Speaking of Edwards...

I just received the following notice which may be of interest to anyone who will be in the vicinity of New Haven, CT during the month of June.

D16. Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections

Ken Minkema and staff, Yale Divinity School
9:00-11:30 AM, June 21-25
$425 (includes fee for day-long Edwards site tour on Friday)


The staff of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University will present a weeklong course examining Jonathan Edwards’s Religious Affections, including the historical context and background, the argument, a discussion of the signs, Edwards’s use of marks of distinguishing grace in preaching, and contemporary spirituality. The classroom portion of the course will feature lectures and discussions of common readings. There will be ample time allowed for questions and dialogue. Common readings will include a guided reading of Religious Affections and selections from printed collections of Edwards’s writings and secondary sources. Also, the course will be integrated with the use of materials located in The Works of Jonathan Edwards Online (www.edwards.yale.edu) Special features of the course will be a viewing of Edwards’s manuscripts related to Religious Affections at Yale’s Beinecke Library and a day-long tour of Edwardsean sites on Friday:  the Joseph Bellamy House, Bethlehem, CT, and the Dwight L. Moody historic site, Northfield, MA. For course-specific inquiries, please contact edwards@yale.edu

Questions? Call 203-432-9526

Although I don't believe that I'll make this course, this is a great idea for a small-group study.

Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections (Banner of Truth)

Sam Storms's Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards's "Religious Affections" (Crossway, 2009) would also be a good alternative for those of us who cannot make the class in New Haven.

Speaking of Edwards...

The Essential Edwards Collection

Tim Challies is offering 5 free sets (for Free Stuff Fridays) of  The Essential Edwards Collection edited by Douglas Sweeney and Owen Strachan (Moody Publishers).  I put my name in the hat; you should, too!

Here's the publisher's description:

Jonathan Edwards was a colonial, philosophical preacher and theologian. To many he stands as the preeminent theologian and thinker of the American tradition. This series of five books covers Edwards' life and major writings opening an accessible window into the heart and mind of the man credited for starting the First Great Awakening.

By way of introduction, presentation and reflection the authors unearth the choicest treasures of Edwards' writings for lay people to discover. Eminently readable and understandable, The Essential Edwards Collection proves you do not need to be a scholar to enjoy and benefit from the writings and life of Jonathan Edwards.

This set includes all 5 books of The Essential Edwards Collection: Jonathan Edwards Lover of God, Jonathan Edwards On Beauty, Jonathan Edwards On Heaven and Hell, Jonathan Edwards On the Good Life, and Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity.

Easily accessible and readable, you do not need to be a scholar to enjoy these insights about Jonathan Edwards and his writings.

If you don't win a free set, you can find a set through your local Christian bookstore or online at the Westminster Bookstore (please click here).

Of course, you can get the full works of Edwards here...

Works of Jonathan Edwards, 2v Set

...or read them all online at The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.

The Essential Edwards Collection

Heroes of the Past: Apply Their Insights in Our Time

I will admit that I have on occasion thought that living in the days of heroes of the past might be much preferred to living in these days. I recall telling this to someone who had been a great influence upon me with regard to reading the classic commentators and theologians. To my surprise, he frowned at my idea. His polite response opened my eyes to my foolishness. Douglas Sweeney, in Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word: A Model of Faith and Thought (IVP, 2009), offers similar advice that would have been a great help to me.

The task that faces those who would look to Edwards for help today is not to search for a time machine that we can use to live in his world, but to live in our world thoughtfully, appreciatively and lovingly, and to ask ourselves how we can apply his insights in our time. What can we do in our own world to draw attention tot he Word, enhance the ministries of the church and deepen faith in the things of God? What can be done to encourage Christians to pay attention to the divine, thinking biblically, theologically, about their daily lives? (p. 31)

I've only begun to dig into this book. So far, it has been excellent.

Check it out: Announcement & Endorsements.

Purchase:

Heroes of the Past: Apply Their Insights in Our Time

Douglas Sweeney's Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word

I am making good headway on my summer reading, but the pile keeps getting larger anyway. No complaints here!!! A new title I've added to my must read pile is Douglas Sweeney's Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word. This volume is courtesy of IVP Academic. Jonathan Edwards continues to be an inspiration to pastors and ministerial students to this day. I am convinced that it is a direct result of God's sovereign hand upon his life and his humble submission to Christ and the Scriptures.

Douglas Sweeney is worth listening to especially when it comes to Jonathan Edwards. He teaches Church History at TEDS and has written extensively on New England Theology and Jonathan Edwards. Read his faculty bio posted on the TEDS website:

Douglas A. Sweeney is Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought and Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Dr. Sweeney came to Trinity in 1997 from Yale University, where he edited The Works of Jonathan Edwards and served as a lecturer in church history and historical theology. Sweeney has also served as an adjunct professor at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, and a visiting professor for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sweeney received the Doctor of Philosophy and the Master of Arts in Religion from Vanderbilt University, the Master of Arts in the History of Christian Thought from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the Bachelor of Arts in History from Wheaton College. His areas of expertise include the history of theology, history of Christianity, and American church history. He belongs to numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Church History, which he serves as a member of the Committee on Research. He is currently President of the Conference on Faith and History. He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Jonathan Edwards Research Fellowship, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Dr. Sweeney has written numerous books and articles about religious history and the American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. He is the coeditor of The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader (Yale University Press); the author of Nathaniel Taylor, New Haven Theology, and the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (Oxford University Press); the editor of Jonathan Edwards's "Miscellanies" Nos. 1153-1360, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 23 (Yale University Press); the co-editor of Jonathan Edwards at Home and Abroad: Historical Memories, Cultural Movements, Global Horizons (University of South Carolina Press); the author of The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement (Baker Academic); the co-editor of The New England Theology: From Jonathan Edwards to Edwards Amasa Park (Baker Academic); and the author of Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word (InterVarsity Press, [2009]).

The endorsements listed for this volume are numerous and compelling. Read for yourself:

"Doug Sweeney has written a fine introduction to Jonathan Edwards' life and theology. Accessible and accurate, this introduction is a good place to start in trying to understand Edwards as a man, a Christian, a theologian and a pastor."

—Mark Dever, senior pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.

"I love this book! Doug Sweeney not only demonstrates the central role of Scripture in the theology and pastoral ministry of Jonathan Edwards but also provides us with a vibrant portrayal of his life and the many brilliant insights that have rightly contributed to his global reputation. Combining clarity and ease of style with a remarkable breadth of research, Sweeney has given us a treatment of Edwards that may well prove to be the standard against which all future contributions are judged. I highly recommend it!"

—Sam Storms, Ph.D., senior pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"Doug Sweeney gives us a nourishing and tasty introduction to the real Edwards, and focuses in this brief but substantial volume on Edwards' ministry of the Word. He provides a fascinating entrance to the life and career of Edwards, and then zeroes in on Edwards' multifaceted understanding of Scripture. Sweeney gives us enough detail to stimulate new insights into Edwards, "Scripture and its Author. But his writing is not so technical that the general reader would not be abundantly rewarded by perusing this slim but informative and illuminating volume."

—Gerald McDermott, professor of religion, Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia

"Douglas Sweeney has written an admirable 'Jonathan Edwards for Christians.' It is at once authoritative and addressed to the practical concerns of evangelicals in the pews."

—George Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life and A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards

"With the exception of George Marsden and Kenneth Minkema, it is hard to find someone more knowledgeable about Jonathan Edwards than Douglas Sweeney. In focusing his book on Edwards as minister, Sweeney offers academic and clerical readers a treasure trove of insight and elegant prose. If not Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, the inclusion of seven 'theses' for discussion at the end is a stroke of genius and will certainly enhance the reading experience for church groups of all levels. For anyone interested in getting to know America's greatest theologian in greater detail, this masterful analysis is must-reading."

—Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University

"A lively, intimate portrait of a man many have found distant and intimidating. Douglas Sweeney reveals Jonathan Edwards to be the flesh-and-blood Christian we should have suspected he was, in a way that neither patronizes nor idealizes him. As importantly, we have here for the first time an account of Edwards' life that rightly places the Bible at the center of his intellectual and pastoral genius."

—Robert E. Brown, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, James Madison University, and author of Jonathan Edwards and the Bible

"Strangely, it has taken nearly three centuries for us to realize the obvious: that Jonathan Edwards had a lifelong love affair with the Bible. Doug Sweeney has been at the forefront of elucidating Edwards the exegete and the biblical foundations of his theology. In this new work, Sweeney shows the vital, reflective and informed connections between Edwards' Biblicism and his calling as a 'faithful minister of the Word.' Even more, Sweeney points out the extent to which Edwards' more formal theological formulations arose directly out of his local pastoral experience. This study will be a blessing to pastors, preachers and spiritual leaders, who can learn from Edwards' faith, thought and experience."

—Dr. Kenneth P. Minkema, executive director, Jonathan Edwards Center, and adjunct assistant professor of American religious history, Yale University

About the Book (from IVP)

Jonathan Edwards has been recognized as the most influential evangelical theologian of all time. Before his death at the age of fifty-four, he had sparked a new movement of Reformed evangelicals who played a major role in fueling the rise of modern missions, preaching revivals far and wide, and wielding the cutting edge of American theology. He has never gone out of print, and Christians today continue to flock to seminars and conferences on him.

In this biography of the great preacher and teacher, historian Douglas Sweeney locates for us the core and key to Edwards' enduring impact. Sweeney finds that Edwards' profound and meticulous study of the Bible securely anchored his powerful preaching, his lively theological passions and his discerning pastoral work. Beyond introducing you to Edwards' life and times, this book will provide you with a model of Christian faith, thought and ministry.

Book Excerpts

Preface

Introduction: The Word in Edwards' World

Douglas Sweeney's Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word

Signed Jonathan Edwards Sale at Dust & Ashes Publications

I just received the following email from Dust & Ashes Publications and want to help spread the news.

AN EXTRA SPECIAL OFFERING!

Jonathan Edwards autographs are exceptionally rare on the market. Without being melodramatic, this really is an exceptional opportunity for a quality personal collector or institutional collection to pick up one of the most desirable Christian collectibles extant.

Sold individually, we are offering two volumes from Humphrey Prideaux's Old and New Testament History.

Volume 1 is signed by Jonathan Edwards over the frontis, additionally by Samuel Hopkins on the ffep. Very finely bound in sympathetic new best calf.

Volume 2 is signed by Jonathan Edwards and Samuel Hopkins both over the frontis. Again, very finely bound in sympathetic new best calf.

Provenance: Jonathan Edwards, to Samuel Hopkins, to Rev. Otis Thompson (follower of Hopkins and editor of an important Hopkinsian periodical), to Fred Richardson, to Rev. E. C. Bolles, minister and abolitionist in Salem, Mass, to Forbes Library with a late 19th century note of provenance. Deaccessioned from the same.

Detailed images and price available upon request. Priced well-below the going rate for Edwards autograph material on consignment from one of our private collectors.

Contact Dust & Ashes Publications.

While you're looking into this, you will also want to take a look at these:

Featured Publications From Our Store

Muller, George. A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings...

Caryl, Joseph. Practical Observations Upon the Book of Job

Bonar, Horatius. Light & Truth. Bible Thoughts & Themes

Finally, I still have two very old sets of Timothy Dwight's (Jonathan Edward's grandson) four-volume Theology: Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons. I would be willing to part with one set for a fair offer. let me know if you are inerested. I can provide more photos, if necessary.

See more on these volumes here.

Signed Jonathan Edwards Sale at Dust & Ashes Publications

A Worthy New Year's Resolution

Many New Year's resolutions don't last past the fireworks. Most of mine seem to go up in smoke. But lately I've been thinking on a Scripture passage that convicts me to not admit defeat but to try yet again: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:7-8).

From the Greek word translated discipline we get our word gymnasium. We might make resolutions to eat healthier foods and work out more, but how much sweat do we put into our pursuit of godliness? I recognize this as a serious shortcoming of mine. So, resolved, by God's grace to apply myself more deliberately to pursuing godliness. That might mean getting up earlier so I can read and pray over Scripture before the day's business demands my attention. So the early morning darkness may find me in a corner with a little pool of light.

I need to discipline myself to prepare and leave earlier for appointments (church, officers' meetings, etc.) instead of arriving last minute or late. I need to be more cheerful and trusting under stress. I need to speak for Christ more consistently and fervently as I have opportunity. Whatever God gives me to do, I need to do it with all my heart instead of with a divided heart.

One reason for making a resolution like this is to show me where my heart is. Do I thirst for God or merely hunger for the things of this life? I like the way Steven J. Lawson puts it in his book, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards (pp. 63-64):

Every great Christian leader has a master passion, an overruling ambition that dominates his life and drives his soul. It is that in which he most believes, that which most captures his mind and enflames his heart. Such a chief aim controls him and defines his very reason for being. This supreme sense of purpose becomes a motivation so strong that it empowers him to overcome all obstacles and override all adversity. For Jonathan Edwards, this passion was the summum bonum set forth in Scripture, the highest good in the universe--the glory of God. Edwards believed that God's ultimate end in all things is the manifestation of His glory. In his theological masterpiece, Dissertation on the End for Which God Created the World, penned near the end of his life (1755), he argued that God made the world for His own glory. "For it appears that all that is ever spoken of in the Scripture as an ultimate end of God's works," Edwards stated, "is included in that one phrase, the glory of God." That being the case, Edwards concluded that bringing glory to God must be his preeminent purpose. This pursuit was firmly established in him from the very beginning of his Christian walk.

May God help all His people in their resolve to glorify Him in 2009. If our discipline weakens and our resolve crumbles, may we realize that God put the resolve in us to begin with: "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). He has called us to Himself, having predestined us to be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:28-39). He will not fail--and neither will we, because God is for us!

A Worthy New Year's Resolution

Eerdmans' Library of Religious Biography

I would like to commend to you Eerdmans' Library of Religious Biography. This series is edited by Mark A. Noll, Nathan O. Hatch and Allen C. Guelzo. As you will note, the series is very broad, including individuals from various ends of the spectrum of American and British religious history.

This morning we have posted Doug Brown's review of the following volume in this series:

Tyson, John R. Assist Me to Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley. Library of Religious Biography. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2008. Paperback, 328 pages. $22.00

Purchase: Eerdmans | Amazon | CBD

A Limited Preview is available via Amazon’s Online Reader: here.

Book Review: Assist Me to Proclaim (Reviewed by Doug Brown)

The Publisher's Description of this Series:

The Library of Religious Biography is a series of original biographies on important religious figures throughout American and British history.

The authors are well-known historians, each a recognized authority in the period of religious history in which his or her subject lived and worked. Grounded in solid research of both published and archival sources, these volumes link the lives of their subjects — not always thought of as “religious” persons — to the broader cultural contexts and religious issues that surrounded them. Each volume includes a bibliographical essay and an index to serve the needs of students, teachers, and researchers.

Marked by careful scholarship yet free of footnotes and academic jargon, the books in this series are well-written narratives meant to be read and enjoyed as well as studied.

Titles in this Series:

Billy Sunday [1862-1935]

Lyle W. Dorsett, Billy Sunday and the Redemption of Urban America (Eerdmans, 1991) - Eerdmans | Amazon (Note: this title has since been republished by Mercer University Press in 2004.)

George Whitefield [1714-1770]

Harry S. Stout, The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism (Eerdmans, 1991) - Eerdmans | Amazon

William Ewart Gladstone [1809-1898]

David W. Bebbington, William Ewart Gladstone: Faith and Politics in Victorian Britain (Eerdmans, 1993) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Aimee Semple McPherson [1890-1944]

Edith L. Blumhofer, Aimee Semple McPherson: Everybody's Sister (Eerdmans, 1993) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Thomas Jefferson [1743-1826]

Edwin S. Gaustad, Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography of Thomas Jefferson (Eerdmans, 1996) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Charles G. Finney [1792-1875]

Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe, Charles G. Finney and the Spirit of American Evangelicalism (Eerdmans, 1996) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Blaise Pascal [1623-1662]

Marvin R. O'Connell, Blaise Pascal: Reasons of the Heart (Eerdmans, 1997) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Thomas Merton [1915-1968]

Lawrence S. Cunningham, Thomas Merton and the Monastic Vision (Eerdmans, 1999) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Abraham Lincoln [1809-1865]

Allen C. Guelzo, Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (Eerdmans, 2002) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Horace Bushnell [1802-1876]

Robert Bruce Mullin, The Puritan as Yankee: A Life of Horace Bushnell (Eerdmans, 2002) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Arthur Tappan Pierson [1837-1911]

Dana L. Robert, Occupy Until I Come: A. T. Pierson and the Evangelization of the World (Eerdmans, 2003) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Orestes Augustus Brownson [1803-1876]

Patrick W. Carey, Orestes A. Brownson: American Religious Weathervane (Eerdmans, 2004) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Emily Dickinson [1830-1886]

Roger Lundin, Emily Dickinson and the Art of Belief (2nd edition, Eerdmans, 2004) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Fanny J. Crosby [1820-1915]

Edith L. Blumhofer, Her Heart Can See: The Life and Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby (Eerdmans, 2005) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Jonathan Edwards [1703-1758]

George Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (Eerdmans, 2008) - Eerdmans | Amazon | WTS | CBD

Ellen G. White [1827-1915]

Ronald L. Numbers, Prophetess of Health: Ellen G. White (3rd edition, Eerdmans, 2008) - Eerdmans | Amazon

William Miller [1782-1849]

David L. Rowe, God's Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World (Eerdmans, 2008) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Charles Wesley [1707-1788]

John R. Tyson, Assist Me to Proclaim: The Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley (Eerdmans, 2008) - Eerdmans | Amazon

Francis Schaeffer [1912-1984]

Barry Hankins, Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America (Eerdmans, forthcoming Nov, 2008) - Eerdmans | Amazon | WTS

Eerdmans' Library of Religious Biography

Edwards' Birthday Celebrated Logos-Style

Logos is celebrating the 305th birthday of Jonathan Edwards by offering a couple of presents:

A Birthday Special

What would a birthday be without a birthday present? To celebrate Edwards’ 305th birthday and the soon arrival of his works in Libronix format, we have two specials for you, our blog readers:

1. Get a taste of Edwards now by downloading A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections for free! Use coupon code EDWARDS during checkout to get this Edwards classic for no charge.
2. Save 40% on the two Piper books on Edwards mentioned above by using coupon code PIPER-EDWARDS.

Both specials are good for one week, so take advantage now and spread the word!

Edwards' Birthday Celebrated Logos-Style

Jonathan Edwards' 305th Birthday

Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703. Today the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale has launched WJE Online 2.0 which consists of 73-volume digital volumes of Edwards works.

This is fantastic! Great work JEC!!! Check it out.

Here is the list:

Works of Jonathan Edwards Online 2.0:

Volume 1: Freedom of the Will

Volume 2: Religious Affections

Volume 3: Original Sin

Volume 4: The Great Awakening

Volume 5: Apocalyptic Writings

Volume 6: Scientific and Philosophical Writings

Volume 7: The Life of David Brainerd

Volume 8: Ethical Writings

Volume 9: A History of the Work of Redemption

Volume 10: Sermons and Discourses, 1720-1723

Volume 11: Typological Writings

Volume 12: Ecclesiastical Writings

Volume 13: The "Miscellanies", Entry Nos. a-z, aa-zz, 1-500

Volume 14: Sermons and Discourses, 1723-1729

Volume 15: Notes on Scripture

Volume 16: Letters and Personal Writings

Volume 17: Sermons and Discourses, 1730-1733

Volume 18: The "Miscellanies," 501-832

Volume 19: Sermons and Discourses, 1734-1738

Volume 20: The "Miscellanies," 833-1152

Volume 21: Writings on the Trinity, Grace, and Faith

Volume 22: Sermons and Discourses, 1739-1742

Volume 23: The "Miscellanies," 1153–1360

Volume 24: The Blank Bible

Volume 25: Sermons and Discourses, 1743-1758

Volume 26: Catalogues of Books (Yale University access only)

Previously unpublished works

Volume 27 “Controversies” Notebook

Volume 28 Minor Controversial Writings

Volume 29 “Harmony of the Scriptures”

Volume 30 “Prophecies of the Messiah”

Volume 31 “History of Redemption” Notebooks

Volume 32 Correspondence by, to, and about Edwards and His Family

Volume 33 “Misrepresentations Corrected” Draft

Volume 34 “Original Sin” Notebook

Volume 35 Charity and Its Fruits (Tryon Edwards, ed., “Charity and Its Fruits” (1852)*, Joseph Bellamy, Sermons 1-3 (Htfd. Sem.)*

Volume 36 Sermon Notebooks

Volume 37 Documents on the Trinity, Grace and Faith

Volume 38 Dismissal and Post-Dismissal Documents

Volume 39 Church and Pastoral Documents

Volume 40 Autobiographical and Biographical Documents

Volume 41 Family Writings and Related Documents

Sermons, Series II

1,200+ Sermons are arranged chronologically, though the number of volumes and divisions between volumes is subject to change due to length of given sermons. Volumes in Series II would include the transcripts and edited texts of previously unpublished sermons; transcripts of published sermons would be linked to the versions published in the Yale edition.

Volume 42 Sermons, Series II, 1723-1727

Volume 43 Sermons, Series II, 1728-1729

Volume 44 Sermons, Series II, 1729

Volume 45 Sermons, Series II, 1729-1731

Volume 46 Sermons, Series II, 1731-1732

Volume 47 Sermons, Series II, 1731-1732

Volume 48 Sermons, Series II, 1733

Volume 49 Sermons, Series II, 1734

Volume 50 Sermons, Series II, 1735

Volume 51 Sermons, Series II, 1736

Volume 52 Sermons, Series II, 1737

Volume 53 Sermons, Series II, 1738, and Undated, 1734-1738

Volume 54 Sermons, Series II, 1739

Volume 55 Sermons, Series II, January-June 1740

Volume 56 Sermons, Series II, July-December 1740

Volume 57 Sermons, Series II, January-June 1741

Volume 58 Sermons, Series II, July-December 1741

Volume 59 Sermons, Series II, January-June 1742

Volume 60 Sermons, Series II, July-December 1742, and Undated, 1739-1742

Volume 61 Sermons, Series II, 1743

Volume 62 Sermons, Series II, 1744

Volume 63 Sermons, Series II, 1745

Volume 64 Sermons, Series II, 1746

Volume 65 Sermons, Series II, 1747

Volume 66 Sermons, Series II, 1748

Volume 67 Sermons, Series II, 1749

Volume 68 Sermons, Series II, 1750

Volume 69 Sermons, Series II, 1751

Volume 70 Sermons, Series II, 1752

Volume 71 Sermons, Series II, 1753

Volume 72 Sermons, Series II, 1754-1755

Volume 73 Sermons, Series II, 1756-1758,Undated, and Fragments

Jonathan Edwards' 305th Birthday

A Memorial to Jonathan Edwards

by Andy Efting

In September of 1757, the College of New Jersey, recently relocated from Newark to Princeton, suffered a dual blow. First, its founder, New Jersey Governor Jonathan Belcher, and then its young president, Aaron Burr, both died within weeks of each other. Burr actually managed to preach the eulogy at Belcher’s funeral before dying himself just three weeks later from malaria. The trustees at Princeton had a crisis on their hands and turned to Burr’s father-in-law, Jonathan Edwards, to help steady the school. After much cajoling, Edwards finally relented and accepted the presidency of the school.

Edwards formally became president on February 16, 1758. While he was in Princeton assuming his duties, his wife and family were back in Stockbridge, MA, not planning to move until sometime later that spring. In preparation for their move and with the desire to protect them from an outbreak of small pox that had occurred in the Princeton area, Edwards decided to take the still experimental inoculation for that disease. Tragically, his recovery from that vaccination did not go well. He contracted a small pox infection in his throat and mouth that quickly led to his death on March 22, 1758, just weeks after assuming his new position. He was only 54 years old.

George Marsden shares Edwards’ reaction when he knew the end was near:

When he realized that he would not survive, he called his daughter Lucy [the widow of Aaron Burr], who was attending him, and said (in words she almost immediately wrote down):

“Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue forever: and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all to seek a Father, who will never fail you.^[1]

Sarah, his wife, responded with a remarkable contentment to the will of God. In a letter written to her daughter Esther, she wrote:

O My Very Dear Child,

What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. Oh that we may kiss the rod [of reproof], and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. Oh what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God: and there I am, and love to be.

Sarah Edwards^[2]

This touching exchange, though not technically between each other, shows in Edward’s words, the “uncommon union” that these two possessed both in their marriage and in their relationship to the Lord. Several years earlier, the then bachelor George Whitefield had observed their marriage and on reflection proclaimed that “a sweeter couple I have not yet seen.” That visit encouraged him “to renew those prayers, which for some months, I have put up to God, that He would be pleased to send me a daughter of Abraham to be my wife.”

So, while their deaths were tragic, and one can only bemoan the incalculable loss that the church suffered with the early death of such a profound thinker and theologian, we can be thankful for their godly example and remarkable legacy, both in the lives that they touched personally and through the enduring works and sermons of Mr. Edwards.

____________________

^[1] George Marsden. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003, p. 494.

^[2] Ibid., p. 495.

For further reading:

• Elisabeth D. Dodds. Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. Laurel, MS: Audubon Press, 2003. (CBD | Amazon)
  
• George M. Marsden. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University, 2003. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  
• Iain H. Murray. Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  
• John Piper. God's Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998. (WTS | CBD | Amazon)
  

A Memorial to Jonathan Edwards

Altogether Lovely by Jonathan Edwards

Edwards, Jonathan. Altogether Lovely: Jonathan Edwards on the Glory and Excellency of Jesus Christ. Collected and edited by Don Kistler. Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria, 1998. Hardcover, vi, 231 pages. $24.00.

Purchase: WTS ($19.20) | CBD ($21.99) | CVBBS ($18.75) | Mongergism ($16.80) | Amazon ($19.45)

ISBNs: 1573580716 / 9781573580717

DCN: 252.058

ISBN: BT200.E39

Subjects: Jesus Christ, Jonathan Edwards, Sermons-18th Century

Many of the book reviews posted lately are of new books. While this is a great service, it is also important to keep before us some of the "tried and true" books from years past. I was glad to find reviews of this collection of some of Jonathan Edwards' sermons and hope that you, too, will consider obtaining and reading this highly-praised book.

Reviewed by:

Dr Sam Horn (Brookside Baptist Church)

"This small volume is truly an undiscovered treasure."

Nathan Pitchford (Reformation Theology)

"To Edwards, the beautiful mystery of Jesus Christ is the only illimitable and eternal source of heart-thrilling meditation and worship. And when so gifted a theologian and so passionate a Christ-lover as Jonathan Edwards turns the fire of his heart and the brilliance of his mind to the subject of the glory and excellency of Jesus, the result is a profound celebration of joy and an exhilarating foretaste of the very blessedness of heaven."

Altogether Lovely by Jonathan Edwards

Religious Affections | Free Download

This month at Christian Audio you can download a free copy of an audiobook version of Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. This title comes highly recommended from numerous sources. Don't pass this up (tell a friend).

The Religious Affections

by Jonathan Edwards

Narrated by Simon Vance

COMPARE TO: Audiobook on CD from CBD $28.99 | on MP3 from CBD $19.99

HARD COPY FORMAT:

• Religious Affections. (Ambassador-Emerald, Intl., 2006) [CBD, $9.99]
• Religious Affections. (BOT, 1961) [CBD, $17.99 | WTS, $12.35 | Monergism, $15.20]

RELATED BOOKS:

• The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 2 Volumes. (Hendrickson, 1998) [CBD, $59.99]
• The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 2 Volumes. (BOT, nd) [WTS, $56.70 | Monergism, $$62.00]
• Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections. (Crossway Books, 2007) [CBD, $11.99 | WTS, $10.55 | Monergism, $11.95]

Religious Affections | Free Download

David Brainerd (April 20, 1718—Oct. 9, 1747)

David Brainerd, missionary to Native Americans in New England, died 260 years ago today. It is widely believed today that Brainerd suffered from tuberculosis, which was at that time called consumption. Though he died young (age 29) and was a missionary for only the last four years of his life, Brainerd wields an influence that extends far beyond his short life.

David Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut. Orphaned at 14, young Brainerd was more given to soul-searching and performing religious duties than to frolicking with friends. He came at times under conviction of sin and hoped that he was converted, but he didn’t have assurance. After years of struggling to obey God’s law and failing, at age 21 Brainerd’s eyes were opened and God brought him to a saving understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He saw Christ’s sacrifice of Himself as the propitiation for all his sins. All he had to do was believe, and God granted him the faith. The lessons Brainerd learned about his own wicked, deceitful heart during the years of conviction would come into play in his ministry with people who had never heard the Gospel and had never considered themselves sinners.

Brainerd entered Yale to prepare for the ministry, but he was expelled during his junior year. A student overheard him say to a friend that a certain tutor at the school had “no more grace than this chair.” That was all it took, and Brainerd’s hopes for a pastorate were dashed. A law in Connecticut required that all pastors be trained at Harvard, Yale, or a European divinity school. Brainerd testified in his journal that it would be hard seeing his friends receive their degrees when he wasn’t allowed to finish. But the Lord subdued his spirit, and he was content with his situation.

Brainerd still wanted to serve God and continued his preparation for the ministry. He received a license to preach in 1742 and soon afterward, under the auspices of the Scottish Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, became a missionary to Native Americans. Traveling on horseback, and sometimes on foot, he ministered to tribes in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. During this time Brainerd was not a well man. He already had the tuberculosis that would eventually claim his life, and being exposed to the elements so often hastened his death.

At first he had little results from his ministry to comfort him. Adversity would reveal things in his heart that repulsed him, and he longed for more holiness and more of the sense of God’s smile on him. Sometimes he was favored with a greater sense of God’s presence, giving him much cause for rejoicing.

After a while he began noticing what he could describe only as a moving of the Spirit among the Indians. Many were becoming concerned for their souls, having been shown the heart-wickedness they were never aware of before. Brainerd had been preaching the doctrines of grace, beginning with the need for salvation: our great and incurable sin before a holy God. The people finally became convinced that they could do nothing to please God or appease His wrath, and the Lord opened their eyes the way He had done with Brainerd years earlier. Looking back on nearly a year of success, Brainerd could only give glory to God for the change wrought in people who, only nine months earlier, had been worshiping false gods and living savage, immoral lives.

David Brainerd was enabled to establish a congregation and a school among the Indians and secured the services of his brother John to oversee the congregation. But his failing health caused him to decide to take a trip in hopes of improving his condition. He visited his congregation once more, but he was never to minister among them again. Brainerd eventually traveled to Northampton, Massachusetts to see Jonathan Edwards, who had preached at Yale when Brainerd was a student. Edwards took in the ailing young preacher, and his daughter Jerusha acted as Brainerd’s nurse until he died.

During his last few months Brainerd sometimes became distressed that he was no longer able to participate in the work of preaching and ministering in the community. Once again he felt the coldness of his own heart and wished for more of God’s presence. He also wished that God would take him and relieve his suffering through death. In those days there was no real treatment for what was bringing Brainerd down, nor was pain medication available.

However, Brainerd learned some spiritual lessons through his illness, things he already believed but that seemed to crystallize under this final adversity. Sometimes we don’t thoroughly believe what we believe until that belief is put to the test. In one journal entry he says, “Towards noon, I saw that the grace of God in Christ is infinitely free towards sinners and such sinners as I was. I also saw that God is the supreme good, that in His presence is life. I began to long to die that I might be with Him in a state of freedom from all sin.” Less than three weeks before his death another spiritual struggle compounded the physical pain he felt. His mind registered an accusation: “you are filthy, not fit for heaven.” Brainerd continues, “Hereupon instantly appeared the blessed robes of Christ’s righteousness which I could not but exult and triumph in.” Brainerd saw that Christ’s grace is all-sufficient; sufficient to lead him from sin to salvation, sufficient to lead him from trial to trial, sufficient to lead him from earth to heaven.

Jonathan Edwards testified that it was his privilege to host this dying saint and to observe his faith. Edwards was so impressed that he edited Brainerd’s diary for publication. I have heard that this book has never been out of print and is a missionary classic that influenced Henry Martyn and William Carey.

Why is a man who ministered a short time in obscurity and died young so influential 260 years later? It is because of the spirituality revealed in his diary. Here is a man learning to be content. Redirected by God through expulsion from college, serving in the wilderness under hard conditions instead of a comfortable pastorate, enduring bad health and seeming lack of success; in all these things David Brainerd learned to submit to God in all of His dealings with His servant. Through it all he learned to delight in God. Brainerd desired two things: to be like God and to be with God. On October 9, 1747 God gave him his desire.

The Life and Diary of David Brainerd is still available. My copy is a paperback from Baker Book House, 1995. It is included in the two-volume Works of Jonathan Edwards by Banner of Truth. It is also available as an audio book.

In addition to the diary I found a good lecture on Brainerd which is available as an mp3 download.

Feel free to inform us of any biographies or other resources on Brainerd.

David Brainerd (April 20, 1718—Oct. 9, 1747)

Happy Birthday to Jonathan Edwards

To celebrate the birthday of Jonathan Edwards, Desiring God Ministries is offering a sale on Edwards items. Note that this offer is only available online!

Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703-March 22, 1758) was born 304 years ago today.

Here's a snippit from the DGM blog:

In celebration, we've discounted our Edwards-related products by 30% through Sunday, Oct. 7:

• The Works of Jonathan Edwards (2-Volume Hardcover Set)
  Regular Price: $54.00
  Sale Price: $37.80
• God's Passion for His Glory (Softcover Book)
  Regular Price: $11.00
  Sale Price: $7.70
• and many more...
  

(This offer is only available online.)

Please visit Josh's post on the Desiring God Blog for links to more Jonathan Edwards resources.

Happy Birthday to Jonathan Edwards

The Life of David Brainerd | Free at ChristianAudio.com

Wow, I nearly forgot about checking to see what is being offered free this month at ChristianAudio.com (thanks to Phil for the reminder!). I'd encourage you to load up your mp3 player with a good book. Here's what the good folks at ChristianAudio.com are giving away this month.

The Life of David Brainerd (Unabridged) by Jonathan Edwards

This book offers not only a captivating story, but an uplifting buoy for those who are weary, distant, or discouraged. It is an encouragement to all Christians to remain true to their calling through joyful times and discouragement.

Though he was orphaned at age fourteen, repeatedly struck with debilitating illnesses, and unfairly expelled from college, Brainerd allowed nothing to deter him from serving God wholeheartedly. He traveled thousands of miles by horseback across treacherous terrain to preach the gospel to remote Indians. His calling required a rugged man—he even slept outside in the cold without cover—yet he constantly displayed a gentle and meek love for people entirely different from himself. Their benefit ultimately brought about his early death at the age of twenty-nine. Like an invigorating shower, the listener will be rejuvenated by Brainerd’s life-giving devotional insights, refreshing clarity of purpose, and heartwarming preaching. This book offers not only a captivating story, but an uplifting buoy for those who are weary, distant, or discouraged.

I've downloaded my copy!

Online version @ CCEL.

If you don't have your own hard copy of this book, it would make an excellent addition to your library. Get a copy for your church library, too!

The Life & Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards (Baker, 1989) PB.

CBD | WTS | CVBBS

The Life & Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards (Hendrickson, 2006) PB.

CBD

*** I'd recommend you consider this hardback edition first!***
The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards (Banner of Truth, 2007) HB.

WTS | BOT | CVBBS

The Life of David Brainerd | Free at ChristianAudio.com

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (pt. 1)

I’ve been meaning to write something about the first day session of Whetstone 2007. It was a message by my pastor, Mark Minnick, and was titled, “Speak, Lord, in the Stillness.” Pastor Minnick took his text from Exodus 33: 1-17 and raised the question of the necessity of getting alone with God. Acknowledging that many preachers argue against the necessity of seeking quiet times with the Lord, Pastor Minnick demonstrated from Scripture that it seemed to be something highly desirable and was the practice of God’s men from the time of Moses onward.

Some in the ministry argue that because of the nature of their ministry and the demands made on their time they can meet with the Lord anytime, anywhere without something as time-consuming as private devotion. Pastor pointed out that if any man, other than our Lord, had those kinds of demands made of him and had that kind of access to God so that he might feel no need of private time with the Lord, it was Moses. Yet from this point on in the wilderness journey “Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting” (Ex. 33:7). This was before the tabernacle was erected. So Moses, to whom God spoke face to face as a man speaks with his friend, felt the need for shutting out the world for times of getting alone with God. In this way he foreshadowed our Lord Jesus Christ, who had greater demands made of Him and unbroken fellowship with the Father, yet He would often slip away for seasons of private prayer.

The picture on the brochure for the conference is of a room that John Wesley set aside in the heart of London for getting alone with God. Wesley was 76 years old when he moved into this house, and he was still pursuing the same thing that Moses was. The purpose for such a place and time for meeting with God is to shut out the clamor of the world so we can focus our attention on the Lord. Jonathan Edwards used to walk out into the woods to meditate and be alone with God. A.W. Tozer had a small study behind the platform in the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church he pastored. He used this room for getting alone with God in the south side of Chicago. When he entered the room, he would change into a pair of old pants he called his “praying pants” and get down prostrate on the floor with his nose pressed into a handkerchief to avoid breathing dust from the carpet. And there he met with the Lord. This just seems to be the felt need of God’s men from the time of Moses down to the present. While this passage in Exodus doesn’t mandate the practice, it definitely presents private devotion as something highly desirable.

I’ll try to post more on this message soon and bring out some of the details from Exodus 33 that are “written for our admonition.”

Speak, Lord, in the Stillness (pt. 1)

Book Reading Club - July

July – Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

July is here already! Wow! I don't know about you, but June was a busy month and July looks even busier. I did not finish reading what I had started in Owen and Bunyan, but what I read served as a very helpful look into two great books.

This month we will be turning our attention to the works of Jonathan Edwards. I've already begun listening to The Best of Jonathan Edwards' Sermons, a free audiobook received from christianaudio.com (see here). However, I will pick a book and begin reading it this month.

If you haven't already read Iain Murray's biography of Jonathan Edwards, I highly recommend it to you! I read it a few years back and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's full of details, but Murray is a brilliant biographer.

Who will be joining in? I'd like to hear from you.

Book Reading Club - July

Free Audiobooks >> Christianaudio.com

I've been listening to my free audio book The Reformed Pastor, by Richard Baxter. Baxter's advice is still current and needed. I have been greatly humbled and challenged.

This audiobook was offered as a free download in May of 2007. The reader is pleasant to listen to and the quality of the recording is outstanding. (This audio book can also be purchase from CBD.)

If audiobooks are not for you, pastors, please get your hands on a copy of the printed books (CBD; currently $7.99 / WTS $6.30).

This month christianaudio.com is offering a free download of...

The Best of Jonathan Edwards Sermons (Unabridged)

Author: Jonathan Edwards

The Jonathan Edwards trilogy includes three of the most important sermons ever preached on American soil. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is maybe the most important and well-known sermon of his, but also included is A Divine and Supernatural Light describing and illuminating what Edwards describes as a supernatural light imparted by God. His farewell sermon was given in June of 1750 and is a commendation to those who are in the Lord's service, a plea to maintain unity, avoid dissension and false doctrine, and a call to devote themselves to prayer.

If you haven't visited Christian Audio already, please browse their listings. They have a lot of free sermons, lectures and interviews available.

Here's their Free Audiobook section.

Free Audiobooks >> Christianaudio.com

A Sweet Flame

I just found out about a new book on Jonathan Edwards. Its title is A Sweet Flame: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards. The book is edited by historian Michael Haykin, who provides annotations and a biographical sketch of Edwards. It's a paperback, 169 pp., from Reformation Heritage Books. They currently have it marked 25% off. Thanks to Justin Taylor (who wrote a cover blurb for the book) for this tip. I look forward to getting a copy.

A Sweet Flame

Book Review--The New England Theology

This morning we are running another review on SharperIron. Here are the details:

The New England Theology: From Jonathan Edwards to Edwards Amasa Park. Edited by Douglas A. Sweeney and Allen C. Guelzo. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006. 320 pages. $29.99/hardback.

Purchase: Baker Academic, CBD, WTS Bookstore

Special Features: Bibliographic references and index

ISBNs: 0801027098 / 978-0801027093

LCCN: BX7250.N49 2006

DCN: 230’.580974

Subject(s): New England Theology; Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1759; Calvinism; New Divinity Theology; Congregational churches—Doctrines.

Douglas A. Sweeney (Ph.D., Vanderbilt University) is associate professor and chair of the church history and the history of Christian thought department and director of the Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Allen C. Guelzo (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and director of the Civil War Era Studies program at Gettysburg College.

Click here to go to view the full review. Please give us your feedback on this and any of our other reviews.

To read all of our book reviews click here.

Book Review--The New England Theology