ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE EDINBURGH EDITION.

THEY who have a relish for the study of the Scriptures, and have access to peruse the following sheets, will, I am persuaded, deem themselves much indebted to the Reverend Mr. EDWARDS of New Haven for consenting to publish them. Though the acute philosopher and deep divine appears in them, yet they are in the general better calculated for the instruction and improvement of ordinary Christians, than those of President EDWARDS's writings, where the abstruse nature of the subject, or the subtle objections of opposers of the truth, led him to more abstract and metaphysical reasoninge. The manuscript being intrusted to my care, I have not presumed to make any change in the sentiments or composition. I have, however, taken the liberty to reduce it from the form of sermons, which it originally bore, to that of a continued treatise; and I have so altered and diversified the marks of the several divisions and subdivisions, that each class of heads might be easily distinguished.

EDINBURGH, April, 29, 1774.

JOHN ERSKINE.

PREFACE.

IT has long been desired by the friends of Mr. EDWARDS that a number of his manuscripts should be published; but the disadvantage under which all posthumous publications must necessarily appear, and the difficulty of getting any considerable work printed in this infant country hitherto, have proved sufficient obstacles to the execution of such a proposal. The first of these obstacles made me doubt, for a considerable time after these manuscripts came into my hands, whether I could, consistently with that regard which I owe to the honor of so worthy a parent, suffer any of them to appear in the world. However, being diffident of my own sentiments, and doubtful whether I were not over-jealous in this matter, I determined to submit to the opinion of gentlemen, who are friends both to the character of Mr. EDWARDS and to the cause of truth. The consequence was, that they gave their advice for publishing them.

The other obstacle was removed by a gentleman in the church of Scotland, who was formerly a correspondent of Mr. EDWARDS. He engaged a bookseller to undertake the work, and also signified his desire, that these following discourses in particular might be made public.

Mr. EDWARDS had planned a body of divinity, in a new method, and in the form of a history; in which he was first to show, how the most remarkable events, in all ages from the fall to the present times, recorded in sacred and profane history, were adapted to promote the work of redemption; and then to trace, by the light of Scripture prophecy, how the same work should be yet further carried on even to the end of the world. His heart was so much set on executing this plan, that he was considerably averse to accept the presidentship of Princeton college, lest the duties of that office should put it out of his power.

The outlines of that work are now offered to the public, as contained in a series of sermons preached at Northampton in 1739,* without any view to publication. On that account, the reader cannot reasonably expect all that from them, which he might justly have expected, had they been written with such a view, and prepared by the author's own hand for the press.

As to elegance of composition, which is now esteemed so essential to all publications, it is well known, that the author did not make that his chief study. However, his other writings, though destitute of the ornaments of fine language, have it seems that solid merit, which has procured both to themselves and to him a considerable reputation in the world, and with many, a high esteem. It is hoped that the reader will find in these discourses many traces of plain good sense, sound reasoning, and thorough knowledge of the sacred oracles, and real unfeigned piety; and that, as the plan is new, and many of the sentiments uncommon, they may afford entertainment and improvement to the ingenious, the inquisitive, and the pious reader; may confirm their faith in God's government of the world, in our holy Christian religion in general, and in many of its peculiar doctrines; may assist in studying with greater pleasure and advantage the historical and prophetical books of Scripture; and may excite to a conversation becoming the gospel.

That this volume may produce these happy effects in all who shall peruse it, is the hearty desire and prayer of The reader's most humble servant,

New Haven, Feb. 25, 1773.

JONATHAN EDWARDS.

This is necessary to be remembered by the reader, in order to understand some chronological observations in the following work.

WORK OF REDEMPTION.

IBAIAH li. 8.-For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool but my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

THE design of this chapter is to comfort the church under her sufferings, and the persecutions of her enemies; and the argument of consolation insisted on, is, the constancy and perpetuity of God's mercy and faithfulness towards her, which shall be manifest in continuing to work salvation for her, protecting her against all assaults of her enemies, and carrying her safely through all the changes of the world, and finally crowning her with victory and deliverance.

In the text, this happiness of the church of God is set forth by comparing it with the contrary fate of her enemies that oppress her. And therein we may observe,

1. How short-lived the power and prosperity of the church's enemies is: The moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool; i. e., however great their prosperity is, and however great their present glory, they shall by degrees consume and vanish away by a secret curse of God, till they come to nothing; and all their power and glory, and so their persecutions, eternally cease, and they be finally and irrecoverably ruined: as the finest and most glorious apparel will in time wear away, and be consumed by moths and rottenness. We learn who those are that shall thus consume away, by the foregoing verse, viz., those that are the enemies of God's people: Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

2. The contrary happy lot and portion of God's church, expressed in these words, My righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. Who are meant as those that shall have the benefit of this, we also learn by the preceding verse, viz., they that know righteousness, and the people in whose heart is God's law; or, in one word, the church of God. And concerning this happiness of theirs here spoken of, we may observe two hings, viz., 1. Wherein it consists. 2. Its continuance.

(1.) Wherein it consists, viz., in God's righteousness and salvation toward hem. By God's righteousness here, is meant his faithfulness in fulfilling his covenant promises to his church, or his faithfulness towards his church and people, in bestowing the benefits of the covenant of grace upon them; which benefits, though they are bestowed of free and sovereign grace, as being altogether undeserved; yet as God has been pleased, by the promises of the covenant of grace, to bind himself to bestow them, so they are bestowed in the exercise of God's righteousness or justice. And therefore the apostle says, Heb. vi. 10, God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labor of love. And so 1 John i. 9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So the word righteousness is very often used in Scripture for God's covenant faithfulness; so it is used in Nehem. ix.

8, Thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous. So we are often to understand righteousness and covenant mercy for the same thing; as Psal. xxiv. 5, He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psal. xxxvi. 10, Continue thy loving-kindness to them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. And Psal. li. 14, Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Dan. ix. 16, O Lord, according to thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away. And so in innumerable other places.

The other word here used is salvation. Of these two, God's righteousness and his salvation, the one is the cause, of which the other is the effect. God's righteousness, or covenant mercy, is the root, of which his salvation is the fruit. Both of them relate to the covenant of grace. The one is God's covenant mercy and faithfulness, the other intends that work of God by which this covenant mercy is accomplised in the fruits of it. For salvation is the sum of all those works of God by which the benefits that are by the covenant of grace are procured and bestowed.

(2.) We may observe its continuance, signified here by two expressions; forever, and from generation to generation. The latter seems to be explanatory of the former. The phrase forever, is variously used in Scripture. Sometimes thereby is meant as long as a man lives. So it is said, the servant that has his ear bored through with an awl to the door of his master, should be his forever. Sometimes thereby is meant during the continuance of the Jewish state. So of many of the ceremonial and Levitical laws, it is said that they should be statutes forever. Sometimes it means as long as the world shall stand, or to the end of the generations of men. So it is said, Eccles. i. 4, " One generation passeth away, and another cometh; but the earth abideth forever." Sometimes thereby is meant to all eternity. So it is said, " God is blessed forever," Rom. i. 25. And so it is said, John vi. 51, " If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." -And which of these senses is here to be understood, the next words determine, viz., to the end of the world, or to the end of the generations of men. said in the next words, " and my salvation from generation to generation." Indeed the fruits of God's salvation shall remain after the end of the world, as appears by the 6th verse: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner, but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” But the work of salvation itself toward the church chall continue to be wrought till then till the end of the world God will go on to accomplish deliverance and salvation for the church, from all her enemies; for that is what the prophet is here speaking of; till the end of the world; till her enemies cease to be, as to any power to molest the church. And this expression, from generation to generation, may determine us as to the time which God continues to carry on the work of salvation for his church, both with respect to the beginning and end. It is from generation to generation, i. e., throughout all generations; beginning with the generations of men on the earth, and not ending till these generations end, at the end of the world.-And therefore we deduce from these words this

DOCTRINE.

The work of REDEMPTION is a work that GoD carries on from the fall of man to the end of the world.

The generations of mankind on the earth did not begin till after the fall. The beginning of the posterity of our first parents was after the fall; for all their posterity, by ordinary generation, are partakers of the fall, and of the corruption of nature that followed from it; and these generations, by which the human race is propagated, shall continue to the end of the world: so these two are the limits of the generations of men on the earth; the fall of man, the beginning; and the end of the world, or the day of judgment, the end. The same are the limits of the work of redemption as to those progressive works of God, by which that redemption is brought about and accomplished, though not as to the fruits of it; for they, as was said before, shall be to all eternity.

The work of redemption and the work of salvation are the same thing. What is sometimes in Scripture called God's saving his people, is in other places called his redeeming them. So Christ is called both the Saviour and the Redeemer of his people.

Before entering on the proposed History of the Work of Redemption, I would,

1. Explain the terms made use of in the doctrine; and,

2. Show what those things are that are designed to be accomplished by this great work of God.

First, I would show in what sense the terms of the doctrine are used. And, 1, I would show how I would be understood when I use the word redemption; and, 2, how I would be understood when I say, this work is a work of God, carried on from the fall of man to the end of the world.

I. I would show how I would be understood when I use the word redemption. And here it may be observed, that the work of redemption is sometimes understood in a more limited sense, for the purchase of salvation; for so the word strictly signifies, a purchase of deliverance; and if we take the word in this restrained sense, the work of redemption was not so long in doing. But it was begun and finished with Christ's humiliation. It was all wrought while Christ was upon earth. It was begun with Christ's incarnation, and carried on through Christ's life, and finished with his death, or the time of his remaining under the power of death, which ended in his resurrection. And so we say, that the day of Christ's resurrection is the day when Christ finished the work of redemption, i. e., then the purchase was finished, and the work itself, and all that appertained to it, was virtually done and finished, but not actually.

But then sometimes the work of redemption is taken more largely, including all that God works or accomplishes tending to this end; not only the purchasing of redemption, but also all God's works that were properly preparatory to the purchase, or as applying the purchase and accomplishing the success of it; so that the whole dispensation, as it includes the preparation and the purchase, and the application and success of Christ's redemption, is here called the work of redemption. All that Christ does in this great affair as mediator, in any of his offices, either of prophet, priest, or king; either when he was in this world, in his human nature, or before, or since; and not only what Christ the mediator has done, but also what the Father, or the Holy Ghost, have done, as united or confederated in this design of redeeming sinful men; or, in one word, all that is wrought in execution of the eternal covenant of redemption; this is what I call the work of redemption in the doctrine; for it is all but one work, one design. The various dispensations or works that belong to it, are but the several parts of one scheme. It is but one design that is formed, to which all the offices of Christ do directly tend, and in which all the persons of the Trinity do conspire, and all the various dispensations that belong to it are