Edwards, Religious Affections
Written by Jonathan Edwards
Background from edwardsstudies.com
- written in midst of revivals
- "religious affections" = like emotions, but deeper, more profound, closer to the deepest inclination of one's soul
- goals in this book:
- show from scripture that religious affections legit expressions of Christianity
- warn that some "experiences" cannot verify or falsify one's conversion
- list some factors that do indicate true conversion
Class Notes
His Question
- What is “True religion” → its distinguishing qualifications (from false religion)
- Religious “affections” & how they relate to true religion
#### Context
- Around the time of the first great awakening (the 1730s-1755) (2nd goes to 1770s)
- Personal, experiential religious movement
- Shortly after Whitefield (British)
Terms
Will Soul has 2 faculties
- Understanding
- Inclination (desire)
- Called “will” as it pertains to action
- The mind, when inclined, called “heart”
- Inclinations happen in the soul
- Feelings happen in the body
Direction / Orientation of Inclination
- Toward (love, approval)
- Away from (hate, rejection)
Affections Actions (exercises) of the inclination (sensible & vigorous) Affections always have a bodily effect Affections can have the nature of true religion
Religion Used in the “normal” Christian sense; didn’t feel that he needed to argue for it
Principles Natural Principals of the Natural Man i.e the 5 senses
- Note the difference between God working on people vs. in them. The natural (non-Christain) man can only have God work “on” him. God will do this by making his natural senses reveal things to him.
Estate Ιn favor with God
Misc Notes
- The conjecture that 1st GA led to uniting of American religion, leading to Rev. War
- Note the difference between God working on people vs. in them. The natural (non-Christain) man can only have God work “on” him. God will do this by making his natural senses reveal things to him.**
Summary
Edwards wrote of "religious affections," which are like emotions, but are deeper and more profound. They could be described as the deepest inclination of one's soul. He was trying to explain the relationship between these affections and true Christianity. Unlike others of his day, he argued that affections can be expressed in legitimate religion, but affections are not the only indicator of whether one is saved or not. Then he talked about what other indicators there are of true religion, with Christian practice and a holy life being chief among them. He also explained the difference between the work that God can do to an unbeliever and what he can do to a believer: namely, that he can only work on a non-believer, but he can work in a believer.