N04004:354
Some thoughts concerning the present revival of religion in New-England, and the way in…
Some thoughts concerning the present revival of religion in New-England, and the way in which it ought to be acknowledged and promoted, humbly offered to the public, in a treatise on that subject. : In five parts; Part I. Showing that the work that has of late been going on in this land, is a glorious work of God. Part II. Showing the obligations that all are under, to acknowledge [sic], rejoice in and promote this work, and the great danger of the contrary. Part III. Showing in many instances, wherein the subjects, or zealous promoters, of this work have been injuriously blamed. Part IV. Showing what things are to be corrected or avoided, in promoting this work, or in our behaviour under it. Part V. showing positively what ought to be done to promote this work. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the Church of Christ at Northampton. ; [Two lines from Isaiah]Some thoughts concerning the present revival of religion in New-England, and the way in which it ought to be acknowledged and promoted, humbly offered to the publick, in a treatise on that subject. : In five parts; Part I. Shewing that the work that has of late been going on in this land, is a glorious work of God. Part II. Shewing the obligations that all are under, to acknowlege [sic], rejoice in and promote this work, and the great danger of the contrary. Part III. Shewing in many instances, wherein the subjects, or zealous promoters, of this work have been injuriously blamed. Part IV. Shewing what things are to be corrected or avoided, in promoting this work, or in our behaviour under it. Part V. shewing positively what ought to be done to promote this work. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the Church of Christ at Northampton. ; [Two lines from Isaiah]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 1742
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. Another Thing by which the Devil has great Advantage, is, the unheeded Defects there sometimes are in the Experiences of true Christians, and those high Affections wherein there is much that is truly good.
What I now have Respect to is something diverse from that Defect, or Imperfection of Degree, which is in every holy Disposition and Exercise in this Life, in the best of the Saints. What I aim at ⟨p. 275⟩is Experiences being especially defective in some particular Thing, that ought to be in them; which tho' it ben't an essential Defect, or such a Defect as is in the Experiences of Hypocrites, which renders them utterly vain, monstrous, and altogether abominable to GOD, yet is such a Defect as maims and deforms the Experience; the Essence of truly Christian Experiences is not wanting, but yet that is wanting that is very needful in order to the proper Beauty of the Image of Christ in such a Person's Experiences; but Things are very much out of a due Proportion: There is indeed much of some Things, but at the same Time there is so little of some other Things that should bear a Proportion, that the Defect very much deforms the Christian, and is truly odious in the Sight of GOD.
What I observed before was something that deformed the Christian, as it was too much, something mixed, that is not belonging to the Christian as such; what I speak of now is something that deforms the Christian the other Way, viz. By their not being enough, something wanting, that does belong to the Christian as such: The one deforms the Christian as a monstrous Excrescence, the other as thereby the new Creature is maimed, and some Member in a great Measure wanting, or so small and withering as to be very much out of due Proportion. This is another spiritual Calamity that the Saints are liable to through the great Imperfection of Grace in this Life; like the Chicken in the Egg, in the beginning of its Formation, in which, tho' there are indeed the Rudiments or Lineaments of all the Parts, yet some few Parts