Forty-Six Sermons in Vol II of the Works - Edwards - XXXIII - Sermon VI of 'Seventeen Occasional Sermons'

Required reading
Forty-Six Sermons in Volume II of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Sermon VI from the section entitled 'Seventeen Occasional Sermons'.

My summary
This week Edwards preaches a sermon on Christ's agony from Luke xxii. 44. 'And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.'

Firstly Edwards teaches us that the soul of Christ in his agony in the garden had a sore conflict with those terrible amazing views and apprehensions, of which he was then the subject.  He then tells us
1. What those views and apprehensions were.
2. That the conflict or agony of Christ’s soul was occasioned by those views and apprehensions.
3. That this conflict was peculiarly great and distressing; and,
4. What we may suppose to be the special design of God in giving Christ those terrible views and apprehensions, and causing him to suffer that dreadful conflict, before he was crucified.

Secondly Edwards explains that the soul of Christ in his agony in the garden had a great and earnest labour and struggle with God in prayer.  He then tells us:
1. Of what nature this prayer was;
2. What was the subject matter of this earnest prayer of Christ to the Father;
3. In what capacity Christ offered up this prayer to God;
4. Why he was so earnest in his prayer;
5. What was the success of this his earnest wrestling with God in prayer; and then make some improvement.

What grabbed me
Edwards made a stunning point that Christ puts sinners to shame in their fearlessness of God's wrath: 'If the wrath of God was so dreadful, that, when Christ only expected it, his human nature was nearly overwhelmed with the fear of it, and his soul was amazed, and his body all over in a bloody sweat; then how sottish are sinners, who are under the threatening of the same wrath of God, and are condemned to it, and are every moment exposed to it; and yet, instead of manifesting intense apprehension, are quiet and easy, and unconcerned; instead of being sorrowful and very heavy, go about with a light and careless heart; instead of crying out in bitter agony, are often gay and cheerful, and eat and drink, and sleep quietly, and go on in sin, provoking the wrath of God more and more, without any great matter of concern! How stupid and sottish are such persons!'

And then Edwards goes on to show how more terrible their experience of God's wrath will be!

Oh that God would awaken people to the true plight of their sinful condition!

Next week's reading
Read Sermon VII from the section entitled 'Seventeen Occasional Sermons'.

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