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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.
4. You are not willing to be saved in that Way by Christ, as is evident, because you are not willing that your own Goodness should be set at nought. In the Way of Salvation by Christ Men's own Goodness is wholly set at nought, there is no Account at all made of it. Now you can't be willing to be saved in a Way wherein your own Goodness is set at nought, as is evident by that, that you make much of it your self. You make much of your Prayers and Pains in Religion, and are often thinking of them; how considerable▪ do they appear to you, when you look back upon them! And how much are some of you in thinking how much more ⟨p. 227⟩you have done than some others, and in expecting some Respect or Regard that God should manifest to what you do? Now, if you make so much of what you do your self, 'tis impossible that you should be freely willing that God should make nothing of it. As we may see in other Things; if a Man is proud of a great Estate, or if he values himself much upon his honourable Office, or his great Abilities, 'tis impossible that he should like it, and heartily approve of it, that others should make light of these Things, and despise them.
Seeing therefore that 'tis so evident that you refuse to accept of Christ as your Saviour, Why is Christ to be blamed that he don't save you? Christ has offered himself to you to be your Saviour in Time past, and he continues offering himself still, and you continue to reject him, and yet complain that he don't save you.—So strangely unreasonable, and inconsistent with themselves, are Gospel Sinners!
But expect that there are many of you, that in your Hearts still object; your Mouths be not stopped.—Such an Objection as this, is probably now in the Hearts of many here present.