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Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…
Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal salvation, viz. I. Justification by faith alone. II. Pressing into the Kingdom of God. III. Ruth's resolution. IV. The justice of God in the damnation of sinners. V. The excellency of Jesus Christ. : Delivered at Northampton, chiefly at the time of the late wonderful pouring out of the spirit of God there. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the Church of Christ in Northampton. ; [Three lines from Deuteronomy]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 1738
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. That you be not sincerely willing to accept of Christ as your Saviour, appears by this, That you never have been convinced that he is sufficient for the Work; of your Salvation. You never had a Sight or Sense of any such Excellency or Worthiness in Christ, as should give such great Value to his Blood and his Mediation with God, as that it was sufficient to be accepted for such exceeding guilty Creatures, & those that have so provoked God, and exposed themselves to such amazing Wrath. A saying it is so, and a customary yielding & allowing it to be as others say, is a very different Thing from being really convinced of it, and a being made sensible of it in your own Heart. The Sufficiency of Christ depends upon, or rather consists in his Excellency. It is because he is so excellent a Person, that his Blood is of sufficient Value to atone for Sin, and 'tis hence that his Obedience is so worthy in God's Sight; 'tis also hence that his Intercession is so prevalent; and therefore those that never had any spiritual Sight or Sense of Christ's Excellency, can't be sensible of his Sufficiency.
And that Sinners be not convinced that Christ is sufficient for the Work he has undertaken, appears most manifestly when they are under great Convictions of their Sin, and Danger of God's Wrath. Though it may be before they thought they could allow Christ to be sufficient, (for it is easy to allow any one to be sufficient for our Defence, at a Time when we see no Danger,) yet when they come to be sensible of their Guilt, and God's Wrath, what discouraging Thoughts do they entertain! How are they ready to draw towards Despair, as if there no Hope or Help for such wicked Creatures as they! The Reason is, They have no Apprehension or Sense of any other Way that God's Majesty can be vindicated▪ but only in their Misery: To tell them of the Blood of Christ, signifies nothing, it don't relieve their sinking despairing Hearts. This makes it most evident that ⟨p. 226⟩they are not convinced that Christ is sufficient to be their Mediator.