Quotes by Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) — Erweckungsprediger · Puritaner · USA
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) war ein puritanischer Theologe, Philosoph und Pastor, der im kolonialen Nordamerika vor allem in Massachusetts wirkte. Er gilt als Schlüsselfigur der ersten großen Erweckungsbewegung und Autor einflussreicher Predigten wie „Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God“, stand jedoch wegen strenger Abendmahlsregeln in Konflikten und verteidigte die Sklaverei. Heutigen Bibellesern begegnet er als tiefgründiger Ausleger der Souveränität Gottes und der Natur geistlicher Bekehrungserfahrungen.
Era: Revival & the 19th Century
Recurring topics: God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, Faith & Trust, Joy & Gratitude, Growth & Character, Humility & Pride, Prayer & Silence, Grace & Redemption, Wisdom & Understanding
Quotes by Jonathan Edwards
You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.
Jonathan Edwards
God is not only glorified by his glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.
Jonathan Edwards
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
Jonathan Edwards
God created man for nothing else but happiness. He created him only that He might communicate happiness to him.
Jonathan Edwards
The pleasures of humility are really the most refined, inward, and exquisite delights in the world.
Jonathan Edwards
Nothing sets a Christian so much out of the devil’s reach than humility.
Jonathan Edwards
The true spirit of prayer is no other than God’s own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer.
Jonathan Edwards
What is there that you can desire should be in a Savior that is not in Christ? Or, in what way would you desire a Savior to be otherwise than Christ is? What excellency is there lacking? What is there that is great or good; what is there that is venerable or winning; what is there that is adorable or endearing; or what can you think of that would be encouraging, which is not to be found in the person of Christ?
Jonathan Edwards
I go out to preach with two propositions in mind. First, everyone ought to give his life to Christ. Second, whether or not anyone gives Him his life, I will give Him mine.
Jonathan Edwards
I was almost constantly in ejaculatory prayer, wherever I was. Prayer seemed to be natural to me, as the breath by which the inward burnings of my heart had vent.
Jonathan Edwards
Now where is Jesus of Nazareth, my true and never-failing Friend?
Jonathan Edwards
The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.
Jonathan Edwards
Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.
Jonathan Edwards
All the fruits of the Spirit which we are to lay weight upon as evidential of grace, are summed up in charity, or Christian love; because this is the sum of all grace.
Jonathan Edwards
Holiness appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature; which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and ravishment to the soul. In other words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers.
Jonathan Edwards
Some are greatly affected when in company; but have nothing that bears any manner of proportion to it in secret, in close meditation, prayer and conversing with God when alone, and separated from the world. A true Christian doubtless delights in religious fellowship and Christian conversation, and finds much to affect his heart in it; but he also delights at times to retire from all mankind, to converse with God in solitude. And this also has peculiar advantages for fixing his heart, and engaging his affections. True religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places for holy meditation and prayer… It is the nature of true grace, however it loves Christian society in its place, in a peculiar manner to delight in retirement, and secret converse with God.
Jonathan Edwards
Holy affections do not have heat without light.
Jonathan Edwards
Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
Jonathan Edwards
To pretend to describe the excellence, the greatness or duration of the happiness of heaven by the most artful composition of words would be but to darken and cloud it; to talk of raptures and ecstasies, joy and singing, is but to set forth very low shadows of the reality.
Jonathan Edwards
Many pray with their lips for that for which their hearts have no desire.
Jonathan Edwards
Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls.
Jonathan Edwards
There is [in God] an inexhaustible fountain of blessings. Every kind of dainty is in inexhaustible plenty. Therefore ‘tis called a river of life, rivers of pleasure forevermore (Revelation 22:1). Here the soul manifests itself abundantly without danger of spending the provision. Therefore Christ says to His people, “Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved” (Song of Songs 5:1). There is no such thing as excess in our taking of this spiritual food. There is no such virtue as temperance in spiritual feasting… At God’s right hand there are pleasures forevermore. There you may eat and drink, and always be satisfied and yet never be glutted. You may eat and drink abundantly and never be in danger of excess.
Jonathan Edwards
It is remarkable how forward men are to appear, as if they were zealous for God and righteousness, in cases wherein their honor, or will, or interest has been touched, and to make pretense of this in injuring others or complaining of them.
Jonathan Edwards
Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.
Jonathan Edwards
Grace is but glory begun, and glory is but grace perfected.
Jonathan Edwards
Spiritual delight in God arises chiefly from his beauty and perfection, not from the blessings he gives us.
Jonathan Edwards
There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ as by prayer.
Jonathan Edwards
Every Christian family ought to be a little church, consecrated to Christ and wholly influenced and governed by His Laws.
Jonathan Edwards
All gracious affections that are a sweet odor to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken-hearted affections.
Jonathan Edwards
He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.
Jonathan Edwards
How great an honor will it be to a person to have God at the day of judgment owning a person, declaring before all men, angels and devils that that person is before His all-seeing eyes and that he stands innocent and perfect in His sight, clothed with perfect righteousness and entitled to everlasting glory and blessedness. How honorable will this render them in the eyes of all that vast assembly that will be together at the day of judgment. That will be an infinitely greater honor than any man or any angel declaring that they judge him upright and sincere and that eternal life belongs to him. What can be a greater honor than this — to be owned by the great King and Lord of all things?
Jonathan Edwards
Lukewarmness in the Christian faith is vile, and zeal an excellent grace; yet above all other Christian virtues, this needs to be strictly watched and searched. For it is zeal with which corruption and pride and human passion is very apt to mix unobserved.
Jonathan Edwards
There are people who love those who agree with them and admire them, but have no time for those who oppose and dislike them. A Christian’s love must be universal!
Jonathan Edwards
Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
Jonathan Edwards
Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
Jonathan Edwards
The duty of singing praises to God seems to be given wholly to excite and express religious affections. There is no other reason why we should express ourselves to God in verse rather than in prose and with music, except that these things have a tendency to move our affections.
Jonathan Edwards
As long as a person has a notion that he is guided by immediate direction from heaven, it makes him incorrigible and impregnable in all his misconduct.
Jonathan Edwards
God can answer prayer, though He bestow not the very thing for which we pray. He can sometimes better answer the lawful desires and good end we have in prayer another way. If our end be our own good and happiness, God can perhaps better answer that end in bestowing something else than in the bestowment of the very thing which we ask. And if the main good we aim at in our prayers be attained, our prayer in answered.
Jonathan Edwards
There would be no manifestation of God’s grace or true goodness, if there was no sin to be pardoned, no misery to be saved from.
Jonathan Edwards
God has appeared to me, a glorious and lovely being chiefly on account of His holiness. The holiness of God has always appeared to me the most lovely of all His attributes.
Jonathan Edwards
154 quotes in total — browse the collection.
Sources: christianleaders.org, connecticuthistory.org, wordpress.com
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