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Your King Has Come - Indelible Grace
Yesterday, our pastor proposed to the congregation that we make a corporate New Year’s resolution to be more Kingdom-focused (more on that in a day or so when I post the notes from the last two messages at RCC). He also referenced the resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made back in 1722-23 when he was only nineteen years old. Here are the first ten. You can see them all here, or click on the link in the far right-hand corner under ‘Book of the Month’ for a hard-copy version that includes ‘Advice to Young Converts’.
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards:
BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD’ S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST’ S SAKE.
- 1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’ s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
- 2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
- 3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
- 4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
- 5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
- 6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
- 7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
- 8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
- 9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
- 10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
