Selected Sermons of Jonathan EdwardsEdwards, Jonathan
Religion
Selected Sermons of Jonathan Edwards
Edwards, Jonathan
Congregational churches -- Sermons; Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758; Sermons, American
The Apostle Peter mentions it as what gave them (the apostles) good and
well grounded assurance of the truth of the gospel, that they had seen the
divine glory of Christ, 2 Pet. i. 16: "For we have not followed cunningly
devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." The apostle has
respect to that visible glory of Christ which they saw in his
transfiguration: that glory was so divine, having such an ineffable
appearance and semblance of divine holiness, majesty and grace, that it
evidently denoted him to be a divine person. But if a sight of Christ's
outward glory might give a rational assurance of his divinity, why may not
an apprehension of his spiritual glory do so too? Doubtless Christ's
spiritual glory is in itself as distinguishing, and as plainly showing his
divinity, as his outward glory; and a great deal more: for his spiritual
glory is that wherein his divinity consists; and the outward glory of his
transfiguration showed him to be divine, only as it was a remarkable image
or representation of that spiritual glory. Doubtless, therefore, he that
has had a clear sight of the spiritual glory of Christ, may say, I have
not followed cunningly devised fables, but have been an eyewitness of his
majesty, upon as good grounds as the apostle, when he had respect to the
outward glory of Christ that he had seen.
But this brings me to what was proposed next, viz., to show that,
Secondly, This doctrine is _rational_.
1. 'Tis rational to suppose that _there is really such an excellency_ in
divine things, that is so transcendent and exceedingly different from what
is in other things, that, if it were seen, would most evidently
distinguish them. We cannot rationally doubt but that things that are
divine, that appertain to the Supreme Being, are vastly different from
things that are human; that there is that godlike, high and glorious
excellency in them, that does most remarkably difference them from the
things that are of men; insomuch that if the difference were but seen, it
would have a convincing, satisfying influence upon any one, that they are
what they are, viz., divine. What reason can be offered against it? Unless
we would argue, that God is not remarkably distinguished in glory from
men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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