Discourses on Various Important Subjects, Title page 1 – Errata
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.
Deut. iv. 8. —Take heed to thy ſelf, and keep thy Soul diligently, leaſt thou forget the Things which thine Eyes have ſeen, and leaſt they depart from thy Heart all the Days of thy Life.
BOSTON: Printed … by S. KNEELAND and T. GREEN, in Queen-ſtr… … againſt the Priſon.
MDCCX….
PREFACE
THE following Diſcourſes were all, excepting the laſt, delivered in the Time of the late wonderful Work of God's Power and Grace in this Place, and are … publiſhed on the earneſt Deſire of thoſe to whom they were preached. Theſe particular Diſcourſes are fixed upon, and deſigned for the Preſs, rather than others that were deliver'd in that remarkable Seaſon, by their Election. What has determin'd them in their Choice, is the Experience they hope they have had of ſpecial Benefit to their Souls from theſe Diſcourſes. Their Deſire to have 'em in their Hands from the Preſs has been long manifeſted, and often expreſſed to me; Their Earneſtneſs in it is evident from this, that tho' it be a Year of the greateſt publick Charge to them that over has been, by reaſon of the Expence of building a new Meeting Houſe, yet they choſe rather to be at this additional Expence now, tho' it be very conſiderable, than to have it delayed another Year. I am fully ſenſible that their Value for theſe Diſcourſes has ariſen more from the Frame in which they heard them, and the Good which they hope they, thro' the ſovereign Bleſſing of God, have received by them, than any real Worth in them: And whatever the Diſcourſes are in themſelves, yet thoſe that heard them are not to be blamed or wonder'd at, if that is dear to them, that they hope God has made a Means of ſaving and everlaſting Benefit to them. They have much inſiſted on this Argument with me, to induce me to comply with their Deſire, viz that they hoped that the reading theſe Diſcourſes would have a Tendency in ſome Meaſure to renew the ſame Effect in them that was wrought in the hearing, and revive the Memory of that great Work of God, which this Town has ſo much Cauſe ever to remember; which Argument has been of principal Weight with me, to incline me to think it to be my Duty to comply with their Deſire; tho' I can't ſay there are no other Conſiderations concurring to induce me to it.
With reſpect to the Diſcourſe on Juſtification, beſides the deſire of my People to make it publick, I have been adviſed to it by certain Rev. Gentlemen, my Fathers, that happen'd to be the Hearers of it; (or, at leaſt, Part of it,) when preached, whoſe Opinion and Advice, in ſuch an Affair, I thought ſhould be of as great Weight with me as of moſt that I was acquainted with.
The Beginning of the late Work of God in this Place was ſo circumſtanced, that I could not but look upon it as a remarkable Teſtimony of God's Approbation of the Doctrine of Juſtification by Faith alone, here aſſerted and vindicated:—By the noiſe that had a little before been raiſed in this County, concerning that Doctrine, People here ſeem'd to have their Minds put into an unuſual Ruffle; ſome were brought to doubt of that Way of Acceptance with God, which from their Infancy they had been taught to be the only Way, and many were engaged more thoroughly to …ook into the Grounds of thoſe Doctrines they had been educated in:—The following Diſcourſe of Juſtification, that was preach'd, (tho' not ſo fully as it is here printed,) at two publick Lectures, ſeem'd to be remarkably bleſs'd, not only to eſtabliſh the Judgments of many in this Truth, but to engage their Hearts in a more earneſt purſuit of Juſtification, in that Way that had been explained and defended; And at that Time, while I was greatly reproached for defending this Doctrine in the Pulpit, and juſt upon my ſuffering a very open Abuſe for it, God's Work wonderfully brake forth amongſt us, and Souls began to flock to Chriſt, as the Saviour in whoſe Righteouſneſs alone they hoped to be juſtified: So that this was the Doctrine on which this Work in its Beginning was …ounded, as it evidently was in the whole progreſs of it.
A great Objection that is made againſt the old Proteſtant Doctrine of Juſtification by Faith alone, and the Scheme of thoſe Divines that have chiefly defended it, by thoſe that value themſelves upon the new faſhion'd Divinity, is, That the Scheme is too much incumber'd with ſpeculative Niceties, and ſubtil Diſtinctions, that, they ſay, ſerve only to involve the Subject in endleſs Controverſy and Diſpute; whereas, their Scheme, they ſuppoſe, is a plain, eaſy, and natural Account of Things. But their Prejudice againſt Diſtinctions in Divinity, I humbly conceive, is carried to a great Extreme. So great, and general, and loud a cry has been raiſed by modern Philoſophers and Divines, againſt the ſubtil Diſtinctions of the Schoolmen, for their learned Impertinence, that many are ready to ſtart at any Thing that looks like nice Diſtinction, and to condemn it for Nonſenſe without Examination. Upon the ſame Account, we might expect to have St. Paul's Epiſtles, that are full of very nice Diſtinctions, called Nonſenſe, and unintelligible Jargon, had not they the good Luck, to be univerſally received by all Chriſtians, as part of the holy Scriptures.
Our diſcovering the Abſurdity of the impertinent and abſtruſe Diſtinctions of the School Divines, may juſtly give us a Diſtaſte of ſuch Diſtinctions as have a S…ew of Learning in obſcure Words, but convey no Light to the Mind; but I can ſee no Reaſon why we ſhould alſo diſcard thoſe that are clear and rational, and can be made out to have their Foundation in Truth; and that altho' they may be ſuch as require ſome Diligence & Attention of Mind clearly to apprehended them. So much of the Scripture Scheme of Juſtification as is abſolutely neceſſary to Salvation, may be very plain and level with the Underſtandings of the weakeſt Chriſtians; but it does not therefore follow that the Scripture teaches us no more about it, that it would be exceeding profitable for us to know, and by gaining the Knowledge of which, we may obtain a more full a… clear underſtanding of this Doctrine, and be better able to ſolve Doubts that may ariſe concerning it, and to defend it from the Sophiſtry & Cavils of ſubtil Oppoſers.
'Tis ſo in moſt of the great Doctrines of Chriſtianity, that are looked upon as firſt Principles of the Chriſtian Faith, that tho' they contain ſomething that is eaſy, yet they alſo contain great Myſteries, and there is room for Progreſs in the Knowledge of them, and doubtleſs will be to the End of the World; but 'tis unreaſonable to expect that this Progreſs ſhould be made, in the Knowledge of Things that are high and myſterious, without accurate Diſtinction, and cloſe Application of Thought: And 'tis alſo unreaſonable to think that this Doctrine of the Juſtification of a Sinner by a Mediator, ſhould be without Myſteries. We all own it to be a Matter of pure Revelation, above the Light of natural Reaſon, and that 'tis what the infinite Wiſdom of God reveal'd in the Goſpel mainly appears in, That he hath found out ſuch a Way of Reconciliation, that neither Men nor Angels could have thought of. And after all, ſhall we expect that this Way when found out and declared, ſhall contain nothing but what is obvious to the moſt curſory and ſuperficial View, and may be fully and clearly comprehended without ſome Diligence, Accuracy, & careful Diſtinction?
It the Diſtinctions I have made uſe of in handling this Subject are found to be inconſiſtent, trivial, and unſcriptural Niceties, tending only to cloud the Subject, I ought to be willing that they ſhould be rejected; but if on due Examination they are found both ſcriptural & rational, I humbly conceive that it will be unjuſt to condemn them, meerly becauſe they are Diſtinctions, under a Notion that Niceneſs in Divinity never helps it, but always perplexes and darkens it. 'Tis to God's own Revelation that I make my Appeal, by which alone we can know in what Way he will be pleaſed again to receive into Favour, thoſe that have offended him, and incur'd his Diſpleaſure. If there be any Part of the Scheme here laid down, or any Diſtinction here made uſe of, not warranted by Scripture, let it be rejected; and if any oppoſite Scheme can be found that is more eaſy and plain, having fewer and more rational Diſtinctions, and not demonſtrably inconſiſtent with it ſelf, and with the Word of God, let it be received. Let the Arminian Scheme of Juſtification by our own Vertue, he as plain and natural as it will, if at the ſame Time 'tis plainly contrary to the certain & demonſtrable Doctrine of the Goſpel, as contained in the Scriptures, we are bound to reject it, unleſs we reject the Scriptures themſelves, as perplexed and abſurd, and make our ſelves wiſer than God, and pretend to know his Mind better than Himſelf.
This Diſcourſe on Juſtification is printed much larger than it was preached; but the practical Diſcourſes that follow have but little added to them, and now appear in that very plain and unpoliſhed Dreſs, in which they were firſt prepared and delivered; which was moſtly at a Time, when the Circumſtances of the Auditory they were preached to, were enough to make a Miniſter neglect, forget, and deſpiſe ſuch Ornaments as Politeneſs, & Modiſhneſs of Style and Method, when coming as a Meſſenger from God to Souls, deeply impreſs'd with a Senſe of their Danger of God's everlaſting Wrath, to treat with them about their eternal Salvation.—However unable I am to preach or write politely, if I would, yet I have this to comfort me under ſuch a Defect, that God has ſhewed us that he don't need ſuch Talents in Men to carry on his own Work, and that he has been pleaſed to ſmile upon and bleſs a very plain, unfaſhionable Way of Preaching. And have we not Reaſon to think that it ever has been, and ever will be, God's Manner to bleſs the Fooliſhneſs of Preaching to ſave them that beleive, let the Elegance of Language, and Excellency of Style, be carried to never ſo great a Height, by the Learning and Wit of the preſent and future Ages?
What is publiſhed at the End, concerning the Excellency of Chriſt, is added on my own Motion; thinking that a Diſcourſe on ſuch an evangelical Subject, would properly follow others that were chiefly legal and awakening, and that ſomething of the Excellency of the Saviour, was proper to ſucceed thoſe Things that were to ſhew the Neceſſity of Salvation. I pitched upon that particular Diſcourſe, partly, becauſe I had been earneſtly importun'd for a Copy of it for the Preſs, by ſome in another Town, in whoſe hearing it was occaſionally preached.
I requeſt every Reader's candid Acceptance, and due Improvement of what is here offered, and eſpecially would earneſtly beſeech the People of my own Charge, not to fail of improving thoſe Diſcourſes to thoſe Purpoſes that they have mentioned to me as the Ends for which they deſired to have them publiſhed, that I may have no cauſe to repent of my Labour in tranſcribing, nor they of their Coſt in printing them▪ Happy would it be for us, and an unſpeakable Mercy of Heaven, if God ſhould bleſs what is here printed, ſo to revive the Memory of the paſt great Work of God amongſt us, and the lively Impreſſions and Senſe of divine Things that Perſons then had on their Minds, and to cauſe us to lament our Declenſions, as that the ſame Work might renewedly break forth and go on amongſt us! Surely we have ſeen much to excite our Longings after ſuch a Mercy, and to encourage us to cry to God for it!
ERRATA
PAge 10. line 21. for he, read, the Believer. p. 20. l. 20. r. a Perſon. p. 21. l. 24. r. infinite. p. 34 l. 18. r. Adminiſtration. p. 41. l. 11. r. here. p. 46. 1 24. r. proceeding. p. 55. l. 11. r. Chriſt ſhould ſuffer. p. 63. l. 9 for them. r. then. p. 68 l. 35. r. nature. p. 70. l. 15. r. broke. p. 88. l. 30. for becauſe r. that. p. 91 l. 25 r. Graces. p. 98. l. 30. for this r. the. p. 103 l. 5 6, r. worthineſs. ibid. l. 11. for. and he be freed, r. that he might be freed p. 105. l. 30. dele, it is. p 107. l. 15 r. refutes. p. 110 l. 18. for ſhould. r. ſhall. p. 115. l. 31. dele they. p. 119. l. 27. dele that. p. 132. l. 5. dele of. p 133 l 6. r. and actually. p. 205. l. 13. dele what. p. 209 l. 6. r. your own. p. 216. l. 18. r. call'd p. 225. l. 34 r. were no Hope. p. 253. l. 12. r. contemning. p. 254 l. 1, 2, for Heb. 6. 15. After he had patiently endured he obtained the Promiſe, r. Heb. 12. 2 He endured the Croſs, deſpiſing the ſhame. p. 262. l. 31. dele ſame.
☞ N. B. The Reader is deſired to obſerve that by means of the wrong placing of ſomething ſent to be added, after the Copy of theſe Diſcourſes was gone to the Preſs, the two laſt Paragraphs p. 81. are out of their proper Place, much to the Hurt of the Senſe, and ſhould follow the Paragraph, p. 78. wherein is mention made of David's Repentance of his Sin in the matter of Uriah.