TESTIMONY OF JONATHAN EDWARDS
American Theologian
Jonathan Edwards
Called by some the greatest American theologian, Edward authoredmany works including Freedom of the Will (1754), his mostphilosophical work and, Original Sin (1758) his greatest theologicalwork
Among his other works are: A Faithful Narrative of the SurprisingWork of God in the Conversion of Many Souls in Northampton and theNeighboring Towns and Villages (1737); Sinners in the Hands of anAngry God (1741); A Treatise concerning Religious Affections (1746);The Nature of True Virtue (1755).
Edwards died at Princeton University from the newly developedinoculation for smallpox.
“The first instance, that I remember, of that sort of inward,sweet delight in God and divine things, that I have lived much insince, was on reading those words, I Timothy 1:17. Now unto the Kingeternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and gloryfor ever and ever, Amen. As I read the words, there came into mysoul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory ofthe Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from any thing I everexperienced before. Never any words of Scripture seemed to me asthese words did. I thought with myself, how excellent a Being thatwas, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God, and berapt up to him in heaven, and be as it were swallowed up in him forever! I kept saying, and as it were singing, over these words ofscripture to myself; and went to pray to God that I might enjoy Him,and prayed in a manner quite different from what I used to do; with anew sort of affection. But it never came into my thought, that therewas any thing spiritual, or of a saving nature in this.
From about that time, I began to have a new kind of apprehensionsand ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious wayof salvation by Him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, attimes, came into my heart; and my soul was led away in pleasant viewsand contemplations of them. And my mind was greatly engaged to spendmy time in readings and mediating on Christ, on the beauty andexcellency of His person, and the lovely way of salvation by freegrace in Him…
On January 12, 1723, I made a solemn dedication of myself to God,and I wrote it down; giving up myself, and all that I had to God; tobe for the future, in no respect, my own; to act as one that had noright to himself, in any respect. And solemnly vowed, to take God formy whole portion and felicity; looking on nothing else, as any partof my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and His law for theconstant rule of my obedience: engaging to fight, with all my might.against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life.But I have reason to be infinitely humbled, when I consider, how muchI have failed, of answering my obligation…
I have loved the doctrines of the Gospel; they have been to mysoul like green pastures. The Gospel has seemed to me the richesttreasure; the treasure that I have most desired, and longed that ismight dwell richly in me. The way of salvation by Christ, hasappeared, in general way, glorious and excellent, most pleasant andmost beautiful. It has often seemed to me, that it would, in a greatmeasure, spoil heaven, to receive it in any other way. That text hasoften been affecting and delightful to me, Isaiah 32:2, And a manshall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from thetempest,…
It has often appeared to me delightful, to be united to Christ; tohave Him for my head, and to be a member of His body; also to haveChrist for my teacher and prophet. I very often think with sweetness,and longings, and pantings of soul, of being a little child, takinghold of Christ, to be led by Him through the wilderness of thisworld. That text, Matthew 18:3, has often been sweet to me, Except yebe converted, and become as little children, … I love to think ofcoming to Christ, to receive salvation of Him, poor in spirit, andquite empty of self, humbly exalting Him alone; cut off entirely frommy own root, in order to grow into, and out of Christ: to have God inChrist to be all in all; and to live by faith on the Son of God, alife of humble, unfeigned confidence in Him…
Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, havingalighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly hasbeen, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view, thatfor me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as mediatorbetween God and man, and His wonderful, great, full, pure and sweetgrace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace thatappeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens.The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent, with an excellencygreat enough to swallow up all thought and conception ó whichcontinued, as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me thegreater part of the time, in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. Ifelt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how toexpress, emptied and annihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be fullof Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust inHim; to live upon Him; to serve and follow Him; and to be perfectlysanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity. I have,several other times, had views very much of the same nature, andwhich have had the same effects.
I have, many times, had a sense of the glory of the Third Personin the Trinity, in His office of Sanctifier; in His Holy operations,communicating divine light and life to the soul. God in thecommunications of His Holy Spirit, has appeared as an infinitefountain of divine glory and sweetness; being full and sufficient tofill and satisfy the soul; pouring forth itself in sweetcommunications, like the sun in its glory, sweetly and pleasantlydiffusing light and life. And I have sometimes had an affecting senseof the excellency of the Word of God as a Word of life; as the Lightof life; a sweet, excellent, life-giving Word; accompanied with athirsting after that Word, that it might dwell richly in my heart…
Though it seems to me, that in some respects, I was afar better Christian, for two or three years after my firstconversion, than I am now; and lived in a more constant delight andpleasure; yet of late years, I have had a more full and constantsense of the absolute sovereignty of God, and a delight in thatsovereignty; and have had more of a sense of the glory of Christ, asa Mediator revealed in the Gospel. On one Saturday night, inparticular, I had such a discovery of the excellency of the Gospelabove all other doctrines, that I could not but to say to myself,ëThis is my chosen light, my chosen doctrine,í and ofChrist, ëThis is my chosen Prophet.í It appeared sweet,beyond all expression, to follow Christ, and to be taught, andenlightened, and instructed by Him; to learn of Him, and live to Him.”