America’s greatest theologian, Johnathan Edwards, was born on this day in 1703. From his work Religious Affections, he wrote:
. . . who will deny that true religion consists, in a great measure, in vigorous and lively actings of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart. That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull and lifeless wouldings, raising us but a little above a state of indifference: God, in his Word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, fervent in spirit, and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: “Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). . . . ‘Tis such a fervent, vigorous engagedness of the heart in religion, that is the fruit of a real circumcision of the heart, or true regeneration, and that has the promises of life; “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deut. 30:6). If we ben’t in good earnest in religion, and our wills and inclinations be not strongly exercised, we are nothing.
Jonathan Edwards was an awesome preacher. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is, in a word, beautiful. People (even Christians!) tend to look at me strangely when I say that. I suppose it’s because they’ve never read it, and only heard extracts.
Yes, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” is gorgeous sermon. The imagery is profound. I almost quoted from it in the post.
You know, when I read the whole thing–not realizing I had read only part of it before–I was surprised by the repetition. As I remember, Edwards delivered all of his points in the first half and returned to them all in the second half with only a little alteration.