Charity and its fruits - Edwards - XIV - Lecture XIII

Required reading
Charity and its fruits by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Lecture XIII (All the graces of Christianity connected).

My summary
Now Edwards expounds 1 Corinthians 13:7 'Charity..believeth all things, hopeth all things'.  He takes it to mean that 'charity is a grace which cherishes and promotes the exercise of all other graces, as, particularly, of the graces of faith and hope.'

Firstly Edwards briefly explains the manner in which the graces of Christianity are connected:
(i) all the graces of Christianity always go together;
(ii) the graces depend upon one another;
(iii) the different graces of Christianity are, in some respects, implied one in another.

Secondly Edwards gives some reasons of their being thus connected and dependent.  They:
(i) are all from the same source;
(ii) are all communicated in the same work of the Spirit, namely, in conversion;
(iii) all have the same root and foundation, namely, the knowledge of God's excellence;
(iv) all have the same rule, namely, the law of God;
(v) all have the same end, namely, God;
(vi) are alike related to one and the same grace, namely, charity, or divine love, as the sum of them all.

Then Edwards makes some applications of the doctrine.
(i) it may aid us to understand in what sense old things are said to be done away, and all things become new, in conversion;
(ii) they that hope they have grace in their hearts may try one grace by another; for all graces go together.

What grabbed me
I liked this quote: 'And so persons should examine their love, by their faith. If they seem to have an affectionate love towards God and Christ, they should inquire whether or no this be accompanied with a real conviction of soul of the reality of Christ, and of the truth of the gospel that reveals him, and with the full conviction that he is the Son of God, the only, and glorious, and all-sufficient Saviour. Herein is one great difference between false affections and true ones, that the former are not accompanied with this conviction, and they do not withal see the truth and reality of divine things.  And therefore such affections are very little to be depended on. They are very much like the affection which we may have towards a person we are reading of in a romance, and whom we at the same time suppose to be no other than a feigned person. Such affections as are not accompanied with conviction, will never carry men very far in duty, or influence them, to any great extent, either in doing or suffering. '

Want to know if your love is authentic?  Examine your faith.

Next week's reading
Read Lecture XIV (Charity, or true grace, not to be overthrown by opposition).

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