Religious Affections in Vol I of the Works - Edwards - XV - Appendix

Required reading
Religious affections in Volume I of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Appendix.

My summary.

Today we read two letters of reply from Edwards to Gillespie about the Religious Affections.

Edwards seeks to clarify his understanding of:

(i) spiritual light/darkness;

(ii) doubt and unbelief;

(iii) universal obedience;

(iv) falling away;

(v) Romans 8:20 'All things shall work together for good....';

(vi) temptations of the saints.

What grabbed me

The subject matter of the letters were all very interesting and included some rather moving personal notes about Edwards' struggles with his congregation.

I particularly appreciated the advice on helping those struggling with melancholy: 'With regard to the case of extraordinary temptation, and buffeting of Satan, which you mention, I do not very well know what to say further. I have often found my own insufficiency as a counsellor in such like cases, wherein melancholy and bodily distemper have so great a hand, and give Satan so great advantage, as appears to me in the case you mention. If the Lord do not help, whence should we help? If some christian friends of such afflicted and (as it were) possessed persons, would, from time to time, pray and fast for them, it might be a proper exercise of christian charity, and the likeliest way I know for relief. I kept no copy of my former letter to you, and so do not remember fully what I have already said concerning this case. But this I have often found with such melancholy people, that the greatest difficulty does not lie in giving them good advice, but in persuading them to take it. One thing I think of great importance, which is, that such persons should go on in a steady course of performance of all duties, both of their general and particular calling, without suffering themselves to be diverted from it by any violence of Satan, or specious pretence of his whatsoever, properly ordering, proportioning, and timing all sorts of duties, duties to God, public, private, and secret, and duties to man, relative duties, of business and conversation, family duties, duties of friendship and good neighbourhood, duly proportioning labour and rest, intentness and relaxation, without suffering one duty to crowd out or intrench upon another. If such persons could be persuaded to this, I think, in this way, they would be best guarded against the devil, and he would soonest be discouraged, and a good state of body would be most likely to be gained, and persons would act most as if they trusted and I rested in God, and would be most in the way of his help and blessing.'

Basically, keep fighting the good fight.

Next week's reading

Begin the Narrative of Surprising Conversions by reading the Preface.

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