life, and ministry, which are preserved and left behind him. We will give, however, as much as we can, for such men do not arise too often.

Though he was of a tender and delicate constitution, yet few students are capable of close application more hours in a day than he. He commonly spent thirteen hours every day in his study. His most usual diversion in the summer was riding on horseback, and walking. He would commonly, unless diverted by company, ride two or three miles after dinner to some lonely grove, where he would dismount and walk a while. At which times he generally carried his pen and ink with him, to note any thought that should be suggested, which he chose to retain and pursue, as what promised some light on any important subject. In the winter he was wont almost daily to take an axe, and chop wood moderately for the space of half an hour or more. He had an uncommon thirst for knowledge, in the pursuit of which he spared not cost nor pains. He read all the books, especially books of divinity, that he could come at, from which he could hope to get any help in his pursuit of knowledge. And, in this, he confined not himself to authors of any particular sect or denomination, but took much pains to come at the books of the most noted writers, who advance a scheme of divinity most contrary to his own principles. But he studied the Bible more than all other books, and more than most other divines do. His uncommon acquaintance with the Bible appears in his sermons, and in most of his publications: And his great pains in studying it are manifest in his manuscript notes upon it. He was thought by some, who had but a slight acquaintance with him, to be stiff and unsociable; but this was owing to want of better acquaintance. He was not a man of many words indeed, and was somewhat reserved among strangers, and those on whose candour and friendship he did not know he could rely. But how groundless the imputation of stiff and unsociable was, his known and tried friends best knew. They always found him easy of access, kind and condescending; and though not talkative, yet affable and free. Among such whose candour and friendship he had experienced, he threw off the reserve, and was most open and free; quite patient of contradiction, while the utmost opposition was made to his sentiments that could be by any plausible arguments or objections. His conversation with his friends was always savoury and profitable: In this he was remarkable, and almost singular. He was not used to spend his time

with them, in scandal, evil-speaking, and back-biting, or in foolish jesting, idle chat, and telling stories: But his mouth was that of the just, which bringeth forth wisdom, and his lips dispersed knowledge. His tongue was as the pen of a ready writer, while he conversed about important, heavenly, divine things, which his heart was so full of, in such a natural and free manner, as to be most entertaining and instructive: So that none of his friends could enjoy his company without instruction and profit, unless it was by their own fault. He kept himself quite free from worldly cares. He gave himself wholly to the work of the ministry, and entangled not himself with the affairs of this life. He left the particular over-sight and direction of the temporal concerns of his family almost entirely to Mrs. Edwards, who was better able than most of her sex to take the whole care of them on her hands. He was less acquainted with most of his temporal af. fairs than many of his neighbours, and seldom knew when and by whom his forage for winter was gathered in, or how many milk kine he had, whence his table was furnished, &c.

As to his secret life and walk with God, we must refer the reader to his Diary which he left behind, some extracts of which, as a specimen, we take leave to offer in the note below.*

President

*The first that I remember, that ever I found any thing of that sort of inward sweet delight in GoD and divine things, that I have lived much in since, was on reading those words, 1 Tim. i. 17. Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise GOD, be honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.' As I read the words, there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being; a new sense, quite different from any thing I ever experienced before. Never any words of Scripture seemed to me as these words did. I thought with myself how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be if I might enjoy that GoD, and be wrapt up to Gop in heaven, and be, as it were, swallowed up in him. I kept saying, and, as it were, singing over these words of Scripture to myself; and went to prayer, to pray to GOD that I might enjoy him: and prayed in a manner quite different from what I used to do, with a new sort of affection. But it never came into my thought that there was any thing spiritual, or of a saving nature in this. Not long after I first began to experience these things, I gave an account to my father of some things that had passed in my mind. I was pretty much affected by the discourse we had together. And when the discourse was ended, I walked abroad alone, in a solitary place in my father's pasture, for contemplation. And as I was walking there, and looked up on the sky and clouds, there came into my mind a sweet sense of the glorious majesty and grace of GOD, that I know not how to express. I seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction: Majesty and meekness joined together: It was a sweet and gentle, and holy majesty, and also a majestic meekness;

an

President Edwards left many MS. volumes, written miscellaneously, upon almost every subject in divinity, not for publication, but for his own improvement. He is said to have commented largely upon several difficult passages in the Bible not explained fully by others, and to have thrown much light upon them. If those who possess

his

an awful sweetness; a high, and great, and holy gentleness. After this my sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and had more of that inward sweetness. The appearance of every thing was altered: There seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory, in almost every thing. GoD's excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear in every thing; in the sun, moon, and stars; in the clouds, and blue sky; in the grass, flowers, trees; in the water, and all nature, which used greatly to fix my mind. I often used to sit and view the moon for a long time; and so in the day time, spent much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the sweet glory of God in these things: In the mean time singing forth with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator and Redeemer. And scarce any thing, among all the works of nature, was so sweet to me as thunder and lightning. Formerly, nothing had been so terrible to me. I used to be a person uncommonly terrified with thunder: And it used to strike me with terror, when I saw a thunder storm rising. But now, on the contrary, it rejoiced me. I felt GOD at the first appearance of a thunder storm: And used to take opportunity at such times, to fix myself to view the clouds, and see the lightnings play, and hear the majestic and awful voice of God's thunder: Which often times was exceeding entertaining, leading me to sweet contemplations of my great and glorious GOD. And while I viewed, used to spend my time, as it always seemed natural to me, to sing or chant forth my meditations; to speak my thoughts in soliloquies, and speak with a singing voice. The delights which I now felt in things of religion, were of an exceeding different kind from those forementioned, that I had when I was a boy. They were totally of another kind; and what I then had no more notion or idea of, than one born blind has of pleasant and beautiful colours. They were of a more inward, pure, soul-animating, and refreshing nature. Those former delights never reached the heart; and did not arise from any sight of the divine excellency of the things of GOD, or any taste of the soul-satisfying and life-giving good, there is in them. My sense of divine things seemed gradually to increase, until I went to preach at New York, which was about a year and a half after they began. While I was there, I felt them, very sensibly, in a much higher degree than I had done before. My longings after God and holiness were much increased. Pure and humble, holy and heavenly Christianity, appeared exceeding amiable to me. I felt in me a burning desire to be in every thing a complete Christian, and conformed to the blessed image of Christ: And that I might live in all things, according to the pure, sweet, and blessed rules of the gospel. The heaven I desired was a heaven of holiness; to be with Gop, and to spend my eternity in divine love, and holy commu nion with Christ. My mind was very much taken up with contemp. lations on heaven, and the enjoyments of those there, and living there in perfect holiness, humility, and love. And it used at that

time

his papers, would publish these after the manner of Estius, which they might easily do, it would doubtless be an ac ceptable present to the religious world, and meet with encouragement.

His Works, published. "I. A Sermon preached at Boston, on 1 Cor. i. 29, 30, 31. II. A Sermon preached at Northampton,

It

to

time to appear a great part of the happiness of heaven, that there the saints could express their love to Christ. It appeared to me a great clog and hindrance and burden to me, that what I felt within, I could not express to GOD, and give vent to, as I desired. The inward ardour of my soul seemed to be hindered and pent up, and could not freely flame out as it would. I used often to think how, in heaven, this sweet principle should freely and fully vent and express itself. Heaven appeared to me exceeding delightful as a world of love. appeared to me, that all happiness consisted in living in pure, humble, heavenly, divine love. Holiness, as I then wrote down some of my contemplations on it, appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature, It seemed to me, it brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and ravishment the soul: And that it made the soul like a field or garden of Gon, with all manner of pleasant flowers, that is all pleasant, delightful and undisturbed; enjoying a sweet calm, and the gently vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Christian, as I then wrote my meditations, appeared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year; low and humble on the ground, opening its bosom, to receive the pleasant beams of the sun's glory; rejoicing, as it were in a calm rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy; standing peacefully and lovingly, in the midst of other flowers round about, all in like manner opening their bosoms, to drink in the light of the sun. I had then, and at other times, the greatest delight in the Holy Scriptures, of any book whatsoever. Oftentimes in reading it, every word seemed to touch my heart. I felt an harmony between something in my heart, and those sweet and powerful words. I seemed often to see so much light, exhibited by every sentence, and such a refreshing ravishing food communicated, that I could not get along in reading. Used often-times to dwell long on one sentence, to see the wonders contained in it; and yet almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders. Since I came to this town (Northampton) I have often had sweet complacency in GoD, in views of his glorious perfec tions, and the excellency of Jesus Christ. God has appeared to me a glorious and lovely being, chiefly on the account of his holiness. The holiness of God has always appeared to me the most lovely of all bis attributes. The doctrines of God's absolute sovereignty, and free grace, in shewing mercy to whom he would shew mercy; and man's absolute dependence on the operations of God's holy spirit, bave very often appeared to me as sweet and glorious doctrines. These doctrines have been much my delight. GOD's sovereignty has ever appeared to me, as great part of his glory. It has often been sweet to me to go to God, and adore him as a sovereign God, and ask sorereign mercy of him. Sometimes, only mentioning a single word causes my heart to burn within me: Or only seeing the name of Christ, or the name of some attribute of God. And God has ap peared glorious to me, on account of the Trinity. It has made me

have

Northampton, in the year 1734, from Matth. xvi. 17. III. Five Discourses on the following Heads: 1. Justification by Faith alone. 2. Pressing into the Kingdom of GOD. 3. Ruth's Resolution, 4. The Justice of GOD in the Damnation of Sinners. 5. The Excellency of Jesus Christ. IV. A Sermon preached at Enfield, July 8, 1714, entitled,

have exalting thoughts of God, that he subsists in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The sweetest joys and delights I have experienced, have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own good estate, but in a direct view of the glorious things of the gospel. When I enjoy this sweetness, it seems to carry me above the thoughts of my own safe estate. It seems at such times a loss that I cannot bear to take off my eye from the glorious, pleasant object I behold without me, to turn my eye in upon myself, and my Own good estate. Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, anno 1737; and having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view, that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man; and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace, that appeared to me so calm and sweet, appeared great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent, with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception: Which continued, as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me the bigger part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt withal, an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, than to be emptied and aunihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust in him; to live upon him; to serve and follow him, and to be totally wrapped up in the fulness of Christ; and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity. I have several other times had views very much of the same nature, and that have had the same effects. I have many times had a sense of the glory of the third Person in the Trinity, in his office of sanctifier; in his holy operations communicating divine light and life to the soul. God, in the communications of his Holy Spirit, has appeared as an infinite fountain of divine glory and sweet. ness; being full and sufficient to fill and satisfy the soul: pouring forth itself in sweet communications, like the sun in its glory, sweetly and pleasantly diffusing light and life. I have vastly a greater sense of my universal, exceeding dependence on God's grace and strength, and mere good pleasure, of late, than I used formerly to have; and have experienced more of an abhorrence of my own righteousness. The thought of any comfort or joy arising in me, on any consideration or reflection on my own amiableness, or any of my performances or experiences, or any goodness of heart or life, is nauseous and detestable to me. And yet I am greatly afflicted with a proud and self-righteous spirit; much more sensibly, than I used to be formerly. I see that serpent rising, and putting forth its head, continually, every where, all around me. Though it seems to me, that in some respects I was a far better Christian, for two or three years after my first conversion, than I am now, and lived in a more constant de light and pleasure; yet of late years, I have had a more full and con

stant