Jonathan Edwards: Spiritual Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)

by Kyle C. Stroebel; Adriaan C. Neele; Kenneth P. Minkema

Publisher:

Paulist Press

, 2019

Overview

Interest in Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards has increased markedly over the last several decades. As more and more people become interested in Edwards as a theologian, exegete, and even political theorist, there is a major lacuna in both the primary and secondary literature. Edwards’s spirituality, a central facet of his life and work, remains unexplored.

Jonathan Edwards: Spiritual Writings addresses this neglect by compiling material from across Edwards’s corpus that outlines the breadth of his spiritual thought. Drawing primarily from sermons, letters, and notes, this volume showcases Edwards’s spiritual theology. In addition to works with which those interested in Edwards will be familiar, such as an excerpt from A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, the book includes several key texts that are either out of print or as yet unpublished. The result is the first primary-source reader of Edwards’s work to focus on his spirituality.

The volume is organized along broad themes so that abstract and practical matters are addressed side by side. A general introduction orients the reader to Edwards’s background, context, theology, and spirituality, and brief introductions to each thematic section provides further orientation.

As evangelicals continue to explore spirituality and attempt to retrieve spiritual theology from the tradition, there is an increasing interest in the history of evangelical spirituality, the Puritans, and most specifically Edwards. Jonathan Edwards: Spiritual Writings fills the need for an emphasis on the spiritual nature of his work.

Key Features

• Compiles material from across Edwards’s corpus that outlines the breadth of his spiritual thought.
• Showcases Edwards’s spiritual theology from his sermons, letters, and notes.
• Includes several key texts that are either out of print or as yet unpublished.

Contents

• About the Contributors
• A Word about References to Edwards’s Writings
• Acknowledgments
• Prelude: Locating Jonathan Edwards’s Spirituality
• Introduction
• PART ONE: THE GENERAL CONTOURS OF EDWARDS’S SPIRITUALITY
• Introduction to Part One
• “Diary”
• “Resolutions”
• “Personal Narrative” (1740)
• Excerpt from A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737)
• Excerpt from An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd (1749)
• The Spiritual Enjoyments and Comforts Believers Have through Christ (1738)
• PART TWO: AFFECTIONS
• Introduction to Part Two
• Excerpt from A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746)
• Spiritual Appetites Need No Bounds (1729)
• The Saints Often Miss Sweet Communion with Christ (1737)
• Excerpt from The Portion of the Righteous (1735)
• “Apostrophe to Sarah Pierpont”
• “The Narrative of Sarah Pierpont Edwards”
• PART THREE: BEAUTY
• Introduction to Part Three
• “Miscellanies” no. a, “Of Holiness”
• Excerpts from “Types” Notebook
• The Sweet Harmony of Christ (1735)
• Fragment: Application on Love to Christ (1723)
• Letter to Lady Mary Pepperrell (1751)
• Excerpt from Charity and Its Fruits (1738)
• PART FOUR: MEANS OF GRACE
• Introduction to Part Four
• The Duty of Self-Examination (1722–23)
• God’s Wisdom in His Stated Method of Bestowing Grace (1729)
• “Miscellanies” no. 539, “Means of Grace”
• Striving After Perfection (1735)
• A Native American Profession of Faith
• Letter to Deborah Hatheway (1741)
• PART FIVE: THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL WORK OF GRACE
• Introduction to Part Five
• A Spiritual Understanding of Divine Things Denied to the Unregenerate (1723)
• “Directions for Judging of Persons’ Experiences”
• True Grace Is Divine (1738)
• Excerpt from “Treatise on Grace” (1739–42)
• Excerpt from “Miscellanies” no. 790, “Signs of Godliness” (c. 1740)
• Excerpt from Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit Are Inferior to Graces of the Spirit (1748)
• Excerpts from True and False Christians (On the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins) (1737–38)
• Notes
• Index

Product Details

• Title: Jonathan Edwards: Spiritual Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)
• Authors: Kyle C. Stroebel, Adriaan C. Neele, Kenneth P. Minkema
• Series: Classics of Western Spirituality
• Publisher: Paulist Press
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 456
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780809106349, 0809106345
• Resource ID: LLS:JNTHNDWRDWRTNGS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-16T18:18:16Z