N03467:740
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.
Together with those Fears, and that Exercise of Mind which is rational, and which they have just ground for, they have often suffered many needless Distresses of Thought, in which Satan probably has a great hand, to entangle them, and block up their way; and sometimes the Distemper of Melancholy has been evidently mixed; of which when it happens, the Tempter seems to make great advantage, and puts an unhappy Bar in the way of any good Effect; One knows not how to deal with such Persons, they turn every Thing that is said to them the wrong way, and most to their own Disadvantage: And there is nothing that the Devil seems to make so great a handle of, as a melancholy Humour, unless it be the real Corruption of the Heart.
Together with those Fears, and that Exercise of Mind which is rational, and which they have just ground for, they have often suffer'd many needless Distresses of Thought, in which Satan probably has a great hand, to entangle them, and block up their way; and sometimes the Distemper of Melancholy has been evidently mixed; of which when it happens, the Tempter seems to make great advantage, and puts an unhappy Bar in the way of any good Effect; One knows not how to deal with such Persons, they turn every Thing that is said to them the wrong way, and most to their own Disadvantage: And there is nothing that the Devil seems to make so great a handle of, as a melancholy Humour, unless it be the real Corruption of the Heart.
But it has been very remarkable, that there has been far less of this Mixture in this time of extraordinary Blessing, than there was wont to be in Persons under awakenings at other Times; for it is evident that many that before had been exceedingly involved in such Difficulties, seemed now strangely to be set at liberty: Some Persons that had before, for a long time, been exceedingly entangled with peculiar Temptations, of one sort or other, and unprofitable and hurtful Distresses, were soon helped over former Stumbling Blocks, that hindered any Progress towards saving Good; and Convictions have wrought more kindly, and they have been successfully carried on in the way to Life. And thus Satan seemed to be restrained, till towards the latter ⟨p. 22⟩