Thoughts on Revival in Vol I of the Works - Edwards - I - Part I commenced

Required readingThoughts on Revival in Volume I of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Preface, Sections I & II of Part I.

My summary.

Today we begin a similar work to the last on revival.

In the Preface Edwards apologises for any spirit of pride that may be in the book.

Then he starts Part I which endeavours to show that the extraordinary work in his land is a glorious work of God.

Section I warns against trying to see if the work is from God by looking at the the way it began.

Section II discounts those who:

(i) make philosophy the rule of judging the work;

(ii) do not take the Holy Scriptures as a sufficient and whole rule of judging the work;

(iii) use history to judge the work;

(iv) use their own experience the rule of judging the work.

What grabbed me

I particularly enjoyed the accounts of revival from other times in history.  Such as this one from Flavel:

'Mr. Flavel gives a remarkable instance of a man whom he knew, that was wonderfully overcome with divine comforts; which it is supposed he knew, as the apostle Paul knew the man that was caught up to the third heaven. He relates, that "As the person was travelling alone, with his thoughts closely fixed on the great and astonishing things of another world, his thoughts began to swell higher and higher, like the water in Ezekiel's vision, till at last they became an overflowing flood. Such was the intenseness of his mind, such the ravishing tastes of heavenly joys, and such his full assurance of his interest therein, that he utterly lost all sight and sense of this world, and the concernments thereof; and for some hours knew not where he was, nor what he was about; but, having lost a great quantity of blood at the nose, he found himself so faint, that it brought him a little more to himself. And after he had washed himself at a spring, and drank of the water for his refreshment, he continued to the end of his journey, which was thirty miles; and all this while was scarce sensible: and says, he had several trances of considerable continuance. The same blessed frame was preserved all that night, and, in a lower degree, great part of the next day; the night passed without one wink of sleep; and yet he declares he never had a sweeter night's rest in all his life. Still, adds the story, the joy of the Lord overflowed him, and he seemed to be an inhabitant of another world. And he used for many years after to call that day one of the days of heaven; and professed that he understood more of the life of heaven by it, than by all the books he ever read, or discourses he ever entertained about it."'

If only the Lord did that to me!

Next week's reading

Read Sections V & VI of Part I.

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