RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS
JONATHAN EDWARDS
INTRODUCTION.
THERE
is no question whatsoever, that is of greater importance to mankind, and what
is more concerns every individual person to be well resolved in, than this: What
are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favour with God,
and entitled to his eternal rewards? Or, which comes to the same thing, What
is the nature of true religion? And wherein do 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 Saviour,
"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 exactness of search and inquiry, that
I have been capable of. 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 much more difficult to judge impartially of that which is
the subject of this discourse, in the midst of the dust and smoke of such a
state of controversy, as this land is now in, 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 in their spirits, 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 here 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 by some, ever since the
beginning of our late controversies about religion. It is a hard 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, nor go on in 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, and the new and divine nature 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 or rare thing. It is no new thing, that much false
religion should prevail, at a time of great reviving of true religion, 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, that was
in Josiah's time; as appears by Jer. 3:10, and 4:3, 4, and also by the great
apostasy that there was in the land, so soon after his reign. So it was in
that great outpouring of the Spirit upon the Jews, that was 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 that were 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 the great trials that came afterwards, and
endured to the end. Many were like the stony ground, 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 Matt. 24:10-13. Gal. 3:1, and
4:11, 15. Phil. 2:21, and 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 reviving of religion, from time to time, as it is
with the fruit trees in the spring; there are a multitude of blossoms, all of
which appear fair and beautiful, and there is a promising appearance of young
fruits; but many of them are but of short continuance; they soon fall off, and
never come to maturity.
Not
that it is 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, in a
perfect freedom from mixtures of corruption; or in the church of God, without
any mixture of hypocrites with saints, and counterfeit religion, and false
appearances of grace with true religion, and real holiness: yet it is evident,
that there will come a time of much greater purity in the church of God, than
has been in ages past; it is plain by these texts of Scripture, Isa. 52:1.
Ezek. 44:6, 7, Joel 3:17. Zech. 14:21. Psal. 69:32, 35, 36. Isa 35:8, 10,
chap. 4:3, 4. Ezek. 20:38. Psal. 37:9, 10, 21, 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 ver. 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, all along hitherto. It is by this means, principally,
that he has prevailed against all revivings of religion, that ever have been
sheen 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,
&c., to put a stop to its progress, and bring it into disgrace; ten times
more, than by all those bloody, cruel, and before unheard of persecutions of
the church of Rome. By this, principally, has he prevailed against revivals of
religion, that have been in our nation since the reformation. 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 as
we now behold her; 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 roundabout 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 paradisaic state, and pretending to advance it to higher
degrees. So the same cunning serpent, that beguiled Eve through his subtlety,
by perverting us from the 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 paradisaic 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, to make head against that, and do neglect
carefully to look all around them, the devil comes behind them, and gives a
fatal stab unseen; and has opportunity to give a more home stroke, and wound
the deeper, because he strikes at his leisure, and according to his pleasure,
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, by
bringing it to pass, that that should be offered to God, by multitudes, under
a notion of a pleasing acceptable service to him, that 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 are in God's sight some
of the vilest of 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 of the saints
and brings them into great difficulties and temptation, 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 of religion, and
strengthens their hands, and 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, any with all their might. By
this means he brings in even the friends of religion, insensibly to
themselves, 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, and that with great heat of spirit, under a nation of zeal for God;
and religion, by degrees degenerates into vain jangling; and 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. And in the midst of this
confusion, the devil has great opportunity to advance his own interest, and
make it strong in ways innumerable, and 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 religion, when not distinguished from true religion, God's
people in general have their minds unhinged and unsettled in things of
religion, and know not where to set their foot, or what to think or do; and
many are brought into doubts, whether there be anything in religion; and
heresy, and infidelity, and atheism greatly prevail.
Therefore
it greatly concerns us to use our utmost endeavours 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 revivings 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.
My
design is to contribute my mite, and use my best (however feeble) endeavours
to this end, in the ensuing treatise; wherein it must be noted, that my design
is somewhat diverse from the design of what I have formerly published, which
was to show the distinguishing marks of a work of the Spirit of God,
including both his common and saving operations; but what I aim at now, is to
show the nature and signs of the gracious operations of God's Spirit,
by which they are to be distinguished from all things whatsoever, that the
minds of men are the subjects of, which are not of a saving nature. If I have
succeeded, in this my aim, in any tolerable measure, I hope it will tend to
promote the interest of religion. And whether I have succeeded to bring any
light to this subject or no, and however my attempts may be reproached in
these captious and censorious times, I hope ins the mercy of a gracious God,
for the acceptance of the sincerity of my endeavours; and hope also for the
candour and prayers of the true followers of the meek and charitable Lamb of
God.
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