The Treatise on the Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards continued that religious affections have beautiful symmetry and proportion, continued. This is download number eight. Grace does not stupefy a man's conscience, but makes it more sensible, more easily and thoroughly to discern the sinfulness of that which is sinful, and to receive a greater conviction of the heinous and dreadful nature of sin. The conscience becomes susceptible of a quicker and deeper sense of sin, and the man is more convinced of his own sinfulness and the wickedness of his heart. Consequently, grace has a tendency to make a more jealous of his heart. Grace tends to give the soul a further and better conviction of the same things concerning sin that it was convinced of under a legal work of the Spirit, its great contrariety to the will and law and honor of God, the greatness of God's hatred of it and the displeasure against it and the dreadful punishment it exposes to and deserves. And not only so, but it convinces the soul of something further concerning sin of which it saw nothing. while only under legal convictions, and that is the infinitely hateful nature of sin and its dreadfulness upon that account. And this makes a heart tender with respect to sin, like David's heart to smote him when he had cut off Saul's skirt. The heart of a true penitent is like a burnt child that dreads the fire. Whereas, on the contrary, he that has had a counterfeit repentance and false comforts and joys is like iron that has been suddenly heated and quenched. It becomes much harder than before. A false conversion puts an end to convictions of conscience, and so either takes away or much diminishes that conscientiousness which was manifested under a work of the law. O gracious affections have a tendency to promote this Christian tenderness of heart. Not only godly sorrow, but even a gracious joy does this. Psalm 2 11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling, is also a gracious hope. Psalm 33 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. In Psalm 41 47 11 the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him and those that hope in his mercy. Yea, the most confident and assured hope that is truly gracious has this tendency. The higher a holy hope is raised, the more there is of this Christian tenderness. The banishing of servile fear by a holy assurance is attended with a proportionable increase of a reverential fear. The diminishing of the fear of God's displeasure in future punishment is attended with a proportionable increase of fear of His displeasure itself, a diminished fear of hell with an increase of the fear of sin. The vanishing of jealousies concerning the person's state is attended with a proportionable increase of jealousy of his heart, and a distrust of his own strength, wisdom, stability, faithfulness, and so on. The less apt is he to be afraid of natural evil, having his heart fixed, trusting in God, and so not afraid of evil tidings, the more apt is he to be alarmed with the appearance of moral evil or the evil of sin. As he has more holy boldness, so he has less of self-confidence, or a forward-assuming boldness and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance from hell, so he has a greater sense of his desert. He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith, but more apt to be moved with solemn warnings. With God's frown, and with the calamity of others. He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart, richer than others, but poorest in all in spirit. He is the tallest and strongest saint, but the least and tenderest child among them. Another thing wherein those affections that are truly gracious and holy differ from those that are false is beautiful symmetry in proportion. Not that the symmetry of the virtues and gracious affections of the saints in this life is perfect, it oftentimes is in many things defective, through the imperfection of grace, lack of proper instructions, errors in judgment, some particular unhappiness of natural temper, defects in education, and many other disadvantages that might be mentioned. But yet there is in no wise that monstrous disproportion in gracious affections and the various parts of true religion in the saints that is very commonly to be observed in the false religion and counterfeit races of hypocrites. In the truly holy affections of the saints is found that proportion which is the natural consequence of the universality of their sanctification. They have the whole image of Christ upon them. They have put off the old man, and have put on the new man, and tire in all his parts and members. It is pleased the Father that in Christ all fullness should dwell. There is in him every grace. He is full of grace and truth, and they that are Christ's of his fullness receive. And grace for grace, John 1, 14 and 16. There is every grace in them which is in Christ, grace for grace, that is, grace answerable to grace. There is no grace in Christ, but there is its image in believers to answer it. The image is a true image, and there is something of the same beautiful proportion in the image which is in the original. There is feature for feature and member for member. There is symmetry and beauty in God's workmanship. The natural body which God has made consists of many members. and all are in a beautiful proportion. So the new man consists of various graces and affections. The body of one that was born a perfect child may fell of exact proportion through distemper or weakness or injury of some of its members, yet the disproportion is in no measure like that of those who are born monsters. It is with hypocrites, as it was with Ephraim of old, at a time when God greatly complains of their hypocrisy. Hosea 7 Ephraim is a cake not turned, half roasted and half raw. There is commonly no manner of uniformity in their affections. There is in many of them a great partiality with regard to the several kinds of religious affections, great affections in some things and no proportion in others. A holy hope and holy fear go together in the saints. Psalm 33 18 But in some of these there is the most confident hope, while they are void of reverence, self-jealousy, and caution, and while they to a great degree cast off fear. In the saints joy and holy fear go together, though the joy be never so great, as it was with the disciples in that joyful morning of Christ's resurrection. Matthew 28 8 They departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy. But many of these rejoice without trembling. Their joy is truly opposite to godly fear. But particularly, one great difference between saints and hypocrites is this, that the joy and comfort of the former is attended with godly sorrow and mourning for sin. They have not only sorrow to prepare them for their first comfort, but after they are comforted and their joy is established. And it is foretold of the church of God that they should mourn and loathe themselves for their sins after they were returned from the captivity and were settled in the land of Canaan, the land of rest, the land flowing with milk and honey. Ezekiel 20, 42, 43 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers. And there ye shall remember your ways and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your evils that ye have committed. Also Ezekiel 16, 61 and 63. A true saint is like a little child in this respect. He never had any godly sorrow before he was born again, but since, has it often an exercise. A little child before it is born, and while it remains in darkness, never cries, but as soon as ever it sees the light, it begins to cry, and since forth is often crying. Although Christ has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, so that we are freed from the sorrow of punishment, and may now sweetly feed upon the comforts Christ has purchased for us, Yet that hinders not, but that our feeding on these comforts should be attended to with the sorrows of repentance. Thus of old the children of Israel were commanded evermore to feed upon a paschal lamb with the bitter herbs. True saints are spoken of in scripture, not only as those that have mourned for sin, But as those that do mourn, whose manner it is still to mourn, Matthew 5, 4, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Not only is there often in hypocrites an essential deficiency as to the various kinds of religious affections, but also a strange partiality and disproportion in the same affections with regard to different objects. Thus, as to the affection of love, some make high pretenses and a great show of love to God and Christ, and it may be have been greatly affected with what they have heard or thought concerning them. But they have not a spirit of love and benevolence towards men, but are disposed to contention, envy, revenge, and evil speaking, and will, it may be, suffer an old rush to rest in their bosom towards a neighbor for seven years together, if not twice seven years, living in real ill-will and bitterness of spirit towards him. And it may be, in their dealings with their neighbors, they are not very strict and conscientious in observing the rule of doing to others as they would that they should do to them. 1 John 4 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? On the other hand, there are others who appear as if they had a great deal of benevolence to men, who are very good-natured and generous in their way, but have no love to God. And as to love to men, there are some who have flowing affections to some, but their love is far from being so extensive and universal in nature as a truly Christian love is. They are full of dear affections to some, and full of bitterness towards others. They are knit to their own party, those who approve, those who love and admire them, but are fierce against those that oppose and dislike them. Matthew 5, 45 and 46 Be like your Father which is in heaven, for he maketh his Son to rise on the evil and on the good. For if ye love them which love ye, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? Some show a great affection to their neighbors, and pretend to be ravished with the company of the children of God abroad, but at the same time are uncomfortable and churlish towards their near relations at home, and are very negligent of relative duties. And as to the great love to sinners and opposers of religion, and the great concern for their souls that some express, even to extreme agony, singling out a particular person from among the multitude for its object, while at the same time there is no general compassion to sinners in equally miserable circumstances, but what is in a monstrous disproportion that seems not to be the nature of a gracious affection. Not that I suppose it to be at all strange that pity to the perishing souls of sinners should be to a degree of agony, if other things are answerable. or that a truly gracious, compassionate soul should be exercised much more to some persons than others who are equally miserable, especially on some particular occasions. Many things may happen to fix the mind and affect the heart with respect to a particular person at such a juncture, and without doubt some saints have been in a great distress for the souls of particular persons so as to be, as it were, in travail for them. But when persons appear at particular times in agonies for the souls of some single person, far beyond what has been usual in imminent saints, but appear to be far inferior to them in a spirit of meek and fervent love, charity, and compassion to mankind in general, I say such agonies are greatly to be suspected, because the Spirit of God is wont to give graces and gracious affections in a beautiful symmetry and proportion. And as there is a monstrous disproportion in the love of some and its exercises towards different persons, so there is in their seeming exercise of love towards the same persons. Some men show a love to others as to their outward man, as they are liberal of their worldly substance and often give to the poor, but have no love to or concern for the souls of men. Others pretend a great love to men's souls, but are not compassionate and charitable towards their bodies. To make a great show of love, pity, and distress for souls costs them nothing, but in order to show mercy to men's bodies they must part with money. But a true Christian love to our brethren extends both to their souls and bodies, and herein is like the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. He showed mercy to men's souls by laboriously preaching the gospel to them and to their bodies and going about doing good, healing all manner of sickness and diseases among the people. We have a remarkable instance of Christ's compassion at once both to men, souls, and bodies in Mark 6, 34, and so on. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were a sheep not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. Here was his compassion to their souls, and in the sequel we have an account of his compassion to their bodies. He fed five thousand of them with five loaves and two fishes, because they had been a long while having nothing to eat. And if the compassion of professing Christians towards others does not work in the same ways, it is a sign that it is no true Christian compassion. And furthermore, it is a sign that affections are not of the right sort, if persons seem to be much affected with the bad qualities of their fellow Christians, as the coldness and lifeliness of other saints, but are in no proportion affected with their own defects and corruptions. A true Christian may be affected with the coldness and unsavoriness of other saints and may mourn much over it, but at the same time he is not so apt to be affected with the badness of anybody's heart as his own. This is most in his view. This he is most quick-sighted to discern, to see its aggravations, and to condemn. A lesser degree of virtue will bring him to pity himself, and be concerned at his own calamities, than is needful rightly to be affected with those of others. And if men have not attained to the less, we may determine they never attain to the greater. And here, by the way, I would observe that it may be laid down as a general rule that if persons pretend to high attainments in religion, who have never yet arrived to the lesser, it is a sign of a vain pretense. If persons pretend that they have got beyond mere morality to live a spiritual and divine life, but really have not come to be so much as moral persons, or pretend to be greatly affected with the wickedness of their hearts, and are not affected with the palpable violations of God's commands in their practice, which is a lesser attainment, their pretenses are vain. If they pretend to be brought to be even willing to be damned for the glory of God, but have no forwardness to suffer a little in their estates and names, and worldly convenience for the sake of their duty, or finally pretend that they are not afraid to venture their souls upon Christ and commit their all to God, trusting to His bare word and the faithfulness of His promises for their eternal welfare, but at the same time have not confidence enough in God to dare to trust Him with a little of their estates bestowed the pious and charitable uses, I say when it is thus with persons, their pretenses are manifestly vain. He that is on a journey, and imagines he has got far beyond such a place in his road, and never yet came to it, must be mistaken. He has not yet arrived at the top of the hill, who never got yet halfway there. But this, by the way, what has been observed of the affections of love is applicable also to other religious affections. Those that are true extend in some proportion to their due and proper objects, but the false are commonly strangely disproportionate. So it is with religious desires and longings these and the saints are toward those things that are spiritual and excellent in general. and in some proportion to their excellency, importance, or necessity, or the near concern they have in them. But in false longings it is often far otherwise. They will strangely run with impatient vehemence after something of less importance, when other things of greater importance are neglected. Thus, for instance, some persons are attended with a vehement inclination, an unaccountably violent pressure, to declare to others what they experience, and to exhort them. When there is at the same time no inclination in any proportionable measure to other things, to which true Christianity has as great, yea, a greater tendency, is pouring out the soul before God in secret, earnest prayer and praise to Him, more conformity to Him, living more to His glory, and so on. We read in Scripture of groanings that cannot be uttered, and soul-breakings for the longing it has, and longings, thirstings, and pantings much more frequently to these latter things than the former. And so as to hatred and zeal, when these are from right principles, they are against sin in general, in some proportion to the degree of sinfulness. Psalm 119, 104 I hate every false way. So verse 128. But a false hatred and zeal against sin is against some particular sin only. Thus some seem to be very zealous against profaneness and pride and apparel, who themselves are notorious for covetousness, closeness, and it may be backbiting. Envy towards superiors, turbulency of spirit towards rulers, and rudity of will to those who have injured them. False zeal is against the sins of others, while he that has true zeal exercises it chiefly against his own sins, though he shows also a proper zeal against prevailing and dangerous iniquity in others. Some pretend to have a great abhorrence of their own inward corruption, and yet make light of sins in practice, and seem to commit them without much restraint or remorse. though these imply sin both in heart and life. As there is a much greater disproportion to the exercises of false affections than of true, as to different objects, so there is also as to different times. For although true Christians are not always alike, yea, there is very great difference at different times, and the best have reason to be greatly ashamed of their unsteadiness. Yet there is no wise the instability and inconstancy of the false-hearted in those who are true virgins that follow the Lamb wherever he goes. The righteous man is truly said to be one whose heart is fixed, trusting in God, and whose heart is established with grace. 12 7 Job, the righteous, shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall walk stronger and stronger. 17 9 It is spoken of, as a note of the hypocrisy of the Jewish church, that they were a swift dromedary, traversing her ways. If therefore persons are religious only by fits and starts, if they now and then seem to be raised up to the clouds in their affections, and then suddenly fall down again, lose all, and become quite careless and carnal, And this is their manner of carrying on in religion, if they appear greatly moved and mightily engaged in religion only in extraordinary seasons, as in the time of remarkable outpouring of the Spirit or other uncommon dispensations of Providence, or upon the real or supposed receipt of some great mercy, but quickly return to such a frame that their hearts are chiefly upon other things, and the prevailing stream of their affections is ordinarily towards the things of this world, they clearly evince their unsoundness. when they are like the children of Israel in the wilderness, who had their affections highly raised by what God had done for them at the Red Sea, and sang His praises, and soon fell a-lusting after the flesh-pots of Egypt, but then again when they came to Mount Sinai, and saw the great manifestations God made of Himself there, seemed to be greatly engaged again, and mightily forward to enter into covenant with God, saying, All that the Lord has spoken will we do, and be obedient. but then quickly made them a golden calf, I say, when it is thus with persons, it is a sign of the unsoundness of affections. They are like the waters in the time of a shower of rain, which during the shower and a little after run like a brook and flow abundantly, or but are presently quite dry, and when another shower comes in they will flow again. Whereas a true saint is like a stream from a living spring, which, though it may be greatly increased by a shower of rain and diminished in time of drought, yet constantly runs. John 4.14. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up, and so on. Or like a tree planted by such a stream that has a constant supply at the root and is always green even in time of the greatest drought. Jeremiah 17, 7 and 8. Blessed is a man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes. But her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Many hypocrites are like comets that appear for a while with a mighty blaze, but are very unsteady and irregular in their motion. and are therefore called wandering stars, Jude 13. Their blaze soon disappears, and they appear but once in a great while. But true saints are like the fixed stars, which, though they rise and set, and are often clouded, yet are steadfast in their orb, and shine with a constant light. Hypocritical affections are like a violent motion, as that of the air moved with winds, Jude 12. But gracious affections are more a natural motion, like the stream of a river, which, though it has many turns, may meet with obstacles and run more freely and swiftly in some places than others, yet in a general, with a steady and constant course, tends the same way until it gets to the ocean. And as there is a strange unevenness and disproportion in false affections at different times, so there often is in different places. Some are greatly affected when in company, but have nothing that bears any manner or proportion to it in secret, in close meditation, prayer, and conversing with God when alone and separated from all the world. A true Christian doubtless delights in religious fellowship and Christian conversation, and finds much to affect his heart in it. But he also delights at times to retire from all mankind and to converse with God in solitude. And this also has its peculiar advantages for fixing his heart and engaging his affections. True religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places for holy meditation and prayer. So it wrought in Isaac in Genesis 24, 63, and which is much more so it wrought in Jesus Christ. How often do we read of His retiring into mountains and solitary places for holy converse with His Father? It is difficult to conceal great affections, but yet gracious affections are of a much more silent and secret nature than those that are counterfeit. So it is with the gracious sorrow of the saints for their own sins. Thus a future gracious mourning of true penitence at the beginning of the latter-day glory is represented as being so secret as to be hidden from the companions of their bosom. Zechariah 12, 12, 13, and 14. As the Lamb shall mourn, every family apart, the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart, the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart. the family of the house of Levi apart and their wives apart, the family of Shimei apart and their wives apart, all the families that remain, every family apart and their wives apart. So it is with their sorrow for the sins of others. The saints' pains and travail for the souls of sinners is chiefly in secret places. Jeremiah 13 17 If ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride, and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive. So it is with gracious joys. their hidden manna in this respect as well as others. Revelations 2 17 The psalmist seems to speak of his sweetest comforts as those which he had in secret. Psalm 63 5 and 6 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Christ calls forth his spouse away from the world into retired places that he may give her his sweetest love. Canticles 7, 11, and 12. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages. There will I give thee my loves. The most eminent divine favors which the saints obtained that we read of in Scripture were in their retirement. The principal manifestations that God made of himself in his covenant mercy to Abraham where, when he was alone, apart from his numerous family, as anyone will judge that carefully reads his history, Isaac received that special gift of God, Rebekah, who was so great a comfort to him, and by whom he obtained the promised seed, walking alone, meditating in the field. Jacob was retired for secret prayer when Christ came to him, and he wrestled with him and obtained the blessing. God revealed himself to Moses in the bush, when he was in a solitary place in the desert, in Mount Horeb, Exodus 3. And afterwards, when God showed him his glory, and he was admitted to the highest degree of communion with God that ever he enjoyed, he was alone in the same mountain, and continued there forty days and forty nights, and then came down with his face shining. God came to those great prophets Elijah and Elisha, and conversed freely with them, chiefly in their retirement. Elijah conversed alone with God at Mount Sinai, as Moses did, and when Jesus Christ had his greatest prelimination of his future glory, when he was transfigured, it was not when he was with the multitude or with the twelve disciples, but retired into a solitary place in a mountain, with only three select disciples, whom he charged that they should tell no man until he was risen from the dead. When the angel Gabriel came to the Blessed Virgin, and when the Holy Ghost came upon her, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her, she seemed to have been alone, and this matter hid from the world. Her nearest and dearest earthly friend Joseph, who had betrothed her, knew nothing of the matter. And she that first partook of the joy of Christ's resurrection was alone with Christ at the sepulchre, John 20. And when the beloved disciple was favored with those wonderful visions of Christ and his future dispensation towards the church and the world, he was alone in the isle of Patmos. Not but that we have also instances of great privileges that the saints have received with others. There is much in Christian conversation and social and public worship, tending greatly to refresh and rejoice the hearts of the saints. But this is all that I aim at by grace, however it loves Christian society in its place, in a peculiar manner, to delight in retirement and secret converse with God. So that if persons appear greatly engaged in social religion, and but little in the religion of the closet, and are often highly affected when with others, and but little move when they have none but God and Christ to converse with, it looks very darkly upon their religion. Now that I am at the end of that section, I want to read a couple of these footnotes that are in Jonathan Edwards' works, mostly from Thomas Shepard's Parable of the Ten Virgins. Quote, These are hypocrites that believe, but fail in regard of the use of the gospel and of the Lord Jesus. And these we read of in Jude 3, of some men that did turn grace into wantonness. For therein appears the exceeding evil of a man's heart, that not only the law, but also the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus works in him all manner of unrighteousness. And it is too common for men at the first work of conversion, O, than to cry for grace in Christ, and afterwards grow licentious, live and lie in the breach of the law, and take their warrant for their course from the gospel." Again in page 232, Mr. Shepherd speaks of such hypocrites as these who, like strange eggs being put into the same nest where honest men have lived, they have been hatched up, and when they are young keep their nest and live by crying and opening their mouths wide after the Lord and the food of His word. But when their wings are grown and they have got some affections, some knowledge, some hope of mercy, are hardened thereby to fly from God. And he adds, can that man be good whom God's grace makes worse? And again, part two, page 167. When men fly to Christ in times of peace, that so they may preserve their sins with greater peace of conscience, so that sin makes them fly to Christ as well as misery, not that they may destroy and abolish sin, but they may be preserved in their sins with peace. These men may be said to apprehend Christ only by a seeming faith. Menahar secretly says this, If I can have my sin and peace and conscience quiet for the present, and God merciful to pardon it afterward, hence he doth rely, as he says, only on the mercy of God in Christ. And now this hardens and blinds him and makes him secure, and his faith is sermon-proof, nothing stirs him. And were it not for their faith, they should despair, but this keeps them up. And now they think, if they have any trouble of mind, the devil troubles them. And so make Christ and faith protectors of sin, not purifiers from sin, which is most dreadful, turning grace to wantonness, as they did sacrifice. So these would sin under the shadow of Christ, because the shadow was good and sweet. Micah 3.11 They had subtle sly inns and good duties, for in their inn may lie a man's sin, yet they lean upon the Lord. When money changers came into the temple, you have made it a den of thieves. Thieves, when hunted, fly to their den or cave, and there they are secure against all searches and hue and cries, so here. But Christ whipped them out. So when men are pursued with cries and fears of conscience, away to Christ they go as to their den, not as saints to pray and lament out of the life of their sin there, but to preserve their sin. This is vile. Will the Lord receive such?" Thomas Shepard.