The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

"I am tempted, perhaps foolish, to compare the Puritans to the Alps, Luther and Calvin to the Himalayas, and Jonathan Edwards to Mount Everest! He has always seemed to me the man most like the Apostle Paul."

-Martin Lloyd-Jones

     I am quickly learning that the legacy of Jonathan Edwards is rivaled by few, if any. A bold statement, I know, but I would be comfortable in saying I am not alone in making it. In reference to Lloyd-Jones' statement, quoted above, Dr. Steven J. Lawson has said that, "It was Jonathan Edwards in essence who stood on the shoulders of Calvin, and Luther, and the reformers, and climbed up a little higher, and stood on the shoulders of the Puritans, like John Owen and Thomas Watson and other great divines, and he went all the way to the top of the mountain range, as it were, and had the clearest view of God, and of systematic theology, and the inner workings of the truth of scripture."  That's quite a lofty claim. How is it, then, that Lloyd-Jones was led to this opinion of Jonathan Edwards in the “mountain range” of Church history?  What led him to say that Edwards stood, in spiritual stature, above men such as Calvin, Owen, Luther, etc?   Well, let's take a moment and observe some of the hallmarks of Edwards' legacy.  Truth be told, there are quite a few, so we'll only look briefly at those that have clearly shaped its foundation.

     Firstly, in examining the preaching of Edwards, his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", is without a doubt, the greatest sermon to ever be preached in the United States.  As a young man, I still recall my Junior year of American Literature, the day my professor took book in hand, and passionately read to us all in soliloquy for fifty-minutes straight. She didn't do this often, so what did she set aside on this particular day to read to us, you ask? Take a wild guess. Yep, that's right. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Straight through, with immense passion!  To my amazement, upon finishing, my professor explained to the class that Edwards had likely read his own manuscript very plainly that day in Enfield, Connecticut, and in a rather dry tone as well.  (“Those poor people,” I thought to myself, “No wonder they're dead.”) Though he's most well-known for this particular sermon, it was during the 18th century that Edwards' preaching ministry as a whole, alongside George Whitefield, is credited as the main driving force behind the first great-awakening. This sermon, no doubt, was one of its catalysts.  (So that's why my teacher wouldn't allow any of us to leave the class during Edwards' sermon, not even for a restroom break!.. Hrrrmm...  If I ever have students, I'm doing the same thing to them!...)  OK!--Next sentence already!

     In regards to his status as a theologian, Edwards showed himself to be a master conductor of words, similar to that of a skilled composer.  Throughout his life he masterfully strung together piece after piece of some of the greatest theological treatises of not just the past 300 years, but of the past two millennia.  To do this day he is widely regarded as the most prolific philosopher America has ever known.  Some will even venture as far to say the greatest mind this world has ever known. As an educator Edwards is known for having, before his death, assumed the presidential office at the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University.  With pen in hand, Edwards is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  His magnum opus, no doubt, "The Freedom of the Will", has been called...  (Ok, I'm taking myself to seriously. I really just want to give you the proper perspective of the level of Edward's writing.)...  "Freedom of the Will", has been called by Dr. R.C. Sproul, "The greatest book ever to be written on American soil."  (What the heck is R.C. Sproul's favorite book, anyway!?  Probably, "The Bondage of the Will", by Luther.  Sheesh!--Bias just a little?!?  Well, I guess that's OK.  Greatest American book is still a pretty hefty compliment, I suppose...  I wonder what R.C. Sproul would say is the greatest un-great american book of all time...  probably Twilight.  You know!... if Will Smith ever became a Christian, he could write a book called "The Bondage of the Will Smith."  "Der Knechtschaft des Will Smith."  OK!--it's "next sentence" time!)

     In concluding our brief analysis of Edwards' accomplishments, it's no wonder Lloyd-Jones went as far to make such a statement regarding Edwards' relationship to God.   Think about it: Edwards is arguably the greatest preacher who preached what is arguably the greatest sermon ever to be preached.  He's been called the greatest American writer, who wrote what is arguably the greatest book ever to be written on, "American soil."  To this day he is widely regarded as the greatest American philosopher, not just by Christians, but secularists as well.  There are even some who would go as far to suggest in the mind of Edwards we find the greatest thinker this world has ever known.  These are all astonishing accomplishments, and regardless of whether or not we agree with them all, to think that all these opinions would all find their way to one-man is bewildering, and that's an understatement.  To quote Dr. Lawson once more, he says, (and I implore you to read carefully) "It is an amazing thing that all those lines would intersect in one person...  All of this did not merely happen; nothing just merely happens!"  


     Doesn't it make you wonder, just a bit?  If nothing just merely happens, how exactly did it happen?  How did, as Lawson asked, all these lines intersect in one person?  Upon observing these opinions concerning Edwards and his incredible legacy, one can't help but ask the question: "Just what was Edwards secret to accomplishing all these magnificent feats?"  We must logically agree with Dr. Lawson; all of Edwards' life accomplishments didn't just happen by coincidence.  After all, nothing happens accidentally.  Mark my words, dear reader, the only place you'll ever find legacy and luck co-existing side by side together, is in this sentence.  (Or perhaps one similar to it.)  Legacy doesn't just happen; it's planned.  No one just wakes up one day and by chance lives a life that makes an impact on the world.  Not the way Edwards did.  With all that being said, the legacy that Edwards left behind can be traced back to his days as a young man, only 18 years of age.  It was at that time that Edwards' fervor for God's glory was planned out, with pen and paper.  Yes, it was at this young age that Edwards' determination for the gospel of Christ was set before him, line by line.  It was at this time that Edwards' devotion to living a life of legacy and dying a life of legacy can all be traced back to one single piece of writing.  How did it all happen, we ask?...

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.

     That's right!  Edwards' Resolutions!  "Huh?", you say.  Well, for anyone who isn't familiar... it was at the young age of 18 and 19 that Jonathan Edwards sat down and wrote out a list of 70 resolutions, which became the stepping stones he walked on throughout his life.  It was by these resolutions that he would live his life by till the day he died. If you haven't read them yet, I suggest you do.  Within these resolutions lie some of the weightiest, Theocentric, and heavenward oaths ever to be written by a man.  Their determination is mind-boggling.  Their unwavering tenacity ignites and inspires passion for God.  They are firm in their commitment to the gospel and to true-religion.  Edwards wrote these resolutions, it would seem, in an attempt to preach to his own heart, and to act as a constant reminder of one central message: that all mankind has but one purpose; to glorify God. And so as we read Edwards' resolutions, we shouldn't be surprised at all at the legacy this man left behind, for it is in these resolutions that we see the foundation for the house Edwards built throughout his lifetime. These resolutions would determine how he would spend his time. Where he became employed. Who he married. How he raised his children. How he spent his money. How he treated his wife. How he treated others. Where he lived. In essence: how he lived, and how he died. Every single facet of Edwards' life would find its roots in these resolutions. In other words if Edwards' life was to be compared to a road, these resolutions were the guard-rails that kept him straight as he walked the path. They had but one purpose: to constantly direct his eyes back to God. While he was living he would constantly return to these resolutions to be reminded of the original plan. 

     With all that being said... I'm not a professional writer, nor am I a church-historian! I just want to examine Edwards' resolve for the glory of God, and perhaps learn something from him! I'll be going through several of his resolutions each blog, however long it may take. So I'm really just writing this blog to 1) tell you I'm going to be blogging about these resolutions, 2) invite you to learn and be challenged with me, 3) to make you smile, maybe even laugh, but for sure cry, and 4) to provide my reasoning behind studying the writings of a fallible man. After all, if we have any desire at all to to know how it is that Edwards accomplished such incredible things, we must first examine our motives behind this desire. So I would like to offer you, my reader, a good reason. Only one. To live as Edwards lived. Behind the question, “What helped Edwards to live the way he lived?”, should be the question, “How can I live the way Edwards lived, that I might glorify God?”

     John Piper in his book, “A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards”, quotes Mark Noll saying, “Edwards’ piety continued on in the revivalist tradition, his theology continued on in academic Calvinism, but there were no successors to his God-entranced world view. . . . The disappearance of Edwards’ perspective in American Christian history has been a tragedy.” Noll words speak the truth. Why should we study Jonathan Edwards? We desperately need to have a “God-entranced world view”, as he words it. When we read about the way Edwards lived his life, we're naturally led to ask, “How can I live like that?”

     In conclusion, herein lies my motivation for our study of Edwards' resolutions. If Edwards glorified God the way he did, and these resolutions provided the foundation for his way of life, we can learn much from them. Understanding they are not scripture, the Word of God must never be substituted for the word of man.  Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly believe there is much profit to be gained in examining these resolutions.  If we study anything with the mindset centered around the question, “How can this help me to most glorify God?”, we'll remain safely within the realm of Theocentric studying.  And if we desire to leave Christ-centered legacies, we must plan to do so!  After all, it's just as Dr. Lawson said, "Nothing just merely happens!"  We must be people of the happening, not the just happened!  It may take a year or so, but I hope you'll share this journey with me.  Soli Deo Gloria, Saints!

-zach

1 cor. 2:2

Glory to the Father, glory to the Christ!  

Glory to the Spirit; our hearts in these suffice.