Charity and its fruits - Edwards - XII - Lecture XI

Required reading
Charity and its fruits by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Lecture XI (All true grace in the heart tends to holy practice in the life).

My summary
Today Edwards comes to 1 Corinthians 13:6 'Charity..Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth'.

Firstly Edwards shows how major truths of the Scriptures encourage loving acts.  The doctrines are:
(i) eternal election;
(ii) redemption;
(iii) effectual calling;
(iv) spiritual knowledge and understanding;
(v) grace itself;

Secondly Edwards teaches us how particular Christian graces encourage loving acts.  The graces are:
(i) faith;
(ii) love to God;
(iii) repentance;
(iv) humility;
(v) fear of God;
(vi) thankfulness and praise;
(vii) weanedness from the world and heavenly mindedness;
(viii) love to men;
(ix) hope.

Edwards then closes with some words of application.

What grabbed me
I loved the challenging questions at the end of the chapter. 

Like these ones: 'Do you carry about with you, habitually, a dread of sin?  Do you not only mourn, and humble yourself for sins that are past, but have you a dread of sin for the future ? And do you dread it because in it- self it is evil, and so hurtful to your own soul, and offensive to God ? Do you dread it as a terrible enemy that you have often suffered by, and feel that it has been a grievous thing to you heretofore ? And do you dread it as something that has hurt, and wounded, and stung you, so that you would see it no more ? Do you stand on your watch against it, as a man would keep watch against something that he dreads, with such a dread as led Joseph to say, " How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ?" Genesis xxxix.'

It is hard not to be humbled by such questions.

Next week's reading
Read Lecture XII (Charity, or a Christian spirit, willing to undergo all sufferings in the way of duty).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.