118. =A Farewell Sermon.= "A Farewel-Sermon Preached at the first Precinct
in Northampton, After the People's publick Rejection of their Minister,
and renouncing their Relation to Him as Pastor of the Church there, On
June 22. 1750 Occasion'd by Difference of Sentiments, concerning the
requisite Qualifications of Members of the Church, in compleat Standing.
By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Acts xx. 18. Ye know, from the first day that I
came into Asia, after what Manner I have been with you, at all Seasons.
ver. 20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but
have showed you, and have taught you publickly, and from House to House.
ver. 26, 27. Wherefore I take you to Record this Day, that I am pure from
the Blood of all Men: For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
Counsel of God. Gal. iv. 15, 16. Where is then the Blessedness ye spake
of? For I bear you Record, that if it had been possible, ye would have
plucked out your own Eyes, and have given them to me. Am I then become
your Enemy, because I tell you the Truth? Boston Printed and sold by S.
Kneeland over against the Prison in Queen-Street. 1751."--Title-page of
the first edition.
The preface to this sermon is a document so important for the
understanding of it, that it is here, as is usual also in other editions,
printed in full.
_Preface._ It is not unlikely, that some of the readers of the following
sermon may be inquisitive concerning the circumstances of the difference
between me and the people of Northampton, that issued in that separation
between me and them, which occasioned the preaching of this farewell
sermon. There is, by no means, room here for a full account of that
matter: but yet it seems to be proper, and even necessary, here to correct
some gross misrepresentations, which have been abundantly, and ('tis to be
feared) by some affectedly and industriously made, of that difference:
such as, that I insisted on persons being assured of their being in a
state of salvation, in order to my admitting them into the church; that I
required a particular relation of the method and order of a person's
inward experience, and of the time and manner of his conversion, as the
test of his fitness for Christian communion; yea, that I have undertaken
to set up a pure church, and to make an exact and certain distinction
between saints and hypocrites, by a pretended infallible discerning [of]
the state of men's souls; that in these things I had fallen in with those
wild people, who have lately appeared in New England, called Separatists;
and that I myself was become a grand Separatist; and that I arrogated all
the power of judging of the qualifications of candidates for communion
wholly to myself, and insisted on acting by my sole authority, in the
admission of members into the church, &c.
In opposition to these slanderous representations, I shall at present only
give my reader an account of some things which I laid before the council,
that separated between me and my people, in order to their having a just
and full view of my principles relating to the affair in controversy.
Long before the sitting of the council, my people had sent to the Reverend
Mr. Clark of Salem village, desiring him to write in opposition to my
principles. Which gave me occasion to write to Mr. Clark, that he might
have true information what my principles were. And in the time of the
sitting of the council, I did, for their information, make a public
declaration of my principles before them and the church, in the
meeting-house, of the same import with that in my letter to Mr. Clark, and
very much in the same words: and then, afterwards, sent in to the council
in writing, an extract of that letter, containing the information I had
given to Mr. Clark, in the very words of my letter to him, that the
council might read and consider it at their leisure, and have a more
certain and satisfactory knowledge what my principles were. The extract
which I sent in to them was in the following words:
"I am often and I don't know but pretty generally, in the country,
represented as of a new and odd opinion with respect to the terms of
Christian communion, and as being for introducing a peculiar way of
my own. Whereas I don't perceive that I differ at all from the scheme
of Dr. Watts in his book entitled, _The Rational Foundation of a
Christian Church, and the Terms of Christian Communion_; which, he
says, is the common sentiment of all reformed churches. I had not
seen this book of Dr. Watts' when I published what I have written on
the subject. But yet I think my sentiments, as I have expressed them,
are as exactly agreeable to what he lays down, as if I had been his
pupil. Nor do I at all go beyond what Dr. Doddridge plainly shows to
be his sentiments, in his _Rise and Progress of Religion_, and his
_Sermons on Regeneration_, and his Paraphrase and Notes on the New
Testament. Nor indeed, sir, when I consider the sentiments you have
expressed in your letters to Major Pomroy and Mr. Billing, can I
perceive but that they come exactly to the same thing that I
maintain. You suppose the sacraments are not converting ordinances:
but that, 'as seals of the covenant, they presuppose conversion,
especially in the adult; and that it is visible saintship, or, in
other words, a credible profession of faith and repentance, a solemn
consent to the gospel covenant, joined with a good conversation, and
competent measure of Christian knowledge, is what gives a gospel
right to all sacred ordinances: but that it is necessary to those
that come to these ordinances, and in those that profess a consent to
the gospel covenant, that they be sincere in their profession,' or at
least should think themselves so.--The great thing which I have
scrupled in the established method of this church's proceeding, and
which I dare no longer go on in, is their publicly assenting to the
form of words rehearsed on occasion of their admission to the
communion, without pretending thereby to mean any such thing as any
hearty consent to the terms of the gospel covenant, or to mean any
such faith or repentance as belong to the covenant of grace, and are
the grand conditions of that covenant: it being, at the same time
that the words are used, their known and established principle which
they openly profess and proceed upon, that men may and ought to use
these words and mean no such thing, but something else of a nature
far inferior; which I think they have no distinct, determinate notion
of; but something consistent with their knowing that they do not
choose God as their chief good, but love the world more than him, and
that they do not give themselves up entirely to God, but make
reserves; and in short, knowing that they do not heartily consent to
the gospel covenant, but live still under the reigning power of the
love of the world, and enmity to God and Christ. So that the words of
their public profession, according to their openly established use,
cease to be of the nature of any profession of gospel faith and
repentance, or any proper compliance with the covenant: for 'tis
their profession, that the words, as used, mean no such thing. The
words used under these circumstances, do at least fail of being a
_credible_ profession of these things. I can conceive of no such
virtue in a certain set of words, that it is proper, merely on the
making of these sounds, to admit persons to Christian sacraments,
without any regard to any pretended meaning of these sounds: nor can
I think that any institution of Christ has established any such terms
of admission into the Christian church. It does not belong to the
controversy between me and my people, how particular or large the
profession should be that is required. I should not choose to be
confined to exact limits as to that matter; but rather than contend,
I should content myself with a few words, briefly expressing the
cardinal virtues or acts implied in a hearty compliance with the
covenant, made (as should appear by inquiry into the person's
doctrinal knowledge) understandingly; if there were an external
conversation agreeable thereto: yea, I should think, that such a
person, solemnly making such a profession, had a right to be received
as the object of a public charity, however he himself might scruple
his own conversion, on account of his not remembering the time, not
knowing the method of his conversion, or finding so much remaining
sin, &c. And (if his own scruples did not hinder his coming to the
Lord's table) I should think the minister or church had no right to
debar such a professor, though he should say he did not think himself
converted; for I call that a profession of godliness, which is a
profession of the great things wherein godliness consists, and not a
profession of his own opinion of his good estate."
Northampton, May 7, 1750.
Thus far my Letter to Mr. Clark.
The council having heard that I had made certain draughts of the covenant,
or forms of a public profession of religion which I stood ready to accept
of from the candidates for church communion, they, for their further
information, sent for them. Accordingly I sent them four distinct draughts
or forms, which I had drawn up about a twelvemonth before, as what I stood
ready to accept of (any one of them) rather than contend and break with my
people.
The two shortest of these forms are here inserted for the satisfaction of
the reader. They are as follows.
"I hope I do truly find a heart to give up myself wholly to God,
according to the tenor of that covenant of grace which was sealed in
my baptism; and to walk in a way of that obedience to all the
commandments of God, which the covenant of grace requires, as long as
I live." Another,
"I hope I truly find in my heart a willingness to comply with all the
commandments of God, which require me to give up myself wholly to
him, and to serve him with my body and my spirit. And do accordingly
now promise to walk in a way of obedience to all the commandments of
God, as long as I live."
Such kind of professions as these I stood ready to accept, rather than
contend and break with my people. Not but that I think it much more
convenient, that ordinarily the public profession of religion that is made
by Christians should be much fuller and more particular; and that (as I
hinted in my letter to Mr. Clark) I should not choose to be tied up to any
certain form of words, but to have liberty to vary the expressions of a
public profession the more exactly to suit the sentiments and experience
of the professor, that it might be a more just and free expression of what
each one finds in his heart.
And moreover it must be noted, that I ever insisted on it, that it
belonged to me as a pastor, before a profession was accepted, to have full
liberty to instruct the candidate in the meaning of the terms of it, and
in the nature of the things proposed to be professed; and to inquire into
his doctrinal understanding of these things, according to my best
discretion; and to caution the person, as I should think needful, against
rashness in making such a profession, or doing it mainly for the credit of
himself or his family, or from any secular views whatsoever, and to put
him on serious self-examination, and searching his own heart, and prayer
to God to search and enlighten him that he may not be hypocritical and
deceived in the profession he makes; withal pointing forth to him the
many ways in which professors are liable to be deceived.
Nor do I think it improper for a minister in such a case, to inquire and
know of the candidate what can be remembered of the circumstances of his
Christian experience; as this may tend much to illustrate his profession
and give a minister great advantage for proper instructions: though a
particular knowledge and remembrance of the time and method of the first
conversion to God is not to be made the test of a person's sincerity, nor
insisted on as necessary in order to his being received into full charity.
Not that I think it at all improper or unprofitable, that in some special
cases a declaration of the particular circumstances of a person's first
awakening and the manner of his convictions, illuminations and comforts,
should be publicly exhibited before the whole congregation, on occasion of
his admission into the church; though this be not demanded as necessary to
admission. I ever declared against insisting on a relation of experience,
in this sense (viz., a relation of the particular time and steps of the
operation of the Spirit in first conversion), as the term of communion:
yet, if by a relation of experiences, he meant a declaration of experience
of the great things _wrought_, wherein true grace and the essential acts
and habits of holiness consist; in this sense, I think an account of a
person's experiences necessary in order to his admission into full
communion in the church. But that in whatever inquiries are made, and
whatever accounts are given, neither minister nor church are to set up
themselves as searchers of hearts, but are to accept the serious, solemn
profession of the well instructed professor, of a good life, as best able
to determine what he finds in his own heart.
These things may serve in some measure to set right those of my readers
who have been misled in their apprehensions of the state of the
controversy between me and my people, by the forementioned
misrepresentations.