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CHAPTER II.
INTELLECTUAL PROGRESS--EARLIEST PRODUCTIONS--ENTRANCE AT
COLLEGE--MENTAL HABITS.
A Statement has been given principally from the pen of Mr. Edwards
himself of his religious views in youth, and it will be proper before
that subject be resumed, to advert to his intellectual progress at the
same period. It is delightful to contemplate the simultaneous
advancement of knowledge in the mind and of piety in the heart None
can reasonably imagine that there is an opposition between these
things; and all whose minds are open to conviction will be persuaded,
that the growth of piety is most conducive to the increase of the best
treasures of earthly wisdom. Religion strengthens the powers of man;
it never enfeebles them. It at once cuts off those guilty pleasures,
and those unworthy pursuits, which not merely impede the progress of
the understanding, but in many cases are absolutely fatal to its
energies; and it forms those mental habits, as well as produces that
outward propriety of conduct, which are most favourable to the
cultivation of man's noblest faculties. It would be easy to record a
lengthened list of names enrolled with never-fading honour, both in
the schools of science, and in the church of God. The gospel of Christ
has uniformly been the friend of solid learning, nor are those persons
the judicious friends of the gospel, who are disposed to disparage the
exertions and acquirements of intellect. The christian church dreads
the veil of darkness, but it rejoices in the light.
The same parental kindness and wisdom, which, under God, guided the
mind of Jonathan Edwards to the knowledge and love of things eternal,
were also much discovered in the direction of his powers to useful
objects of earthly science. When only six years of age, the study of
the Latin language engaged his attention under the care of his father,
and occasionally that of his elder sisters. No account is preserved of
his progress in his studies at that early period, but his high
standing as a scholar on his admission to college, as well as
afterwards, and his thorough knowledge of the Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew, prove at once his own diligence as a student at this time, and
the accuracy and fidelity of his father's instructions.
"From his remaining manuscripts, it is evident that his father's
family were fond of the use of the pen, and that he and his sisters
were early encouraged by their parents to make attempts, not only in
letter writing, but in other species of composition. This course,
though rarely pursued with children, is eminently advantageous; and in
the case before us, was obviously followed by the best results. While
it increased the mutual affection of the brother and the sisters, it
also served to strengthen their minds, and to impart exactness both of
thought and expression. The earliest effort of his pen appears to have
been written on the following occasion. Some one in the vicinity,
probably an older boy than himself, had advanced the opinion, that the
soul was material, and remained with the body till the resurrection;
and had endeavoured to convince him of its correctness. Struck with
the absurdity of the notion, he sat down and wrote the following
reply; which, as a specimen both of wit and reasoning in a child of
about ten years of age, may fairly claim to be preserved. It is
without date, and without pointing, or any division into sentences;
and has every appearance of having been written by a boy just after he
had learned to write.
"I am informed that you have advanced a notion, that the soul is
material, and attends the body till the resurrection; as I am a
professed lover of novelty, you must imagine I am very much
entertained by this discovery; (which, however old in some parts of
the world, is new to us;) but suffer my curiosity a little further. I
would know the manner of the kingdom before I swear allegiance: 1st, I
would know whether this material soul keeps with (the body) in the
coffin, and if so, whether it might not be convenient to build a
repository for it; in order to which I would know what shape it is of,
whether round, triangular, or four-square; or whether it is a number
of long fine strings reaching from the head to the foot; and whether
it does not live a very discontented life. I am afraid when the coffin
gives way, the earth will fall in and crush it; but if it should
choose to live above-ground, and hover about the grave, how big is
it?--whether it covers all the body; what it does when another body is
laid upon it: whether the first gives way; and if so where is the
place of retreat. But suppose that souls are not so big but that ten
or a dozen of them may be about one body; whether they will not
quarrel for the highest place; and, as I insist much upon my honour
and property, I would know whether I must quit my dear head, if a
superior soul comes in the way: but above all, I am concerned to know
what they do, where a burying-place has been filled twenty, thirty, or
an hundred times. If they are a-top of one another, the uppermost will
be so far off, that it can take no care of the body. I strongly
suspect they must march off every time there comes a new set. I hope
there is some other place provided for them but dust. The undergoing
so much hardship, and being deprived of the body at last, will make
them ill-tempered. I leave it with your physical genius to determine,
whether some medicinal applications might not be proper in such cases,
and subscribe your proselyte, when I can have solution of these
matters."
The following letter to one of his sisters, written at twelve years of
age, is the earliest dated effort of his pen which has been
discovered.
"To Miss Mary Edwards, at Hadley.
"Windsor, May 10, 1716.
"Dear sister,
"Through the wonderful goodness and mercy of God, there has been in
this place a very remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God. It still
continues, but I think I have reason to think is in some measure
diminished, yet I hope not much. Three have joined the church since
you last heard; five now stand propounded for admission; and I think
above thirty persons come commonly on Mondays to converse with father
about the condition of their souls. It is a time of general health
here. Abigail, Hannah, and Lucy have had the chicken pox and are
recovered. Jerusha is almost well. Except her, the whole family is
well.
"Sister, I am glad to hear of your welfare so often as I do, I should
be glad to hear from you by letter, and therein how it is with you as
to your crookedness.
"Your loving brother,
"jonathan e."
He was educated, until he entered college, at home, and under his
father's personal instruction; while his older sisters were daily
pursuing their respective branches of study in his immediate presence.
Their father having been distinguished as a scholar, was able to give
them, and actually gave them, a superior education. In all their
various pursuits, the mind of their brother, as it opened, would of
course be more and more interested; and thus at length he would easily
and insensibly acquire a mass of information far beyond his years. The
course of his education may in this way have been less systematic,
indeed, and less conformed to rule, than that ordinarily given in the
school. At the same time it was more safe; forming him to softer
manners, gentler feelings, and purer affections. In his circumstances,
also, it was obviously more comprehensive and universal; and while it
brought him acquainted with many things which are not usually
communicated until a later period, it also served to unfold the
original traits of his mind, and to give it that expansion, which is
the result of information alone. One characteristic, of which he has
not generally been suspected, but which he possessed in an unusual
degree, was a fondness minutely and critically to investigate the
works of nature. This propensity was not only discovered in youth and
manhood, but was fully developed in childhood, and at that early
period was encouraged and cherished by the fostering hand of parental
care.
He entered Yale college in New-Haven, in September, 1716, before he
was thirteen years of age. The college was then in its infancy, and
various untoward circumstances had greatly impeded its growth. It was
first planted at Saybrook, and then partially removed to Kenilworth,
to the house of its first rector, until his death in 1707. From that
time the Rev. Mr. Andrews, of Milford, one of the trustees, was rector
pro tempore, upwards of twelve years; and the location of the college
was a constant theme of contention between the towns of New-Haven,
Saybrook, Wethersfield, and Hartford, until 1716; when the vote of the
trustees, the donation of Mr. Yale, and the vote of the legislature of
the colony, fixed it permanently at New-Haven. In the collegiate year
1716-1717, thirteen of the students resided at New-Haven, fourteen at
Wethersfield, and four at Saybrook. The temporary presidency of Mr.
Andrews continued until 1719; and as he was the acting minister of
Milford, his oversight of the college, and his influence over the
students, must of course have been exceedingly imperfect. The
government of the institution, virtually and necessarily, was chiefly
in the hands of the tutors: who, as young men without experience and a
knowledge of mankind, could not usually be found qualified for so
difficult a trust. Some time in the year 1717, the extreme
unpopularity of one of the tutors occasioned a general insurrection of
the students, who were at New-Haven, against the government of the
college: and in one body they withdrew from New-Haven, and joined
their companions at Wethersfield. At the commencement in that year,
eight of the senior class returned to New-Haven, to receive their
degrees of the regular college government; while five received theirs
irregularly at Wethersfield. There is no evidence that Jonathan
Edwards took part in these disturbances. He went however with his
companions to Wethersfield, and continued there until 1719. While
there, he gained a high character and standing in his class. His
father, writing to one of his daughters, under date of Jan. 27, 1718,
says, "I have not heard but that your brother Jonathan is also well.
He has a very good name at Wethersfield, both as to his carriage and
his learning." While at Wethersfield, he wrote to one of his sisters
the following letter; which, as it is a document relating to an
interesting event in the history of the college, may not improperly be
preserved.
"To Miss Mary Edwards at Northampton.
"Wethersfield, March 26, 1719
"dear sister,
"Of all the many sisters I have, I think I never had one so long out
of my hearing as yourself; inasmuch as I cannot remember, that I ever
heard one tittle from you, from the time you last went up the country,
until the last week, by Mr. B. who then came from Northampton. When he
came in, I truly rejoiced to see him, because I fully expected to
receive a letter from you by him. But being disappointed, and that not
a little, I was willing to make that, which I hoped would be an
opportunity of receiving, the same of sending. For I thought it was a
pity, that there should not be the least correspondence between us, or
communication from one to another, when at no farther distance. I hope
also that this may be a means of exciting the same in yourself; and
so, having more charity for you than to believe that I am quite out of
your mind, or that you are not at all concerned for me, I think it fit
that I should give you some account of my condition, relative to the
school. I suppose you are fully acquainted with our coming away from
New-Haven, and the circumstances of it. Since then we have been in a
more prosperous condition, as I think, than ever. But the council and
trustees, having lately had a meeting at New-Haven concerning it, have
removed that which was the cause of our coming away, viz. Mr. Johnson,
from the place of a tutor, and have put in Mr. Cutler, pastor of
Canterbury, president; who, as we hear, intends very speedily to be
resident at Yale college, so that all the scholars belonging to our
school expect to return there, as soon as our vacancy after the
election is over.
"I am your loving brother in good health,
"jonathan edwards."
While a member of college, he was distinguished for the uniform
sobriety and correctness of his behaviour, for diligent application to
his studies, and for rapid and thorough attainments in learning. In
the second year of his collegiate course, while at Wethersfield, he
read Locke on the Human Understanding, with peculiar pleasure. The
uncommon strength and penetration of his mind, which admirably
qualified him for profound thought and metaphysical investigation,
began to be discovered and exerted even at this early age. From his
own account of the subject, he was inexpressibly entertained and
delighted with that profound work, when he read it at the age of
fourteen, enjoying a far higher pleasure in the perusal of its pages,
"than the most greedy miser finds, when gathering up handfuls of
silver and gold, from some newly discovered treasure." To studies of
this class he from that time devoted himself, as to those in which he
felt the most intense interest. Still, however, he applied himself,
with so much diligence and success, to the performance of his assigned
duties, as to sustain the first standing in his class, and to secure
the highest approbation of his instructors.
Mr. Cutler went to New-Haven early in June 1719, at the opening of the
summer term, to enter on the duties of his office as rector; and the
students, among whom was Jonathan Edwards, returned to the college.
The following letter from the rector to his father, will show the
character which he had acquired while at Wethersfield, and the trying
circumstances of the college.
"New-Haven, June 30, 1719.
"rev. sir,
"Your letter came to my hands by your son. I congratulate you upon his
promising abilities and advances in learning. He is now under my care,
and probably may continue so, and doubtless will so do if he should
remain here, and I be settled in the business I am now in. I can
assure, Rev. Sir, that your good affection to me in this affair, and
that of the ministers around you, is no small inducement to me; and if
I am prevailed on thereby, it shall be a strong motive to me to
improve my poor abilities, in the service of such hopeful youths as
are with us. They may suffer much from my weakness, but they shall not
from my neglect. I am no party man, but shall carry it, with an equal
hand and affection, to the whole college; and I doubt not, but the
difficulty and importance of the business will secure me your prayers,
and those of all good men, which I do much value and desire.
"I remain, under the earnest hope and expectation
of your prayers,
"Your humble servant
"t. cutler."
The following characteristical letter, written to his father in his
third collegiate year, will not be uninteresting to the reader.
"To the Rev. Timothy Edwards, Pastor of the Church
at East Windsor.
"New-Haven, July 21, 1719.
"ever honoured sir,
"I received, with two books, a letter from yourself, bearing the date
of July 7th; and therein I received, with the greatest gratitude, your
wholesome advice and counsel; and I hope I shall, God helping of me,
use my utmost endeavours to put the same in practice. I am sensible of
the preciousness of my time, and am resolved it shall not be through
any neglect of mine, if it slips without the greatest advantage. I
take very great content under my present tuition, as all the rest of
the scholars seem to do under theirs. Mr. Cutler is extraordinarily
courteous to us, has a very good spirit of government, keeps the
school in excellent order, seems to increase in learning, is loved and
respected by all who are under him; and when he is spoken of in the
school or town, he generally has the title of President. The scholars
all live in very good peace with the people of the town, and there is
not a word said about our former carryings on, except now and then by
aunt Mather. I have diligently searched into the circumstances of
Stiles's examination, which was very short, and as far as I can
understand, was to no other disadvantage than that he was examined in
Tully's Orations; in which, though he had never construed before he
came to New-Haven, yet he committed no error in that or any other
book, whether Latin, Greek, or Hebrew, except in Virgil, wherein he
could not tell the preteritum of requiesco. He is very well treated
among the scholars, and accepted in the college as a member of it by
every body, and also as a freshman; neither, as I think, is he
inferior, as to learning, to any of his classmates. I have inquired of
Mr. Cutler what books we shall have need of the next year. He
answered, he would have me to get against that time, Alstead's
Geometry and Gassendus's Astronomy; with which I would entreat you to
get a pair of dividers, or mathematician's compasses, and a scale,
which are absolutely necessary in order to learning mathematics; and
also the Art of Thinking, which, I am persuaded, would be no less
profitable, than the other necessary, to me who am
"Your most dutiful son,
"jonathan edwards."
"P. S. What we give a week for our board is £0 5s. d."
"The habits of study, which Edwards formed in very early youth, were
not only strict and severe, and this in every branch of literature,
but in one respect peculiar. Even while a boy, he began to study with
his pen in his hand; not for the purpose of copying off the thoughts
of others, but for the purpose of writing down, and preserving, the
thought suggested to his own mind, from the course of study which he
was pursuing. This most useful practice he commenced in several
branches of study very early; and he steadily pursued it in all his
studies through life. His pen appears to have been in a sense always
in his hand. From this practice steadily persevered in, he derived the
very great advantages of thinking continually during each period of
study; of thinking accurately; of thinking connectedly; of thinking
habitually at all times; of banishing from his mind every subject,
which was not worthy of continued and systematic thought; of pursuing
each given subject of thought as far as he was able, at the happy
moment when it opened spontaneously on his mind; of pursuing every
such subject afterwards, in regular sequence, starting anew from the
point where he had previously left off, when again it opened upon him
in some new and interesting light; of preserving his best thoughts,
associations, and images, and then arranging them under their proper
heads, ready for subsequent use; of regularly strengthening the
faculty of thinking and reasoning, by constant and powerful exercise;
and above all, of gradually moulding himself into a thinking being--a
being, who instead of regarding thinking and reasoning as labour,
could find no high enjoyment but in intense, systematic, and certain
thought. In this view of the subject, when we remember how few
students comparatively, from want of this mental discipline, think at
all; how few of those who think at all, think habitually; how few of
those who think habitually, think to purpose; and how few of those who
think to purpose, attain to the fulness of the measure of the stature,
to which, as thinking beings, they might have attained; it will not I
think be doubted, that the practice in question was the principal
means of the ultimate development of his mental superiority." [5]
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[5] For a specimen of the early papers of Jonathan Edwards, see
Appendix, No. IV.