An Excerpt from

A Treatise on Religious Affections

by Jonathan Edwards

 

Editor's Note & Introduction:  It is interesting that, although Jonathan Edwards was perhaps God's greatest human instrument of that revival of the 1730's and 1740's known as the Great Awakening, he was also its greatest critic.  A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections represents Jonathan Edwards' mature reflections on an extended period of revival that gradually faded as many its contemporaries drifted to one of two extremes:  The first, represented by the gifted but fanatical preacher James Davenport, was an insistence on an extreme emotionalism which insisted that any genuine work of the Spirit of God is always attended by uncontrolled and irrational fits, faintings, and new prophetic utterances.  Any who disagreed, particularly ministers, were deemed to be quenching the Spirit, if not unregenerate.  The other extreme, represented by the staunch traditionalist minister Edward Chauncy, belittled any idea of religious revivals altogether, and held that individuals may be true Christians provided their beliefs are orthodox, even if they manifest little or no religious fervency whatsoever.  Edwards, with his keen biblical perspective and careful observation of the alleged "converts" of that era, argues against both of these extremes, as he makes the case that the Great Awakening was indeed a genuine work of God, despite that fact that it produced many false converts and consequences that were the devil's handiwork and not God's.  The book remains, in the minds of many, one of the greatest books on Christian experience ever written.  In the following excerpt, which disputes Chauncy's view, Edwards argues that, along with other characteristics such as personal obedience to God's commandments (which he discusses more in other parts of the book), there is no true Christian faith where there are no fervent, pious movings of the heart.

 

Concerning the Nature of the Affections
and their Importance in Religion

1 Peter 1:8: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

The Experience of the Early Christians

In these words, the apostle represents the state of the minds of the Christians he wrote to, under the persecutions they were then the subjects of.  Such trials are of threefold benefit to true religion:  (1) They have a tendency to distinguish between true religion and false.Hence, they are called "trials," in that they "try" or test the faith of those who profess it, as that which appears to be gold is tried in the fire, and shown to be true gold or not. Likewise the faith of true Christians is being tried and proven to be true, as in verse preceding our text, 1 Peter 1:7:  "that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."  Trials also further benefit true religion in that (2) they make its genuine beauty and pleasantness appear. True virtue never appears as lovely as when it is most oppressed; and the divine excellence of real Christianity is never exhibited so profoundly as when it is under the greatest trials.  Then it is that true faith appears "much more precious than gold"!  A third benefit of such trials to true religion is that (3) they purify and increase it. They not only manifest it to be true, but also tend to refine it, and deliver it from mixtures of that which is false, which encumber and impede it, that nothing may be left but that which is true.  Not only so, but they tend to increase its beauty, by establishing and confirming it, and making it more lively and vigorous, and purifying it from those things that obscured its luster and glory. In the text, the apostle observes how true religion operated in the Christians he wrote to, through which these benefits of persecution appeared in them.  It appears there were two things in them, under their sufferings, that the apostle takes notice of in the text:

1. They had love to Christ: "Whom having not yet seen, ye love." The world wondered what strange principle it was that influenced them to expose themselves to such great sufferings, to forsake the things of this world, and to renounce all that was dear and pleasant to them. To the world around them, these Christians seemed beside themselves, and acted as though they hated themselves, for there was nothing visible that could make them so willing to suffer, and carry them through such trials.  Yet they had a supernatural principle of love to something unseen; they loved Jesus Christ, for they saw him spiritually whom the world did not see, whom the Christians themselves had never seen with bodily eyes.

2. They had joy in Christ. Though their outward sufferings were very grievous, yet their inward spiritual joys were greater than their sufferings, and supported them, and enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness.

Scripture and the Necessity of Holy Affections
in all True Religion

Thus, when the apostle takes notice of what made their religion to appear true and pure, he singles out the religious affections of love and joy, which he saw exercised in them.  It is evident, then, that a great part of true religion lies in the affections,those vigorous and felt exercises of the inclination and will of the soul. God has endued the soul with two faculties: one is that by which it is capable of perception and speculation, or by which it discerns, and views, and judges of things; which is called the understanding. The other is that by which the soul is in some way inclined with respect to the things it views or considers; either towards, against, or indifferent to them.  This faculty, as it relates to the actions determined and governed by it, is called the will: and the mind, with regard to the exercises of this faculty, is often called the heart.  And as the exercises of the inclinations of the soul are various in their kinds, so they are even more in their degrees, and the more vigorous and sensible exercises of this faculty are called the affections. 

It will be put forth here that true religion consists of vigorous and lively actings of the inclination of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart.That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us barely above a state of indifference: God, in his word, greatly insists that we be good in earnest, "fervent in spirit," and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy might" (Deut. 6:4, 6); "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord the God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul?" (Deut. 10:12); "Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom. 12:11).

It is this fervent, vigorous engagedness of the heart in religion that is the fruit of true regeneration, and that has the promises of life.  "And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live" (Deuteronomy 30:6).  Thus, the Scripture implies that if we are not in good earnest in our religion, and our wills and inclinations are not strongly exercised, we are nothing. The things of religion are so great that the exercises of our hearts are not suitable to their nature and importance unless they are lively and powerful. In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so necessary, as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so abhorrent. True religion is always a powerful thing; and the power of it appears, first, in the inward exercises of it in the heart, which is the principal and original source of it. Therefore, true religion is called the power of godliness, as distinguished from the external appearances of it seen in 2 Timothy 3:5: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it." The Spirit of God, in those who have sound and solid religion, is a spirit of powerful holy affection; and therefore, God is said "to have given the Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). And such people, when they receive the Spirit of God in his sanctifying and saving influences, are said to be "baptized with the Holy Ghost, and with fire," because of the power and fervor of those things the Spirit of God excites in their hearts, by which their hearts may be said to "burn within them" (Luke 24:32).

Furthermore, the business of religion is from time to time in Scripture compared to athletic exercises in which participants tend to have their hearts and strength greatly exercised and engaged, such as running, wrestling or agonizing for a great prize or crown, and fighting with strong enemies that seek our lives, and warring as those who by violence take a city or kingdom. And though true grace has various degrees, some being mere babes in Christ, whose inclination and will towards divine and heavenly things is comparatively weak, yet everyone who has the power of godliness in his heart has his inclinations and heart exercised towards God and divine things with such strength and vigor that these holy exercises prevail in him above all fleshly or natural affections, and are effectual in overcoming them.  Jesus said that every true disciple of Christ loves him "above father or mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, houses and lands: yea, than his own life" (Luke 14:26). 

Vigorous Affections Bring to Life ALL
of Human Experience

From this it follows that wherever true religion is, there are vigorous exercises of the inclination and will towards divine objects.  This is true in all pursuits.  Such is man’s nature that he is very inactive unless he is influenced by some affection, either love or hatred, desire, hope, fear, or some other. Take away all love and hatred, all hope and fear, all anger, zeal, and affectionate desire, and the world would be, in a great measure motionless and dead; there would be no such thing as activity amongst mankind, or any earnest pursuit whatsoever. It is affection that engages the covetous man, and him that is greedy of worldly profits, in his pursuits; it is by the affections, that the ambitious man is put forward in pursuit of worldly glory; it is the affections also that actuate the sensual man, in his pursuit of pleasure and fleshly delights.  The world continues, from age to age, in a continual commotion and agitation, in a pursuit of these things, but take away all affection, and the spring of all this motion would be gone, and the motion itself would cease. And as in worldly things, worldly affections are very much the spring of men’s motion and action; so in religious matters, the spring of their actions is very much religious affection: he that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.

Nothing is more evident, in fact, than that the things of religion take hold of people’s souls no further than they affect them. Multitudes who sit under the word of God and hear of things in it that are infinitely great and important, and that most nearly concern them, and yet what is heard seems to have little effect on them, and makes no change in their disposition or behavior, are such because they are not affected with what they hear. There are many that often hear of the glorious perfections of God, his almighty power and boundless wisdom, his infinite majesty, and that holiness of God, by which he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity, and the heavens are not pure in his sight, and of God’s infinite goodness and mercy, and hear of the great works of God’s wisdom, power and goodness, in which appear the admirable manifestations of these perfections; they hear particularly of the unspeakable love of God and Christ, and of the great things that Christ has done and suffered, and of the great things of another world, of eternal misery in bearing the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and of endless blessedness and glory in the presence of God, and the enjoyment of his dear love; they also hear the commands of God, and his gracious counsels and warnings, and the sweet invitations of the gospel. 

Yet they often hear these things and remain as they were before, with no change in them, either in heart or practice, because they are not affected with what they hear; and they will so until they are affected. Therefore I am bold to assert that there never was any considerable change wrought in the mind or behavior of anyone, by anything of a religious nature, whatever he read, heard or saw, who did not have his affections moved.  Nor were any unconverted ones engaged earnestly to seek salvation, or to cry after wisdom, and lift up their voice for understanding, or to wrestle with God in prayer for mercy; nor was one ever humbled, and brought to the foot of God, from anything he heard or imagined of his own unworthiness and deserving of God’s displeasure; nor was ever one induced to fly for refuge unto Christ, while his heart remained unaffected. Nor was there ever a saint awakened out of a cold, lifeless flame, or recovered from a declining state in religion, and brought back from a lamentable departure from God, without having his heart affected. And there never was anything considerable brought to pass in the heart or life of anyone living, by the things of religion, who had not his heart deeply affected by those things.

Specific Holy Affections which are Essential
to True Religion

The holy Scriptures everywhere place religion very much in the affections, which include fear, hope, love, hatred, desire, joy, sorrow, gratitude, compassion, and zeal. Let us consider each of these affections individually, and may the following examples be sufficient to show that those who would deny that much of true religion lies in the affections must throw away our Bible which we claim to believe, and follow some other rule by which to judge of the nature of religion.

1. Godly Fear. Godly fear is often spoken of in Scripture as the character of those who are truly religious persons, who tremble at God’s word, who fear before him, whose flesh trembles for fear of him, and who are afraid of his judgments.  His excellence makes them afraid, his dread falls upon them, and the like, such that a description commonly given the saints in Scripture, is "fearers of God," or, "they that fear the Lord." And because the fear of God is a great part of true godliness, that godliness in general is very commonly called "the fear of God." 

2. Hope in God. Hope in God and in the promises of his word is often spoken of in the Scripture as a very considerable part of true religion. It is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:13 as one of the three great things of which religion consists.  Hope in the Lord is also frequently mentioned as the character of the saints:, "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Psalm 146:5); "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is" (Jeremiah 17:7); "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord," (Psalm 31:24) and the like in many other places. Religious fear and hope are, once and again, joined together, as jointly constituting the character of the true saints: "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy" (Psalm 33:18);  "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy" (Psalm 147:11).  Hope is so great a part of true religion, that the apostle says, "we are saved by hope" (Romans 8:24). Hope is spoken of as the helmet of the Christian soldier: "And for a helmet, the hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8), and hope is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, which preserves it from being cast away by the storms of this evil world: "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail." (Hebrews 6:19).  It is spoken of as a great fruit and benefit which true saints receive by Christ’s resurrection: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

3. Love. The Scriptures place religion very much in the affection of love, in love to God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and love to the people of God, and to mankind. The texts in which this truth is seen, both in the Old Testament and New, are innumerable.  We will consider more of this afterwards. The contrary affection of hatred also, as having sin for its object, is spoken of in Scripture as no small part of true religion. It is spoken of as that by which true religion may be known and distinguished; "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil"  (Proverbs 8:13).  Accordingly, the saints are called upon to give evidence of their sincerity by this: "Ye that love the Lord hate evil" (Psalm 97:10).  The Psalmist often mentions it as an evidence of his own sincerity: "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes; I hate the work of them that turn aside" (Psalm 2-3); "I hate every false way" Psalm 119:104, 127); "Do I not hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?" (Psalm 139:21).

4. Desire for Holiness. Holy desire, exercised in longings, hungerings, and thirstings after God and holiness, is often mentioned in Scripture as an important part of true religion.  "The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee" (Isaiah 26:8); "One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4); "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God; my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1); "My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary" (Psalm 63:1-2); "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2); "My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times" (Psalms 73:25, 119:20, 130:6, and 143:6-7; Song of Solomon 3:1-2, and 6:8).  In the beginning of Christ’s sermon on the mount, such a holy desire and thirst of soul is mentioned as one thing that renders a man truly blessed:  "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).  Finally, this holy thirst is spoken of as significant as regards one's participation in the blessings of eternal life: "I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely" (Revelation 21:6).

5. Holy Joy. Scripture speaks of holy joy as a great part of true religion. So it is represented in the text, and as an important part of religion, it is often pressed with great earnestness: "Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4); "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous" (Psalm 33:1, 97:12); "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad" (Matthew 5:12); "Finally, brethren, rejoice in the Lord" (Philippians 3:1); "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4); "Rejoice evermore" (1 Thessalonians 5:16); "Let Israel rejoice in him that made him; let the children of Zion be joyful in their king" (Psalm 149:2).  This holy joy is also mentioned among the principal fruits of the Spirit of grace: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace," etc. (Galatians 5:21).  The Psalmist mentions his holy joy, as an evidence of his sincerity. "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches" Psalm119:14).

6. Religious Sorrow. Religious sorrow, mourning, and brokenness of heart, are also frequently spoken of as a great part of true religion. These things are often mentioned as distinguishing qualities of the true saints, and a great part of their character; "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4); "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psalm 34:18,); "The Lord hath anointed me, to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all that mourn" (Isaiah 61:1-2).  This godly sorrow and brokenness of heart is often spoken of not only as a distinguishing characteristic of saints, but as that which is peculiarly acceptable and pleasing to God: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" Psalm 51:17; "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15); "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit." (Isaiah 66:2).

7. Gratitude. Seventh, another affection often mentioned as evident in the exercise of true religion is gratitude, especially as exercised in thankfulness and praise to God. This being so much spoken of in the book of Psalms, and other parts of the holy Scriptures, I will not mention particular texts.

8. Compassion or Mercy. The holy Scriptures frequently speak of compassion or mercy, as a great and essential thing in true religion; indeed, a merciful man and a good man are equivalent terms in Scripture: "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away" (Isaiah 57:1).  Moreover, the Scripture chooses out this quality as that by which a righteous man is recognized:  "The righteous showeth mercy, and giveth" Psalm 37:21; "He is ever merciful, and lendeth" (Psalm 37:26); "He that honoreth the Lord, hath mercy on the poor" (Proverbs 14:21); "Put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies" (Colossians 3:12).  This is one of those great things by which those who are truly blessed are described by our Savior: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).  And this Christ also speaks of as one of the weightier matters of the law: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith" (Matthew 23:23).  Similarly are the following: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8); "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6).  This last text seems to have been much delighted in by our Savior, since he cited it often (see Matthew 9:13, and 12:7).

9. Zeal. Zeal is also spoken of as being a very essential part of the religion of true saints. It is spoken of as a great thing which Christ had in view in giving himself for our redemption: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" Titus 2:14.  Furthermore, this is spoken of as the great thing wanting in the lukewarm Laodiceans (Revelation 3:15-16, 19).

Yet of all these, the Scriptures indicate that true religion is primarily comprehended in love, the chief of the affections, and the fountain of all other affections. So our blessed Savior represents the matter, in answer to the lawyer who asked him which was the great commandment of the law: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).  These last words signify that these two commandments comprehend all the duty prescribed, and all the religion taught. in the law and the prophets.

The apostle Paul also from time to time makes the same point:  "He that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8); "Love is the fulfilling of the law"  Romans 13:10); "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Galatians 5:14); "Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart" (1 Timothy 1:5), and so on. This same apostle in all of 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of love as the greatest thing in religion, heart, essence and soul of it, without which the greatest knowledge and gifts, and the most glaring profession, and everything else that pertains to religion are vain and worthless; and he represents it as the fountain from whence proceeds all that is good.  The word which in our English Bibles is translated "charity" or "love," in the original Greek is agape, a love which includes the entirety of a sincere, benevolent inclination of the soul towards God and man.  Yet it may be considered, and is evident from what has here been observed, that this propensity or inclination of the soul, when in heartfelt and vigorous exercise, becomes affection, and is no other than affectionate love. And surely it is such vigorous and fervent love which Christ speaks of as the sum of all religion when he speaks of loving God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, and our neighbor as ourselves, as the sum of all that was taught and prescribed in the law and the prophets.

The True Religion of Departed Saints in heaven

Likewise, it may be assumed that the religion of heaven consists very much in affection. There is doubtless true religion in heaven, true religion in its utmost purity and perfection. But according to the Scriptural representation of the heavenly state, the religion of heaven consists chiefly in holy and mighty love and joy, and the expression of these in most fervent and exalted praises, so that the religion of the saints in heaven, consists of the same things as that religion of the saints on earth, which in our text is spoken of as love, and "joy unspeakable and full of glory."  And because the saints in heaven are not yet united to their bodies, the affections we are speaking of are not the affections of the body, but the affections of the soul, the chief of which are love and joy. When these are in the soul, whether it is in the body or out of it, the soul is affected and moved. And when they are in the soul, in that strength in which they are in the saints in heaven, the soul is mightily affected and moved, and thus has great affections. The love and joy of the saints on earth, then, is the beginning and dawning of the light, life, and blessedness of heaven, and is like their love and joy there. This is evident by many Scriptures, as Proverbs 4:18, John 4:14, John 6:40-58, 1 John 3:16, and 1 Corinthians 13:8-12.

It is therefore unreasonable to suppose that the love and joy of the saints in heaven differ significantly from the holy love and joy of the saints on earth.  If we can learn anything of heaven from the Scripture, the love and joy the saints have there is great and vigorous, impressing the heart with the strongest and most lively feeling of inexpressible sweetness, mightily moving, animating and them and making them like a flame of fire. Hence, therefore, the religion of heaven, consisting chiefly in holy love and joy, consists very much in affection; and therefore, undoubtedly, true religion consists very much in affection. The way to learn the true nature of anything is to go where that thing is to be found in its purity and perfection. If we would know the nature of true gold we must view it not in the ore, but when it is refined. If we would learn what true religion is, we must go where there is true religion, and nothing but true religion, and in its highest perfection, without any defect or mixture. All who are truly religious are not of this world; they are strangers here, and belong to heaven; they are born from above, heaven is their native country, and the nature which they receive by this heavenly birth, is a heavenly nature, they receive an anointing from above; that principle of true religion which is in them, is a communication of the religion of heaven; their grace is the dawn of glory; and God fits them for that world by conforming them to it in this world.  Such is the nature of all true religion.