Jonathan Edwards Collection: Edwards, Jonathan - Personal Writings: 15a

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Jonathan Edwards Collection: Edwards, Jonathan - Personal Writings: 15a



TOPIC: Edwards, Jonathan - Personal Writings (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 15a

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CHAPTER XV.



ARRIVAL OF DAVID BRAINERD AT NORTHAMPTON--HIS SICKNESS AND DEATH AT

THE HOUSE OF MR. EDWARDS--HIS PAPERS--DEATH OF JERUSHA, THE SECOND

DAUGHTER OF MR. E.--HER CHARACTER--CORRESPONDENCE OF MR. E. WITH REV.

JOHN ERSKINE--ABSTRACT OF MR. E. `S FIRST LETTER TO MR. ERSKINE--PLAN

CONCEIVED OF THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL--DEATH OF COL. STODDARD--KINDNESS

OF MR. ERSKINE--LETTER OF MR. E. TO HIM--SECOND LETTER FROM MR.

GILLESPIE--LETTER TO MR. M'CULLOCH--LETTER TO MR. ERSKINE--LETTER FROM

MR. WILLISON--LIFE AND DIARY OF BRAINERD--LETTERS TO MESSRS. ERSKINE,

M'CULLOCH, AND ROBE--ORDINATION OF REV. JOB STRONG--ANECDOTE OF REV.

MR. MOODY--LETTER OF MR. E. TO HIS DAUGHTER MARY--SECOND LETTER TO MR.

GILLESPIE.



The reader will recollect, that while Mr. Edwards was at New-Haven, in

September, 1743, he formed an acquaintance with david brainerd, then a

missionary to the Indians at Kaunaumeek [28] , and became his

counsellor at a most interesting period of his life. In March 1747,

Brainerd, in consequence of extreme ill health, took leave of his

Indians in New Jersey, and in April came into New England; when he was

invited by Mr. Edwards to take up his abode in his own house. He came

there on the 28th of May, apparently very much improved in health,

cheerful in his spirits, and free from melancholy, yet at that time

probably in a confirmed consumption. Mr. Edwards had now an

opportunity of becoming most intimately acquainted with him, and

regarded his residence under his roof as a peculiar blessing to

himself and his family. "We enjoyed," he observes, "not only the

benefit of his conversation, but had the comfort and advantage of

having him pray in the family from time to time." He was at this time

very feeble in health; but in consequence of the advice of his

physician, he left Northampton for Boston, on the 9th of June, in

company with the second daughter of Mr. Edwards. They arrived on the

evening of the 12th, among the family relatives of Mr. Edwards in

Boston, and for a few days the health of Brainerd appeared much

amended; but a relapse on the 18th convinced his friends that his

recovery was hopeless. Contrary to their expectations, however, he so

far revived, that on the 20th of July they were able to leave Boston,

in company with his brother, Mr. Israel Brainerd, and on the 25th they

reached Northampton. Here his health continued gradually to decline,

until early in October it was obvious that he would not long survive.

"On the morning of Lord's day, Oct. 4," says Mr. Edwards, "as my

daughter Jerusha, who chiefly attended him, came into the room, he

looked on her very pleasantly, and said, `Dear Jerusha, are you

willing to part with me?--I am quite willing to part with you: I am

willing to part with all my friends: though if I thought I should not

see you and be happy with you in another world, I could not bear to

part with you. But we shall spend a happy eternity together." He died

on Friday, Oct. 9, 1747, and on the Monday following, Mr. Edwards

preached the sermon at his funeral, from 2 Cor. v. 8. entitled, "True

Saints when absent from the Body are present with the Lord;" which was

published in the December following.



Brainerd, after destroying the early part of his Diary, left the

residue in the hands of Mr. Edwards, to dispose of as he thought best.

Mr. Edwards concluded to publish it, in connexion with a brief Memoir

of his life.



In the ensuing February, Jerusha, the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs.

Edwards, was removed by death. Her father, in a note to the Memoirs of

Brainerd, thus alludes to this distressing event. "Since this, it has

pleased a holy and sovereign God, to take away this my dear child by

death, on the 14th of February, next following, after a short illness

of five days, in the 18th year of her age. She was a person of much

the same spirit with Brainerd. She had constantly taken care of and

attended him in his sickness, for nineteen weeks before his death;

devoting herself to it with great delight, because she looked on him

as an eminent servant of Jesus Christ. In this time, he had much

conversation with her on the things of religion; and, in his dying

state, often expressed to us, her parents, his great satisfaction

concerning her true piety, and his confidence that he should meet her

in heaven, and his high opinion of her not only as a real Christian,

but as a very eminent saint: one whose soul was uncommonly fed and

entertained with things which pertain to the most spiritual,

experimental, and distinguishing parts of religion: and one, who, by

the temper of her mind, was fitted to deny herself for God, and to do

good, beyond any young woman whatsoever whom he knew. She had

manifested a heart uncommonly devoted to God in the course of her

life, many years before her death; and said on her death-bed, that she

had not seen one minute, for several years, wherein she desired to

live one minute longer, for the sake of any other good in life, but

doing good, living to God, and doing what might be for his glory."



In the course of the year 1747, an epistolary correspondence was

commenced between Mr. Edwards and the Rev. John Erskine of

Kirkintilloch, afterwards the Rev. Dr. Erskine of Edinburgh, which was

continued to the close of Mr. Edwards's life. This gentleman,

possessing superior talents, and having every advantage of birth,

fortune, and education, made choice of the clerical profession, in

opposition to the prevailing wishes of his family; and in May, 1744,

took charge of the parish of Kirkintilloch near Glasgow. In 1753, he

was translated to a parish in the borough of Culross, and, in the

autumn of 1758, to one of the parishes in Edinburgh. Distinguished

alike for his learning and piety, for his honourable and munificent

spirit, and for his firm attachment to evangelical religion, he

adorned every station which he filled by a faithful and conscientious

discharge of its various duties--private, social, and public;--enjoyed

the high respect of the wise and good, not only in Great Britain, but

extensively in both continents; and died in 1803, in his 82d year,

having been the correspondent, successively, of President Edwards, of

his son Dr. Edwards, president of Union College, and of his grandson

President Dwight, for the period of fifty-six years.



Mr. Erskine began the correspondence with Mr. Edwards early in 1747,

through the intervention of Mr. M'Laurin of Glasgow, by sending him

the "Remains of Mr. Hall"--a memoir, written by himself, of a most

respectable and beloved fellow-student in theology, a young gentleman

of uncommon promise. I have none of the letters of Mr. Erskine to Mr.

Edwards, and not having been able to procure the first letter of Mr.

Edwards to Mr. Erskine, written in the summer of 1747, must be

indebted for the following account of it to the "Life of Dr. Erskine,"

by the Hon. and Rev. Sir H. M. Wellwood.--"On this occasion Mr.

Edwards expressed, with great tenderness and delicacy, his sympathy

with one, who had lost his most intimate and estimable friend in the

prime of life, the companion of his youth, and, for a considerable

time before his death, the delightful and affectionate associate of

his studies and of his piety.



"In a postscript to this letter, he mentioned his book on Religious

Affections, then just published, and at the same time sent his

correspondent a copy of it in a book of which it is not too much to

say, that it is not only worthy of the talents and sincerity of its

author, but that while it shows that he was neither forward nor rash

in estimating striking or sudden impressions of religion, it contains

more sound instruction on its particular subject, and lays down more

intelligible and definite rules to distinguish true from false

religion, and to ascertain by distinct characters the genuine spirit

of vital piety, separated from all fanatical delusions, than any other

book which has yet been given to the world.



"In the same postscript to Mr. Edwards's first letter to Dr. Erskine,

he gave him a general sketch of a plan which he had then formed, and

which he afterwards executed with so much ability in his book on the

Freedom of the Will;--a book which, whether his opinions be questioned

or adopted, has certainly given him an eminent station both among

philosophers and divines. `I have thought,' he says, `of writing

something particularly and largely on the Arminian controversy in

distinct discourses on the various points in dispute, to be published

successively, beginning first with a discourse concerning the Freedom

of the Will, and Moral Agency; endeavouring fully and thoroughly to

state and discuss those points of liberty and necessity, moral and

physical inability, efficacious grace, and the ground of virtue and

vice, reward and punishment, blame and praise, with regard to the

dispositions and actions of reasonable creatures.'



"Such was the first idea of a work from which Mr. Edwards afterwards

derived his chief celebrity as an author; but a considerable time

intervened before he found it possible to make any progress in his

design."



The death of Col. Stoddard, which occurred at Boston, on the 19th of

June this year, was a loss severely felt, not only by Mr. Edwards and

the people of Northampton, but by the county and the province at

large. He was eminently distinguished for his strength of

understanding and energy of character, and had for a long period

unrivalled influence in the council of the province. He was also a man

of decided piety, and a uniform friend and supporter of sound morals

and evangelical religion. Mr. Edwards preached a sermon on his death

from Ezek. xix. 12. which was immediately published.



Early in the next year Mr. Edwards received from Mr. Erskine a number

of books which he valued very highly, as containing the ablest

exhibition and defence of the system of doctrines usually styled

Arminianism, which had at that time appeared before the public. In the

following letter he acknowledges the kindness of his correspondent,

and at the same time alludes to the decease of his daughter.



"To the Rev. John Erskine



Northampton, Aug. 31, 1748.



rev. and dear sir,



I, this summer, received your kind letter of Feb. 9, 1748, with your

most acceptable present of Taylor on Original Sin, and his Key to the

Apostolic Writings, with his Paraphrase on the Epistle to the Romans;

together with your Sermons and Answer to Doct. Campbell. I had your

Sermons before, sent either by you or Mr. M'Laurin. I am exceedingly

glad of those two books of Taylor's. I had before borrowed and read

Taylor on Original Sin; but am very glad to have one of my own; if you

had not sent it, I intended to have sought opportunity to buy it. The

other book, his Paraphrase, &c. I had not heard of; if I had I should

not have been easy till I had seen it, and been possessed of it. These

books, if I should live, may probably be of great use to me. Such

kindness from you was unexpected. I hoped to receive a letter from

you, which alone I should have received as a special favour.



I have for the present been diverted from the design I hinted to you,

of publishing something against some of the Arminian tenets, by

something else that Divine Providence unexpectedly laid in my way, and

seemed to render unavoidable, viz. publishing Mr. Brainerd's Life, of

which the enclosed paper of proposals give some account.



It might be of particular advantage to me, here in this remote part of

the world, to be better informed what books there are that are

published on the other side of the Atlantic; and especially if there

be any thing that comes out that is very remarkable. I have seen many

notable things that have been written in this country against the

truth, but nothing very notable on our side of the controversies of

the present day, at least of the Arminian controversy. You would much

oblige me, if you would inform me what are the best books that have

lately been written in defence of Calvinism.



I have herewith sent the two books of Mr. Stoddard's you desired. The

lesser of the two was my own; and though I have no other, yet you have

laid me under such obligations that I am glad I have it to send to

you. The other I procured of one of my neighbours.



I have lately heard some things that have excited hope in me, that God

was about to cause there to be a turn in England, with regard to the

state of religion there for the better; particularly what we have

heard, that one Mr. West, a clerk of the privy council, has written in

defence of Christianity, though once a notorious deist; and also what

Mr. Littleton, a member of the house of commons, has written. I should

be glad if you would inform me more particularly in your next

concerning this affair, and what the present state of infidelity in

Great Britain is.



It has pleased God, since I wrote my last to you, sorely to afflict

this family, by taking away by death, the last February, my second

daughter, in the eighteenth year of her age; a very pleasant and

useful member of this family, and one that was esteemed the flower of

the family. Herein we have a great loss; but the remembrance of the

remarkable appearances of piety in her, from her childhood, in life,

and also at her death, are very comfortable to us, and give us great

reason to mingle thanksgiving with our mourning. I desire your

prayers, dear Sir, that God would make up our great loss to us in

himself.



Please to accept of one of my sermons on Mr. Brainerd's death, and

also one of my sermons on Mr. Buell's instalment. I desire that for

the future your letters to me may be directed to be left with Mr.

Edward Bromfield, merchant in Boston. My wife joins with me in

respectful and affectionate salutations to you and Mrs. Erskine.

Desiring that we may meet often at the throne of grace in

supplications for each other,



I am, dear brother, your obliged friend,



Fellow labourer, and humble servant,



jonathan edwards."



P.S. I desired Mr. Prince to send to you one of my books on the

subject of the concert for prayer for a general revival of religion

the last year; and he engaged to do it; but I perceive he forgot it,

and it was long neglected. But I have since taken some further care to

have the book conveyed; so that I hope that ere this time you have

received it.



In the conclusion of your letter of Feb. 9, you mention a design of

writing to me again by a ship that was to sail the next month for

Boston. That letter I have not received."



Mr. Gillespie, imagining that the difficulties which he had stated in

his former letter, were not satisfactorily cleared up in the answer of

Mr. Edwards, addressed to him the following reply.



Letter from Mr. Gillespie.



"Sept. 19, 1748.



rev. and dear sir,



I had the favour of yours in spring last, for which I heartily thank

you. I did not want inclination to make you a return long ago, as I

prize your correspondence, but some things concurred that effectually

prevented me, which has given me concern.



It was my desire to be informed, and my inclination to make you

understand, how some passages in your book on Religious Affections did

appear to me and some others, your real friends and well-wishers in

this country, that determined me to presume to offer you some few

remarks on the passages mentioned in my former letter; and desire of

further information engages me now, with all respect, to make some

observations upon some things in your letter. I hope you will pardon

my freedom, and bear with me in it, and set me right wherein you may

find me to misapprehend your meaning, or to mistake in any other

respect.



You say, `You conceive that there is a great difference between these

two things, viz. its being a man's duty, who is without spiritual

light or sight, to believe; and its being his duty to believe without

spiritual light or sight, or to believe while he yet remains without

spiritual light or sight: it is not proper to say, it is a man's duty

to believe without faith,' &c. Now, dear Sir, the difference here, I

am not able to conceive; for all are bound to believe the divine

testimony and to trust in Christ, which you acknowledge; and the want

of spiritual light or sight does not loose from the obligation one is

laid under by the divine command to believe instantly on Christ, and

at all season, as his circumstances shall require, nor does it excuse

him in any degree for not believing. I own that a person who has no

spiritual light or sight cannot eventually believe, if by light or

sight is meant the influence or grace of the Spirit, by which one's

mind is irradiated to take up the object and grounds of faith, so as

to be made to have a spiritual sight of Christ, and to act that grace;

yet still, even when one, wants this, it is his duty, and he is bound

to believe, for we know it is a maxim, 'ability is not the rule of

duty.' I also acknowledge, that no person who is, and always has been,

without spiritual light or sight, is bound, nor is it his duty, to

believe that he has actually believed, or to conclude he is really a

partaker of the faith of God's elect. I have some apprehension this is

all you meant by the expressions I have noticed, and the reasoning in

consequence of them; or else certainly different ideas are affixed to

words with you and among us. There is indeed a great deal of

difference betwixt its being one's duty to believe, or to act faith,

and its being his duty to believe he has believed, or has acted divine

faith; i.e. you say you apply the particle without, respecting

spiritual light or sight, to the act of believing, by which I suppose

you intend, `all should believe, though none do really believe,

without spiritual light or sight;' in which I entirely agree with you.

The word duty indeed, which you use when treating that matter, is

ordinarily supposed to signify the obligation the person is under by

the divine authority to believe, as applied to the matter of faith,

and not to the act of faith put forth in consequence of such

obligation. Had I not supposed you plainly meant by the expressions I

quoted from the book, the duty or obligation to believe, and not an

act of faith exerted, I should have made no remarks on them. It is

indeed as absurd for one to conclude he has really believed without

spiritual light or sight, as to say one should believe he had

believed, without those things that are essentially implied in faith.

But I must differ from you in thinking it is not very proper to say,

it is a man's duty to believe without faith, i.e. while he yet remains

without spiritual light or sight, or to put forth an act of faith on

the Saviour, however void of spiritual light or sight; for if this was

not the truth, the finally impenitent sinner could not be condemned

for unbelief, as the Holy Ghost declares he will be, John iii. 19, 20,

24.. and that notwithstanding the power of the Spirit of faith must

make him believe. I should be glad to know the precise idea you affix

to the words faith and believing. I do not remember a person's

reflecting on his act of faith, any where in Scripture termed

believing. You remark, `That I seem to suppose that a person's

doubting of his good estate is the proper opposite of faith;' and I

own, as it is a believer's duty to expect salvation through Christ,

which, in other words, is to believe his good estate, Acts. xv. ll.

Gal. ii. 20. Eph. ii. 4. Job xix. 25. doubting of it must be his sin,

an effect of unbelief, a part of it, and thus the proper opposite of

faith, considered in its full compass and latitude. Thus once doubting

of his good estate by a true believer, and unbelief in one branch of

it, or one part and manner of its acting, are the same thing. Faith

and unbelief are opposed in Scripture, and what is the opposite of one

ingredient in unbelief must be faith in one part of it,--one thing

that belongs to its exercise. A person's believing is owned to be his

indispensable duty, and this comprehends or supposes his being

confident of his good estate, and is properly divine faith, because it

has the divine testimony now cited, on which it bottoms, Jer. iii. 19.

The Lord says, `Thou shalt call me, My father, and shalt not turn away

from me;' which is evidently faith, and no less manifestly belief of

one's good estate, or being confident of it, because the expression

must denote the continued exercise of faith, in not turning away from

the Lord. Crying Abba Father, Rom. viii. 15. is faith in the Lord as

one's father, which must have a being confident of one's good estate

inseparable from it, or rather enwrapped in it. I suppose what I have

mentioned is very consistent with what you say, `That faith, and

persons believing that they have faith, are not the same;' for one's

believing that he has faith, simply and by itself, has for its object

the man's inward frame, or the actings and exercises of his spirit,

and not a divine testimony. This is not divine faith; but, as I have

laid the matter, a being confident of one's good estate has for its

foundation the word of God, Heb. xiii. 5., &c. ultimately,--at least;

to be sure this is one way in which faith is acted, or one thing in

its exercise. I am far from thinking unbelief, or being without faith,

and doubting whether they have faith, to be the same thing in an

unconverted sinner, whom your words, 'being without faith,' must mean,

and therein we entirely agree. But I must think, as to the believer,

his doubting whether or not he has faith, is sinful, because it is

belying the Holy Ghost, denying his work in him, so there is no sin to

which that doubting can so properly be reduced as unbelief. You know,

dear Sir, doubting and believing are opposed in Scripture, Matt. xiv.

31. Matt. xxi. 21. Mark xi. 23. and I cannot exclude from the idea of

doubting, a questioning the truth and reality of a work of grace on

one's soul; for the Holy Ghost requires us to believe the reality of

his work in us, in all its parts, just as it is, and never would allow

us, much less call us to sin, or to believe a falsehood, that one is

void of grace, when he has it, that good might come of it, i.e. that

the person might be awakened from security, &c. 1 John iii. 3. `Every

man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, as he is pure;' I

think intimates, that in proportion to the degree of one's hope, that

the Lord is his Father, will be his aim after sanctification, and his

attainment of it; if so, to renounce this hope, to throw it up at any

season, on any account, must be unlawful; whence I infer, for the

believer to doubt of his gracious state, to call it in question for

any reason whatever, so as to raze it, it is simply sinful, 1 John ii.

12, 15. `I write unto you, little children, because your sins are

forgiven you, viz. Love not the world.' Here forgiveness of sin is

used as a motive or incitement not to love the world; and this

reasoning of the apostle would lose all its force, were it incumbent

on a believer, at some seasons, to think he was not within the bond of

the new covenant,--he is bound ever to hold that conclusion fixed. The

exhortation, not to cast away one's confidence, certainly comprehends

a call to persevere in believing in our interest in the Lord, and to

practise it at all seasons, Heb. x. 35. Job's friends endeavoured to

make him question, whether the root of the matter was in him, and to

conclude that he was a hypocrite. He resolved, though the Lord should

slay him, he would trust in him, chap. xiii. 15 being confident of his

own good estate, chap. xxvii. 3, 5. `All the while my breath is in

me;' and ver. 5. `Till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me;'

and we see, from the whole tenor of his book, what there he resolved,

he actually did practise; he never entertained the thought of

supposing the Lord was not his God, notwithstanding the grievous

eruptions of iniquity in him, in quarrelling with the sovereignty of

God, &c. And in the end, the Lord condemned his friends for speaking

of him `the things that were not right,' and pronounced that Job, his

servant, had said of him the thing `that is right,' Job iv. 1.; from

which, it is to be presumed, he was approved in guarding against

razing his state [29] . Also, 2 Cor. i. 12. what the apostle terms

there, `his rejoicing,' was what supposed his being confident of his

good estate, that he was participant of a principle of grace, which

made him capable of acting, as he did, with godly sincerity. All

which, with other considerations, do satisfy me, that a believer never

should raze his state on any account whatever; and that, as has been

mentioned, doubting of his gracious state is sinful, one way of

unbelief, its acting in him, though not the direct and immediate

opposite of that acting of faith by which a person renounces his own

righteousness and closes with Christ, yet the opposite of the

posterior exercise of faith in him, and upon the promise, in certain

respects. Your book is now lent, and therefore I cannot take notice,

as you wish and I incline, of what you say on this head, p. 80, 81.

more particularly than I have done. However, I have, I think, touched

the precise point in difference between us.



You observe, I seem to intimate, `A person's being confident of his

own good estate is the way to be delivered from darkness, deadness,

backsliding, and prevailing iniquity.' And you add, that `you think

whoever supposes this to be God's method of delivering his saints,

when sunk into an evil, careless, carnal, and unchristian frame, first

to assure them of their good estate and his favour, while they yet

remain in such a frame, and so to make that the means of their

deliverance, does surely mistake God's method of dealing with such

persons.' Here I think you represent the case too strong; for the

words in my letter to which you refer, were, `I have heard it taught

that the believer was bound to trust in the Lord in the very worst

frame he could be in, and that the exercise of faith was the way to be

delivered from darkness, deadness, backsliding,' &c. And afterwards, I

said, when questioning whether the believer should ever doubt of his

estate on any account whatever, `I know the opposite has been

prescribed; when the saint is plunged in the mire of prevailing

iniquity.' Now, as a believer may be thus plunged, and yet sin at that

instant be his grief and burden, Rom. vii. 24. and he may have the

hope and expectation of being relieved from it even then, Psalm lxv.

3. I do not think my words convey the idea you affix to them. Also you

will observe, I do not say, `that a person's being confident of his

own good estate is the way to be delivered from,' &c. but `that the

believer was bound to trust the Lord in the worst frame,' &c. This I

mention, precisely to state my words, and they are, I think, very

defensible; for the believer is called `to trust in the Lord for

ever,' Isa. xxvi. 4.. If so, when in the situation mentioned; for this

is a trusting in the Lord as one's God. The woman with the issue of

blood, her touching Christ, and the success, is, I suppose, a call and

encouragement to touch him by faith, for having the worst

soul-maladies healed, Mark v. 25.. Trusting in the Lord for needful

blessings, in the situation mentioned, gives him the glory of his

faithfulness, and engages him to act in the believer's behalf; thus to

do, it is both duty and interest. Jonah, when in a course of grievous

rebellion, and under awful chastisement for it, when perhaps he had

actually disclaimed interest in the Lord, or was in danger of it,

said, `he would look again toward the Lord's holy temple,' chap. ii.

4. evidently in exercise of faith in the Lord as his God, the Lord

assuring him of his good estate and his favour, by the operation of

the Spirit causing him so to act, and to be conscious of it; and,

verse 7. `when my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and

my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.' Here is my

assertion exemplified in practice, by a believer, I may venture to

say, in an evil frame, when the Spirit breathed upon him. Though a

prophet, he deliberately disobeyed the express instructions of his

Lord, chap. i. 2, 3. and in a careless frame, for he slept securely in

the sides of the ship, during a tempest raised for his sake, and when

the heathen mariners every one called upon his god, chap. i. 5, 6. So

far was he from dreading, as he had reason to do, that the Lord would

plead a controversy with him for the part he acted, that dismal

security, awful carelessness, and a carnal frame had seized him; for

he declared to the Lord, that he said to him in his country, he would

repent of the evil he had said he would do to the Ninevites, if they

turned from their evil way, and assigned that for the reason why he

fled to Tarshish, chap. iv. 2.; and thus would rather that the Lord

should want the honour, that would redound to his name by the

repentance, though only outward, of the Ninevites, than that the whole

city should be destroyed, one of the largest the sun shone upon, and

the most populous, and that himself should lose the honour and comfort

of being the instrument of its preservation, than that he should fall

under the imputation of being a false prophet, for which there would

yet have been no foundation. Horrid carnality this! for as it was

dreadful selfishness, it may, in that view, be termed

carnality,--astonishing pride! this `filthiness of the spirit' is

worse than that of the flesh; and, all circumstances of his conduct

considered, he was not only in an ungodly frame, but in an inhumane

one, and he sinned presumptuously in one of the highest degrees, we

may suppose, in which it is possible for a believer so to act;

notwithstanding it appears the happy turn was begun in him, under the

influence of the Spirit, by renewing his faith in the Lord as his God,

and being confident of his good estate; upon which he prayed, as

already mentioned, and was heard by his God, see verses 7, 8. was

delivered out of his then dismal and dangerous circumstances, chap.

ii. 12.--Thus I have done more than I was bound to do, and have proved

the point, not only in the manner in which I have expressed it, but in

the strong light your words, a comment on mine, had set it; for one

plain scripture instance, such certainly as that I have given, is

sufficient, as agreed, to prove any thing. It is so far from being a

mistaking of God's method of dealing with such persons, as you

suggest, (pardon me, dear Sir,) to say, that it is `the Lord's method

of delivering his saints when in a backsliding condition, first to

assure them of their good estate and his favour, and so to make that

the means of their deliverance;' that I give you the words of the Holy

Ghost for it is as express and full as any thing possibly can be, Jer.

iii. 12, 13, 14.; verse 14. `Turn, O backsliding children, saith the

Lord, for I am married unto you.' This was, to be sure, the Lord's

intimating the new covenant relation in which he stood to the

spiritual Israel among them; and verse 22 of that chapter, the Lord

says, `Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your

backslidings;' and in the close of the verse, we have the Lord's thus

assuring them of their good estate and his favour, shown to be the

effectual mean of the backsliding being healed: `Behold, we come unto

thee; for thou art the Lord our God.' Hos. xiv. 4. `O Israel, return

unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.' Here

the first words of the Lord's message to his spiritual Israel, are,

that 'the Lord was their God,' and the expression, `fallen by

iniquity,' conveys a very strong idea, when applied to a believer,

perhaps as strong, as is comprehended in your words, 'evil, &c.

frame;' and I must think this verse is so expressed to work on holy

ingenuousness in them, for its revival when under the ashes of

corruption. It would perhaps be no difficult matter to multiply

scripture testimonies of such kind; but these adduced are, I think,

full proof of the point, for confirmation of which they are brought.

The love of Christ constrains the believer to return from folly, as

well as to other things in other respects, 2 Cor. v. 14.. I might

argue here from the efficacy of the love of God apprehended, the

genius of the new creature, and nature in believers, and a variety of

other topics, but choose, without expatiating, to confine myself to

precise scripture testimonies. As to what you say, that `among all the

multitudes you have had opportunity to observe, you never knew one

dealt with in this manner, but have known many brought back from great

declensions, that appeared to be true saints, but it was in a very

diverse way from this: first conscience awakened; they brought into

great fear of the wrath of God; his favour hid; the subjects of a kind

of new work of humiliation; brought to great sense of deserving God's

wrath, while they yet feared it, before God had delivered them from

apprehension of it, and comforted with a renewed sense of his favour.'

All I observe upon this is, that the way I have laid down, is

obviously that which the Lord declares in his word, he takes, for

bringing back his people from declensions, and thus that in it mercy

is to be expected, whatever the Lord may be pleased to do in

sovereignty, and he will not be limited; also, persons do not perceive

every thing that passes within them, far less are they capable to give

a full distinct account of every thing of each kind. Experiences of

Christians are to be brought to the touch-stone of the infallible bar,

and to stand or fall by it; the Bible is not to be brought to their

test, and judged of by them. I own we may mistake the sense of

Scripture, but it is so obvious in the passages I have quoted, that I

cannot see how it can be misapprehended.



I cannot say any thing now, about the other remarks I made on your

book, touched on in your letter, because I have not now the book to

look into. I understand the passages about prevalence of sin, so as to

denominate a person not in a gracious state, better, by what you have

wrote; and, if any difficulty shall remain after comparing your book

and letter, I may come to propose it to you afterwards.



What you wrote about the case of temptation was very agreeable, and I

thank you for it. I shall now state the case more plainly, because I

want much your further thoughts upon it. It is precisely this. A

person finds himself beset by evil angels, what if I remember right

Voetius terms obsessio, and one in that situation obsessus; they

incessantly break into his body and mind, sometimes by vain, at other

seasons by vile thoughts, now by the thoughts of a business neglected,

which was a seasonable thing to be done, then by a scripture text, or

an engaging thought of some spiritual truth, when entrance is not to

be had another way, and by a variety of other methods. They do all

they can, perpetually to teaze, defile, and discourage; he is

conscious of the whole transaction, and finds his spirit broken by it,

and goes not about to reason with Satan, knows the expediency of this

course, is aware Satan wants no better, than that he pray much and

long against his temptations, and so wont pray himself out of breath,

by his instigation; is convinced the remedy is to get them kept out of

body and mind; trusts, in dependence on the Lord, to the use of

medical, moral, and religious means for that end, because experience

shows all of them are expedient and advantageous in their place; but

all is in vain, no relief for him, relish of divine things wore off

the mind, no comfort, is rendered callous by cruel constant

buffetings, he cries, but the Lord hears not. By what I understand,

this is a just representation of the case, and will lead you to the

knowledge of other circumstances in it. What would you advise such a

person to do? How shall he recover savour of spiritual truths and

objects?



I wondered you said nothing in your letter, about what I mentioned in

mine, respecting supposed immediate revelations of facts and future

events, as special favours conferred on some special favourites of

heaven. I give in to your sentiments on that point, expressed in the

three treatises you have published, and greatly like what Mr. Brainerd

said on the subject, as mentioned, I think, by you, in the funeral

sermon on him, which I perused with a great deal of pleasure; and

shall now mention some things, said in favour of that principle, of

which people are very tenacious, that I may have your answers to them,

which will be a singular favour done me, for certain reasons: for

example, John xvi. 13. is affirmed to be an express promise of such a

thing:--it is urged, the thing is not contrary to Scripture, and

therefore, may be;--it is urged, John xiii. 24-27. is an example of

it, an intimation what the Lord will do in such kind when it pleaseth

him, till the end of time. It is pretended, and indeed this is the

strength of the cause, that the thing is a matter of fact, has nothing

to do with the Bible, therefore nothing about it is to be expected in

Scripture, and simply to deny it in all cases, is daringly to limit

the power of God. The Lord has not said he will not grant it, and how

dare any say it cannot be? It is reasoned, there are numbers of well

attested instances of the thing in different ages and places, facts

are stubborn things, and to deny them all is shocking, an overturning

of all moral evidence. It is insisted on, that the thing has been

formerly; it is confessed, and why may it not be now? We are told, a

considerable time before a thing happened, that it has been impressed

on the mind in all its circumstances, which exactly happened in every

point; if when asked, what one can say to this, he says, perhaps it

was from Satan, to this it is answered, does he know future contingent

events? The reply is at hand, it is not above him to figure a thing on

the fancy long before, which he is resolved by some means to bring

about; but to all this it is answered by advocates for immediate

revelations, such reasoning tends to sap one of the main pillars of

evidence of the divinity of the scripture prophecies.



I have, by what I remember, given you the force of the argument, to

establish what has had, I too well know, very bad effects, as commonly

managed, in Britain, as well as in New England; a history of instances

of them would not be without its use, and materials for it are not

wanting. I will long much to see what you say in way of reply to all

this. I am sure you cannot employ time better than in framing it. I

should have mentioned that the authority of eminent divines is brought

to bear upon them, whose stomachs stand at swallowing things, like

additions to the Bible,--Mr. Fleming, in the Fulfilling of the

Scriptures, Dr. Goodwin, &c. But on this, it has been pleasantly

observed, that the authority of the worthies in the eleventh of the

Hebrews, would have done a good deal better. I have some apprehension

this is a point of truth, which the Lord is to clear up in this age.



I have read your Humble Attempt, and with much satisfaction; was

charmed with the scriptures of the latter day of glory set in one

point of light. I do think humbly your observations on Lowman have

great strength of reason. The killing of the witnesses, as yet to

come, has been to me a grievous temptation; for which reason, I peruse

with peculiar pleasure what you say on this subject; but if you answer

the objection, `It would appear that the seventh trumpet is to sound

soon after the resurrection of the witnesses, and the kingdoms of the

world, &c. but that has not happened, therefore the witnesses are not

killed;' I say, if this you answer, I have forgot.



I should have also mentioned, that it seems evident, the doctrine of

immediate revelations must be simply denied as unscriptural, and thus

well-founded in no case; or it must be allowed in its full compass,

and latitude, let the consequences of it be what they will, for if the

thing is allowed possible, reasonings about its effects will not

conclude nor avail; I can see no middle way between the two things.

That principle taken for granted by almost all, in all times past, is,

as I mentioned in my last letter, to me a surprising thing.



Mr. Whitefield arrived at Edinburgh Wednesday last, and was to preach

on Thursday evening; but as I am fifteen miles from that city, of

which two miles by sea, I have not yet heard of the effects of his

preaching, or the number of the audiences; I wish they may be as

frequent as when he was last here. May Divine power specially attend

his ministrations! We need it much, as we are generally fallen under

great deadness. I believe he will find use for all his prudence and

patience in dealing with us, for different reasons. With great

pleasure, friends to vital religion, and to him, are informed he is to

make no collections at this time! I was glad to hear you write, that

he laboured with success in New England, in rectifying mistakes he had

favoured, about intimations made by the Lord to his people, &c. and

heartily wish he may be directed to apply an antidote here, where it

is also needed.



I have tired you with a long epistle, and shall therefore now break

off. What you was pleased to favour me with, upon the difficulty

started from Rom. viii. 28. was very acceptable, and I thank you much

for it. I will expect a letter from you the first opportunity after

this comes to hand; and in it all the news of New England,

particularly some account of the state of religion with you. It gives

me pleasure to think, I may write you my sentiments upon every thing

without reserve. Please make my affectionate compliments to my friend

Mr. Abercrombie, when you see him, or write to him, and tell him, I

remember I am in his debt for a letter. I hope the ship I am informed

of, for carrying this, is not sailed, and therefore it will not be so

long in coming to your hand, after being writ, as my last.



I am, &c."



Letter to Mr. M'CULLOCH.



"To the Rev. Mr. M'CULLOCH.



Northampton, Oct. 7, 1748.



rev. and dear sir,



I thank you for your letter of Feb. 19, 1748, which I received the

week before last. I had also, long before that, received the letter

you speak of, which you wrote the spring before, dated March 12, 1747,

which I wrote an answer to, and sent it to Mr. Prince of Boston, and

committed it to his care; and am very sorry that you never received

it. I am far from being weary of our correspondence. I ever looked on

myself as greatly honoured and obliged by you, in your beginning this

correspondence; and have found it pleasant and profitable; and

particularly your last letter, that I have but now received, has been

very agreeable and entertaining; especially on account of the good

news it contains. I cannot but think many things mentioned in your

letter, and the letters of my other correspondents in Scotland, which

came with yours, are great things, worthy to be greatly taken notice

of, and to be an occasion of much rejoicing and praise to all that

love Zion: viz. The remarkable change in one of the clerks of the

privy council; God's stirring up him and Mr. Littleton to write in

defence of Christianity; the good effect of this among men of figure

and character; the good disposition of the king, and the Prince and

Princess of Wales; the late awakening of two of the princesses, Amelia

and Caroline, and the hopeful conversion of one or both of them; the

hopeful, real piety of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his good

disposition towards experimental religion and the dissenters; several

of the clergy of the church of England lately appearing to preach the

doctrines of grace; several of the magistrates, in various towns in

England, exerting themselves with uncommon zeal to put the laws in

execution against vice; and the eminent piety of the Prince of Orange,

now the stadtholder of the Seven United Provinces. These things (at

least some of them) are great in themselves, and are of that nature

that they have a most promising aspect on the interests of Zion, and

appear to be happy presages and forerunners of yet better and greater

things that are coming. They look as if the tide was turning, and

glorious things approaching, by the revolution of the wheel of God's

providence. I think we, and all others, who have lately united by

explicit agreement in extraordinary prayer for a general revival of

religion and the coming of Christ's kingdom, may, without presumption,

be greatly encouraged and animated in the duty we have engaged in, by

the appearance of such a dawning of light from such great darkness;

and should be ungrateful if we did not acknowledge God's great

goodness in these things, and faithfulness in fulfilling the promises

of his word; such as these in particular, `If any two of you shall

agree on earth as touching any thing you shall ask, it shall be done

of my Father which is in heaven;' and, `Before they call, I will

answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.' I have already

communicated these things to some belonging to this town, and other

places; some have appeared much affected with them; and one that

belongs to another town, has taken extracts of these passages. I

design, God willing, to communicate these things to my congregation,

before the next quarterly day for prayer, and also to the neighbouring

ministers, who, according to our stated agreement, will be met

together on that day, to spend the former part of the day in prayer

among ourselves, and the latter part in public services in one of our

congregations; and shall also probably communicate these things to

some of my correspondents in New Jersey and elsewhere, and I cannot

but think they will tend to do a great deal of good, in various

respects; and particularly will tend to promote the Concert for

Prayer, in these parts of the world. I desired Mr. Prince of Boston to

send you one of my books on the Concert, soon after it was published;

who engaged to do it; but long forgot it, as I perceived afterwards to

my surprise; but since that more thorough care has been taken about

that matter; and I hope you, and each of my other correspondents in

Scotland, have before now received one of those books.



I thank you, dear Sir, for sending me your thoughts on some things in

the prophecies of the Revelation of St. John, and for being at so much

trouble as to send it twice (supposing the first letter had

miscarried.) This I take as a particular mark of respect, for which I

am obliged to you. I received, as I said before, your former letter,

(which contained the same observations,) and sent an answer to it,

wherein I gave you my thoughts, such as they were, on those subjects.

But if you have received my book on United Prayer, &c. therein you

have seen more fully my thoughts on some things in the Revelation,

that have a near relation to the same matter that you write about; the

substance of which I before had written to you in a large letter,

desiring your opinion of what I wrote.



The letter I think you received, by some intimations contained in

yours of March 12, 1747. But you was not pleased to favour me with any

thing at all of your thoughts of what I had so largely communicated to

you, to that end, that I might have your opinion. But I am not the

less willing again to communicate my thoughts on your remarks.



As to what you observe concerning the number six hundred and

sixty-six, and that number being found in the name of the present king

of France; it is indeed something remarkable, that that number should

be found both in his Latin and French names, as you observe; and I do

not know but that the omniscient Spirit of God (who doubtless in his

predictions has sometimes his eye on several things in which he knows

they will be fulfilled) might have some respect to his name in the

prophecy; but I can hardly think that this individual king of France,

or any other particular prince in Europe, is what is chiefly intended

by the beast, so largely described in the 13th chapter of Revelation,

whose number is said to be six hundred and sixty-six. Of all the

conjectures concerning the number of the beast, that I have lit on in

my small reading, that of Mr. Potter's seems to me the most ingenious,

who supposes the true meaning is to be found by extracting the root of

the number. But after all, I have ever suspected that the thing

chiefly aimed at by the Holy Spirit, was never yet found out, and that

the discovery is reserved for later times. Yet one reason why Mr.

Potter's conjecture does not fully satisfy me, is, the difficulty

without adjusting the fractions in the root, when extracted. With

respect to your very ingenious conjectures, concerning the period of

forty-two months, or one thousand two hundred and sixty days, of the

outer court and holy city's being trodden under-foot of the Gentiles;

you know, Sir, that that forty-two months, or one thousand two hundred

and sixty days, spoken of Rev. xi. 2. has been universally understood,

as being the very same period with the 1260 days of the witnesses

prophesying in sackcloth, spoken of in the next verse; and the one

thousand two hundred and sixty days of the woman's being led in the

wilderness, chap. xiii. 6. and the time, times, and half a time, of

her being nourished in the wilderness from the face of the serpent,

ver. 14. and the forty-two months of the continuance of the beast,

chap. xiii. 5. But it does not appear to me probable that these

forty-two months of the continuance of the beast, means the sum of the

diverse periods in which the plat of ground, whereon the ancient

literal Jerusalem stood, was under the dominion of the Romans,

Saracens, Persians, and Turks; but the space of time during which the

reign of antichrist or the popish hierarchy continues; and as to the

particular time of the downfall of antichrist, you see my reasons in

the forementioned pamphlet, why I think it certain that it will not be

known till it be accomplished: I cannot but think that the Scripture

is plain in that matter, and that it does, in effect, require us to

rest satisfied in ignorance till the time of the end comes.



However, I should be very foolish, if I were dogmatical in my thoughts

concerning the interpretation of the prophecies: especially in

opposition to those who have had so much more opportunity to be well

acquainted with things of this nature. But since you have insisted on

my thoughts, I conclude you will not be displeased that I have

mentioned them, though not altogether agreeable to yours. I am

nevertheless greatly obliged to you for your condescension in

communicating your thoughts to me. If we do not exactly agree in our

thoughts about these things, yet in our prayers for the accomplishment

of these glorious events in God's time, and for God's gracious

presence with us, and his assistance in endeavours to promote his

kingdom and interests, in the mean time, we may be entirely agreed and

united. That we may be so, is the earnest desire of, dear Sir,



Your affectionate brother and servant,



in our common Lord,



jonathan edwards."



In perusing the following letter, while the reader will deeply regret

the loss of that from Mr. Erskine to which it is an answer, he will

feel a lively interest in the mass of religious intelligence which it

contains, as well as in the interesting development which it gives of

the character of Governor Belcher.



"To the Rev. Mr. Erskine.



Northampton, Oct. 14, 1748.



rev. and dear sir,



A little while ago I wrote a letter to you, wherein I acknowledged the

receipt of your letter, and the books that came with it, viz. Taylor

on Original Sin; and on the Romans: with your sermons, and Answer to

Mr. Campbell; for which most acceptable presents I would most heartily

and renewedly thank you.



I sent my letter to Boston, together with one of Mr. Stoddard's

Benefit of the Gospel to the Wounded in Spirit, and his Nature of

Saving Conversion, with a sermon on Mr. Brainerd's death, and some

account of a history of his life now in the press, to be sent to

Scotland by the first opportunity; whether there has been any

opportunity or no, I cannot tell. I have very lately received another

letter from you, dated April 4, 1748, which was indeed exceedingly

acceptable, by reason of the remarkable and joyful accounts it

contains of things, that have a blessed aspect on the interests of

Christ's kingdom in the world: such as the good effects of the

writings of Mr. West and Mr. Littleton on some at court, and the

religious concern in Mr. Randy's and Mr. Gray's parishes, the hopeful

true piety of the Archbishop of Canterbury; this and the king's

disposition, not only to tolerate but comprehend the dissenters; and

their indifference with respect to the liturgy, ceremonies, and

episcopal ordination; the piety of the prince who is now advanced to

the stadtholdership, and has it established in his family for ever;

the awakening of the Princess Caroline; and the good disposition of

the Princess of Wales. I think it very fit that those, who have lately

entered into an union of extraordinary prayer for the coming of

Christ's kingdom and the prosperity of Zion, should inform one another

of things which they know of, that pertain to the prosperity of Zion,

and whereby their prayers are in some degree answered; that they may

be united in joy and thanksgiving, as well as in supplication; and

that they may be encouraged and animated in their prayers for the

future, and engaged to continue instant therein with all perseverance.

I think these things forementioned, which you have sent me an account

of, are worthy greatly to be observed, by those that are united in the

Concert for Prayer, for their comfort, praise, and encouragement. I

intend to communicate these things to my own people, before the next

quarterly season for prayer, and to the neighbouring ministers, who

are united in this affair; and also to my correspondents in this

province, and other provinces of America. I doubt not but they will

have a happy tendency and influence in many respects. I hope, dear

Sir, you will continue still to give me particular information of

things that appear, relative to the state of Zion and the interests of

religion, in Great Britain or other parts of Europe. In so doing, you

will not only inform me, but I shall industriously communicate any

important informations of that kind, and spread them amongst God's

people in this part of the world; and shall endeavour to my utmost to

make such a use of them, as shall tend most to promote the interest of

religion. And among other things I should be glad to be informed of

any books that come out, remarkably tending either to the illustration

or defence of that truth, or the promoting the power of godliness, or

in any respect peculiarly tending to advance true religion.



I have given an account of some things, which have a favourable aspect

on the interests of religion, in these American parts of the world, in

my letters to Mr. Robe, and Mr. M'Laurin, sent with this; which you

will have opportunity to see.



In your last letter you desired to be particularly informed of the

present state of New Jersey college, and of things remarkable of a

religious nature respecting the Indians. As to the former, viz. the

state of New Jersey college: by the last accounts I had, it was in

somewhat of an unsettled state. Governor Belcher had a mind to give

them a new charter, that he thought would be more for the benefit of

the society. Accordingly a draft of a new charter was drawn; wherein

it was proposed to make considerable alteration in the corporation of

trustees; to leave out some of the former trustees; and that the

governor, for the time being, should be a trustee, and three or four

of the council of that province. Those two things made considerable

uneasiness, viz. leaving out some of the former trustees, and making

it a part of the constitution that the governor and so many of the

council should be members of the corporation. Some feared that this

would not be for the health of the society; because the men in chief

authority in that province have, for the most part been men of no

religion, and many of them open and professed contemners of it. How

this matter has been settled, or whether these difficulties are got

over, I have not been informed. As to Governor Belcher himself, he

appears thoroughly engaged to promote virtue and vital religion in

those parts, which already has had some good effects; vice and open

profaneness, by the means, is become less fashionable among the great

men, and virtue and religion more creditable. The disposition of

Governor Belcher may in some measure be seen, by the following extract

of a letter from him, in answer to one I wrote to him on a special

occasion.