Newsgroup: it.scienza.ambiente
Titolo: Re: I Now Pronounce You Chuck (May) and Larry (Mike McDonnell)

know Jesus Christ without knowing at the same time both God and our
own wretchedness.
Therefore I shall not undertake here to prove by natural reasons either the
existence of God, or the Trinity, or the immortality of the soul, or
anything of that nature; not only because I should not feel myself
sufficiently able to find in nature arguments to convince hardened atheists,
but also because such knowledge without Jesus Christ is useless and barren.
Though a man should be convinced that numerical proportions are immaterial
truths, eternal and dependent on a first truth, in which they subsist and
which is called God, I should not think him far advanced towards his own
salvation.
The God of Christians is not a God who is simply the author of mathematical
truths, or of the order of the elements; that is the view of heathens and
Epicureans. He is not merely a God who exercises His providence over the
life and fortunes of men, to bestow on those who worship Him a long and
happy life. That was the portion of the Jews. But the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Christians, is a God of love and
of comfort, a God who fills the soul and heart of those whom He possesses, a
God who makes them conscious of their inward wretchedness, and His infinite
mercy, who unites Himself to their inmost soul, who fills it with humility
and joy, with confidence and love, who renders them incapable of any other
end than Himself.
All who seek God without Jesus Christ, and who rest in nature, either find
no light to satisfy them, or come to form for themselves a

"In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. They
that have followed the idols of Samaria, and sworn by the god of Dan, and
followed the manner of Beersheba, shall fall, and never rise up again."
Amos 3:2: "Ye only have I known of all the families of the earth for my
people."
Daniel 12:7. Having described all the extent of the reign of the Messiah, he
says: "All these things shall be finished, when the scattering of the people
of Israel shall be accomplished."
Haggai 2:4: "Ye who, comparing this second house with the glory of the
first, despise it, be strong, saith the Lord, be strong, O Zerubbabel, and O
Jesus, the high priest, be strong, all ye people of the land, and work. For
I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts; according to the word that I
covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among
you. Fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of hosts: Yet one little while,
and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land,"
(a way of speaking to indicate a great and an extraordinary change); "and I
will shake all nations, and the desire of all the Gentiles shall come; and I
wil

these were in her mind: The words of the Lord are
pure words, health to the soul, and marrow to the bones: and then these
words, The blood of Christ cleanses from all sin; which were accompanied
with a lively sense of the excellency of Christ, and His sufficiency to
satisfy for the sins of the whole world. She then thought of that
expression, It is a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun; which
words then seemed to her to be very applicable to Jesus Christ. By these
things her mind was led into such contemplations and views of Christ, as
filled her exceeding full of joy. She told her brother, in the morning,
that she had seen (i.e. in realizing views by faith) Christ the last
night, and that she had really thought that she had not knowledge enough
to be converted; but, says she, God can make it quite easy! On Monday
she felt all day a constant sweetness in her soul. She had a repetition
of the same discoveries of Christ three mornings together, and much in
the same manner, at each time, waking a little before day; but brighter
and brighter every day.
At the last time, on Wednesday morning, while in the enjoyment of a
spiritual view of Christ's glory and fullness, her soul was filled with
distress for Christless persons, to consider what a miserable condition
they were in. She felt a strong inclination immediately to go forth to
warn sinners; and proposed it the next day to her brother to assist her
in going from house to house; but her brother restrained her, by telling
her of the unsuitableness of such a method. She told one of her sisters
that day, that she loved all mankind, but 

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A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God is Jonathan Edwards'
own account of the mighty way in which God moved among the people of
Northampton, Massachusetts and other nearby communities in the early
stages of what has become known as The Great Awakening. There is much to
be learned from Edwards regarding the nature of true conversion and how
God's Spirit works in awakening and converting sinners. A Faithful
Narrative is reproduced here in its entirety with the hopes that many
will profit greatly from the observations of the greatest evangelist
ever to grace the American continent. 
The Narrative is divided into three sections: 
I. A General Introductory Statement,
II. The Manner of Conversions Various, Yet Bearing a Great Analogy, 
III. This Work Further Illustrated in Particular Instances. 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Rev. and Honored Sir,
Having seen your letter to my honored Uncle Williams of Hatfield, of
July 20, wherein you inform him of the notice that has been taken of the
late wonderful work of God, in this and some other towns in this
country, by the Rev. Dr. Watts, and Dr. Guyse, of London, and the
congregation to which the last of these preached on a monthly day of
solemn prayer; also, of your desire to be more perfectly acquainted with
it, by some of us on the spot: and having been since informed by my
Uncle Williams that you desire me to undertake it, I would now do it, in
a just and faithful a manner as in me lies.
SECTION I. A Genera

and twenty-eight, we know
it." There is grass on the earth, we see it--from the moon we would not see
it--and on the grass are leaves, and in these leaves are small animals; but
after that no more. O presumptuous man! The compounds are composed of
elements, and the elements not. O presumptuous man! Here is a fine
reflection. We must not say that there is anything which we do not see. We
must then talk like others, but not think like them.
267. The last proceeding of reason is to recognise that there is an infinity
of things which are beyond it. It is but feeble if it does not see so far as
to know this. But if natural things are beyond it, what will be said of
supernatural?
268. Submission.--We must know where to doubt, where to feel certain, where
to submit. He who does not do so understands not the force of reason. There
are some who offend against these three rules, either by affirming
everything as demonstrative, from want of knowing what demonstration is; or
by doubting everything, from want of knowing where to submit; or by
submitting in everything, from want of knowing where they must judge.
269. Submission is the use of reason in which consists true Christianity.
270. Saint Augustine.--Reason would never submit, if it did not judge that
there are some occasions on which it ought to submit. It is then right for
it to submit, when it judges that it ought to submit.
271. Wisdom sends us to childhood. Nisi efficiamini sicut parvuli.38
272. There is nothing so conformable to reason as this disavowal of reason.
273. If we submit everything to reason, our religion will have no mysterious
and supernatural element. If we offend the principles of reason, our
religion will be absurd and ridiculous.
274. All our reasoning reduces itself to yielding to feeling.
But fancy is like, though contrary to, feeling, so that we cannot
distinguish between these contraries. One person says that my feeling is
fancy,

in addition to certain troubles, but ten
years of self-love (for ten years is the chance), to try hard to please
without success?
239. Objection.--Those who hope for salvation are so far happy; but they
have as a counterpoise the fear of hell.
Reply.--Who has most reason to fear hell: he who is in ignorance whether
there is a hell, and who is certain of damnation if there is; or he who
certainly believes there is a hell and hopes to be saved if there is?
240. "I would soon have renounced pleasure," say they, "had I faith." For my
part I tell you, "You would soon have faith, if you renounced pleasure."
Now, it is for you to begin. If I could, I would give you faith. I cannot do
so, nor therefore test the truth of what you say. But you can well renounce
pleasure and test whether what I say is true.
241. Order.--I would have far more fear of being mistaken, and of finding
that the Christian religion was true, than of not being mistaken in
believing it true.
                     SECTION IV: OF THE MEANS OF BELIEF
242. Preface to the second part.--To speak of those who have treated of this
matter.
I admire the