that it more concerns every
individual person to be well resolved in, than this: What are the
distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favor with God, and entitled
to his eternal rewards? Or, which comes to the same thing, What is the
nature of true religion? And wherein lie the distinguishing notes of that
virtue and holiness that is acceptable in the sight of God? But though it be
of such importance, and though we have clear and abundant light in the Word of
God to direct us in this matter, yet there is no one point, wherein professing
Christians do more differ one from another. It would be endless to reckon up the
variety of opinions, in this point, that divide the Christian world; making
manifest the truth of that declaration of our Savior, “Strait is the gate and
narrow is the way, that leads to life, and few there be that find it.
The consideration of these
things has long engaged me to attend to this matter with the utmost diligence
and care, and all the exactness of search and inquiry of which I have been
capable. It is a subject on which my mind has been peculiarly intent, ever since
I first entered on the study of divinity. — But as to the success of my
inquiries, it must be left to the judgment of the reader of the following
treatise.
I am sensible it is
difficult to judge impartially of the subject of this discourse, in the midst of
the dust and smoke of present controversy, about things of this nature. As it is
more difficult to write impartially, so it is more difficult to read
impartially. — Many will probably be hurt, to find so much that appertains to
religious affection here condemned: and perhaps indignation and contempt will be
excited in others, by finding so much justified and approved. And it may be,
some will be ready to charge me with inconsistency with myself, in so much
approving some things, and so much condemning others; as I have found this has
always been objected to me by some, ever since the beginning of our late
controversies about religion. It is a difficult thing to be a hearty zealous
friend of what has been good and glorious in the late extraordinary
appearances, and to rejoice much in it; and at the same time, to see the evil
and pernicious tendency of what has been bad, and earnestly to oppose
that. But yet, I am humbly but fully persuaded, we shall never be
in the way of truth, a way acceptable to God, and tending to the advancement of
Christ’s kingdom, till we do so. There is indeed something very mysterious in
it, that so much good, and so much bad, should be mixed together in the church
of God: as it is a mysterious thing, and what has puzzled and amazed many a
good Christian, that there should be that which is so divine and precious, as
the saving grace of God, dwelling in the same heart, with so much corruption,
hypocrisy, and iniquity, in a particular saint. Yet neither of these is
more mysterious than real. And neither of them is a new thing. It is no new
thing, that much false religion should prevail, at a time of great revival; and
that, at such a time, multitudes of hypocrites should spring up among true
saints. It was so in that great reformation, and revival of religion, in
Josiah’s time; as appears by Jer. 3:10, and Jer. 4:3, 4, and also by the great
apostasy there was in the land, so soon after his reign. So it was that great
outpouring of the Spirit upon the Jews, in the days of John the Baptist; as
appears by the great apostasy of that people, so soon after so general an
awakening, and the temporary religious comforts and joys of many; John 5:35,
“Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.” So it was in those
great commotions among the multitude, occasioned by the preaching of Jesus
Christ. Of the many that were then called, but few were chosen; of the
multitude that were roused and affected by his preaching — and at one time or
other appeared mightily engaged, full of admiration of Christ, and elevated with
joy — but few were true disciples, that stood the shock of trials, and endured
to the end. Many were like the stony or thorny ground; and but
few, comparatively, like the good ground. Of the whole heap that was
gathered, great part was chaff, that the wind afterwards drove away; and the
heap of wheat that was left, was comparatively small; as appears abundantly by
the history of the New Testament. So it was in that great outpouring of the
Spirit that was in the apostles’ days; as appears by Mat. 24:10-13; Gal. 3:1;
and 4:11, 15; Phil. 2:21; and chap. 3:18, 19, and the two epistles to the
Corinthians, and many other parts of the New Testament. And so it was in the
great reformation from popery. — It appears plainly to have been in the
visible church of God, in times of great revivals, as it is with the fruit trees
in the spring; there are a multitude of blossoms, which appear fair and
beautiful, and there is a promising appearance of young fruits: but many of them
are of short continuance; they soon fall off, and never come to maturity.
It is not, however, to be
supposed that it will always be so. For though there never will, in this
world, be an entire purity, either in particular saints, by a perfect freedom
from mixtures of corruption, or in the church of God, without any mixture of
hypocrites with saints — or counterfeit religion and false appearances of
grace with true religion and real holiness — yet it is evident, there will
come a time of much greater purity in the church, than has been in ages past.
This appears plain by these texts of Scripture, Isa. 52:1; Eze. 44:6, 7, 9; Joel
3:17; Zec. 14:21; Psa. 69:32, 35, 36; Isa 35:8, 10; chap. 4:3, 4; Eze. 20:38;
Psa. 37:9, 10, 11, 29. And one great reason of it will be that at that time, God
will give much greater light to his people, to distinguish between true religion
and its counterfeits. Mal. 3:3, “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver,
that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” With verse 18,
which is a continuation of the prophecy of the same happy times. “Then shall
ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that
serveth God, and him that serveth him not.”
It is by the mixture of
counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil
has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ. It is by
this means, principally, that he has prevailed against all revivings of
religion, since the first founding of the Christian church. By this, he hurt the
cause of Christianity, in and after the apostolic age, much more than by all the
persecutions of both Jews and heathens. The apostles, in all their epistles,
show themselves much more concerned at the former mischief, than the latter. By
this, Satan prevailed against the reformation, began by Luther. Zwinglius, etc.,
to put a stop to its progress, and bring it into disgrace, ten times more than
by all those bloody and cruel persecutions of the church of Rome. By this,
principally, has he prevailed against revivals of religion in our nation. By
this he prevailed against New England, to quench the love and spoil the joy of
her espousals, about a hundred years ago. And I think, I have had opportunity
enough to see plainly, that by this the devil has prevailed against the late
great revival of religion in New England, so happy and promising in its
beginning. Here, most evidently, has been the main advantage Satan has had
against us; by this he has foiled us. It is by this means that the daughter of
Zion in this land now lies on the ground, in such piteous circumstances, with
her garments rent, her face disfigured, her nakedness exposed, her limbs broken,
and weltering in the blood of her own wounds, and in no wise able to arise; and
this, so quickly after her late great joys and hopes: Lam. 1:17, “Zion
spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath
commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries shall be round about him:
Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.” I have seen the devil prevail
the same way, against two great revivings of religion in this country. — Satan
goes on with mankind as he began with them. He prevailed against our first
parents, and cast them out of paradise, and suddenly brought all their happiness
and glory to an end, by appearing to be a friend to their happy state, and
pretending to advance it to higher degrees. So the same cunning serpent that
beguiled Eve through his subtlety, by perverting us from simplicity that is in
Christ, hath suddenly prevailed to deprive us of that fair prospect we had, a
little while ago, of a kind of paradisaical state of the church of God in New
England.
After religion has revived
in the church of God, and enemies appear, people that are engaged to defend its
cause are commonly most exposed, where they are sensible of danger. While they
are wholly intent upon the opposition that appears openly before them, in
order to make head against that, and while they neglect carefully to look
around, the devil comes behind them, and gives a fatal stab unseen; and he has
opportunity to give a more home stroke, and wound the deeper, because he strikes
at his leisure, and being obstructed by no guard or resistance.
And so it is ever likely to
be in the church, whenever religion revives remarkably, till we have learned
well to distinguish between true and false religion, between saving affections
and experiences, and those manifold fair shows, and glistering appearances, by
which they are counterfeited; the consequences of which, when they are not
distinguished, are often inexpressibly dreadful. By this means, the devil
gratifies himself, the multitudes should offer to God, under a notion of
acceptable service, what is indeed above all things abominable to him. By
this means, he deceives great multitudes about the state of their souls;
making them think they are something, when they are nothing; and so eternally
undoes them; and not only so, but establishes many in a strong confidence of
their eminent holiness, who, in God’s sight, are some of the vilest
hypocrites. By this means, he many ways damps and wounds religion in the
hearts of the saints, obscures and deforms it by corrupt mixtures, causes their
religious affections woefully to degenerate, and sometimes, for a considerable
time, to be like the manna that bred worms and stank; and dreadfully
ensnares and confounds the minds of others, brings them into great difficulties
and temptations, and entangles them in a wilderness, out of which they can by no
means extricate themselves. By this means, Satan mightily encourages the
hearts of open enemies, strengthens their hands, fills them with weapons, and
makes strong their fortresses; when at the same time, religion and the church of
God lie exposed to them, as a city without walls. By this means, he
brings it to pass, that men work wickedness under a notion of doing God service,
and so sin without restraint, yea with earnest forwardness and zeal, and with
all their might. By this means, he brings in even the friends of
religion, insensibly, to do the work of enemies, by destroying religion in a far
more effectual manner than open enemies can do, under a notion of advancing it. By
this means, the devil scatters the flock of Christ, and sets them one
against another with great heat of spirit, under a notion of zeal for God; and
religion, by degrees, degenerates into vain jangling. During the strife, Satan
leads both parties far out of the right way, driving each to great extremes, one
on the right hand, and the other on the left, according as he finds they are
most inclined, or most easily moved and swayed, till the right path in the
middle is almost wholly neglected. In the midst of this confusion, the devil has
great opportunity to advance his own interest, to make it strong in ways
innumerable, to get the government of all into his own hands, and work his own
will. And by what is seen of the terrible consequences of this counterfeit, when
not distinguished from true religion, God’s people in general have their minds
unsettled in religion, and know not where to set their foot, or what to think,
and many are brought into doubts, whether there be anything in religion; and
heresy, infidelity, and atheism greatly prevail.
Therefore it greatly
concerns us to use our utmost endeavors, clearly to discern, and have it well
settled and established, wherein true religion does consist. Till this be done,
it may be expected that great revivals of religion will be but of short
continuance; till this be done, there is but little good to be expected of all
our warm debates, in conversation and from the press, not knowing clearly and
distinctly what we ought to contend for.
[ Thanks to: Jonathan-Edwards.org ]