Some are ready to condemn all high affections: if persons appear to have their religious affections raised to an extraordinary pitch, they are prejudiced against them, and determine that they are delusions, without further inquiry. But if it be, as has been proved, that true religion lies very much in religious affections, then it follows, that if there be a great deal of true religion, there will be great religious affections; if true religion in the hearts of men be raised to a great height, divine and holy affections will be raised to a great height.<\/p>\n
Love is an affection, but will any Christian say, men ought not to love God and Jesus Christ in a high degree? And will any say, we ought not to have a very great hatred of sin, and a very deep sorrow for it? Or that we ought not to exercise a high degree of gratitude to God for the mercies we receive of him, and the great things he has done for the salvation of fallen men? Or that we should not have very great and strong desires after God and holiness? Is there any who will profess, that his affections in religion are great enough; and will say, \u201cI have no cause to be humbled, that I am no more affected with the things of religion than I am; I have no reason to be ashamed, that I have no greater exercises of love to God and sorrow for sin, and gratitude for the mercies which I have received?\u201d Who is there that will bless God that he is affected enough with what he has read and heard of the wonderful love of God to worms and rebels, in giving his only begotten Son to die for them, and of the dying love of Christ; and will pray that he may not be affected with them in any higher degree, because high affections are improper and very unlovely in Christians, being enthusiastical, and ruinous to true religion?<\/p>\n
Our text plainly speaks of great and high affections when it speaks of \u201crepining with joy unspeakable, and full of glory:\u201d here the most superlative expressions are used, which language will afford. And the Scriptures often require us to exercise very high affections: thus in the first and great commandment of the law, there is an accumulation of expressions, as though words were wanting to express the degree in which we ought to love God: \u201cThou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.\u201d So the saints are called upon to exercise high degrees of joy: \u201cRejoice,\u201d says Christ to his disciples, \u201cand be exceeding glad,\u201d Matt. 5:12. So it is said, Psalm 68:3, \u201cLet the righteous be glad: let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.\u201d So in the book of Psalms, the saints are often called upon to shout for joy; and in Luke 6:23, to leap for joy. So they are abundantly called upon to exercise high degrees of gratitude for mercies, to \u201cpraise God with all their hearts, with hearts lifted up in the ways of the Lord, and their souls magnifying the Lord, singing his praises, talking of his wondrous works, declaring his doings, &c.\u201d<\/p>\n
And we find the most eminent saints in Scripture often professing high affections. Thus the Psalmist speaks of his love, as if it were unspeakable; Psal. 119:97, \u201cO how love I thy law!\u201d So he expresses a great degree of hatred of sin, Psal. 139:21, 22: \u201cDo not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with them that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.\u201d He also expresses a high degree of sorrow for sin: he speaks of his sins \u201cgoing over his head as a heavy burden that was too heavy for him: and of his roaring all the day, and his moisture being turned into the drought of summer,\u201d and his bones being as it were broken with sorrow. So he often expresses great degrees of spiritual desires, in a multitude of the strongest expressions which can be conceived of; such as \u201chis longing, his soul\u2019s thirsting as a dry and thirsty land, where no water is, his panting, his flesh and heart crying out, his soul\u2019s breaking for the longing it hath,\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections : In Three Parts \u2026<\/em> (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jonathan Edward\u2019s great work Religious Affections was introduced to us in yesterday\u2019s quote.\u00a0 In my mind there is probably no better book written to help us to grasp this vital subject (other than the Bible itself of course!)\u00a0 We should by now be beginning to understand one of the most fascinating paradoxes, our feelings are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[211,255,61,117,128],"tags":[475,529,563,536],"class_list":["post-9663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assurance","category-faith-and-feelings-series","category-jonathan-edwards","category-psalms","category-revival","tag-church-2","tag-church-history","tag-jonathan-edwards","tag-revival"],"yoast_head":"\n
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