Selected Sermons of Jonathan EdwardsEdwards, Jonathan
Religion
Selected Sermons of Jonathan Edwards
Edwards, Jonathan
Congregational churches -- Sermons; Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758; Sermons, American
Although they shall meet the whole world at that time, yet they will not
have any immediate and particular concern with all. Yea, the far greater
part of those who shall then be gathered together, will be such as they
have had no intercourse with in their state of probation, and so will have
no mutual concerns to be judged of. But as to ministers, and the people
that have been under their care, they will be such as have had much
immediate concern one with another, in matters of the greatest moment,
that ever mankind have to do one with another in. Therefore they
especially must meet and be brought together before the judge, as having
special concern one with another in the design and business of that great
day of accounts.
Thus their meeting, as to the manner of it, will be diverse from the
meeting of mankind in general.
2. Their meeting at the day of judgment will be very diverse from their
meetings one with another in this world.
Ministers and their people, while their relation continues, often meet
together in this world. They are wont to meet from Sabbath to Sabbath, and
at other times, for the public worship of God, and administration of
ordinances, and the solemn services of God's house. And besides these
meetings, they have also occasions to meet for the determining and
managing their ecclesiastical affairs, for the exercise of church
discipline, and the settling and adjusting those things which concern the
purity and good order of public administrations. But their meeting at the
day of judgment will be exceeding diverse, in its manner and circumstance,
from any such meetings and interviews as they have one with another in the
present state. I would observe how, in a few particulars.
(1) Now they meet together in a preparatory mutable state, but then in an
unchangeable state.
Now sinners in the congregation meet their minister in a state wherein
they are capable of a saving change, capable of being turned, through
God's blessing on the ministrations and labors of their pastor, from the
power of Satan unto God; and being brought out of a state of guilt,
condemnation and wrath, to a state of peace and favor with God, to the
enjoyment of the privileges of his children, and a title to their eternal
inheritance. And saints now meet their minister with great remains of
corruption, and sometimes under great spiritual difficulties and
affliction: and therefore are yet the proper subjects of means of an happy
alteration of their state, consisting in a greater freedom from these
things, which they have reason to hope for in the way of an attendance on
ordinances, and of which God is pleased commonly to make his ministers the
instruments. And ministers and their people now meet in order to the
bringing to pass such happy changes; they are the great benefits sought in
their solemn meetings in this world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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