 28. The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners Part 3 But I expect there are many of you that will object. Such an objection as this is probably now in the hearts of many here present. 1. Objection. If I am not willing to have Christ for my Saviour, I cannot make myself willing. But I would give an answer to this objection by laying down two things that must be acknowledged to be exceeding evident. 1. It is no excuse that you cannot receive Christ of yourself unless you would if you could. This is so evident of itself that it scarce needs any proof. Certainly if persons would not if they could, it is just the same thing as to the blame that lies upon them whether they can or cannot. If you were willing and then found that you could not, you being unable would alter the case and might be some excuse, because then the defect would not be in your will but only in your ability. But as long as you will not, it is no matter whether you have ability or no ability. If you are not willing to accept of Christ, it follows that you have no sincere willingness to be willing, because the will always necessarily approves of and rests in its own acts. To suppose the contrary would be to suppose a contradiction. It would be to suppose that a man's will is contrary to itself or that he wills contrary to what he himself wills. As you are not willing to come to Christ and cannot make yourself willing, so you have no sincere desire to be willing, and therefore may most justly perish without a Saviour. There is no excuse at all for you, for say what you will about your inability, the seat of your blame lies in your perverse will that is an enemy to the Saviour. It is in vain for you to tell of your want of power as long as your will is found defective. If a man should hate you and smite you in the face, but should tell you at the same time that he hated you so much that he could not help choosing and willing so to do, would you take it the more patiently for that? Would not your indignation be rather stirred up the more? 2. If you would be willing, if you could, that is no excuse, unless your unwillingness to be willing be sincere. That which is hypocritical and does not come from the heart but is merely forced, ought wholly to be set aside as worthy of no consideration, because common sense teaches that what is not hearty but hypocritical is indeed nothing only a show of what is not, but that which is good for nothing ought to go for nothing. But if you set aside all that is not free and call nothing a willingness but a free hearty willingness, then see how the case stands and whether or no you have not lost all your excuse for standing out against the calls of the gospel. You say you would make yourself willing to accept if you could, but it is not from any good principle that you are willing for that. It is not from any free inclination or true respect to Christ or any love to your duty or any spirit of obedience. It is not from the influence of any real respect or tendency in your heart towards anything good or from any other principle then such as is in the hearts of devils and would make them have the same sort of willingness in the same circumstances. It is therefore evident that there can be no goodness in that would be willing to come to Christ, and that which has no goodness cannot be an excuse for any badness. If there be no good in it then it signifies nothing and weighs nothing when put into the scales to counterbalance that which is bad. Sinners therefore spend their time in foolish arguing and objecting, making much of that which is good for nothing, making those excuses that are not worth offering. It is in vain to keep making objection. You stand justly condemned. The blame lies at your door. If it is lifted off from you as often as you will, it will return upon you. So fig leaves as long as you will, your nakedness will appear. You continue willfully and wickedly rejecting Jesus Christ and will not have him for your Saviour, and therefore it is soddish madness in you to charge Christ with injustice that he does not save you. Here is the sin of unbelief. Thus the guilt of that great sin lies upon you. If you never had thus treated a Saviour, you might most justly have been damned to all eternity. It would but be exactly agreeable to your treatment of God. But besides this when God notwithstanding has offered you his own dear Son to save you from this endless misery you had deserved, and not only so, but to make you happy eternally in the enjoyment of himself, you have refused him and would not have him for your Saviour, and still refuse to comply with the offers of the Gospel. What can render any person more inexcusable? If you should now perish forever, what can you have to say? Hereby the justice of God in your destruction appears in two respects. One, it is more abundantly manifest that it is just that you should be destroyed. Justice never appears so conspicuous as it does after refused and abused mercy. Justice in damnation appears abundantly the more clear and bright after a willful rejection of offered salvation. What can an offended Prince do more than freely offer pardon to a condemned malifactor? And if he refuses to accept of it, will anyone say that his execution is unjust? Two, God's justice will appear in your greater destruction. Besides the guilt that you would have had if a Saviour had never been offered, you bring that great additional guilt upon you of most ungratefully refusing offered deliverance. What more base and vile treatment of God can there be than for you when justly condemned to eternal misery and ready to be executed, and God graciously sends his own Son, who comes and knocks at your door with a pardon in his hand, and not only a pardon but a deed of eternal glory? I say what can be worse than for you out of dislike and enmity against God and his Son to refuse to accept those benefits at his hands? How justly may the anger of God be greatly incensed and increased by it? When a sinner thus ungratefully rejects mercy, his last error is worse than the first. It is more heinous than all his former rebellion, and may justly bring down more fearful wrath upon him. The heinousness of this sin of rejecting a Saviour especially appears in two things. One, the greatness of the benefits offered, which appears in the greatness of the deliverance, which is from inexpressible degrees of corruption and wickedness of heart and life, the least degree of which is infinitely evil, and from misery that is ever lasting, and in the greatness and glory of the inheritance purchased and offered. He brews to verse 3, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Two, the wonderfulness of the way in which these benefits are procured and offered, that God should lay help on his own Son when our case was so deplorable that help could be had in no mere creature, and that he should undertake for us and should come into the world and take upon him our nature, and should not only appear in a low state of life, but should die such a death and endure such torments and contempt for sinners while enemies, how wonderful is it? And what tongue or pen can set forth the greatness of the ingratitude, baseness, and perverseness there is in it when a perishing sinner that is in the most extreme necessity of salvation rejects it after it is procured in such a way as this? That so glorious a person should be thus treated, and that when he comes on so gracious and errand, that he should stand so long offering himself and calling and inviting, as he has done to many of you, and all to no purpose, but all the while be said it not. Surely you might justly be cast into hell without one more offer of a Saviour, yea, and thrust down into the lowest hell. Herein you have exceeded the very devils, for they never rejected the offers of such glorious mercy, no, nor of any mercy at all. This will be a distinguishing condemnation of Gospel sinners, John 3.18, he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. That outward smoothness of your carriage towards Christ, that appearance of respect to him in your looks, your speeches and gestures, do not argue but that you set him at not in your heart. There may be much of these outward shows of respect, and yet you be like Judas, that betrayed the Son of Man with a kiss, and like those mockers that bowed the knee before him, and at the same time spit in his face. 3. If God should forever cast you off and destroy you, it would be agreeable to your treatment of others. It would be no other than what would be exactly answerable to your behavior towards your fellow creatures, that have the same human nature, and are naturally in the same circumstances with you, and that you ought to love as yourself. And that appears especially in two things. 1. You have many of you been opposite in your spirit to the salvation of others. There are several ways that natural men manifest a spirit of opposition against the salvation of souls. It sometimes appears by a fear that their companions, acquaintances and equals, will obtain mercy, and so become unspeakably happier than they. It is sometimes manifested by an uneasiness at the news of what others have hopefully obtained. It appears when persons envy others for it, and dislike them the more, and disrelish their talk, and avoid their company, and cannot bear to hear their religious discourse, and especially to receive warnings and counsels from them. And it oftentimes appears by their backwardness to entertain charitable thoughts of them, and by their being brought with difficulty to believe that they have obtained mercy, and a forwardness to listen to anything that seems to contradict it. The devil hated to own Job's sincerity, Job 1, 7, etc., in Chapter 2, Verses 3, 4, and 5. There appears very often much of this spirit of the devil in natural men. Sometimes they are ready to make a ridicule of others' pretended godliness. They speak of the ground of others' hopes as the enemies of the Jews did of the wall that they built, Nehemiah 4, 3. Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, that which they built, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. There are many that join with Sandballot and Tobiah, and are of the same spirit with them. There always was, and always will be, an enmity betwixt the seed of the serpent and the seed of the women. It appeared in Cain who hated his brother because he was more acceptable to God than himself, and it appears still in these times and in this place. There are many that are like the elder brother who could not bear that the prodigal when he returned should be received with joy and good entertainment and was put into a fret by it both against his brother that had returned and his father that had made him so welcome, Luke 15. Thus have many of you been opposite to the salvation of others who stand in as great necessity of it as you. You have been against their being delivered from everlasting misery who can bear it no better than you, not because their salvation would do you any hurt or their damnation help you any otherwise than as it would gratify that vile spirit that is so much like the spirit of the devil who because he is miserable himself is unwilling that others should be happy. How just therefore is it that God should be opposite to your salvation if you have so little love or mercy in you as to begrudge your neighbor's salvation whom you have no cause to hate but the law of God in nature requires you to love. Why is God bound to exercise such infinite love and mercy to you as to save you at the price of his own blood you whom he is no way bound to love but who have deserved his hatred a thousand and a thousand times. You are not willing that others should be converted who have behaved themselves injuriously towards you and yet will you count it hard if God does not be still converting grace upon you that have deserved ten thousand times as ill of God as ever any of your neighbors have of you. You are opposite to God's showing mercy to those that you think have been vicious persons and are very unworthy of such mercy. Is others unworthiness a just reason why God should not be still mercy on them and yet will God be hard if not withstanding all your unworthiness and the abominableness of your spirit and practice in his sight he does not show you mercy. You would have God be still liberally on you and upgrade not but yet when he shows mercy to others you are ready to upgrade as soon as you hear of it. You immediately are thinking with yourself how ill they have behaved themselves and it may be your mouths on this occasion are open enumerating and aggravating the sins they have been guilty of. You would have God bury all your faults and wholly blot out all your transgressions but if he bestows mercy on others it may be you will take that occasion to rake up all their old faults that you can think of. You do not much reflect on and condemn yourself for your baseness and unjust spirit towards others in your opposition to their salvation. You do not quarrel with yourself and condemn yourself for this but yet you in your heart will quarrel with God and fret at his dispensations because you think he seems opposite to showing mercy to you. One would think that the consideration of these things should forever stop your mouth. 2. Consider how you have promoted others damnation. Many of you by the bad examples you have set by corrupting the minds of others by your sinful conversation by leading them into or strengthening them in sin and by the mischief you have done in human society other ways that might be mentioned have been guilty of those things that have tended to others damnation. You have heretofore appeared on the side of sin and Satan and have strengthened their interest and have been many ways accessory to others sins have hardened their hearts and thereby have done what was tended to the ruin of their souls. Without doubt there are those here present who have been in a great measure the means of others damnation. One man may really be a means of others damnation as well as salvation. Christ charges the scribes and Pharisees with this Matthew 23 verse 13. Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men for ye neither go in yourselves neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. We have no reason to think that this congregation has none in it who are cursed from day to day by poor souls that are roaring out in hell whose damnation they have been the means of or have greatly contributed to. There are many who contribute to their own children's damnation by neglecting their education by setting them bad examples and bringing them up in sinful ways. They take some care of their bodies but take little care of their poor souls. They provide for them bread to eat but deny them the bread of life that their famishing souls stand in need of. And are there no such parents here who have thus treated their children? If their children be not gone to hell no thanks to them. It is not because they have not done what was tended to their destruction. Seeing therefore you have had no more regard to other salvation and have promoted their damnation how justly might God leave you to perish yourself. 4. If God should eternally cast you off it would be agreeable to your own behavior towards yourself and that in two respects. 1. In being so careless of your own salvation you have refused to take care of your salvation as God has counseled and commanded you from time to time. And why may God not neglect it now you seek it of him. Is God obliged to be more careful of your happiness than you are either of your own happiness or his glory? Is God bound to take that care for you out of love to you that you will not take for yourself either from love to yourself or regard to his authority? How long and how greatly have you neglected the welfare of your precious soul refusing to take pains and deny yourself or put yourself a little out of your way for your salvation while God has been calling upon you? Neither your duty to God nor your love to your own soul were enough to induce you to do little things for your own eternal welfare. And yet do you now expect that God should do great things putting forth almighty power and exercising infinite mercy for it? You was urged to take care of your salvation and not to put it off. You was told that was the best time before you grew older and that it might be if you would put it off God would not hear you afterwards. But yet you would not harken. You would run the venture of it. Now how justly might God order it so that it should be too late leaving you to seek in vain? You was told that you would repent of it if you delayed but you would not hear. How justly therefore may God give you cause to repent of it by refusing to show you mercy now? If God sees you going on in ways contrary to his commands and his glory and requires you to forsake them and tells you that they tend to the destruction of your own soul and therefore counsels you to avoid them and you refuse how just would it be if God should be provoked by it hence forward to be as careless of the good of your soul as you are yourself. 2. You have not only neglected your salvation but you have willingly taken direct courses to undo yourself. You have gone on in those ways and practices which have directly tended to your damnation and have been perverse and obstinate in it. You cannot plead ignorance. You had all the light set before you that you could desire. God told you that you was undoing yourself but yet you would do it. He told you that the path you was going in led to destruction and counseled you to avoid it but you would not hearken. How justly therefore may God leave you to be undone. You have obstinately persisted to travel in the way that leads to hell for a long time contrary to God's continual counsels and commands till it may be at length you are got almost to your journey's end and are come near to hell's gate and so begin to be sensible of your danger and misery and now account it unjust and hard if God will not deliver you. You have destroyed yourself and destroyed yourself willfully contrary to God's repeated counsels, yea and destroyed yourself on fighting against God. Now therefore why do you blame any but yourself if you are destroyed if you will undo yourself in opposing God and while God opposes you by his calls and counsels and it may be too by the convictions of his spirit what can you object against it if God now leaves you to be undone. You would have your own way and did not like that God should oppose you in it and your way was to ruin your own soul. How just therefore is it if now at length God ceases to oppose you and falls in with you and lets your soul be ruined and as you would destroy yourself so should put to his hand to destroy you too. The ways you went on in had a natural tendency to your misery if you would drink poison in opposition to God and in contempt of him and his advice who can you blame but yourself if you are poisoned and so perish. If you would run into the fire against all restraints both of God's mercy and authority you must even blame yourself if you are burned. Thus I have proposed some things to your consideration which if you are not exceeding blind senseless and perverse will stop your mouth and convince you that you stand justly condemned before God and that he would in no wise deal hardly with you but altogether justly in denying you any mercy and in refusing to hear your prayers though you pray never so earnestly and never so often and continue in it never so long. God may utterly disregard your tears and moans your heavy heart your earnest desires and great endeavors and he may cast you into eternal destruction without any regard to your welfare denying you converting grace and giving you over to Satan and at last cast you into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone to be there to eternity having no rest day or night forever glorifying his justice upon you in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Objection. But here many may still object for I am sensible it is a hard thing to stop sinners mouths God shows mercy to others that have done these things as well as I yea that have done a great deal worse than I. Answer one. That does not prove that God is anyway bound to show mercy to you or them either if God bestows it on others he does not so because he is bound to bestow it he might if he had pleased with glorious justice have denied it them if God bestows it on some that does not prove that he is bound to bestow it on any and if he is bound to bestow it on none then he is not bound to bestow it on you God is in debt to none and if he gives to some that he is not in debt to because it is his pleasure that does not bring him into debt to others it alters not the case as to you whether others have it or have it not you do not deserve damnation the less than if mercy never had been bestowed on any at all Matthew 20 verse 15 is thine eye evil because mine is good to if this objection be good then the exercise of God's mercy is not in his own right and his grace is not his own to give that which God may not dispose of as he pleases is not his own for that which is one's own is at one's own disposal but if it be not God's own then he is not capable of making a gift or present of it to anyone it is impossible to give what is a debt what is it that you would make of God must the great God be tied up that he must not use his own pleasure and bestowing his own gifts but if he bestows them on one must be looked upon obliged to bestow them on another is not God worthy to have the same right with respect to the gifts of his grace that a man has to his money or goods is it because God is not so great and should be more in subjection than man that this cannot be allowed him if any of you see cause to show kindness to a neighbor do all the rest of your neighbors come to you and tell you that you owe them so much as you have given to such a man but this is the way that you deal with God as though God were not worthy to have as absolute a property in his goods as you have in yours at this rate God cannot make a present of anything he has nothing of his own to bestow if he has a mind to show peculiar favor to some or to lay some particular persons under peculiar obligations to him he cannot do it because he has no special gift at his own disposal if this be the case why do you pray to God to bestow saving grace upon you if God does not do fairly to deny it you because he bestows it on others then it is not worth your while to pray for it but you may go and tell him that he has bestowed it on others as bad or worse than you and so demanded of him as a debt and at this rate persons never need to thank God for salvation when it is bestowed for what occasion is there to thank God for that which was not at his own disposal and that he could not fairly have denied the thing at bottom is that men have low thoughts of God and high thoughts of themselves and therefore it is that they look upon God as having so little right and they so much Matthew 20 verse 15 is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own three God may justly show greater respect to others than to you for you have shown greater respect to others than to God you have rather chosen to offend God than men God only shows a greater respect to others who are by nature your equals than to you but you have shown a greater respect to those that are infinitely inferior to God than to him you have shown a greater regard to wicked men than to God you have honored them more loved them better and adhered to them rather than to him yay you have honored the devil in many respects more than God you have chosen his will and his interest rather than God's will and his glory you have chosen a little worldly pelf rather than God you have set more by a vile lust than by him you have chosen these things and rejected God you have set your heart on these things and cast God behind your back and where is the injustice if God is pleased to show greater respect to others than to you or if he chooses others and rejects you you have shown greater respect to vile and worthless things and no respect to God's glory and why may not God set his love on others and have no respect to your happiness you have shown great respect to others and not to God whom you are laid under infinite obligations to respect above all and why may not God show respect to others and not to you who never have laid him under the least obligation and will you not be ashamed notwithstanding all these things still to open your mouth to object and cavill about the decrees of God and other things that you cannot fully understand let the decrees of God be what they will that alters not the case as to your liberty any more than if God had only foreknown and why is God to blame for decreeing things especially since he decrees nothing but good how unbecoming in infinitely wise being would it have been to have made a world and let things run at random without disposing events or forordering how they should come to pass and what is that to you how God has forordered things as long as your constant experience teaches you that it does not hinder your doing what you choose to do this you know and your daily practice and behavior amongst men declares that you are fully sensible of it with respect to yourself and others still to object because there are some things in God's dispensation above your understanding is exceedingly unreasonable your own conscience charges you with great guilt and with those things that have been mentioned let the secret things of God be what they will your conscience charges you with those vile dispositions and that base behavior towards God that you would at any time most highly resenting your neighbor towards you and that not a width the less for any concern those secret councils and mysterious dispensations of God may have in the matter it is in vain for you to exalt yourself against an infinitely great and holy and just God if you continue in it it will be to your eternal shame and confusion when hereafter you shall see at whose door all the blame of your misery lies i will finish what i have to say to natural men in the application of this doctrine with a caution not to improve the doctrine to discouragement for though it would be righteous in God forever to cast you off and destroy you yet it would also be just in God to save you in and through Christ who has made complete satisfaction for all sin Romans 3 verse 25 and 26 quote whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus and quote yay God may through this mediator not only justly but honorably show you mercy the blood of Christ is so precious that it is fully sufficient to pay the debt you have contracted and perfectly to vindicate the divine majesty from all the dishonor cast upon it by these many great sins of yours that have been mentioned it was as great and indeed a much greater thing for Christ to die than it would have been for you and all mankind to have burnt in hell to all eternity of such dignity and excellency is Christ in the eyes of God that seeing he has suffered so much for poor sinners God is willing to be at peace with them however vile and unworthy they have been and on how many accounts so ever the punishment would be just so that you need not be at all discouraged from seeking mercy for there is enough in Christ indeed it would not become the glory of God's majesty to show mercy to you so sinful and vile a creature for anything that you have done for such worthless and despicable things as your prayers and other religious performances it would be very dishonorable and unworthy of God so to do and it is vain to expect it he will show mercy only on Christ's account and that according to his sovereign pleasure on whom he pleases when he pleases and in what manner he pleases you cannot bring him under obligation by your works do what you will he will not look on himself obliged but if it be his pleasure he can honorably show mercy through Christ to any sinner of you all not one in this congregation accepted therefore there is encouragement for you still to seek and wait not withstanding all your wickedness agreeable to Samuel's speech to the children of Israel when they were terrified with the thunder and rain that God sent and when guilt stared them in the face first Samuel 12 verse 20 fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart I would conclude this discourse by putting the godly in mind of the freeness and wonderfulness of the grace of God towards them for such were the same of you the case was just so with you as you have heard you had such a wicked heart you lived such a wicked life and it would have been most just with God forever to have cast you off but he has had mercy upon you he hath made his glorious grace appear in your everlasting salvation you had no love to God but yet he has exercised unspeakable love to you you have condemned God and set light by him but so great a value has God's grace set on you and your happiness that you have been redeemed at the price of the blood of his own son you chose to be with Satan in his service but yet God hath made you a joint air with Christ of his glory you was ungrateful for past mercies yet God not only continued those mercies but bestowed unspeakably greater mercies upon you you refused to hear when God called yet God heard you when you called you abused the infiniteness of God's mercy to encourage yourself in sin against him yet God has manifested the infiniteness of that mercy in the exercises of it towards you you have rejected Christ and set him at naught and yet he has become your savior you have neglected your own salvation but God has not neglected it you have destroyed yourself but yet in God has been your help God has magnified his free grace towards you and not to others because he has chosen you and it hath pleased him to set his love upon you oh what causes here for praise what obligations you are under to bless the Lord who hath dealt bountifully with you and magnify his holy name what cause for you to praise God in humility to walk humbly before him Ezekiel 16 verse 63 that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth anymore because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done sayeth the Lord God you shall never open your mouth in boasting or self justification but lie the lower before God for his mercy to you you have reason the more abundantly to open your mouth in God's praises that they may be continually in your mouth both here and to all eternity for his rich unspeakable and sovereign mercy to you whereby he and he alone hath made you to differ from others. end of section 28 section 29 of select sermons of jonathan edwards this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox dot org select sermons of jonathan edwards section 29 christian knowledge part one Hebrews 5 12 for then for the time you want to be teachers you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat these words are a complaint which the apostle makes against the christian Hebrews for their want of such proficiency in the knowledge of the doctrines and mysteries of religion as might have been expected of them the apostle complains that they had not made that progress in their acquaintance with the things taught in the oracles of God which they ought to have made and he means to approve them not merely for their deficiency in spiritual and experimental knowledge of divine things but for their deficiency in a doctrinal acquaintance with the principles of religion and the truths of christian divinity as is evident by the manner in which the apostle introduces this reproof the occasion of his introducing it is this in the next text but one proceeding he mentions christ as being called of god and high priest after the order of Melchizedek in the Old Testament the oracles of God Melchizedek was held forth as an eminent type of christ and the account we there have of him contains many gospel mysteries these mysteries the apostle was willing to point out to the christian Hebrews but he apprehended that through their weakness and knowledge they would not understand him and therefore breaks off for the president from saying anything about Melchizedek thus verse 11 of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered seeing your doll of hearing i.e. there are many things concerning Melchizedek which contain wonderful gospel mysteries and which i would take notice of to you were it not that i am afraid that through your dullness and backwardness and understanding these things you would only be puzzled and confounded by my discourse and so receive no benefit and that it would be too hard for you as meat that is too strong then come in the words of the text for when for the time you ought to be teachers you have neither one to chew again which be the first principles of the oracles of god and it becomes such as have need of milk and not a strong meat as much as to say indeed it might have been expected of you that you should have known enough of the holy scriptures to be able to understand and digest such mysteries but it is not so with you the apostle speaks of their proficiency in such knowledge as is conveyed by human teaching as appears by that expression when for the time you ought to be teachers which includes not only a practical and experimental but also a doctrinal knowledge of the truths and mysteries of religion again the apostle speaks of such knowledge whereby christians are unable to understand those things in divinity which are more obtuse and difficult to be understood and which require great skill in things of this nature this is more fully expressed in the two next verses for everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness for he is a babe but strong meat belongeth to them that are a full age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil it is such knowledge that proficiency in it shall carry persons beyond the first principles of religion as here you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of god therefore the apostle in the beginning of the next chapter advises them to leave the first principles of the doctrine of christ and to go on on to perfection we may observe that the fault of this defect appears in that they had not made proficiency according to their time for the time they ought to have been teachers as they were christians their business was to learn and gain christian knowledge they were scholars in the school of christ and if they had improved their time in learning as they ought to have done they might by the time when the apostle wrote have been fit to be teachers in this school to whatever business anyone is devoted it may be expected that his perfection in it shall be answerable to the time he has had to learn and perfect himself christians should not always remain babes but should grow in christian knowledge and leaving the food of babes they should learn to digest strong meat doctrine every christian should make a business of endeavoring to grow in knowledge of divinity this is indeed esteemed the business of divines and ministers it is commonly thought to be their work by the study of the scriptures and other instructive books to gain knowledge and most seem to think that it may be left to them as what belongs not to others but if the apostle had entertained this notion he would never have blamed the christian hebrus for not having acquired knowledge enough to be teachers or if he had thought that this concerned christians in general only as a thing by the buy and that their time should not in a considerable measure be taken up with this business he would never have so much blamed them that their proficiency in knowledge had not been answerable to the time which they had had to learn in handling this subject i shall show what is intended by divinity what kind of knowledge in divinity is intended and why knowledge in divinity is necessary and why all christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in this knowledge section one what is intended by divinity as the object of christian knowledge various definitions have been given to this subject by those who have treated on it i shall not now stand to inquire which according to the rules of art is the most accurate definition but shall so define or describe it as i think has the greatest tendency to convey a proper notion of it it is that science or doctrine which comprehends all those truths and rules which concern the great business of religion there are various kinds of arts and sciences taught and learned in the schools which are conversant about various objects about the works of nature in general as philosophy or the visible heavens as astronomy or the sea as navigation or the earth as geography or the body of man as physics and anatomy or of the soul of man with regards to its natural powers and qualities as logic and new mythology or about human government as politics and jurisprudence but one science or kind of knowledge and doctrine is above all the rest as it treats concerning god and the great business of religion divinity is not learned as other sciences merely by the improvement of man's natural reason but is taught by god himself in a book full of instruction which he hath given us for that end this is the rule which god hath given to the world to be their guide in searching after this kind of knowledge and as a summary of all things of this nature needful for us to know upon this account divinity is rather called a doctrine than an art or science indeed there is what is called natural religion there are many truths concerning god and our duty to him which are evident by the light of nature but christian divinity properly so-called is not evident by the light of nature it depends on revelation such are our circumstances now in our fallen state that nothing which is needful for us to know concerning god is manifest by the light of nature in the manner in which it is necessary for us to know it for the knowledge of no truth in divinity is of significance to us any otherwise then as it some way or other belongs to the gospel scheme or as it relates to a mediator but the light of nature teaches us no truth in this matter therefore it cannot be said that we come to the knowledge of any part of christian truth by the light of nature it is only the word of god contained in the old and new testament which teaches us christian divinity this comprehends all that is taught in the scriptures and so all that we need know or is to be known concerning god and jesus christ concerning our duty to god and our happiness in god divinity is commonly defined the doctrine of living to god and by some who seem to be more accurate the doctrine of living to god by christ it comprehends all christian doctrines as they are in jesus and all christian rules directing us in living to god by christ there is no one doctrine no promise no rule but what some way or other relates to the christian and divine life or our living to god by christ they all relate to this in two respects because as they tend to promote our living to god here in this world in a life of faith and holiness and also as they tend to bring us to a life of perfect holiness and happiness in the full enjoyment of god here after section two what kind of knowledge in divinity is intended in the doctrine there are two kinds of knowledge of divine truth viz speculative and practical or in other terms natural and spiritual the former remains only in the head no other faculty but the understanding is concerned in it it consists in having a natural or rational knowledge of the things of religion or such a knowledge as is to be obtained by the natural exercise of our own faculties without any special illumination of the spirit of god the latter rests not entirely in the head or in the speculative idea of things but the heart is concerned in it it principally consists in the sense of the heart the mere intellect without the will or the inclination is not the seat of it and it may not only be called seeing but feeling or tasting thus there is a difference between having a right speculative notion of the doctrines contained in the word of god and having a due sense of them in the heart in the former consists the speculative or natural knowledge and a lot of consists the spiritual or practical knowledge of them neither of these is intended in the doctrine exclusively of the other but it is intended that we should seek the former in order to the latter the latter or the spiritual and practical is of the greatest importance for a speculative without a spiritual knowledge is to no purpose but to make our condemnation the greater yet a speculative knowledge is also of infinite importance in this respect that without it we can have no spiritual or practical knowledge i have already shown that the apostle speaks not only of a spiritual knowledge but of such as can be acquired and communicated from one to another yet it is not to be thought that he means as exclusively of the other but he would have the christian Hebrews seek the one in order to the other therefore the former is first and most directly intended it is intended that Christians should by reading and other proper means seek a good rational knowledge of the things of divinity while the latter is more indirectly intended since it is to be sought by the other but i proceed to section three the usefulness and necessity of the knowledge of divine truths there is no other way by which any means of grace whatsoever can be of any benefit but by knowledge all teaching is in vain without learning therefore the preaching of the gospel would be wholly to no purpose if it conveyed no knowledge to the mind there is an order of men which christ has appointed on purpose to be teachers in his church but they teach in vain if no knowledge in these things is gained by their teaching it is impossible that their teaching and preaching should be a mean of grace or of any good in the hearts of the hearers any otherwise than by knowledge imparted to their understanding otherwise it would be of as much benefit to the auditory if the minister should preach in some unknown tongue all the difference is that preaching in a known tongue conveys something to the understanding which preaching in an unknown tongue doth not on this account such preaching must be unprofitable in such things men receive nothing when they understand nothing and are not at all edified unless some knowledge be conveyed agreeable to the apostles arguing 1 Corinthians 14 to 6 no speech can be a mean of grace but by conveying knowledge otherwise the speech is as much lost as if there had been no man there and if he that spoke had spoken only into the air as it follows in the passage just quoted verse 6 and 10 God deals with man as with a rational creature and when faith is an exercise it is not about something he knows not what therefore hearing is absolutely necessary to faith because hearing is necessary to understanding Romans 10 14 how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard in like manner there can be no love without knowledge it is not according to the nature of the human soul to love an object which is entirely unknown the heart cannot be set upon an object of which there is no idea in the understanding the reasons which induce the soul to love must first be understood before they can have a reasonable influence on the heart God hath given us the bible which is a book of instructions but this book can be of no manner of profit to us any otherwise than as it conveys some knowledge to the mind it can profit us no more than if it were written in the chinese or triterian language of which we know not one word so the sacraments of the gospel can have a proffer effect no other way than by conveying some knowledge they represent certain things by visible signs and what is the end of signs but to convey some knowledge of the thing signified such as the nature of man that no object can come at the heart but through the door of the understanding and there can be no spiritual knowledge of that of which there is not first a rational knowledge it is impossible that anyone should see the truth or excellency of any doctrine of the gospel who knows not what that doctrine is a man cannot see the wonderful excellency and love of christ in doing such and such things for sinners unless his understanding be first informed how these things were done he cannot have a taste of the sweetness and excellency of divine truth unless he first have a notion that there is such a thing without knowledge and divinity none would differ from the most ignorant and barbarous heathens the heathens remain in gross darkness because they are not instructed and have not obtained the knowledge of divine truths if men have no knowledge of these things the faculty of reason in them will be holy in vain the faculty of reason and understanding was given for actual understanding and knowledge if a man have no actual knowledge the faculty or capacity of knowing is of no use to him and if he have actual knowledge yet if you be destitute of the knowledge of those things which are the last end of his being and for the sake of the knowledge of which he had more understanding given him in the beasts then still his faculty of reason is in vain he might as well have been a beast as a man but divine subjects are the things to know which we had the faculty of reason given us they are the things which are pertain to the end of our being and to the great business for which we are made therefore a man cannot have his faculty of understanding to any good purpose further than heath knowledge of divine truth so that this kind of knowledge is absolutely necessary other kinds of knowledge may be very useful some other sciences such as astronomy natural philosophy and geography may be very excellent in their kind but the knowledge of this divine science is infinitely more useful and important than that of all other sciences whatever section four why all Christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of divinity Christians ought not to content themselves with such degrees of knowledge of divinity as they have already obtained it should not satisfy them as they know as much as is absolutely necessary to salvation but should seek to make progress this endeavor to make progress in such knowledge ought not to be attended to as a thing by the by but all Christians should make a business of it they should look upon it as a part of their daily business and no small part of it neither for it should be attended to as a considerable part of the work of their high calling for one our business should doubtless much consist in employing those faculties by which we are distinguished from the beasts about those things which are the main end of these faculties the reason why we have faculties superior to those of the Brutes given us is that we are indeed designed for superior employment that which the creator intended should be our main employment is something above what he intended the beast for and therefore has given us superior powers therefore without doubt it should be a considerable part of our business to improve the superior faculties but the faculty by which we are chiefly distinguished from the Brutes is the faculty of understanding it follows then that we should make it our chief business to improve this faculty and should by no means prosecuted as business by the by for us to make the improvement of this faculty a business by the by is in effect for us to make the faculty of understanding itself a by faculty if I may so speak a faculty of less importance than others whereas indeed it is the highest faculty we have but we cannot make a business of the improvement of our intellectual faculty any otherwise then by making a business of improving ourselves in actual knowledge so that those who make not as very much their business but instead of improving their understanding to acquire knowledge are chiefly devoted to their inferior power to please their senses and gratify their animal appetites not only behave themselves in a manner not becoming Christians but also act as if they had forgotten that they are men and that God has set them above the Brutes by giving them understanding God has given to man some things in common with the Brutes as his outward senses his bodily appetites a capacity of bodily pleasure and pain and other animal faculties and some things he has given him superior to the Brutes the chief of which is a faculty of understanding and reason now God never gave man these faculties to be subject to those which he has in common with the Brutes this would be great confusion and equivalent to making man to be a servant of the beasts on the contrary he has given those inferior powers to be employed in subserviency to man's understanding and therefore it must be a great part of man's principal business to improve his understanding by acquiring knowledge if so then it will follow that it should be a main part of his business to improve his understanding in acquiring divine knowledge or the knowledge of the things of divinity for the knowledge of these things is the principal end of his faculty God gave man the faculty of understanding chiefly that he might understand divine things the wiser heathens were sensible that the main business of man was the improvement and exercise of his understanding but they knew not the object about which the understanding should be chiefly employed that science which many of them thought should chiefly employ the understanding was philosophy and accordingly they made it their chief business to study it but we who enjoy the light of the gospel are more happy we are not left as to this particular in the dark God has told us about what things we should chiefly employ our understandings having given us a book full of divine instructions holding forth many glorious objects about which all rational creatures should chiefly employ their understandings these instructions are accommodated to persons of all capacities and conditions and proper to be studied not only by men of reaming but by persons of every character learned and unlearned young and old men and women therefore the acquisition of knowledge in these things should be a main business of all those who have the advantage of enjoying the holy scriptures to the truth of divinity are superlative excellency and are worthy that all should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of them they are as much above those things which are treated of in other sciences as heaven is above earth God himself the eternal three in one is the chief object of this science and next Jesus Christ as God man and mediator and the glorious work of redemption the most glorious work that ever was wrought then the great things of the heavenly world the glorious and eternal inheritance purchased by Christ and promised in the gospels the work of the holy spirit of God on the hearts of men our duty to God and the way in which we ourselves may become like angels and like God himself in our measure all these are objects of this science such things as these have been the main subject of the study of the holy patriarchs prophets and apostles and the most excellent men that ever existed and they are also the subject of study to the angels in heaven first Peter one ten and twelve they are so excellent and worthy to be known that the knowledge of them will richly pay for all the pains and labor of an earnest seeking of it if there were a great treasure of gold and pearls accidentally found and open with such circumstances that all might have as much as they could gather would not every one think it worth his while to make a business of gathering while it should last but the treasure of divine knowledge which is contained in the scriptures and is provided for everyone to gather to himself as much of it as he can is far more rich than any one of gold and pearls how busy are all sorts of men all over the world and getting riches but this knowledge is a far better kind of riches than that after which they so diligently and laboriously pursue three divine truths not only concern ministers but are of infinite importance to all Christians it is not with the doctrine of divinity as it is with the doctrines of philosophy and other sciences these last are generally speculative which are of little concern in human life and it very little alters the case as to our temporal or spiritual interests whether we know them or not philosophers differ about them some being of one opinion and others of another and while they are engaged in warm disputes about them others may well leave them to dispute among themselves without troubling their heads much about them it being of little concern to them whether the one or the other be in the right but it is not thus in matters of divinity the doctrines of this nearly concern everyone they are about those things which relate to every man's eternal salvation and happiness the common people cannot say let us leave these matters to ministers and divines let them dispute them out among themselves as they can they concern not us for they are of infinite importance to every man those doctrines which relate to the essence attributes and substances of God concern all as it is of infinite importance to common people as well as to ministers to know what kind of being God is for he is a being who has made us all in whom we live and move and have our being who is the Lord of all the being to whom we are all accountable who is the last end of our being and the only fountain of our happiness the doctrines also which relate to Jesus Christ and his mediation his incarnation his life and death his resurrection and ascension his sitting at the right hands of the father his satisfaction and intercession infinitely concerned common people as well as divines they stand in as much need of this savior and of an interest in his person in offices and the things which he has done and suffered as ministers and divines the same may be said of the doctrines which relate to the manner of a sinner's justification or the way in which he becomes interested in the mediation of Christ they equally concern all for all stand in equal necessity of justification before God that eternal condemnation to which we are all naturally exposed is equally dreadful so with respect to those doctrines which relate to the work of the spirit of God on the hearts and the application of redemption in our effectual calling and sanctification are all equally concerned in them there is no doctrine of divinity whatever which does not somewhere other concern the eternal interest of every Christian for we may argue in favor of the same position from the great thing which God has done in order to give us instruction in these things as to other sciences he has left us to ourselves to the light of our own reason but divine things being of infinitely greater importance to us he has not left us to an uncertain guide but half himself given us a revelation of the truth in these matters and has done very great things to convey and confirm it to us raising up many prophets in different ages immediately inspiring them with his holy spirit and confirming their doctrine with innumerable miracles or wonderful works out of the established course of nature yay he raised up a succession of prophets which was upheld for several ages it was very much for this end that God separated the people of Israel in so wonderful a manner from all other people and kept them separate that to them he might commit the oracles of God and that from them they might be communicated to the world he hath also often sent angels to bring divine instructions to men and hath often himself appeared in miraculous symbols or representations of his presence and now in these last days has sent his own son into the world to be his great prophet to teach us divine truth Hebrews one one etc. God hath given us a book of divine instructions which contains the sum of divinity now these things hath God done not only for the instruction of ministers and men of learning but for the instruction of all men of all sorts learned and unlearned men women and children and certainly if God does such great things to teach us we ought to do something to learn God giving instructions to men in these things is not a business by the by but what he hath undertaken and prosecuted in a course of great and wonderful dispensations as an affair in which his heart hath been greatly engaged which is sometimes in scripture signified by the expression of God's rising early to teach us and to send us prophets and teachers Jeremiah seven twenty five since that day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants and prophets daily rising up early and sending them and verse 13 I speak unto you rising up early and speaking this is a figurative speech signifying that God hath done this as a business of great importance in which he took great care and had his heart much engaged because persons are want to rise early to prosecute such business as they are earnestly engaged in if God hath been so engaged in teaching certainly we should not be negligent in learning but should make growing and knowledge a great part of the business of our lives end of section twenty nine recording by Katie Riley January two thousand nine section thirty of select sermons of Jonathan Edwards this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org select sermons of Jonathan Edwards section thirty Christian knowledge part two five it may be argued from the abundance of the instructions which God hath given us from the largeness of that book which God hath given to teach us divinity and from the great variety that is there and contained much was taught by Moses of old which we have transmitted down to us after that other books were from time to time added much is taught us by David and Solomon and many an excellent are the instructions communicated by the prophets yet God did not think all this enough but after sent his Christ and his apostles by whom there is added a great and excellent treasure to that holy book which is to be a rule in the study of this important subject this book was written for the use of all all are directed to search the scriptures John five thirty nine search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and they are they that testify of me and Isaiah thirty four sixteen seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read they that read and understand are pronounced blessed revelations one three blessed is he that readeth and they that understand the words of this prophecy if this be true of that particular book of the revelation much more is it true of the Bible in general nor is it to be believed that God would have given instructions in such abundance if he had intended that receiving instruction should only be a by concern with us it is to be considered that all those abundant instructions which are contained in the scriptures were written that they might be understood otherwise they are not instructions that which is not given that the learner may understand it is not given for the learner's instruction and let's be endeavor to grow in the knowledge of divinity a very great part of those instructions will to us be in vain for we can receive benefit by no more of the scriptures than we understand we have reason to bless God that he has given us such various and plentiful instruction in his word but we shall be hypocritical in doing so if we after all content ourselves with but little of this instruction when God hath opened a very large treasure before us for the supply of our wants and we thank him that he has given us so much if at the same time we be willing to remain destitute of the greatest pair of it because we are too lazy to gather it this will not show the sincerity of our thankfulness we are now under much greater advantage to acquire knowledge and divinity than the people of God were of old because since that time the canon of scripture is much increased but if we be negligent of our advantages we may be never the better for them and may remain with as little knowledge as they six however diligent we apply ourselves there is room enough to increase our knowledge in divine truth none have this excuse to make for not diligently applying themselves to gain knowledge and divinity that they already know all nor can they make this excuse that they have no need to diligently apply themselves in order to know all that is to be known none can excuse themselves for want of business in which to employ themselves there is room enough to employ ourselves forever in this divine science with the utmost application those who have applied themselves most closely have studied the longest and have made the greatest attainments in this knowledge know but little of what is to be known the subject is inexhaustible that divine being who is the main subject of this science is infinite and there is no end to the glory of his perfections his works at the same time are wonderful and cannot be found out to perfection especially the work of redemption about which the science of divinity is chiefly conversant is full of unsearchable wonders the word of god which is given for our instruction in divinity contains enough in it to employ us to the end of our lives and then we shall leave enough uninvestigated to employ the heads of the ableist divines to the end of the world the psalmist found an end to the things that are human but he could never find an end to what is contained in the word of god psalms 119 96 i have seen an end to all perfection but thy command is exceeding broad there's enough in this divine science to employ the understandings of saints and angels to all eternity 7 it doubtless concerns everyone to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of things which pertain to his profession or principal calling if it concerns men to excel in anything or any wisdom or knowledge at all it certainly concerns them to excel in the affairs of their main profession and work but the calling and work of every christian is to live to god this is said to be his high calling Philippians 3 14 this is the business and if i may so speak the trade of a christian his main work and indeed should be his only work no business should be done by a christian but as some way or other a part of this therefore certainly the christian should endeavor to be well acquainted with those things which belong to this work and he may fulfill it and be thoroughly furnished to it it becomes one who is called to be a soldier to excel in the art of war it becomes a mariner to excel in the art of navigation it becomes a physician to excel in the knowledge of those things which pertain to the art of physics so it becomes all such as professed to be christians and to devote themselves to the practice of christianity to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divinity it may be argued hence that god hath appointed an order of men for this end to assist persons in gaining knowledge in these things he hath appointed them to be teachers 1st Corinthians 12 28 and god hath set some in the church first apostles secondarily prophets thirdly teachers Ephesians 4 11 and 12 he gave some apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of christ if god hath set them to be teachers making that their business then he hath made it their business to impart knowledge but what kind of knowledge not the knowledge of philosophy or of human laws or of mechanical arts but of divinity if god have made it the business of some to be teachers it will follow that he hath made it the business of others to be learners for teachers and learners are correlates one of which was never intended to be without the other god hath never made it the duty of some to take pains to teach those who are not obliged to take pains to learn he hath not commanded ministers to spend themselves in order to impart knowledge to those who are not obliged to apply themselves to receive it the name by which christians are commonly called in the new testament is disciples the signification of which word is scholars or learners all christians are put into the school of christ where their business is to learn or receive knowledge from christ their common master and teacher and from those inferior teachers appointed by him to instruct in his name nine god hath in the scriptures plainly revealed it to be his will that all christians should diligently endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divine things it is the revealed will of god that christians should not only have some knowledge of things of this nature but that they should be enriched with all knowledge fresh Corinthians one four and five i think my god always on your behalf for the grace of god that is given you by jesus christ that in everything you are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge so the apostle earnestly prayed that the christian philippians might abound more and more not only in love but in christian knowledge philippians one nine and this i pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment so the apostle peter advises to give all diligence to add to faith virtue and to virtue knowledge second peter one five and the apostle paul in the next chapter to that wherein is the text councils the christian Hebrews leaving the first principles of the doctrine of christ to go on to perfection he would by no means have them always to rest only in those fundamental doctrines of repentance and faith and the resurrection from the dead and the eternal judgment in which they were instructed when baptized at their first initiation in christianity see Hebrew six etc section five an exhortation that all diligently endeavor to gain christian knowledge consider yourselves as scholars or disciples put into the school of christ and therefore be diligent to make proficiency in christian knowledge content not yourselves with this that you have been taught your catechism in your childhood and that you know as much of the principles of religion as is necessary to salvation else you will be guilty of what the apostle warns against viz going no further than laying the foundation of repentance from dead works etc you are all called to be christians and this is your profession endeavor therefore to acquire knowledge in things which pertain to your profession let not your teachers have caused a complaint that while they spend and are spent to impart knowledge to you you take little pains to learn it is a great encouragement to an instructor to have such to teach as make a business of learning bending their minds to it this makes teaching a pleasure when otherwise it will be a very heavy and burdensome task you won't have by you a large treasure of divine knowledge in that you have the bible in your hands therefore be not contented in possessing but little of this treasure god have spoken much to you in the scriptures labor to understand as much of what he sayeth as you can god have made you all reasonable creatures therefore let not the noble faculty of reason or understanding lie neglected content not yourselves with having so much knowledge as is thrown in your way and receive some sense unavoidably by the frequent inculcation of divine truth in the preaching of the word of which you are obliged to be hearers or accidentally gain in conversation but let it be very much your business to search for it and that with the same diligence and labor with which men are want to dig in minds of silver and gold especially i would advise those who are young to employ themselves in this way men are never too old to learn but the time of youth is especially the time for learning it is peculiarly proper for gaining and storing up knowledge further to stir up all both old and young to this duty let me entreat you to consider one if you apply yourselves diligently to this work you will not want employment when you are at leisure from your common secular business in this way you may find something in which you may profitably employ yourselves you will find something else to do besides going about from house to house spending one hour after another in unprofitable conversation or at best to no other purpose but to amuse yourselves to fill up and wear away your time and it is to be feared that very much of the time spent in evening visits is spent to a much worse purpose than that which i have now mentioned Solomon tells us Proverbs 10 19 that in the multitude of words there one is not sin and is not this verified in those who find little else to do but to go to one another's houses and spend the time in such talk as comes next or such as anyone's present disposition happens to suggest some diversion is doubtless lawful but for Christians to spend so much of their time this way so many long evenings in no other conversation than that which tends to divert and amuse if nothing worse is a sinful way of spending time and tends to poverty of soul at least if not to outward poverty Proverbs 14 23 in all labor there is profit but the talk of the lips tended only to penury besides when persons for so much of their time have nothing else to do but to sit and talk and chat there is great danger of falling into foolish and sinful conversation venting their corrupt dispositions and talking against others expressing their jealousies and evil surmises considering their neighbors not considering what christ has said Matthew 12 36 of every idle word that men shall speak they shall give accounts in the day of judgments if you would comply with what you have heard from this doctrine you would find something else to employ your time besides contention or talking about those public affairs which tend to contention young people might find something else to do besides spending their time in vain company something that would be much more profitable to themselves as it would really turn to some good account something in doing which they would be both more out of the way of temptation and be more in the way of duty and of a divine blessing and even aged people would have something to employ themselves in after they become incapable of bodily labor their time as is now often the case would not lie heavy upon their hands as they would with both profit and pleasure be engaged in searching the scriptures and in comparing and meditating upon the various truths which they should find there too this would be a noble way of spending your time the holy spirit gives the barians this epithet because they diligently employ themselves in this business acts 17 11 these were more noble than those of Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and search the scriptures daily whether those things were so similar to this is very much the employment of heaven the inhabitants of that world spend much of their time in searching into the great things of divinity and endeavoring to acquire knowledge in them as we are told of the angels first Peter 112 which things the angels desire to look into this will be very agreeable to what you hope will be your business to all eternity as you doubtless hope to join the same employment with the angels of light Solomon says Proverbs 25 to it is the honor of kings to search out a matter and certainly above all others to search out divine matters now if this be the honor even of kings is it not much more your honor three this is a pleasant way of improving time knowledge is pleasant and delightful to intelligent creatures and above all the knowledge of divine things for in them are the most excellent truths and the most beautiful and amiable objects held forth to view however tedious the labor necessarily attending this business may be yet the knowledge once obtained will richly requit the pains taken to obtain it when wisdom entereth the heart knowledge is pleasant to the soul Proverbs 210 four this knowledge is exceedingly useful in christian practice such as have much knowledge in divinity have great means and advantages for spiritual and saving knowledge for no means of grace have a saving effect otherwise than by the knowledge they impart the more you have of a rational knowledge of divine things the more opportunity will there be when the spirit shall be breathed into your heart to see the excellency of these things and to taste the sweetness of them the heathens who have no rational knowledge of the things of the gospel have no opportunity to see the excellency of them and therefore the more rational knowledge of these things you have the more opportunity and advantage you have to see the divine excellency and glory of them again the more knowledge you have of divine things the better will you know your duty your knowledge will be of great use to direct you as to your duty in particular cases you will also be the better furnished against the temptations of the devil for the devil often takes advantage of persons ignorance to ply them with temptations which otherwise would have no hold on them by having much knowledge you'll be under greater advantages to conduct yourselves with prudence and discretion in your christian course and so to live much more to the honor of god and religion many who mean well and are full of good spirit yet for want of prudence conduct themselves so as to wound religion many have a zeal of god which cloth more hurt than good because it is not according to knowledge romans tend to the reason why many good men behave no better in many instances is not so much that they want grace as that they want knowledge besides an increase of knowledge would be a great help to profitable conversation it would supply you with matter for conversation when you come together or when you visit your neighbors and so you would have less temptation to spend the time in such conversation as tends to your own and others hurt five consider the advantages you are under to grow in the knowledge of divinity we are under far greater advantages to gain much of this knowledge now than god's people under the old testament both because the canon of scripture is so much enlarged since that time and also because evangelical truths are now so much more plainly revealed so that common men are now in some respects under advantages to know more than the greatest prophets were then thus that saying of christ in a sense applicable to us luke 10 23 24 blessed are the eyes which see these things which you see for i tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them and to hear those things which you hear and have not heard them we are in some respects under far greater advantages for gaining knowledge now in these latter ages of the church then christians were formerly especially by reason of the art of printing of which god has given us the benefit whereby bibles and other books of divinity are exceedingly multiplied and persons may now be furnished with helps for the obtaining of christian knowledge at a much easier and cheaper rate than formerly could six we know not what opposition we may meet in the religious principles which we hold we know that there are many adversaries to the gospel and its truths if therefore we embrace those truths we must expect to be attacked by the said adversaries and unless we be well informed concerning divine things how shall we be able to defend ourselves beside the apostle paul enjoins it upon us always to be ready to give an answer to every man who asks us a reason of the hope that is in us but this we cannot expect to do without considerable knowledge in divine things section six directions for the acquisition of christian knowledge one be assiduous in reading the holy scriptures this is the fountain once all knowledge and divinity must be derived therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected every man of common understanding who can read may if he please become well acquainted with the scriptures and what an excellent attainment with this be two content not yourselves with only a cursory reading without regarding the sense this is an ill way of reading to which however many accustomed themselves all their days when you read observe what you read observe how things come in take notice of the drift of the discourse and compare one scripture with another for the scripture by the harmony of its different parts cast great light upon itself we are expressly directed by christ to search the scriptures which evidently intends something more than a mere cursory reading and use means to find out the meaning of the scripture when you have it explains in the preaching of the word take notice of it and if at any time a scripture that you did not understand be cleared up to your satisfaction mark it lay it up and if possible remember it three procure and diligently use other books which may help you to grow in this knowledge there are many excellent books extant which might greatly forward you in this knowledge and afford you a very profitable and pleasant entertainment in your leisure hours there is doubtless a great defect in many that through a loathness to be at a little expense they furnish themselves with no more helps of this nature they have a few books indeed which now and then on Sabbath days they read but they have had them so long and read them so often that they are weary of them and it is now become a dull story a mere task to read them for improve conversation with others to this end how much might persons promote each other's knowledge in divine things if they would improve conversation as they might if men that are ignorant were not ashamed to show their ignorance and were willing to learn of others if those that have knowledge would communicate it without pride and ostentation and if all were more disposed to enter on such conversation as would be for their mutual edification and instruction five seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause and to enable you to dispute with others but seek it for the benefit of your souls and in order to practice if applause be your end you will not be so likely to be led to the knowledge of the truth but may justly as often as the case of those who are proud of their knowledge be led into the error to your own perdition this being your end if you should obtain much rational knowledge it would not likely to be of any benefit to you but would puff you up with pride first Corinthians eight one knowledge puffeth up six seek to God that he would direct you and bless you in his pursuit after knowledge this is the apostles direction james one five if any man lack wisdom let him ask it of God who give it to all liberally and upgrade it's not not is the fountain of all divine knowledge Proverbs two six the Lord give with wisdom out of his mouth come with knowledge and understanding labor to be sensible of your own blindness and ignorance and your need of the help of God lest you be led into error instead of true knowledge first Corinthians three eighteen if any man would be wise let him become a fool that he may be wise seven practice according to what knowledge you have this will be the way to know more the psalmist warmly recommends this way of seeking knowledge in divine truth from his own experience psalms 119 100 i understand more than the ancients because i keep thy precepts christ also recommends the same john seven seventeen if any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of god or whether i speak of myself end of section 30 recording by katie riley february 2009 section 31 of select sermons of jonathan edwards this is a libera vox recording all libera vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libera vox.org recording by ben wilford select sermons of jonathan edwards section 31 the manner in which the salvation of the soul is to be sought part one genesis chapter 6 verse 22 thus did noa according to all that god commanded him so did he concerning these words i would observe three things one what it was that god commanded noa to which these words refer it was the building of an ark according to the particular direction of god against the time when the flood of waters should come and the laying up of food for himself his family and the other animals which were to be preserved in the ark we have the particular commands which god gave him respecting this affair from the 14th verse make the an ark of gopher wood et cetera two we may observe the special design of the work which god had enjoined upon noa it was to save himself and his family when the rest of the world should be drowned see verses 17 and 18 we may observe noa's obedience he obeyed god thus did noa and his obedience was thorough and universal according to all that god commanded him so did he he not only began but he went through his work which god had commanded him to undertake for his salvation from the flood to this obedience the apostle refers to hebrews chapter 11 verse 7 by faith noa being warned of god of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house doctrine we should be willing to gauge in and go through great undertakings in order to our own salvation the building of the ark which was enjoined upon noa that he and his family might be saved was a great undertaking the ark was a building of vast size the length of it being 300 cubics the breadth of it 50 cubics and the height of it 30 cubics a cubit till of late was by learned men reckoned to be equal to a foot and a half of our measure but lately some learned men of our nation have traveled into egypt and other ancients countries and have measured some ancient buildings there which are of several thousands year standing and of which ancient histories give us the dimensions in cubics particularly the pyramids of egypt which are standing entire at this day by measuring these and by comparing the measure in feet and the ancient accounts of their measure in cubics a cubit is found to be almost two and 20 inches therefore learned men more lately reckoning cubit much larger than they did formally so that the ark reckoned so much larger every way will appear to be almost double the bulk which was formally ascribed to it according to this computation of the cubit it was more than 550 feet long about 90 feet broad and about 50 feet in height to build such a structure with all those apartments and divisions in it which were necessary and in such a manner as to be fit to float up on the water for so long a time was then a great undertaking it took Noah with all the workmen he employed a hundred and twenty years or thereabouts to build it for so long it was that the spirit of god strove and the long-suffering god waited on the old world as you may see in genesis chapter four verses three my spirit shall I not always strive with man yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years all this while the ark was a preparing as appears by first peter chapter three verse 20 when once the long-suffering of god waited in the days of noah while the ark was a preparing it was a long time that noah constantly employed himself in this business men was esteem that undertaking very great which should keep them constantly employed even for one half of that time no one must have had a great and constant care upon his mind for these 120 years in superintending this work and seeing that all was done exactly according to the directions which god had given him not only was no one himself continually employed but it required a great number of workmen to be constantly employed during all that time in procuring and collecting and fitting the materials and in putting them together in due form how great a thing was it for noah to undertake such a work for beside the continual care and labor it was a work of vast expense it is not probable that any of that wicked generation would put to a finger to help forward such a work which doubtless they believe was merely the fruit of noah's folly without full wages no one must needs have been very rich to be able to bear the expense of such a work and to pay so many workmen for so long a time it would have been a very great expense for a prince and doubtless noah was very rich as abraham and joe were afterwards but it is probable that noah spent all his worldly substance in this work thus manifesting his faith in the word of god by selling all he had as believing there would surely come a flood which would destroy all so that if he should keep what he had it would be of no service to him herein he has set us an example showing us how we ought to sell all for our salvation noah's undertaking was of great difficulty as it exposed him to the continual reproaches of all his neighbors for that whole 120 years none of them believe what he told them of a flood which was about to drown the world for a man to undertake such a vast piece of work under notion that it should be the means of saving him when the world should be destroyed it made him the continual laughing stock of the world when he was about to hire workmen dalis all laughed at him and we may suppose that though the workmen consented to work for wages yet they laughed at the folly of him who employed them when the art was begun we may suppose that everyone that passed by and saw a huge book stand there laughed at it calling it noah's folly in these days men are with difficulty brought to do or submit to that which makes them the objects of the reproach of all their neighbors indeed if while some reproach them others stand by them and honor them this will support them but it is very difficult for a man to go on in a way wherein he makes himself the laughing stock of the whole world and wherein he can find none who do not despise him where is the man that can stand the shock of such a trial for 20 years but in such an undertaking as this noah at the divine direction engaged and went through it that himself and his family might be saved from the common destruction which was shortly about to come on the world he began and also made an end according to all that god commanded him so did he length of time did not worry him he did not grow weary of his vast expense he stood the shock of the derision of all his neighbors and of all the world year after year he did not grow weary of being their laughing stock so as to give over his enterprise but persevered in it till the arc was finished after this he was at the trouble in charge of procuring stores for the maintenance of his family and all the various kinds of creatures for so long a time such an undertaking he engaged in and went through in order to a temporal salvation how great an undertaking then should men be willing to engage in and grow through in order to their eternal salvation a salvation from an eternal deluge from being overwhelmed with the billows of god's wrath of which noah's flood was but a shadow i shall particularly handle this doctrine under the three following prepositions one there is a work or business which must be undertaken and accomplished by men if they would be saved two this business is a great undertaking three men should be willing to enter a phone and go through this undertaking though it be great seeing it is for their own salvation proposition there is a work or business which men must enter upon and accomplish in order to their salvation men have no reason to expect to be saved in idleness or to go to heaven in a way of doing nothing no in order to it there is a great work which must be not only begun but finished i shall speak upon this proposition in answer to two inquiries one what is this work or business which must be undertaken and accomplished in order to the salvation of men answer it is the work of seeking salvation in a way of constant observance of all the duty to which god directs it in his word if we would be saved we must seek salvation for although men do not obtain heaven of themselves they do not go thither accidentally or without any intention or endeavors of their own god in his word has directed men to seek their salvation as they would hope to obtain it there is a race that is set before them which they must run and in that race comes all victors in order to their winning the prize the scriptures have told us what particular duties must be performed by us in order to our salvation it is not sufficient that men seek their salvation only in their observance of some of these duties but they must be observed universally the work we have to do is not an obedience only to some but to all the commands of god it complies with every institution of worship a diligent use of all the appointed means of grace a doing of all the duty towards god and towards man it is not sufficient that men have some respect to all the commands of god and that they may be said to seek their salvation in some sort of observance of all the commands but they must be devoted to it they must not make this a business by the by or a thing in which they are negligent and careless or which they do with a slack hand but it must be their great business being intended to as their great concern they must not only seek but strive they must do what their hand finest to do with their might as men thoroughly engaged in their minds and influenced and set forward by great desire and strong resolution they must act as those that see so much of the importance of religion above all of the things that everything else must be as an occasional affair and nothing must stand in competition with its duties this must be the one thing they do Philippians chapter 3 verse 13 this one thing I do it must be the business to which they make all other affairs give place and to which they are ready to make others things they sacrifice they must be ready to part with pleasures and honor a state and life and to sell all that they may successfully accomplish this business it is required of every man that he not only do something in this business but that he should devote himself to it which implies that he should give up himself to it all his affairs and all his temple enjoyments this is the import of taking up the cross of taking Christ yoke upon us and of denying ourselves to follow Christ the rich young man who came kneeling to Christ to know what he should do to be safe mark chapter 10 verse 17 in some sense salt salvation but not obtained it in some sense he kept all the commands from his youth up but was not cordially devoted to this business he had not made a sacrifice to it of all his enjoyments as appeared when Christ came to try him he would not part with his estate for him it is not only necessary that men should seem to be very much engaged and appear as if they were devoted to their duty for a little while but there must be a constant devotedness in a persevering way as Noah was to the business of building the ark going on with that great difficult and expensive affair till it was finished until the flood came men must not only be diligent in the use of means of grace and be anxiously engaged to escape eternal ruin till they obtain hope and comfort but afterwards they must persevere in the duties of religion till the flood come the flood of death not only must the faculty strengthen positions of men be devoted to this work but also their time and their lives they must give up their whole lives to it even to the very day when god causes the storm floods to come this is the work or business which men have to do in order to their salvation inquiry two why is it needed that men should undertake to go through such a work in order to their salvation answer one not to merit salvation or to recommend them to the saving mercy of god men are not saved on the account of any work of theirs and yet they are not saved without works if we merely consider what it is for which or on the account of which men are safe no work at all in men is necessary to their salvation in this respect they are saved holy without any work of theirs Titus 3 verses 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the holy ghost we must indeed be saved on the account of works but not our own it is an account of the works which christ has done for us works are the fixed price of eternal life it is fixed by an eternal unauthorable rule of righteousness but since the fall there is no hope of our doing these works without salvation offered freely without money and without price but two though it be not needful that we do anything to merit salvation which christ has fully mirrored for all who believe in him yet god for wise and holy ends has appointed that we should come to final salvation in no other way but that of good works done by us god did not save no one on account of the labor and expense he was at in building the ark no salvation from the flood was an instance of the free and distinguishing mercy of god nor did god stand in need of no one's care or cost or labor to build an ark the same power which created the world and which brought the flood of waters upon the earth could have made the ark in an instant without any care or cost to know of or any of the labor of those workmen who were employed for so long a time yet god was pleased to appoint that no one should be saved in this way so god has appointed that man should not be saved without his undertaking and doing his work which i have been speaking and therefore we are commanded to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling philippians chapter 2 verse 12 there are many wise ends to be answered by the establishment of such a work as prerequisition to salvation the glory of god requires it for although god stand in no need of anything that man do to recommend them to his saving mercy yet it would reflect much on the glory of god's wisdom and holiness to bestow salvation on men in such a way as tends to encourage them in sluth and wickedness or in any other way than that which tends to promote diligence and holiness man was made capable of action with many powers of both body and mind fitting him for it he was made for business and not idleness and the main business for which he was made was that of religion therefore it becomes a wisdom of god to bestow salvation and happiness on man in such a way as tends most to promote his end in this respect and to stir him up to a diligent use of his facilities and talents it becomes the wisdom of god so to order it that things of great value and importance should not be obtained without great labor and diligence much human learning and great moral accomplishments are not to be obtained without care and labor it is wisely so ordered in order to maintain in man a due sense of the value of these things which are excellent if great things were in common easily obtained it would have a tendency to cause men to slight and undervalue them men commonly despise those things which are cheap and which are obtained without difficulty although the work of obedience performed by men be not necessary in order to merit salvation yet it is necessary in order to they're being prepared for it men cannot be prepared for salvation without seeking in in such a way as has been described this is necessary in order that they have a proper sense of their own necessities and unworthiness and in order that they be prepared in disposed to prized salvation when bestowed and be properly thankful to god for it the requisition of so great a work in order to our salvation is no way inconsistent with the freedom of the offer of salvation as after all it is both offered and bestowed without any respect to our work as a price or meritiveness cause of our salvation as I have already explained besides salvation bestowed in this way is better for us more for our advantage and happiness both in this and the future world than if it were given without this requisition to proposition this work or business which must be done in order to the salvation of men is a great undertaking it often appears so to men upon whom it is urged utterly to break off from all their sins and to give up themselves forever to the business of religion without making a reserve of any one lust submitting to and applying with every command of god in all cases and persevering therein appears to many so great a thing that they are in vain urged to undertake it and so doing it seems to them that they should give up themselves to a perpetual bondage the greater part of men therefore choose to put it off and keep it at a great distance as they can they cannot bear to think of entering immediately on such a hard service and rather than do it they will run the risk of eternal damnation by putting it off to an uncertain future opportunity although the business of religion is far from really being as it appears to such men or the devil will be sure if he can to represent it in false colors to sinners and make it appear as black and as terrible as he can yet it is indeed a great business a great undertaking and it is fit that all who are urged to it should count the cost beforehand and be sensible of the difficulty attending it for though the devil's discourage is meaning from his undertaking by representing it to be more difficult than it really is yet with others he takes the contrary course and flatters them it is a very easy thing a trivial business which may be done at any time when they please and so emboldens them to defer it from their consideration but let none conceive any other notion of that business of religion which is absolutely necessary to their salvation then that it is a great undertaking it is so on the following accounts one it is a business of great labor and care there are many commands to be obeyed many duties to be done duties to god duties to our neighbor and duties to ourselves there is much opposition in the way of these duties from without there is a subtle and powerful adversary laying all manner of blocks in the way there are innumerable temptations of Satan to be resisted and repelled there is great opposition from the world innumerable snares laid on every side many rocks and mountains to be passed over many streams to be passed through and many flatteries and enticements from a vain world to be resisted there is a great opposition from within a dull and sluggish heart which is exceedingly adverse from that activity in religion which is necessary a carnal heart which is adverse from religion and spiritual exercise and continually drawing the contrary way and a proud and a deceitful heart in which corruption will be exerting itself in all manner of ways so that nothing can be done to any effect without a most strict and careful watch great labor and strife two it is a constant in business in that business which requires great labor men love now and then to have a space of relaxation that they may rest from the extraordinary labor but this is a business which must be followed every day Luke 9 verses 23 if any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me we must never give ourselves any relaxation from this business it must be continually prosecuted day after day if sometimes we make a great stir and bustle concerning religion but then lay all aside to take our ease and do so from time to time it will be of no good effect we had even as good do nothing at all the business of religion so followed it never liked to come to any good issue nor is the work ever like to be accomplished to any good purpose three it is a great undertaking as it is an undertaking of great expense we must therein sell all we must follow this business at the expense of all our unlawful pleasures and delights at the expense of our carnal ease often at the expense of our substance of our credit among men the goodwill of our neighbors at the expense of all our earthly friends and even at the expense of life itself herein it is like Noah's undertaking to build the art which as has been shown was a costly undertaking it was expensive to his reputation among men exposing him to be the continual laughing stock of all his neighbors and of the whole world and it was expensive to his estate and probably cost him all that he had four sometimes the fear trouble and exercise of mind which are undergone respecting this business and the salvation of the soul are great and long continued before any comfort is obtained sometimes persons in this situation labor long in the dark and sometimes as it were in the very fire they have in great distress of conscience great fears and many perplexing temptations before they obtain light and comfort to make their care and labor more easy to them they sometimes earnestly and for a long time seek comfort but find it not because they seek it not in a right manner knowing the right objects God therefore hides his face they cry but God does not answer their prayers they strive but all seems in vain they seem to themselves not at all to get forward or nearer to a deliverance from sin but to go backward rather than forward they see no glimmering of light things rather appear darker and darker insomuch that they are often ready to be discouraged and to sink under the weight of their present distress and under the prospect of future misery in this situation and under these views some are almost driven to despair many after they have attained some saving comfort are again involved in darkness and trouble it is with them as it was with the christian hebros hebros chapter 10 verse 32 after ye were eliminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions some thought a melancholy habit and the temper of body together with satan's temptations spent a great part of their lives in distress and darkness even after they have had some saving comfort five it is a business which by reason of the many difficulties snares and dangers that attended requires much instruction consideration and counsel there is no business where in man's stand in need of counsel more than in this it is a difficult undertaking a hard manner to proceed a right in it there are 10 000 wrong ways which men may take there are many leveraces where in many poor souls are entangled and never find the way out there are many rocks on which thousands of souls have suffered shipwreck for a want of having steered a right many of themselves know not how to proceed in this business any more than the children of Israel in their wilderness knew where to go without the guidance of the pillar of cloud and fire there's a great need that they search the scriptures and give diligent heed to the instructions and directions contained in them as to a light shining in the dark place and they ask counsel of those skilled in these matters and there is no business in which men have so much need of seeking to god by prayer for his counsel and that he would lead them in the right way and show them the straight gate for straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads us unto life and few there be that find it yay there are none that find it without direction from heaven the building of the ark was a work of great difficulty on this account that Noah's wisdom would not sufficient to direct him how to make such a building it should be a sufficient security against such a flood and which should be a convenient dwelling place for himself his family and all the various kinds of beasts and birds and creeping things nor could he ever have known how to construct this building had not god directed him six this business never ends till life ends they that undertake this laborious careful expensive self-denying business must not expect to rest from their laborers till death shall have put an end to them the long continuous of the work which Noah undertook was what especially made it a great undertaking this also was what made the travel of the children of Israel through the wilderness appear so great to them that it was continued for so long a time their spirits failed they were discouraged and had not a heart to go through with so great an undertaking but such is this business that it runs parallel with life whether it be longer or shorter although we should live to a great age our race and warfare will not be finished till death shall come we must not expect that an end will be put to our labor in care and strife but any hope of a good estate which we may obtain past attainments and past success will not excuse us from what remains for the future nor will they make future constant labor and care unnecessary to our salvation end of section 31 recording by Ben Wilford of Jackson Tennessee