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TOPIC: Edwards, Jonathan - Personal Writings (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 14b
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Secondly. When it is said, that `all things work together for good to
them that love God,' it cannot be intended that all things, both
positive and negative, are best for them; in other words, that not
only every positive thing, of which Christians are the subjects, or in
which they are concerned, will work for their good, but also, that
when any thing is absent or withheld from them by God in his
providence, that absence or withholding is also for their good, in
such a sense, as to be better for them than the presence or bestowment
would have been; for this would have the same absurd consequence which
was mentioned before, viz. That God makes every Christian as happy as
he possibly can make him. And if so, it would follow that God's
withholding from his people greater degrees of the sanctifying
influences of his Spirit, is for their good, and that it is best for
them to live and die with so small a measure of piety as they actually
possess, which is the same as to say, that it is for their good to
have no more good, or that it is for their happiness to have no more
happiness here and hereafter. If we carefully examine the apostle's
discourse in Rom. viii. it will be apparent that his words imply no
such thing. All God's creatures, and all that he does in disposing of
them, is for the good of the Christian; but it will not thence follow,
that all God's forbearing to do is also for his good, or that it is
best for him that God does no more for him.
Hence, with regard to the position, that the sins and temptations of
Christians are for their good; I suppose the following things to be
true:
1. That all things, whatsoever, are for their good, things negative as
well as positive, in this sense, that God intends that some benefit to
them shall arise from every thing, so that somewhat of the grace and
love of God will hereafter be seen to have been exercised towards them
in every thing. At the same time, the sovereignty of God will also be
seen, with regard to the measure of the good or benefit aimed at, in
that some other things, if God had seen cause to order them, would
have produced a higher benefit. And with regard to negative
disposals--consisting, not in God's doing but forbearing to do, not in
giving, but withholding--some benefit, in some respect or other, will
ever accrue to them, even from these; though sometimes the benefit
will not be equal to the benefit withheld, if it had been bestowed. As
for instance, when a Christian lives and dies comparatively low in
grace; some good improvement shall be made even of this, in his
eternal state, whereby he shall receive a real benefit, though the
benefit shall not be equal to the benefit of a higher degree of
holiness, if God had bestowed it.
2. God carries on a design of love to his people, and to each
individual Christian, not only in all things of which they are the
subjects while they live, but also in all his works and dispensations,
and in all his acts from eternity to eternity.
3. That the sin, in general, of Christians, is for their good, in this
respect, viz. that through the sovereign grace and infinite wisdom of
God, the fact that they have been sinful fallen creatures, and not
from the beginning perfectly innocent and holy as the elect angels,
will issue in a high advancement of their eternal happiness; and that
they shall obtain some additional good, on occasion of all the sin of
which they have been the subjects, or have committed, beyond what they
would have had if they never had been fallen creatures.
4. The sin of Christians cannot in this sense be for their good, that
it should finally be best for them, that while they lived in this
world, their restoration and recovery from the corruption to which
they became subject by the fall, was no greater, that the
mortification of sin, and spiritual vivification of the soul, was
carried on to no higher degree, that they were so deficient in love to
God, love to men, humility, and heavenly-mindedness, that they did so
few good works, and consequently, that in general, they had so much
sin, and so little holiness; for in proportion as one of these is
more, the other will be less, as infallibly, as darkness is more or
less, in proportion to the diminution or increase of light. It cannot
finally be better for Christians, that in general, while they live,
they had so much sin of heart and life, rather than more holiness of
heart and life; because the reward of all at last will be according to
their works. He that sowed sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he that
sowed bountifully shall reap also bountifully; and he that builds
wood, hay, and stubble, shall finally suffer loss, and have a less
reward, than if he had built gold, silver, and precious stones, though
he himself shall be saved. But notwithstanding this,
5. The sins and falls of Christians may be for their good, and for the
better, in this respect, that the issue may be better than if the
temptation had not happened, and so the occasion not given, either for
the sin of yielding to the temptation, or the virtue of overcoming it:
and yet not in this respect, (with regard to their sins or falls in
general,) that it should be better for them in the issue, that they
have yielded to the temptation offered, than if they had overcome. For
the fewer victories they obtain over temptation, the fewer are their
good works, and particularly of that kind of good works to which a
distinguished reward is promised in Rev. ii. and Rev. iii. iii. and in
many other parts of Scripture. The word of God represents the work of
a Christian in this world as a warfare, and it is evident in the
Scriptures, that he who acquits himself as the best soldier, shall win
the greatest prize. Therefore, when Christians are brought into
backslidings and decays, by being overcome by temptations, the issue
of their backslidings may be some good to them, beyond what they would
have received if the temptations had never existed; and yet their
backslidings in general may be a great loss to them in this respect,
that they shall have much less reward, than if the temptations had
been overcome, and they had persevered in spiritual vigour and
diligence. But yet this don't hinder, but that,
6. It may be so ordered by a sovereign and all-wise God, that the
falls and backslidings of Christians, through their being overcome by
temptations in some particular instances, may prove best for them, not
only because the issue may be greater good to them, than they would
have received if the temptation had not happened, but even greater in
that instance, than if the temptation had been overcome. It may be so
ordered, that their being overcome by that temptation, shall be the
occasion of their having greater strength, and on the whole, obtaining
more and greater victories, than if they had not fallen in that
instance. But this is no where promised, nor can it be so, that, in
the general, it should prove better for them that they were foiled so
much, and did overcome so little, in the course of their lives, and
that finally their decay is so great, or their progress so small. From
these things it appears,
7. That the saying of the apostle, all thing work together for good to
them that love God, though it be fulfilled in some respects to all
Christians, at all times and in all circumstances, yet it is fulfilled
more especially and eminently to Christians continuing in the exercise
of love to God, not falling from the exercises, or failing in the
fruits of divine love in times of trial. Then it is, that temptations,
enemies, and suffering, will be best for them, working that which is
most for their good every way; and they shall be more than conquerors
over tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and
sword, Rom. viii. 35-37.
8. As God is carrying on a design of love to each individual
Christian, in all his works and dispensations whatsoever, so the
particular design of love to them which he is carrying on, is to fit
them for and bring them to their appointed place in the heavenly
temple, or to that identical degree of happiness and glory in heaven,
which his eternal love designed for them, and no other. For God's
design of love or of happiness to them, is only just what it is, and
is not different from itself; and to fulfil this particular design of
love, every thing which God does, or in any respect disposes, whether
it be positive, privative, or negative, contributes; because,
doubtless, every thing which God does, or in any respect offers, tends
to fulfill his aims and designs. Therefore, undoubtedly,
9. All the while the Christian lives in the world, he is preparing for
his appointed mansion in glory, and fitting for his place in the
heavenly building. All his temptations, though they may occasion, for
the present, great spiritual injuries, yet at last shall be an
occasion of his being more fitted for his place in glory. Hence we may
determine, that however the Christian may die in some respects under
the decay of spiritual comfort, and of some religious affections, yet
every Christian dies at that time when his habitual fitness for his
place in the heavenly temple is most complete, because otherwise, all
things which happen to him while he lives, would not work together to
fit him for that place.
10. God brings his people, at the end of their lives, to this greatest
fitness for their place in heaven, not by diminishing holiness in
their hearts, but by increasing it, and carrying on the work of grace
in their souls. If it be not so, that cannot be true, that where God
has begun a good work he will perform it, or carry it on to the day of
Christ; for if they die with a less degree of holiness than they had
before, then it ceases to be carried on before the day of Christ
comes. If holiness finally decreases, then Satan so far finally
obtains the victory. He finally prevails to diminish the fire in the
smoking flax; and then how is that promise verified, that God will not
quench the smoking flax, till he bring forth judgment unto victory? So
that it must needs be, that although Christians may die under decay,
in some respects, yet they never die under a real habitual decay of
the work of grace in general. If they fall, they shall rise again
before they die, and rise higher than before, if not in joy, and some
other affections, yet in greater degrees of spiritual knowledge,
self-abasement, trust in God, and solidity and ripeness of grace.
If these things which have been observed are true, then we may infer
from them these corollaries.
1. That notwithstanding the truth of the apostle's declaration in Rom.
viii. 28. Christians have cause to lament their leanness and
unfruitfulness, and the fact that they are guilty of so much sin, not
only as it is to the dishonour of God, but also as it is likely to
redound to their own eternal loss and damage.
2. That nothing can be inferred from this promise, which is calculated
to set aside or make void the influence of motives to earnest
endeavours to avoid all sin, to increase in holiness, and abound in
good works, from an aim at a high and eminent degree of glory and
happiness in a future world.
3. That though it is to the eternal damage of Christians, ordinarily,
when they yield to and are overcome by temptations; yet Satan and the
other enemies of Christians, from whom these temptations come, are
always wholly disappointed in the temptation, and baffled in their
design to hurt them, inasmuch as the temptation and the sin which it
occasions, are for the saints' good, and they receive a greater
benefit in the issue, than if the temptation had not been, and yet
less than if the temptation had been overcome.
As to Mr. Boston's View of the Covenant of Grace, I have had some
opportunity to examine it, and I confess I do not understand the
scheme of thought presented in that book. I have read his Fourfold
State of Man, and liked it exceedingly well. I think, in that, he
shows himself to be a truly great divine.
Hoping that you will accept my letter with candour, and remember me in
your prayers, I subscribe myself
Your affectionate and obliged
brother and servant,
jonathan edwards."
In October, 1744, a number of ministers in Scotland, among whom, I
believe, were all the correspondents of Mr. Edwards in that country,
thinking that the state of the church and the world called loudly for
united extraordinary prayer to God, that he would deliver the nations
from their miseries, and fill the earth with his glory; proposed that
Christians universally should, for the two years then next ensuing,
set apart a portion of time, on Saturday evening and sabbath morning,
every week, to be spent in prayer for this purpose; and that they
should still more solemnly devote the first Tuesday in the last month
of each quarter of the year, to be spent either in private, social, or
public prayer to God, for the Your affectionate and obliged
bestowment of those blessings on the world. Mr. Edwards not only
welcomed the proposal as soon as he received it, but did all in his
power to promote its general acceptance by the American churches; and
the following letter, alluding to a more particular account of the
subject in one to Mr. M'Laurin, which I have not been able to procure,
will in some measure apprize the reader of the efforts which he made
for this purpose.
"To the Rev. William M'Culloch
Northampton, Sept. 23, 1747.
rev. and dear sir,
I thank you for your letter of March 12, 1747, which I suppose lay a
long while at Mr. Prince's in Boston, before I received it, through
Mr. Prince's forgetfulness. It seems he had forgotten that he had any
such letter; and when I sent a messenger to his house, on purpose to
inquire whether I had any letter lodged there for me from Scotland, he
told him no; when I suppose this letter had been long in his house:
and I should probably never have had it at last, had not one of my
daughters had occasion to go to Boston, who made a visit at the house,
and made a more full inquiry.
I am sorry to hear of your affliction, through your indisposition that
you speak of, and desire to be thankful to the God of all mercy for
his goodness, in restoring you again to health.
I have, in my letter to Mr. M'Laurin, given a particular account of
what I know, concerning the propagation of the Concert for United
Prayer, in America; which you will doubtless have opportunity to see.
The propagation of it is but slow; but yet so many do fall in with it,
and there is that prospect of its being further spread, that it is a
great encouragement to me. I earnestly hope, that they, that have
begun extraordinary prayer for the outpouring of the Spirit of God,
and the coming of Christ's kingdom, will not fail, or grow dull and
lifeless, in such an affair, but rather that they will increase more
and more in their fervency. I have taken a great deal of pains to
promote this concert here in America, and shall not cease to do so, if
God spares my life, as I have opportunity, in all ways that I can
devise. I have written largely on the subject, insisting on
persuasions, and answering objections; and what I have written is gone
to the press. The undertaker for the publication encourages me that it
shall speedily be printed. I have sent to Mr. M'Laurin a particular
account of it.
You desire to hear how it was with the people of New England, when we
were threatened with an invasion by the French fleet, the last summer.
As to the particular circumstances of that wonderful deliverance, the
fullest and best account I have ever seen of it, is in Mr. Prince's
Thanksgiving Sermon on that occasion; which, in all probability, you
have seen long before this time. Nor need you be informed by me, of
the repeated mercy of God to us, in confounding our enemies in their
renewed attempt this year, by delivering up their fleet, in its way
hither, into the hands of the English. In all probability, that fleet
was intended for the execution of a very extensive design, against the
English colonies, in conjunction with the French forces in Canada. For
there was an army lay waiting at Nova Scotia, which, on the news of
the sailing of their fleet, immediately left the country, and returned
to Canada, over the lake Champlain, towards New England and New York;
and they, or a part of them, attacked Fort Saratoga, in New York
government, and killed or took about fifty men that were drawn out of
the fort; but desisted from any further attempts, about the time we
may suppose they received the news of the defeat of their fleet. And
very soon after they received this news in Canada, the French there
released most of our captives, and sent one ship loaded with them, to
the number of about one hundred and seventy, to Boston, and another
ship with about sixty, if I remember right, to Louisburg. The reasons
that induced them so to do, are not known, and can only be guessed at
by us; but, by their doing it very soon after they received the news
of the loss of their fleet, it looks as though that had great
influence in the affair. New England has had many other surprising
deliverances from the French and Indians; some of which I have given a
particular account of, in my letter to Mr. M'Laurin; which it would be
needless for me to repeat, seeing you have such frequent opportunities
with him. These deliverances are very wonderful and affecting; our
enemies own that the heavens are on our side, and fight for us; but
there are no such effects of these mercies upon us that are the
subjects of them, as God requires, and most justly expects. The
mercies are acknowledged in words, but we are not led to repentance by
them; there appears no such thing as any reformation or revival of
religion in the land. God's so wonderfully protecting and delivering a
people, whose provocations have been so great, and who do so continue
in apostasy and provocation, is very marvellous; and I can think of no
account that can be given of it, so probable as this, that God has a
design of mercy to the rising generation, and that there are a great
number of the elect among our children, born and unborn, and that for
these elect's sake, God will not suffer us to be destroyed, having a
design to bring forth a seed of the posterity of this people, to
inherit and dwell in this land, that shall be a holy seed, and a
generation of his servants. And so that those words are applicable to
us, Isa. lxv. 8, 9. `Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in
the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it;
so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an
inheritor of my mountains; and mine elect shall inherit it, and my
servants shall dwell there.' I am full of apprehensions, that God has
no design of mercy to those that were left unconverted, of the
generation that were on the stage, in the time of the late
extraordinary religious commotion, and striving of God's Spirit;
unless it be perhaps a small gleaning from among them. But it may be,
when their little ones, the generation that was then in their
childhood, are brought fully on the stage of action, God will
abundantly pour out his Spirit, and revive and carry on his work, here
and elsewhere in the christian world. [27]
I thank you for taking the pains of writing to me your thoughts of the
forty-two months of the treading down of the holy city, which are new
and entertaining. The chief objection against what you propose, that I
can think of, is, that the forty-two months of the treading down the
holy city, seems to be the same period with the one thousand two
hundred and sixty days of the witnesses prophesying in sackcloth,
mentioned in the very next verse, in immediate connexion with this;
and that the same with the one thousand two hundred and sixty days of
the woman's being in the wilderness, chap. xii. 6.; and that the same
with the time, times, and an half of the woman's being in the
wilderness, v. 14.; and that the same with the time, times, and an
half of the reign of the little horn, Dan. vii. 25.; and with the
forty-two months of the reign of the beast, Rev. xiii. 5.; and that
this evidently signifies the duration of the reign of antichrist;
which is a thing entirely diverse from the sum of the times of the
city of Jerusalem's being under the dominion of pagans, Saracens,
Persians, and Turks, as you represent. However, it is possible that
what you mention may be one way wherein that prophecy, Rev. xi. 2. may
be fulfilled. For God's word is oftentimes fulfilled in various ways:
as one way, wherein the prophetical representation of the beast with
the seven heads is fulfilled, is in the seven successive forms of
government that idolatrous Rome is under; and another way that it was
fulfilled, was by Rome's being built on seven hills. One way that the
seventy years captivity of the Jews was fulfilled, was in its being
seventy years from Jehoiachim's captivity to Cyrus's decree; and
another way that it was fulfilled, was in its being seventy years from
Zedekiah's captivity to Darius's decree, Ezra vi.; and another way
that it was fulfilled, was in its being seventy years from the last
carrying away of all, Jer. lii. 30. to the finishing and dedication of
the temple. But I expect no certainty as to these things, or any of
the various conjectures concerning the time of the calling of the
Jews, and the fall of the kingdom of the beast, till time and
fulfilment shall decide the matter. However, I cannot think otherwise,
than that we have a great deal of reason to suppose, that the
beginning of that glorious work of God's Spirit, which, before it is
finished, shall accomplish these things, is not very far off; and
there is very much in the word of God, and in the present aspects of
Divine Providence, to encourage us greatly in our begun concert for
extraordinary united prayer for the coming of Christ's kingdom. Let us
therefore go on with what we have begun in that respect, and continue
instant in prayer, with all perseverance, and increase more and more
in faith and fervency; and not keep silence, nor give God any rest,
till he establish, and make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
And remember in your prayers, dear Sir,
Yours, in great esteem and affection,
Jonathan Edwards."
The continuation of this concert for united and extraordinary prayer
was proposed in a Memorial from Scotland, dated August 26, 1746,
signed by twelve clergymen of that country, and circulated soon after
in all the American colonies. To secure the general adoption of the
proposed measure, Mr. Edwards first preached to his people a series of
sermons in its favour, and then published them in the form of a
treatise, with the title, "An Humble Attempt to promote Explicit
Agreement and Visible Union among God's People, in Extraordinary
Prayer for the Revival of Religion, and the Advancement of Christ's
Kingdom on Earth, pursuant to Scripture Promises, and Prophecies
concerning the Last Time." This work was immediately republished in
England and Scotland, and extensively circulated in both countries, as
well as in America, and had great influence in securing the general
adoption of the measures proposed--a measure which was pursued for
more than half a century by many of the American churches, and only
discontinued on the adoption of a more frequent concert--the monthly
concert--for united and extraordinary prayer, for the same great
object, proposed at an association of the ministers of the Baptist
churches, in the counties of Northampton, Leicester, &c. held at
Nottingham in 1784, and observed the first Monday evening of each
month; and now extensively adopted throughout the christian world.
In the course of this treatise, Mr. Edwards was led, in answering
objections, to examine an interpretation of prophecy, until then most
generally if not universally received: viz. That the kingdom of Christ
could not come, until there had previously been a time of most extreme
calamity to the church of God, and prevalence of her antichristian
enemies against her, as represented in Rev. xi. by the slaying of the
witnesses. Some years before this, Mr. Edwards had examined the
Apocalypse with great care, in connexion with the prophecy of Daniel;
in order to satisfy himself whether the slaying of the witnesses was
to be regarded as past or future. This he did with his pen in his
hand; and a brief abstract of his views on this point, is found in the
answers to the 4th and 5th objections in the Humble Attempt. The views
of prophecy, here presented by Mr. Edwards, were, I believe, at the
time wholly new to the christian world, and were at first regarded by
many as doubtful if not erroneous; but have since produced the general
conviction that the downfall of popery and the ultimate extension of
the kingdom of Christ, are far less distant than has been supposed--a
conviction remarkably supported by the whole series of providential
dispensations. And there can be no doubt that this conviction has been
a prime cause of the present concentrated movement of the whole church
of God, to hasten forward the reign of the Messiah. As long as it was
the commonly received opinion of Christians that the church was yet
destined to experience far more severe and overwhelming calamities,
than any she had hitherto known--calamities amounting to an almost
total extinction--before the time of her final prosperity; the efforts
and the prayers of Christians for the arrival of that period of
prosperity were chiefly prevented: inasmuch as it was, in effect, to
labour and pray for the almost total extinction of the church of
Christ, during a period of indefinite extent, as well as to labour and
pray, if speedy success should crown their efforts, for the
destruction, if not of their own lives, yet of those of their children
and immediate descendants. In the sections referred to, he endeavours
to show, and by arguments which are yet unanswered, that the severest
trials announced in prophecy against the church of God were already
past, that her warfare was even then almost accomplished, and that the
day of her redemption was drawing nigh. By establishing this point;
and by presenting the arguments in a manner so clear and convincing,
as wholly to supersede the necessity of any subsequent treatise on the
subject; the work in question, through the Divine blessing, has
exerted an influence, singularly powerful, in rousing the church of
Christ to that series of efforts which is to result in her final
victory.
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[26] See vol. i. pp. 258, 259.
[27] It was postponed to the time of the children of the generation
here referred to.