impressions took possession of his whole being. His own account of the event is in the following language, expressive of

HIS RELIGIOUS FEELINGS.

Not long after I first began to experience new apprehensions and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him, I gave an account to my father of some things that had passed in my mind. I was pretty much affected by the discourse which we had together; and, when the discourse was ended, I walked abroad alone in a solitary place in my father's pasture, for contemplation. And as I was walking there, and looking upon the sky and clouds, there came into my mind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, as I know not how to express. seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction; majesty and meekness joined together. It was a sweet, and gentle, and holy majesty; and also a majestic meekness; an awful sweetness; a high, and great, and holy gentleness.

I

After this, my sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and had more of that inward sweetness. The appearance of everything was altered. There seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory in almost everything. God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love seemed to appear in everything; in the sun, moon, and stars; in the clouds and sky; in the grass, flowers, and trees; in the water and all nature; which used greatly to fix my mind. I often used to sit and view the moon for a long time; and, in the day, spent much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the sweet glory of God in these things; in the mean time, singing forth, with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator and Redeemer. And scarce anything, among all the works of nature, was so sweet to me as thunder and lightning; although formerly nothing had been so terrible to me. Before, I used to be uncommonly terrified with thunder, and to be struck with terror when I saw a thunder-storm rising; but now, on the contrary, it rejoiced me. I felt God, if I may so speak, at the first appearance of a thunder-storm, and used to take the opportunity, at such times, to fix myself in order to view the clouds, and see the lightnings play, and hear the majestic and awful voice of God's thunder, which oftentimes was exceedingly entertaining, leading me to sweet contemplations of my great and glorious God.

Such were the decisive religious views and elevated affections with which he was blessed before he was seventeen years of age; and before he was nineteen he was licensed to preach the Gospel, and was invited to supply, for a short time, the pulpit of a small Congregational church in New York. In the spring of 1723, he returned to East Windsor. Before this time he had formed for the government of his own heart and life his celebrated "Resolutions," seventy in number, which evince a firmness of religious principle, a depth of piety, a decision of character, an acquaintance with the human heart, and a comprehensiveness of views in regard to Christian duty, rare even in the most mature minds. The following are a few of these:

HIS RESOLUTIONS.

Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God 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 of mankind in general.

Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, Never to do anything which I should be afraid. to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

Resolved, To be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.

Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account, except for some real good.

Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

Resolved, Never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind; agreeable to the lowest humility and sense of my own faults and failings; and

agreeable to the Golden Rule; often when I have said anything against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this resolution.

Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent; what sin I have committed; and wherein I have denied myself. Also at the end of every week, month, and year.

Resolved, To inquire, every night before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could with respect to eating and drinking.

Resolved, To endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere temper; and to do, at all times, what such a temper would lead me to, and to examine, strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have so done.

On the supposition that there never was to be but one individual in the world at any one time who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part, and under whatever character viewed-Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time.

In the month of June, 1724, Mr. Edwards having been previously elected tutor in Yale College, entered upon the duties of his office, in which he continued for two years. Being then invited to settle in Northampton as a colleague to his grandfather, Rev. Solomon Stoddard, he accepted the call, and entered upon the duties of his office with great zeal. It is said that when in ordinary health, which was generally delicate, he would spend thirteen hours every day in his study. This was too much, and doubtless shortened his life many years. In 1727 he was married to Miss Sarah Pierrepont, daughter of Rev. James Pierrepont, pastor of a church in New Haven. The union proved a most happy one in every respect. By her wisdom, energy, and economy she relieved her husband from the interruptions of domestic care, and thus he was left at liberty to pursue his studies without remission.

Soon after his ordination, Mr. Edwards was permitted to witness some gratifying fruit of his labors in the conversion of a number of

his people. In 1729 the venerable Mr. Stoddard dying, the whole care of the congregation devolved on the youthful pastor; and so faithful and laborious were his ministrations that in the years 1734 and 1735 the town was favored with a "revival so extensive and powerful as to constitute a memorable era in the history of that church." In the year 1739 he commenced a series of discourses in his own pulpit, which afterwards formed the basis of his celebrated work, "The History of the Work of Redemption;" it was not, however, published till after his decease. In the spring of 1740 a second extensive and powerful revival of religion commenced in Northampton, which was aided by the labors of the celebrated Rev. George Whitefield, and an account of which Mr. Edwards published in 1742, under the title of "Thoughts concerning the present Revival in New England." It was immediately republished in Scotland, and brought the author into correspondence with some of the most distinguished divines of that country.

In 1743 Mr. Edwards finished a series of sermons upon the distinguishing marks and evidences of true religion, which were published in 1746 under the title of "A Treatise concerning Religious Affections," and which called forth from the friends of true piety on both sides of the Atlantic the warmest praises and thanks. In the latter part of the year 1743 he was visited by David Brainerd, the celebrated missionary to the Indians, who had been laboring, and who after that continued to labor for more than three years, among the Indians in different settlements in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, amidst many discouragements and enfeebled health, with a zeal, diligence, self-denial, and perseverance which have seldom had any parallel in the history of missions. Indeed, the labors of this missionary proved too much for him, and he returned, on invitation, to Mr. Edwards' house, in May, 1747, and, gradually sinking under the power of a consumptive disease, closed his life in the bosom of his friend's family on the 9th of October of that year; and Mr. Edwards prepared and published in 1749 a memoir of this remarkable man, entitled "An Account of the Life of the late Reverend David Brainerd, Missionary to the Indians, and Pastor of a Church of Christian Indians in New Jersey."

Thus far, the life of this eminently great and pious man had not been attended by any marked or painful trials. But his path, henceforth, was to be anything but a smooth one. He was to experience the fickleness of popular applause, and, what was still more trying, persecutions from his own Christian brethren. Yes, a number who claimed to be "converted" under his ministry gave evident proof, by their continued and malignant persecutions, that they needed to be

converted over again. It had been credibly reported that a number of the younger members of his church had in their possession immoral and licentious books, which they were employing for immoral purposes. Mr. Edwards preached on the subject. The church immediately resolved unanimously that a committee should be appointed to investigate the matter; but they had not proceeded far in their duty before it was ascertained that nearly every leading family in town had some member implicated in the guilt. This disclosure produced an immediate reaction, and a majority of the church determined not to proceed in the inquiry; so true is it, as the learned biographer' of Edwards remarks, that "nothing is more apt to revolt and alienate, and even to produce intense hostility in the minds of parents, than anything which threatens the character or the comfort of their children." The result was that great disaffection ensued, and the discipline of the church was openly set at defiance, and great declension in zeal and morals naturally followed.

But there was a cause of still deeper disaffection. Mr. Stoddard, the predecessor of Edwards, had been accustomed, throughout his ministry, to receive into the church such as applied for admission, whether they gave any evidence of a change of heart or not, and Mr. Edwards continued the same practice for many years after his ordination. At length doubts as to its rightfulness began to arise in his mind, and continued to increase with such strength that in 1749 he disclosed to his church his change of opinion, and publicly vindicated it by his "Humble Inquiry into the Rules of the Word of God, concerning the Qualifications requisite to a Complete Standing and Full Communion in the Visible Christian Church," which was published in August of that year. This treatise immediately threw the congregation into a flame, and he became the object of fierce, unbridled resentment. It would be painful to detail the bitter opposition that Mr. Edwards encountered from his own church. Suffice it to say that it continued so long and so determined that he concluded to accept a call from the church at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, about forty miles west of Northampton, and that he removed thither in the spring of 1751. Here he enjoyed great quiet and happiness, and was enabled to complete what for many years he had been engaged in, his immortal treatise, and that on which his fame chiefly rests, "The Freedom of the Will and Moral Agency," which was published in the spring of 1754.

The fundamental doctrines which Edwards undertakes to establish

Rev. Samuel Miller, D. D), of Princeton College.