But as he thought it his duty to be directed by their advice, he should now endeavor cheerfully to undertake it, believing he was in the way of his duty. Accordingly, having had, by the application of the trustees of the college, the consent of the commissioners to resign their mission; he girded up his loins, and set off from Stockbridge for Princeton in January. He left his family at Stockbridge, not to be removed till spring. He had two daughters at Princeton, Mrs. Burr, the widow of the late President Burr, and his oldest daughter that was unmarried. His arrival at Princeton was to the great satisfaction and joy of the college. The corporation met as soon as could be with convenience, after his arrival at the college, when he was by them fixed in the president's chair. While at Princeton, before his sickness, he preached in the college hall, Sabbath after Sabbath, to the great acceptance of the hearers; but did nothing as president, unless it was to give out some questions in divinity to the senior class, to be answered before him; each one having opportunity to study and write what he thought proper upon them. When they came together to answer them, they found so much entertainment and profit by it, especially by the light and instruction Mr. Edwards communicated in what he said upon the questions, when they had delivered what they had to say, that they spoke of it with the greatest satisfaction and wonder. During this time Mr. Edwards seemed to enjoy an uncommon degree of the presence of God. He told his daughters he once had great exercise, concern and fear, relative to his engaging in that business; but since it now appeared, so far as he could see, that he was called of God to that place and work, he did cheerfully devote himself to it, leaving himself and the event with God, to order what seemed to him good. The small-pox had now become very common in the country, and was then at Princeton, and likely to spread. And as Mr. Edwards had never had it, and inoculation was then practised with great success in those parts, he proposed to be inoculated, if the physician should advise to it, and the corporation should give their consent. Accordingly, by the advice of the physician, and the consent of the corporation, he was inoculated February 13th. He had it favorably, and it was thought all danger was over; but a secondary fever set in, and by reason of a number of pustules in his throat, the obstruction was such, that the medicines necessary to check the fever, could not be administered. It therefore raged till it put an end to his life on the 22d of March, 1758, in the 55th year of his age. After he was sensible that he could not survive that sickness, a little before his death he called his daughter to him, who attended him in his sickness, and addressed her in a few words, which were immediately taken down in writing, as near as could be recollected, and are as follows:-"Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore, give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue forever and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all to seek a Father who will never fail you. And as to my funeral, I would have it to be like Mr. Burr's; and any additional sum of money that might be expected to be laid out that way, I would have it disposed of to charitable uses."* * President Burr ordered, on his death-bed, that his funeral should not be attended with pomp He said but very little in his sickness; but was an admirable instance of patience and resignation to the last. Just at the close of life, as some persons who stood by, expecting he would breathe his last in a few minutes, were lamenting his death, not only as a great frown on the college, but as having a dark aspect on the interest of religion in general; to their surprise, not imagining that he heard, or ever would speak another word, he said, "Trust in God, and ye need not fear." These were his last words. What could have been more suitable to the occasion! And what need of more! In these is as much matter of instruction and support, as if he had written a volume. This is the only consolation to his bereaved friends, who are sensible of the loss they and the church of Christ have sustained in his death; God is all sufficient, and still has the care of his church. He appeared to have the uninterrupted use of his reason to the last, and died with as much calmness, and composure, to all appearance, as that with which one goes to sleep. The physician who inoculated and constantly attended him in his sickness, has the following words in his letter to Mrs. Edwards, on this occasion: "Never did any mortal man more fully and clearly evidence the sincerity of all his professions, by one continued, universal, calm, cheerful resignation, and patient submission to the divine will, through every stage of his disease, than he. Not so much as one discontented expression, nor the least appearance of murmuring through the whole! And never did any person expire with more perfect freedom from pain; not so much as one distortion; but in the most proper sense of the words, he really fell asleep." CHAPTER VI. HIS PUBLICATIONS, MANUSCRIPTS, AND GENIUS AS A WRITER. MR. EDWARDS was greatly esteemed, and indeed celebrated, as an author, both in America and Europe. His publications naturally raise in the reader of judgment and moral taste a high opinion of his greatness and piety. His books met with a good reception in Scotland especially, and procured for him great esteem and applause. A gentleman of note there has the following words concerning Mr. Edwards, in a letter to one [of his correspondents in America: "I looked on him as incomparably the greatest divine and [moral*] philosopher, in Britain or her colonies; and rejoiced that one so eminently qualified for teaching divinity was chosen president of New Jersey College." And in another letter, the same gentleman says: "Ever since I was acquainted with Mr. Edwards's writings, I have looked upon him as the greatest divine this age has produced." And a reverend gentleman from Holland observed: "That Mr. Edwards's writings, especially on the Freedom of the Will, were held in great esteem there; and that the professors of the celebrated academy presented their compliments to President Edwards." This gentleman further observes, that, "Several members of the Classes of Amsterdam gave their thanks, by him, to pious Mr. Edwards, for his just observations on Mr. Brainand cost. He ordered that nothing should be expended but what was agreeable to the dictates of Christian decency; and that the sum which must be expended at a modish funeral, above the necessary cost of a decent one, should be given to the poor, out of his estate. erd's Life; which book was tranlated in Holland, and was highly approved by the University of Utrecht." As these Memoirs are introductory to a complete edition of Mr. Edwards's Works, a professed enumeration of all his publications must be needless. Yet, as it is not desirable, on many accounts, to observe a chronological order in their arrangement, a view of those works which were published by himself, and the chief of his posthumous productions, according to the order of time, may be acceptable to many. For this, the reader is referred to the note below.* Viewing Mr. Edwards as a writer of sermons, we cannot give him the epithet eloquent, in the common acceptation of the term. We see in him nothing of the great masters of eloquence, except good sense, conclusive reasoning, and the power of moving the passions. Oratorical pomp, a cryptic method, luxurious descriptions presented to the imagination, and a rich variety of rhetorical figures, enter not into his plan. But his thoughts are well digested, and his reasoning conclusive; he produces considerations which not only force the assent, but also touch the conscience; he urges divine authority, by quoting and explaining Scripture, in a form calculated to rouse the soul. He moves the passions, not by little artifices, like the professed rhetorician, but by saying what is much to the purpose, in a plain, serious, and interesting way; and thus making reason, conscience, fear, and love, to be decidedly in his favor. And thus the passions are moved in the most profitable manner; the more generous ones take the lead, and they are ever directed in the way of practical utility. From what has been said, it is easy to conjecture, that close discussions were peculiarly suited to Mr. Edwards's talents. And as a further evidence to show which way his genius had its prevailing bent, it is observable, that his style improves in proportion to the abstruseness of his subject. Hence, generally speaking, the productions, especially those published by himself, which enter into close, profound, metaphysical distinctions, seem to have as much perspicuity as the nature of the case will admit. To be convinced of the propriety of this remark, the reader need only consult the Treatise on the Will; a work justly thought by able judges to be one of the greatest efforts of the human intellect. Here the author shows such force and strength of mind, such judgment, penetration, and accuracy of thought, as justly entitles him to the character of one of the greatest geniuses of his age. We may add, that this treatise goes further, perhaps, towards settling the main points in controversy between Calvinists and Arminians, than any thing that had been written. Herein he has abundantly demonstrated the chief principles on which Arminians build their whole scheme, to be false and most absurd. Whenever, therefore, this book comes to be generally attended to, it will doubtless prove fatal to Arminian and Pelagian principles. Though the work now mentioned afforded the fairest opportunity for meta * 1731. A Sermon preached at Boston, on 1 Cor. 1734. Do at Northampton, on Matt. xvi. 17. 1742. Thoughts on the Revival. 1746. Religious Affections. 1747. On Prayer for a Revival. 1749. Ordination Sermon. 1749. Life of the Rev. David Brainerd. 1749. On Qualifications for Communion, 1752. A Reply to S. Williams's Answer. 1752. A Sermon preached at Newark, on James ii. 19. 1754. On the Freedom of the Will. N.B. This last was in the press when 1765. Eighteen Sermons, with his Life prefixed. 1774. The History of Redemption. 1788. On the Nature of Virtue. 1788. God's Last End in the Creation. 1788. Thirty-three Sermons. 1789. Twenty Sermons. 1793. Miscellaneous Observations. 1796. Miscellaneous Remarks. physical investigation, yet the same penetrating turn, the same accuracy of discrimination, and the same closeness of reasoning, distinguish many of his other productions. Among these we might mention, particularly, his book on Original Sin, his Discourse on Justification, his Dissertation on the Nature of true Virtue, and that concerning the End for which God created the World. If the advocates of selfish virtue, and of universal restoration, will do themselves the justice to examine these Dissertations with candor and closeness, they may see cause to be of the author's mind. His other discourses are excellent, including much divinity, and tending above most that are published to awaken the conscience of the sinner, as well as to instruct and quicken the Christian. The sermon (preached at Enfield, 8th July, 1741,) entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," was attended with remarkable impressions on many of the hearers. In his treatise, entitled "An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement, and visible union of God's people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion," he shows great acquaintance with Scripture, and a remarkable attention to the prophetic part of it. Mr. Edwards left a great number of volumes in manuscript, which he wrote in a miscellaneous way on almost all subjects in divinity. This he did, not with any design that they should ever be published in that form, but for the satisfaction and improvement of his own mind, and that he might retain the thoughts, which appeared to him worth preserving. Some idea of the progress he had made, and the materials he had collected in this way, he gives in his letter to the trustees of the college, when assigning his reasons against accepting the presidentship. He had written much on the prophecies concerning the Messiah, on justification, the divinity of Christ, and the eternity of hell torments. He wrote much on the Bible, in the same way; penning his thoughts on particular passages, as they occurred to him in reading or meditation. As the method he took to have his miscellaneous writings in good order, so as to be able with ease to turn to any particular subject, is perhaps as good as any, if not the best that has been proposed to the public; some account of it is here given, for the use of young students who have not yet adopted any method, and are disposed to improve their minds by writing. He numbered all his miscellaneous writings. The first thing he wrote, is No. 1, the second, No. 2, and so on. And when he had occasion to write on any particular subject, he first set down the number, and then wrote the subject in largecharacters, that it might not escape his eye, when he should have occasion to turn to it. For instance, if he was going to write on the happiness of angels, and his last No. was 148, he would begin thus-149. ANGELS, their happiness. When he wrote what he designed, he would turn to his alphabetical table, and under the letter A, he would write, Angels, their happiness, if this was not there already, and then set down the number 149, close at the right hand of it. And if he had occasion to write any new thoughts on the same subject, if the number of his miscellanies were increased, so that his last number was 261, he would set the number 262, and then the subject as before. And when he had done writing for that time, he turned to his table, to the word angels; and at the right hand of the number 149, set down 262. By this means he had no occasion to leave any chasms, but began his next subject where he left off his last. The number of his miscellaneous writings ranged in this manner, amounts to above 1400. And yet by a table contained in a sheet or two of paper, any thing he wrote can be turned to at pleasure. A just picture of this eminent servant of God, is given in the following expressive lines, taken from The Triumph of Infidelity, an ingenious, satirical poem, ascribed to Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College. "But, my chief bane, my apostolic foe, In life, in labors, source of every wo, From scenes obscure did heav'n his Edwards call, The end of heaven's high works resistless show'd, And in one little life the gospel more Disclos'd, than all earth's myriads kenn'd before.* The inscription upon the stone which is over the grave of Mr. Edwards in Princeton, composed originally by President Finley, has been very obligingly sent on by a particular friend, and is here gratefully inserted as the close of these Memoirs. M. S. Reverendi admodum viri, JONATHAN EDWARDS, A. M. Collegii novæ Cæsariæ Præsidis. Natus apud Windsor, Connecticutensium, V Octobris, Patre Reverendo Timotheo Edwards oriundus, Apud Northampton Sacris initiatus XV Februarii, Illinc dimissus XXII Junii MDCCL, Præses Aulæ Nassovicæ creatus XVI Februarii MDCCLVIII. His jacit mortalis Pars. Studiis intensissimis, Abstinentia, et Sedulitate Ingenii Acumine, judicio acri, et Prudentia, Artium liberalium et scientiarum Peritia insignis, Pietate præclarus, moribus suis severus, Quantos Gemitus discedens ciebat! Heu Sapientia tanta! heu Doctrina et Religio! Abi, Viator, et pia sequere Vestigia. The reader will consider this proposition as poetically strong, but not as literally accurate. |