N03467:769
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.
There is wrought in them a holy Repose of Soul in God through Christ, and a secret Disposition to fear and love him, and to hope for Blessings from him in this Way: and yet they have no Imagination that they are now converted, it don't so much as come into their Minds: and very often the Reason is, that they don't see that they do accept of this sufficiency of Salvation, that they behold in Christ, having entertained a wrong Notion of Acceptance; not being sensible that the obedient and joyful Entertainment which their Hearts give to this Discovery of Grace, is a real Acceptance of it: They know not that the sweet Complacence they feel in the Mercy and complete Salvation of God, as it includes Pardon and Sanctification, and is held forth to them only through Christ, is a true receiving of this Mercy, or a plain Evidence of their receiving it. They expected I know not what Kind of Act of Soul, and perhaps they had no distinct Idea of it themselves.
There is wrought in them a holy Repose of Soul in God through Christ, and a secret Disposition to fear and love him, and to hope for Blessings from him in this Way: and yet they have no Imagination that they are now converted, it don't so much as come into their Minds: and very often the Reason is, that they don't see that they do accept of this sufficiency of Salvation, that they behold in Christ, having entertain'd a wrong Notion of Acceptance; not being sensible that the obedient and joyful Entertainment which their Hearts give to this Discovery of Grace, is a real Acceptance of it: They know not that the sweet Complacence they feel in the Mercy and complete Salvation of God, as it includes Pardon and Sanctification, and is held forth to them only through Christ, is a true receiving of this Mercy, or a plain Evidence of their receiving it. They expected I know not what Kind of Act of Soul, and perhaps they had no distinct Idea of it themselves.
And indeed it appears very plainly in some of them, that before their own Conversion they had very imperfect Ideas what Conversion was: It is all new and strange, and what there was no clear Conception of before. 'Tis most evident as they themselves acknowledge, that the Expressions that were used to describe Conversion, and the Graces of God's Spirit, such as a spiritual Sight of Christ, Faith in Christ, Poverty of Spirit, Trust in God, Resignedness to God, &c. were Expressions that did not convey those special and distinct Ideas to their Minds, which they were intended to signify, in some respects no more than the Names of Colours are to convey the Ideas to one that is blind from his Birth.